engineering the solar age - Suppliers for Photovoltaics

Sustainable quality for long-term investments

For over a decade, OTTO has been supplying top international companies in the photovoltaics industry with specifically developed silicone sealants, adhesives and pottants. OTTO is perfectly set up to adapt the properties of the products exactly to meet our customers’ individual requirements. The manufacturers benefit from over 40 years of experience in R&D, formula development, production and industrial processing of special silicones. Furthermore, they are supported by OTTO all the way through from prototype testing to series application in production.

Although adhesives and sealants account for only a fraction of the costs of a photovoltaic module, they are nevertheless essential for the system to function. They fix glass panes within metal frames, bond and seal the corners of the module frame, attach the back rails and junction box to the glass and encapsulate the junction box to protect it from moisture, dust and external chemical influences. At the same time, they have to withstand the very toughest stress for many years: for example, temperature fluctuations of over 100 °C, moisture, chemical detriment resulting from acid rain or salt and sunlight, or the effects of different forces caused by the weight of the modules, wind and snow.

In order for PV module manufacturers and end customers to enjoy the greatest possible safety when using OTTO sealants and adhesives, OTTO performs elaborate tests in its own research lab, safeguarding the high quality of the OTTO products under tough conditions. The OTTOCOLL^® S 640 adhesive system for back rail attachment, for example, underwent long-term stress tests. These involved measuring resistance against temperature variations, sunlight and chemical substances as well as adhesion and expansion of adhesive layers of varying thickness. The result: Despite extreme strain, the adhesive showed no significant signs of fatigue and is clearly above the standard values required by international institutions (e.g. ETAG). Furthermore, with the aid of the data obtained, OTTO can provide manufacturers with key performance figures which ensure the optimal industrial processing of the adhesive.