automation

The 1^st SMEThermal in March 2010 exceeded the expectations: As the first of its kind to be dedicated exclusively to materials and equipment used in manufacturing solar thermal tanks and collectors, it attracted 150 key industry players from 20 different countries.
Photo: Solarpraxis

The Northern Ireland Government Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster together with Noel Crowe, Managing Director of the Environmental & Renewables division for Kingspan Group, presents the new Varisol collector at the inauguration of the new factory in Portadown on 19th of May 2010.
Photo: Kingspan Renewables

Four international conferences on solar heating and cooling will take place in the first three months of the year: The Solar Thermal Conference at 4/5 March 2010 in Wels, Austria, the First Annual Conference of the European Technology Platform on Renewable Heating and Cooling 23/24 February 2010 in Bilbao, Spain, the 1^st SMEThermal Conference, at 4 March 2010 in Berlin, Germany, and the Solar Air-conditoning and Refrigeration Workshop at 27 January in Orlando, Florida, USA.

A laser welder is the heart of the semi-automated solar thermal production line that Minitec GmbH & co KG will set up to demonstrate costumers the collector manufacturing in operation.
Figure: Sunlaser

Himin's large scale production in China: The company is now running two entirely automated production lines  for vacuum tubes. The photo above shows the evacuation line. Photo: Himin

Birthday rap: A local band rapped about the successful company history of the collector manufacturer Wagner & Co at its 30^th anniversary on the 11^th of September. Photo: Bärbel Epp

A modern Turkish collector factory: Baymak purchased a laser-welding machine as part of the new collector production unit at Istanbul. Photo: Baymak

The European solar thermal markets are growing at high rates altogether. During the last three years alone, the average annual growth rate finally settled at an impressive 35 % margin. And, dozens of new tanks and collector manufactures opened their doors in the last two years.

This rapid increase in all areas of the solar thermal industry presents a big challenge for all of its market players – component manufacturers as well as suppliers of material and machinery.

Premiere at the Intersolar fair in Munich, Germany: SMI from Italy and Sunrise from Greece publicly announced their strategic partnership, with the goal to offer turnkey machinery solutions to the solar thermal industry. Photo: Bärbel Epp