EuroWire July 2016

News Technology

Technology in a beautiful form at Sikora

technology with people, in order to offer the viewer a functional and emotional access. Presented are Sikora products in a manufacturing environment. Furthermore, each image shows a Sikora employee, who is responsible for the development, assembly or service of the corresponding device. We are demonstrating therefore, that our products are backed by a strong team,” added Mrs Giersch. The unique image style, which was specially created for this campaign, underlines the innovative orientation of the technology company. Furthermore, the colour scheme changed: instead of a minimalist black design, Sikora puts the focus on clear blue and white shades, which support the expressive large image stages. The advertisements are completed by a communication area, on which all benefits of the displayed technology are clearly highlighted for the user. Sikora AG – Germany Website : www.sikora.net double-stand rolling mill that operates at line speed. The plasma tinning line operates without chemical cleaning and fluxing whilst rolling runs without cooling agents, which makes the whole production dry and environmentally friendly. Round wires can also be produced on the line, with mounting of appropriate wiping system for round wires.

For more than 40 years Sikora, one of Germany’s successful mid-size companies, has stood for quality, service and cost saving in the areas of measuring, control, inspection, analysis and sorting systems. During this time, special attention has been paid to innovation. This does not only apply for the future-orientated research and development work – also the external appearance is always one step ahead. An example of this innovative orientation is the new advertising campaign that uniquely presents Sikora devices in use. pictures are not sufficient any longer to stand out from the technically oriented environment,” said Katja Giersch, head of corporate communication. This has been the challenge of the new advertising campaign, which has been placed in hose and tube as well as plastics trade magazines worldwide since the beginning of 2016. “Nowadays, pure product Plasmait has introduced a new PV ribbon line design with an improved output, featuring a maximum speed of 210m/min. This allows the production of up to 250 tonnes of PV ribbon per annum in a typical production split between interconnect and bus bar ribbons. Interconnect ribbons are typically 0.8 to 2mm wide and 0.1 to 0.2mm thick. They are usually coated with about 20 micron thick layer of solder. Bus bar ribbons are larger and typically range from 5 to 6mm width. The new line can produce ribbons with yield strength down to 50MPa (Rp0.2%). These super-soft ribbons are spooled onto the integrated version of a single-head, precision take-up with accumulator. This allows copper ribbons on payoff spools to be continuously annealed, tinned and spooled onto 4kg-5kg spools, without process interruption. Some producers choose to equip the line with an automatic spool changeover unit that can be integrated with the take-up unit. Some producers also opt for an integrated line with an inline rolling mill to produce interconnect ribbons directly from round copper wire. “Therefore, we consciously combined the

▲ ▲ The Laser6000 series from Sikora

New high-speed PV ribbon line

Traditional tinning lines require acid cleaning, rinsing and fluxing prior to tinning. Plasmait’s line operates without flux, which avoids expensive contamination of a tin bath and thereby reduces the cost of tin waste. High output, approximately 95 per cent up-time and a high level of automation allow PV ribbon producers to reduce labour costs and reduce scrap rates whilst improving production consistency and product quality. Key benefits include: • High-speed production with up-times over 95 per cent • Production of super-soft PV ribbon • High quality finished product and low scrap rates • No solder waste due to flux contamination (flux-free production) • Automated and computer-controlled production • Limited manual involvement, ie low labour cost per ton of production • Low maintenance cost and low energy consumption Additional original manufacturer services: • Commissioning, startup and full operator training • Advanced operator and production manager training Plasmait GmbH – Austria Website : www.plasmait.com

The line’s total output can benefit from a

▲ ▲ The new PV ribbon line from Plasmait

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July 2016