Carsten Busch, Industry Segment Manager Solar PV, ABB Robotics
IPVEA PV Production Foruml, Tuesday September 6th, 2011
Latest flexible automation vs manual work
in mass production of cell- and modules
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 1
Outline
Flexible automation vs manual work

Introduction

Key reason for robot based automated production

Robot automation in Solar PV manufacturing

© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 2

Automated wafer-/cell manufacturing

State-of-the art module manufacturing
Conclusion
Facts about ABB
Five global divisions
Power
Products
Power
Systems
Discrete
Automation
and Motion
Low Voltage
Products
Process
Automation
$10 billion
$6.8 billion
$5.6 billion
$4.5 billion
$7.4 billion
32,600
employees
17,500
employees
25,600
employees
20,300
employees
27,100
employees
(2010 revenues)

ABB’s portfolio covers:


© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 3
Electricals, automation,
controls and instrumentation
for power generation and
industrial processes
Power transmission

Distribution solutions

Low-voltage products
Drives & Motors, Inverters

Robots and robot systems
ABB Robotics
Key facts

Leading supplier of industrial robots

Sales & Service operations in over 53 countries & over 100 locations

Over 195,000 robots installed worldwide
Markets served

Automotive industries, Tier 1 and general industries including foundry,
metal fabrication, plastics, electronics, consumer industries, solar
Key deliverables
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 4

Robots, application equipment and software

Standardized manufacturing function packages for material handling,
machine tending, welding, cutting, painting & finishing
 Solar: stringer-interconnection, edge trimming, sealing, taping

Service: spare parts, training, field service
Lesson to learn from automotive industry
Consequent use of flexible automation
Source: Skoda
Source: ABB
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 5

Increase production output rates

Reduce operating costs

Improve process quality

Improve workplace health & safety

Increase product manufacturing flexibility

Reduce material waste and increase yield

Reduce labour turnover and difficulty of
recruiting workers

Save space in high value manufacturing
areas

Reduce capital costs (inventory, work in
progress)

Improve quality of work for employees
Improve workplace health & safety
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 6
Robots March Into Emerging Markets

Foxconn Technology Group plans to install a million robots
in its Chinese factories by 2013, up from 10,000 today

Manufacturers face pressure from rising wages and skilledlabor shortages in emerging markets,

Fast delivery times and customization as well as quality.

Success potential for process optimization

© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 7
A greater degree of automation to optimization and
efficiency enhancement of process in the industry
Fexible automation vs manual work
Automated brick production line
Brick manufacturing process

Load-/unloading of sawing, measuring
and brick- treatment machines
(grinding and cropping)

Gluing process
Benefits robot based application
Source: REC/
Arnold Gruppe
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 8

Higher yield by reduced damages and
avoided failures

Reduced scrap rates

Highest and even throughput

Traceability of production and quality

100% quality control
Fexible automation vs manual work
Robot based solar cell & wafer handling
Wafer/cell handling

Loading/unloading of process
equipment and stack boxes/carriers

Handling into quality test systems

Sorting in quality categories
Benefits automated handling
Source:
Jonas&Redmann

Consistent lowest breakage rates

Integrated into line quality assurance

Shortest cycle times

Higher productivity 24h, 7 days/w

Reduced TCO
Fexible automation vs manual work
in state-of-the art module manufacturing
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 10
Fexible automation vs manual work
Automated string interconnection
String Interconnection

Soldering of the cell matrix
Robot based interconnection
• Fully automated soldering with
controlled, smooth soldering process
Benefits
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 11

High precise soldering process

Continuously high quality output

Integrated into inline quality assurance

Fast and reliable process
Modul: fexible automation vs manual work
Automated Edge Trimming
Edge trimming of overlapping
laminate material
•
Edge cutting of overlapping EVA foil
with heated knive
Fully automated edge trimming with:
 Position detection
 Automated knife change
 Integrated quality control
Benefits
 Reduced risk of humane injury
 Flexible to various module sizes
 Continuously high quality output
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 12
Modul: Robot based taping compare to manual
Edge isolation of modules with adhesive tape
Edge isolation of modules with
adhesive tape before framing
Manual e.g. with
Lohmann hand
applicator

Taping process (today):

Manual with spool dispenser

Automated solution with limitations
Source: Lohmann
Automatic taping
with Robot
solution
Source: Conergy,
ABB/Eutomation
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 13
Benefits automated taping

Consistent highest quality level

No leakage e.g. in corners

Higher productivity 24h, 7 days/week

Reduced TCO
Modul: Integrated taping solution
Robot as adhesive tape process machine
FlexTape package

6-axis robot + gripper

Tape application unit

Force compensation & buffer unit

Unwinding device

Tape application head
Benefits
Source: Conergy,
Pilot project
installation
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 14
•
High accuracy and lay-on speed of
the tape material
•
Synchronized rotation and
rectilinear motion
•
Automated corner punching
Modul: Edge isolation of modules with adhesive tape
How to increase application productivity and quality?
Next level of module edge
isolation with adhesive tape

No interruption between the
application at the corners

No overlapping of tape material
at the corners
Benefits

Ensuring leak tightness

Ensuring no damage on module
caused by overlapping tape
material
Improved quality
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 15
Robot based adhesive tape process solution

Video
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 16
ABB-Taping Video Conergy 2011-03-23.wmv
Automated thin-film module production
Glass substrates handling in deposition process
TF manufacturing process

Loading -/unlading of thin-film
depositions systems with glass
substrates
Source:
Solar Fabrik
Benefits of flexible automation
Source:
Schiller/Oerlikon
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 17

“Clean” handling of heavy and large
size glass

Higher yield by reduced damages

Highest and even throughput

Traceability of production and quality
Integrated sealing solution
Robot as sealing process machine
Sealing of butyl and silicon based
material

Glass substrates dispensing

J-box dispensing
Robot based integrated dispense
process system

One controller Robot + dispense doser
Benefit
Source: ABB
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 18

Highest available dispensing accuracy

Repeatable applying

Shortest cycle time

Save of dispense materials
Sealing robot as dispense process machine
Doser with
integrated ABB
motor units
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 19
Kleben 1.wmv
Conclusion
Flexible automation vs manual work
© ABB Group
September 16, 2011 | Slide 20

Increased productivity

High efficient mass production

Consistent process & product quality

Reduced scrape rate & improved yield

Improved uptime

Reducing overall production cost / cost of ownership