PROCUREMENT NOTES
Comparing breakage rate, cycle time and throughput claims for PV equipment
Why two machines quoting the same number may not perform the same, and how to ask for figures that can be compared.
By PVYard Editorial · Updated 2026-11-06
The same unit, different conditions
PV equipment quotations compete on three kinds of number: breakage rate, cycle time or pieces per hour, and annual capacity in megawatts. Each is easy to state and hard to compare. A breakage figure depends on wafer thickness, incoming cracks and what counts as broken. A cycle time depends on where the cycle starts and stops. An annual megawatt figure depends on module power, working days, availability and yield. Unless those conditions are written down, two identical numbers can describe very different machines.
Breakage: define the population and the count
Breakage is often quoted per mille. The Junxiang JX012 stringer sheet lists breakage of no more than 3 per mille and a pass rate of at least 98%, with cell and cutting quality noted as conditions. The Yiheng DHJ-C busbar layup-welding station gives breakage below one per mille with a cycle of 25 seconds or less, but the published sheet does not say how many pieces were counted, what incoming material was used or where the cycle starts and ends. Neither figure is wrong; both need their conditions before they can be compared.
Ask the supplier which thickness and format were tested, how incoming cracks were screened, whether micro-cracks found later by electroluminescence count as breakage, and how many pieces the figure is based on. For wire saws, the Jingsheng slicing equipment page recommends separating dimensional and quality rejects from breakage and explaining the sampling method. For cutting wire, the steel-core and tungsten-core diamond wire listing notes that kerf, accepted wafer thickness and an independently verified breakage rate are not specified.
Cycle time: where does the cycle start?
A station cycle time may exclude loading, unloading, recipe changes and cleaning. For laminators, our Yiheng single-level two-chamber listing suggests a timed run that includes loading, both chambers, unloading, buffers and cleaning. For the HORAD glass barcode-labeling station, our listing labels the published figure as the fastest claim, not sustained line throughput.
Throughput also depends on the product. The Ooitech SS-1500B stringer table distinguishes 1,000 pieces per hour for back-contact cells from 1,200 for TOPCon and PERC. The Robotechnik texturing machine page advises checking first-pass quality and breakage for each wafer format on their own, rather than relying on the nominal wafers-per-hour figure.
Annual capacity: rebuild the calculation
Megawatt figures are the least comparable. They combine pieces per hour with module power, operating hours, availability and yield, usually without stating them. Our Yiheng profile records a conventional laminator positioned at 100 MW in a directory listing and 50 MW on its detail page, with other figures that lack an operating calendar, module wattage, recipe and yield basis. The same profile displays these differences instead of averaging them.
Comparative claims need a baseline as well. The NAURA VERIS vertical diffusion furnace is promoted with a claim of 50% higher output per tube than a horizontal furnace, yet the load and process used for that comparison are not stated. When a supplier advertises an improvement, ask "compared with what, measured how?"
Use common definitions for time
SEMI E10 defines equipment states and metrics for reliability, availability, maintainability and utilization, so that users and suppliers measure uptime and downtime the same way. Quoting a throughput figure "at E10 productive time" and an availability figure "per E10" removes much of the ambiguity in acceptance discussions. The companion SEMI E79 standard covers equipment productivity on the same state definitions.
Ask for a sustained run
The most useful figure is a sustained run on the buyer's material, long enough to include normal stops, with good output counted by agreed criteria. IEC 62381's factory and site acceptance tests provide a structure for agreeing who runs it, where and with what record. The Maxwell metallization line page adds one more precaution: confirm which machine generation is being offered, and that the drawing and technical sheet belong to it, before relying on any published accuracy or breakage value. For cell stringers specifically, our stringer throughput guide shows how to set up the comparison step by step, and the Autowell AM050EH-FH listing is a reminder to ask for a breakage figure measured on the exact cell thickness and condition you will use.
Sources
Manufacturer specifications are source statements. Confirm configuration and acceptance conditions with the supplier. Our editorial standards
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