Solar cell stringing machine

US6841728B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• GT Equipment Technologies, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Bernard Jones · Amherst, US
• Eric de Rivera · Boylston, US
• Alleppey V. Hariharan · Nashua, US
• Steven T. Slavsky · Natick, US
• Thomas S. McGee · Stratham, US
• David W. Lackey · Concord, US
• Thomas N. Kirchner · Londonderry, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 18, 2002
• Grant date: Jan 11, 2005
• Expiry date: Aug 16, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T29/53135

Abstract

A machine for the automated assembly of wafers such as solar cells into strings, comprising a control system, a cell loader with wafer inspection station, a cell tab loader, a string assembly station, and a platen with adjacent pairs of individual cell, opposing edge grippers having multiple sets of vertically operable pincer action fingers for holding cells in string alignment during soldering. The string assembly station has a cooperating cell support and tab tail support mechanism providing for a tab tail hand off from one to the other with a platen indexing movements of cell pitch distance. The platen moves from the string assembly station through a soldering station consisting of a preheat, soldering, and cooling zones spaced a cell pitch distance apart. A string unloader moves completed strings through a string inspection station placing strings in a good or bad string holding area.