Commercialization of Fuel Cell Bipolar Plate Manufacturing by Electromagnetic Forming

The cost of manufacturing bipolar plates is a major component to the overall cost structure of a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack. To achieve the commercialization of PEM fuel cells, a high volume and low cost manufacturing process for the bipolar plate must be developed. American Trim has identified high velocity electromagnetic forming as a suitable technology to manufacture metallic fuel cell bipolar plates, because of its low capital cost, flexible tooling and rapid prototyping capability. Through the support from the State of Ohio Third Frontier Fuel Cell Program, a group of collaborators consisting of American Trim, The Ohio State University and General Motors have developed a commercially viable prototype production process to manufacture metallic fuel cell bipolar plates in which electromagnetic coils and forming dies were integrated. To manufacture fuel cell bipolar plates, a metal sheet is accelerated by electromagnetic force to impact against, and take the shape of, the forming die surface. A novel approach which introduces a compliant layer eliminates the need for expendable driver plates in order to reduce the production cost. This process enables continuous manufacturing of fuel cell bipolar plates in short-time cycles at very low cost, which demonstrates strong potential for commercialization. This paper will introduce the electromagnetic forming process developed to manufacture metallic bipolar plates, and include a discussion of the preliminary results. The benefits of using this high velocity electromagnetic forming process over a traditional stamping press will also be discussed. To commercialize electromagnetic forming, coil life and die wear are being investigated. The results of some preliminary experiments involving coil durability and die wear will also be presented

Design, Construction, and Applications of the Uniform Pressure Electromagnetic Actuator

High velocity forming can lead to better formability along with additional benefits. The spatial distribution of forming pressure in electromagnetic forming can be controlled by the configuration of the actuator. A new type of actuator is discussed which gives a uniform pressure distribution in forming. It also provides a mechanically robust design and has a high efficiency for flat sheet forming. Key quantitative concepts are presented that help in the design of the system. Examples of uses of the actuator are then presented, specifically with regard to forming shapes and surface embossing. This paper emphasizes the approaches and engineering calculations required to effectively use this actuator

Metazoan tRNA introns generate stable circular RNAs in vivo

We report the discovery of a class of abundant circular noncoding RNAs that are produced during metazoan tRNA splicing. These transcripts, termed tRNA intronic circular (tric)RNAs, are conserved features of animal transcriptomes. Biogenesis of tricRNAs requires anciently conserved tRNA sequence motifs and processing enzymes, and their expression is regulated in an age-dependent and tissue-specific manner. Furthermore, we exploited this biogenesis pathway to develop an in vivo expression system for generating “designer” circular RNAs in human cells. Reporter constructs expressing RNA aptamers such as Spinach and Broccoli can be used to follow the transcription and subcellular localization of tricRNAs in living cells. Owing to the superior stability of circular vs. linear RNA isoforms, this expression system has a wide range of potential applications, from basic research to pharmaceutical science

Centromeric SMC1 promotes centromere clustering and stabilizes meiotic homolog pairing.

During meiosis, each chromosome must selectively pair and synapse with its own unique homolog to enable crossover formation and subsequent segregation. How homolog pairing is maintained in early meiosis to ensure synapsis occurs exclusively between homologs is unknown. We aimed to further understand this process by examining the meiotic defects of a unique Drosophila mutant, Mcm5A7. We found that Mcm5A7 mutants are proficient in homolog pairing at meiotic onset yet fail to maintain pairing as meiotic synapsis ensues, causing seemingly normal synapsis between non-homologous loci. This pairing defect corresponds with a reduction of SMC1-dependent centromere clustering at meiotic onset. Overexpressing SMC1 in this mutant significantly restores centromere clustering, homolog pairing, and crossover formation. These data indicate that the initial meiotic pairing of homologs is not sufficient to yield synapsis exclusively between homologs and provide a model in which meiotic homolog pairing must be stabilized by centromeric SMC1 to ensure proper synapsis

Metazoan tRNA introns generate stable circular RNAs in vivo

We report the discovery of a class of abundant circular noncoding RNAs that are produced during metazoan tRNA splicing. These transcripts, termed tRNA intronic circular (tric)RNAs, are conserved features of animal transcriptomes. Biogenesis of tricRNAs requires anciently conserved tRNA sequence motifs and processing enzymes, and their expression is regulated in an age-dependent and tissue-specific manner. Furthermore, we exploited this biogenesis pathway to develop an in vivo expression system for generating “designer” circular RNAs in human cells. Reporter constructs expressing RNA aptamers such as Spinach and Broccoli can be used to follow the transcription and subcellular localization of tricRNAs in living cells. Owing to the superior stability of circular vs. linear RNA isoforms, this expression system has a wide range of potential applications, from basic research to pharmaceutical science