The GP Solar unit of centrotherm photovolaics landed its first major order for its Inspect line of optical measurement systems designed for use in solar PV production. GP said the tools will be supplied to a gigawatt-scale factory being built in Southeast Asia by an unnamed major European solar-cell manufacturer.
“We are setting new benchmarks with the GP Solar vision systems, because only the highest degree of reliability and controllability of the measurement systems enable standards and guaranteed quality during cell production,” said Peter Fath, CTO of centrotherm photovoltaics and managing director of GP. “This is important for small series runs and indispensable for large series production, in order to manufacture on an optimal cost basis.”
The GP Solar Inspect family of camera-based vision systems are deployed in the manufacturing quality control of wafers, solar cells, and modules in more than 25 production lines worldwide. Special illumination units facilitate a significantly optimized degree of measurement acuity, the company says. Modular software architecture, fully automated calibration, and centralized production data collection are among the other features incorporated in the system.
Neither the financial terms of the deal nor the timing of delivery of the measurement systems to the customer were announced.