Product Briefing Outline: Tyco Electronics now offers a new way for locating junction boxes on a PV panel. Compared to the commonly used centralized junction boxes in the PV industry, the new two-rail decentralized junction box requires 50% less jumper cable to connect to the next solar panel, as the junction boxes are located in the corner of the panels.
Product Briefing Outline: Coveme has developed a high performance PET backsheet, ‘dyMat PYE 3000,’ which is claims is able to resist over 3000h of DHT (Damp Heat Test), offering the best performance currently available on the market. The dyMat PYE range of Coveme laminates protects photovoltaic cells from humidity, atmospheric agents and chemical attacks, guaranteeing total insulation at high voltages.
Product Briefing Outline: Indium Corporation has introduced a newly designed tabbing and bus ribbon kit range. The kits, which contain common sized tabbing and bus ribbon and fluxes, are available in three versions, including one with a uniquely designed Pb-free, bismuth-containing, low-temperature coating. Tabbing ribbon kits come with everything required to evaluate how Indium Corporation materials will work with solar cells and assembly processes.
Product Briefing Outline: The InnoLas Impala series of large scale laser processing systems provides multiple laser beams technique and parallel processing heads for increased throughput. Innovative handling concepts minimize defects and contamination. The IMPALA laser systems are designed for all high-accuracy processes (P1 through P3) of thin film processing. InnoLas Systems can ensure optimal transition to industrial production conditions.
Product Briefing Outline: Camstar Systems has released ‘SolarSuite’ 4.5 for general availability. Version 4.5 includes advancements developed in collaboration with leading solar manufacturers and new packaging options scale with solar companies from startup to global enterprise. A rapidly growing CIGS module manufacturer was said to have increased asset utilization by 12%. A CPV and multijunction solar cell manufacturer increased conversion efficiency by 38%. A vertically integrated c-Si module manufacturer reduced production scrap by 20% using the new system.
Product Briefing Outline: SunSil of Denmark has launched its SunSil 300 module which is a fully integrated system producing a nominal 300W 240V AC that will increase yields for its owner by up to 30% per annum as well as reducing initial costs, making solar electricity significantly more financially appealing. The company sums it up as ‘Sun in – AC out.’
Product Briefing Outline: Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates (VSEA) has entered the solar cell processing market with a specifically developed ion implanter, dubbed the Varian Solion. The implanter is based on Varian’s dual-magnet ribbon beam implant architecture and VIISta platform, used in the semiconductor industry. The company claims the tool enables the manufacture of high efficiency silicon solar cells through superior P-N junction formation while lowering the cost per watt through process simplification by eliminating PSG clean and edge isolation steps.
Product Briefing Outline: Applied Materials has launched its Applied ‘SmartFactory’ MES software that is claimed to be an out-of-the-box factory automation solution. SmartFactory can be deployed in less than 60 days to improve product quality, boost productivity, and cut operational costs, according to the company, and is also the first MES available with integrated advanced process control (APC) capability.
Product Briefing Outline: Kemper has extended its family of dual-axis tracking system for photovoltaic (PV) modules, and includes a larger ‘KemTrack’ 120 system, capable of handling a combined module area of 120 square meters. The construction is torsion-free, extremely robust and durable and modular in construction.
Product Briefing Outline: ISRA Vision has introduced an advanced optical multi-panel inspection system called Powerscan for automated inspection of glass, surface, and laminates for the photovoltaic industry. Based on its standardised modules and software, ISRA has developed a special system setup to inspect thin-film solar modules right after lamination.
