DuPont Photovoltaic Encapsulants and Bürkle North America, Inc., a wholly-owned division of Bürkle GmbH, of Freudenstadt, Germany, announce that they have worked together to speed up module lamination with the Bürkle Ypsator® multi-opening, 3-stage thin-film solar module laminating line. Using new DuPontTM PV5400 Series encapsulant, an Ypsator® laminator can produce up to twice as many glass/glass solar modules per hour versus traditional laminators.
“Taking advantage of the faster production speeds of our Ypsator® 3-Step Lamination System, customers can manufacture up to 40 modules every 11 minutes using DuPontTM PV5400 Series encapsulant and using our 10-opening system,” said Sven Kramer, Bürkle North American senior sales engineer. “The speed gains are occurring mainly in the two hot press steps, where the rheological properties of the ionomer-based encapsulant provide faster de-airing and better flow without a need for curing. Besides a faster cycle time, we achieve a more uniform module thickness across the solar module and a reduced edge pinch without using ‘frames’ during the lamination process due to our hydraulic hot pressing step.”
The Ypsator® laminator produces modules in three stages, including a hydraulic hot pressing step. Each step can be individually optimized. When optimized using DuPontTM PV5400 encapsulant, the process provides robust lamination for challenging glass/glass modules, providing fast lamination and excellent production yields for the lowest overall lamination costs found in the industry.
“DuPontTM PV5400 Series encapsulants represent a step-change improvement in module manufacturing productivity, as well as resistance to moisture ingress and potential induced degradation (PID) for improved module life. Besides laminating faster, the better moisture resistance can eliminate the need for edge sealing, which further reduces module costs,” said Penny Perry, DuPont encapsulant marketing manager. DuPontTM PV5400 laminates much faster than all alternative encapsulants tested, including EVA and polyolefin sheet.”
Bürkle (http://www.buerkle-gmbh.de and http://www.burkleusa.com) provides a wide range of photovoltaic lamination, coating and drying equipment for applications including coating on glass for solar panels and architectural glass. Lamination, coating and handling of large panels have been Bürkle’s focus for more than 90 years. More than 40 multi-opening lamination lines have been supplied by Bürkle since their market entry in 2008. Their multi-opening lamination lines are available, with 4 to 10 openings, and can handle crystalline as well as thin-film photovoltaic cells, resulting in a reduced machine footprint versus traditional equipment.
DuPont has been an innovator in encapsulants for solar module manufacturing for more than 40 years, offering the solar industry’s widest range of encapsulant materials. Encapsulants made of DuPontTM Elvax® EVA resin helped build the first wave of solar technology in the mid 1970s, and Elvax® continues to be used by EVA sheet producers today. DuPontTM PV5200 Series PVB sheeting (in clear and reflective white), PV5300 Series ionomer sheets, and PV8600 Series copolymer-based encapsulants also help DuPont serve the booming PV market. Visit photovoltaics.dupont.com.
DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit www.dupont.com.
