Vacuum deposition apparatus and method for coating a substrate

Abstract

The invention relates to a vacuum deposition device for the continuous deposition of a coating formed from a metal or a metal alloy on a moving substrate and comprising: - a central housing comprising a vapor jet coater, the internal walls of the central housing being suitable for being heated to a temperature higher than the condensation temperature of the metal or metal alloy vapor, - a vapor trap located at the substrate outlet of the central housing, the internal walls of the vapor trap being suitable for being maintained at a temperature lower than the condensation temperature of the metal or metal alloy vapor, - a channel connecting the central housing to the vapor trap comprising at least one thermal link extending from the internal walls of the central housing to the internal walls of the vapor trap.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a vacuum deposition apparatus for depositing a coating formed of a metal or a metal alloy, for example such as zinc and zinc-magnesium alloys, on a substrate, said apparatus being more particularly intended for coating steel strips, but not limited thereto. The present invention also relates to a method for coating a substrate of said apparatus.

[0002] Various methods are known for depositing a metal coating, ultimately composed of an alloy, on a substrate, for example a steel strip. Among them, mention can be made of hot-dip coating, electrodeposition and various vacuum deposition processes, for example vacuum evaporation and magnetron sputtering.

[0003] A method for continuously coating a steel substrate is known from WO 97 / 47782, in which a metal vapor spray, propelled at a speed greater than 500 m / s, is brought into contact with the substrate. In order to improve the efficiency of this method, the corresponding vacuum deposition apparatus comprises a deposition chamber, the inner walls of which are adapted to be heated to a temperature high enough to avoid condensation of the metal or metal alloy vapor thereon.

[0004] However, it has been observed that, at the outlet of the deposition chamber, the heat transfer is very high such that the zinc tends to condense heavily around the inlet and outlet of the metal strip. In the case of a conversion to a wider strip, the zinc accumulation can impede the movement of the strip. In order to avoid such accumulation, it is necessary to clean the deposition chamber regularly, which significantly reduces the production rate of the apparatus.

[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to remedy the drawbacks of the apparatus and method of the prior art by providing a vacuum deposition apparatus preventing the condensation of the metal or metal alloy vapor in the opening of the deposition chamber.

[0006] To this end, a first subject of the present invention is a vacuum deposition apparatus for continuously depositing a coating formed of a metal or a metal alloy on a moving substrate, said apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber through which the substrate can be moved along a given path, wherein the vacuum chamber further comprises:

[0007] - a central casing comprising a substrate inlet and a substrate outlet on two opposite sides of the central casing and a vapor jet coater, the inner walls of the central casing being adapted to be heated to a temperature higher than the condensation temperature of the metal or metal alloy vapor,

[0008] - a vapor trap in the form of an outer casing at the substrate outlet of the central casing, the inner walls of the vapor trap being adapted to be maintained at a temperature lower than the condensation temperature of the metal or metal alloy vapor,

[0009] - a channel connecting the central casing to the vapor trap, said channel comprising at least one thermal connector extending from the inner walls of the central casing to the inner walls of the vapor trap.

[0010] The device according to the invention may also have the optional features listed below, considered alone or in combination:

[0011] -The thermal connector comprises an integral metal part;

[0012] -Metal parts with thermal conductivity greater than 20W.m -1 K -1 Made of metal,

[0013] -The metal parts are copper,

[0014] -The thickness of the thermal connector is 6mm to 18mm,

[0015] - the thermal connector has a uniform shape and extends over the entire width of the base outlet of the central housing,

[0016] - the thermal connector has a rectangular cross-section,

[0017] - a thermal connector protrudes into the central housing and comes into contact with the wall of the vapor trap,

[0018] - the thermal connector protrudes inwards from the inner wall of the central housing by at least 4 mm,

[0019] the vapor trap comprises an inwardly facing side, and the thermal connector does not extend beyond the plane of the inner wall of the inwardly facing side of the vapor trap,

[0020] - the vapor trap comprises an inward side intended to be in contact with the central housing, the thermal connector protruding from the inward side in an inward direction and being suitable for being inserted in the cavity of the central housing,

[0021] - the base outlet of the central housing comprises a thermal connector protruding from the base outlet and adapted to come into contact with a wall of the vapor trap,

[0022] - the central housing comprises a local heater adjacent to the thermal connector,

[0023] - the vacuum deposition apparatus further comprises a second vapor trap located at the substrate inlet of the central housing,

[0024] - the channel connecting the central housing to the vapor trap comprises two thermal connectors, one below the base path and the other above the base path,

[0025] The thermal connector protrudes into the vapor trap and is in contact with the wall of the central housing.

