ISC Konstanz’s New Laboratory Gets Bürkle’s Laminator

Germany-based PV research institute ISC Konstanz has recently received a new laminator from Robert Bürkle GmbH, a German PV manufacturing tool maker. This PV production tool, which laminates the stacks of PV cells matrix, encapsulants, and front and rear glass, is installed in the lamination processing part of the new laboratory.  

It features a circulating oil-based double-sided heating and flat-press-based architecture across 4 identical vertical process chambers. In conventional GW-scale factories, multiple lamination stages, such as pre-heating, pressing, and cooling, are arranged sequentially, each running specific process steps. In comparison, this tool combines these steps in a single tool with 4 levels, providing flexibility in study and optimization of different lamination processes according to the chosen bill-of-materials (BOM). Its double-sided heat-press-based architecture avoids excessive pressing along the edges of glass-glass laminates compared to silicon membrane-based alternatives. It supports PV laminate dimensions of up to 1,600 × 2,400 mm (W × L), which matches the commercially available module sizes. In addition, it is engineered to produce special types of products, like semi-flexible curved or spherical-shaped vehicle-integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) modules, using dedicated negative molds. However, the press release didn’t provide much detail on the process steps or operating procedures for these types of products.  

Karl Wienands, project manager at ISC Konstanz, says this tool will open new opportunities by enabling exploration of new concepts. These are glass-glass modules with the latest features, a faster lamination process, and a curved module design.  

The company states that this laminator is funded as part of an equipment grant awarded by the Umweltministerium Baden-Württemberg in December 2024.