General Specifications about Solar Ribbon

Solar ribbons, or PV ribbons, are thin, solder-coated copper strips used to connect solar cells in a panel, with specifications varying by application, but generally including a copper base (over 99.90% pure) with good conductivity (over 99%), a tensile strength around 25 kgf/mm², and a solder coating (e.g., Sn60Pb40, Sn96.5Ag3.5) applied to a uniform thickness of 10-40 μm. Key parameters are width (1-6mm), thickness (0.08-0.5mm), and elongation (typically 15-25% minimum). 

Material:

–

Base Material: Copper, with a minimum content of 99.90% and a base copper conductivity of at least 99% IACS.

Solder Coating: The copper is coated with a tin-lead or lead-free alloy, like Sn60/Pb40 or Sn96.5/Ag3.5. The coating thickness is typically 10-40 μm,
applied uniformly on the copper surface.

Purity & Conductivity:

–

Electrical conductivity ≥ 99% IACS ensuring maximum current transfer efficiency.

Dimensions:

–

Tabbing Ribbon: 1.0 – 3.0 mm width × 0.08 – 0.25 mm thickness

–

Bus Ribbon: 3.0 – 7.0 mm width × 0.20 – 0.50 mm thickness

Coating Thickness:

–

15 – 25 μm hot-dip tin coating for oxidation protection and improved solderability.

Solder Alloys:

–

Available in traditional leaded alloys (Sn63Pb37) or RoHS-compliant lead-free alloys such as SAC305 (Sn96.5Ag3Cu0.5).

Mechanical Properties:

–

Tensile Strength: ≤ 270 MPa

–

Yield Strength: ≤ 90 MPa

–

Elongation: ≥ 25% (for ribbons with width < 3 mm)

Durability:

–

Excellent resistance to oxidation, humidity, and thermal cycling to ensure long-term stability and reliability.

Applications:

–

Interconnection of solar cells in photovoltaic modules

–

Current collection and transmission to busbars

–

Suitable for tabber/stringer production lines

–

Customization: Custom width, thickness, coating type, and spool size can be provided according to customer requirements

Packaging:

–

Supplied on spools (HKV 160, K125, or customized) for easy integration into automated manufacturing lines

Examples of specifications for some types of Solar Ribbon

Ribbon Type Flux Pen

1

Round welding wire, copper base for electrical use, made by drawing oxygen-free copper wires, annealing, and tinning.

2

General specifications range from 0.25 mm to 0.4 mm, and special sizes can be customized.

3

Copper base specifications range from 0.23 mm to 0.37 mm, and the tin layer thickness (single side) ranges from 0.012 mm to 0.017 mm.

4

Electrical conductivity (59.6 × 10⁻ S/m).

5

Yield between 55 and 70.

6

Specializing in the production of lead- and silver-based, lead-free, and lead-free photovoltaic welding belts.

Technical Specification

Large module welding tape (sultable for solar large module)

Copper base

Electric Park copper wire rolling or T2 copper strip slitting

Copper substrate resistivity

p≤0.01720mm2/m

Solder composition

62%Sn36%Pb2%Ag

Sn40%60% Pb

60% Sn40% Bi

97% Sn3%Ag

Tin layer thickness

10µm -40µm, uniform on both sides

Thickness tolerance

≤0.008

Width tolerance

The rolled products ≤0.1mm – Slitting Commodities ≤0.005mm

Elongation

the soft state ≥20% – Semi-soft ≥15%

Product specifications

Width 1.0mm -2.5mm, Thickness of 0.08 mm 0.25 mm.

Packing

4Kg, 8Kg two kinds of l-wheel, suitable for automatic welding machine, no break in the middle; Can also cut for customers, carton packaging

Material

Sn Pb

Diameter

1.0mm – 2.5mm

Melting point

international standard

Weight

0.5kg/4Kg/8Kg

Flux Content

1.8%-2.2%

Interconnection Ribbon, Busbar

Technical Specification

1

Specified use

Interconnection ribbons are used to connect front bus bars of one cell to the corresponding rear bus bars of the next cell to achieve a series connection, Busbar are installed around the perimeter of the solar panels; PV bus bar connects interconnect ribbon to the junction box

2

Physical Characteristics:

Ribbon width

1mm-3mm

Ribbon thickness

0.2 mm

Busbar width

5 ~ 6 mm

Busbar thickness

0.1mm-0.5mm

Coating Thickness

10um-40um

Coating tolerance

10%-30%

Lead free solder alloys

Sn 100% Sn 96.5%, Ag3.5%

Leaded

Sn 60%, Pb 40% Sn 62%, Pb 36%, Ag 2%

Copper

Resistivity

0.02Ω.mm²
/m

Electrical Conductivity

100%

Purity

99.9%

Thickness

0.2mm

3

Mechanical characteristics:

Tensile strength

160N/mm2

Yield strength

70N/mm2

Elongation

25%

Fusion temperature of the tin

<220° C

Camber

8mm/ m

Comparison between Tabbing Ribbon and Bus Ribbon

Feature / Property

Tabbing Ribbon

Bus Ribbon

Function

Connects individual solar cells in series

Collects current from multiple cell strings and carries it to the junction box

Width

Narrow (≈ 1.0 – 3.0 mm)

Wider (≈ 3.0 – 7.0 mm)

Thickness

Thin (≈ 0.08 – 0.25 mm)

Thicker (≈ 0.20 – 0.50 mm)

Current Capacity

Handles lower current per cell string 

Handles higher total current for the whole module

Flexibility

More flexible, easier to solder between cells

Less flexible due to larger cross-section

Position in Module

Runs across the surface of individual cells

Runs across the module, connecting multiple strings

Main Purpose

Interconnection between cells

Power collection and transmission