[0026] A second subject of the invention is a kit for assembling a vacuum deposition apparatus for continuously depositing a coating formed of a metal or a metal alloy on a moving substrate, said kit comprising:

[0027] a central housing comprising a substrate inlet and a substrate outlet on two opposite sides of the central housing and a vapor outlet orifice of the vapor jet coater, the inner wall of the central housing being suitable for being heated to a temperature above the condensation temperature of the metal or metal alloy vapor,

[0028] a vapor trap in the form of an external housing adapted to be located at the base outlet of said central housing, the inner wall of the vapor trap being adapted to be maintained at a temperature below the condensation temperature of the metal or metal alloy vapor,

[0029] A thermal connector adapted to be inserted in the base outlet of the central housing and extending at least from the inner wall of the central housing to the inner wall of the vapour trap.

[0030] As will be explained, the present invention is based on a step-by-step control of the thermal gradient starting from the outlet of the central housing of the vacuum chamber, thanks to the addition of at least one vapor trap and at least one thermal connector located in the channel connecting the central housing to the vapor trap, so that the outlet of the central housing is kept at the temperature of the central housing, while the thermal gradient appears only in the vapor trap.

[0031] Further features and advantages of the present invention will be described in more detail in the following description.

[0032] The present invention will be better understood by reading the following description, which is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way, with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0033] - Figure 1 is a cross-section of an embodiment of the device according to the invention.

[0034] - Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a vacuum chamber according to the present invention.

[0035] - Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a cross-section of an embodiment of a joint between a center casing and a vapor trap according to the present invention.

[0036] It should be noted that the terms "lower", "beneath", "inward", "inwardly", "outward", "outwardly", "upstream", "downstream", ... as used in this application refer to the position and orientation of the different constituent elements of the equipment when the latter are installed on a vacuum deposition line.

[0037] The present invention aims to deposit a coating made of a metal or a metal alloy on a substrate. In particular, zinc or zinc-magnesium coatings are intended. However, the method is not limited to these coatings but preferably encompasses any coating based on a single metal or a metal alloy whose elements differ in vapor pressure at the bath temperature by no more than 10%, thus facilitating control of their relative contents.

[0038] To give an indication, mention may therefore be made of coatings made of zinc as the main element and additional elements such as chromium, nickel, titanium, manganese, magnesium, silicon and aluminum, considered alone or in combination.

[0039] The coating thickness is preferably between 0.1 μm and 20 μm. On the one hand, below 0.1 μm there is a risk of insufficient corrosion protection of the substrate. On the other hand, it is not necessary to exceed 20 μm to achieve the level of corrosion resistance required, particularly in the automotive or construction sectors. Typically, for automotive applications, the thickness can be limited to 10 μm.

[0040] Reference Figure 1 , the device 1 according to the invention comprises firstly a vacuum chamber 2 and means for moving a substrate through the chamber.

[0041] The vacuum chamber 2 is preferably maintained at 10 -8 Bar to 10 -3 It has an entry lock and an exit lock (these are not shown) between which a substrate S (such as a steel strip, for example) can be moved along a given path P in a moving direction.

[0042] The substrate S may be moved by any suitable means, depending on the nature and shape of the substrate. In particular, rotating support rollers 3 may be used on which the steel strip may be carried.

[0043] The vacuum chamber 2 comprises a central housing 4. This is a box that surrounds the substrate path P over a given length (typically 2 to 8 m long) in the direction of travel. Its walls define a cavity. It comprises two openings, a substrate inlet 5 and a substrate outlet 6, located on opposite sides of the central housing. Preferably, the central housing is a parallelepiped with a width slightly greater than the substrate to be coated.

