en.Wedoany.com Reported - Wacker Chemie AG's semiconductor-grade polysilicon cleaning line at its Burghausen plant in Germany has achieved a capacity increase of over 50% following a full automation upgrade. The project was implemented by SCIO Automation as the general contractor, with the contract signed in spring 2022, commissioning starting in March 2024, testing phase beginning in September of the same year, and official operation commencing in 2025.
Driven by growing demand in the semiconductor industry, Wacker Chemie required a fully automated end-to-end solution that combines purity, process reliability, and scalability. After the contract was awarded in May 2022, multiple departments within SCIO collaborated: Warehouse Intrasolutions led project management, SCI (Schiller Cleanroom Intralogistics) provided cleanroom logistics expertise, and teams from Munich and Duisburg were responsible for robotic solutions and technical documentation support. The project team completed the digital layout planning for the entire facility within a few months.
The facility includes a central high-bay warehouse for small load carriers (SLC), equipped with a conveyor system, process equipment transfer point handling devices, and input/output stations. The high-bay warehouse features a five-digit storage location capacity, 6 aisles (stacker cranes), and double-deep storage, measuring approximately 30 meters in length with a height twice its width. The conveyor technology section encompasses over 500 meters of carrier conveyor technology and process tray conveyor technology, with 8 robots (including lid grippers, tray grippers, and emptying grippers) distributed across 2 levels, supplying to 5 interfaces, and equipped with 5 fire doors as conveyor system closures. The entire system includes eight robotic work cells and a customized stainless steel conveyor system to meet the highest requirements for precision and cleanliness when handling polysilicon.
Digital twin technology played a central role in project implementation, enabling the team to comprehensively test all interactions between IT and plant components and train operators in advance, thereby significantly accelerating the subsequent on-site commissioning process. The project imposed extremely high requirements for preventing product contamination. Since previously deposited silicon rods inevitably introduce trace contamination from foreign atoms during crushing, the crushed silicon chips must be etched with high-concentration acid to ensure surface cleanliness. Wacker provided material samples for testing. Thanks to SCI's prior experience in installing over 50 meters of cleanroom conveyor technology under the codenamed "Umbrella Project," the team gained a deep understanding of Wacker Chemie's specific requirements. The entire system was implemented with high precision, with the complete conveyor system, including cleanroom conveyor technology and dedicated carrier conveyor technology, supplied from a single source.
Internal collaboration within SCIO led to further milestones: from pre-assembly of the conveyor system in Benningen, to factory acceptance testing in Osterhofen, and virtual commissioning in June 2023, all progressed efficiently.
Wacker Chemie AG is a globally operating specialty chemical products manufacturer, and its semiconductor division is a key supplier to the international semiconductor industry, offering over 3,000 products. The research and innovation projects initiated by the company have received funding of up to 46 million euros under the EU's "Important Projects of Common European Interest" (IPCEI) for microelectronics and communication technology, with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE), the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, and the European Union.
This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com
