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Uniresearch
“The success of the European FC industry depends upon competitive stacks manufacturing. And with a successful Fit-4-AMandA project we would like to contribute to the realization of this goal.”
Anish Patil, Uniresearch
Since 1994, Uniresearch, an independent grant-consultancy company, has specialised in the startup and management of technology innovations. The company provides high-quality services helping clients find funding opportunities and prepare applications for regional, national, and pan-European grants like the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7) and Horizon2020. Uniresearch’s full services support customers throughout each stage of a research and innovation project: from project definition, through consortium-building and proposal writing, to contract negotiation, project execution, and dissemination of results. In fact, Uniresearch customers enjoy a success rate for European grants that is three times higher than the average.
Country: Netherlands
Website: To the website of Uniresearch
Proton Motor
“Proton Motor feels a strong interest in the market for sustainable energy solutions based on fuel cells and cannot afford to go on without applying significant steps in terms of automated stack production. The Fit-4-AMandA project is highly strategic and will secure and strengthen our position in the market in the future.”
Proton Motor
Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH is a specialist in industrial fuel cells and fuel cell hybrid systems with more than 18 years’ experience in this sector – from the development and manufacturing of fuel cell stacks from 2 to 25 kW, fuel cell systems and the implementation of customized hybrid solutions. The company is located in Puchheim near Munich and has 75 employees in development, manufacturing, administration and sales.
Proton Motor has deepened experience in the development of different PEM fuel cell stack generations including the constitutive fuel cell system design, thus customers benefit from tried-and-tested solutions regarding efficient systems for mobile and stationary applications. This experience has been gained in various European and national funded projects with international partners. Additionally, PM has tested and certified their fuel cell systems for automotive and other transport applications, with the corresponding products being sold to OEMs.
PM feels the growing market in the fuel cell business and is aware of a gap between its production capacity at this time, and the necessary capacity in the mid term to fulfill the demand. Automated stack and system production is a must to cope with this future production requirements. Therefore, Proton is obliged to make its stack technology fit for mass production by adapting the component design and the relevant processes. Fit-4-AMandA is – as a vehicle for this – very welcome and we will work hard to achieve the targets and make it a success!
The verification of a “mass produced” fuel cell stack in a delivery van will gain the most important results of the project: practical experience and validation, and furthermore the establishment of a network between Proton Motor, the component suppliers, the machine manufacturer and the operator of the vehicle fleet.
Country: Germany
IRD
"IRD Fuel Cells’ participation in Fit-4-Amanda is a unique possibility for us to fulfil the specified demands for automatic stack assembly in combination with improved performance and general quality of the components."
Laila Grahl-Madsen
IRD Fuel Cells A/S is an independent high technology company devoted to the development, production and sales of fuel cell and electrolyser components, such as MEA (Membrane Electrode Assemblies) and BPP (BiPolar Plates).
The core competencies of the company are expressed in the value chain from purchase of diverse materials for to development of processes for manufacturing of MEA and BPP in high volumes. The manufacturing facilities at IRD Fuel Cells are capable of manufacturing:
- CCM (Catalyst Coated Membrane)
- GDE (Gas Diffusion Electrodes)
- Multi-layer MEAs for PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) fuel cells, electrolysers and DMFC (Direct Methanol) fuel cells.
- BPP (BiPolar Plates)
Our state of the art testing labs includes single cell test stations and discrete measurement equipment for materials characterization at basic material level as well as finished goods level. This is the core ability in our research and development of alternative manufacturing processes and the constant optimisation of customer products.
In the present project, our MEA and the BPP production line will be further streamlined for efficient manufacturing by specialised processes based on experience acquired over many years of R&D and manufacturing in collaboration with the project partners. IRD Fuel Cells’ senior researchers and technicians have more than 20 years of experience in fuel cell development.
IRD Fuel Cells operates internationally through its own organization including a subsidiary in USA, and is 100% owned by the private Danish utility company IRD A/S.
Country: Denmark
Aumann
"We participate in Fit4AMandA in order to prepare for the upcoming equipment market for the automatic assembling of fuel cells, stacks and system assembly and testing. We want to design and support the step from laboratory manufacturing to series production. Today USK produces in the automotive sector complete assembling lines - for components up to complete engines. In the future we want to be one of the leading equipment suppliers for fuel cell, stack and system assembling."
