Recommended Questions to Ask:

1. Which technologies are currently used and why (Mono PERC, TOPCon, HJT, etc.)?
2. How do you ensure uniformity during cell stringing and tabbing?
3. What are the critical parameters during lamination?
4. How do you optimize cycle time without affecting quality?
5. What are the most common defects observed during production?
6. What in-process quality checks (IPQC) are followed?
7. Explain the concept of EL Test.
8. How is EL (Electroluminescence) testing used to detect defects?
9. What international standards do your modules comply with (IEC, BIS, etc.)?
10. How do you handle non-conforming products?
11. What is the role of reliability testing (thermal cycling, damp heat)?
12. What are the key raw materials and how are suppliers selected?
13. How do you manage inventory and avoid material shortages?
14. What challenges are faced in the PV supply chain?
15. What factors most influence module efficiency?
16. How do bifacial modules differ from conventional modules?
17. What R&D initiatives are currently being explored?
18. How do you keep up with rapidly evolving PV technologies?
19. What safety protocols are mandatory on the shop floor?
20. How is waste (glass, EVA, etc.) managed or recycled?
21. What sustainability practices are followed in manufacturing?
22. What skills are most important for fresh engineers in this industry?
23. What software/tools are commonly used in your operations?
24. How can students prepare for a career in solar manufacturing?
25. What are the major challenges currently faced by the solar industry?
Questions related to Production
1. What is an HMI? How is it operated?
2. How many cells are there in a string?
3. How does the stringer ensure accurate alignment of cells and ribbons?
4. Which sensors or vision systems are used to detect cell position before soldering?
5. Is the soldering process controlled using a closed-loop temperature system?
6. What is the acceptable temperature range during stringing, and what happens if
temperature overshoots?
7. How is ribbon tension controlled during feeding and placement?
8. What type of actuator is used for motion control—servo motor, stepper motor, or
pneumatic system? Why?
9. How do you detect poor solder joints or open connections after stringing?
10. How do microcracks develop during stringing, and how are they minimized?
11. What is the effect of contact resistance at the solder joint on final module
performance?
12. How does one defective cell or one bad interconnect affect the voltage/current of the
full string?
13. What machine parameters are logged for traceability—temperature, cycle time,
alignment error, reject count?
14. Does the stringer communicate with a PLC/SCADA/MES system? What data is
exchanged?
15. What is the electrical purpose of bussing in the module assembly?
16. How is current collected and transferred through the bus ribbon with minimum loss?
17. How do ribbon width, thickness, and material affect resistive loss and heating?
18. How is alignment maintained between multiple strings during autobussing?
19. Which sensors check ribbon presence, string position, and joint completion?
20. How do you verify electrical continuity after bussing?
21. Do you measure joint resistance after autobussing? If yes, how?
22. How are opens, shorts, or high-resistance joints detected automatically?
23. What is the impact of poor bussing on fill factor, power output, and module
reliability?
24. How do control systems synchronize string placement, ribbon feed, and soldering
sequence?
25. What is the effect of mismatch between strings on module output?
26. How is defect data from this machine fed back to upstream process control?
27. What is the exact purpose of the tape in this process—insulation, fixing, spacing, or
mechanical stability?
28. What electrical properties are required from the tape, such as dielectric strength or
insulation resistance?
29. How does the machine ensure tape is placed at the correct position every cycle?
30. Which sensors detect tape presence, misplacement, or tape breakage?
31. How is tape tension controlled during feed and application?
32. What happens if the tape is wrinkled, shifted, or partially attached?
33. How does the adhesive behave under later lamination temperature and vacuum
conditions?
34. Are there machine vision cameras used to inspect tape placement?
35. How do you prevent static, dust, or contamination from affecting tape adhesion?
36. How is the cutting and placement operation synchronized electronically?
37. What defects from autotaping can later appear as reliability failures in the field?
38. How is process repeatability measured for this station?
39. Why is vacuum applied before and during lamination?
40. What are the main lamination parameters—temperature, vacuum, pressure, and cycle
time?
41. How are these parameters controlled and monitored in real time?
42. What type of temperature sensors are used inside the laminator?
43. Is the heating-controlled zone-wise, and is PID control used?
44. How does the laminator ensure uniform temperature across the full module area?
45. What happens if lamination temperature is too low or too high?
46. How do air bubbles, voids, or delamination occur scientifically?
47. How does encapsulant curing affect insulation, mechanical stability, and moisture
resistance?
48. How is vacuum leakage detected in the laminator?
49. What is the relationship between lamination profile and long-term module reliability?
50. How do you optimize throughput without compromising curing quality?
51. What alarms or interlocks stop the machine if vacuum or temperature goes outside
limits?
52. What post-lamination tests confirm that the process was successful?