ARMOR Launches Production of Flexible PV Films

After six years of technological partnership with major names of the global chemical industry and an investment of €40 million, ARMOR is ready to launch industrial production of a new generation of photovoltaic material, designed and manufactured in France. Called ASCA, this “low-carbon” product is part of the Beautiful Light Project. ASCA is a third generation material that paves the way for a vast array of industrial applications. It will be custom made by ARMOR’s teams in La Chevrolière, near Nantes.
 
ASCA is a semi-transparent film that is flexible, ultra-light and made from organic compounds, without rare metals. It is capable of producing electricity when it is exposed to all types of light, on any surface. This film weighs just 500 grams per square meter. Its lightness and its flexibility mean it can be used aesthetically, discreetly, in many different applications.
 
ARMOR has achieved this innovation due to its expertise in the coating of thermal transfer ribbons for barcode printing, in which they are the leader, producing more than a billion square meters per year.
 
ARMOR has developed partnerships with leading centers for research and industry in the world. ARMOR has also surrounded itself with partners, including CEA-INES (specialists in devices and age testing), CNRS-IMS (specialists in materials and devices), Cambrios Advanced Materials (specialists in silver nanowires), Merck (chemistry specialists in photoactive polymers and interface materials), LCPO (chemistry specialists in organic polymers), AMCOR (specialists in films and encapsulation), and ADHEX (specialists in technical adhesives). ARMOR has also brought on board many world experts in electronic materials and new energy technologies, as well as experts in coating and encapsulation processes.
 
ARMOR has favored wet roll-to-roll production processes, in order to preserve the greatest possible flexibility and to ensure the right balance between formulation and processes, according to the materials to be used and the circuits to be printed (quantity of cells, dimensions). ARMOR’s production capacity for ASCA is one million square meters per year. The first ASCA films are ready to be released and their applications will be progressively unveiled during 2017.
 
This innovation results in an energy efficient manufacturing process that does not use silicon or any rare or toxic resources. ASCA has also the advantage of being fully recycleable.