Welcome to the Plasmatreat Solar Manufacturing Blog

Hello Everyone,

I would like introduce myself and invite you to participate in this discussion of solar product manufacturing and the role that plasma surface treatment is providing.

By introduction, I am Wally Hansen, the Solar Market Manager for Plasmatreat in North America.  I live and work in the San Francisco Bay area.  As a Californian, I am an avid outdoorsman, sailor, environmentalist and lover of the sun.

For several decades, I have worked in the field of plasma surface treatments for critical manufacturing applications. Plasma cleaning and activation has become common in solar product manufacturing. The ability to clean materials to atomic levels and rearrange the surface chemistry for adhesion is remarkable.  To do it in-line, 24/7, without chemicals, emissions or touching the surface is amazing.

We in the solar manufacturing world, are facing amazing opportunities and challenges.  Sometimes, it is hard to see the good we do when today’s pressure is performance, yield,  and cost cost cost . We are asked for long-term performance and environmental guarantees on our products that have rarely been done before.  How well would your car perform after sitting in a field for 25 years? How long would your flat screen television last if attached to your roof?

I would like to make this blog a place for open discussion of plasma and solar manufacturing,  especially as it relates to cleaning, bonding, sealing or environmental protection.  If  you have questions or wish a private discussion, please do this through our “Ask the Expert” feature of the Plasmatreat.com website or at email me at wally.hansen@plasmatreat.com

I will be posting information, ideas and links related to solar manufacturing and the role of plasma surface treatments on solar materials.  I would think that those of you involved in solar R&D, engineering, manufacturing and reliability may have an interest in participation.  I would love to invite the materials community as well. Please join me with your comments, questions, suggestions and interesting topics.

-Wally