Coating equipment and product

Abstract

The utility model discloses coating equipment and a product, the coating equipment comprises a vacuum cavity, a winding module is arranged in the vacuum cavity, the winding module comprises an unwinding roller and a winding roller, a rear main roller is arranged below the unwinding roller and the winding roller, a base film roll is arranged on the unwinding roller, and a base film layer is unwound from the unwinding roller, passes through the rear main roller below the unwinding roller and is wound on the winding roller. Winding by a winding roller; a rear evaporation source is arranged below the rear main roller so that a first metal film layer can be deposited on the base film layer, and a magnetron sputtering target material is arranged on the side edge of the rear main roller so that a second metal film layer can be deposited on the first metal film layer. The first metal film layer is evaporated on the base film layer, then the second metal film layer is deposited on the first metal film layer through magnetron sputtering, the surface temperature is still high after the first metal film layer is formed, the target material is bombarded in a magnetron sputtering mode, so that metal forming the second metal film layer impacts the first metal film layer with high kinetic energy, and the surface temperature of the target material is high. And the first metal film layer is firmly fixed on the base film layer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of coating equipment, in particular to a coating equipment and a product. Background Art

[0002] Composite current collectors in lithium batteries exhibit a "metal-PET / PP polymer-metal" sandwich structure, meaning a metal conductive layer is plated on top of and below the polymer base film. Currently, the equipment used to produce composite current collectors includes vacuum evaporation equipment and magnetron sputtering equipment, with different equipment used depending on the production process. Regardless of the process used, the bonding between the metal conductive layer and the base film layer of the composite current collector produced by current processes is insufficient.

[0003] Therefore existing technology still needs to be improved and improved. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a coating device and product, aiming to solve the problem of poor bonding between the base film layer and the metal conductive layer in the composite current collector in the prior art.

[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A coating device includes a vacuum chamber, in which a winding module is arranged, and the winding module includes a unwinding roller and a winding roller, and a rear main roller is arranged below the unwinding roller and the winding roller, and a base film roll is mounted on the unwinding roller. The base film layer is unwound from the unwinding roller, passes through the rear main roller below the unwinding roller, and is wound up by the winding roller; a rear evaporation source is arranged below the rear main roller to deposit a first metal film layer on the base film layer, and a magnetron sputtering target is arranged on the side of the rear main roller to deposit a second metal film layer on the first metal film layer.

[0007] A front main roller is also provided below the unwinding roller and the winding roller. The base film layer is unwound from the unwinding roller, passes through the front main roller and the rear main roller below the unwinding roller in sequence, and is wound up by the winding roller; the front main roller is located below the unwinding roller, and the rear main roller is located below the winding roller. A front evaporation source is provided below or on the side of the front main roller to deposit a non-metallic film layer between the base film layer and the first metal film layer.

[0008] An oxygen supply device is provided around the front evaporation source, and the direction of the gas outlet of the oxygen supply device is adapted to the deposition direction of the coating material in the front evaporation source.

[0009] The thickness of the first metal film layer is greater than the thickness of the second metal film layer.

[0010] A front roller group and a front bending roller are provided on the film-moving path between the unwinding roller and the front main roller.

[0011] A front rubber roller, a swing roller and a rear bending roller are provided on the film-moving path between the front main roller and the rear main roller.

[0012] A rear rubber roller, a tension roller and a rear roller group are also provided on the film-moving path between the rear main roller and the winding roller.

[0013] The rear main roller is a cooling roller.

[0014] A coated product is prepared by the coating equipment described above, and the coated product includes a base film layer, and the upper and lower surfaces of the base film layer are both provided with a first metal film layer and a second metal film layer located outside the first metal film layer.

