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INJECTION MOLDING FOR SOLAR CONCENTRATORS Rien de Schipper How can plastics injection molding help driving down the cost of Photovoltaic Concentrators? • Fresnellenses: 10 € per m2 • Secondary optics: 7.5 € per m2 • Features for easy assembly CD molding • All possible technologies tried (’80 -’85) • Several on industrial scale • Since 1985 injection molding and many millions spent on process development • Major result: cycletime down from 15 to 3.5 seconds • Produced: Billions per year CD/DVD • >>10 km2 / year • 1,5 kg/m2 • 3 € / m2 PMMA • X 3,3 = 10 €/m2 Contents • Is this serious? • Injection molding • Other Technologies and Materials • Tooling for Injection Molding • Cost Model of Injection molding • Some applications of the cost model • Discussion Injection Molding Basics • Direct Shaping Cycle 1. Mould closing 2. Injection unit forward 3. Injection/mould filling
