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photovoltaic industry
Issue 2 / 2014
50 x
2007- 2014
Bürkle's 50th Ypsator® Multi-Opening PV Lamination System
photovoltaic industry
page
Bürkle’s 50th Ypsator®
Multi-Opening PV Lamination System
Inline Production Solution
for Glass-Glass Modules
Sven Kramer, Sales Manager of Bürkle’s Photovoltaic Line of
Equipment, today announced that the 50th Bürkle Ypsator®
Multi-Opening Lamination Line for the production of PV
Modules has shipped from the factory. The 50 systems that
are installed all around the world represent approximately a
total of 5 GW of annual manufacturing capacity.
Lamination Line e.a.sy-Lam VFF enables glass-glass
and glass-backsheet module production
 Bürkle’s Ypsator® is a Multi-Stack
System used in nearly all applications from Thin Film Solar, Crystalline Solar and Glass-to-Glass
applications. More than half of the
Ypsators shipped are for thin film
module mass production, about
one third for crystalline module
mass production and the balance
for development and pilot production. The Ypsator® System
provides a modular concept of up
to 10 stacks and up to 3 process
steps, enabling heating modules
as well as a cooling configuration.
Unique features of the Ypsator
are its small footprint but yet high
volume production capability and its
energy efficient thermal fluid heating
system. For glass-glass modules,
the Multi-Opening Lamination Line
is configured with three process
steps based on Bürkle’s proprietary Ypsolar® process. Bürkle’s
design concept has evolved from
Bürkle’s wide range experience
of designing and manufacturing
high volume production equipment for nearly 100 years.
In addition to lamination systems
Bürkle also provides precision
coating systems used for Antireflective coating on glass and other
liquid coating applications. Uniform
precision roller coating has been
a mainstay in Bürkle’s product line
for several decades. The latest
application coats liquid materials
as thin as 10 μm. Bürkle will exhibit
at the upcoming Intersolar Europe
Show in Munich from June 4-6,
2014. Come and visit the lamination and coating experts in Hall A3,
booth 534 or contact your local
Bürkle office for more information.
 The Bürkle Single-Opening
Lamination Line e.a.sy-Lam VFF
is dedicated for the lamination of
glass-glass modules but it is also
suitable for the fast lamination of
glass-backsheet modules. This
flexibility is especially advantageous if a manufacturer needs to
change back and forth between
different module configurations or
if he gradually wants to expand
into the glass-glass technology.
Glass-glass modules offer excellent
value-added market strategies.
In comparison with the standard
glass-backsheet modules, glassglass modules not only open
new markets such as BIPV, but
also have the potential for longer
lifetime in standard applications,
and thus offer higher ROI’s.
The Bürkle Lamination Line e.a.syLam VFF can process various
encapsulation foils and glass
thicknesses. The lamination process
is combined and is made in two
steps: The first step is a vacuum
lamination step using a membrane
for pre-lamination (evacuation and
sealing of a module) and subsequently – as the second lamination
step – a heated flat press (double
sided heating) is used for final
lamination. These two lamination
steps, which are consecutively
arranged, are followed by a (optional) double sided cooling step.
Unique selling points of the Bürkle
technology are the homogenous
cross-linking in the end product,
minimised material stress and significantly reduced possible warping of
the modules. An additional advantage is that the overpressing or pinching of the module edges, which
occurs during the conventional lamination with a pure membrane process, is minimized with the Bürkle
VFF Lamination Line. That way,
the solar modules show an absolutely uniform module thickness
with only minimal tolerances. This
quality advantage contributes to an
increased lifetime of the modules.
Due to the separation of the
lamination process in two steps,
the cycle time is reduced, the
production capacity – on a small
footprint – is maximised, and it
is possible to work with different
process temperatures in step 1 and
step 2. Cycle times of less than 12
minutes with glass thicknesses of
2 x 3.2 mm are achieved. Since all
processes take place automatically,
no manual handling is necessary.
