Converting equipment manufacturer GM has announced that it is joining forces with Sciprios GmbH to provide tailor-made, cutting-edge R&D coating solutions for both scientific research and industrial production in all areas of printed electronics.
Over the past decade, GM has applied its knowledge of coating technology to expand into the SOLAR cell and other functional materials segments with its own specialized range of roll-to-roll thin-film coating machinery. As innovation in these markets continues to grow, so does the demand for expertise in handling the delicately printed, sensitive thin films used in printed electronics applications.
One of GM’s first customers in this area was the SOLAR Factory of the Future (SFF) at the Energy Campus in Nürnberg, Germany, a collaboration that is still ongoing. Sciprios (Science-Printing-Semiconductors) was founded in 2018 as a spin-off from the SFF and the Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research (ZAE Bayern). Headed up by managing director Dr Tobias Stubhan, the technology start-up provides turnkey pilot production lines for printed photovoltaics including printing, structuring, backend, and complete module processes.
“This official announcement of our partnership is based on several years of fruitful collaboration,” says Uffe Nielsen, GM’s chief executive officer. “Earlier this year, we took the next step and introduced the second generation of our SOLAR Coating Platform, which has been developed with Sciprios. We are now extending that cooperation to also include sales, customer support and service, and consumables, as well as coating workshops and demos.”
The SOLAR-300 is a coating and printing platform available in widths of 330, 500, or 550 millimeter, or in a custom size. Completely modular, it can be configured with multiple slot die-coating stations, gravure coating, flexo printing, and rotary screen printing, and features the option to add laser cutting and inkjet printing in-line for manufacturing printed electronic devices in one pass. The machine has been designed so that is it suitable for both R&D and as a production machine, making it easy to upgrade to full-scale manufacturing.
“Our partnership will equip researchers around the world with the tools that facilitate the development and upscaling of organic and perovskite photovoltaics, photodetectors, batteries, super capacitors, OLEDs for displays and lighting applications, fuel cells, smart windows, and more for a brighter and more sustainable future,” concluded Uffe.
GM provides advanced solutions for the self-adhesive label converting and finishing industry. It delivers a vast array of machines, including complete automated converting lines, hot foil stamping, screen printing, die cutters, laser die cutters, slitter-rewinders, roll lifts, sheeters, and core cutters. Its core product, and flagship model, is the DC350 converting line, which is available in three sizes with a vast number of options and capable of running either inline or offline with your press of Choice. The company is said to have gained a strong name in the label business and has been represented at Labelexpo Europe for the last 20 years. In 2006 and 2014, GM was awarded the “Gazelle” award by the Danish financial magazine Børsen for exceptional growth during a period of three years.
