Results of the “Smart Inspection Equipment with Real-time Feedback for Solar Panel Production Lines”
Traditionally, the inspection of a large thin-film solar panel measuring 122cm x 62cm can only be completed with manual sampling methods and takes about 30 minutes. As Taiwan’s best-recognized innovator of customized opto-electric instruments, Taiwan Instrument Research Institute (TIRI, an affiliate of National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs)) has teamed up with Taiwan's leading machinery manufacturers HIWIN Technologies and research specialist Eterbright Solar – a company with experience in the development and manufacturing of CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) thin film solar cells. Their expertise will be applied to opto-electro-mechanical integration technology, customizing the development and construction of Taiwan’s first inline full inspection equipment: the "Smart Inspection Equipment with Real-time Feedback for Solar Panel Production Lines”. With this technology, a solar panel inspection can be completed in just one minute. Such an advancement both makes inspection time 30 times faster and allows for inspection results to be analyzed in real time, meaning that adjustments can be made to the manufacturing process accordingly. This represents significant improvements to the overall efficiency and quality of inspection.
Taiwan’s first online inspection equipment for solar panel production An inspection 30 times more effective than traditional methods
In order to establish a full set of online inspection equipment for production lines, TIRI has custom built the “linear arrayed optical device," "high throughput computing and storage device" and "measurement and inspection processor" to integrate with HIWIN’s technology developed using transmission and control techniques: the "precise positioning platform" and "loading and unloading robot." TIRI has also built its first full online inspection structure: the "Smart inspection equipment with real-time feedback for solar panel production lines." This equipment, featuring an arrayed optical device, high throughput computing and storage device, precise positioning platform, and loading and unloading robot, can perform quick scans, image acquisition and data storage for large thin-film solar panels measuring 122 cm x 62 cm. It is also capable of completing panel inspections and quality identification within 60 seconds using the measurement and inspection processor. With this technology, efficiency is improved by more than 30 times while the performance requirements of inline real-time inspection are fully met.
In addition to improving inspection efficiency, the change from manual sampling to automatic full inspection can substantially increase the number of inspected panels and drastically shorten inspection times. Inspection results can be connected automatically to the computer database to determine possible problems in the process in real time and follow this up by making adjustments to improve production efficiency and manufacturing quality. This inspection equipment has been successfully integrated into Eterbright Solar’s CIGS thin-film solar panel manufacturing line, and the stability and accuracy of the equipment have passed production line certification. This equipment was designed with an Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) system structure which can build smart factory production lines, conduct detection and provide feedback at different stages of the process. This optimizes manufacturing and equipment use, improving solar panel power generation efficiency and manufacturing quality.
An alliance of Taiwan’s scientific elite Cross-discipline integration sparking new opportunities
NARLabs president, Dr. Wang Yeong-Her has confirmed that this inspection equipment has passed the HIWIN Group’s rigorous one-year verification process. Wang expects this innovative result to drive the development of the domestic green energy industry and add value to Taiwan’s green energy industry equipment supply chain, pushing Taiwan to transform into an important base for green energy in Asia. TIRI director Dr. Yang Yao-Joe added that TIRI has been accumulating optoelectronics integration capabilities for a number of years and is capable of customizing instrument solutions to customer’s specifications. With its diverse strategic and technical support alliances, TIRI assists its partners in tailoring testing equipment and master key independent technologies as well as reducing equipment costs. The technology and capabilities brought about by developing the "Smart Inspection Equipment with Real-time Feedback for Solar Panel Production Lines" can also be applied to similar production lines or product inspections in the future, such as glass substrates, flat panel displays, Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Displays (TFT-LCD), printed circuit boards, semiconductor wafers, and even textile leather. This cutting-edge technology is a boost to Taiwan’s electronics industry as well as traditional industries around the globe.
