Key takeaways:
The survey focuses on 5 core equipment categories – CTS, auto-layup, auto-bussing, laminators, and sun simulators – to concentrate on the most critical stages of module production
It includes data from 9 suppliers covering 51 tools, representing a mix of multi-platform providers and specialized single-tool manufacturers
The survey distinguishes between processing tools, automation systems, and characterization equipment, reflecting the increasingly integrated nature of modern module production lines
Module production involves processing tools, a wide range of automation tools, and inspection instruments. Every tool is important for smooth production operations, especially in GW-scale factories. Including everything would make the TaiyangNews Module Production Equipment Market Survey nothing short of a shop-floor manual and dilute the emphasis on the most important ones. Thus, we selected the key equipment used at the key processing stations. The choice is clear with processing tools, as there are only 2. The combined tabber and stringer (CTS) is used in the very first stations of module making – interconnection. The second is lamination, which wraps the cell matrix with several polymer layers and glass in laminators.
As for automation, we identified auto-layup and auto-bussing as the 2 stations closest to module technology, in that they are more amenable to optimization as module technologies evolve. Sun simulators, with their high level of sophistication and ability to recreate sunlight indoors for final module characterization, naturally earn a spot on our list. In the end, the scope of the survey is limited to 5 individual tool types – CTS, auto-layup, auto-bussing, laminators, and sun simulators.
In the current survey, we received responses from a total of 9 companies, including market leaders in the segment from China and the West. While some companies focus on offering individual processing tools, others provide multiple equipment platforms covering several stages of module production. A few suppliers go a step further by offering turnkey solutions that integrate their own equipment with third-party tools in areas where in-house expertise is limited. Jinchen and Mondragon offer the broadest range, comprising 4 different tools – CTS, auto-layup, auto-bussing, and laminators. This is followed by Autowell and ConfirmWare, which offer 3 different tools, excluding the laminator from the above group. The remaining are single tool suppliers: laminators from Robert Bürkle and CTS by XN Automation. None of these equipment suppliers offers simulators, and vice versa, as these characterizations require a different level of expertise altogether. The survey features sun simulators from 3 companies – a joint representation from Avalon-Pasan, halm elektronik, and MBJ Solutions. These 9 companies have provided data for 51 tools in total.
However, only 4 companies responded to requests for additional information beyond the survey table. As a result, insights related to market positioning and technology trends are limited to inputs from these companies. The chapter featuring detailed product descriptions, by contrast, covers all companies and tools listed in the survey.
The text is an edited excerpt from TaiyangNews’ latest Market Survey on Solar Module Production Equipment 2026, which can be downloaded for free here.
