Meier Solar Solutions GmbH - is the world leading manufacturer of vacuum laminators for the PV industry. Meier's products cover the range from laboratory machines to large fully automated systems used in module mass production. Whatever your needs are — the expansion or modernization of an existing fabrication line or if you are planning to build a brand new manufacturing facility, Meier has the lamination solution that works. With over 260 laminators installed in factories all over the world, Meier is leading the field for module encapsulation, whether it is crystalline or thin film technology.

Some highlights of Meier's power of innovation and customer support:

Multiple layer heating platen
High temperature uniformity with electrical heaters only, making the laminator safer, less expensive to operate and easier to use. No oil needed here.
Thermal sensors easy to replace
The thermal sensors can be replaced easily without disassembling the heating platen.
Pin lift with individually replaceable pins
If a pin gets accidentally bent, it can be replaced without disassembling the heating platen.
Quick clamping system
Diaphragms are held by a patended clamping system without any screws - replacing a diaphragm takes about 20 minutes with 2 people, plus the diaphragms do not need any mounting holes and are therefore less expensive. Many older laminators can be retrofitted with the quick clamping system.
Release sheet and transport system
PTFE coated fiber belts above and below the modules move synchronously while modules are unloaded. The risk of modules sticking to the release sheet is minimized. The belts are cleaned automatically with scrapers and brushes every time they move.
Reduce footprint by stacking vertically
The stack laminator is an example for a truly innovative new laminator design, which reduces the cost for lamination in high throughput lines considerably.
Technical Academy / process know-how
Would you like to test Meier's technology with your products? You want to find out whats right for you - EVA, PVB, TPO, TPSE? No problem! Test Meier's laminators individually with your materials or let Meier help you optimize your processes and process technology. All current and potential partners have access to Meier's Technical Academy in Bocholt / Germany. Meier's specialists will support you and will be pleased to provide training for your employees.

Literature for Download

Laminator Flyer Meier Company Brochure

ICOLAM Laboratory Series

The smallest laminators of the ICOLAM family are typically found in laboratories where they are used for R&D and process development work. They are small enough for being loaded manually and often only hold one module in a process run. The last model in this series, the ICOLAM 25/15 is already a full featured laminator with all options also found in the larger production machines. It is available also fully automated and in a manually loaded version.

ICOLAM 10/08

Loading: manual
Usable Lamination Area (mm): 900 x 700
Maximum Operating Temperature (°C): 180
Temperature Uniformity (°C): ±2
Minimum Operating Pressure (mbar): < 1
Max. Power Rating (kW): 12
Exterior Dimensions (mm): 1,690 x 1,430

ICOLAM 15/10

Loading: manual
Usable Lamination Area (mm): 1,400 x 900
Maximum Operating Temperature (°C): 180
Temperature Uniformity (°C): ±2
Minimum Operating Pressure (mbar): < 1
Max. Power Rating (kW): 24
Exterior Dimensions (mm): 2,280 x 1,680

ICOLAM 18/11

Loading: manual
Usable Lamination Area (mm): 1,700 x 1,000
Maximum Operating Temperature (°C): 180
Temperature Uniformity (°C): ±2
Minimum Operating Pressure (mbar): < 1
Max. Power Rating (kW): 32
Exterior Dimensions (mm): 2,620 x 2,400

ICOLAM 25/15

Loading: manual/automated
Usable Lamination Area (mm): 2,400 x 1,400
Maximum Operating Temperature (°C): 180
Temperature Uniformity (°C): ±2
Minimum Operating Pressure (mbar): < 1
Max. Power Rating (kW): 72
Exterior Dimensions (mm) - manual version: 3,320 x 2,350
Exterior Dimensions (mm) - automated version (w/o conveyors): 4,145 x 3,200

ICOLAM Production Series

The larger laminators of the ICOLAM Production Series cannot be loaded manually anymore because of their size. They typically have an input and and output conveyor and they are loaded an unloaded automatically.

ICOLAM 28/18

Usable Lamination Area (mm): 2,700 x 1,700
Maximum Operating Temperature (°C): 180
Temperature Uniformity (°C): ±2
Minimum Operating Pressure (mbar): < 1
Max. Power Rating (kW): 114
Exterior Dimensions (mm) - w/o input and output conveyor: 4,445 x 3,500

ICOLAM 36/21

Usable Lamination Area (mm): 3,500 x 2,000
Maximum Operating Temperature (°C): 180
Temperature Uniformity (°C): ±2
Minimum Operating Pressure (mbar): < 1
Heating Power Rating (kW): 114
Exterior Dimensions (mm) - w/o input and output conveyor: 5,245 x 3,800

ICOLAM 38/24
Laminator shown here without input and output conveyor. A unique feature is the mezzanine above the laminator on which the vacuum pumping station and the electrical cabinets are located minimizing the required floor space.

Usable Lamination Area (mm): 3,700 x 2,300
Maximum Operating Temperature (°C): 180
Temperature Uniformity (°C): ±2
Minimum Operating Pressure (mbar): < 1
Heating Power Rating (kW): 130
Exterior Dimensions (mm) - w/o input and output conveyor: 5,445 x 4100

ICOLAM 42/24

Shown here in a set-up of two laminators as an example how multiple laminators are installed in a production line. The mezzanine above the laminators holds the pumping station and the electrical cabinets thus minimizing the actual footprint of the machines.

