Simulation instead of trial-and-error

M10 Solar Equipment, headquartered in Freiburg, Germany, wants to do nothing less than bring photovoltaic manufacturing back to European shores. For this vision, and to ensure projects get off the ground quickly and cost effectively, the company is counting on its own groundbreaking innovation, coupled with simulation software from Siemens.

The company’s groundbreaking innovation is shingle cell matrix technology, which was jointly developed by M10 Industries and Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. That development was quickly followed in late 2021 by the founding of M10 Solar Equipment GmbH, a joint venture between M10 Industries and automation equipment supplier Zahoransky. The goal: begin producing Surface, a machine the companies invented that can produce photovoltaics using shingle cell matrix technology.

Simulation replaces trial and error

During the machine’s development phase, the team at M10 Solar Equipment asked themselves if the machine would actually be able to process 12,000 cell strips per hour in real operation, as per its design.

Philipp Zahn and Marco Saladin, managing directors of the new M10 Solar Equipment GmbH, were especially interested in getting answers – which were ultimately delivered with Tecnomatix Plant Simulation software. The software simulates complex production systems and processes in easy-to-understand computer models, and it can be used to simulate, visualize, analyze, and optimize production and logistics processes.

Best of all, co-founding company Zahoransky had already been working with simulation software from Siemens for years. “We’d already initiated simulations about ten years ago,” recalls Marco Saladin, who previously worked for Zahoransky. Instead of wasting years on table calculations or trial-and-error loops, they relied on simulation programs for the machine concepts early on. He and Philipp Zahn reckon that they’ve achieved time savings of about 30 percent over the entire course of the project thanks to the simulations.

Make decisions faster

“We were able to make fast and reliable decisions and evaluate different scenarios at an early point in the Surface development phase. Simulation helped us design the layout, control logic, and resource dimensioning,” says Marco Saladin. “With Tecnomatix Plant Simulation, we could quickly find the best design for our interconnection system and also achieve maximum throughput,” adds Philipp Zahn. This both shortened the initial phase of production and eliminated time-consuming and costly corrective measures later in the production process.

On the way to gigafactories

With Surface, M10 is looking to play a key role in bringing large-scale solar-cell manufacturing back to Europe. “If we want to make a substantial contribution to the energy transition in Europe, we have to revive photovoltaic production here at home. Our research expertise, product innovations, and historically strong mechanical engineering can be a huge help,” says Marco Saladin.

This means gigafactories. “For this scale, simulations are indispensable. They become the most important tool for enabling a fast start at a realistic cost,” Marco Saladin adds.

Also here, Tecnomatix Plant Simulation is the software of choice. It is often used in complete line concepts to optimize throughput, eliminate bottlenecks, and minimize inventory. To analyze the effects of different production versions, the simulation models take into account in-house and external supply chains, production resources, and business processes. At the same time, M10 can evaluate different line control strategies and synchronize the main and auxiliary lines. In addition, Tecnomatix Plant Simulation can help M10 define complex material-flow rules and monitor their effect on the line’s performance.