Flexible base material winding and coating device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a flexible base material winding and coating device, which comprises a first cavity, a second cavity, a third cavity and a fourth cavity, and an unwinding unit is arranged in the first cavity and is used for releasing a base material which is not coated; a winding unit is arranged in the second cavity and is used for winding the coated base material; the main cavity is internally provided with a film coating unit, and the film coating unit is located on a base material conveying path between the unwinding unit and the winding unit; the first cavity and the second cavity are both communicated with the main cavity, and a gap for a base material to pass through is formed in the communication position; the main cavity, the first cavity and the second cavity are all connected with vacuumizing devices, and the number of the vacuumizing devices connected with the first cavity is larger than that of the vacuumizing devices connected with the second cavity and smaller than that of the vacuumizing devices connected with the main cavity. According to different vacuum degree requirements of different cavities during film coating, different numbers of vacuumizing devices are selected to be connected with different cavities, so that the vacuumizing requirements of different cavities are quickly met, and the vacuumizing efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of vacuum winding coating, in particular to a flexible substrate winding coating device. Background Art

[0002] The working principle of flexible roll-to-roll coating equipment is mainly based on vacuum evaporation or vacuum magnetron sputtering. In a vacuum environment, by heating the evaporation source or utilizing the principle of magnetron sputtering, metals, alloys, compounds, ceramics and other materials are deposited onto the flexible substrate to form the desired thin film.

[0003] Current flexible roll-to-roll coating systems consist of a winder, unwinder, and magnetron sputtering coating system. These systems are all located within the same vacuum chamber and utilize a common vacuum pump. However, the vacuum requirements for the unwinder, winder, and magnetron sputtering coating system vary. Using the same vacuum pump to maintain a uniform vacuum level for all three inevitably increases pumping time and reduces efficiency.

[0004] Therefore existing technology still needs to be improved and improved. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a flexible substrate roll-to-roll coating device, aiming to solve the problem of poor vacuuming efficiency of the prior art roll-to-roll coating device.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, the utility model adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A flexible substrate winding coating device, comprising:

[0008] a first cavity, wherein an unwinding unit is provided in the first cavity for releasing an uncoated substrate;

[0009] a second cavity, wherein a winding unit is provided in the second cavity for winding up the coated substrate; a main cavity, wherein a coating unit is provided in the main cavity, and the coating unit is located on the substrate conveying path between the unwinding unit and the winding unit; the first cavity and the second cavity are both connected to the main cavity, and a gap for the substrate to pass through is provided at the connection point;

[0010] The main cavity, the first cavity and the second cavity are each connected to a vacuum pumping device, and the number of the vacuum pumping devices connected to the first cavity is greater than the number of the vacuum pumping devices connected to the second cavity, and less than the number of the vacuum pumping devices connected to the main cavity.

[0011] The second cavity is connected to the inert gas supply device through a vacuum breaking valve.

[0012] The second cavity is connected to two backing pump groups arranged in parallel.

[0013] Each of the fore-stage pump groups includes a Roots pump and a mechanical pump connected in series with the second cavity.

[0014] The vacuum pumping device includes a plurality of molecular pumps connected to the main cavity, the first cavity and the second cavity.

[0015] The unwinding unit includes an unwinding roller and a first roller group adjusting unit that are sequentially arranged on a substrate conveying path between the unwinding roller and the coating unit.

[0016] The coating unit includes a first front cooling main drum, a first back cooling main drum, a second front cooling main drum and a second back cooling main drum arranged in sequence. A coating assembly is arranged around each cooling main drum, and a second roller group adjustment unit is arranged in sequence between two adjacent cooling main drums.

[0017] The coating unit further includes a traction roller, which is located on a substrate conveying path between the second reverse cooling main drum and the winding unit.

[0018] The second roller group adjustment unit includes a tension roller, a steering roller and a bending roller arranged in sequence, and the curvature of the bending roller is 10°-15°.

