Before joining M10, Nils was researching at Fraunhofer ISE. There he focused on the Shingle Interconnection Technology which makes him the perfect addition to Team M10. Here he can now support M10 and SPHINX with this scientific background in making the project a success story and at the same time work on the industrialization of what he did in the laboratories of Fraunhofer ISE.
What was your original motivation to become a researcher/project manager?
Curiosity in the beginning. After starting research I learned about myself that I love to take a real close look at a specific problem and dig into it until I found solution or answer. I still today like to see myself rather as the researcher than the project manager, just because it’s more fun solving problems than organizing the problem solving process. Of course I do not always get to do it, but every time it happens, it’s a personal highlight.
What is your (main) research area today?
Well, since I am only one year at M10 and we’re a comparably small team: there are lots of different tasks on my plate and sometimes too few time to really dig deep. But I still get to develop analytics methods e.g. for quality inspections by analyzing X-Ray and camera images to determine positioning precision of our machine. Besides this, I get to continue a topic of my time as researcher at Fraunhofer ISE: partial shading resilience of the shingle matrix technology.
What is the main focus of your team in SPHINX?
In Sphinx we’re involved upgrading the current lab manufacturing line at Fraunhofer ISE with Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV). With these autonomous drones we can create flexible links between manufacturing equipment without having to rely on conveyors which would render a laboratory line inaccessible for the day-to-day activities.
Could you describe your favorite moment/satisfaction when working for the project and – more in general – for your organization?
It is a little too early in the project to come up with a specific “project-moment” but I am sure, it’ll come. Maybe, when our AGV is on it’s secret easter egg program, delivering a cold end-of-business-beverage. Of course this program would require a certain combination of inputs to be activated. But now for real and with the danger of sounding a little cheesy: most days are highlights, because as a small company we get to take care of a lot of different things. So you get the satisfaction of solving problems on a daily basis.
How do you expect SPHINX results will affect your organization and the PV sector?
We will get to know how to work with AGVs and what they can do and what not. This will not affect us on the short run. Right now, we’re not an integrator for entire manufacturing lines, but who knows where the journey will lead us and it’s never a loss to have tried things before. And projects like SPHINX offer us the opportunity to do exactly that.
Which partner would you like to nominate next for this coffee break?
I’d love to hear John’s opinion on the project and really hope it’s as entertaining as all of our project meeting usually are.