[0015] The first metal film layer and the second metal film layer are made of different materials.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a coating device and product, wherein the coating device includes a vacuum chamber, a winding module is arranged in the vacuum chamber, the winding module includes a unwinding roller and a winding roller, a rear main roller is arranged below the unwinding roller and the winding roller, a base film roll is mounted on the unwinding roller, the base film layer is unwound from the unwinding roller, passes through the rear main roller below the unwinding roller, and is wound up by the winding roller; a rear evaporation source is arranged below the rear main roller to deposit a first metal film layer on the base film layer, and a magnetron sputtering target is arranged on the side of the rear main roller to deposit a second metal film layer on the first metal film layer.

[0017] In this application, a first metal film layer is first deposited on the base film layer by evaporation, and then a second metal film layer is deposited on the first metal film layer by magnetron sputtering. After the first metal film layer is formed, its surface temperature is still relatively high. At this time, magnetron sputtering is used to bombard the target material. When the target material is bombarded, the metal on the surface of the target material is subjected to higher energy, so that the metal constituting the second metal film layer impacts the first metal film layer with higher kinetic energy, firmly fixing the first metal film layer on the base film layer, thereby improving the bonding strength between the first metal film layer and the base film layer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the coating equipment provided by the utility model.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the coating product provided by the present invention.

[0020] Figure Numbers

[0021] Unwinding roller 11, winding roller 12, rear main roller 13, rear evaporation source 14, front main roller 15, front evaporation source 16, magnetron sputtering target 17, front roller group 21, front bending roller 22, front rubber roller 23, swing roller 24, rear bending roller 25, rear rubber roller 26, tension roller 27, rear roller group 28, base film layer 30, first film layer 31, second film layer 32, non-metallic film layer 33. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and effect of the present invention more clear and explicit, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0023] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being “mounted on,” “fixed on,” or “disposed on” another component, it may be directly on the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is referred to as being “connected to” another component, it may be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component.

[0024] It should also be noted that the directional terms such as left, right, up, and down in the embodiments of the present invention are merely relative concepts or are based on the normal use status of the product, and should not be considered as restrictive.

[0025] The composite current collector in the lithium battery is manifested as a sandwich structure of "metal-polymer material-metal", that is, a metal conductive layer is plated on the upper and lower layers of the polymer material base film layer. Currently, the equipment for producing composite current collectors includes vacuum evaporation equipment and magnetron sputtering equipment, and the equipment used varies depending on the production process. Regardless of which process is used, the bonding strength between the metal conductive layer and the base film layer of the composite current collector produced by the current process is not good enough. In addition, the use of vacuum evaporation equipment alone for coating generates a high temperature, which can easily lead to problems such as carbonization of the base film layer and wrinkles; the use of magnetron sputtering alone to deposit the film layer has a slow coating efficiency and high cost.

[0026] This utility model provides a coating device, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2, including a vacuum chamber (not shown in the figure), a winding module (not marked in the figure) is arranged in the vacuum chamber, and the winding module includes a unwinding roller 11 and a winding roller 12, and a rear main roller 13 is arranged below the unwinding roller 11 and the winding roller 12, and a base film roll (not marked in the figure) is installed on the unwinding roller 11, and the base film layer 30 is unwound from the unwinding roller 11, passes through the rear main roller 13 below the unwinding roller 11, and is wound up by the winding roller 12; a rear evaporation source 14 is arranged below the rear main roller 13 to deposit a first metal film layer 31 on the base film layer 30, and a magnetron sputtering target 17 is arranged on the side of the rear main roller 13 to deposit a second metal film layer 32 on the first metal film layer 31.

[0027] In the present application, a first metal film layer 31 is first deposited on the base film layer 30 by evaporation, and then a second metal film layer 32 is deposited on the first metal film layer 31 by magnetron sputtering. After the first metal film layer 31 is formed, its surface temperature is still relatively high. At this time, magnetron sputtering is used to bombard the target material. When the target material is bombarded, the metal on the surface of the target material is subjected to higher energy, so that the metal constituting the second metal film layer 32 impacts the first metal film layer 31 with higher kinetic energy, firmly fixing the first metal film layer 31 on the base film layer 30, thereby improving the bonding strength between the first metal film layer 31 and the base film layer 30.

