HANGZHOU FIRST lists 4 non-EVA products, 2 existing POE films and 2 newly added coextruded models
All 4 films are clear and embossed, offer more than 10 MPa tensile strength, 500% elongation, and support lamination between 140 and 160°C
Coextruded films have a higher gel content of 75%; UV cut-off is absent in EP304 and TF4, while present at 360 nm in EP308 and TF8
HANGZHOU FIRST, a leading supplier of EVA encapsulants, has expanded its non-EVA portfolio in the TaiyangNews Market Survey by adding 2 new products – EP304 and EP308 – bringing its total to 4. The new coextruded EVA-POE-EVA films, introduced in 2019, appear in the survey for the first time alongside the previously listed POE films TF4 and TF8.
As to the similarities, all 4 products are supplied in a standard 450 µm thickness, rated with a tensile strength of > 10 MPa and 500% elongation.
All the clear films from HANGZHOU FIRST come with an embossed surface finish. Adhesion strengths to glass and backsheets are 60 N/cm and 40 N/cm, respectively, and the processing temperature range of 140 to 160 °C is the same for all 4 models. All 4 have a volume resistivity of 1 × 1015 Ω cm. As to the differences, the coextruded films are shipped with a standard width of 1,118 mm, and the polyolefin films with 980 mm. However, both are offered in widths ranging from 200 to 2,200 mm. The density of these 2 product groups is also different – 0.9 to 0.94 g/cm³ and 0.87 g/cm³, respectively – and so is the gel content at 75% and 60%, following the same order (see Broad Range Of Encapsulants From HANGZHOU FIRST).
The company recommends a press time of 12 to 20 minutes for all 4 products; however, the vacuum time window is slightly wider for coextruded films at 4 to 7 minutes compared to the pure polyolefins at 4 to 6 minutes. As to the differences between individual models from each set, HANGZHOU FIRST follows the same differentiation logic as in the EVA listing, i.e., with and without a UV cut-off. EP304 and TF4 have absolutely no UV cut-off, while the EP308 and TF8 have a cut-off at 360 nm.
At the TaiyangNews High-Efficiency Solar Technologies 2024 Conference, Bo Jin, Overseas Sales Manager at HANGZHOU FIRST, presented the company’s specialized encapsulation solutions for back contact (BC) solar modules. He discussed tailored front- and rear-side combinations for HPBC, TBC, and HBC cell technologies, highlighting POE/EPE-based thin films with anti-PID properties, co-extruded EPE options like EP304, and new innovations such as high-reflective black films, insulating inks, and PI cover strips (see Hangzhou First: Comprehensive Encapsulation Solutions For BC Modules)
The text is an excerpt from the latest TaiyangNews Market Survey on Backsheets & Encapsulation Materials 2024/25, which can be downloaded for free here.