The journey towards a sustainable energy future is complex and multifaceted, requiring innovations at every level of technology and manufacturing. Low-cost renewable electricity from renewable energy systems including the power, heat, transport, and desalination sectors is the key driver of the global energy transition towards sustainability. Electroforming, which allows for the creation of high-precision metal components with unparalleled accuracy and reproducibility, proves to be a key enabler of various renewable energy applications, from solar cells, to fuel cells, and desalination applications. In this article, we'll explore the technical features of Electroforming technology, its applications, and its growing impact on renewable energy innovations and industry breakthroughs.
introducing Electroforming
Electroforming is an advanced Additive Manufacturing process for the production of high-precision metal parts. It allows for the production of parts with intricate geometries, high aspect ratios, and exceptional surface properties - characteristics that are crucial in many renewable energy applications.
As the world leader in Electroforming technology, Veco is the first in the industry to apply advanced Laser Direct Imaging technology in high-precision metal parts manufacturing. The combination of LDI and our world-leading Electroforming technology has enabled us to further push the boundaries of the industry with our Advanced Lithographic Electroforming, providing our customers with high-precision metal components of higher quality, at lower cost, and with quicker turnaround. (learn more about LDI and Advanced Lithographic Electroforming)
empowering the photovoltaic industry by revolutionizing solar cell manufacturing
In the rapidly evolving field of photovoltaic technology, Electroforming is making significant contributions to the manufacturing process of solar cells, enhancing efficiency and cost-effectiveness. One of the most notable applications is the high-precision stencils for solar cell printing. Compared to conventional wire meshes and emulsion screens, Electroformed high-precision stencils allow for finer line printing and more efficient deposition of conductive materials, leading to improved cell efficiency and reduced material waste. These improvements translate to tangible benefits for solar cell manufacturers. Tests have shown that using Electroformed stencils can lead to a 0.25% improvement in solar cell efficiency while simultaneously reducing silver consumption by 20%.
Beyond stencils, Electroformed nozzle plates are developed for solar cell manufacturing replacing conventional manufacturing processes. These nozzle plates, featuring miniature holes down to several microns in diameter, jetting the silver paste and other materials critical to cell efficiency, enable a highly efficient, contactless, maskless “printing” alternative to conventional manufacturing processes. This not only increases efficiency and electricity output, reduces metal paste consumption, and offers significant throughput potential, but also opens a new window for cell design and efficiency improvements.
powering the hydrogen economy with 3D structured electrodes for surface enlargement
Besides solar energy, Electroforming is also playing a crucial role in the emerging green hydrogen sector. As industries are working to optimize electrolyzers, Electroforming is being utilized to create critical components that could revolutionize the industry. With Veco’s world-leading Electroforming technology and patented Ni-E³ process, more durable and sustainable Electrodes with non-precious metals can be created. The key difference and advantage of these electrodes is the large surface area that can be achieved. Up to 14 times enlargement has been achieved when this Ni-E³ process is used. In addition, several coatings can be applied that can further result in a surface enlargement of up to 20.000 times resulting in yields that are unprecedented in today’s world. On top of this improvement in production yield, the Ni-E³ process is also extremely sustainable due to zero waste production and 100% recyclable products, making it a future-proof technology for producing Electrodes.
enabling future innovations with endless potential
Looking to the future, Electroforming is not just contributing to current renewable energy technologies but also enabling innovations and industry breakthroughs. Electroforming’s capability to create micro-precision structures with unparalleled accuracy is opening up opportunities for the research and design of new renewable energy applications. Design flexibility and repeatability of the technology also make it a wise choice from rapid prototyping to volume production for new renewable energy components and devices, accelerating the pace of innovation in the field.
sustainability at the core
It's worth noting that Veco, as the world leader in Electroforming technology, is also committed to sustainability in its operations. For instance, Veco has switched to green energy, with 50% of its energy coming from solar and 50% from wind sources since 2021. This commitment to sustainability extends beyond our products to the entire operational philosophy.