[0028] In the present application, the rear evaporation source 14 is a crucible, that is, the first metal film layer 31 is deposited on the base film layer 30 by means of crucible evaporation, which can improve the evaporation efficiency and avoid the aluminum splashing phenomenon caused by evaporation by an evaporation boat; the magnetron sputtering target 17 is the material for depositing to form the second metal film layer 32, that is, the target is bombarded by magnetron sputtering to sputter out material particles that are deposited on the first metal film layer 31 to form the second metal film layer 32. The position of the magnetron sputtering target 17 limits the deposition direction of the material particles. The other components in the magnetron sputtering process that cooperate with the target to form the second metal film layer 32 belong to the prior art and their structures are not described in detail in this application; in the present application, evaporation coating and magnetron sputtering process coating are combined to avoid the problem of poor effect of a single coating method.

[0029] Furthermore, a front main roller 15 is provided below the unwinding roller 11 and the winding roller 12. The base film layer 30 is unwound from the unwinding roller 11, passes through the front main roller 15 and the rear main roller 13 below the unwinding roller 11 in sequence, and is then wound up by the winding roller 12; the front main roller 15 is located below the unwinding roller 11, and the rear main roller is located below the winding roller 12. A front evaporation source 16 is provided below or on the side of the front main roller 15 to deposit a non-metallic film layer 33 between the base film layer 30 and the first metal film layer 31.

[0030] When the front evaporation source 16 is an evaporation device, before evaporating the first metal film layer 31 on the base film layer 30, the non-metallic film layer 33 is first evaporated on the base film layer 30 through the front evaporation source 16. The reason is that: the material of the base film layer 30 and the material of the first metal film layer 31 are significantly different in physical and chemical properties. Directly evaporating the first metal film layer 31 on the base film layer 30 may result in insufficient adhesion between the first metal film layer 31 and the base film layer 30, affecting the overall performance and stability of the product; the base film layer 30 is made of polymer material, which may be subjected to high temperature, high pressure, etc. during the process of evaporating the first metal film layer 31. The non-metallic film layer 33 can play a certain protective role and reduce damage to the base film layer 30 during the coating process. In addition, the non-metallic film layer 33 can serve as a precursor layer for the first metal film layer 31, providing better deposition conditions for the subsequent first metal film layer 31, helping to improve coating efficiency and reduce defects and defective rates during the coating process. At the same time, the non-metallic film layer 33 can fill in small defects and unevenness on the surface of the base film layer 30, making the subsequent deposition of the first metal film layer 31 more uniform and smooth, helping to improve the appearance quality and performance stability of the product. In this application, a magnetron sputtering target can also be set on the side of the front main roller 15, that is, the non-metallic film layer 33 is deposited by magnetron sputtering, which is beneficial to improve the bonding strength between the non-metallic film layer 33 and the base film layer 30 and prevent it from falling off.

[0031] Furthermore, an oxygen supply device (not shown) is disposed around the front evaporation source 16. The direction of the oxygen supply device's outlet aligns with the deposition direction of the coating material in the front evaporation source 16. The oxygen supply device is disposed above the front evaporation source 16. When the front evaporation source 16 is positioned below the front main roller 15, the deposition direction of the coating material in the front evaporation source 16 is upward, and the oxygen supply device's outlet is oriented in the direction of the coating material deposition. When the front evaporation source 16 is deposited with aluminum, oxygen is delivered by the oxygen supply device during the heated evaporation of the aluminum onto the base film layer 30. Upon contact with the oxygen, the aluminum forms aluminum oxide on the base film layer 30.

