Feb 16 2011
H.B. Fuller Company (NYSE: FUL), a leading global adhesives provider, has leveraged its extensive formulating expertise, application development and market knowledge to complete the comprehensive Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 746C QOQW2 Polymeric Adhesive Systems, Electrical Equipment – Component Recognition Program, which is a pre-requisite for back rail bonding adhesives used to manufacture solar panels.
This recognition reinforces H.B. Fuller's commitment to safety, technology and material development in the rapidly growing solar materials market.
H.B. Fuller's PV-RH275 is a patent pending (material and process) adhesive for attaching back rails to solar modules. This same material recently passed the critical performance and long-term durability tests of the IEC 61646 standard. H.B. Fuller specifically formulated this adhesive to meet the high temperature performance and lean manufacturing needs of customers attaching back rails to their solar modules.
"As our solar customers continue to move toward higher performance, faster processing materials for back rail bonding applications, H.B. Fuller focused on developing innovative products that reduce manufacturing costs and meet performance requirements of the final product," said Ralph Velazquez, business development manager advanced materials for H.B. Fuller. "This product addresses solar customers' design needs and meets the applicable requirements as a UL Recognized Component."
H.B. Fuller PV-RH275 is a one-part reactive hot melt material which imparts high initial bonds and allows for rapid processing of the solar module to the next step in the manufacturing process. It provides an advantage over two-part fast cure materials which require mixing and purging when dispensing stops, leading to higher levels of purge waste.
Evaluation and line trials with PV-RH275 can be run at the new H.B. Fuller Global Center of Excellence solar application development lab at the company's world headquarters in St. Paul, Minn. PV-RH275 is available globally.