Optimized Handling of Solar Substrates in Mass Manufacturing

Current mass manufacturing in crystalline photovoltaics face different challenges. One of them is the gentle handling of the fragile substrates. In general, the elements (beside the substrate itself) involved in the automated handling are the gripping device and the actual manipulator. To be able to meet the need for efficient production in terms of time, cost and quality the two components have to cooperate in an optimal way. The optimization therefore always has to be performed for a dedicate set of gripper plus manipulator. The determination of the best path for transportation and inbetween is constrained by multi-variant influencing factors. Beside some boundary conditions like installation space and predefined pick-off and placement positions, the gripper being used has the upmost impact on the handling quality. Different KPIs have been examined to adjust the system of gripper and manipulator in regard to the special demands of each single handling task.