[0044] The walls of the central housing are adapted to be heated. Heating can be performed by any suitable means (e.g., an induction heater, a heating resistor, an electron beam). The heating means are adapted to heat the inner walls of the central housing to a temperature high enough to prevent condensation of metal or metal alloy vapors thereon. Preferably, the walls of the central housing are adapted to be heated to a temperature above the condensation temperature of the metallic element forming the coating to be deposited, typically above 500°C, for example, between 500°C and 700°C, to prevent condensation of zinc vapor or zinc-magnesium alloy vapor. Due to these heating means, the inner walls of the central housing do not become clogged, and the equipment does not need to be frequently shut down for cleaning.

[0045] Reference Figure 2The central casing 4 also comprises a vapor jet coater 7, preferably located on a side of the central casing parallel to the path of the substrate, alongside the surface of the substrate S that must be coated. This coater is suitable for spraying a metal or metal alloy vapor onto the moving substrate S. It can advantageously consist of an extraction chamber provided with a narrow vapor outlet orifice 71, the length of which is close to the width of the substrate to be coated.

[0046] The vapor outlet orifice 71 can have any suitable shape, for example, like a slit that can be adjusted longitudinally and transversely. The possibility of adapting its length to the width of the substrate to be coated makes it possible to minimize the loss of evaporated metal.

[0047] The coater is preferably an acoustic wave vapor jet coater, that is to say a coater capable of producing a jet of vapor at the speed of sound. This type of coater is also commonly known as a JVD (Jet Vapor Deposition) device. The reader can refer to patent application WO 97 / 47782 for a more complete description of one variant of this type of device. The coater can be coupled to any kind of metal vapor generator, for example, like an inductively heated evaporation crucible or an electromagnetic levitation vapor generator.

[0048] Preferably, the central casing is surrounded by a thermal insulation panel, itself preferably surrounded by a cooling panel. This allows to reduce the thermal losses in the vacuum chamber 2 and to improve the energy performance of the central casing.

[0049] The vacuum chamber 2 also comprises a vapor trap 8 in the form of an external casing located at the substrate outlet 6 of the central casing 4, that is to say, downstream of the central casing in the direction of movement of the substrate.

[0050] Preferably, the vacuum chamber 2 also comprises a second vapor trap 8 in the form of an external casing located at the substrate inlet 5 of the central casing 4, that is to say, upstream of the central casing in the direction of movement of the substrate.

[0051] Each vapor trap 8 is a box that surrounds the path of the substrate over a given length in the direction of movement, generally 0.2 m to 7 m long, for example 0.5 to 3.5 times the width of the substrate. Its walls delimit a cavity. It comprises inward and outward openings 9 and 10 located on two opposite sides of the vapor trap and suitable for the entry and exit of the substrate into and out of the vapor trap. The inward opening 9 is adjacent to the central casing, while the outward opening 10 is in the opposite position.

[0052] Preferably, in longitudinal section, the vapor trap 8 has a trapezoidal shape pointing in the opposite direction to the central housing. In this configuration, the base line of the trapezoid is positioned perpendicularly and adjacent to the central housing. Thanks to this positioning of the base line, the walls of the vapor trap surrounding the openings 5, 6 of the central housing are as far as possible from the openings, which further reduces the risk of clogging the openings due to the deposition of metal on the cold walls of the vapor trap located near the openings. In this configuration, the outward edges of the trapezoid converge so as to capture as much vapor as possible before it exits through the outward opening 10.

[0053] The walls of the vapor trap 8 are adapted to be thermally regulated. The thermal regulation can be performed by any suitable means, for example, like a cooling circuit supplied with a heat transfer fluid, for example, like water or nitrogen. The thermal regulation means are adapted to maintain the inner walls of the vapor trap at a temperature as low as to favor the condensation of metal or metal alloy vapor on the inner walls (typically below 100°C). Thanks to these thermal regulation means, the metal or metal alloy vapor escaping the central housing is captured and not released into the vacuum chamber, which would be clogged in case of release into the vacuum chamber.

[0054] Each vapor trap 8 is in contact with the central housing 4. In particular, the inward opening 9 of the first vapor trap, of the second vapor trap, respectively, is aligned with the base inlet 5 of the central housing, with the base outlet 6 of the central housing, respectively, so as to form a channel connecting the central housing to each vapor trap.

[0055] The channel connecting the central housing to each vapor trap is adapted to smooth the thermal transition between the central housing and the vapor trap compared to the thermal transition that would occur if the channel was a simple opening on a straight wall.

