Product Briefing Outline: Shin-Etsu Silicones of America (U.S. subsidiary of Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd., Japan) has recently introduced a diverse line of advanced performance, silicone-based products specifically designed for applications that benefit the protection and performance of PV modules in the field. These are comprised of two key product categories that cover potting and sealing applications.
Product Briefing Outline: OK International has developed a proprietary ‘SmartHeat’ Technology, which consists of a high frequency alternating current (AC) power supply and a self regulating heating element. The heater utilizes the electrical and metallurgical characteristics of two different metals: copper, and a magnetic material with high resistivity to reduce micro-cracking of solar cell substrates during the soldering operation.
Product Briefing Outline: Due to technology partnerships and longtime experience RENA has been able to optimize the handling and process sequence for the complete process chain after wafer sawing with its ‘Wafer Line’ system. With this complete system, 200MW production per annum is possible.
Product Briefing Outline: BrightView Systems has unveiled the InSight M Series, which it claims to be the world's first in-line process control and optimization tool developed specifically to address the challenges faced by thin-film solar cell manufacturers. The Wide Area Metrology (WAM) system provides continuous monitoring and whole-panel mapping of critical material and process parameters at full production throughput and for 100% of manufactured panels.
Product Briefing Outline: Schneider Electric is now offering an approach to create intelligent energy management systems under the EcoStruxure banner. These systems are simplified, save money, and most importantly, reduce waste by enabling a guaranteed compatibility between the management of power, white space, process and machines, building control, and security. With EcoStruxure, businesses can anticipate better results and improvements in operations through systematic energy visibility and real time control of any energy usage.
Product Briefing Outline: To help customers show objective evidence that they are in compliance with test specifications during ISO 17025 quality audits, Atlas now offers the ‘Atlas LS-200’ Full Spectrum Monitoring device. The LS-200 has been specifically designed for use in Ci Series ‘Weather-Ometers’ to precisely measure the SPD output of the xenon lamp. Validation tests have shown that this device has excellent correlation to the spectroradiometers used in the Atlas Calibration Laboratory.
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.
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.
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.
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.
