No. 1. Silicon ingot and bandsaw substrate
This series introduce how steel belts are used in solar power generation and photovoltaic generation.
Let us begin with mono- and multi- crystalline cells and modules, the most popular generation method in this field.
Solar cells are made from silicon. Silicon ingot is made in a kiln and then cut into some segments in a cutting machine. This cutting is done by diamond-electrode bandsaw and its substrate is a steel belt. Bandsaw of circumference 3230mm is driven very fast, about 21 meters per second, and makes 6 to 7 rotations per second. Steel belts are such tensile to withstand countless number of rapid rotations.
After this process each segment is further cut down into wafer.
