Cell-to-laminate lines
A solar module production line that starts where the tested cell arrives: laser scribing, tabber-stringing, robotic layup, bussing, EL and IV test and frame marking, with lamination left to the laminator already on your floor.
Six machine models carry full technical agreements. Each ships against one blueprint you define: your cell format, busbar count, string length and floor.
ScribingStringingLayupBussingEL and IV testFrame marking
What the line covers
Three machine families plus the stations that close the loop between them. Together they form the 1 GW BC crystalline-silicon module line blueprint.
1 GW BC line
Who buys what
A full line, a BC upgrade inside a running TOPCon or PERC line, or one drop-in station. The documents you bring decide which reply comes back.
Every option is accepted against the same document: the parameter table of the technical agreement for the machines you order.
The project manager and equipment engineer bring a building drawing, a cell specification and an output target.
A BC order has landed and the installed stringer cannot make it. The floor stays; the stringer changes.
One station is the bottleneck or has aged out. The replacement drops into the existing conveying sequence.
Six hand-offs
Each stage is defined by what it receives and what it passes on. Where a stage's output is not held to a figure, the next stage inherits the error.
Positions, inspects, grooves and cleaves full cells; rejects leave at the machine.
Passes onHalf or one-third cellsPositions each cell, lays flux-dipped ribbon, welds under infrared heat.
Passes onStrings held to length, pitch, straightnessPicks strings under CCD guidance and sets spacing on the glass.
Passes onPanel positioned within 0.5 mmJoins string ends into the module circuit.
Passes onComplete electrical layoutMeasures the laid-up panel before and after lamination.
Passes onPanel plus a measurement resultApplies, after lamination, the identification tied to the batch.
Passes onTraceable finished module
SML-C72
Stage one
No mechanical breaking. A 60 W laser opens the groove and a 300 to 500 W laser drives the cleave, at up to 500 mm/s, with positioning within 0.05 mm and angular deviation within 0.04 degrees.
Breakage at or below 0.05 percent on A-grade cells, written into the parameter table with uptime at or above 95 percent. A thermal cut leaves no micro-cracks at the edge and almost no dust, so no fire precaution is designed around cutting.
Mechanical breaking scores and snaps; the snap is where micro-cracks start and where half cells lose the strength they need at layup. A groove opened by the 60 W source and a cleave driven by the 300 to 500 W source separate the cell along the groove with no bending force at all. The half cell that leaves the SML-C72 has the edge quality of the full cell that entered it, and it reaches the stringer dry, cooled with deionised water and passed through a heated drying section.
20000 h
Both lasers on the SML-C72 carry a 20000 hour warranty.
The 60 W grooving source and the 300 to 500 W cleaving source alike.
Stage two
Three stringers cover three jobs. All three hold angular deviation within 0.04 degrees and uptime at or above 95 percent, defined as one minus unplanned downtime over 24 hours.
BC cells 166 to 210 mm as half or one-third cells, 3BB-20BB with 25BB expandable, 110 to 200 μm. The only one of the three with negative cell pitch.
PERC and TOPCon half cells over the same size and thickness band. Round ribbon of 0.29 mm is flattened in-machine to 0.12 to 0.15 mm thick over 4.8 to 6 mm.
TOPCon and PERC cells 166 to 210 mm at 120 to 200 μm. Twelve ribbon feeding motor sets expandable to 20 busbars; sponge flux dip fed from a 10 litre tank with a low-level alarm.
| Figure | SML-S60 | SML-S40 | SML-S15 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cell route | BC | TOPCon, PERC | TOPCon, PERC |
| Magazines | 200 small cells | Five: one working, two waiting, two empty, 300 each | Sponge flux dip, 10 L tank |
| Combined positioning | 0.05 mm | 0.1 mm | 0.1 mm |
| Cell pitch | Minus 1 to minus 0.5 mm, plus 1 to 5 mm | Plus 1 to 5 mm only | Plus 1 to 5 mm only |
| Breakage, A-grade | 0.25% at 120 μm and above | 0.25% at 110 μm and above | 0.25% at 120 μm and above |
Swipe the table sideways
Why a dedicated machine
Back-contact cells carry both polarities on the rear face, so the string is built with cells overlapping at the edge instead of standing apart. A stringer that can only open a gap cannot build that string, whatever tooling it is given.
Negative pitch is what makes the SML-S60 a BC machine rather than a re-tooled one. It sets cell pitch from minus 1 mm to minus 0.5 mm as well as plus 1 to 5 mm, holding pitch accuracy within 0.3 mm. The SML-S40 and SML-S15 offer positive pitch only.
SML-S60 · infrared welding
Infrared welding, blue film face down, tooling pressing flux-dipped ribbon onto the pad. Every figure below is an acceptance line in the parameter table.
What fits
Across the range cell size runs 156 to 220 mm and busbar count 3BB-20BB with 25BB expandable. No single machine covers the whole envelope, and the machine you buy is accepted against its own figures, not the range.
SML-C20 · 226 by 226 mm table
24-hour reply
Five inputs are enough for a machine selection and a layout proposal to come back within 24 hours, from an application engineer rather than a sales script.
Stage three
The SML-A6 is the robotic layup station, handling modules 1650 to 2500 mm long and 990 to 1450 mm wide at 6 seconds or better per string.
SML-A6
Stages four to six
The range continues with the machines below, shown by name and appearance. The parameter table for each follows with the technical agreement for the model you select.
Names and appearance only on this page. Parameters for these models arrive with the technical agreement, not before.
Joins string ends into the module circuit after layup.
Scribing and stringing in one machine body.
Three stages in one footprint.
Layup and welding joined in one station.
Lossless scriber variant alongside the SML-C20B.
High-speed scribing for silicon cells.