[0019] The winding unit includes a winding roller and a third roller group adjusting unit arranged on a substrate path between the winding roller and the traction roller.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a flexible substrate winding coating device, comprising:

[0021] a first cavity, wherein an unwinding unit is provided in the first cavity for releasing an uncoated substrate;

[0022] A second cavity, wherein a winding unit is provided in the second cavity for winding up the substrate after coating;

[0023] A main cavity, wherein a coating unit is provided in the main cavity, and the coating unit is located on the substrate conveying path between the unwinding unit and the rewinding unit; the first cavity and the second cavity are both connected to the main cavity, and a gap for the substrate to pass through is provided at the connection point;

[0024] The main cavity, the first cavity, and the second cavity are each connected to a vacuum pumping device. The number of vacuum pumping devices connected to the first cavity is greater than the number of vacuum pumping devices connected to the second cavity, but less than the number of vacuum pumping devices connected to the main cavity. Compared to the prior art method of using a common vacuum pumping device to vacuum multiple connected cavities, the present application selects different numbers of vacuum pumping devices to connect to different cavities based on the different vacuum requirements of different cavities during film deposition, thereby quickly meeting the vacuum requirements of different cavities and improving vacuuming efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of the flexible substrate winding coating device provided by the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of the unwinding unit, coating unit and winding unit for conveying a substrate in the flexible coating winding coating device provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] The working principle of flexible roll-to-roll coating equipment is mainly based on vacuum evaporation or vacuum magnetron sputtering. In a vacuum environment, by heating the evaporation source or utilizing the principle of magnetron sputtering, metals, alloys, compounds, ceramics and other materials are deposited onto the flexible substrate to form the desired thin film.

[0031] Current flexible roll-to-roll coating systems consist of a winder, unwinder, and magnetron sputtering coating system. These systems are all located within the same vacuum chamber and utilize a common vacuum pump. However, the vacuum requirements for the unwinder, winder, and magnetron sputtering coating system vary. Using the same vacuum pump to maintain a uniform vacuum level for all three inevitably increases pumping time and reduces efficiency.

[0032] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, this application provides a flexible substrate winding coating device, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 ,include:

[0033] A first cavity 101, wherein an unwinding unit 1 is provided in the first cavity 101 for releasing an uncoated substrate;

[0034] A second cavity 102, wherein a winding unit 2 is provided in the second cavity 102 for winding up the substrate after coating;

[0035] A main cavity 103 is provided with a coating unit 3, and the coating unit 3 is located on the substrate conveying path between the unwinding unit 1 and the rewinding unit 2; the first cavity 101 and the second cavity 102 are both connected to the main cavity 103, and a gap for the substrate to pass through is provided at the connection point;

[0036] The main chamber 103, the first chamber 101, and the second chamber 102 are each connected to a vacuum pumping device. The number of vacuum pumping devices connected to the first chamber 101 is greater than the number of vacuum pumping devices connected to the second chamber 102, but less than the number of vacuum pumping devices connected to the main chamber 103. Compared to the prior art method of using a common vacuum pumping device to vacuum multiple connected chambers, the present application selects different numbers of vacuum pumping devices to connect to different chambers based on the different vacuum requirements of different chambers during film deposition, thereby quickly meeting the vacuum requirements of different chambers and improving vacuuming efficiency. In the present application, gaps for the substrate to pass through are provided between the first cavity 101 and the main cavity 103, and between the second cavity 102 and the main cavity 103. Therefore, the number of vacuum pumping devices connected to the main cavity 103 is the largest, the number of vacuum pumping devices connected to the first cavity 101 is the second largest, and the number of vacuum pumping devices connected to the second cavity 102 is the least. That is, the vacuum degree required by the main cavity 103 among the three cavities is higher than that required by the first cavity 101, and the vacuum degree required by the first cavity 101 is higher than that required by the second cavity 102. Therefore, the heights of the vacuum degrees among the three are relative. Figure 2The unmarked parts are guide rollers, which ensure that the substrate maintains the correct path and position during the coating process, improve the stability of substrate transportation, reduce friction and wear during substrate transportation, and assist the movement of the substrate.

