TECHNOLOGYAUTOMATION
Automating advantage
Last edition we ran an article that outlined Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) challenges and opportunities in the solar and PV industry. Andreas Strauch, Product Manager MES Manufacturing Automation at AIS Automation in Dresden provides an overview of MES in other industries and highlights some potential benefits for solar and PV manufacturers that they may not be aware of.
A 19
s has happened time and again before in other
industries, the requirements across many of the various disciplines of manufacturing have evolved in PV. While some years back the main aim of the typical PV manufacturer was to supply the market with the highest possible volume of product for the lowest price, the game has changed now for the fact that the amount of PV manufacturers has rapidly grown while the demand has started to level.
Earning
money in the PV
industry today is not done by just
supplying a high volume of product any longer, but it’s done by supplying a product of distinguished quality to the customer. So the simple question which needs answering is: “How can a modern PV manufacturer achieve the highest
quality for the lowest cost?”
Let’s start by looking into the success stories of other comparable industries such as semiconductor which has similar processes, but has been around for a very long time compared to PV.
Most semiconductor processes have matured and are well understood. Manufacturing techniques and process equipments have been optimized while materials and process consumables are kept as stable as possible.
Many of the processes have only very small windows in which their parameters can be modified without causing a violation of another parameter. An ultra- high degree of automation provides dynamic control over the entire manufacturing process, enabling to monitor, evaluate and to override process parameters while taking logistical decisions to optimize the throughput of the complete manufacturing line.
While these are some of the power tools needed for highly efficient manufacturing, the MES is the belt the semiconductor industry wears them on.
www.solar-pv-management.com Issue V 2010
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80