[0032] The thickness of the first metal film layer 31 is greater than that of the second metal film layer 32. The relatively large thickness of the first metal film layer 31 ensures a stable and secure bonding surface between the first metal film layer 31 and the non-metallic film layer 33. The thicker first metal film layer 31 provides better adhesion, preventing peeling or shedding during subsequent processing or use, thereby ensuring the stability and reliability of the entire composite current collector. The thinner second metal film layer 32 reduces the weight of the composite current collector and reduces its production cost.

[0033] Furthermore, a front roller group 21 and a front bending roller 22 are provided on the film path between the unwinding roller 11 and the front main roller 15 .

[0034] The front roller assembly 21 and the front bending roller 22 are positioned sequentially along the film path between the unwinding roller 11 and the front main roller 15. The front roller assembly 21 comprises multiple rollers. This arrangement helps ensure that the base film layer 30 remains flat during transport, avoiding wrinkles or wavy deformation. By controlling the roller rotational speed, the base film layer 30 can be ensured to pass through the evaporation zone of the front evaporation source 16 at a constant speed, thereby achieving uniform evaporation. The front bending roller 22 not only flattens the base film layer 30 for deposition of the first metal film layer 31, but also provides a certain amount of tension to the base film layer 30, ensuring a stronger bond between the base film layer 30 and the front main roller 15 during deposition of the first metal film layer 31. The surface roughness of the front bending roller 22 is greater than that of the other rollers, ensuring a tighter bond between the base film layer 30 and the front main roller 15 while preventing scratches on the base film layer 30 as it moves across the rollers.

[0035] Furthermore, a front rubber roller 23 , a swing roller 24 and a rear bending roller 25 are provided on the film-feeding path between the front main roller 15 and the rear main roller 13 .

[0036] The front rubber roller 23, the swing roller 24, and the rear bending roller 25 are sequentially arranged on the film path between the front main roller 15 and the rear main roller 13. The front rubber roller 23 can be a roughened roller to prevent the base film layer 30 from slipping after the first metal film layer 31 is deposited, while also increasing the wrap angle between the base film layer 30 and the front main roller 15. The swing roller 24 maintains constant tension between the front main roller 15 and the rear main roller 13. The swinging of the swing roller 24 helps to more evenly expose the base film layer 30 to the vapor of the evaporation material, thereby improving the uniformity and consistency of the evaporation. The surface roughness of the rear bending roller 25 is greater than that of the other rollers, which helps ensure a closer fit between the base film layer 30 and the rear main roller 13 and prevents the base film layer 30 from being scratched when moving over the rollers.

[0037] Furthermore, a rear rubber roller 26 , a tension roller 27 and a rear roller group 28 are provided on the film path between the rear main roller 13 and the winding roller 12 .

[0038] The rear rubber roller 26, tension roller 27, and rear roller assembly 28 are sequentially positioned between the rear main roller 13 and the winding roller 12. The rear rubber roller 26 can also have a roughness greater than that of the other rollers. This prevents the base film 30 from slipping during transport after the second metal film layer 32 is deposited, and also allows the base film 30 to fit more closely to the rear main roller 13. The rear roller assembly 28 comprises multiple rollers that ensure the coated base film 30 remains flat during transport after film deposition. The rear rubber roller 26 is positioned on the film path between the rear main roller 13 and the tension roller 27. The friction of its surface applies appropriate tension to the coated base film 30, ensuring that the base film 30 maintains a stable travel speed and position after the second metal film layer 32 is deposited, preventing the coated base film 30 from loosening, wrinkling, or breaking. The tension roller 27 is set on the film path between the rear main roller 13 and the winding roller 12. Before entering the winding stage, the tension of the base film 30 after the film layer is deposited is accurately controlled by the tension roller 27 to ensure that the film (the base film 30 on which the first metal film layer 31 and the second metal film layer 32 are deposited) remains flat during the winding process, avoiding uneven winding or loosening caused by uneven tension; the tension roller 27 is close to the winding roller 12, which can more directly affect and control the tension during the winding process, ensuring the quality and efficiency of the winding; the film needs to be gradually accumulated during the winding process The film is then rolled up onto the take-up roller 12. As the diameter of the base film on the take-up roller 12 increases, the required tension on the film also changes. The location of the tension roller 27 allows it to adjust the tension based on the changes in the diameter of the base film on the take-up roller 12, ensuring stability and continuity during the take-up process. Furthermore, during the take-up phase, the deposition of the metal film layer on the base film layer 30 may produce a certain amount of fatigue or stress. By placing the tension roller 27 in front of the take-up roller 12, the film tension can be further controlled, reducing damage or cracks caused by excessive tension. The base film 30 exiting the tension roller 27 passes through multiple rollers before reaching the take-up roller 12. These rollers serve as support points for the transport of the coated base film layer 30, ensuring stability during transport. The rear main roller 13 is a cooling roller. During the vapor deposition process, the deposited metal film layer will generate a certain amount of heat. If it is not cooled in time, the evaporated base film layer may be deformed, shrunk or damaged due to excessive temperature. The cooling roller can effectively reduce the film temperature to an appropriate range; at the same time, the uniform cooling of the cooling roller helps to ensure the uniformity and consistency of the surface coating of the base film layer 30; the cooling roller cools and conditions the metal film layer after vapor deposition. By quickly reducing the temperature of the metal film layer, the cooling roller can shorten the production cycle and improve production efficiency.

