Mass production of solar collectors and components

The paper describes the production scheme for a plant that turns out 50,000 pieces, or 100,000 sq m in solar collector area, per year. The solar system itself consists of a collector with 2 sq m absorption surface with extruded corrosion-proof aluminum frame, a solar storage unit with 250-1,000 liter capacity, external heat exchanger, and electronic control with 3-point temperature measurement. Market studies showed that only mass production could be profitable. The layout of the factory is described, and the operations are classified as fully automatic and semi-automatic. The sequence of operations for making the absorber and the frame, applying the coating, and assembling the collector, is described.