What are the opportunities for smart manufacturing and new materials?

Since 2019, the photovoltaic industry has officially launched a sprint to the “unsubsidized era”, which is a difficult transition process. For enterprises, only by continuously developing more efficient and low-cost products can keep up with the market. Under this circumstance, the whole industry has been working hard to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

In the whole process of “cost reduction and efficiency increase” of photovoltaic power generation, in addition to mainstream industrial chains such as components, batteries, silicon wafers and silicon materials, other products existing around the photovoltaic industry chain are also very important. During the SNEC International Photovoltaic Exhibition held recently, OFweek Solar PV Network interviewed Mr. Wang Yuxiang, Marketing Director of Shanghai Zhanwan Information Technology Co., Ltd., and Mr. Jiang Yuyou, Deputy General Manager of Zhongqin Industrial Co., Ltd., on how to reduce the cost of photovoltaic power generation. discuss in depth.

Helping the transformation of photovoltaic intelligent manufacturing

For the development of the photovoltaic industry, Wang Yuxiang, the marketing director of Shanghai Zhanwan Information Technology Co., Ltd., believes that photovoltaic manufacturing is a highly automated process, so it is very important to guide the industry to make intelligent manufacturing transformation. To this end, Shanghai Zhanwan Information Technology Co., Ltd. has developed a product called Zhanwan Zhitong, which is an industrial Internet-based GPS system.

The system provides production equipment data acquisition and edge computing services by the edge computing gateway SMART-EDGE deployed on the shop floor. The data analysis kernel SMART-DAC aggregates the gateway data and deepens the artificial intelligence, and finally provides the intelligent manufacturing scenario application. . Efficient management of production equipment by analyzing modeling data. It can realize welding fault prediction, tool life management, production process optimization, equipment utilization analysis, etc., helping factory users to improve quality, increase efficiency and improve equipment ROI without increasing investment in fixed assets.

Wang Yuxiang said that the degree of automation of photovoltaic manufacturing is relatively high, manufacturers will use automation equipment such as welding robots, and Zhanwan Smart Communication can collect information on industrial robots and then help to solve a series of robot processing through data analysis. The problem is to help photovoltaic companies improve product quality and production efficiency.

Talking about the cooperation mode between Shanghai Zhanwan Information Technology and PV companies, Wang Yuxiang said that Zhanwan Smart Communication is a product that connects devices in the industrial field and then analyzes the data through the data analysis kernel and finally presents it as a visual application. . On the real user side, customers may prefer to use their own analysis system, and the company can open the analysis module and embed it into third-party applications. This represents the open attitude of Shanghai Zhanwan Information Technology Co., Ltd., and hopes to open cooperation with individuals, groups and companies from all walks of life to promote the development of the photovoltaic industry.

Innovative materials reduce costs

Zhongqin Industrial Co., Ltd. has different directions and layouts on how to help the industrial upgrading of photovoltaic power generation. Jiang Yuyou told OFweek Solar Photovoltaic Network that new materials and innovative product designs can often improve the efficiency and yield of photovoltaic manufacturing processes, and have a great effect on the continuous upgrading of photovoltaic power generation.

For example, Zhongqin Industrial launched the new nPF nano-plastic material during this SNEC period, which can effectively solve the problem of etching technology in the industry.

Jiang Yuyou said that in the wet etching process of photovoltaic cells, drying treatment is the most important step, which determines the quality of the wet process. The nPF nano-plastic material passes through the nitriding zone, and the material itself is covered with the structure of the nano-pores, which has the function of inhaling and exhausting, which can quickly decompose water droplets and remove water. It can be applied to the wet process cassette used in the semiconductor industry to solve problems such as bubble marks and watermark marks.

Recently, the product has been certified by the semiconductor manufacturer, shortening the drying time by more than half, reducing the power consumption by more than 50%, effectively saving energy and reducing carbon, increasing production capacity, and receiving favorable customer support. It has been widely applied to semiconductor full-size wet process cards. .

In addition, Zhongqin continued to optimize product design and launched the “150 slot nPF Solar Wafer Cassette” with an original capacity increase of 1.5 times. It is directly compatible with the original process machine and is equipped with nPF nano plastic to improve the carrier polymer. Physical properties, high chemical resistance, high temperature resistance, thereby increasing the yield of single crystal velvet, effectively increasing the light absorption rate, and greatly improving the photoelectric conversion efficiency by more than 21%. And using the "infrared penetrating heat conduction hundred-point welding method" seamless technology, the card can prevent the acid-base solution from infiltrating in the process of heat expansion and contraction, and prevent chemical cross-contamination.

It is understood that Zhongqin has won a number of certifications and patents, spanning four major industries, with the "new materials, new technologies, new applications, new values" as the main axis of the strategy, in addition to nPF nano plastics, also successfully entered the carbon fiber materials. In the field of scientific engineering, the carbon fiber product production line has been established. The glass substrate card developed has been introduced into the 10.5 generation production line of the panel manufacturer. From the design, simulation, testing and assembly, it provides the best service for customers with a full range of customization.