The solar industry has witnessed a remarkable transformation, largely driven by advancements in automation technology. From silicon ingot formation to wafer slicing and cell assembly, nearly every stage of solar panel manufacturing relies heavily on automation to achieve the precision, efficiency, and scale required for sustainable energy production.
While automation has significantly streamlined the manufacturing process, there were still areas where human intervention was necessary. Tasks involving delicate handling, such as silicon wafer inspection and installation of large solar arrays, were traditionally performed manually. However, recent breakthroughs in robotics and automation have opened up new possibilities for further efficiency gains.
Advanced Robotics for Precision Handling
Modern robots are now equipped with advanced features such as six-axis articulation, pressure-sensitive grips, and artificial vision systems. These can handle fragile silicon wafers with exceptional care. The robotic operators can perform tasks with greater speed and accuracy than humans, reducing the risk of damage and increasing overall production efficiency.
Automated Quality Control with Vision Systems
Ensuring the quality of solar panels is paramount due to the delicate nature of silicon wafers. Traditionally, visual inspections were conducted manually, which is a time-consuming and error-prone process. Advanced vision systems can now automate these inspections, enabling manufacturers to test more frequently, reduce costs, and improve accuracy.
Mobile Robotics for Outdoor Operations
The installation and maintenance of large-scale solar arrays often involve significant manual labor. Mobile robots can now assist in these tasks, from unloading cargo to performing routine maintenance. This not only speeds up the process but it also creates a safer working environment for human crews and allows them to prioritize more valuable tasks.
Industry 4.0 for Smart Solar Fields
Industry 4.0 technologies are transforming solar fields into intelligent systems. By tracking energy efficiency and implementing automated cleaning schedules, companies can optimize the performance of their solar arrays and reduce water consumption. This adds greater value for their potential customers who are interested in solar technology.
Environmental and Economic Benefits
Automated solar manufacturing systems offer numerous benefits, including increased production efficiency, reduced waste, and lower costs. This makes solar energy a more attractive option for consumers who are looking to get more value out of solar energy before they invest in it. It also offers greater sustainability for people who prioritize the environmental impact solar systems can offer above all else.
Investment in R&D
By automating routine tasks, companies can free up resources to invest in research and development. This enables them to explore new technologies and improve the efficiency and sustainability of solar energy systems.
The world is transitioning towards a cleaner energy future. Solar manufacturing automation plays a crucial role in driving innovation, reducing costs, and ensuring a reliable supply of renewable energy. By embracing these technologies, the solar industry can continue to contribute to a more sustainable and prosperous world.
As the solar industry continues to evolve, automation offers a powerful tool for businesses seeking to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and contribute to a sustainable future. If you’re interested in exploring how automation can benefit your solar manufacturing operations, contact CONVERGIX Automation Solutions today. Our experts can provide tailored solutions to meet your specific needs and help you achieve your sustainability goals.
Automation is reshaping the future of work. Businesses should be optimistic, and prepared.
In the middle of the last century, the rise of computers and information technology spurred huge economic advances around the world. At the time, many feared that the disruption brought about by computers and their related technologies would lead to a massive displacement of workers—which it did. But this wasn’t a bad thing. As we now know, whole industries and careers exist today that did not exist even a few decades ago, and many of these jobs are the kind of high-skilled labor that pays well and promises long-term stability.
However, many of these same anxieties are now raised about manufacturing automation. These concerns are not unfounded, as automation is certainly reshaping the economy. However, just like the technologies that preceded it, manufacturing automation will lead to a rise in productivity and employment, not the elimination of it.
To understand the state of automation and manufacturing, let’s look at some statistics about factory automation, and the lessons we can draw from them.
The skills gap continues to be a challenge facing workforces, with 40% of workers requiring reskilling of six months or less, and 94% of business leaders expecting employees to learn new skills on the job.
Aging populations mean that automation is necessary to prevent worker shortages.
Industrial automation is reaching a key phase of the technology adoption life cycle.
The adaption of new technologies follows a predictable bell curve. First, there are the innovators, who invent and experiment with new technologies. Once they have found a technology that seems to work, they introduce it to others. Those who take the innovators up on this new technology are the early adaptors. They are the first to recognize the potential of a new way of doing things, and are willing to handle some amount of risk to take advantage of it.
As an idea gains steam and becomes mainstream, the number of adopters goes over the hump of the bell curve. The predicted growth of the industrial automation market over the next five years indicates that the market is currently in this burgeoning area of growth. Companies who fail to automate now will find themselves lagging behind the competition, out of step and struggling to make up ground.
Even with the increased adaption of automation technology, there’s still room for more integrated systems, even in companies that have automated. Early adopters can fall behind if they don’t keep looking for places to integrate new technologies. This indicates that the growing market for industrial automation is likely to continue expanding for years to come.
The major draw for automation is to keep up with increasing production requirements.
While many outside the industry habitually view automation as a way for factories to cut workers, most businesses are adopting automation in order to keep up with a growing demand for more product. The critical need is not to cut workers—who are often needed in high-level tasks to keep the business running—but to expand production capacity in areas where there are widespread worker shortages.
Increasing automation in manufacturing plants has an additional benefit of lowering the cost of goods, which strengthens the purchasing power of consumers across the economy more broadly. This is leading to new opportunities outside manufacturing, enabled by more affordable goods.
Industry automation is creating new opportunities for better jobs — and an increased need for training.
As robots take over high-precision, repetitive tasks from human workers, those workers will need new training to fill shortages in other areas of skilled work. Some of this training can be learned on the job, but other training needs must be met by the society more broadly, including through technical and trade schools, apprenticeship programs like the one we run here at Convergix, and increased awareness for the kinds of jobs that exist for skilled workers in manufacturing.
Overall, these jobs will pay better, promise more benefits, and be more stable for workers than the manufacturing jobs currently being replaced by automation. The faster we can build a workforce capable of handling them, the better we will be.
Automation will make economies more resilient and will lead to better work environments for employees.
Overall, automation is good for workers and economies. Factory automation helped businesses respond more rapidly during the Covid-19 pandemic, as it allowed businesses to keep running even when workers had to stay home. And while automation does displace some workers from traditional manufacturing jobs, it also creates new jobs that are more desirable, and better suited to the tasks that people are capable of doing.
The key takeaway for businesses should be that people are not robots, so we should stop expecting workers to function that way. Instead, manufacturers should be proactive in finding ways in which automation can free human employees from repetitive tasks, and look for areas where they can put their skills to use, where their creativity and good judgment will be properly valued.
As with any disruptive technology, automation brings with it opportunities for growth, as well as a need for businesses and individuals to adopt. Understanding the realities surrounding the adoption of automation is necessary for businesses to prepare themselves strategically for the future.
If you are looking for automated solutions to your manufacturing challenges, contact Convergix today.
CONVERGIX Automation Solutions is proud to have been showcased in a feature article in BOSS Magazine. It covers the history of the company and its business units, and a full scope of what we have to offer interested customers.
Here is a snippet of the profile:
“Launched in 2021 to meet the needs of the $500 billion-plus global automation solutions market, a powerful new player is poised to change the way companies automate processes and systems. In two years, CONVERGIX has established 25 locations in North America, Europe, and Asia, and has assembled a team of roughly 900 experts in automation and integration. They serve a variety of end markets, including food and beverage, life sciences, consumer products, emerging renewable energy solutions, automotive, defense, logistics, and traditional energy companies, to name a few.“
Take an in-depth look into our story and vision to be the world’s best-in-class diversified global industrial automation integration leader. Click here for the full feature article in November issue of Boss Magazine.
