Bosch Thermotechnik’s subsidiary Solar Diamant, one of the largest manufacturers of solar collectors in Germany, has been manufacturing the new low-profile collectors lines Basic, Comfort and Top since January 2006 – with brand new product features and on new production lines. The products go on sale in April 2006.

Evolution in development

The previous generation was also technically advanced, featuring high efficiencies and a long service life.

The new generation of low-profile collectors, too, delivers outstanding performance in terms of the absorbed solar radiation thanks to technical innovations. Internationally, there are three differentiated, brand-specific collector lines with an extensive accessory range.

The Top low-profile collector line was developed to heat domestic hot water and also to provide supplementary back-up to the space heating system.
This excellent performance is made possible by the solar safety glass with its high light transmission ratio and the solid copper absorber plate with its highly selective coating. The double meander on the rear of the absorber plate is a technical innovation: the two parallel, multi-S-shaped pipes ensure good transmission of the heat to the solar fluid even at low volumetric flow rates.

The Comfort low-profile collector line is particularly suitable for solar heating of domestic hot water.
Its winning features are its excellent price/performance ratio and robust engineering. The copper strip absorber with its highly selective black chrome coating is unaffected even by extreme ambient conditions.

The Basic low-profile collector line is an inexpensive range for very sunny regions.
It is not just the operating efficiency of solar collectors which is important, but also their ease of fitting: these collectors are simple to fit even at substantial heights thanks to the use of plug connectors and a fibre-glass frame which makes the collectors up to 30 per cent lighter than comparable products with aluminium frames.

As a result of these optimised fixing elements and the low collector weight, it is possible to fit the products on the roof very quickly and securely using just a single tool. Collectors have never been quicker to fit on the roof.

Revolution in production

Nothing has escaped unchanged on the production side. Completely new production workflows, a new ultrasonic welding machine and bonding and jointing technologies stand out. Workshops were run to prepare staff for the changed requirements. "People are our most important production factor," the declares managing director. "We still rely on well trained, flexible, skilled workers in a business which is subject to extreme seasonal fluctuations. That’s because we demand high quality standards, especially for consumer goods such as these which are exposed to severe weather effects yet have particularly long service lives."

Since last spring the production space has been increased by one-third, with the addition of a new building, and with good reason: the growing export business is driving what was already a dynamic business to new heights. This has also had a positive impact on the employment situation.