"The manufacture of solar modules has developed into a lucrative market segment for our company, alongside the electronics industry and the metalworking industries. For this reason, we have been offering fluxes specially produced for the solar industry for years, as we believe that the individual fluxes must be precisely tailored to the industries and areas of application. Fluxes that have been on the market for 20 or 30 years no longer meet the modern production and process requirements in the manufacture of solar modules," explains Markus Geßner, Marketing and Sales Manager at Emil Otto GmbH.
The individual processes are not comparable with those in the electronics industry. Although flux is applied by spraying and dipping, the production systems used in solar cell production sometimes have different configurations and specifications. For example, the heating systems for preheating, which are not comparable to those in the electronics industry, do not allow the use of purely water-based fluxes. "As far as I know, we are the only manufacturer to offer fluxes with an extremely high water content for the production of solar modules. In some cases, we have been able to significantly reduce the alcohol content in individual products. These are hybrid fluxes with an alcohol content of 75 % to 15 %. The latter do not fall under the category of dangerous goods, which is probably unique," explains Geßner. Hybrid fluxes include the recently introduced fluxes EO-S-011, -012, -015 and -017, some of which have a low alcohol content of only 15 %, with drying properties comparable to purely alcohol-based fluxes.
13 of the 17 fluxes are formulated on an alcohol basis and can be offered by Emil Otto as concentrates. These are packaged in reduced volumes and shipped worldwide. As they also do not have to be declared as hazardous goods, transportation costs are reduced. The customer can produce the flux fresh on site. The concentrates generally have a shelf life of 24 months. The ready-mixed fluxes can be used for at least 12 months and in some cases even 24 months. Emil Otto also offers the efficient and gentle cleaning agents
Emil Otto will be presenting its entire product portfolio for the solar industry to trade visitors at Intersolar Europe at the Munich Exhibition Center from June 14-16, 2023.