SE536952C2

SE536952C2 - Continuous roll-to-roll device

Info

Publication number: SE536952C2
Application number: SE1250680A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Roger Vigren; Christofer Andersson
Original assignee: Impact Coatings Ab
Priority date: 2012-06-25
Filing date: 2012-06-25
Publication date: 2014-11-11
Also published as: CN104395214A; SE1250680A1; EP2864229A1; US20150203314A1; WO2014001151A1; CN104395214B; JP2015520092A; JP6130499B2

Abstract

21 ABSTRACT A continuous reel-to-reel arrangement (1), for transportation ofcontinuous substrate materials (3) from an unwinding material reel (2) to awinding material reel (4), comprises at least two guiding rolls (5) arranged toalign the substrate material (3) when being rolled off from the unwindingmaterial reel (2) before entering into at least one treatment zone (6), and atleast two guiding rolls (5) arranged to align the substrate material (3) whenexiting the at least one treatment zone (6) before being winded up on thewinding material reel (4). At least one of the guiding rolls (5) arranged to alignthe substrate material (3) when exiting the at least one treatment zone is adriving roll (13), and at least one of the guiding rolls (5) arranged to align thesubstrate material (3) when being rolled off from the unwinding material reel(2) is a braking roll (12), arranged to apply a constant braking force to thesubstrate material (3) when the substrate material (3) is driven through the atleast one treatment zone (6). Thereby, the risk of plastically deforming thesubstrate material (3) is low during transportation and duringunwinding/winding and the risk of subjecting the material to wear is also low. Figure elected for publication: Fig. 1.

Description

CONTINUOUS REEL-TO-REEL ARRANGEMENT Technical field The present disclosure relates to a continuous reel-to-reel arrangementfor transportation of continuous substrate materials from an unwindingmaterial reel to a winding material reel, a system comprising at least two sucharrangements, a method of feeding substrate materials to at least onetreatment zone and a method of treating substrate materials.

Backgroundln continuous reel-to-reel apparatuses an elongated substrate is transported from one reel or roll to another. Such apparatuses may be used invarious areas, for example for paper processing and label printing. Reel-to-reel apparatuses are also used for application of coatings or thin films oncontinuous flexible substrates and may for example be used in the productionof photovoltaic cells, for coating of various components for the electronicindustry, and for the purpose of decoration.

Different coating methods, such as electroplating, CVD (ChemicalVapour Deposition) or PVD (Physical Vapour Deposition) may be used insuch reel-to-reel coating apparatuses.

For all applications mentioned above a reliable coating apparatus isessential in which reproducible coating layers of high quality may beproduced on continuous substrates. lt is also of importance to avoidscratching or damaging of the coated surface when the substrate istransported through the reel-to-reel apparatus and during winding of thecoated substrate material on the material reel. ln US 4,763,601 a continuous coating apparatus for coating of acontinuous strip, such as a metal or a plastic strip, is disclosed. Coating isonly applied on one side of the strip and the coated surface does not comeinto contact with guide rollers of the apparatus. Hence, the risk of the coatedsurface being scratched is low. The apparatus in this disclosure comprises apair of strip supply/take-up devices capable of uncoiling the strip, supplyingthe strip in a tensed condition to at least two coating zones, and taking up and coiling the strip. The at least two coating zones are at least two of an ionplating coating zone, a sputtering coating zone and a plasma CVD coatingzone arranged in series in the direction of run of a strip between said stripsupply/take-up devices. Between adjacent coating zones and between asupply/take-up device and an adjacent coating zone are partition walls withslits adapted to allow the strip to pass through and to maintain a vacuum inthe coating zones. The partition wall has a pair of guide rollers located in thevicinity of an upper edge of the slit so as to tense the strip such that the pathof the strip is slightly convex downwards to keep the strip away from upperand lower edges of the slit.

Although the use of the continuous coating apparatus disclosed in US4,763,601 may result in the desirable unscratched coated surface there is arisk of plastically deforming the continuous strip during transportation throughthe apparatus and during unwinding/winding of the strip. ln addition, there is arisk of subjecting the continuous strip to wear by sliding of different layers ofthe strip against each other on the strip take-up device.

