In the resource recovery of waste solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, the efficient separation of glass and battery cells is a crucial link. The glass removal machine achieves clean peeling and recovery of glass through a coherent process of "pretreatment - thermal softening - precise separation - material sorting". Its operation core revolves around the characteristics of the EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate) adhesive film between the glass and battery cells in PV panels, and the separation accuracy and efficiency are guaranteed by automatic control throughout the entire process.
At the initial stage of operation, waste PV panels that have undergone preliminary frame removal (with aluminum alloy frames and junction boxes removed) are conveyed to the feeding mechanism of the glass removal machine. During the feeding process, the equipment first removes residual adhesive on the surface of PV panels through the adhesive removal unit, then cleans dust and impurities with dust brushes. Meanwhile, the upper and lower pressure plates of the positioning components accurately fix the PV panels to avoid deviation in subsequent processing. This pretreatment step not only improves the separation effect but also reduces the wear of impurities on subsequent equipment components.
The core separation stage adopts a combined technology of "thermal softening + physical peeling". The equipment heats the PV panels to 110-180℃ through a constant temperature heating system. This temperature can accurately soften the EVA adhesive film without damaging the battery cells, breaking the adhesive force between the glass and battery cells. After the adhesive film is softened, different types of glass removal machines adopt targeted peeling methods: mainstream equipment drives tungsten steel milling cutters to reciprocate through a drive mechanism, crushing the glass layer into particles before peeling; some equipment uses hot knife cutting technology, directly separating the glass and battery cells through the precise movement of the blade to avoid excessive glass breakage. The entire process is regulated by an automatic control system to ensure the accuracy of heating temperature and tool movement trajectory, preventing damage to the battery cell substrate.
After the separation is completed, the equipment realizes material diversion through a dedicated conveying mechanism: the peeled glass particles are conveyed to a classifying screen in a closed manner to screen out glass materials of different specifications, which can be directly recycled as raw materials for glass manufacturing; the separated battery cells are transferred to the subsequent processing line by a suction cup mechanism for further recovery of resources such as silicon wafers and metals. Some high-end equipment is also equipped with an intelligent detection system to ensure the cleanliness of glass peeling, enabling the glass recovery rate to reach over 96% and achieving dual benefits of environmental protection and resource recovery.
