Inline PVD and PECVD Coating Systems for Flat Substrates

Scalable, cost-efficient coating solutions for PEM fuel cells and PEM electrolyzers – from sampling and prototyping to high-volume production. With more than 30 years of experience in plasma surface technology, Bosch Manufacturing Solutions | BMG combines in-depth coating expertise with comprehensive automation and manufacturing know-how. This enables us to efficiently transfer innovative coating processes into economical and scalable industrial production.

Intelligent coating technology – precise, scalable, and future-ready

Metallic bipolar plates place demanding requirements on coating technology. In addition to long-term corrosion resistance, low electrical contact resistance is essential for the overall system performance. Advanced PVD and PECVD coating systems reliably meet these requirements and make a significant contribution to the efficiency and service life of fuel cell and electrolyzer stacks. Precise inline coating processes ensure consistent coating quality while enabling cost-effective, scalable high-volume manufacturing.

Inline coating system from Bosch Manufacturing Solutions | BMG enabling automated, scalable coating processes from research to industrial production.

Application Areas

Inline coating system from Bosch Manufacturing Solutions enabling automated, scalable coating processes from research to industrial production.

Validated carbon coatings for fuel cells

Our PECVD-based amorphous carbon coatings achieve a deposition rate approximately 50% higher than sputtered coatings. This enables a more compact and less complex system design while maintaining the same throughput and reducing capital investment costs by up to 40%.

Deposition at temperatures below 200°C minimizes the distortion of formed bipolar plates, contributing to outstanding component quality. The PECVD process, validated specifically for bipolar plates, exceeds the requirements of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), meeting an internationally recognized benchmark for corrosion resistance and electrical contact resistance.

Benefits:

Validated technology for reduced project risk
Fast scale-up from development to high-volume production
Up to 40% lower capital investment costs

Material-efficient precious metal coatings for PEM electrolyzers

Material-efficient precious metal coating for PEM electrolyzers

Using highly ionized, microwave-assisted plasmas, our coating systems produce exceptionally dense and homogeneous precious metal coatings. These coatings reduce electrical contact resistance, provide reliable corrosion protection, and enable consistently low cell voltages – even under demanding operating conditions. At the same time, the high coating efficiency reduces precious metal consumption by up to 70% without compromising performance or service life.

Benefits:

Up to 70% lower precious metal consumption
Lower coating costs per bipolar plate
Consistently low cell voltage due to low contact resistance
Long-term stable contact resistance after more than 3,500 hours
High corrosion resistance for extended service life
Scalable inline production for industrial-scale volumes
Improved Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

Hydrogen barrier coatings

Our PVD and PECVD hydrogen barrier coatings reduce hydrogen permeation and provide reliable protection against hydrogen embrittlement. Dense, low-defect coating systems enhance the long-term stability of demanding components and contribute to high operational reliability. In-house testing and validation capabilities enable rapid evaluation and targeted optimization of customer-specific coating systems – from development through to industrial application.

Benefits:

Reduced hydrogen permeation
Reliable protection against hydrogen embrittlement
High long-term stability of demanding components
Fast development and validation of customer-specific coating systems

Benefits

High cost efficiency

Consistent quality and reliable product performance.

Optimized processes and reduced energy and material consumption lower coating costs and reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO).

Flexible scalability

Modular system architectures scale with your production requirements, enabling step-by-step capacity expansion.

High planning reliability

Validated coating systems, co-engineering, and pilot-scale coating trials reduce development risks and support a reliable transition to high-volume production.

High process reliability

Integrated automation, metrology, and process data ensure stable, reproducible manufacturing.

BMG – Your partner for the industrialization of coating processes

Bosch Manufacturing Solutions | BMG combines coating technology, process development, and manufacturing automation into an end-to-end solution – from the development of customer-specific coating systems and pilot-scale and sample coatings to fully automated high-volume production. This shortens development cycles, reduces interface complexity, and enables a reliable transfer to industrial-scale manufacturing.

Inline PVD and PECVD Coating Systems for Flat Substrates

Intelligent coating technology – precise, scalable, and future-ready