[0039] The present invention also provides a coating method based on the above coating device, comprising the following steps:

[0040] The vacuum chamber is evacuated; the base film layer 30 is unwound by the unwinding roller 11 without stopping; the first metal film layer 31 is deposited on the base film layer 30 by the post-evaporation source 14; the magnetron sputtering target 17 is bombarded to deposit the second metal film layer 32 on the first metal film layer 31; the base film layer 30 after coating is rewound by the rewinding roller 12 without stopping.

[0041] Specifically, the coating method provided by the present invention first evacuates the vacuum chamber, and the unwinding roller 11 releases the base film layer 30. When the base film layer 30 passes the conveying position of the front main roller 15, the front evaporation source 16 evaporates the non-metallic film layer 33 on the base film layer 30. Subsequently, when the base film layer 30 evaporated with the non-metallic film layer 33 passes the conveying position of the rear main roller 13, the rear evaporation source 14 evaporates the first metal film layer 31 on the non-metallic film layer 33. After the evaporation of the first metal film layer 31 is completed, the material particles sputtered by bombarding the magnetron sputtering target 17 are deposited on the first metal film layer 31 to form a second metal film layer 32. The tension roller 27 adjusts the tension of the film after coating, and the winding roller 12 winds up the coated base film layer 30. At this point, the coating on one side of the base film layer 30 is completed. The same method can be used to complete the coating on the other side of the base film layer 30.

[0042] The present invention also provides a film-coated product, which is prepared using the above-mentioned film-coating apparatus and the above-mentioned film-coating method. The film-coated product includes a base film layer 30, wherein a first metal film layer 31 and a second metal film layer 32 located outside the first metal film layer 31 are provided on both the upper and lower surfaces of the base film layer 30. A non-metallic film layer 33 is further provided between the base film layer 30 and the first metal film layer 31. The non-metallic film layer 33 protects the base film layer 30 during the vapor deposition of the first metal film layer 31, thereby reducing damage to the base film layer 30. The non-metallic film layer 33 also provides favorable conditions for the deposition of the first metal film layer 31, thereby ensuring better adhesion of the first metal film layer 31.

[0043] The material of the first metal film layer 31 can be copper, aluminum, titanium, nickel, copper alloy, aluminum alloy, nickel alloy, or the like, or materials with the same properties as the aforementioned materials; the material of the second metal film layer 32 can be zinc, nickel, copper, titanium, or the like, or materials with the same properties as the aforementioned materials; the non-metallic film layer 33 can be made of non-metallic materials such as aluminum oxide and silicon nitride, or materials with the same properties as the aforementioned materials. The first metal film layer 31 and the second metal film layer 32 are made of different materials. This can, on the one hand, make the bonding between the first metal film layer 31 and the base film layer 30 stronger, and at the same time, the presence of the second metal film layer 32 can increase the oxidation resistance of the first metal film layer 31; for example, the first metal film layer 31 is aluminum, and the second metal film layer 32 is made of a metal material different from aluminum, such as zinc, nickel, copper, titanium, or the like.

