Key takeaways:
TaiyangNews’ first Solar Module Production Equipment Survey elaborates developments and configuration of tools influenced by shifts in cell and module technologies & design
A look at how changing module designs are reshaping production equipment, from interconnection to final testing
Trends such as back contact cells, zero-busbar designs, and multi-cut formats are placing new demands on tabber and stringer systems
At first look, a PV module – except for its dramatically increasing size – might appear as the same rectangular 'black box' it has been over the years. If you look closer, you will see the contrary - as module technology has gone through several generations of technology changes in the areas of interconnection, layout, and materials, with the most visible being the change from square to rectangular cells. Beyond the adoption first of half-cut and now increasingly to finer multi-cut cells, there is the shift from single- to multi- and zero-busbar designs, the transition from glass-backsheet to glass-glass constructions, and the move toward reduced-gap and no-gap layouts. Most of these technologies are interoperable, meaning they can all be implemented collectively. At the same time, PV is increasingly expanding into new applications and integration spaces that demand more tailored module configurations. Crucially, most of these module-level innovations are largely independent of the underlying cell technology. All this progress would have been achieved through equal innovations at the corresponding production equipment level.
Recognizing its importance, TaiyangNews has launched a market survey on module production equipment. However, the module production sequence combines processing steps with a series of automation steps. For this 1st TaiyangNews Market Survey on Module Production Equipment, 5 steps and the corresponding tools are considered – combined tabber and stringer (CTS), auto-layup, auto-bussing, laminator, and sun simulator. A total of 9 companies, including most market leaders, have responded, providing data for 51 products. In addition to providing an overview of key developments across these equipment streams, particularly addressing the technological needs of module design, the survey also provides detailed descriptions of the products in each stream. It also includes key specifications for each survey participant’s product within the respective equipment segment, listed in alphabetical order, and specification tables in Chapter 6 of the survey.
In terms of technology, interconnection is the most dynamic station of the module production lines. With back contact (BC) technology being a hot topic in the industry, optimizing stringers for interconnecting BC cells is a major trend. Today’s modern tools offer the option of accomplishing the interconnection of BC cells. Another technology of note in this station is zero-busbars (0BB). This means cells without busbars and interconnection wires are directly connected to the cell finger. The main motivation here is to reduce silver consumption at the cell level. The technology appears to be related to cell processing, where it is quite simple, but the crux of the process lies in interconnection. It requires significant design optimization at the CTS level. While processing half-cut cells is a standard, the industry is now moving to multi-cut cells. The approach reduces losses and improves power while also enabling a reduced busbar count. Leading CTS suppliers are offering tool platforms that can support all these advanced module technologies. In some cases, companies are also offering retrofit upgrades for existing tools (see: A Closer Look At AMS120CA CTS Platform By ConfirmWare).
Auto-layup and auto-bussing, though fundamentally automation steps, due to high sensitivity to changing module technologies, find a place in the survey among the key tools of module production. The key areas of focus here are the zero-gap layouts, modules developed for non-traditional applications, and complex interconnection circuits defined by the multi-cut matrix (see: Auto Layup In PV Module Assembly and Auto-Bussing Equipment For PV Module String Interconnection).
At the lamination station, the process itself is robust. Today’s tool platforms are available in single-stack and multi-stack configurations, the latter offering redundancy and higher throughput in a smaller footprint. Modules are laminated in single, double, and 3-stage processes to accomplish the key steps of the process – vacuum, heating, and cooling – integrated or separated, addressing the varied needs of module makers (see Bürkle’s Multi-Stage Lamination With Flat Press Chambers For Higher Throughput).
IV characterization, the basis for labeling the modules, is accomplished in sun simulators. The heart of these characterization tools is a light source. While xenon-based light sources were once the mainstream, LED-based light engines have emerged as a reliable and cost-effective alternative. The main advantage of LEDs is their longer lifetimes, an order of magnitude longer than their rivals. However, xenon-based characterization remains critical for calibration-level characterization (see: IV Characterization: Measuring Value At The End Of The Module Line).
The text is an edited Executive Summary from TaiyangNews’ Market Survey on Solar Module Production Equipment 2026, which can be downloaded for free here.