Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Patent
1995-01-31
1997-01-14
Yoder, Michele K.
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
156286, 156311, 1563082, 1563096, 156382, 1565833, B32B 3120, H01L 3104
Patent
active
055935320
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a process for making photovoltaic modules and further a device to implement said process. Photovoltaic modules are solar energy generators and consist of a laminate containing as its core a system of solar cells such as silicon cells. This core layer allows only slight mechanical stresses and is imbedded in encapsulating materials. Such materials may be composed of one or more glass and/or plastic-foil layers and/or of plastic-foil composites.
2. State of the Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,589 discloses the manufacture of known photovoltaic modules using vacuum lamination. A vacuum laminator is used which is divided by a flexible membrane into vacuum chambers, one chamber receiving a stack resting on a plate and constituted by the solar-cell system and the encapsulating materials and, where called for, separating foils. The plate temperature is kept below the softening point of the encapsulating materials. Next the two chambers are evacuated and the plate temperature is raised to the softening point of said encapsulating materials. Subsequently the upper chamber is ventilated and as a result the flexible membrane is forced against the stack. Thereby a composite is formed, composed of the system of solar cells and the encapsulating materials. The encapsulating materials are hardened by further raising the temperature and thereafter the plate is cooled and the laminate is removed from the vacuum chamber.
This procedure is very time-consuming because only one photovoltaic module at a time may be manufactured in one operational step. Moreover the plate in the vacuum laminator is used both as a heating and a cooling plate, whereby high energy losses are incurred.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to eliminate the known drawbacks of the state of the art and to create an easily implemented economical and time-saving process for manufacturing photovoltaic modules.
The invention proposes a process for manufacturing photovoltaic modules in the form of a laminate containing a system of solar cells forming the core layer and clad by encapsulating materials composed of a glass/plastic composite and/or a plastic composite, said process comprising (a) a depositing module-stack composed of a system of solar cells, encapsulating materials and spacing foils on a carrier plate of which the temperature is held below the softening point of the plastic sealing layers present in the encapsulating materials, at a loading station, (b) moving the module-stack into a vacuum laminator which thereupon is closed and evacuated, and pressing a heating plate against the thermally conductive carrier plate to heat the plastic sealing layers to their softening point, (c) following ventilation of the vacuum laminator and without recooling the heating plate, moving the composite formed from the module-stack into the hardening oven where the plastic sealing layers are hardened to form a laminate, and (d) moving the laminate into a cooling zone and removing it at a removal station from the manufacturing process, wherein the process stages (a) through (e) are carried out simultaneously and in in a continous manner.
The process of the invention allows continuous, low-energy manufacture of photovoltaic modules.
The invention offers further advantages in that ethylenevinyl acetate foils and/or silicone foils and/or casting resins and/or powder resins and/or plastic granulates are used as the plastic sealing layers in the encapsulating materials. Further the layers in the encapsulating materials advantageously may be composed of glass, plastic foils, plastic-foil composites or composites essentially consisting of plastic foils.
The process of the invention is furthermore characterized in that the plastic-foil composite used in the encapsulating material comprises, in the direction from the plastic sealing layer to the spacing foil, polyvinyl fluoride, polyethylene terephthalate and polyvinyl fluoride in foil form or a primer coat, polyethylene te
REFERENCES:
patent: 3711939 (1973-01-01), Stoll
patent: 4067764 (1978-01-01), Walker et al.
patent: 4401839 (1983-08-01), Pyle
patent: 4421589 (1983-12-01), Armini et al.
patent: 4433200 (1984-02-01), Jester et al.
patent: 4543147 (1985-09-01), Noto et al.
patent: 4689105 (1987-08-01), Fazlin et al.
patent: 4806195 (1989-02-01), Namysl
patent: 4997507 (1991-03-01), Meyer
patent: 5399223 (1995-03-01), Vogt
patent: 5472541 (1995-12-01), Simmons et al.
Falk Johann
Plessing Albert K.
Isovolta Osterreichische Isolierstoffwerke Aktiengesellschaft
Yoder Michele K.
LandOfFree
Process for manufacturing photovoltaic modules does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Process for manufacturing photovoltaic modules, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Process for manufacturing photovoltaic modules will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1385295