Method and press for introducing a deformation pattern into a sheet

Abstract

A method and a press for introducing a deformation pattern into a sheet uses at least one tool unit for producing an electrolyser plate or fuel cell plate, wherein the deformation pattern in at least one sub-area has a plurality of identical pattern units lying beside one another with a pattern spacing in at least one pattern direction, and the press for forming only the sub-area comprises a tool unit, in which an upper and a lower forming die are arranged, with the interacting deformation structures of which at least one pattern unit of a sub-area is formed in a single stroke of the tool unit in the sheet guided between the forming dies, and with each stroke of a predetermined total number, the pattern introduced into the sheet is supplemented by at least one introduced pattern unit.

1 . A method for introducing a deformation pattern into a sheet by using at least one tool unit of a press to produce an electrolyser plate or fuel cell plate, wherein
 a. the deformation pattern in at least one sub-area has a plurality of identical pattern units lying beside one another with a pattern spacing in at least one pattern direction, and   b. for deforming only the at least one sub-area the press comprises a tool unit, in which an upper and a lower forming die are arranged, interacting deformation structures of the forming dies forming in the sheet at least one pattern unit of the at least one sub-area in a single stroke of the tool unit as the sheet is guided between the forming dies, and   c. between two successive strokes of a predetermined total number of strokes of the tool unit, the sheet is transported onward within the tool unit in a conveying direction corresponding to the at least one pattern direction, and   d. in the tool unit, with each stroke of the predetermined total number, the deformation pattern introduced into the sheet is supplemented by at least one of the pattern units until, after the predetermined total number of strokes, the sub-area of the deformation pattern has been completed, and   e. with each stroke of the tool unit a positioning opening is die-cut in the sheet and a positioning pin is provided in the tool unit or the press, and before and/or with a closing movement of a stroke of the tool unit, the positioning pin moves into the positioning opening, and   f. the positioning opening is arranged in a predetermined area of the sheet, subsequent, additional die-cutting step being carried out with another tool unit of the same press or another press in the predetermined area, wherein the positioning opening is removed by a die-cut made in the subsequent, additional die-cutting step, the die-cut thereby formed having a fluid-guiding function in a pack of a plurality of the electrolyser plates or fuel cell plates.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the interacting deformation structures of the lower and upper forming dies of the tool unit are used to introduce a number N of pattern units of the sub-area simultaneously in a single stroke of the tool unit, where N>=2. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein after a stroke of the tool unit, as a result of the onward transport of the sheet, an area of the pattern unit formed in the sheet in an immediately preceding stroke is brought to overlap with the deformation structures of the upper and lower forming dies. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the sheet is moved onward in the conveying direction by M times the pattern spacing, where M<N. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the positioning opening is die-cut with a hole punch, and the hole punch and the positioning pin are arranged in the tool unit at a distance in the conveying direction which is smaller than M times pattern spacing. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the other tool unit of the same press or another press, also forms in the sheet pattern components of the deformation pattern and/or edge cuts which are arranged around the deformation pattern. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the other tool unit acts on the sheet in a single stroke in addition to the total number of strokes for forming the at least one sub-area. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for carrying out the method according to  claim 1 , comprising the press having the at least one tool unit, wherein the tool unit has the upper and lower forming dies with the interacting deformation structures configured so that, in a single stroke of the tool unit, at least one of the pattern units of the sub-area of the deformation pattern is formed on the sheet, which deformation pattern has a plurality of the identical pattern units lying beside one another with the pattern spacing in the at least one pattern direction, and the tool unit is configured to shape the sub-area gradually with a plurality of strokes until the shaping of the sub-area has been completed, and the apparatus further comprises die-cutting means configured so that with each stroke of the tool unit the positioning opening is die-cut, and the positioning pin is provided in the tool unit or the press, the cutting-die and the positioning pin being so configured so that, before and/or with the closing movement of a stroke, the positioning pin is moved into the positioning opening, and the tool unit is configured to arrange the positioning opening in an area of the sheet in which a subsequent die-cutting step is carried out with the other tool unit of the same press or another press, the other tool unit being configured to form a die-cut which removes the positioning opening and which has a fluid-guiding function in a pack of a plurality of electrolyser plates or fuel cell plates. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the tool unit has a conveying device configured to move the sheet onward within the tool unit between successive strokes by a multiple of the pattern spacing. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein
 the other tool unit is provided in another press or is substituted for the first tool unit in the same press and comprises a progressive die configured to form in a single stroke the pattern units of the deformation pattern and/or the die-cut positioning opening and/or edge cuts arranged around the sub-area.