Many industries require heat for production. In textile manufacturing, for instance, almost 2 kilograms of coal are burned for every 1 kilogram of cloth produced. Beer production burns 2 tons of diesel for every 100 liters of beer. Even industries that are not widely considered to be energy-intensive can require significant amounts of heat. Drying tea leaves, for example, requires the burning of 5 tons of firewood for every 1 ton of tea leaves.

Swedish company Absolicon has developed an alternative technology to produce heat for manufacturing without burning fossil fuels. The company’s thermal collectors generate heat from the sun with zero carbon emissions. To give some idea of their emission-saving potential, every square meter of a solar thermal collector can produce the equivalent energy of 100 liters of oil.

This robot applies the reflective material to the base of the collector. Photo courtesy Absolicon

Absolicon’s thermal collectors are essentially troughs that track the sun across the sky to catch its rays. A parabolic reflector focuses the solar irradiation on a receiver, which then turns it into heat, which in turn generates steam at up to 160 C. The collectors are the most efficient in their class and are ideal for industrial companies and district heating networks.

Assembling the collectors, which measure 18 feet long and 3.5 feet wide, requires accuracy and repeatability. A pair of six-axis robots from ABB are enabling the company to meet growing demand for its products without compromising on quality.

At Absolicon’s factory in Härnösand, Sweden, the degree of automation has increased production drastically. Where previously Absolicon was able to assemble three collectors per day using manual production methods, the robotic production line can assemble a collector in as little as six minutes.

This robot dispenses adhesive to bond the reflective material. Photo courtesy Absolicon

The automated line significantly reduces the skilled labor requirements and cycle time for each collector, substantially reducing the overall unit cost. The consistent performance of the robots also enables each collector to be assembled in the same way, ensuring that the highest levels of quality are maintained throughout production and that the collectors will perform optimally once installed.

The automated process works so well that Absolicon plans to export the robotic assembly line to other countries, so that its thermal collectors can be manufactured locally. This strategy promises to make the collectors both more affordable and more accessible for companies, organizations and governments across the world.

“Developing an automated production process enables our global business case by radically reducing the price of our solar collectors, while manufacturing them consistently to a very high quality,” says Joakim Byström, CEO of Absolicon. “The productivity offered by ABB’s robots means we can make solar energy compete on price with conventional industrial heating for the first time.

“While competitors rely on a manually intensive manufacturing process, we can [produce our collectors] with five people, two robots and a fraction of the components. This will be key in helping to meet the growing demand for renewable technologies to help meet global carbon emissions reduction targets.”

The next phase of the project involves supplying complete robotic production lines to manufacturing partners across the globe. ABB and Absolicon have agreed to collaborate on the development, sales and marketing of the lines.

Every square meter of a solar thermal collector can produce the equivalent energy of 100 liters of oil. Photo courtesy Absolicon

“Our vision is to enable a cost-effective mass-production of solar collectors across the world,” adds Byström. “Our work with ABB to create this automated production process is a key enabler to realize our vision, while ABB’s global service organization will be a very valuable resource for our new customers as we roll-out our new automated production line globally.”

Absolicon has already delivered robotic assembly lines to partners in China, France and Botswana, and the company has signed agreements to provide additional lines with businesses in several other countries. ABB will supply the robots for all the new installations.

Automated Inspection

Assembly isn’t the only process Absolicon has automated. The performance of each collector is checked by an automated quality control system. With the help of cameras, image recognition algorithms and advanced geometric calculations, an automated inspection system measures and evaluates the central optical properties of the collector.

For more information on assembly automation, read these articles:
Robotic Assembly Line Increases Production Fivefold
Automation Shines at First Solar
Shining a New Light on Solar Module Assembly