JPH03122276A - Continuous vacuum deposition device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the flapping of a substrate and to obviate the creasing and breakage of the substrate in traveling by using a guide roll for guiding the outlet vapor-deposited substrate as a tendency roll in a reduced-pressure chamber divided into plural differential pressure chamber. CONSTITUTION:A sealing device 14 is formed by seal rolls 15a-15c and seal bars 16a-16c, plural pressure chambers 17a-17c are provided to cause a pressure gradient extending to a vapor deposition chamber 2, and the chamber 2 is kept at a specified vacuum. The guide rolls for guiding the vapor-deposited substrate 1 are used as the tendency rolls 19a-19c, and their turning rate is made equal to the speed of the vapor-deposited substrate 1. Each of the tendency rolls 19a-19c consists of a small diameter roll 20 held by a bearing 22 and driven by a motor 24 and a hollow roll 21 held by the roll 20 through a bearing 23. Consequently, the contact angle of the substrate 1 with the seal rolls 15a-15c is specified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an apparatus for continuously performing vacuum deposition on running substrates such as thin and easily damaged substrates such as plastic films, paper, and metal foils.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, vacuum evaporation of plastic films, paper, metal foils, etc. is performed by loading a coiled substrate into a vacuum container, and after thoroughly evacuating the vacuum container, the substrate is moved and evaporated, one coil at a time. It was a batch method in which vacuuming, heating, running, vapor deposition, and release to atmosphere were repeated. This batch method has poor productivity and there is an increasing demand for continuous production.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a conventional vacuum evaporation apparatus in which a differential pumping system is added before and after a evaporation chamber for continuously supplying substrates such as steel plates from the atmosphere into a vacuum. In FIG. 4, the deposition chamber 2 includes seal rolls lla, llb, l.
lc-, each having an exhaust pump unit 13.
Pressure chambers 12a, 12b connected to the pressure chambers 12a, 12b.

An inlet sealing device 9 consisting of 12c... and an outlet sealing device 10 having a similar configuration are connected back and forth, and seal rolls 11a, llb, lie...
A predetermined degree of vacuum is maintained by the generation of a pressure gradient due to the resistance.

The substrate 1 is withdrawn from the atmosphere to the vapor deposition chamber 2 via the inlet sealing device 9, and is vapor-deposited by the vapor deposition device 5 while being cooled by the cooling roll 4 to reduce the temperature rise during vapor deposition. It will then be carried out into the atmosphere.

The vapor deposition device 5 includes a vapor deposition material 6, a storage container 7 for storing the vapor deposition material 6, and a heating device 9 for the container 7, and evaporates the vapor deposition material 6 toward the running substrate 1. 3 is a deflation crawl.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

The following points can be cited as reasons why the continuous vacuum evaporation apparatus as described above has not been applied to thin and easily damaged substrates such as plastic films, paper, and metal foils.

(1) In equipment for steel plates, a method can be adopted in which the running board is pinched with a seal roll to reduce the area covered by each pressure space, but with thin and easily damaged boards such as those mentioned above, pinching may cause scratches. This method cannot be adopted because it would be a fatal defect in terms of product quality. Therefore, the exhaust volume required to generate a pressure gradient from the atmospheric side to the high vacuum side would be enormous, making the exhaust pump system extremely large. Become.

(2) When the traveling board passes through the pressure chambers, the airflow flowing through the gaps between the pressure chambers causes the board to flap, be scratched, and be damaged.

In view of the above-mentioned technical level, the present invention includes a plastic film,
The present invention aims to provide an apparatus that can continuously perform vacuum deposition on thin and easily damaged substrates such as paper and metal foil without causing the above-mentioned problems.

[Means to solve the problem]

In the present invention, a substrate is continuously passed from the atmosphere into a vacuum chamber, wound around a cooling roll inside the vapor deposition chamber, vacuum vapor deposited using rising steam from a vapor deposition material storage container at the bottom of the vapor deposition chamber, and passed through the vacuum chamber into the atmosphere. A device for continuously transporting deposition substrates into a vacuum chamber, the decompression chamber is divided from the atmosphere to the deposition chamber into a plurality of differential pressure chambers by sealing devices, and each of the sealing devices are arranged in parallel on the same straight line. It is composed of a pair of seal rolls consisting of at least an inlet roll and an outlet roll, and a pair of seal bars arranged on the above-mentioned straight line with a slight gap on both sides thereof, and an inlet substrate and an outlet vapor deposition substrate. In a continuous vacuum evaporation apparatus, the evaporation surface of the substrate is wound around an inlet roll and an outlet roll at a predetermined angle or more by a guide roll. This is a continuous vacuum evaporation device characterized by functioning as a sea roll.

In the continuous vacuum evaporation apparatus of the present invention, at least two seal rolls, an inlet roll and an outlet roll, are required. A preferred embodiment is to prevent the exit vapor deposition substrate from directly touching the seal bar and being damaged due to insufficient wrapping of the exit vapor deposition substrate around the side roll.

[Effect]

(1) At least a set of seal rolls consisting of an inlet roll and an outlet roll, and the inlet substrate and the outlet vapor deposition substrate are wound around the inlet roll and the outlet roll at an angle greater than a certain angle by a guide roll. By allowing the substrate to travel, it is possible to prevent the traveling substrate from fluttering due to the airflow flowing through the gap between the seal rolls.

