Vacuum coating mechanism and continuous vacuum coating device for flexible strip

Abstract

The present application provides a vacuum coating mechanism and a continuous vacuum coating device for flexible strips, and relates to the field of multi-stage vacuum structures. The vacuum coating mechanism includes a shell and a plurality of rollers. The shell has a feed end, a discharge end, and a vacuum chamber located therebetween, and the vacuum chamber is used to connect to a vacuum pump; a plurality of rollers are respectively located at the feed end and the discharge end, and each roller is rotatably arranged in the shell, and a slit connected to the vacuum chamber is formed between each roller and the shell, and the slit is used for the flexible strip to pass through, the pressure outside the vacuum coating mechanism is P1, and the pressure inside the vacuum chamber is P2, and the width of the slit is configured as follows: when the change of P1 is higher than 500 times, the change of P2 is set within 1 times. During the process of vacuum coating, the vacuum coating mechanism can feed the flexible strip into and out of the vacuum chamber without passing through a switch, so that continuous vacuum coating of the flexible strip can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of multi-stage vacuum structures, and in particular to a vacuum coating mechanism for flexible strips and a continuous vacuum coating device. Background Art

[0002] Vacuum coating technology has developed rapidly in the past two decades. In the surface treatment industry, it has the advantages of thin film layer, high film uniformity, high density, and physical and chemical deposition. Especially in the optical industry, its nano-scale film can change the propagation of light to increase or decrease the transmittance / reflection effect, which is currently a very advanced technology.

[0003] After the rapid development of the vacuum coating industry, vacuum coating equipment has become a common processing machinery in the industrial field. Common applications include optical instrument coating, large-area glass energy-saving coating, display system component protective film, super-hard diamond-like film, solar photovoltaic film, etc. With the progress of the industry, flexible material coating has become a new technology growth point, such as window film for household cars, display material film for folding screen mobile phones, and composite current collector film for lithium-ion batteries, which have begun to show a huge market and rapid development trend.

[0004] The existing vacuum film-forming machinery corresponding to hard substrates cannot meet the emerging flexible material coating needs. The production rhythm of flexible coating equipment is obviously dependent on the speed of feeding in and out of raw materials and finished products. There is an urgent need for a mechanism that can feed in and out raw materials without switching the vacuum chamber. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a vacuum coating mechanism and a continuous vacuum coating device for flexible strips, which have a simple structure and are easy to operate. During the vacuum coating process, the flexible strip can be sent in and out of the vacuum chamber without passing through a switch and basically does not affect the vacuum degree in the vacuum chamber. Continuous vacuum coating of the flexible strip can be achieved, effectively improving production efficiency.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a vacuum coating mechanism for a flexible strip, which includes: a shell and a plurality of rollers.

[0007] The shell has a feed end, a discharge end, and a vacuum chamber located between the feed end and the discharge end along the conveying direction of the flexible strip, and the vacuum chamber is used to be connected to a vacuum pump; a plurality of rollers are respectively located at the feed end and the discharge end, each roller is rotatably arranged in the shell, and a slit connected to the vacuum chamber is formed between each roller and the shell, and the slit is used for the flexible strip to pass through;

[0008] The pressure outside the vacuum coating mechanism is P1, the pressure inside the vacuum chamber is P2, and the width of the slit is configured such that when the change of P1 is higher than 500 times, the change of P2 is set within 1 times.

[0009] The vacuum coating mechanism for flexible strip provided in the present application utilizes rollers that cooperate with the shell at both the feed end and the discharge end. By controlling the width of the slit formed between the roller and the shell, not only can the flexible strip pass through the slit to enter and exit the vacuum chamber for vacuum coating, but also because the width of the slit is configured as: when P1 changes more than 500 times, the change of P2 is set within 1 times, the slit has a certain degree of vacuum isolation effect, which is beneficial to suppress the significant pressure change in the vacuum chamber when the external pressure of the vacuum chamber changes greatly. Therefore, during the vacuum coating process of the vacuum coating mechanism, the flexible strip can be fed in and out of the vacuum chamber without passing through a switch and the vacuum degree in the vacuum chamber is basically not affected. When a continuous vacuum coating device is formed, continuous vacuum coating of the flexible strip can be achieved, thereby effectively improving production efficiency.

[0010] In some embodiments, the width of the slit is 0.25-0.3 mm.

[0011] In the above arrangement, by controlling the width of the slit within the above range, continuous processing of the flexible strip can be achieved and the difficulty of vacuuming can be reduced.

