Composite Component Separation via Absorbing Layer and Gas Venting

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for separating reusable materials from composite components, such as photovoltaic modules, face challenges in achieving uniform, repeatable, and standardized separation, often resulting in excessive pyrolysis, gas production, and damage to the components or light sources.

Innovation Solution

The method involves optimizing the minimum light dose for separating materials by using a thermochemical decomposition process of the plastics film boundary layer in the absence of oxygen, combined with predetermined breaking locations in the plastics film to facilitate targeted separation and gas escape.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a high light dose is used to ensure complete separation of materials, then separation reliability is improved, but excessive pyrolysis and gas production occur causing damage to components

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseparation reliabilityVSAvoidexcessive pyrolysis and gas production

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Predetermined breaking locations are created in the plastics film before the exposure process. These breaking locations are positioned to allow pyrolysis gases to escape during the exposure process, preventing excessive gas buildup and damage while maintaining effective separation. The breaking locations are created at specific positions that correspond to where gases will form during pyrolysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The harmful pyrolysis gases are extracted from the system by providing escape paths through the predetermined breaking locations in the plastics film. This allows the gases to be removed from the enclosed space between the glass sheet and plastics film, preventing damage while maintaining the separation process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Strength

If the plastics film is completely intact during exposure, then structural integrity is maintained, but gas escape is prevented causing curving of glass and damage to light sources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplastics film integrityVSAvoidglass curving and light source damage

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Predetermined breaking locations are created in the plastics film before the exposure process. These breaking locations are positioned to allow pyrolysis gases to escape during the exposure process, preventing excessive gas buildup and damage while maintaining effective separation. The breaking locations are created at specific positions that correspond to where gases will form during pyrolysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The plastics film is modified locally at specific positions to create breaking locations, while the rest of the film maintains its structural integrity. The breaking locations are created at specific positions that correspond to where gases will form during pyrolysis, allowing gas escape without compromising the overall strength and function of the plastics film.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Device complexity

If exposure is performed without predetermined breaking locations, then process simplicity is maintained, but separation uniformity and repeatability are poor

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocess simplicityVSAvoidseparation uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Predetermined breaking locations are created in the plastics film before the exposure process. These breaking locations are positioned to allow pyrolysis gases to escape during the exposure process, preventing excessive gas buildup and damage while maintaining effective separation. The breaking locations are created at specific positions that correspond to where gases will form during pyrolysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The physical structure of the plastics film is changed by creating predetermined breaking locations at specific positions. This structural modification enables controlled gas escape and improves separation uniformity and repeatability without significantly complicating the overall process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Reliability

If multiple exposure cycles are used to achieve complete separation, then separation completeness is improved, but processing time and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseparation completenessVSAvoidprocessing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

Predetermined breaking locations are created in the plastics film before the exposure process. These breaking locations are positioned to allow pyrolysis gases to escape during the exposure process, preventing excessive gas buildup and damage while maintaining effective separation. The breaking locations are created at specific positions that correspond to where gases will form during pyrolysis.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The predetermined breaking locations act as intermediaries that facilitate the exposure process by providing gas escape paths. This enables complete material separation to be achieved in a single exposure cycle rather than requiring multiple cycles, thereby reducing processing time and energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach allows for efficient, reproducible, and industrial-scale separation of reusable materials from various composite components, reducing excessive gas production and damage, and enabling the extraction of materials with a constant or regulated light dose.

Implementation Method 1

at least one material layer which absorbs the energy of an electromagnetic radiation source

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectromagnetic radiation absorption: Absorption (EM radiation)

Implementation Method 2

the absorbing material layer or layer sequence is heated in less than a second with the aid of the radiation source

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRapid heating: Heating

Implementation Method 3

In the process, pyrolysis gases are created in layers of the plastics materials with a thickness of a few micrometers which directly adjoin the absorbing material layer

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPyrolysis: Pyrolysis

Data Source

PatentUS20250121419A1Method for separating reusable materials in a composite component

Publication Date: 2025.04.17 FLAXTEC GMBH

AI summary

A method for separating reusable materials of a composite component comprising multiple material layers is presented. The composite component comprises a material layer which absorbs energy of a radiation source and at least one plastics film. With the aid of the radiation source, the composite component is heated in less than a second in an exposure field, with chemical compounds of the plastics material being cleaved, as a result of the heating of the absorbing material layer, in a boundary layer of the at least one plastics film which faces the absorbing material layer, resulting in a creation of gas. Prior to heating, at least one predetermined breaking point is introduced into the plastics film in such a way that the plastics film breaks in a controlled fashion at the predetermined breaking point under the pressure of the created gas.