Ningbo Solar has purchased eight metallization lines from DEK Solar in a bid to extend its capacity to deliver high quality solar cells to the global marketplace. One of the world’s leading photovoltaic manufacturers, Ningbo Solar decided to implement the DEK PV1200 lines following an extensive evaluation period which yielded impressive results.

Ningbo Solar purchased its first PV1200 line in Q2 2008 for installation in Q3. In fact, led by DEK’s China Service Manager Speed Yan with the backing of the company’s global engineering team, installation was so efficient that DEK was able to hand over the line in the second week. Soon after the first line installation, Ningbo Solar placed an order for a further seven lines which were delivered later in the year.

Commenting on the company’s decision to partner with DEK Solar, Ningbo Solar President Zhou Jianhong explained: “Having looked at several options to support production expansion, our decision to purchase eight solar lines from DEK was based on a number of compelling factors. Importantly, DEK was able to offer us a complete metallization solution backed by lead times of weeks, rather than months, a major productivity driver that obviously appealed to our team. Plus, offering six-sigma process capability at a resolution of ±12.5 micron, the lines were fully equipped to achieve the advanced repeatability and accuracy we needed – essential to uphold the quality production for which we are recognised worldwide. Other factors such as the compact footprint of individual lines, along with DEK’s attitude to service and support confirmed to us that this was the right option to support our customer base.”

The PV1200 line from DEK is a full metallization solution for commercial solar cell production, combining the class-leading DEK PVP1200 screen printer with purpose-designed loader/unloader, buffering, inspection and wafer flipping solutions. Equipped to deliver optimal throughput in the production of high-quality and energy-efficient solar cells, the metallization line is also renowned for its ability to deliver superior print accuracy. Unprecedented precision is ideal for depositing features ranging from sub-100-micron current collectors to low-resistivity bus bars and delivers industry-leading capabilities for today’s complex photovoltaic challenges.