The two-step lamination process is
followed by a cooling phase, during
which the finished solar modules
are relieved from tension under
pressure between two cooling platens and thereby are evenly cooled
down. Currently, the Lamination
Line e.a.sy-Lam VFF is available in
two versions with different capacities. While the e.a.sy-Lam VFF
2135 has an useful area of 2.100
x 3.500 mm, the e.a.sy-Lam VFF
2141 has an useful working surface
of 2.100 x 4.100 mm. Glass-glass
modules with the standard formats
of approx. 1.000 x 1.700 mm and
approx. 1.000 x 2.000 mm as well
as special module formats up to the
maximum available useful surface
of the laminator can be laminated.
3
photovoltaic industry
page
Bürkle’s 50th Ypsator®
Multi-Opening PV Lamination System
Inline Production Solution
for Glass-Glass Modules
Sven Kramer, Sales Manager of Bürkle’s Photovoltaic Line of
Equipment, today announced that the 50th Bürkle Ypsator®
Multi-Opening Lamination Line for the production of PV
Modules has shipped from the factory. The 50 systems that
are installed all around the world represent approximately a
total of 5 GW of annual manufacturing capacity.
Lamination Line e.a.sy-Lam VFF enables glass-glass
and glass-backsheet module production
 Bürkle’s Ypsator® is a Multi-Stack
System used in nearly all applications from Thin Film Solar, Crystalline Solar and Glass-to-Glass
applications. More than half of the
Ypsators shipped are for thin film
module mass production, about
one third for crystalline module
mass production and the balance
for development and pilot production. The Ypsator® System
provides a modular concept of up
to 10 stacks and up to 3 process
steps, enabling heating modules
as well as a cooling configuration.
Unique features of the Ypsator
are its small footprint but yet high
volume production capability and its
energy efficient thermal fluid heating
system. For glass-glass modules,
the Multi-Opening Lamination Line
is configured with three process
steps based on Bürkle’s proprietary Ypsolar® process. Bürkle’s
design concept has evolved from
Bürkle’s wide range experience
of designing and manufacturing
high volume production equipment for nearly 100 years.
In addition to lamination systems
Bürkle also provides precision
coating systems used for Antireflective coating on glass and other
liquid coating applications. Uniform
precision roller coating has been
a mainstay in Bürkle’s product line
for several decades. The latest
application coats liquid materials
as thin as 10 μm. Bürkle will exhibit
at the upcoming Intersolar Europe
Show in Munich from June 4-6,
2014. Come and visit the lamination and coating experts in Hall A3,
booth 534 or contact your local
Bürkle office for more information.
 The Bürkle Single-Opening
Lamination Line e.a.sy-Lam VFF
is dedicated for the lamination of
glass-glass modules but it is also
suitable for the fast lamination of
glass-backsheet modules. This
flexibility is especially advantageous if a manufacturer needs to
change back and forth between
different module configurations or
if he gradually wants to expand
into the glass-glass technology.
Glass-glass modules offer excellent
value-added market strategies.
In comparison with the standard
glass-backsheet modules, glassglass modules not only open
new markets such as BIPV, but
also have the potential for longer
lifetime in standard applications,
and thus offer higher ROI’s.
The Bürkle Lamination Line e.a.syLam VFF can process various
encapsulation foils and glass
thicknesses. The lamination process
is combined and is made in two
steps: The first step is a vacuum
lamination step using a membrane
for pre-lamination (evacuation and
sealing of a module) and subsequently – as the second lamination
step – a heated flat press (double
sided heating) is used for final
lamination. These two lamination
steps, which are consecutively
arranged, are followed by a (optional) double sided cooling step.
Unique selling points of the Bürkle
technology are the homogenous
cross-linking in the end product,
minimised material stress and significantly reduced possible warping of
the modules. An additional advantage is that the overpressing or pinching of the module edges, which
occurs during the conventional lamination with a pure membrane process, is minimized with the Bürkle
VFF Lamination Line. That way,
the solar modules show an absolutely uniform module thickness
with only minimal tolerances. This
quality advantage contributes to an
increased lifetime of the modules.
