Impact Coatings has successfully delivered Ceramic MaxPhase™ coatings for fuel cell bipolar plates during development to French company Symbio FCell. The test phase is now over and a new range extender fuel cell is ready to go live in commercial cars. Impact Coatings has received the order for the first production batch.

The Swedish coating technology supplier has acted as a knowledge partner from the beginning of the development. The order from Symbio FCell for the new commercial range extender is a significant step for the business area Fuel Cells within Impact Coatings. The company will supply Ceramic MaxPhase as a coating service on bipolar plates to Symbio FCell. The first production batch consists of a few thousand plates manufactured by Borit in Geel, Belgium.

Ceramic MaxPhase enhances performance and lifetime of metal bipolar plates in fuel cells. The PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating is proven state-of-the-art for both proton ex-change membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) and direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). Offering a unique combination of low contact resistance, high corrosion resistance, and low cost, it exceeds both performance and cost reduction targets set up by the US Department of Energy.

Symbio FCell products are used both as range extenders for battery powered electric vehicles, and as the main source of power for fuel cell electric vehicles. Typical users today are commercial fleets that depart from and return to the same location, where a hydrogen gas fuel station is placed. One user of Symbio FCell’s technology is La Poste in France, targeting zero-emission and quiet city operation.

Impact Coatings AB develops and commercializes innovative technology for PVD surface treatment. PVD is a method for vacuum coating of thin films of metal or ceramics. The company has developed a portfolio of coating processes for metal and plastic, among others marketed under the trade name MaxPhase™. The coatings provide unique performances for fuel cells, electrical connectors, reflectors and other applications. In addition to coating services Impact Coatings offers the PVD production systems InlineCoater™, PlastiCoater™ and ReelCoater™, targeting customers with lean-organized production flows involving PVD.

Henrik Ljungcrantz (CTO, Impact Coatings AB). E-mail: henrik.ljungcrantz@impactcoatings.se