The manufacturing of wafers for photovoltaic (PV) solar panels requires a precise process that puts production equipment to the test. Several of these processes involve highly abrasive slurries, which are a mixture of glycol and powdered silicon carbide. The challenge is to find equipment that can handle both wet and dry applications in a corrosive environment. Slurries are used as the cutting agent when silicon ingots pass through the wire saw machine, producing thin silicon wafers. Eventually, the slurries becomes contaminated by silicon particles, iron and other by-products from the sawing process, which render it unusable. Since slurry is one of the more expensive products used in the solar wafer manufacturing process, many solar wafer manufacturers have invested in systems that reprocess and reuse the slurry on site rather than discard it after use.
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