Summary of the invention lt is a general object of the present disclosure to provide an improvedcontinuous reel-to reel arrangement for transportation of continuous substratematerials. lt is a specific object to provide a continuous reel-to-reelarrangement in which the risk of plastically deforming the substrate materialduring transportation and during unwinding/winding of the substrate materialis low and where the risk of subjecting the substrate material to wear is low.

The invention is defined by the appended independent claims.Embodiments are set forth in the dependent claims, in the attached drawingsand in the following description.

According to a first aspect, there is provided a continuous reel-to-reelarrangement for transportation of continuous substrate materials from anunwinding material reel to a winding material reel, wherein the substratematerial is arranged to be driven through at least one treatment zone. Thearrangement comprises at least two guiding rolls arranged to align the substrate material when being rolled off from the unwinding material reel before entering into the at least one treatment zone, and at least two guidingrolls arranged to align the substrate material when exiting the at least onetreatment zone before being winded up on the winding material reel. At leastone of the guiding rolls arranged to align the substrate material when exitingthe at least one treatment zone is a driving roll, and at least one of the guidingrolls arranged to align the substrate material when being rolled off from theunwinding material reel is a braking roll, arranged to apply a constant brakingforce to the substrate material when the substrate material is driven throughthe at least one treatment zone.

The winding and unwinding material reels have substantially no effecton the driving and braking of the substrate material. The braking roll is aguiding roll which is physically and functionally separate from the unwindingmaterial reel. The driving roll is a guiding roll which is physically andfunctionally separate from the winding material reel.

The substrate material may be flexible.

The guiding rolls arranged to align the substrate material rolled off fromthe unwinding material reel are arranged in such a way that the substratematerial may be precisely aligned in the horizontal position as well as in thevertical position of the direction of the moving substrate material while beingdriven through the at least one treatment zone.

Inside the treatment zone there are no supporting or guiding rolls andthe substrate material is suspended freely therein.

When more than one treatment zone is present in the continuous reel-to-reel arrangement, these may be arranged in series in the direction oftransportation of the substrate material.

The use of at least one driving roll and at least one braking roll, whichare physically and functionally separate from the unwinding and windingmaterial reels, prevent too high forces to act on the unwinding/windingmaterial reels. The tension force acting on the substrate material is increasedafter the braking roll and decreased after the driving roll and is at its maximumwhen the substrate material passes through the treatment zone. Thereby, therisk of plastically deforming the substrate material during unwinding/windingmay be low. Also, wearing of the substrate material by sliding of different layers of substrate materials against each other on the material reels may beavoided. Further, a possible Collapse of the whole winded reel structure isavoided.

With this reel-to-reel arrangement the constant braking force applied tothe substrate material by the at least one braking roll ensures that thesubstrate material is kept in a tensed condition when driven through the atleast one treatment zone. Also, the horizontal and vertical position of thesubstrate material inside the treatment zone is controlled and keptsubstantially constant independently of the amount of substrate material(number of layers) that is winded on the material reels.

With this reel-to-reel arrangement design the mechanical demandsrequired in the treatment zone can be separated from the mechanicaldemands put on the guiding rolls and the unwinding/winding material reels. ln one embodiment, the number of guiding rolls arranged to align thesubstrate material rolled off from the unwinding material reel may be at leastthree. ln yet an embodiment the number of guiding rolls arranged to align thesubstrate material when exiting the at least one treatment zone may be atleast three.

Also four or more guiding rolls may be arranged to align the substratematerial rolled off from the unwinding material reel and four or more guidingrolls may be arranged to align the substrate material when exiting the at leastone treatment zone.

The number of guiding rolls arranged to align the substrate materialrolled off from the unwinding material reel may be independent of the numberof guiding rolls arranged to align the substrate material when exiting the atleast one treatment zone.

The radius of the guiding rolls may be larger than what causes plasticdeformation of the substrate material due to combination of tensile stress andbending curvature which the substrate material is subject to in the continuousreel-to-reel arrangement.

By using guiding rolls with large enough radius, the substrate material may be transported from one material reel to another in the continuous reel- to-reel arrangement without subjecting the substrate material to tensile stressor bending curvature that could cause plastic deformation of the substratematerial. ln one specific embodiment a smallest radius, R, of the guiding rolls ata given tension force, F, may be when the total tensile stress, om, acting onthe substrate material is equal to the yield point, 00,2, of a given substratematerial.