Due to the separation of the
lamination process in two steps,
the cycle time is reduced, the
production capacity – on a small
footprint – is maximised, and it
is possible to work with different
process temperatures in step 1 and
step 2. Cycle times of less than 12
minutes with glass thicknesses of
2 x 3.2 mm are achieved. Since all
processes take place automatically,
no manual handling is necessary.
The two-step lamination process is
followed by a cooling phase, during
which the finished solar modules
are relieved from tension under
pressure between two cooling platens and thereby are evenly cooled
down. Currently, the Lamination
Line e.a.sy-Lam VFF is available in
two versions with different capacities. While the e.a.sy-Lam VFF
2135 has an useful area of 2.100
x 3.500 mm, the e.a.sy-Lam VFF
2141 has an useful working surface
of 2.100 x 4.100 mm. Glass-glass
modules with the standard formats
of approx. 1.000 x 1.700 mm and
approx. 1.000 x 2.000 mm as well
as special module formats up to the
maximum available useful surface
of the laminator can be laminated.
3
photovoltaic industry
page
Strong market share increase of
Glass-Glass Modules predicted
5th International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaic
(ITRPV)
 The fifth edition of the International Technology Roadmap for
Photovoltaic (ITRPV) was published
in March 2014. The focus of the
ITRPV has been on the crystalline silicon photovoltaic technology. SEMI® recently forecasted
expected technology trends.
SEMI® likes to start a discussion
about required improvements, new
standards and possible solutions.
The ITRPV looks at the complete
value chain from crystallization,
wafering, cell manufacturing to
module manufacturing as well as
PV systems. An international group
from leading manufacturers of the
entire PV value chain, equipment
and material suppliers as well as
research institutes participated
in preparation of the report.
Crystalline cell modules dominate
now the worldwide PV market with
a market share of more than 90%.
Thin film technologies account for
10% of the market. While in the
thin film PV industry glass-glass
modules have been used for many
years as a standard module design,
a typical crystalline cell module
uses only on the front side a glass
panel and a backsheet on the back
side. Based on the ITRPV report,
the typical standard crystalline cell
module design will change over
the next years: the backsheet will
be replaced by a glass panel. Main
reason is the availability of thinner
solar glasses. Hardened low iron
glasses with a thickness of 2 mm
instead of 3,2 mm or 4,0 mm are
and will become more available in a
higher volume and at lower costs.
Currently only a small number of
crystalline solar modules are designed as a double-glass module.
But the industry experts predict that
this number will increase to 60%
in the next 10 years. Most likely a
“standard” crystalline solar module
will have a 2 mm front glass and a
2 mm back glass. A longer module
lifetime, an increased long term stability and the possibility to eliminate
the aluminum frame providing a
frameless module are the advantages of a glass-glass module design.
Bürkle's Marketing Department
expected this trend some time ago
and prepared the lamination equipment product portfolio for this trend.
Bürkle provides the e.a.sy-Lam
Lamination Line VFF for the lamination of glass-backsheet and glassglass module production. For a high
volume production of glass-glass
modules the Multi-Opening Lamination Line Ypsator® S is available.
Other trends identified in the
ITRPV in the solar module manufacturing field are the need for
higher throughput and less
floor space consumption.
As the inventor of the Short
Lamination “SL” Process and the
pioneer and world market leader
for Multi-Opening Lamination Lines,
Bürkle is able to provide the technology for future requirements of
the PV industry. The SL Process
Expected improvement in throughput
for module manufacturing equipment.
uses overpressure during the
lamination process to reduce the
cycle time using standard module
encapsulation materials. Combined
with the Multi-Opening Lamination
Lines Ypsator® nearly 300 MW of
solar modules can be laminated
with one 10-Opening Ypsator® SL
Line per year. A true high volume
production on a small footprint.