Usable Lamination Area (mm): 4,100 x 2,300
Maximum Operating Temperature (°C): 180
Temperature Uniformity (°C): ±2
Minimum Operating Pressure (mbar): < 1
Heating Power Rating (kW): 140
Exterior Dimensions (mm) - w/o input and output conveyor: 5,845 x 4,100

ICOLAM 25/46

Usable Lamination Area (mm): 2,400 x 4,500
Maximum Operating Temperature (°C): 180
Temperature Uniformity (°C): ±2
Minimum Operating Pressure (mbar): < 1
Max. Power Rating (kW): 170
Exterior Dimensions (mm) - w/o input and output conveyor: 4,670 x 6,260

Options for ICOLAM Series

The available options for the ICOLAM series of laminators are summarized in the following table.

	Laminator Models
	10/08	15/10	18/11	25/15	28/18	36/21	38/24	42/24	25/46
Advanced control system	l	l	l	l	l	l	l	l	l
Larger pumps			l	l	l	l	l	l	l
Pin lift			l	l	l	l	l	l	l
Transport system				l	l	l	l	l	l
Input + output conveyors				l	l	l	l	l	l
Release sheet				l	l	l	l	l	l
Cooling tunnel				l	l	l	l	l	l
Cooling press				l	l	l	l	l	l
Curing station				l	l	l	l	l	l
Dry pumps				l	l	l	l	l	l

Advanced Control System
Allows recipe management, data logging of process data and event messages, remote access through modem or VPN, simplifies process development and troubleshooting, and provides an easy to understand graphical user interface.

Larger Pumps
Listed as an option because the customer can name his preferred supplier. Larger pumps are needed for fast chamber evacuation. Time for evacuation adds to the process cycle time and has to be kept short.

Pin Lift
Metal pins evenly spaced across the heating platen can move up and down to lift modules off of the heating platen. This adds another degree of freedom for process development.

Transport System
PTFE coated fiber glass belts with two functions: (i) transport belt for loading and unloading modules, and
(ii) prevent modules from sticking to heating platen.

Input + Output Conveyos
Loading and unloading the laminator are functions that are carried out at the same time. Finished modules are unloaded onto the output conveyor, while modules lying on the input conveyor are moving into the laminator.

Release Sheet
PTFE coated fiber glass belt running through the laminator above the modules. The belt prevents modules from sticking to the diaphragm. When modules are unloaded, it moves synchronously with the belt of the transport system such that there is no relative motion between modules and any part of the laminator.

Cooling Tunnel
Consists of a series of high powered fans, which blow ambient air at the finished modules to cool them down to about room temperature while another lamination takes place. The cooling tunnel is designed to become part of the output conveyor. The cooling tunnel is an inexpensive and effective solution for standard Glass/Backsheet modules.

Cooling Press
After lamination, modules are pressed onto a water cooled platen to cool down. While there is no advantage to use this cooling press for standard modules, glass/glass modules can benefit from it because the press helps prevent such modules from delaminating at the edges during the cool down period.

Curing Station
It is possible to reduce the process cycle time by adding a curing station.

Dry Pumps
Oil-free pump, which does not require maintenance for about one year. Increases uptime of laminators and reduces cost of ownership by eliminating expensive synthetic pump oils.

STACOLAM Stack Laminator Series

The new stack laminator features multiple, stacked heating platens and is designed with today's high throughput requirements of large module fabrication lines in mind. It replaces 4 to 5 large conventional laminators and greatly simplifies the material flow through the factory reducing the number of conveyors and the total lamination footprint. The laminator is designed to typically hold 1 to 3 modules per tray such that up to 45 modules can be processed in one single run.

You may notice that Meier deviates from their standard naming convention and the "20/13" actually represents the exact usable laminator area for that model. So there is no mistake in the listed usable lamination area below.

The STACOLAM always consists of the complete set of components shown in the picture (from left to right):
(i) loading elevator, (ii) load buffer, (iii) laminator, (iv) unload buffer, (v) unload elevator, and (vi) pumping station with dry pumps. The electrical cabinets are not shown. The footprint is therefore independent of the number of trays.

The STACOLAM is available with up to 10 trays. The trays are designed as individual vacuum chambers, which are independant from each other. Each tray has its own heating system and active pin lift system.

STACOLAM 20/13

Usable Lamination Area (mm): 2,000 x 1,300
Maximum number of trays: 10
Maximum Operating Temperature (°C): 180
Temperature Uniformity (°C): ±2
Minimum Operating Pressure (mbar): < 1
Max. Power Rating (kW): 394

STACOLAM 23/14

Usable Lamination Area (mm): 2,300 x 1,400
Maximum number of trays: 10
Maximum Operating Temperature (°C): 180
Temperature Uniformity (°C): ±2
Minimum Operating Pressure (mbar): < 1
Max. Power Rating (kW): 460

STACOLAM 23/17

Usable Lamination Area (mm): 2,300 x 1,700
Maximum number of trays: 10
Maximum Operating Temperature (°C): 180
Temperature Uniformity (°C): ±2
Minimum Operating Pressure (mbar): < 1
Max. Power Rating (kW): 532

Specialty Laminators

Although the standard options cover almost 100% of what you may want to do with a laminator, there are applications that call for special designs. Here are some options Meier has built for customers. If you are interested in these or if you have a special request, just ask.

Preheating station
Unique loading/unloading devices
Special laminator sizes
Lamination moulds for convex modules
Special temperature requirements
Special vacuum requirements
Roll laminators

Where is Meier Located?

Meier is located about 1 hour by car north of Duesseldorf in Germany. The nearest airport is Duesseldorf (DUS), and the nearest train station is Oberhausen where fast connections (Inter-City Express, ICE) to other cities within Germany are available.

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Please also visit Meier at: www.Meier-Solar-Solutions.com.