High-speed production lines cut thin film solar cell costs 10x
Project snapshot
Client:
Location:
Product type:
Challenge
Reduce production costs through insourced automation
The CTO of a large thin film solar manufacturer wanted to reduce the cost of a critical electrical component by a factor of 10. The company lacked time and internal resources to validate and implement a new manufacturing process in-house.
Innovation
Integrated automation for assembly, testing, and process optimization
We worked with the customer to prove the process and deploy production-ready automation.
Key elements included:
- Demonstrating proof-of-process steps in parallel to eliminate risk.
- Developing a complete manufacturing system including web handling, die punching, heat staking, electrical testing, metal cutting, and vision inspection.
- Implementing automation for roll infeed with tension control, automated slitting, tray handling, and final inspection.
- Ensuring factory interface software and machine controls supported reliable, high-speed production.
Result
Production costs reduced 10x with fully automated lines
The deployed production systems processed raw stock into finished, tested thin film solar cells at high speed, achieving the targeted cost reduction.
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