Production of Photovoltaic Systems

Due to their special anti-reflection coating, solar wafers are difficult for photoelectric sensors to detect. The ML100 series diffuse mode sensors offer maximum precision for this demanding task: unlike conventional sensors, they work with BlueBeam technology instead of a red LED. For wafer presence detection in the smallest space, the miniature photoelectric sensors of the R3F series with a particularly small dead band are the optimal solution.

In the production of PV cells, it must be ensured that the wafers are processed individually. The IO-Link ultrasonic sensors of the UDC series are ideally suited for double sheet monitoring: They detect the individual solar wafers with maximum reliability, without being affected by their color or glossy surface.

Ultrasonic sensor technology from Pepperl+Fuchs is also used to detect the presence of PV wafers, PV cells and PV modules. The UC-F77 ultrasonic sensor is characterized by its compact design and its particularly small dead band, which enables the detection of objects at short distances. Furthermore, the sensor easily detects colored, shiny and transparent objects.

In order to reliably identify PV modules during production, testing and sorting, Pepperl+Fuchs offers a wide range of solutions for optical identification. For example, the code readers of the VOS-Ident series are ideally suited for this task: they read all common 1-D and 2-D codes with high reliability—whether at standstill or at high speed.

RFID solutions from Pepperl+Fuchs ensure the traceability of PV modules or of containers on conveyor belts throughout the entire manufacturing process. The IUT-F190-B40 RFID read/write head can be integrated quickly and easily into IT and OT systems via its Industrial Ethernet interface and REST API.

As pioneer and inventor of the inductive proximity sensor, Pepperl+Fuchs offers a broad portfolio of inductive sensors in various designs. In the production of photovoltaic systems, proximity sensors detect the position of workpiece holders and other machine elements during automated assembly.

Throughout the manufacturing process, incremental rotary encoders are used for speed and position feedback, for example on conveyor belts or when mounting PV modules. The ENI58IL incremental rotary encoder from Pepperl+Fuchs offers particularly high precision and tolerance to interference.