[Solar] Liquid Lamination Alternative

During the manufacturing process for glass and thin film solar modules, encapsulation is traditionally carried out by means of foil lamination. A foil (in most cases EVA or PVB foil) is inserted between the substrate and the cover sheet and the bonding is thermally created in a laminator (one-step lamination) or by means of a pre-laminating furnace, followed by an autoclave (two-step lamination) Frequently, a butyl sealant is applied to the module edge as an additional barrier. These processes require expensive equipment for lamination and involve high energy consumption. German-based Grezenbach has developed an innovative encapsulation process involving liquid lamination, described in this article.