[0056] Thanks to this smoothing, the openings 5, 6 of the central housing are not cold spots where metal vapor preferably condenses. Therefore, the deposition of metal at these locations of the central housing can be drastically reduced, thus avoiding the clogging of the apparatus. Moreover, thanks to the elimination of cold spots, the vapor is more prone to condense on the base, which increases the deposition yield.

[0057] To this end, the channel connecting the central housing to the vapor trap comprises at least one thermal connector 11, like Figure 3 as shown. The thermal connector comprises two ends, namely an inward end 12 and an outward end 13, namely one end in contact with the central housing and the other end in contact with the vapor trap. The thermal connector 11 can be realized by any suitable means adapted to conduct heat from the central housing to the vapor trap while keeping the end of the thermal connector in contact with the central housing at a temperature higher than the condensation temperature of the metal or metal alloy vapor.

[0058] The thermal connector is heated by radiation in the central casing and the heat is transmitted to the cold part of the vapor trap by conduction.

[0059] The thermal connector preferably comprises a solid metal piece. It can comprise several solid metal pieces assembled to each other, but one single piece is preferred to avoid singular points. The metal piece is preferably made of a metal having a thermal conductivity greater than 20 W.m -1 K -1 -1 K"1, for example such as copper, aluminum, stainless steel, brass. Copper is preferred because, based on the understanding that the length of the thermal connector is in the direction of movement, the high thermal conductivity of copper helps to shorten the length of the thermal connector.

[0060] The thermal connector is preferably thicker than the side of the vapor trap, so as to remain at the temperature of the central casing while it conducts heat to the vapor trap. The thickness of the thermal connector is preferably between 6 mm and 18 mm, to be effectively heated by radiation in the central casing, while not being excessively cooled by the vapor trap.

[0061] The thermal connector preferably has a uniform shape and extends over the entire width of the opening 5 and / or of the opening 6 of the central casing 2. This favors a uniform temperature along the width of the substrate inlet 5 or of the substrate outlet 6, and thus a uniform behavior of the metal vapor in the vicinity of the central casing opening.

[0062] The thermal connector preferably has a rectangular cross-section, to have an improved compromise between being heated by the central casing and being cooled by the vapor trap.

[0063] According to one embodiment of the application, the passage connecting the central casing to the vapor trap comprises at least one thermal connector 11 projecting into the central casing and in contact with the wall of the vapor trap.

[0064] According to one variant of this embodiment, the inwardly facing side of the vapor trap intended to be in contact with the central casing comprises a thermal connector projecting from the inwardly facing side in the inward direction and suitable for being interposed in the cavity of the central casing. In other words, the periphery of the inward opening 9 of the vapor trap comprises at least one thermal connector extending outwardly from the vapor trap.

[0065] Thanks to this projection of the thermal connector in the central casing, the inward end of the thermal connector is more easily kept at the temperature of the central casing, which reduces the risk of a temperature drop of the thermal connector below the condensation temperature of the metal or metal alloy vapor.

[0066] As Figure 3As illustrated in the middle, the first vapor trap 8, the second vapor trap 8 can each comprise two thermal connectors 11 which are each at least partially inserted in the base inlet 5, the base outlet 6 of the central housing 4 and in contact with the wall of the vapor trap. One thermal connector is inserted below the base path, the other thermal connector is inserted above the base path.

[0067] The length of the thermal connectors is adjusted so that, once the central housing and the vapor trap are connected, the inward end 12 protrudes inwardly from the opening of the central housing. Preferably, the length of the thermal connectors is adjusted so that, once the central housing and the vapor trap are connected, the inward end 12 protrudes inwardly from the inner wall of the central housing by at least 4 mm, and more preferably by 6 mm to 60 mm.

[0068] The outward end 13 of the thermal connectors preferably does not extend beyond the plane of the inner wall of the inward side of the vapor trap. Thanks to this perpendicularity between the outward end and the inner wall, the vapor which exits the central housing and enters the vapor trap through the passage condenses on the wall located as far as possible from the passage, so there is no metal accumulation in the passage.

[0069] It has been observed that, in the case where the deposition of the metal alloy in the central housing requires very high temperatures, the thermal transition between the central housing and the vapor trap can be so high that the thermal conduction between the thermal connectors and the cold parts of the vapor trap can cool the thermal connectors below the temperature at which the vapor condenses. To avoid this cooling of the thermal connectors, the central housing preferably comprises a further local heater 14 adjacent to the thermal connectors. The local heater can be positioned adjacent to the inward end 12 of the thermal connectors in the central housing, or in the wall thickness of the central housing adjacent to the thermal connectors. The local heater can be implemented by any suitable means, for example, such as an induction heater, a heating resistor.

[0070] According to another variant of this embodiment, the vacuum deposition device differs from the first variant of this embodiment only in that the opening 5 and / or the opening 6 of the central housing intended to come into contact with the inward side of the vapor trap comprises a thermal connector which protrudes from the opening in the inward direction and is adapted to come into contact with the wall of the vapor trap. In other words, the periphery of the opening of the central housing comprises at least one thermal connector which extends inwardly.

[0071] According to a second embodiment of the application, the passage connecting the central housing to the vapor trap comprises at least one thermal connector 11 which protrudes into the vapor trap and is in contact with the wall of the central housing.

[0072] According to a variant of this embodiment, the opening 5 and / or 6 of the central casing intended to come into contact with the inward side of the vapor trap comprises a thermal connector protruding from the opening in the outward direction and adapted to be interposed in the cavity of the vapor trap. In other words, the periphery of the opening of the central casing comprises at least one thermal connector extending outward.

[0073] The opening 5 and / or 6 of the central casing can comprise two thermal connectors interposed at least partially in the inward opening of the vapor trap and in contact with the walls of the vapor trap. One thermal connector is interposed below the base path, the other thermal connector is interposed above the base path.

[0074] The length of the thermal connectors is adjusted so that, once the central casing and the vapor trap are connected, the outward end 13 of the thermal connectors protrudes from its inward opening into the vapor trap. Preferably, the length of the thermal connectors is adjusted so that, once the central casing and the vapor trap are connected, the outward end 13 protrudes at least 4 mm, and more preferably 6 mm to 60 mm, from the inner walls of the vapor trap.

[0075] The central casing 4 preferably comprises a further local heater 14 adjacent to the thermal connectors. The local heater can be positioned adjacent to the inward end 12 of the thermal connectors in the central casing, or adjacent to the thermal connectors in the wall thickness of the central casing. The local heater can be implemented by any suitable means, for example, such as an induction heater, a heating resistor.

[0076] According to another variant of this embodiment, the vacuum deposition device differs from the first variant of the second embodiment in that the inward side of the vapor trap intended to come into contact with the central casing comprises a thermal connector protruding from the inward side in the inward direction and adapted to be interposed in the cavity of the central casing. In other words, the periphery of the inward opening 9 of the vapor trap comprises at least one thermal connector extending inward in the vapor trap.

[0077] According to a third embodiment of the application, the passage connecting the central casing to the vapor trap comprises at least one thermal connector 11 protruding into both the vapor trap and the central casing. The features described in the first and second embodiments apply to this third embodiment.

[0078] Tests were carried out on a vacuum deposition device to evaluate the amount of metal (zinc in this case) deposited in the two passages connecting the central casing to two vapor traps.

[0079] The amount of zinc vaporized was obtained by weighing the evaporation crucible feeding the vapor jet coater before and after the test. The amount of zinc deposited was obtained by bringing the passages and the vapor trap into contact with an acidic solution to dissolve the zinc. The amount of dissolution was then measured by inductively coupled plasma.

[0080] In 10 -1 A first test, carried out at a pressure of 10 mbar, on a steel substrate of 500 mm width, with the steam outlet holes 71 on each side of the substrate 10 mm wide compared to the steel substrate, showed that for 13.5 Kg of evaporated zinc, 1.473 g of zinc was deposited on the thermal connector, which corresponds to a build-up of 0.0109%.

[0081] By contrast, a test carried out on the same conditions on a device without thermal connector showed that 1.835 g of zinc was deposited at the inward opening 9 of the steam trap, which corresponds to an increase in build-up of 25%.