[0012] In some embodiments, the thickness of the flexible tape is 0.002-0.1 mm.

[0013] In the above arrangement, the thickness of the flexible strip is controlled within the above range, so that it can pass smoothly through the slit of the above width, and the vacuum isolation effect is good.

[0014] In some embodiments, the feed end and the discharge end respectively have an arc-shaped inner wall that cooperates with the roller, and a slit is formed between the arc-shaped inner wall and the roller.

[0015] In the above-mentioned arrangement, the arrangement of the arc-shaped inner wall is helpful to increase the matching area between the shell and the roller, and is helpful to improve the sealing performance of the vacuum chamber during the vacuum coating process.

[0016] In some embodiments, the roller is made of metal.

[0017] In the above-mentioned setting, the roller made of metal material can effectively support the strip, which is conducive to keeping the width of the slit between the roller and the shell unchanged, and is conducive to accurately controlling the width of the slit for a long time.

[0018] In some embodiments, the straightness of the roller is ≤0.02 mm, and the roundness of the roller is ≤0.02 mm.

[0019] In the above arrangement, by controlling the true straightness and true roundness of the roller, it is beneficial to improve the continuous high-quality coating of the flexible strip during the vacuum coating process.

[0020] In some embodiments, one or more conveying rollers are disposed within the vacuum chamber.

[0021] In the above-mentioned arrangement, the arrangement of the conveying roller is advantageous for the flexible strip to move from the input end to the output end, and is advantageous for the stable progress of the coating process.

[0022] In some embodiments, two conveying rollers are provided in the vacuum chamber, and the two conveying rollers are spaced apart along the conveying direction.

[0023] In the above arrangement, the arrangement of two conveying rollers is conducive to the smooth movement of the flexible strip from the input end to the output end, and is also conducive to vacuum coating of the flexible strip.

[0024] In some embodiments, the orthographic projection of the vacuum pump on the flexible strip is located between two conveying rollers.

[0025] In the above arrangement, the position of the vacuum pump and the conveying roller is limited, which is beneficial to improving the space utilization rate and the vacuuming effect.

[0026] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a continuous vacuum coating device for flexible strips, which includes a plurality of the above-mentioned vacuum coating mechanisms connected in sequence, wherein in any two adjacent vacuum coating mechanisms, the feed end of one vacuum coating mechanism is connected to the discharge end of the other vacuum coating mechanism.

[0027] The continuous vacuum coating device for flexible strips provided in the present application has a simple structure and is easy to operate. During the coating process, the flexible strips can be sent in and out of the vacuum chamber without passing through a switch and the vacuum degree in the vacuum chamber is basically not affected, thereby realizing continuous multi-stage coating of flexible materials and effectively improving production efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a continuous vacuum coating device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a vacuum coating mechanism provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A local enlarged schematic diagram of point A in the middle.

[0032] Icon: 1000-continuous vacuum coating device; 10-vacuum coating mechanism; 100-shell; 101-feeding end; 102-discharging end; 103-vacuum chamber; 105-first arc-shaped inner wall; 106-second arc-shaped inner wall; 110-vacuum pump; 120-roller; 130-slit; 140-conveyor roller; 20-flexible strip. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0034] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present application for which protection is sought, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0035] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.

[0036] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or the positions or positional relationships in which the product of the application is usually placed when in use. They are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific position, be constructed and operated in a specific position, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0037] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connect", and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0038] See also Figure 1 The present application provides a continuous vacuum coating device 1000 for a flexible strip 20, which is used to implement continuous multi-stage vacuum coating on the flexible strip 20. The flexible strip 20 includes but is not limited to a car window film, a display screen film, and a composite current collector film used in a battery, etc., which can be selected according to actual needs and are not limited here.

[0039] The continuous vacuum coating device 1000 for the flexible strip 20 comprises a plurality of vacuum coating mechanisms 10 for the flexible strip 20, wherein Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 Each vacuum coating mechanism 10 for the flexible strip 20 includes: a housing 100 and a plurality of rollers 120 .

[0040] The housing 100 has a feed end 101 , a discharge end 102 and a vacuum chamber 103 between the feed end 101 and the discharge end 102 along the conveying direction of the flexible strip 20 . The vacuum chamber 103 is used to be connected to a vacuum pump 110 .