Another trend mentioned in the
ITRPV roadmap was the trend of
front glasses coated with anti-light
reflective coating materials to
increase light transmission. Less
light is reflected and the module
power output is increased. Bürkle
provides Roller Coating Lines for the
coating of glass panels with antilight reflective coating materials.
Effective transmission of front cover
glass for PV-modules.
Market share of different c-Si module
types as fraction of worldwide production.
For the detailed ITRPV report,
please visit the following website: http://www.itrpv.net/
Reports/Downloads/
For more information about the
Bürkle Lamination and Coating
Solutions, please contact the Bürkle
headquarters, your local Bürkle
office or Bürkle representative.
5
photovoltaic industry
page
Strong market share increase of
Glass-Glass Modules predicted
5th International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaic
(ITRPV)
 The fifth edition of the International Technology Roadmap for
Photovoltaic (ITRPV) was published
in March 2014. The focus of the
ITRPV has been on the crystalline silicon photovoltaic technology. SEMI® recently forecasted
expected technology trends.
SEMI® likes to start a discussion
about required improvements, new
standards and possible solutions.
The ITRPV looks at the complete
value chain from crystallization,
wafering, cell manufacturing to
module manufacturing as well as
PV systems. An international group
from leading manufacturers of the
entire PV value chain, equipment
and material suppliers as well as
research institutes participated
in preparation of the report.
Crystalline cell modules dominate
now the worldwide PV market with
a market share of more than 90%.
Thin film technologies account for
10% of the market. While in the
thin film PV industry glass-glass
modules have been used for many
years as a standard module design,
a typical crystalline cell module
uses only on the front side a glass
panel and a backsheet on the back
side. Based on the ITRPV report,
the typical standard crystalline cell
module design will change over
the next years: the backsheet will
be replaced by a glass panel. Main
reason is the availability of thinner
solar glasses. Hardened low iron
glasses with a thickness of 2 mm
instead of 3,2 mm or 4,0 mm are
and will become more available in a
higher volume and at lower costs.
Currently only a small number of
crystalline solar modules are designed as a double-glass module.
But the industry experts predict that
this number will increase to 60%
in the next 10 years. Most likely a
“standard” crystalline solar module
will have a 2 mm front glass and a
2 mm back glass. A longer module
lifetime, an increased long term stability and the possibility to eliminate
the aluminum frame providing a
frameless module are the advantages of a glass-glass module design.
Bürkle's Marketing Department
expected this trend some time ago
and prepared the lamination equipment product portfolio for this trend.
Bürkle provides the e.a.sy-Lam
Lamination Line VFF for the lamination of glass-backsheet and glassglass module production. For a high
volume production of glass-glass
modules the Multi-Opening Lamination Line Ypsator® S is available.
Other trends identified in the
ITRPV in the solar module manufacturing field are the need for
higher throughput and less
floor space consumption.
As the inventor of the Short
Lamination “SL” Process and the
pioneer and world market leader
for Multi-Opening Lamination Lines,
Bürkle is able to provide the technology for future requirements of
the PV industry. The SL Process
Expected improvement in throughput
for module manufacturing equipment.
uses overpressure during the
lamination process to reduce the
cycle time using standard module
encapsulation materials. Combined
with the Multi-Opening Lamination
Lines Ypsator® nearly 300 MW of
solar modules can be laminated
with one 10-Opening Ypsator® SL
Line per year. A true high volume
production on a small footprint.
Another trend mentioned in the
ITRPV roadmap was the trend of
front glasses coated with anti-light
reflective coating materials to
increase light transmission. Less
light is reflected and the module
power output is increased. Bürkle
provides Roller Coating Lines for the
coating of glass panels with antilight reflective coating materials.
Effective transmission of front cover
glass for PV-modules.
Market share of different c-Si module
types as fraction of worldwide production.
