KROENERT supplies production line for organic photovoltaics to Brazil

 

The Hamburg-based KROENERT GmbH & Co. KG, a leading manufacturer of coating and laminating lines for web materials, is about to finish the construction of the biggest production line for printed electronics and organic photovoltaics (OPV) in the Americas. The system will be supplied to CSEM Brasil, a subsidiary of the Neuchatel, Switzerland-based CSEM SA. With the commissioning of KROENERT’s LabCo, the company wants to strengthen its position as one of the leading organic and printed electronics suppliers.

The line will be ready for production in June 2014 at the CSEM plant in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and will be used for manufacturing organic photovoltaic components. Contrary to conventional solar cells made from silicon, organic solar cells, which consist of polymers and plastics, are light, flexible and transparent. They generate clean energy and can be mounted on transparent structures, facades and windows. The energy gained with organic photovoltaic modules can be used to run mobile phones, computers and car electronics. Moreover, OPVs are especially suited for off-grid applications such as lighting, ventilation and water purification.

The LabCo to be commissioned at CSEM Brasil offers a working width of up to 500mm and boasts five coating stations overall. “We are proud to have been selected by CSEM Brasil to supply a roll-to-roll system with features that are truly new to the industry,” comments Dr Tarik Vardag, general manager at KROENERT. “We had the technical competence to rise to the challenge and will now complete in June the largest printed electronics line that we have ever built.”