Since 2017 the Italian Research and Development department has been working on Silk, a new generation of high-efficiency 12-busbar crystalline silicon modules. This range of products exploits the concentration effect of the cylindrical ribbons and the resulting increased current to ensure higher yield, even when solar irradiance is low.
The market’s interest in this new generation of modules has led the company to invest in a project that will focus on production engineering. The R&D team has aimed at maximising production capacity while increasing the soldering quality and accuracy.
The result is a new flexible stringer machine named Silk, designed to enhance the excellent performance of 12-busbar modules. This stringer works with cells from 5 to 12-busbars and can adapt to future busbarless cells applications.
The machine operates during the first PV module processing stage, which is also one of the most delicate as it determines the quality and durability of the finished product. The stringing process results in a string of soldered photovoltaic cells interconnected in series.
After a long period of testing, also in cooperation with spin-offs of the University of Padua, the Italian R&D department has filed an international patent covering this “equipment to electrically connect photovoltaic cells in series and the method of said equipment” and completed its construction.
This new fully automated technology, equipped with high-speed pick and place robots, can string up to 3000 cells per hour, i.e. three times faster than today’s standard in the 12-busbar market.
The innovative production technique, covered by industrial secrecy, has further improved module durability, as ribbons are welded in a more delicate, precise and uniform manner, thereby increasing yield and minimising the risk for microcracks and hot spots.
FuturaSun, the dynamic Italian company able to challenge international markets with solid reliability and technical excellence, has now entered a new phase of its industrial life. The company’s motto is now truer than ever: “anticipate tomorrow“, that is, the ability to truly mark the future of photovoltaic technology with its very own technical know-how and inventiveness
Features at a glance
- New patented photovoltaic cell interconnection technology
- Engineered in Italy
- Fully automated production process
- High-speed pick and place robots
- High production speed: 3000 cells/hour. Three times the standard market capacity
- Flexible configuration: from 5 to 12-busbar cells
- Ready for the future: can adapt to busbar-less cells
- New low stress soldering technology: more precise and uniform for a higher quality and longer durability
- High-precision ribbon alignment
- Reduction of micro cracks and hot spots risk
