Case Study: Sunvapor achieves sub-millimeter solar collector assembly with Hexagon’s MoveInspect XR8

Development of a virtual jig for precision assembly of a solar collector

Sunvapor, a California-based technology developer, sought to automate the precise assembly of its large solar thermal collectors. Manual assembly with physical alignment jigs was labor-intensive, costly, and required significant on-site infrastructure, creating a major bottleneck for deploying its zero-emissions solar steam technology. To overcome this, Sunvapor worked with vendor Hexagon to utilize its MoveInspect XR8 photogrammetry system.

The solution involved integrating Hexagon’s real-time photogrammetry system with an industrial robot to create a "Virtual Jig." This system guided the robot to position mirror brackets with sub-millimetre accuracy, eliminating the need for physical jigs. In a factory acceptance test, the solution achieved a standard deviation of just 180 microns, far exceeding the 1-millimeter goal, and successfully demonstrated the feasibility of fully automated, high-precision assembly for large-scale outdoor applications.

Sunvapor

Philip Gleckman

Chief Executive Officer