[0041] A plurality of rollers 120 are respectively located at the feed end 101 and the discharge end 102 . Each roller 120 is rotatably disposed in the housing 100 . A slit 130 communicating with the vacuum chamber 103 is formed between each roller 120 and the housing 100 . The slit 130 is used for the flexible strip 20 to pass through.

[0042] The pressure outside the vacuum coating mechanism 10 is P1, the pressure inside the vacuum chamber 103 is P2, and the width of the slit 130 is configured such that when the change of P1 is higher than 500 times, the change of P2 is set within 1 time.

[0043] The multiple here refers to two or more, such as two, three, four, etc. For example, the number of rollers 120 is two, and the two rollers 120 are respectively located at the feed end 101 and the discharge end 102.

[0044] It should be noted that the width of the slit 130 refers to the shortest straight-line distance between the roller 120 and the inner wall of the housing 100 .

[0045] It is understandable that a coating mechanism is provided in the vacuum chamber 103 , and the coating mechanism includes but is not limited to a magnetron sputtering coating mechanism, an evaporation coating mechanism, etc. For details, please refer to the relevant technology and no limitation is made here.

[0046] It can be understood that after the vacuum chamber 103 is evacuated, since the internal pressure is less than the external pressure, the external gas will automatically enter the vacuum chamber 103 based on the pressure difference, and the amount of gas introduced can be controlled by adjusting the width of the slit 130. Therefore, by limiting the pressure outside the vacuum coating mechanism 10 to P1 and the pressure inside the vacuum chamber 103 to P2, the width of the slit 130 is configured as follows: when the change of P1 is higher than 500 times, the change of P2 is set within 1 time, so that the amount of gas introduced can be controlled without affecting the pressure inside the vacuum chamber 103. For example, when P1=1E -3 pa,P2=1E -3 At pa, gas is introduced into the P1 position to reach 5E -1 pa, then P2 is affected, but the vacuum is still ≤2E after the effect -3 pa, the width of the slit 130 can be designed according to the data to achieve a certain degree of vacuum isolation effect, so that during the process of using it for vacuum coating, the flexible strip 20 can be sent in and out of the vacuum chamber 103 without passing through a switch and basically does not affect the vacuum degree in the vacuum chamber 103. When forming a continuous vacuum coating device 1000, continuous multi-stage vacuum coating of the flexible strip can be achieved.

[0047] The vacuum coating mechanism 10 for the flexible strip 20 provided in the present application utilizes rollers 120 that cooperate with the shell 100 at both the feed end 101 and the discharge end 102. By controlling the width of the slit 130 formed between the roller 120 and the shell 100, not only can the flexible strip 20 pass through the slit 130 to enter and exit the vacuum chamber 103 for vacuum coating, but also because the width of the slit 130 is configured as follows: when the change of P1 is higher than 500 times, the change of P2 is set within 1 times, so the slit has a certain degree of vacuum isolation effect, which is beneficial to suppress the significant pressure change in the vacuum chamber 103 when the external pressure of the vacuum chamber changes greatly, thereby achieving the process of vacuum coating by the vacuum coating mechanism 10. The flexible strip 20 can be fed in and out of the vacuum chamber 103 without passing through a switch and the vacuum degree in the vacuum chamber 103 is basically not affected. When forming a continuous vacuum coating device 1000, continuous multi-stage vacuum coating of the flexible strip can be achieved, effectively improving production efficiency.

[0048] The width of the slit 130 is 0.25-0.3 mm.

[0049] If the width of the slit 130 is too large, the vacuum isolation is poor. If the width of the slit 130 is too small, it is difficult for the flexible strip 20 to pass through. Therefore, the width of the slit 130 is controlled to be 0.25-0.3mm, which can have a better vacuum isolation effect, realize continuous processing of the flexible strip 20 and reduce the difficulty of vacuuming.

[0050] Exemplarily, the width of the slit 130 is any value among 0.25 mm, 0.26 mm, 0.27 mm, 0.28 mm, 0.29 mm, 0.3 mm, or between any two values.

[0051] The thickness of the flexible strip 20 is 0.002-0.1 mm.

[0052] The flexible strip 20 within the above-mentioned thickness range can smoothly pass through the slit 130 with the above-mentioned width, and has a good vacuum insulation effect.

[0053] The material of the housing 100 includes but is not limited to a single metal, and may also be an alloy, such as stainless steel.

[0054] like Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 As shown, the feed end 101 and the discharge end 102 respectively have an arc-shaped inner wall matched with the roller 120 , and a slit 130 is formed between the arc-shaped inner wall and the roller 120 .

