SABIC has announced the launch of its new NORYL™ V0150TW and V0150IR2 materials—the first laser-weldable thermoplastics for photovoltaic (PV) applications.
The two grades, NORYL™ V0150TW (absorbent) and V0150IR2 (transmissive), uniquely combine flame retardancy, excellent weather resistance, and very good sealing properties. As a result, they enable more efficient manufacturing of PV microinverters and other PV components and contribute to greater reliability through improved outdoor durability.
The new materials were honored with the 2026 Silver Edison Award, one of the most prestigious international awards for technological innovation.
“To meet the growing global demand for solar energy, SABIC is developing new specialty materials that accelerate industrial mass production while meeting the highest performance requirements,”said Sergi Monros, Vice President of SABIC Polymers, Specialties BU.“Our laser-weldable NORYL™ grades offer significant advantages over metal and conventional housing plastics—from faster and cleaner assembly to a longer service life under demanding outdoor conditions.”
Micro-inverters convert the direct current generated by solar modules into alternating current. These components, which are used outdoors, require housing solutions with high flame retardancy, weather resistance, and mechanical stability. The new NORYL™ grades meet these requirements with UL94 V0 / 5VA flame resistance, excellent outdoor durability of up to 15 years, and high thermal stability up to 150 °C.
Compared to metal, these materials enable a reduction in component size of up to 40%, a reduction in weight of up to 35%, and a reduction in material usage of up to 30%.
In addition, NORYL™ materials help improve production efficiency. Switching from ultrasonic to laser welding speeds up the assembly process, improves seam quality and leak tightness, and reduces the number of process steps. This results in shorter cycle times and potentially lower system costs.
The new NORYL™ V0 grades are particularly well-suited for enclosures used in solar tracker boxes, junction boxes, solar optimizers, and micro-inverters, and are now available from Plastoplan Kunststoffe.
