SCHMID expects over 5GW of orders for new diamond-wire-cut multi-c-Si texturing tool

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
SCHMID noted that apart from the 500MW of pre-orders, a further 5GW of new orders for the tool are expected in the first-half of 2017.

PV manufacturing equipment specialist SCHMID Group has launched a new texturing tool for diamond-wire-cut multi-c-Si wafers that has already secured orders in the 500MW range and expects significant order intake through the first half of 2017.

The DW PreTex tool is claimed to be a low-cost alternative to plasma etch processes using standard texture HF/HNO3 chemistries in a high-volume wet bench configuration. 

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

“We have processed samples for all leading wafer and cell manufacturers in our Technology Center,” noted Dr. Christian Buchner, head of the business unit Photovoltaics at SCHMID. “With DW PreTex, our customers achieve more uniform surfaces than by texturing slurry-cut wafers – at operating costs of less than 0.01 Euro per wafer.”

Claimed to provide a more uniform surface than slurry-cut wafers, the DW PreTex system is also said to provide potential cell efficiency gains.

SCHMID noted that apart from the 500MW of pre-orders, a further 5GW of new orders for the tool are expected in the first-half of 2017. The first systems are expected to be shipped in Q2, 2017.

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

August 6, 2025
The Indian Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has published the approved list of models and manufacturers (ALMM) for solar cells, which contains 13GW of annual nameplate capacity across six manufacturers.
August 6, 2025
A subsidiary of JinkoSolar has filed a lawsuit in Munich accusing LONGi Green Energy and several subsidiaries of infringing on a solar cell manufacturing patent.
August 5, 2025
China’s leading polysilicon firms are reportedly considering shutting down one third of the country’s polysilicon capacity and restructuring the sector, following years of overcapacity and tumbling prices.
August 4, 2025
US solar PV recycling firm, Solarcycle, has produced a pilot module using 50% recycled glass from other decommissioned panels, which it says matches the performance of entirely new products.
August 1, 2025
The Q3 edition of our downstream solar PV journal, PV Tech Power, is now available to download.
July 30, 2025
Donald Trump has announced a 25% tariff on all imports entering the US from India from the 1st August 2025.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines