Lion King Roll to Roll PVD Vacuum Coating Machine

Technology Overview

Roll to Roll (R2R) PVD vacuum coating is an advanced physical vapor deposition technology designed for continuous coating of flexible substrates in a vacuum environment (pressure < 10⁻³ Torr). This innovative process utilizes magnetron sputtering or evaporation techniques to deposit thin films of metals, oxides, nitrides, or carbides onto flexible materials, providing superior functional and decorative properties. The R2R PVD method excels in high-volume production of coated flexible materials for electronics, packaging, and industrial applications.

Working Principle

A Roll to Roll PVD vacuum coating machine performs continuous thin film deposition on flexible substrates through a precisely controlled sequence of processes. The system maintains substrate tension and vacuum conditions throughout the entire production cycle to ensure uniform coating quality.

Step-by-step working principle:

1. Unwinding System Setup:

The flexible substrate roll (e.g., plastic film, metal foil) is loaded onto the unwinding station. Tension control systems are engaged to maintain proper substrate tautness during processing.

1. Vacuum Chamber Evacuation:

The multi-zone vacuum chamber is evacuated to the required process pressure using a combination of mechanical, Roots, and diffusion pumps to reach ultimate vacuum levels ≤5×10⁻⁴ Pa.

1. Pre-treatment Process:

The substrate undergoes plasma cleaning or surface activation to remove contaminants and improve coating adhesion. This step uses argon plasma to etch the substrate surface.

1. Deposition Zone Entry:

The pre-treated substrate enters the deposition zone where material is vaporized from solid targets using magnetron sputtering or evaporation sources.

1. Film Deposition:

Vaporized material condenses on the moving substrate surface, forming a thin film. Reactive gases (N₂, O₂) can be introduced to form compound coatings (nitrides, oxides).

1. Cooling & Solidification:

The coated substrate passes through a cooling zone to stabilize the deposited film structure before exiting the vacuum chamber.

1. Winding Process:

The coated substrate is wound onto a take-up roll under controlled tension, ensuring proper handling of the finished material.

1. Process Control:

Advanced PLC systems monitor and adjust deposition parameters in real-time, including line speed, target power, gas flow rates, and vacuum levels to maintain consistent coating quality.

Key Advantages

High Production Efficiency: Continuous processing enables production speeds of 10–300 meters per minute, suitable for large-scale manufacturing.

Superior Coating Uniformity: Achieves thickness uniformity within ±3% across the substrate width and length, ensuring consistent performance.

Material Versatility: Capable of depositing various materials including metals (Al, Ag, Cu), oxides (SiO₂, Al₂O₃), nitrides (SiNx), and carbides on diverse flexible substrates.

Excellent Barrier Properties: Coatings provide superior moisture and oxygen barrier performance (as low as 0.1 cc/m²/day for oxygen transmission rate).

Cost-Effective Production: High material utilization rate (>85%) and reduced waste compared to batch processing methods.

Environmentally Friendly: Solvent-free process with no hazardous waste generation, meeting EU RoHS and ISO 14001 standards.

Applied Industries

Flexible Electronics: Touch panels, flexible displays, OLEDs, and printed circuit boards.

Packaging: Food and pharmaceutical packaging, barrier films, and metallized packaging materials.

Energy: Solar cell components, battery electrodes, and energy storage devices.

Industrial Films: Decorative films, protective films, and functional membranes.

Automotive: Interior decorative films, control panel surfaces, and sensor components.

Consumer Goods: Flexible packaging, gift wrapping, and electronic device components.

Coating Effects & Functional Properties

The Roll to Roll PVD system can produce various functional coatings with specific performance characteristics:

Optical Coatings: Transparent conductive films, anti-reflective coatings, and light-filtering films.

Barrier Coatings: High-performance moisture and oxygen barriers for packaging applications.

Conductive Coatings: Low-resistance conductive films for electronic applications (surface resistance <10 Ω/sq).

Decorative Coatings: Metallic finishes (gold, silver, chrome) with excellent abrasion resistance.

Protective Coatings: Scratch-resistant and corrosion-resistant films for enhanced durability.

Structure Types

Single-Chamber Design: Compact configuration for simple coating applications with limited substrate width requirements.

Multi-Chamber Design: Modular system with separate zones for pre-treatment, deposition, and cooling, allowing complex multi-layer coatings.

Wide-Width Configuration: Specialized design for substrates up to 2000mm width, ideal for packaging and large-format applications.

High-Speed Configuration: Optimized for maximum production throughput with advanced tension control for thin, delicate substrates.

Substrate Materials

Flexible plastics (PET, PP, PE, PI), metal foils (Al, Cu), paper, textiles, and composite materials.

Coating Materials

Metals: Aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), chromium (Cr).

Oxides: Silicon dioxide (SiO₂), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), titanium oxide (TiO₂).

Nitrides: Silicon nitride (SiNx), titanium nitride (TiN).

Alloys: Various alloy targets for specialized functional coatings.

Supporting Production Lines

Integrates with pre-coating cleaning systems, plasma treatment modules, and post-coating inspection systems (optical thickness measurement, defect detection).

Consumables

Target materials (Al, Cu, Ag, SiO₂, etc.), process gases (Ar, N₂, O₂), and vacuum pump oils.

Applications

Electronics: Flexible displays, touch screens, and printed electronics requiring conductive and protective coatings.

Packaging: High-barrier films for food preservation and pharmaceutical packaging.

Energy: Photovoltaic films and battery components with specialized functional coatings.

Automotive: Decorative and protective films for interior and exterior applications.

Customization

Our R2R PVD systems feature adjustable deposition zones, multi-target configurations, and advanced tension control systems. Customization options include web width, number of coating stations, and specialized process modules for unique application requirements.