Astronergy announces upgrades to German production line

Astronergy, a German based crystalline silicon module manufacturer and subsidiary of China’s Chint Group, has announced a series of upgrades to its production lines in Frankfurt (Oder), allowing it to increase production from 700 to 1,000 modules per day.

The improvements to what Astronergy is calling the K-line, were implemented by the company’s own engineers, and include reinforced components and improved self diagnostics, aimed at reducing downtime required for maintenance.

“The whole team is extremely proud, especially as they planned, built and started up the line themselves,” says Astronergy engineering director, Andreas Lindner.

“We did slightly underestimate the amount of work required to bring the line into operation, but we used the time to deploy better equipment with greater uptime and even better accuracy, e.g. when applying the strings. Since the line was developed using the company’s own know-how, any problems which arise can be resolved directly with minimal delays.”

The line was completed in December, and after successful test runs is now ready for full commercial operation. Astronergy says that it was able to complete the upgrades for less than the expected budget, and will now begin work on upgrading the second line at its fab.