Solar Case Study
BACKGROUND
H-O Products has long been a leader in innovation, new product and process development. The company recently utilized its engineering experience and technical expertise to successfully develop and deliver a high-strength, double-coated high density XLPE foam tape to secure solar panels to aluminum frames for one of the world’s largest manufacturers of solar panels.
The solar client produces an average of 15 million panels a year across four plants located around the globe. H-O Products developed the first prototype within eight weeks. After product modifications and several rounds of testing, H-O Products delivered a finished product that met all of the client’s specifications for resistivity, adhesion, and compression. Full-scale production of the tape began one year from the inception of the project – a very aggressive production timeline that the client’s previous tape provider could not accomplish.
CHALLENGES
- Project specifications required a very high density, high dielectric, high adhesion tape to mount solar panels to aluminum frames. The volume resistivity of the tape had to exceed 4.8e + 120 ohms*cm.
- The tape had to be processed effectively and efficiently with the existing high speed automatic application equipment at the client’s production facilities.
- Annual production requirements of this tape would be in excess of 20 million LF per year, once adopted.
SOLUTIONS
H-O Products collaborated with the client’s R&D Department, Quality Manager, and Supply Chain Manager while evaluating and testing different substrates and adhesives combinations for the tape. H-O Products secured qualified industry partners who were able to produce the double-coated high density XLPE foam in large volumes to meet the stringent product and quality specifications.
H-O Products produced a preliminary prototype using XLPE foam with acrylic adhesive within eight weeks.
The final product construction prototype was produced four months later using a high density XLPE foam and an LSE acrylic adhesive combination. A PET film was also added to the tape construction. This prototype met 95% of the resistivity requirements after testing.
One month later process refinements were made which enabled the product to pass all resistivity requirements. Shortly after, a trial run of 30,000 LF was successfully run on the client’s fully-automated production line. The tape was cut into 1-inch long strips, then applied automatically in multiple locations on the frames using the client’s CNC/robotic technology.
The client performed a quality audit at H-O Products after the first article samples were approved and the successful production trial. The first production run was shipped a month later and full-scale production to all 3 plants worldwide commenced one year from project inception.
H-O Products provided logistics support, helping coordinate international shipments, expediting materials, coating and slitting as required to meet a very aggressive production plan. Through every step of the process, from the initial contact until the final product was audited and certified, the H-O Products team stayed in constant contact with the client’s key personnel, keeping them informed of all new developments, obtaining direction, and securing necessary approvals.
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