Product Reviews

  • SunLink Mounting System

    New Product: SunLink’s ‘Ground Mount Solution’ offers fast-track utility-scale module installa

    15 March 2010, 10:06

    Product Briefing Outline: SunLink has introduced a new ground mount system to its family of commercial and utility-scale module mounting products. The new technology joins the Company’s flagship roof mount system and the recently released thin film solution for Nanosolar. Designed as a total system to save you procurement, management, and deployment time, the patent-pending ‘Ground Mount Solution’ is available as a ballasted or post-mount solution, making it ideal for a wide variety of installations and situations.

  • Horiba Digital Mass Flow Controller

    New Product: Horiba’s SEC-N100 Series digital MFC handles PV manufacturers gas flow requirements

    03 March 2010, 10:41

    Product Briefing Outline: Fluid control specialist, Horiba, has introduced a new range of mass flow controllers (MFC) competitively priced to fit the economic and production needs of the photovoltaic manufacturing sector. Manufactured in Japan, under strict quality conditions by HoribaStec, the SEC-N100 Series digital mass flow controller reliably controls the flow of process gases and cleaning gases. Multigas and multirange functions allow the user to configure the desired gas and flow range to increase flexibility and reduce overall costs, for example by decreasing flow controller inventory. Dedicated software makes this easy to do without removing the mass flow controller from the gas panel.

  • Bystronic glass Champ Speed Grind series

    New Product: Edge grinding using Bystronic glass’ champ speed machine offers 99.5% yield

    03 March 2010, 10:23 | Comments (1)

    Product Briefing Outline: Bystronic glass now offers the champ speed-series of glass substrate edge grinders, using experience gained from the automotive industry to provide clean, ground edges, free from cracks and shell defects, boosting yield and productivity in PV module production. The champ speed-series machines are completely vibration-free and can therefore provide the greatest precision in edge grinding.

  • Schreiner ProTech Pressure Compensation Seal

    New Product: Pressure compensation seal from Schreiner ProTech protects junction box

    01 March 2010, 11:04

    Product Briefing Outline: Schreiner ProTech has designed a rugged, self-adhesive Pressure Compensation Seal (PCS), especially designed to provide solar module junction boxes with long-lasting protection against severe environmental conditions, preventing damage to sensitive electrical components. The product has already been selected by KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik to be integrated into their PV modules’ junction boxes.

  • New Product: New version of Vistrian’s FactoryLOOK alerts to process anomalies in single dashboard

    24 February 2010, 11:27

    Product Briefing Outline: Vistrian have released version 5.0 of their ‘FactoryLOOK’ software platform. FactoryLOOK is a Manufacturing Intelligence System used by a number of companies including manufacturers of Solar, Semiconductor, Led, Data Storage, Networking, and Electronic assembly. The software allows for the immediate alerting and identifying of process anomalies and the ability to quickly identify factors affecting the development or manufacturing process and its variables.

  • Roth & Rau CAMiNI

    New Product: Roth & Rau’s new firing furnace is characterized by high efficiency at low cost

    24 February 2010, 11:15

    Product Briefing: With the acquisition of Tecnofimes, Roth & Rau has collaborated with the subsidiary to develop a new firing furnace, dubbed CAMiNI. The system is characterized by high efficiency at low operating costs. The initially offered model with 2 lanes (6” wafers) provides the basis for an extension, which facilitates the firing of solar cell contacts onto up to three lanes at the same time. The throughput of the CAMiNI is indicated with ≥ 6,000 wafers/h. Roth & Rau has already received its first purchase orders for the system.

  • Shuttleworth Rotary Turntable

    New Product: Shuttleworth ‘Rotary Turntable’ maximizes manufacturing floor space

    22 February 2010, 11:57

    Product Briefing Outline: Shuttleworth has introduced a new line of products for thin-film and crystalline solar panel handling. The company’s new ‘Rotary Turntable’ can be located anywhere in the manufacturing process where the product must be rotated to maintain the proper orientation.

  • J.A. Woolam AccuMap-SE

    New Product: J.A. Woollam’s AccuMap-SE provides thin film measurement of panel uniformity

    18 February 2010, 12:01

    Product Briefing Outline: J.A. Woollam has integrated its Flying M-2000 Spectroscopic Ellipsometer into a mapping tool for thin-film uniformity measurements over the entire PV panel.  The high accuracy and wide spectral coverage of the M-2000 ensure that every layer in a thin film stack can be measured, while new automation has been designed to ensure fast, precise measurements over the entire panel.

  • Mitsubishi Plastics Back Barrier

    New Product: Mitsubishi Plastics high gas barrier backsheet designed for thinner PV modules

    17 February 2010, 14:06

    Product Briefing Outline: Mitsubishi Plastics has launched the high gas barrier photovoltaic (PV) backsheet ‘Back-Barrier’ to the global market. The new backsheet material is Mitsubishi Plastics’ latest development in high gas barrier films with the world’s highest level of water vapor barrier, according to the company and customer evaluation tests.

  • Sensors Unlimited Shortwave Infrared Solar Cell Inspection

    New Product: Sensors Unlimited SWIR based cameras detect wafer defects and cell efficiencies

    17 February 2010, 12:24

    Product Briefing Outline: Sensors Unlimited, part of Goodrich Corp., says that its high-resolution, shortwave infrared (SWIR) area and linescan cameras are being used to improve the manufacturing yield of photovoltaic cells. SWIR technology is well suited to monitor the quality of solar thin films, concentrated PV, and crystalline cells, to maximize efficiency of the solar cell manufacturing process through final assembly of the completed modules.

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Publications

  • Photovoltaics International 16th Edition

    Photovoltaics International 16th Edition

    This sixteenth edition of Photovoltaics International marks four years of production of the quarterly journal. As always, our focus is on efficiency and quality improvement and cost reduction in manufacturing. As 2012 rolls along, companies are falling by the wayside due to supply and demand issues, ASP declines and drastic governmental subsidy cuts. A clear picture of 2012 is offered through papers from the likes of TÜV Rheinland, Fraunhofer ISE, SEMI PV Group and EPIA, amongst others.

  • Photovoltaics International Lite, Volume 05 - 2011

    Photovoltaics International Lite, Volume 05 - 2011

    This digital interactive Lite sees Tom Cheyney follow Agua Caliente’s progress on becoming one of first truly utility-scale PV power farms, where 40–50MW (AC) will be commissioned by the end of the year. We also feature one of the world’s largest silicon thin-film PV power plants, Avenal; a report on warnings of the collapse of module prices from Solarbuzz and PI-Berlin presents tips on PV module testing. A print version of this edition will be distributed at Solar Power International 2011 in Dallas, Texas.

  • Manufacturing The Solar Future: The 2012 Production Annual

    Manufacturing The Solar Future: The 2012 Production Annual

    Manufacturing the Solar Future 2012, the second in the Photovoltaics International PV Production Annual series, delivers the next installment of in-depth technical manufacturing information on PV production processes.

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