[0082] In 10 -1 A second test, carried out at a pressure of 10 mbar, on a steel substrate of 300 mm width, in less favourable conditions, i.e. with the steam outlet holes on each side of the substrate 50 mm wide compared to the steel substrate, showed that for 10.5 Kg of evaporated zinc, 2.889 g of zinc was deposited on the thermal connector, which corresponds to a build-up of 0.0275%.

[0083] By contrast, a test carried out on the same conditions on a device without thermal connector showed that 4.915 g of zinc was deposited at the inward opening 9 of the steam trap, which corresponds to an increase in build-up of 70%.

[0084] The device according to the application is more particularly suitable for the treatment of metal strips, whether pre-coated or bare. Of course, the method according to the application can be used for any coated or uncoated substrate, for example, such as aluminium strips, zinc strips, copper strips, glass strips or ceramic strips.

Claims

1. A vacuum deposition apparatus (1) for continuously depositing a coating formed of a metal or a metal alloy on a moving substrate (S), the apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber (2), the substrate (S) being movable through the vacuum chamber (2) along a given substrate path (P), wherein the vacuum deposition apparatus (1) further comprises: a central housing (4) comprising a substrate inlet (5) and a substrate outlet (6) on two opposite sides of the central housing and a vapor jet coater (7), the inner wall of the central housing being capable of being heated to a temperature above the condensation temperature of the metal or metal alloy vapor, a vapor trap (8) in the form of an external housing located at the substrate outlet (6) of the central housing, the vapor trap (8) surrounding the substrate path (P) over a given length in the direction of movement, the inner wall of the vapor trap being capable of being maintained at a temperature below the condensation temperature of the vapor of the metal or the metal alloy, - a channel connecting the central housing to the steam trap, said channel comprising at least one thermal connector (11) extending at least from the inner wall of the central housing to the inner wall of the steam trap.

2. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thermal connector (11) comprises a unitary metal piece.

3. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the metal member is made of a metal having a thermal conductivity greater than 20 W.m -1 K -1 made of metal. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the metal member is copper.

5. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the thickness of the thermal connector (11) is 6 mm to 18 mm.

6. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the thermal connector (11) has a uniform shape and extends over the entire width of the substrate outlet (6) of the central housing.

7. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the thermal connector (11) has a rectangular cross-section.

8. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the thermal connector (11) protrudes into the central housing and contacts a wall of the vapor trap.

9. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the thermal connector (11) protrudes inwardly from the inner wall of the central housing by at least 4 mm.

10. The vacuum deposition apparatus of claim 8, wherein the vapor trap (8) comprises an inwardly facing side, and wherein the thermal connector (11) does not extend beyond the plane of an inner wall of the inwardly facing side of the vapor trap.

11. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the vapor trap (8) comprises an inward side intended to be in contact with the central housing, the thermal connector protruding from the inward side in an inward direction and being inserted in a cavity of the central housing.

12. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the substrate outlet (6) of the central housing comprises a thermal connector (11) protruding from the substrate outlet and in contact with a wall of the vapor trap.

13. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the central housing (4) comprises a local heater (14) adjacent to the thermal connector (11).

14. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a second vapor trap located at the substrate inlet (5) of the central housing.

15. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the channel connecting the central housing to the vapor trap comprises two thermal connectors (11), one below the substrate path (P) and the other above the substrate path (P).

16. The vacuum deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the thermal connector (11) protrudes into the vapor trap (8) and contacts a wall of the central housing (4).

17. A kit for assembling a vacuum deposition apparatus for continuously depositing a coating formed of a metal or a metal alloy on a moving substrate (S), the kit comprising a vacuum chamber (2) and, arranged in the vacuum chamber (2): a central housing (4) comprising a substrate inlet (5) and a substrate outlet (6) on two opposite sides of the central housing and a vapor outlet orifice (71) of a vapor jet coater (7), the inner wall of the central housing being capable of being heated to a temperature above the condensation temperature of the vapor of the metal or the metal alloy, a vapor trap (8) in the form of an external housing located at the substrate outlet (6) of the central housing, the vapor trap (8) surrounding the substrate path (P) over a given length in the direction of movement, the inner wall of the vapor trap being capable of being maintained at a temperature below the condensation temperature of the vapor of the metal or metal alloy, - a thermal connector (11) inserted in the base outlet of the central housing and extending at least from the inner wall of the central housing to the inner wall of the vapor trap.

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