Thilo Richter, Aumann
Aumann is a special purpose machine developing and manufacturing company in the field of assembly, handling and testing. The main customers are from automotive industry and its suppliers, renewable energies, electronics and textile industry.
In the field of fuel cell technology exists, basing on equipment developed for single part production, the fundamental know how about fuel cells, stacks and its assembly technologies and thus a solid basis for the further development of technologies towards to series and mass production.
Country: Germany
Fraunhofer
"Fraunhofer IWU is pleased to be a part of the Fit-4-AMandA consortium. We see this project as an important milestone in fields of fuel cell research and developing. "
Tom Barthel, Fraunhofer IWU
Fraunhofer IWU – The leading institute for resource-efficient production
As a leading institute for resource-efficient production within the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft we are your scientific research and development partner for the future industries of automobile and mechanical engineering. Since 25 years, the main focus of our work has been on application-oriented research and development in the field of production technology for the automotive and mechanical engineering sectors. We not only develop intelligent production systems for the manufacturing of car body and powertrain components, but we also optimize their related forming and cutting manufacturing processes.
During the last ten years the FhG-IWU concentrated its research work in the field of forming and processing on the development of modern resource efficient processes and process chains. Here, the FhG-IWU generated a profound knowledge regarding the transfer and establishment of new manufacturing strategies in several industrial sectors.
According to the calls scope, top-level objectives and the expected impact FhG-IWU will bring in their expertise in improvements in the production process. In this field alternative and innovative production and handling technologies for bottleneck processes of stack components are in focus as well as press- and tooling technologies for more efficient production beyond state of the art.
FhG-IWU will also give significant input in terms of improved design for manufacturability of at least two relevant stack components. Application- and result-oriented, e.g. formability of parts and their geometry, manufacturing procedures will be taken into account in detail. In parallel innovative stacking concepts and strategies for automatization can be delivered by FhG/IWU. One focus will be the process control of the assembling. Having a „finger print stacking“ with a prior „best fit“ separation of stack components is one of FhG-IWU goals.
To come up with the demand of cycle time measurement, cost analysis FhG-IWU can give a lot of input in terms of handling- and automatization expertise and calculation of production, energy and cost efficiency for the overall process chain.
Country: Germany
TUC
“To allow high-throughput production, automation and quality assessment go hand in hand”
Jiri Hrdlicka, TUC
Situated in the center of the Chemnitz “Wissenschaftsregion” (“science region”), the Technische Universität (TU) Chemnitz is home to more than 11,400 students from 91 countries. With approximately 2,300 employees in science, engineering and management, the TU Chemnitz is among the most important employers in the region. Today, the TU Chemnitz stands for outstanding research.
Within the core competencies “Materials and Smart Systems”, scientists are also involved in the Federal Cluster of Excellence “Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden” (cfAED). The COOL SILICON “Energy Efficiency Innovations from Silicon Saxony” high-performance cluster provides further important input. Within “Resource-efficient Production and Lightweight Structures” and “Humans and Technology”, solutions for the challenges of tomorrow are developed. The main focus in economic and social development is the creation of value, which in turn is influenced by major trends such as globalization, demographic change and the availability of resources.
The core competency “Resource-efficient Production and Lightweight Structures” is based upon the work of the Federal Cluster of Excellence “Merge Technologies for Multifunctional Lightweight Structures” (MERGE). With 34 million Euros in funding, this cluster is the only one in Germany focusing on the trend-setting technology field of lightweight construction. The foundation for this extraordinary development was created in part by the Saxon State Cluster of Excellence “Energy-efficient Product and Process Innovations in Production Engineering” (eniPROD), which was jointly established with the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU. In addition, there are also collaborative research groups funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), such as “High-strength aluminum-based lightweight construction materials for safety components” as well as two additional research facilities in cooperation with other universities.
This year, we are building infrastructure for fuel cell testing, which will be one of the best in Europe (high-capacity hydrogen storage and test station able to handle systems with power up to 150 kW).
UPS
“We have to invest in new technologies today, in order to shape transport solutions and secure prosperity for the future.”
Patrick Wunderlin, UPS
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including transporting packages and freight; facilitating international trade, and deploying advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the web at ups.com® and its corporate blog can be found at longitudes.ups.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS or follow @UPS_News on Twitter.
Country: Belgium