[0055] The arrangement of the arc-shaped inner wall is helpful to increase the matching area between the housing 100 and the roller 120 , and is helpful to improve the sealing performance of the vacuum chamber 103 during the vacuum coating process.

[0056] It should be noted that the arc-shaped inner walls of the feed end 101 and the discharge end 102 respectively include a first arc-shaped inner wall 105 and a second arc-shaped inner wall 106, wherein the first arc-shaped inner wall 105 and the second arc-shaped inner wall 106 are relatively arranged to form a cavity for accommodating the roller 120, wherein the first arc-shaped inner wall 105 is located above the second arc-shaped inner wall 106, wherein the slit 130 is located between the first arc-shaped inner wall 105 and the outer surface of the roller 120, and / or the slit 130 is located between the second arc-shaped inner wall 106 and the outer surface of the roller 120.

[0057] In some other embodiments, the slit 130 may be located only between the first arc-shaped inner wall 105 and the outer surface of the roller 120, the second arc-shaped inner wall 106 and the outer surface of the roller 120 are rotatable and sealed, and for the smooth rotation of the roller 120, the second arc-shaped inner wall 106 may be provided with an elastic material layer (not shown), and the second arc-shaped inner wall 106 is in contact with the outer surface of the roller 120 through the elastic material layer. Alternatively, the slit 130 is located only between the second arc-shaped inner wall 106 and the outer surface of the roller 120, the first arc-shaped inner wall 105 and the outer surface of the roller 120 are rotatable and sealed, and for the smooth rotation of the roller 120, the first arc-shaped inner wall 105 may be provided with an elastic material layer (not shown), and the first arc-shaped inner wall 105 is in contact with the outer surface of the roller 120 through the elastic material layer. The elastic material layer includes but is not limited to rubber.

[0058] It should be noted that no matter which of the above settings is used, the cross-sectional shapes of the first arc-shaped inner wall 105 and the second arc-shaped inner wall 106 along the cross-section perpendicular to their axes are both arcs, and the circle where the arc is located is concentric with the outer surface of the roller 120 .

[0059] In which, when a slit 130 is provided between the first curved inner wall 105 and the outer surface of the roller 120, and between the second curved inner wall 106 and the outer surface of the roller 120, the width of the slit 130 between the first curved inner wall 105 and the outer surface of the roller 120 can be equal to the slit 130 between the second curved inner wall 106 and the outer surface of the roller 120.

[0060] like Figure 3 As shown, a slit 130 is provided between the first arc-shaped inner wall 105 and the outer surface of the roller 120, and between the second arc-shaped inner wall 106 and the outer surface of the roller 120, wherein the width of the slit 130 between the first arc-shaped inner wall 105 and the outer surface of the roller 120 is greater than the slit 130 between the second arc-shaped inner wall 106 and the outer surface of the roller 120.

[0061] The arc-shaped inner wall can be prepared by a precision sealing shoe, wherein the arc diameter of the precision sealing shoe is usually the diameter of the roller 120 + 0.5-0.6mm.

[0062] The roller 120 is made of metal.

[0063] The metal includes but is not limited to a single metal, such as copper, aluminum, silver, etc., or an alloy, such as an aluminum alloy, etc.

[0064] Since the strip is a flexible strip 20, the roller 120 made of metal material is rigid and can effectively support the flexible strip 20, which is beneficial to keep the width of the slit 130 between the roller 120 and the shell 100 unchanged, and is beneficial to accurately control the width of the slit 130 for a long time.

[0065] The diameter of the roller 120 can be selected according to actual needs.

[0066] The true straightness of the roller 120 is ≤0.02 mm, and the true roundness of the roller 120 is ≤0.02 mm.

[0067] The above-mentioned setting requirements are conducive to improving the continuous high-quality coating of the flexible strip 20 during the vacuum coating process.

[0068] In order to achieve a stable coating process, one or more conveying rollers 140 are provided in the vacuum chamber 103 .

[0069] The term "plurality" here refers to two or more, such as two, three, four or five, etc.

[0070] The provision of the conveying roller 140 facilitates the flexible strip 20 to move from the input end to the output end, and facilitates the stable progress of the coating process.

[0071] like Figure 2 As shown, two conveying rollers 140 are disposed in the vacuum chamber 103 , and the two conveying rollers 140 are arranged at intervals along the conveying direction.

[0072] The provision of the two conveying rollers 140 is conducive to the smooth movement of the flexible strip 20 from the input end to the output end, and is also conducive to vacuum coating the flexible strip 20 .

