One of the world’s leading high-tech production engineers, Manz Automation AG, has selected fast-firing technologies from Rehm Thermal Systems to drive productivity in an advanced PV metallization line. Manz’s Solar cSi division, based in Reutlingen, Germany, chose to integrate Rehm’s RFS-D 500 Fast-Firing System following an extensive market research and product evaluation process.
Now in widespread use around the world, Rehm’s popular RFS-D 500 Fast-Firing System features a wide range of innovative design features to enable new levels of metallization process performance. Delivering a large process window thanks to flexible temperature profiling, the system is ideal for the production of highly efficient solar cells. Manz also added a Rehm Thermal Oxidiser with a combustion temperature of 750°C to the RFS-D 500 system, ensuring 99.9% exhaust gas incineration to safeguard productivity even further.
Commenting on the selection, Rehm General Manager, Johannes Rehm, explains: “We’re delighted that such a respected provider of integrated production lines for crystalline silicon solar cells and thin film solar modules has selected our Fast-Firing System. Having worked closely with the Manz team throughout its extensive evaluation process, we know the reasons they decided on our system were a mixture of our renowned worldwide after-sales service, short response times and capacity to deliver a German development team. Of course, the RFS System’s ability to lower the total cost of ownership through minimal energy and media usage, short maintenance times, small footprint and attractive price-point, naturally appealed to the team, too! Evaluation proved that our system delivered the best cell result with regard to bulk factor and efficiency, the lowest cell breakage rate at less than 0.25% and high machine availability at 95% uptime. Advanced technologies such as intake air preheating and a VOC thermal oxidiser with 99.9% efficiency were also extremely compelling for Manz. In short, there were so many reasons to choose Rehm – and we look forward to a highly successful partnership!”