(2) The guide roll is driven by a motor, etc., and its rotation speed is controlled to prevent scratches from slipping on the board, but it may be subject to momentary and subtle changes in board speed due to some disturbance, or subtle speed changes during acceleration or deceleration. Misalignment is unavoidable, and it is extremely difficult to control the rotation speed accordingly.Although scratches that occur on non-evaporated surfaces such as plastic film, paper, and metal foil are tolerable to some extent, Even the slightest scratch on the evaporation surface can be a fatal defect in terms of product quality, so after evaporation has been applied to the substrate, use a guide roll placed on the evaporation surface side as a tendency roll. Then, the delicate substrate speed changes and speed deviations are followed without controlling the rotational speed of the motor, thereby preventing scratches on the deposition surface.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 4 indicate the same parts as in FIG. 4.

In FIG. 1, a running board 1 is attached to an unillustrated unwinding reel and sent to a sealing device 14.

The sealing device 14 has at least two parallel
A set of seal rolls (herein, a set of three seal rolls is shown) 15a, 15b.

15c... and a pair of sealers 16a, 16b provided on the above-mentioned straight line with a slight gap on the surface side thereof.
, 16c... The pressure chamber 17. is partitioned by a plurality of sealing devices arranged at intervals. a,
17b, 17C..., and the same pressure chambers 17a, 17b
.

A pressure gradient is generated from the atmospheric side up to the vapor deposition chamber 2 by the exhaust pump unit 13 connected to the vapor deposition chamber 2 to maintain the vapor deposition chamber 2 at a predetermined degree of vacuum. The traveling substrate l is the seal roll 15a.

15b, 15c, .
The seal roll 15a is re-deposited by the evaporation material 6 evaporated by the evaporation process.

It travels in the opposite direction through the gaps between two of the three rolls 15b, 15C, . . . and is carried out from the sealing device 14.

18a, 18b, 18cm ・ indicates each pressure chamber 17a, 1
Guide rolls 19a, 19b, which are provided at 7b, 17c, . , 19c, . . . similarly seal the running evaporation substrate 1 after evaporation with a seal roll (15a in FIG. 1,
15b, a 15cm2 central roll). These are driven by a motor or the like, and are configured so that the rotation speed is controlled to be the same speed as the traveling vapor deposition substrate 1.

In other words, the rotational and circumferential speeds of each tension roll are controlled to be the same speed as the cooling roll 4.

An example of the tension rolls 19a, 19b, 19c is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, this roll consists of a small-diameter roll 20 held by a bearing 22 and driven by, for example, a motor 24, and a hollow roll 21 held on its outer periphery via a bearing 23.

These tension rolls 19a are arranged in each pressure chamber 17a, 17b, 17cm, .

19b and 19C seal the seal roll (
15a, 15b, 15cm center roll in Figure 1)
The wrapping angle is ensured to be above a certain level.

As shown in FIG. 3, experiments conducted by the present inventors have shown that a wrapping angle of 10 degrees or more is appropriate for the traveling substrate and the traveling vapor deposition substrate 1, and if the wrapping angle is 10 degrees or more, the traveling substrate and the traveling vapor deposition substrate 1 will not fluctuate. It has been confirmed that there will be no problem.

The tendency rolls 19a, 19b, and 19c are disposed on the side of the running evaporation substrate 1 that contacts the evaporation surface after the evaporation has been performed, and are extremely effective against subtle substrate speed changes and speed deviations. This can be followed by the slip of the small diameter roll 22 and the hollow roll 21 without performing difficult and delicate control of the rotation speed.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Sealing performance is improved because the leak gap at the seal roll is reduced. In addition, the traveling substrate and the traveling vapor deposition substrate are 1
Since the substrate is wrapped around the seal roll at a wrapping angle of 0 degrees or more, there is no flapping of these substrates, and there is no risk of wrinkles or cuts during running.

Furthermore, when the traveling vapor deposition substrate is wound around the seal roll, by arranging a tendency roll on the vapor deposition surface side, it is possible to prevent scratches on the vapor deposition surface, which is also important in terms of product quality.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a tendency roll used in the device of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a graph showing the effects of the present invention, and FIG. The figure is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a conventional continuous vacuum evaporation apparatus.

Claims (1)

[Claims] The substrate is continuously passed from the atmosphere into a vacuum chamber, wound around a cooling roll inside the deposition chamber, vacuum-deposited using rising steam from a deposition material storage container at the bottom of the deposition chamber, and then continuously passed through the vacuum chamber into the atmosphere. The decompression chamber is divided from the atmosphere to the deposition chamber into a plurality of differential pressure chambers by a sealing device, and each sealing device is arranged in parallel on the same straight line at least on the entrance side. It consists of a set of seal rolls consisting of a roll and an exit roll, and a pair of seal bars placed on the above-mentioned straight line with a slight gap on both sides of the seal roll, and the vapor deposition surface of the entry side substrate and the exit side evaporation substrate. In a continuous vacuum evaporation device configured to run while being wound around an inlet roll and an outlet roll at an angle greater than a certain angle by a guide roll, the guide roll that guides the outlet evaporation substrate is used as a tendency roll. A continuous vacuum evaporation device characterized by: