EU research project for scaling innovative processes for industrial MEA/fuel cell production.
CENTREPIECE (sCalablE iNnovaTive pRocessEs for the ProductIon of fuEl CElls)
Graz (project coordination, HyCentA Research GmbH) · Freiburg · Chemnitz · Aachen · Abingdon (UK)New on Amplifa
About the project
CENTREPIECE is an EU-funded research project (Horizon Europe, project no. 101251185) with the goal of paving Europe's way to competitive mass production of fuel cells. At its core is the industrialization of high-throughput manufacturing of Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEA), the electrochemical heart of every stack. The project scales catalyst-coated membranes (CCM) of state-of-the-art material generations as well as advanced printing and coating processes, including Digital Coating and the evaluation of laser drying. Robust in-line quality control is intended to increase yield, reduce scrap and lower material consumption. All developments will be integrated and validated in a prototype pilot line designed to reach 2,400 m² per year at a line speed of more than 10 m/min; MEAs are produced in full size (280 cm² active area) and benchmarked against conventionally produced ones. The coordinator is HyCentA Research GmbH (AT); partners are Fraunhofer ISE, Fraunhofer ILT, TU Chemnitz, University of Freiburg, Johnson Matthey (UK) and Sfice Innovative Minds (ES).
- Site
- Graz (project coordination
- Processes
- MEA manufacturing (Membrane Electrode Assembly) / CCM production by roll-to-roll process, Digital coating (Digital Coating), Laser drying (Laser Drying), In-line quality control, Additive Layer Manufacturing, Scale-up of catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) manufacturing, Innovative printing and coating processes (incl. Digital Coating), Laser drying (evaluation)
- Materials
- Membrane (PEM), Ionomer, PGM-based catalyst
- Certificates
- In-line quality control
- Industries
- Fuel cell/hydrogen industry, PEMFC mass production, Transport mobility, Transport mobility (fuel cells)
- 01
Scale-up and validation of state-of-the-art CCM materials
- 02
Innovative printing and coating processes
- 03
In-line quality control
- 04
Integration into prototype pilot line (roll-to-roll)
- 05
Manufacturing and benchmarking of full-size MEAs
- 06
Evaluation of Digital Coating and laser drying
Materials and processes
Membrane (PEM)
Base material of the MEA, the membrane to be coated in the roll-to-roll process.
Ionomer
Binder of the catalyst layer in the CCM structure.
PGM-based catalyst
Cost-driving catalyst material whose consumption is to be reduced through innovative coating.
Project sites
Graz (HyCentA Research GmbH)
ATProject coordination, testing
- Lot size
- Prototype, small series
- Materials
- Membrane, ionomer, PGM catalyst
- Roll-to-roll pilot line MEA/CCM (target: 2,400 m²/year, >10 m/min)
Freiburg (Fraunhofer ISE)
DEResearch partner
Chemnitz (TU Chemnitz)
DEResearch partner
Aachen (Fraunhofer ILT)
DEResearch partner (laser technology)
Abingdon (Johnson Matthey)
GBIndustry partner (catalyst materials)
Parts and components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEA manufacturing (Membrane Electrode Assembly) / CCM production by roll-to-roll processEngineering | – | 280 cm² active area (full-size MEA) | – | 2400 m²/year (pilot line) | Membrane, Ionomer, PGM-based catalysts |
| Surface | – | – | – | – | Membrane, Ionomer, PGM-based catalysts |
| Digital coating (Digital Coating)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Laser drying (Laser Drying)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | – |
| In-line quality controlTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Additive Layer ManufacturingAdditive | – | – | – | – | – |
1 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roll-to-roll pilot line for MEA/CCM production | – | – | Capacity 2,400 m²/year, speed >10 m/min | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality assurance
Robust in-line quality control, correlated with ex-situ and off-line data, is intended to reduce the scrap rate to below 5% and increase yield to over 90%.
| Evidence | Graz (HyCentA Research GmbH) |
|---|---|
| In-line quality control |
Project history
- 2026
Project start of CENTREPIECE on 01.01.2026; duration 36 months, EU funding 4.969.339,06 € (Horizon Europe, no. 101251185), coordinator HyCentA Research GmbH