VENDORVIEW
flat, rectangular shape. A typical width is 10 mm with a height of 0.7 or 0.9 mm.
Industry stakeholders argue about the type of corner formation. Whereas one group is in favour of round corners, another clearly emphasizes the importance of sharp corners with gap or butt joints. The latter fraction also embraces overlaps.
What must be ruled out is a clearance of more than 2 mm in the corner which would eventually pose the risk of freezing (depending on weather pattern) and thus module damage. Additionally, the corners must be perfectly filled after lamination but without laminator contamination.
GEROLD belongs to the fraction that favours sharp corners for these prevent said freezing, well maintain encapsulant/sealant spacing, and facilitate sound air release with lamination.
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amount to >40%, without even taking scrap savings into account.
Furthermore, automated bulk butyl dispense features improved accuracy, reduced cycle time, and improved automation. In other words, bulk butyl dispense is much more cost-effective than butyl tape application.
Next, let’s take a closer look at the edge-sealant geometry and characteristics. The butyl bead is of
When it comes to automated bulk butyl application, GEROLD takes centre stage.
GEROLD introduced its HMA-system (hot-melt application) in 2010. The HMA-system automatically applies liquid butyl (hot-melt) for edge-sealing PV-modules. Typically, this applies with thin-film modules.
GEROLD’s HMA-system features a drum unloader with drum redundancy. The melting temperature is >145°C [293°F]. The substrate enters horizontally via belt conveyor. A rigid table with centring device and vacuum serves as workstation for butyl application. Usually, one such table suffices, but a 2-table system is available, too.
Depending on system configuration one or two dispenser(s) are utilized. The dispenser bridge is a gantry mechanism with servo-controlled X- and Y- movement. Depending on consumable and travelling path, dispensing speed reaches <600 mm [<2 ft.]/sec.
The distance between dispenser and sometimes warped substrate surface is monitored by means of laser sensor. Butyl is applied in accordance with the settings for butyl geometry and positioning.
These are set at the HMI touch screen which also features a comprehensive visualization to display the system status and relevant process data. Parameters are set to ensure repeat accurate edge-sealing with optimal bead application and high throughput. Four quality control laser sensors
www.solar-pv-management.com Issue IV 2011
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