[0037] Furthermore, the second cavity 102 is connected to the inert gas supply device 42 via a vacuum breaker valve 41. When it is necessary to stop the coating, the vacuum breaker valve 41 needs to be opened first to allow the outside air to enter the flexible substrate winding coating device; in order to reduce the impact of the incoming air on the film coated on the substrate, because the film coated on the substrate is metal, the moisture in the air will cause the film to oxidize, so the vacuum breaker valve 41 is connected to the inert gas supply device 42, allowing dry inert gas to enter the flexible substrate winding coating device, which can protect the quality and performance of the coating; inert gas, such as argon or nitrogen. In addition, connecting the vacuum breaker valve 41 and the inert gas supply device 42 to the second cavity 102, rather than the first cavity 101 or the main cavity 103, is conducive to quickly breaking the vacuum, so that the coated substrate can be taken out of the vacuum environment and subsequently processed or treated. The inert gas can also play a certain cooling and temperature control role, which helps to maintain the stable state of the substrate after coating.

[0038] Furthermore, the vacuum pumping device includes a plurality of molecular pumps 104 connected to the main cavity 103, the first cavity 101 and the second cavity 102. In the embodiment of the present application, the main cavity 103 is connected to 24 molecular pumps 104, the first cavity 101 is connected to 9 molecular pumps 104, and the second cavity 102 is connected to 6 molecular pumps 104. Different numbers of molecular pumps 104 are used to evacuate different cavities so that each cavity can quickly reach the required vacuum degree, thereby improving the efficiency of vacuuming. Furthermore, the second cavity 102 is connected to two parallel-arranged front-stage pump groups. The two parallel-arranged front-stage pump groups cooperate with the molecular pumps 104 to evacuate the main cavity 103, the first cavity 101 and the second cavity 102, thereby improving the efficiency of vacuuming the flexible substrate winding module device; each of the front-stage pump groups includes a Roots pump 51 and a mechanical pump 52 connected in series with the second cavity 102. In the present application, the Roots pump 51 is connected close to the second cavity 102. Since the Roots pump 51 has a lower pressure ratio, it can effectively reduce the amount of gas leakage, thereby improving the vacuum degree; the Roots pump 51 can effectively extract impurities and particulate matter in the cavity during the vacuuming process, thereby maintaining the cleanliness and integrity of the cavity, and protecting the cavity from pollution and damage to a certain extent. The mechanical pump 52 is more efficient in the initial vacuuming stage, while the Roots pump 51 is more advantageous in the deep vacuuming stage. The combination of the two can give full play to their respective advantages and optimize energy consumption. When coating is required, turn on the mechanical pump 52, let the mechanical pump 52 work for a period of time, and then turn on the Roots pump 51 to continue to vacuum the flexible substrate winding coating device. After the vacuum is stable, turn on the molecular pump 104, and after the vacuum reaches the preset vacuum degree, coating can be started. Figure 1 The switch is connected in series with the molecular pump 104, and the switches are also connected in series with the Roots pump 51 and the mechanical pump 52, which are used to control the opening and closing of the connection channel.

[0039] Furthermore, the unwinding unit 1 includes an unwinding roller 11 arranged in sequence, and a first roller group adjustment unit located on the substrate conveying path between the unwinding roller 11 and the coating unit 3. The first roller group adjustment unit includes a first flattening roller group 12, a first tension roller 13, and a first bending roller 14 arranged in sequence. The first flattening roller group 12 includes at least one flattening roller. After being released from the unwinding roller 11, the substrate first passes through the first flattening roller group 12 to eliminate wrinkles or unevenness that may have occurred on the substrate during the unwinding process. The substrate then passes through the tension roller to control the tension of the substrate to ensure smooth conveyance, avoiding excessive tension that may cause the substrate to break or damage, and excessive tension that may cause uneven coating or wrinkles. Finally, the substrate passes through the bending roller to improve the flatness of the substrate surface, eliminate unevenness on the substrate surface, and make it smoother and more uniform, which is conducive to improving the quality and uniformity of the coating. In order to better convey the substrate, a guide roller is further provided between two adjacent rollers / roller groups in the first flattening roller group 12, the first tension roller 13 and the first bending roller 14, which is beneficial to guiding and driving the substrate into the coating area, ensuring that the substrate maintains the correct conveying path and position during the coating conveying process. At the same time, the surface of the guide roller is usually specially treated to reduce friction and wear between the substrate or the coating, which is beneficial to improving the coating quality.

