Solar module production advancement

Hans-Joachim Bender explains the logistics of operating multi-opening laminators.

With the Ypsator Robert Bürkle GmbH succeeded in making the breakthrough in the solar module production at first go. The German plant manufacturer is considered pioneer of the multi-opening lamination - 20 solar modules can be produced at the same time on up to 10 openings of the Ypsator respectively, 150 solar modules per hour.

"This is a world record," says Ralf Spindler. The Managing Director explains that Bürkle has supplied and commissioned more than 10 multi-opening laminators since the market launch at the end of 2007. "No manufacturer has supplied more," says the 45-year-old sales and marketing manager. All in all this corresponds to the capacity of more than 50 traditional single-opening laminators. Last year Bürkle also sold 13 units of the same. In 2008 the machine manufacturer gained a total of €31 million in the new photovoltaic sector straightaway and thus raised the turnover to €115 million. Also in the year 2009 the laminator business for the photovoltaic industry is good. "Five further units of the Ypsator brand have been ordered and will be supplied by the end of the year," explains Spindler. The Bürkle lines for pressing glass, foil and a solar cell to a crystalline or thin film module are located in Europe, America and Asia in the meantime.

There is nothing to be surprised about the good start of the newcomer. Bürkle is regarded as an expert in the lamination and pressing sector since the machine manufacturer has built up a technological know-how in the wood and electronics segment for many decades. "We have got prepared ourselves intensely for the entry into the solar market," highlights Spindler. Awards show that the Ypsator is not only on a technologically high level, but also in regard to its design: receiving the iF Award, the red-dot Award and the American Good Design award.

The strategy of manufacturing solar modules on several openings has proven right. "The Ypsator sells so well as hall space is very expensive and it nearly fits every works structure," declares the sales manager. Producers such as Scheuten Solar, Calyxo, Bosch Solar Energy and Day4Energy rely on Bürkle technology that can even be integrated in existing lines without any problems. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg also uses a laminator from Freudenstadt for its research.

Due to the tight coupling to research and to the proven technology of laminating on steel heating platens heated with thermal oil, the plant manufacturer secures competitive advantages. This is added by the fact that Bürkle sets trends with the development of the three-step lamination of glass-glass modules. The repartition of the process in pre-lamination (under a vacuum), final lamination and cooling increases the capacity of the line and the quality of the produced modules. For enlarging their competence, the Black Forest company invested €5.5 million in new machines and buildings at the locations in Freudenstadt, Rietberg-Mastholte and Shanghai last year. The highlight is the innovation center with 1000 m² in Freudenstadt, which is daily visited by customers since the inauguration last November.

"Here we analyse what our customers need and which line concepts and processes match the solar module producers," defines Spindler. For this reason he knows that, besides the acutal laminators, more and more turnkey solutions are demanded on the market. That is why Bürkle has enlarged the production portfolio by transport and handling equipment as well as storage units. Moreover the manufacturer offers complete lines for the so-called back-end of the module production for the thin film technology. This comprises crucial components from their own development and production such as foil uncoiling and foil lay-up, cover glass lay-up and automatic setting of junction boxes, just to name a few components.

For more information please visit www.buerkle-gmbh.de

Hans-Joachim Bender is the Managing Director, managing partner and speaker of the management board of Robert Bürkle GmbH, Freudenstadt. Mr. Bender studied mechanical engineering and was the factory manager of Degussa (today: Evonik) and Managing Director of the Badische Maschinenfabrik Durlach GmbH (BMD) before coming to Bürkle. In October 2009 he was awarded the enterprise medal of Baden-Württemberg.