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

June 26, 2025
International researchers led by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have developed a new cooling technology that improves the power and longevity of solar cells.
June 26, 2025
A group of minority shareholders in Norwegian silicon firm REC Silicon has triggered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the closure of the company’s US polysilicon production site.
June 24, 2025
Chinese solar manufacturing giant LONGi has signed an agreement with Indonesia’s Pertamina New & Renewable Energy to build a 1.4GW module assembly plant in West Java, Indonesia.
June 24, 2025
The Chinese polysilicon industry could face a shortage by 2028, despite persistent overcapacity in recent years, according to polysilicon market analyst Bernreuter Research.
June 18, 2025
The US Senate Finance Committee draft bill is a “stake in the heart” of US solar manufacturing, according to Democrat senator, Ron Wyden.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Webinars
June 30, 2025
10am PST / 6pm BST
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
July 2, 2025
Bangkok, Thailand
Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico