Photovoltaic Textured Glass Thickness Monitoring

New Energy05.Photovoltaic Textured Glass Thickness Monitoring with Chromatic Confocal Sensors

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New Energy05.Photovoltaic Textured Glass Thickness Monitoring with Chromatic Confocal Sensors

Aug 19, 2025

1. What It Is & Why It Matters

Photovoltaic textured glass plays a critical role in solar modules by improving light trapping, enhancing conversion efficiency, and protecting solar cells.
Maintaining a stable and uniform thickness is essential because:

Optical performance – thickness variations reduce light transmission.
Mechanical reliability – uneven thickness causes stress and breakage.
Production yield – consistent thickness lowers defect rates and improves lamination quality.

Therefore, accurate thickness monitoring is a key step in photovoltaic glass manufacturing.

2. Common Measurement Methods

Method	Principle	Advantages	Limitations
Mechanical gauge	Contact probe measures displacement	Simple, low cost	Risk of scratches, low precision
Ultrasonic method	Echo time of sound waves in material	Non-contact, works for some coatings	Limited accuracy on textured surfaces
Interferometry	Optical interference of reflected beams	High precision, non-contact	Sensitive to vibration, surface dust
Laser triangulation sensor	Measures angle shift of reflected laser	Non-contact, high-speed, robust on texture	Accuracy depends on reflectivity & angle

3. Principle and Process of Laser Triangulation Measurement

Laser triangulation displacement sensors measure thickness by:

Projecting a laser spot onto the textured glass surface.
Detecting the reflected light with a position-sensitive detector.
Calculating distance based on the triangulation angle shift.
By measuring the top textured surface and reference bottom surface, the system derives the thickness.

Key benefits for photovoltaic textured glass:

Non-contact measurement, no surface damage.
High speed up to 160kHz, suitable for inline production.
Handles textured or uneven surfaces effectively.
Applicable for large-scale solar glass monitoring.

4. TronSight’s Solution

The TronSight TS-P Series Laser Triangulation Displacement Sensor is designed for precision photovoltaic glass inspection:

Ultra-fast 160kHz sampling rate for high-throughput lines.
±0.02% of F.S. linear accuracy, ensuring reliable results.
0.02μm repeatability for micro-scale precision.
Wide measuring range (2–2000mm) covering thin and thick glass.
Customizable in laser wavelength, spot size, structure dimensions.
Integrated controller, simplifying setup and reducing system complexity.

Application Example (conservative wording):
In photovoltaic textured glass production, the TS-P series sensor can measure both upper and lower glass surfaces to evaluate thickness. Measurement results can be transmitted to monitoring systems for inline quality control.