Key takeaways:
Autowell presented 2 CTS platforms with different priorities, one for higher throughput and the other targeting advanced interconnection processes such as HJT and 0BB
Both systems support a wide range of cell sizes, busbar configurations, and ribbon types, reflecting flexibility in cell interconnection
Integrated cell cutting, infrared soldering, and optional inline inspection highlight the increasing role of precision and automation in modern CTS equipment
The first production step in module manufacturing for a finished solar cell is tabbing and stringing, or a combined tabbing and stringing (CTS) process. The soldering of ribbon wires to the busbars of a cell is called tabbing. The subsequent interconnection of these tabbed cells – by soldering the front-side ribbon wires of one cell to the rear-side busbars of the adjacent cell to form a series electrical connection – is defined as stringing.
In the CTS process, the incoming materials are solar cells and ribbon wires, and the final output is a cell string, typically consisting of 9 to 13 interconnected cells. Over time, as the number of busbars per cell and the number of cells per string have increased significantly, CTS machines have evolved in terms of speed and processing accuracy. Today’s advanced high-speed CTS machines can process more than 10,000 full or half cells per hour, compared to about 5,000-6,000, 5 to 6 years ago.
A total of 5 CTS manufacturers participated in the TaiyangNews Solar Module Production Equipment 2026 market survey, with 9 different products.
Autowell, a well-known China-based module production equipment maker, listed 2 models – AM050FH and AM050K – but the company has not provided complete specifications for either. The differentiation among these tools, especially at the system configuration level, is unclear.
However, what is notable according to the available specifications is that while AM050K represents the company’s mainstream workhorse that supports high throughput, AM050FH is a technically advanced platform that supports sophisticated processes such as HJT interconnection and realizing 0BB. Among the duo, the former processes cells with a thickness range of 125 to 200 µm, whereas the latter processes slightly thinner cells of 120 to 180 µm. The company has specified the cell spacing only for the AM050K-US model, that too in 3 instances: 1.5 to 6 mm, characterized as conventional; 0.5 to 1.5 mm, narrow spacing; and -0.5 to -1 mm, negative spacing suitable for overlapping layout.
Both systems integrate cell cutting into their platforms with a cut accuracy of ±0.1 mm and use the infrared soldering technique. This pair of CTS tools supports cell sizes between 156 and 230 mm and can interconnect cells with 5BB to 20BB, with an upgrade option available to 24BB. They support round, flat, and any specially shaped ribbon. The ribbons are placed with an accuracy of ±0.2 mm.
The ribbons are applied with flux before soldering using the ribbon-soaking method, in which the ribbon is passed through a tank or bath containing soldering flux. The maximum string length for AM050FH is 1,300 mm, while the other model has a lower spec of 1,250 mm. The soldered strings are transported on a Teflon conveyor belt, with optional EL inspection available in both systems. AM050FH has an average throughput of 6,800 pcs/h, whereas the AM050K has about 10,800 pcs/h.
The machine dimensions for AM050FH are 10,800 × 3,500 × 2,650 mm and 10,750 × 2,500 × 2,650 mm for AM050K.
The text is an edited excerpt from TaiyangNews’ latest Market Survey on Solar Module Production Equipment 2026, which can be downloaded for free here.