[0044] To sum up, the utility model provides a coating equipment product, wherein the coating equipment includes a vacuum chamber, a winding module is arranged in the vacuum chamber, the winding module includes a unwinding roller and a winding roller, a rear main roller is arranged below the unwinding roller and the winding roller, a base film roll is mounted on the unwinding roller, the base film layer is unwound from the unwinding roller, passes through the rear main roller below the unwinding roller, and is wound up by the winding roller; a rear evaporation source is arranged below the rear main roller to deposit a first metal film layer on the base film layer, and a magnetron sputtering target is arranged on the side of the rear main roller to deposit a second metal film layer on the first metal film layer.

[0045] In this application, a first metal film layer is first deposited on the base film layer by evaporation, and then a second metal film layer is deposited on the first metal film layer by magnetron sputtering. After the first metal film layer is formed, its surface temperature is still relatively high. At this time, magnetron sputtering is used to bombard the target material. When the target material is bombarded, the metal on the surface of the target material is subjected to higher energy, so that the metal constituting the second metal film layer impacts the first metal film layer with higher kinetic energy, firmly fixing the first metal film layer on the base film layer, thereby improving the bonding strength between the first metal film layer and the base film layer.

[0046] It is understandable that those skilled in the art can make equivalent substitutions or changes based on the technical solution and utility model concept of the present invention, and all these changes or substitutions should fall within the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present invention.

Claims

1. A coating device, comprising a vacuum chamber, wherein a winding module is provided in the vacuum chamber, characterized in that: The winding module includes a unwinding roller and a winding roller, and a rear main roller is arranged below the unwinding roller and the winding roller. The unwinding roller is equipped with a base film roll. The base film layer is unwound from the unwinding roller, passes through the rear main roller below the unwinding roller, and is wound up by the winding roller; a rear evaporation source is arranged below the rear main roller to deposit a first metal film layer on the base film layer, and a magnetron sputtering target is arranged on the side of the rear main roller to deposit a second metal film layer on the first metal film layer.

2. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: A front main roller is also provided below the unwinding roller and the winding roller. The base film layer is unwound from the unwinding roller, passes through the front main roller and the rear main roller below the unwinding roller in sequence, and is wound up by the winding roller; the front main roller is located below the unwinding roller, and the rear main roller is located below the winding roller. A front evaporation source is provided below or on the side of the front main roller to deposit a non-metallic film layer between the base film layer and the first metal film layer.

3. The coating equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: An oxygen supply device is provided around the front evaporation source, and the direction of the gas outlet of the oxygen supply device is adapted to the deposition direction of the coating material in the front evaporation source.

4. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the first metal film layer is greater than the thickness of the second metal film layer.

5. The coating equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: A front roller group and a front bending roller are provided on the film-moving path between the unwinding roller and the front main roller.

6. The coating equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: A front rubber roller, a swing roller and a rear bending roller are provided on the film-moving path between the front main roller and the rear main roller.

7. The coating equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that: A rear rubber roller, a tension roller and a rear roller group are also provided on the film-moving path between the rear main roller and the winding roller.

8. The coating equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The rear main roller is a cooling roller.

9. A coated product, characterized in that: The coated product is prepared by the coating equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and the coated product includes a base film layer, and the upper and lower surfaces of the base film layer are both provided with a first metal film layer and a second metal film layer located outside the first metal film layer.

10. The coated product according to claim 9, characterized in that: The material of the first metal film layer is different from the material of the second metal film layer.

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