An offset fin manufacturing method for manufacturing offset fins includes a feeding step of feeding a strip plate, a connection forming step of forming a connection in the strip plate, and an offset fin forming step of bending a planar plate portion located between corresponding two of the connections. In the offset fin forming step, each offset fin is formed such that two of top surface portions, which are located at an upstream end and a downstream end, respectively, of the offset fin in a feed direction of the strip plate, are respectively and directly connected to corresponding two of the connections. One of two of lateral surface portions joined to a corresponding one of the two of the top surface portions is not offset, and thereby a length of the corresponding one of the two of the top surface portions measured along a wave continuation direction is increased.

Disclosed is a metal sheet having a first major surface and an opposite second major surface, a first end and an opposite second end, and a first side edge and an opposite second side edge. The sheet has a plurality of parallel corrugations having a length defining a first axis extending along the sheet, a width defining a second axis extending across the sheet, and a depth defining a third axis extending through the sheet. The corrugations are formed by roll forming of the metal sheet. In transverse cross section, each of the corrugations comprises a substantially convex portion and a substantially concave portion. The substantially convex and concave portions each comprise a plurality of substantially linear portions with curved transition portions therebetween. The curved transition portions have a radius sufficiently small to cause plastic deformation of the metal sheet during roll forming of the corrugations. The substantially convex and concave portions each approximate a smooth curve.

The invention concerns a forming device intended to form a bend in a corrugation, the forming device comprising: a bottom frame (4) having a planar mounting surface (6) intended to receive a sheet metal plate having a corrugation projecting relative to a planar portion of the sheet metal plate, a projecting counter-form (5) arranged on the mounting surface and intended to be accommodated in the corrugation, the projecting counter-form having a stationary portion (7) and a movable portion (8) that is hinged, relative to the stationary portion, about an axis perpendicular to the mounting surface, a top frame (34) arranged above the bottom frame, a press configured to lower the top frame towards the bottom frame, and a hollow upper die carried by the top frame between the top frame (34) and the bottom frame (4), the hollow upper die (36, 37) being arranged above the movable portion of the projecting counter-form.

The invention concerns a forming device intended to form a bend in a corrugation, the forming device comprising: a bottom frame (4) having a planar mounting surface (6) intended to receive a sheet metal plate having a corrugation projecting relative to a planar portion of the sheet metal plate, a projecting counter-form (5) arranged on the mounting surface and intended to be accommodated in the corrugation, the projecting counter-form having a stationary portion (7) and a movable portion (8) that is hinged, relative to the stationary portion, about an axis perpendicular to the mounting surface, a top frame (34) arranged above the bottom frame, a press configured to lower the top frame towards the bottom frame, and a hollow upper die carried by the top frame between the top frame (34) and the bottom frame (4), the hollow upper die (36, 37) being arranged above the movable portion of the projecting counter-form.

The invention relates to a method for producing highly dimensionally accurate, deep-drawn half shells having a bottom region, a jacket and optionally having a flange, wherein a half shell pre-formed from a blank is formed into a finished half shell, wherein the pre-formed half shell has excess blank material on account of its geometrical shape, and the half shell being upset by way of at least one pressing operation in an upsetting tool to form the finished half shell during the forming of the pre-formed half shell into its finished shape on account of the excess blank material. The object of specifying a method and an apparatus, by way of which the process reliability can be increased during the production of a half shell, is achieved by way of the abovementioned method by virtue of the fact that the size of the upset gap is reduced during the closing of the upsetting tool to the actual wall thickness of the jacket of the pre-formed half shell. In addition, the object is achieved by way of an upsetting tool according to the invention by virtue of the fact that two side walls are provided which, together with the bottom region of the die of the second tool half, form a corresponding die, and the side walls can be displaced perpendicularly or obliquely with respect to the movement direction of the die.

The invention relates to a method for producing highly dimensionally accurate, deep-drawn half shells having a bottom region, a jacket and optionally having a flange, wherein a half shell pre-formed from a blank is formed into a finished half shell, wherein the pre-formed half shell has excess blank material on account of its geometrical shape, and the half shell being upset by way of at least one pressing operation in an upsetting tool to form the finished half shell during the forming of the pre-formed half shell into its finished shape on account of the excess blank material. The object of specifying a method and an apparatus, by way of which the process reliability can be increased during the production of a half shell, is achieved by way of the abovementioned method by virtue of the fact that the size of the upset gap is reduced during the closing of the upsetting tool to the actual wall thickness of the jacket of the pre-formed half shell. In addition, the object is achieved by way of an upsetting tool according to the invention by virtue of the fact that two side walls are provided which, together with the bottom region of the die of the second tool half, form a corresponding die, and the side walls can be displaced perpendicularly or obliquely with respect to the movement direction of the die.

A method for producing a metallic interconnector for a fuel cell stack, including an air guiding surface with a first gas distributor structure and a fuel gas guiding surface with a second gas distributor structure, the first gas distributor structure and the second gas distributor structure each formed by grooves and webs, includes providing a sheet metal blank, forming the sheet metal blank by a plastic molding process, the first gas distributor structure and the second gas distributor structure being formed in such a manner that the grooves and webs of the first gas distributor structure are arranged complementary to the grooves and webs of the second gas distributor structure at a predeterminable percentage of area of the air guiding surface and the fuel gas guiding surface of at least 50% and at most 99%.

A method for producing a metallic interconnector for a fuel cell stack, including an air guiding surface with a first gas distributor structure and a fuel gas guiding surface with a second gas distributor structure, the first gas distributor structure and the second gas distributor structure each formed by grooves and webs, includes providing a sheet metal blank, forming the sheet metal blank by a plastic molding process, the first gas distributor structure and the second gas distributor structure being formed in such a manner that the grooves and webs of the first gas distributor structure are arranged complementary to the grooves and webs of the second gas distributor structure at a predeterminable percentage of area of the air guiding surface and the fuel gas guiding surface of at least 50% and at most 99%.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing profiled metal strips (1, 1), in which a metal strip (1, 1) with predefinable material thickness consisting, in particular, of stainless steel is wound up on a coil (4) and guided through a rolling stand (W1-W4) containing several rolls (2, 3, 2, 3), wherein at least the rolls (2, 3) that effectively interact with the metal strip (1, 1) are provided with a predefinable topography (8, 9), by means of which profiles with profile depths >250 m can be produced on both sides of the metal strip (1, 1) depending on the geometry of the topography (8, 9) of the rolls (2, 3), and wherein the metal strip (1, 1) is subsequent to its profiling wound up on a coil (5) and, if so required, subjected to a thermal post-treatment.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing profiled metal strips (1, 1), in which a metal strip (1, 1) with predefinable material thickness consisting, in particular, of stainless steel is wound up on a coil (4) and guided through a rolling stand (W1-W4) containing several rolls (2, 3, 2, 3), wherein at least the rolls (2, 3) that effectively interact with the metal strip (1, 1) are provided with a predefinable topography (8, 9), by means of which profiles with profile depths >250 m can be produced on both sides of the metal strip (1, 1) depending on the geometry of the topography (8, 9) of the rolls (2, 3), and wherein the metal strip (1, 1) is subsequent to its profiling wound up on a coil (5) and, if so required, subjected to a thermal post-treatment.