The total tensile stress, om, which the substrate material is subject to inthe continuous reel-to-reel arrangement, is the sum of tensile stress due totension forces, F, and tensile stress due to bending curvature. The yield pointis a first point at which permanent deformation of a stressed substratematerial begins to take place. For engineering purposes the yield point istaken as the point at which a certain small amount of permanent deformation,here O.2%, 00,2, has occurred. ln one embodiment of the continuous reel-to-reel arrangement thebraking roll may be enclosed by the substrate material at an angle of about180°.

The substrate material may be wrapped around the braking roll at anangle of about 180° in order to avoid slipping or sliding between the brakingroll and the substrate material.

With a wrap angle of about 180° is here meant an angle of 180°i5°.

The braking roll may be arranged between a first guiding roll, guidingthe substrate material at an angle of about 90°to engage the braking roll, anda second guiding roll guiding the substrate material at an angle of about 90°for further transportation to the at least one treatment zone.

With an angle of about 90° is here meant an angle of 90°i5°.

By turning the substrate material as it is transported between theguiding rolls, braking roll and driving roll only one side of the substratematerial is mechanically touched. By only using guiding rolls whose axis aredirected perpendicular to the direction of the moving substrate material, therisk of scratching the surface of substrate material during the transport from the at least on treatment zone is low. ln one embodiment at least one of the guiding rolls arranged to alignthe substrate material rolled off from the unwinding material reel beforeentering into the at least one treatment zone, may provide the substratematerial with a voltage.

For some applications a substrate material biased with a voltage maybe preferred in the at least one treatment zone. ln a further embodiment an evacuated environment may be provided inat least a section of the at least one treatment zone.

A typical working vacuum in the treatment zone may be 1-10 mTorr.

The at least one treatment zone may comprise at least one coatingchamber. ln this coating chamber deposition techniques such as PVD and CVDmay be used.

One of the guiding rolls arranged to align the substrate material whenexiting the at least one treatment zone before being winded up on a windingmaterial reel may be a cooling roll.

The substrate material may be cooled down after exiting the treatmentzone by a cooling roll which may be placed close to the exit of the treatmentzone. lt may comprise a heat absorbing material which should be able toquickly take up the heat from the substrate material by conduction andtransport the heat from the substrate material contact area.

Suitable cooling roll surfaces could be any metal with good heatingconductivity that will not smear or react with the freshly deposited surface ofthe substrate material. Alternatively, a heat conductive ceramic material suchas aluminium oxide could be used.

The substrate material may be any one of a strip, a wire, and a foil.

The substrate material may be substantially flat or being formed inthree dimensions. Substrate materials may for example be nickel platedcopper alloys e.g. brass or bronze, stainless steel, aluminium, etc.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a system comprisingat least two of the continuous reel-to-reel arrangements described above,wherein the at least one treatment zone is common for the at least two continuous reel-to-reel arrangements, and wherein at least two substrate materials are arranged substantially in parallel when driven through the atleast one common treatment zone.

This system enables simultaneous transportation of more than onesubstrate material through the at least one common treatment zone withouthaving the different substrate materials touching each other. Each differentsubstrate material pass individual adjusting guiding rolls includingbraking/driving rolls in order to precisely keep the right tension and position ofthe substrate material when passing through the at least one treatment zone.

According to a third aspect there is provided a method of treating atleast one continuous substrate material, the method comprising the steps of:unwinding the at least one substrate material from at least one unwindingmaterial reel, guiding the at least one substrate material to at least onetreatment zone by the use of at least two guiding rolls, treating the at leastone substrate material in the at least one treatment zone, and winding up theat least one substrate material on at least one winding material reel, whereinthe method comprises a step of driving and a step of braking the at least onesubstrate material.

According to a fourth aspect there is provided a method of feeding atleast one continuous substrate material to at least one treatment zone, themethod comprising the steps of unwinding the at least one substrate materialfrom at least one unwinding material reel, guiding the substrate material at anangle of about 90° around a first guiding roll to engage a braking roll,enclosing the braking roll by the substrate material at an angle of about 180°,guiding the substrate material at an angle of about 90° around a secondguiding roll and entering the at least one treatment zone.