[0040] Furthermore, the coating unit 3 includes a first front cooling main drum 301, a first back cooling main drum 302, a second front cooling main drum 303 and a second back cooling main drum 304, which are arranged in sequence. A coating assembly (not shown in the figure) is arranged around each cooling main drum, and a second roller group adjustment unit is arranged in sequence between two adjacent cooling main drums. The second roller group adjustment unit includes a tension roller, a steering roller and a bending roller, which are arranged in sequence. The curvature of the bending roller is 10°-15°. In this application, the adjacent cooling main drums of the first front cooling main drum 301, the first back cooling main drum 302, the second front cooling main drum 303 and the second back cooling main drum 304 are staggered up and down, which is conducive to saving space and adjusting the tension of the substrate or the substrate after coating on the main drum. Through the coating assembly arranged around each cooling main drum, a double-layer coating of a predetermined thickness can be formed on both sides of the base film at one time, without the need for secondary coating. The coating assembly can adopt magnetron sputtering or other coating equipment that can achieve the same coating effect.

[0041] The second roller group adjustment unit between the first front cooling main drum 301 and the first back cooling main drum 302 includes a second tension roller 31, a first steering roller 32 and a second bending roller 33 arranged in sequence; the second roller group adjustment unit between the first back cooling main drum 302 and the second front cooling main drum 303 includes a third tension roller 34, a second steering roller 35, and a third bending roller 36 arranged in sequence; the second roller group adjustment unit between the second front cooling main drum 303 and the second back cooling main drum 304 includes a fourth tension roller 37, a third steering roller 38, and a fourth bending roller 39 arranged in sequence. In this application, the substrate passes through the tension roller before passing through the second roller group adjustment unit. The tension roller controls and stabilizes the tension of the substrate to ensure smooth transportation during the coating process. Appropriate tension helps maintain the flatness of the substrate and prevents wrinkles or deformation caused by uneven tension. If the bending roller is set first, although it can flatten the substrate, it may cause uneven tension in the subsequent coating process due to lack of tension control, which in turn causes uneven coating or even cracking of the substrate. If the turning roller is set first, although it can change the coating surface of the substrate first, it also lacks tension control and may cause uneven tension during the coating process. Therefore, the substrate needs to pass through the tension roller in the second roller group adjustment unit first. If the turning roller is set after the bending roller, that is, the substrate needs to pass through the tension roller and the bending roller before turning. After passing through the tension roller and the bending roller, the physical properties such as stress between the metal layer already plated on the substrate and the substrate will change, as will the physical properties such as stress between the metal layer subsequently plated on the substrate and the substrate. This will cause changes in the physical properties of the overall coating. If the turning roller is set last, it is also necessary to consider the subsequent transportation of the substrate after turning, and additional positioning and guiding devices may be required. In the present application, the curvature of the first bending roller 14, the second bending roller 33, the third bending roller 36 and the fourth bending roller 39 are the same, which can ensure that the substrate fits better with the positive and negative cooling main drums, which is beneficial to improving the coating quality.

[0042] Furthermore, the coating unit 3 also includes a pulling roller 305, located on the substrate conveying path between the second reverse cooling drum 304 and the winding unit 2. A fifth tension roller 306 is also located between the second reverse cooling drum 304 and the pulling roller 305. The pulling roller 305 generates friction during rotation, pulling the coated substrate toward the winding device. Positioning the pulling roller 305 upstream of the unwinding unit 1 and adjusting its rotational speed and pulling force help ensure a uniform film layer, improving the quality and stability of the coated product. A guide roller is also located between the fifth tension roller 306 and the pulling roller 305 to guide the coated substrate along a predetermined direction, enhancing the stability of the conveying process. Furthermore, the guide roller's surface is typically specially treated to reduce friction and wear between the coated substrate and the substrate, while providing guidance and reducing noise during conveying.

