Press Release
ecoContact – the world’s fastest fully automatic contacting system
for the manufacture of thin-film photovoltaic modules
More efficient contacting of thin-film modules
St. Georgen, Germany – Developed by ACI-ecotec, ecoContact
requires less than 40 seconds to manufacture a thin-film
photovoltaic (PV) module, completely automatically. As well as
offering outstanding speed and high contact quality, the system is
highly flexible and extremely economical with materials. This stateof-the-art solution can be used to apply small pieces of adhesive
tape for attaching bus bars – helping save up to 100,000 euros a
year in adhesive materials alone, compared to other systems.
Because of the large capital expenditure involved, production systems
for thin-film photovoltaic modules must operate as efficiently as possible.
And that is where ecoContact comes in. This innovative and fully
automatic contacting system was developed by St. Georgen-based
automation specialist ACI-ecotec GmbH & CO. KG. It comprises
standard components for applying conductive adhesives, longitudinal
and lateral contacting and soldering bus bars, in accordance with the
corresponding production technology. These components can be
combined in a flexible way to manufacture all common thin-film module
sizes. The substrates are transported and precisely positioned using a
multi-lane conveyor belt. The patented ecoContact system is already
being used in more than ten production facilities for thin-film PV modules
worldwide.
Application of conductive adhesives using two autonomous
dispensing heads
The conductive adhesive is applied via two dispensing heads at speeds
of between 40 and 70 mm per second, with ongoing monitoring of the
needles Any bumps or irregularities in the surface of the glass plate are
automatically levelled out. Thanks to the controlled, high-precision
application, only around one gram of adhesive is required for a substrate
that is 1300 to 1400 mm long. Because the CNC heads operate
autonomously, the position, length and distance between the adhesive
strips can be programmed flexibly. This enables the application of more
than two adhesive strips without modifications.
High-precision contacting with huge cost savings in materials
Following application of the conductive adhesive, the substrate is
automatically indexed and aligned for longitudinal contacting. The tinplated bus bar is applied using reels holding up to 380 mm of material,
minimising downtime due to changeovers. To maintain the required
tension between the continuously spinning reel and cyclical application
of the bus bar, the system has an integrated bobbin. This detects if there
is insufficient bus bar left on the reel and stops the machine
automatically, minimising substrate waste.
To prevent the bus bar from breaking loose until the adhesive has cured
at over 100 °C in the laminator, it is fixed with specially designed
adhesive tape. In conventional contacting, this tape is applied along the
entire length of the bus bar. However, ACI-ecotec deploys an innovative
solution that automatically cuts small pieces of tape from the roll,
removes them from their backing and sticks them onto the bus bar at
predefined points. This economic use of the adhesive tape enables
annual cost savings of up to 100,000 euros a year, as well as a
significant increase in system availability. Exactly the same technology is
used for lateral contacting. Afterwards, at a different workstation, the bus
bar contacts are soldered together and their ends turned upwards or
downwards,
in
accordance
with
the
customer’s
specifications.
Optionally, the glass cover can also be applied fully automatically.
Greater productivity and flexibility
Like the adhesive dispensing station, the standard components for
longitudinal and lateral contacting are fitted with two autonomous CNC
units for attaching the bus bar. With ecoContact, ACI-ecotec aims for
manufacturing times of less than 40 seconds for a complete thin-film PV
module. Furthermore, the redundant solution, which has programmable
axes, allows production to continue while maintenance work is being
performed on one of the dispensing heads or application components.
Robust design with integrated switchgear cabinet
Each ecoContact module is based on a stable steel structure with an
integrated switchgear cabinet. As well as saving space, this design
enables rapid implementation of the contacting system.
More information: ACI-ecotec GmbH & Co. KG, Bahnhofstrasse 10,
78112 St. Georgen, Germany. Phone +49 (0)7724 934-0, www.aciecotec.com
About ACI-ecotec
ACI-ecotec GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 2004 in St. Georgen, Germany,
following the strategic acquisition and restructuring of ecotec GmbH by the ACI
Group. The company is a global provider of innovative manufacturing
equipment to the photovoltaic sector and automotive industry.
ACI-ecotec is a world leader in the photovoltaic sector thanks to state-of-the-art
solutions such as ecoContact, the fully automatic contacting system for
manufacturing thin-film modules, the wafer-separator system ecoSplit, and
ecoCarrier – a carrier system for silicone cells and wafers. In addition, ACIecotec develops turnkey solutions in collaboration with partners.
For the automotive industry, ACI-ecotec mainly develops customer-specific
automation solutions for diverse applications. In addition, OEM products such
as the highly flexible transfer system ecoTrans and the (un)loading module
ecoLoad are specially developed and marketed for the fully automatic handling
of small parts that roll or move easily, individually or in bulk.
ACI-ecotec is a member of the ACI Group. This network of companies also
includes acp – advanced clean production GmbH in Esslingen, producer of CO2
snow jet cleaning systems, micro dispensers and measuring solutions;
Stuttgart-based acp IT AG, whose core competencies lie in IT solutions for
production and planning; boraident GmbH in Halle that focuses on laser
marking on glass products, micro structures in glass using laser technology,
and glass sensors for plausibility assessments; and AFT-Automation &
Feinwerktechnik GmbH in Ölbronn-Dürrn that produces the assembly and
handling systems for micro assembly.
Captions:
ACI_ecoContact_Achssystem mit Dispensköpfen:
In the dispensing module of ecoContact, the conductive adhesive is
applied using two dispensing heads at speeds of between 40 and 70
mm per seconds with continuous monitoring of the needles.
ACI_ecoContact_ Querkontaktierung
In longitudinal and lateral contacting, the bus bar is applied using reels
holding up to 380 mm of material – minimising downtime due to
changeovers. The bus bar is fixed using small pieces of adhesive tape
until the adhesive cures in the laminator. This approach enables annual
cost savings of up to 100,000 Euros a year, as well as a significant
increase in system availability.
ACI_ecoContact_Lötmodul
The bus bars are connected via an automatic soldering process, and
their ends turned upwards or downward in accordance with the
customer’s specifications.
--We would be extremely grateful to receive a copy of any publication
featuring content from this release.
Contact for editorial departments:
SCHULZ. PRESSE. TEXT.
Doris Schulz
Martin-Luther-Strasse 39
70825 Korntal / Germany
Phone +49 (0)711 854085
Fax +49 (0)711 815895
ds@pressetextschulz.de
ACI-ecotec GmbH & Co. KG
Daniel Declercq
Bahnhofstrasse 10
78112 St. Georgen / Germany
Phone +49 (0)7724 934-127
Fax +49 (0)7724 934-149
d.declercq@aci-ecotec.de
www.aci-ecotec.com
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