Spaleck-Stevens InnoTech Gmbh & Co. KG was founded in 2009 by Hans-Gerd Stevens, the CTO at former Meier Vakuumtechnik. Well equipped with a wealth of design know-how, experience and new ideas, the company has developed truly innovative laminators with features not available from any other laminator manufacturer.

SpaleckStevens laminators are available for a broad range of applications in the PV and the glass industry as well as for lightweight industrial composits. The "incapcell" (=innovative encapsulation of cells) series of laminators is designed for regular flat laminates, and the "incapscell-s" series of laminators is available for 3D laminates.

Patent pending lamination configurations like the "inverse" or "3-in-1" processes are only available from SpaleckStevens. When applicable, the inverse technology can lead to shorter process times, and can enable the lamination of fast melting encapsulants in mass production. The 3-in-1 process technology also allows the lamination or forming of 3D laminates without tooling.

SpaleckStevens not only develops standard and custom PV lamination equipment but also provides process support, development and optimization.

Caerus Systems is available to discuss how Spaleck-Stevens is prepared to meet your lamination specifications and please check this link frequently as we are adding detailed information on a regular basis. 
 
 

Spaleck-Stevens Laminators are available in three configurations called Standard, Inverse, and 3-in-1. The configurations are designed to minimize proess cycle time by taking advantage of the characteristics of the module and the upstream fabrication process. The laminator can be equipped with a bottom heating plate, a top heating plate, or both. Additionally, the diaphragm can be below or above the module. And if needed, the machine can be equipped with two diaphragms, one below and one above the laminate.
 
Spaleck-Stevens laminators are designed to be upgradable. Each configuration can be reconfigured to any of the other two configurations at a later point in time. The following table summarizes the available laminator configurations.

 
Standard – Almost all laminators are equipped with a bottom heating platen and a diaphragm that presses onto the laminates from above. A module is typically laminated “sunny side down”, i.e. with the front glass lying on the heating platen. This configuration requires a pin lift in mass production to avoid premature melting of the EVA during the evacuation period. Another problem with the standard configuration is that if the front glass is thick, the lamination cycle time increases.

Inverse – Laminators in inverse configuration have two heating platens. The bottom one is set to a low but elevated temperature and pre-heats the laminate. The top heater is the main heating platen used for the lamination process. There is no top diaphragm. Instead the diaphragm is now below the laminate stretched across the lower heating platen. When lamination takes place the laminate is pushed up and pressed against the top heater. This process can reduce lamination cycle times significantly.

3-in-1 – This configuration is identical to the Inverse configuration except that a top diaphragm is added. The laminator can run modules in a standard process, in an inverse process and can also cool down the laminate by pressing it against the cooler bottom platen after lamination is completed.
  

Naming Convention 

SpaleckStevens laminators are named by the size of the effective lamination area. An Incapcell 40-20 laminator for instance has a lamination area of 4,000 mm x 2,000 mm within which the process specifications are guaranteed. The actual heating platen is slightly larger. All dimensions can be found in the table below.

Laminator Specifications

Detailed laminator specifications are listed in the following table. Single opening and multiple opening laminator models are listed in separate columns. All available standard models are listed in this table. Other customer specific sizes are available on request.