[0073] Further reading Figure 2 , the positive projection of the vacuum pump 110 on the flexible strip 20 is located between the two conveying rollers 140 .

[0074] The above arrangement is helpful to improve space utilization and vacuuming effect.

[0075] See also Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 , wherein a plurality of vacuum coating mechanisms 10 are connected in sequence, wherein in any two adjacent vacuum coating mechanisms 10 , a feed end 101 of one vacuum coating mechanism 10 is connected to a discharge end 102 of another vacuum coating mechanism 10 .

[0076] The vacuum coating device 10 is used to realize continuous multi-stage vacuum coating of the flexible strip 20 by using a plurality of flexible strips 20 connected in sequence.

[0077] The multiple here refers to two, three, four, five, etc. As shown in the figure, the continuous vacuum coating device 1000 for the flexible strip 20 includes four vacuum coating mechanisms 10 connected in sequence.

[0078] It should be noted that since each vacuum coating mechanism 10 has a vacuum pump 110, the vacuum degree in each vacuum coating mechanism 10 can be adjusted according to actual needs. For example, the flexible strip 20 is conveyed from the atmospheric environment into multiple vacuum coating mechanisms 10 in sequence, and the vacuum degree in the multiple vacuum coating mechanisms 10 increases or decreases in sequence along the conveying direction, or changes irregularly. This is not limited here and can be set according to actual needs.

[0079] Optionally, the continuous vacuum coating device 1000 for the flexible strip 20 also includes a unwinding mechanism (not shown) and a rewinding mechanism (not shown), wherein the unwinding mechanism is located upstream of the continuous vacuum coating device 1000 for the flexible strip 20, and the rewinding mechanism is located downstream of the continuous vacuum coating device 1000 for the flexible strip 20, so as to realize that after being unwound by the unwinding mechanism in the atmospheric environment, the material enters the continuous vacuum coating device 1000 for multi-stage vacuum coating, and after multi-stage vacuum coating, the material is output from the continuous vacuum coating device 1000 and then rewound by the rewinding mechanism in the atmospheric environment.

[0080] Optionally, the continuous vacuum coating device 1000 for the flexible strip 20 further includes a roll-changing mechanism (not shown), which is used to change the roll of the unwinding mechanism.

[0081] In summary, the vacuum coating mechanism and continuous vacuum coating device for flexible strips provided in the present application have a simple structure and are easy to operate. During the vacuum coating process, the flexible strip can be sent in and out of the vacuum chamber without passing through a switch, thereby realizing continuous vacuum coating of the flexible strip and effectively improving production efficiency.

[0082] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A vacuum coating mechanism for flexible strip, characterized in that: include: The housing has a feed end and a discharge end along the conveying direction of the flexible strip, and a vacuum chamber located between the feed end and the discharge end, wherein the vacuum chamber is used to be connected to a vacuum pump; as well as A plurality of rollers are respectively located at the feed end and the discharge end, each of the rollers is rotatably disposed in the shell, and a slit communicating with the vacuum chamber is formed between each of the rollers and the shell, and the slit is used for the flexible strip to pass through; The pressure outside the vacuum coating mechanism is P1, the pressure inside the vacuum chamber is P2, and the width of the slit is configured such that when the change of P1 is higher than 500 times, the change of P2 is set within 1 times.

2. The vacuum coating mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The width of the slit is 0.25-0.3 mm.

3. The vacuum coating mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The thickness of the flexible strip is 0.002-0.1 mm.

4. The vacuum coating mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feed end and the discharge end respectively have an arc-shaped inner wall matched with the roller, and the slit is formed between the arc-shaped inner wall and the roller.

5. The vacuum coating mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The roller is made of metal.

6. The vacuum coating mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The straightness of the roller is ≤0.02mm, and the roundness of the roller is ≤0.02mm.

7. The vacuum coating mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: One or more conveying rollers are arranged in the vacuum chamber.

8. The vacuum coating mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Two conveying rollers are arranged in the vacuum chamber, and the two conveying rollers are spaced apart along the conveying direction.

9. The vacuum coating mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: The orthographic projection of the vacuum pump on the flexible strip is located between the two conveying rollers.

10. A continuous vacuum coating device for flexible strip, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of vacuum coating mechanisms as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 connected in sequence, wherein in any two adjacent vacuum coating mechanisms, the feed end of one vacuum coating mechanism is connected to the discharge end of the other vacuum coating mechanism.

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