[0043] Furthermore, the winding unit 2 includes a winding roller 21 and a third roller group adjustment unit disposed on the substrate path between the winding roller 21 and the pulling roller 305. The third roller group adjustment unit includes a fifth bending roller 22, a sixth tension roller 23, and a second flattening roller group 24. The second flattening roller group 24 includes at least one flattening roller. The fifth bending roller 22 is used to initially flatten the pulled coated substrate. The sixth tension roller 23 is used to control and stabilize the tension of the substrate. The second flattening roller group 24 is used to eliminate unevenness of the substrate after coating, thereby improving the overall quality of the product and facilitating subsequent processing.

[0044] In summary, the present invention provides a flexible substrate winding coating device, comprising:

[0045] a first cavity, wherein an unwinding unit is provided in the first cavity for releasing an uncoated substrate;

[0046] A second cavity, wherein a winding unit is provided in the second cavity for winding up the substrate after coating;

[0047] A main cavity, wherein a coating unit is provided in the main cavity, and the coating unit is located on the substrate conveying path between the unwinding unit and the rewinding unit; the first cavity and the second cavity are both connected to the main cavity, and a gap for the substrate to pass through is provided at the connection point;

[0048] The main cavity, the first cavity, and the second cavity are each connected to a vacuum pumping device. The number of vacuum pumping devices connected to the first cavity is greater than the number of vacuum pumping devices connected to the second cavity, but less than the number of vacuum pumping devices connected to the main cavity. Compared to the prior art method of using a common vacuum pumping device to vacuum multiple connected cavities, the present application selects different numbers of vacuum pumping devices to connect to different cavities based on the different vacuum requirements of different cavities during film deposition, thereby quickly meeting the vacuum requirements of different cavities and improving vacuuming efficiency.

[0049] 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 flexible substrate winding coating device, characterized in that: include: a first cavity, wherein an unwinding unit is provided in the first cavity for releasing an uncoated substrate; A second cavity, wherein a winding unit is provided in the second cavity for winding up the substrate after coating; A main cavity, wherein a coating unit is provided in the main cavity, and the coating unit is located on the substrate conveying path between the unwinding unit and the rewinding unit; the first cavity and the second cavity are both connected to the main cavity, and a gap for the substrate to pass through is provided at the connection point; The main cavity, the first cavity and the second cavity are each connected to a vacuum pumping device, and the number of the vacuum pumping devices connected to the first cavity is greater than the number of the vacuum pumping devices connected to the second cavity, and less than the number of the vacuum pumping devices connected to the main cavity.

2. The flexible substrate roll-to-roll coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second cavity is connected to the inert gas supply device through a vacuum breaking valve.

3. The flexible substrate roll-to-roll coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second cavity is connected to two backing pump groups arranged in parallel.

4. The flexible substrate roll-to-roll coating device according to claim 3, characterized in that: Each of the fore-stage pump groups includes a Roots pump and a mechanical pump connected in series with the second cavity.

5. The flexible substrate roll-to-roll coating device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The vacuum pumping device includes a plurality of molecular pumps connected to the main cavity, the first cavity and the second cavity.

6. The flexible substrate roll-to-roll coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unwinding unit includes an unwinding roller and a first roller group adjusting unit that are sequentially arranged on a substrate conveying path between the unwinding roller and the coating unit.

7. The flexible substrate roll-to-roll coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coating unit includes a first front cooling main drum, a first back cooling main drum, a second front cooling main drum and a second back cooling main drum arranged in sequence. A coating assembly is arranged around each cooling main drum, and a second roller group adjustment unit is arranged in sequence between two adjacent cooling main drums.

8. The flexible substrate roll-to-roll coating device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The coating unit further includes a traction roller, which is located on a substrate conveying path between the second reverse cooling main drum and the winding unit.

9. The flexible substrate roll-to-roll coating device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The second roller group adjustment unit includes a tension roller, a steering roller and a bending roller arranged in sequence, and the curvature of the bending roller is 10°-15°.

10. The flexible substrate roll-to-roll coating device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The winding unit includes a winding roller and a third roller group adjusting unit arranged on a substrate path between the winding roller and the traction roller.

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