Dätwyler moves into the fuel cell business

Dätwyler is striving to support its customer base in the transition to using hydrogen as an energy source, as the internationally active technology company from Altdorf in the canton of Uri writes in a press release. To this end, Dätwyler is joining forces with HYCCO. The company, which hails from the French city of Toulouse, specializes in the development of bipolar plates used in fuel cells.

The bipolar plates need to be sealed in the fuel cells. Elastomers have proven to be particularly well suited for the required seals, Dätwyler explains in the press release. “We are now in the process of developing the material options which will progress to processing trials. The results we have achieved so far prove that a co-engineering approach to emerging technologies is the best way of working”, comments Sarah-Elisabeth Dechent, Manager Material Development at Dätwyler, in the press release.

With its bipolar plates, HYCCO is seeking to strengthen the use of hydrogen fuel cells in heavy mobility applications. Together with Dätwyler, the aim is “to develop a cost-effective solution for the production of gaskets for proton exchange membrane BPP”, as Romain Di Costanzo, CEO of HYCCO, explains. “Datwyler has a tremendous experience in elastomer formulation, and mass production of complex sealing parts”, he adds. Moreover, the company from the canton of Uri has “invested into best-in-class R&D means to meet the various challenges ahead”, Di Costanzo concludes. ce/hs