For the detailed ITRPV report,
please visit the following website: http://www.itrpv.net/
Reports/Downloads/
For more information about the
Bürkle Lamination and Coating
Solutions, please contact the Bürkle
headquarters, your local Bürkle
office or Bürkle representative.
5
photovoltaic industry
page
GMB Glasmanufaktur Brandenburg GmbH
extends Anti-Reflective Coating Capacities
Bürkle supplies additional Roller Coating Machine e.a.sy-Coater RCLM
 Europe´s leading solar glass
producer, GMB Glasmanufaktur
Brandenburg GmbH, has extended the capacities for the coating
of solar glasses with anti-reflective
coatings (AR). A new processing line including another Bürkle
Roller Coating Machine e.a.syCoater RCLM has been taken into
operation. In total GMB is now using
a number of Bürkle Roller Coating
Machines e.a.sy-Coaters RCLM to
coat up to 100% of the produced
solar glasses with AR materials.
When light encounters the glass
surfaces a significant part will
be reflected and also absorbed,
depending on the glass thickness.
Losses by reflection amount up to
8% which immediately reduces the
power and degree of efficiency of
photovoltaic systems. The efficiency
of a solar module can be increased
up to 3% by means of the AR
coatings since more light falls onto
the solar cells and the additional
energy increases the overall efficiency of the solar module.
“With Bürkle we made the first
step in the AR coating application.
This is now our third capacity
extension within the past 3
years. The Bürkle Roller Coating
Machine RCLM enables us to
meet and to ensure the high quality
demands of our customers,” Mr.
Uwe Wehder, General Mana-
ger of GMB Glasmanufaktur
Brandenburg, states.
homogenous coating grooved
applying rollers will be used.
The reflection minimization is
achieved by a glass nanoparticle
layer being approx. 150 nm thin,
in dry condition. To apply this AR
coating onto glass surfaces it is
recommended to work with the
Roller Coating System e.a.syCoater RCLM 1300 (width of
glass up to 1300 mm) and the
e.a.sy-Coater RCLM 1700 (width
of glass up to 1700 mm) made
by Bürkle. Application of material
is done in a continuous process.
A rubber-covered applying roller
applies the liquid solar gel AR
coating material onto the glass
surface. To achieve an optimal
About GMB Glasmanufaktur Brandenburg GmbH
The GMB Glasmanufaktur
Brandenburg GmbH is producing in
Tschernitz, Germany since October
2008. More than 20 years glasses
for colour picture tubes have been
manufactured at the same location
– a high level of expertise in
production of glass has
a long tradition.
GMB produces high quality low
iron solar glass exclusively for
Interfloat 365 days a year.
For this purposes all production
equipment has been designed
and realized. By refraining from
a campaign-based production
of glass (alternating production
of ferrous “normal” glass followed by solar glass and viceversa) GMB can guarantee a
high performance of the product
with 100% assurance. The purity
of glass as basis for a minimum
absorption by disturbing substances like iron oxide, is available at
any time. Along with the raw glass
production also the additional
process steps (edge processing,
toughening) are performed on
most modern machines designed for the solar technology.
The electronic visual monitoring
systems that are used at all levels
guarantee a consistent high quality.
Further information is available on
GMB´s website www.gmb-glas.de.
7
photovoltaic industry
page
GMB Glasmanufaktur Brandenburg GmbH
extends Anti-Reflective Coating Capacities
Bürkle supplies additional Roller Coating Machine e.a.sy-Coater RCLM
 Europe´s leading solar glass
producer, GMB Glasmanufaktur
Brandenburg GmbH, has extended the capacities for the coating
of solar glasses with anti-reflective
coatings (AR). A new processing line including another Bürkle
Roller Coating Machine e.a.syCoater RCLM has been taken into
operation. In total GMB is now using
a number of Bürkle Roller Coating
Machines e.a.sy-Coaters RCLM to
coat up to 100% of the produced
solar glasses with AR materials.
