New laser system for photovoltaics manufacturing
Heckert Solar, one of the largest and leading German manufacturers of high-performance photovoltaic modules, has purchased two systems for its plants in Thuringia (LWD Solar GmbH) and Chemnitz.
The new microCELL MCS advanced laser system has been designed to meet the photovoltaic (PV) market’s demands for boosting module power output and service life by minimizing power losses and providing for an exceptionally high mechanical strength of cut cells. It enables the highest throughputs for cutting cell sizes up to M12/G12 into half-cells or shingled cells.


In recent years, cutting solar cells into half-cells has become a key strategy for PV manufacturing by enabling remarkable gains in power output and mechanical strength at the module level. This trend has been accompanied by the switch to larger full-cell formats and the related increase in module power ratings. Cutting cells into half- and third-cells or even shingles compensates for the increased power loss associated with the higher cell currents from larger wafer areas – ensuring that cell cutting remains at the heart of PV manufacturing for the foreseeable future.
The microCELL MCS system takes advantage of 3D-Micromac’s patented thermal laser separation (TLS) process for cell separation. The ablation-free technique guarantees an excellent edge quality. As a result, the separated cells have up to thirty percent higher mechanical strength compared to ablative laser processes and enable a lower power degradation over the solar module’s life cycle. By significantly reducing edge recombination losses and setting the stage for cutting edge passivation, TLS has been shown to achieve a module power gain of at least two watts.
“The use of half and shingled cells in PV modules will have an enormous impact on industry growth in the coming years. With our new microCELL MCS laser system, we provide a future-proof production solution to module manufacturers that perfectly fits into an intelligent and scalable cell production line. The system can be upgraded with additional lasers with minimal effort to enable a higher number of cuts per wafer without compromising on throughput,” stated Uwe Wagner, CEO of 3D-Micromac.
The company has showcased the laser system at Intersolar Europe Restart, held this from 6 – 8 October in Munich.
Company
3D‑Micromac AGTechnologie‑Campus 8
09126 Chemnitz
Germany
most read

Infineon and Marelli enter new era of cockpit design
MEMS laser beam scanning for an immersive car display experience.

Europe's automotive industry is increasingly focusing on automation
The European automotive industry continues to invest heavily in the automation of its production, as preliminary figures from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) show.

Successful trade fair for photonics and innovation
Laser World of Photonics 2025 in Munich ended with record figures and an optimistic outlook for the industry.

Machine vision subsidiary Realsense splits from Intel
Realsense, a company specializing in AI-based machine vision, is being spun off from Intel Corporation. At the same time, it has completed another round of financing.

The winners of the inspect award 2025
This time, with two additional categories, “SMEs” and “Artificial Intelligence,” the selection was even larger than usual. But now they have been chosen: the machine vision products of the year 2025.