Marks the frame in the line after lamination.
Marks outside the line where the layout needs it.
Middle of the three power levels.
Test bay sized for building-integrated formats.
Electroluminescence imaging at module level.
First of three power levels, with the SML-T500 and SML-T1000.
Detection at the stringer
Catch it at the string
Cell-level defect detection is built into the stringer. The acceptance threshold for each defect is defined at the host computer, so the judgement matches the cell grade you actually buy.
A virtual solder joint found after layup means opening a laid-up panel and pulling a string back out.
The same joint costs one string, removed before the ribbon reaches the next cell.
Build basis
Every machine is manufactured and accepted against one blueprint specification you supply. Inside the compatibility envelope other products can be run, but changing busbar count or cell size needs the matching tooling, quoted separately.
What the building must deliver
Three-phase 380 V at 50 Hz on a five-wire supply across most of the range. The SML-C20 runs on 220 V single phase at 3 kVA and the SML-A6 on single-phase three-wire.
Floor load 600 kg/m² or more on a level, vibration-free floor. Ambient 5 to 40 °C at 5 to 70 percent humidity without condensation. Exhaust drawn from the top of the machine in PVC duct.
| Machine | Power, avg / peak | Air 0.6 to 0.8 MPa | Exhaust | Installation space, mm | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SML-S60 | 30 kW / 45 kW per side | 1200 L/min, two 16 mm hoses | 600 m³/h | 9000 x 3500 x 2800 | 7000 kg |
| SML-S40 | 40 kW / 60 kW | 1200 L/min, two 16 mm hoses | 600 m³/h | 8000 x 1800 x 2650 | 4500 kg |
| SML-S15 | 15 kW / 20 kW | 600 L/min, one hose | 300 m³/h | 7000 x 2000 x 2500 | 3000 kg |
| SML-C72 | 15 kW per side, 40 A | Per technical agreement | Per technical agreement | 4000 x 2700 x 2700 body | 5000 kg |
| SML-C20 | 3 kVA, 220 V | 0.5 to 0.8 MPa, 12 mm inlet | Per technical agreement | 1000 x 650 x 1500 body | 400 kg |
Swipe the table sideways
The SML-S60 and SML-S40 need their 1200 L/min through two 16 mm hoses at the same time, not one. That detail decides the air drop before the machine arrives.
Before ordering one station
The SML-A6 docks to the stringer at 1230 mm and takes and returns glass at 950 mm plus or minus 50 mm. The SML-S60 string outlet couples directly to a layup machine or runs standalone; if it is to be coupled, the outlet is built to that machine's height and dimensions.
String length runs 540 to 1400 mm and string spacing into layup is settable from 1 to 10 mm. Send four numbers and the answer comes back as a yes or a no.
On your floor
Installation and commissioning are carried out by our own engineers. The procedure is the same wherever the plant is; overseas, travel and parts freight for installation, commissioning and later site visits are on the buyer's account.
Before acceptance
Training is free and takes place before acceptance, at least once and at most twice, scheduled so the operators who sign off acceptance are the ones trained on it. The split below is fixed in the technical agreement: principle first, then operation, then the process parameters that decide breakage and pull strength, then system parameters and maintenance.
After acceptance
Warranty is one year free of charge, followed by lifetime maintenance service. After a written notice reaches us, the clock below starts.
Damage from misuse, from operation outside the specified conditions and from force majeure, and any claim after the warranty period, where lifetime maintenance service applies instead.
One blueprint
Each machine ships and is accepted against the single cell and string specification you sign.
Two comparisons
Two comparisons decide most solar module production line selections: how the cell is cut, and whether the BC stringer was built for BC or re-tooled for it.
| Scribing | Mechanical cleaving | Laser groove + thermal cleave |
|---|---|---|
| How it separates | Breaks the cell along a scored line | Separates without mechanical force |
| Cut edge | Edge damage and micro-cracks | No micro-cracks, minimal surface damage |
| When it shows | Often not until module EL | Read at the scriber, both ends |
| Breakage, SML-C72 | — | 0.05 percent or lower |
The figure to compare across scribers is not headline throughput but breakage and the thickness at which it is guaranteed.
| Stringer for BC | General stringer re-tooled | Dedicated BC stringer |
|---|---|---|
| Cell pitch | Positive only | Minus 1 to minus 0.5 mm, and positive |
| Busbar count change | Through tooling | Through tooling, 20 to 25 sets switched at the host |
| Pitch it was not built for | Cannot produce it | Built for it |
| The line to ask about | A parameter table listing positive pitch only | SML-S60 |
Where a supplier offers BC on a machine whose parameter table lists positive pitch only, that is the line to ask about.
From enquiry to signature
Five steps, each with a named owner and a document that closes it.
Cell drawing, busbar count, cell thickness, target string length, output target and, for a single station, the docking heights. Machine selection and layout proposal within 24 hours.
OwnerOur application engineerThe parameter table for the machines selected: throughput, breakage, uptime, positioning, pull strength and every other acceptance figure. You review it against your own quality standard and sign the cell drawing.
OwnerYour process lead, our engineeringWithin 5 to 10 working days of contract signature, the production cell and string type information the machines are built against, plus the tooling list for further formats.
OwnerYour production planningOur engineers install and commission on your floor against the utility, floor load and footprint requirements confirmed earlier.
OwnerOur field engineersTraining runs first, then acceptance against the parameter table with your material and your operators, closed by signature on that table.
OwnerYour operators, our engineersStart a project
Send email, phone, country and requirements, and a reply comes back within 24 hours. Drawings can follow by email; the first reply already names machines and a layout direction.
More on what to send is on the contact page.
Your enquiry, ready to send
If your email client opened, it is already in the message. If nothing opened, use one of the routes below.