When light encounters the glass
surfaces a significant part will
be reflected and also absorbed,
depending on the glass thickness.
Losses by reflection amount up to
8% which immediately reduces the
power and degree of efficiency of
photovoltaic systems. The efficiency
of a solar module can be increased
up to 3% by means of the AR
coatings since more light falls onto
the solar cells and the additional
energy increases the overall efficiency of the solar module.
“With Bürkle we made the first
step in the AR coating application.
This is now our third capacity
extension within the past 3
years. The Bürkle Roller Coating
Machine RCLM enables us to
meet and to ensure the high quality
demands of our customers,” Mr.
Uwe Wehder, General Mana-
ger of GMB Glasmanufaktur
Brandenburg, states.
homogenous coating grooved
applying rollers will be used.
The reflection minimization is
achieved by a glass nanoparticle
layer being approx. 150 nm thin,
in dry condition. To apply this AR
coating onto glass surfaces it is
recommended to work with the
Roller Coating System e.a.syCoater RCLM 1300 (width of
glass up to 1300 mm) and the
e.a.sy-Coater RCLM 1700 (width
of glass up to 1700 mm) made
by Bürkle. Application of material
is done in a continuous process.
A rubber-covered applying roller
applies the liquid solar gel AR
coating material onto the glass
surface. To achieve an optimal
About GMB Glasmanufaktur Brandenburg GmbH
The GMB Glasmanufaktur
Brandenburg GmbH is producing in
Tschernitz, Germany since October
2008. More than 20 years glasses
for colour picture tubes have been
manufactured at the same location
– a high level of expertise in
production of glass has
a long tradition.
GMB produces high quality low
iron solar glass exclusively for
Interfloat 365 days a year.
For this purposes all production
equipment has been designed
and realized. By refraining from
a campaign-based production
of glass (alternating production
of ferrous “normal” glass followed by solar glass and viceversa) GMB can guarantee a
high performance of the product
with 100% assurance. The purity
of glass as basis for a minimum
absorption by disturbing substances like iron oxide, is available at
any time. Along with the raw glass
production also the additional
process steps (edge processing,
toughening) are performed on
most modern machines designed for the solar technology.
The electronic visual monitoring
systems that are used at all levels
guarantee a consistent high quality.
Further information is available on
GMB´s website www.gmb-glas.de.
7
photovoltaic industry
Press review
news
news
Issue 2 / 2014
Imprint:
Responsible for the content
Robert Bürkle GmbH
Issue 2/2014
Picture credits:
Robert Bürkle GmbH, ITRPV
Jabil increases Lamination Capacity by 240MW at their
plant in Poland
Two additional Bürkle Multi-Opening Lamination Lines
Ypsator® 1722-7 in operation
For further information about News please follow the link:
www.buerkle-news.de
Bürkle - Think global, act local
Visit us and our local partners at the...




04.-06.06.2014 Intersolar Europe
Munich, Germany
Hall A3, Booth 534
Robert BÜRKLE GmbH
Stuttgarter Straße 123
D-72250 Freudenstadt
Phone +49 (0) 74 41 - 58-0
Fax +49 (0) 74 41 -78 13
www.buerkle-gmbh.de
[email protected]
BÜRKLE North America, Inc.
12802 Valley View Street
Suite 12
Garden Grove, CA 92845 - USA
Phone +1-714-379-5090
Fax +1-714-379-5092
www.burkleusa.com
[email protected]
BÜRKLE Machinery
(Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Building 5 & 6, No. 2715, Ledu Road (W)
Songjiang District
CN-201614 Shanghai
Phone +86-21-57-85-02 88
Fax +86-21-57-85-02 58
www.burkle-shanghai.com
[email protected]
08.-10.07.2014 Intersolar North America
San Francisco, CA-USA
Booth 7633
For further information about fairs please follow the link:
www.buerkle-gmbh.de
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