NAS President Wegner Cites Teamwork, Experience as Keys to Success

Mark Wegner, president and co-founder of Northfield Automation Systems (NAS), knows well the difficulties, the pressures and the stresses faced by process engineers and others wrestling with precision automation challenges. Why? Because, he points out with a smile, he has lived on that side of the fence.

As a former Process Engineering Manager and R&D Engineer for Sheldahl, Wegner was a key part of a roll-to-roll flexible electronics manufacturing culture. He worked to identify and implement the new technology that would help his team meet the tighter tolerances required by the industry.

Today, at Northfield Automation Systems, Wegner directs a highly qualified team of engineers - engineers who have significant expertise in manufacturing - as they create high quality, precision process automation solutions. NAS designs, engineers and fabricates automation machinery for OEMs and high-volume, custom manufacturers. The company's engineers provide consultative support for streamlined manufacturing processes with turnkey, integrated equipment.

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In the News: Thin-film Solar

Thin-film solar technology is everywhere in the media these days, commanding attention in publications as varied as Scientific American, Wired, Forbes, Industry Week, Time and Rolling Stone. This next-generation solar technology is here now and shows enormous promise in making solar energy competitive with other energy technologies.

Imagine that your windows, or your window blinds, or even the exterior of your house could incorporate solar cells and deliver a steady supply of renewable energy to your home. That's the promise of thin-film solar cells (TFSC), in which extremely thin layers of photovoltaic material are placed on a versatile substrate that can be used in innovative ways.

The manufacturing methods involved in thin-film solar technology allow for quantum leaps in production speed, and they use much less silicon in production than conventional photovoltaics, saving significant costs. In fact, it's been estimated that high-speed roll-to-roll thin-film printing has the potential to produce as many square meters of solar cells in an hour as a conventional crystalline silicon solar cell plant can produce in a year.

With nearly 75 years' combined experience in roll-to-roll thin material handling, Northfield Automation is at the front edge of this thin-film solar technology. Already Northfield Automation produces top-quality thin-film solar processing equipment for several industry leaders in TFSC manufacturing. Our equipment facilitates a full array of photovoltaic technologies, including CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide), CdTe (cadmium telluride), ASi (amorphous silicon), and dye-sensitized solar cells.

To learn more about our custom solutions, our material knowledge and our material handling processes, visit our website. To learn more about what thin-film solar or other thin materials can do for your business, e-mail Darin Stotz, Director of Sales and Marketing.

Watch For Us at Solar Power International and FlexTech!

Northfield Automation Systems will be an exhibitor at Solar Power International 2010 on October 12-14 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, and at the 10th annual Flexible Electronics and Displays Conference taking place February 7-10, 2011, in Phoenix, Arizona.

For more information on either event, visit our events page.