Innovative Production Technology of Photovoltaic Glass

Innovative production technology of photovoltaic glass and application advantages of ultrasonic spraying

At a time when the energy structure is accelerating its transformation, photovoltaic power generation, as a representative of green and clean energy, is developing rapidly. As an indispensable key component in the photovoltaic power generation system, the performance and quality of photovoltaic glass directly affect the power generation efficiency and service life of photovoltaic modules. Photovoltaic glass, also known as “photovoltaic glass”, is a special glass that can generate electricity with the help of solar radiation by pressing solar photovoltaic modules into it, and is equipped with relevant current lead-out devices and cables. It is composed of glass, solar cells, films, back glass, special metal wires and other components, and can be regarded as an innovative model of high-tech glass products in the field of construction.

The raw materials of photovoltaic glass are rich and diverse, mainly including quartz sand, soda ash, limestone, dolomite, sodium nitrate, mirabilite, sodium pyroantimonate, aluminum hydroxide, etc. Quartz sand plays a key role as a network former, and its usage often accounts for more than half of the glass components; the main function of soda ash is to provide sodium oxide, which effectively reduces the melting temperature of glass; limestone is responsible for adjusting the viscosity of glass to an appropriate value to ensure that the glass forming time meets production requirements; Glauber’s salt, as a clarifier, can remove bubbles in the glass and improve the transmittance of the glass. These raw materials work together to lay the foundation for the production of high-quality photovoltaic glass.

In terms of production technology, photovoltaic glass is usually prepared by calendering, and the entire production process is mainly divided into two major links: raw sheet production and deep processing. In the raw sheet production link, the raw materials need to be mixed, melted, rolled, annealed and cut in turn to obtain unprocessed photovoltaic raw sheet semi-finished products, and then enter the deep processing stage. The raw sheet production covers five processes: batching section, melting section, forming section, annealing section and edge detection section. Among them, melting, forming and annealing are the most core links of the raw sheet production line. Problems in any link will have a serious impact on product quality and production rate. Glass production has a strong continuity. Photovoltaic glass products that do not meet the quality standards must be re-melted, which will undoubtedly bring additional costs to the production company. In addition, the normal production of the original products requires 24-hour continuous operation. Once the product quality is unstable, the entire production process will be difficult to proceed normally.

The deep processing process of photovoltaic glass mainly includes two processes: tempering and coating. First, the original sheet is edged and then tempered to obtain a tempered sheet; or it is coated on the basis of tempering to obtain a coated sheet for component packaging. The purpose of tempering is to enhance the strength of the glass and make it more durable; coating is to coat a layer of anti-reflection film on the surface of the tempered glass to enhance the light transmittance of the glass. It is worth mentioning that both the tempering and coating processes need to be carried out at a high temperature of about 700℃. In order to effectively control costs, most glass deep processing companies adopt the method of simultaneous tempering and film layer heat treatment.

At present, low-iron tempered embossed glass, also known as tempered velvet glass, is the mainstream product of photovoltaic glass, with a common thickness of 3.2mm or 4mm. Within the wavelength range of the solar cell spectral response (380-1100nm), its transmittance can reach more than 91%, and it has a high reflectivity for infrared light greater than 1200nm. This glass is made by pressing a special pyramid-shaped pattern on the surface of ultra-white glass through a special embossing machine. As a general soda-lime-silica glass, the core technology of photovoltaic glass is low iron whitening and high transmittance. In the range of 380nm-1100nm, the transmittance can reach more than 91%. Unlike float glass, the upper surface of photovoltaic glass is velvet, which can effectively reduce the specular reflection of direct light, and the lower surface is embossed, which can enhance the adhesion with EVA film.

In the production process of photovoltaic glass, the coating process is crucial to improving the performance of glass, and ultrasonic spraying technology has shown significant advantages in this link. Cheersonic’s ultrasonic spraying technology, with its unique working principle, has brought a new solution to photovoltaic glass coating.

Ultrasonic spraying technology uses the high-frequency vibration of ultrasound to atomize liquid paint into uniform, tiny particles, and then accurately sprays these atomized particles onto the surface of photovoltaic glass through airflow. Compared with traditional spraying methods, ultrasonic spraying has many advantages in photovoltaic glass coating. First, ultrasonic spraying can achieve a more uniform coating thickness distribution. Traditional spraying methods are prone to uneven coating thickness, resulting in inconsistent glass transmittance, affecting the power generation efficiency of photovoltaic modules. Ultrasonic spraying technology can atomize the paint into extremely small and uniform particles, so that the coating can be evenly covered on the surface of photovoltaic glass, effectively improving the overall light transmittance of the glass, thereby improving the power generation efficiency of photovoltaic modules.

Secondly, ultrasonic spraying has a higher paint utilization rate. In the traditional spraying process, a large amount of paint will be wasted due to uneven atomization and unreasonable spraying methods. Cheersonic’s ultrasonic spraying technology can accurately control the atomization and spraying process of the paint, reduce the splashing and waste of the paint, greatly improve the utilization rate of the paint, and reduce production costs. For enterprises that mass-produce photovoltaic glass, this can effectively control costs and improve the economic benefits of the enterprise.

In addition, ultrasonic spraying technology also has strong adaptability. It can be applied to many different types of coatings, whether it is anti-reflective film coatings or other functional coatings, it can achieve good spraying effects. At the same time, the technology can also flexibly adjust the spraying parameters, such as spraying thickness, spraying speed, etc. according to different production needs to meet diversified production requirements. In the process of photovoltaic glass coating, by adjusting the parameters of ultrasonic spraying, the thickness and quality of the coating can be accurately controlled to ensure that each piece of photovoltaic glass can meet high quality standards.

With the continuous development of the photovoltaic industry, the performance and quality requirements of photovoltaic glass are getting higher and higher. With its advantages in uniformity, coating utilization and adaptability, ultrasonic spraying technology will play a more important role in the field of photovoltaic glass production. In the future, with the continuous innovation and improvement of technology, ultrasonic spraying technology is expected to further enhance the performance of photovoltaic glass and promote the development of the photovoltaic industry to a higher level.

About Cheersonic

Cheersonic is the leading developer and manufacturer of ultrasonic coating systems for applying precise, thin film coatings to protect, strengthen or smooth surfaces on parts and components for the microelectronics/electronics, alternative energy, medical and industrial markets, including specialized glass applications in construction and automotive.

Our coating solutions are environmentally-friendly, efficient and highly reliable, and enable dramatic reductions in overspray, savings in raw material, water and energy usage and provide improved process repeatability, transfer efficiency, high uniformity and reduced emissions.

Chinese Website: Cheersonic Provides Professional Coating Solutions