How can PEM fuel cells and electrolyzers be manufactured at gigawatt scale while remaining economically viable? This presentation provides exclusive insights into the technologies, strategies, and real-world production systems that are redefining industrial hydrogen manufacturing.

 

Based on development results, implemented industrial projects and video footage from operational assembly lines, we will demonstrate how the industry is moving beyond traditional pick-and-place concepts toward highly efficient 1 Hz production and testing technologies. Achieving one-second cycle times is a critical step toward annual capacities exceeding 50,000 fuel cell or electrolyzer stacks and enables the large-scale industrialization of hydrogen solutions.

The presentation covers how manufacturing bottlenecks have been identified and eliminated through tailored R&D, developing advanced automation, intelligent handling systems, innovative testing approaches, and optimized product design.

 

A special highlight is a breakthrough fuel cell conditioning and testing process developed within a research project that reduces typical break-in times from several hours to approximately 15 minutes and stacking sequences exceeding 8 Hz cycle, dramatically lowering both CAPEX and OPEX requirements.

Attendees will also gain valuable lessons learned from customer’s projects in aligning product and production design for scalable manufacturing, including insights that have never before been publicly disclosed in this level of detail.

 

Following the successful transition from thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering to Krause Automation and the integration into Agile Robots, the next chapter begins: the implementation of advanced AI-driven manufacturing functions, autonomous decision-making systems, humanoid robotics, and Physical AI. These technologies will shape the next generation of hydrogen production and accelerate the path toward fully intelligent factories.