According to a sixth aspect there is provided a continuous reel-to-reelapparatus for transportation of continuous substrate materials from a pay-outchamber to a take-up chamber, wherein the substrate material is arranged tobe driven through at least one treatment zone, wherein the pay-out chambercomprises at least two guiding rolls arranged to align the substrate materialrolled off from an unwinding material reel in the pay-out chamber beforeentering into the at least one treatment zone, and wherein the take-up chamber comprises at least two guiding rolls arranged to align the substrate material when exiting the at least one treatment zone before being winded upon a winding material reel in the take-up chamber. At least one of the guidingrolls in the take-up chamber is a driving roll, and at least one of the guidingrolls in the pay-out chamber is a braking roll, arranged to apply a constantbraking force to the substrate material when the substrate material is driventhrough the at least one treatment zone.

The number of guiding rolls arranged to align the substrate materialrolled off from the unwinding material reel in the continuous reel-to-reel apparatus may be at least three.

Brief description of the drawinqs The above, as well as other aspects, objects and advantages of thepresent disclosure, will be better understood through the following illustrativeand non-limited detailed description, with reference to the appended drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic overview of a continuous reel-to-reel arrangement.Fig. 2 shows a schematic overview of a continuous reel-to-reel arrangementwith one treatment zone.

Fig. 3 shows a magnification of a part of the continuous reel-to-reelarrangement in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows a side view of a portion of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows a part of a system comprising eight continuous reel-to-reelarrangements, in which system the eight substrate materials are transportedsubstantially in parallel.

Fig.6 shows a magnified slightly rotated view of a part of the system in Fig. 5.

Detailed descriptionFig. 1 shows an overview of a continuous reel-to-reel arrangement 1.

The arrangement 1 comprises an unwinding material reel 2 from whichsubstrate material 3 is rolled off and a winding material reel 4 onto whichsubstrate material 3 is winded up. A number of guiding rolls 5 are arranged toalign the substrate material 3 when being rolled off from the unwinding material reel 2 before entering into a treatment zone 6. ln the embodimentshown in Fig. 1. three such guiding rolls 5 are used. ln another embodimenttwo guiding rolls 5 may be used. ln a yet further embodiment more than threeguiding rolls 5 may be used. A number of guiding rolls 5 are arranged to alignthe substrate material 3 when exiting the treatment zone 6 before beingwinded up on the winding material reel 4. ln Fig. 1. an embodiment with threesuch guiding rolls 5 is shown. ln another embodiment two guiding rolls 5 maybe used and in a further embodiment more than three guiding rolls 5 may beused. ln Fig. 1 also a number of auxiliary guiding rolls 7 are shown. Theseauxiliary guiding rolls 7 are physically and functionally separate from theguiding rolls 5. The number of auxiliary guiding rolls 7 in a continuous reel-to-reel arrangement 1 may vary. ln one embodiment of the arrangement 1 thereare no auxiliary guiding rolls 7. The guiding rolls 5 are arranged in such a waythat the substrate material 3 can be rolled off from a horizontally placedmaterial reel 2 and being precisely aligned in the horizontal position as well asin the vertical position when driven through the treatment zone 6. ln anotherembodiment (not shown) the substrate material 3 is rolled off from a verticallyplaced material reel 2. ln a further embodiment (not shown) the substratematerial 3 is driven vertically though the treatment zone 6.

Inside the treatment zone 6 there are no guiding rolls 5 or auxiliaryguiding rolls 7 and the substrate material 3 is suspended freely therein. ln theembodiment shown in Fig. 2 there is one treatment zone 6. ln otherembodiments two or more treatment zones 6 are arranged in series in thedirection of transportation of the substrate material 3. ln the treatment zone 6any kind of treatment could be executed. ln some embodiments, thecontinuous reel-to-reel arrangement 1 may be used without any treatment inthe treatment zone 6. ln the treatment zone 6 an evacuated environment maybe provided. Typically, the treatment zone 6 is first evacuated to abackground vacuum level of 0.05-0.001 mTorr. Thereafter a process gas(such as argon) is added to the treatment zone 6 to a working pressure of 1-10 mTorr. The treatment zone 6 in Fig. 2 comprises two deposition chambers8, 8' arranged in series in the direction of transportation of the substratematerial. ln the deposition chambers 8, 8' deposition techniques such as PVD or CVD may be used. The presence of more than one deposition chamber 8,8' render it possible to coat the substrate material 3 with more than onecoating layer. ln some embodiments no or only one deposition chamber 8, 8'is present in the treatment zone 6. ln other embodiments more than twodeposition chambers 8, 8' are arranged in series in the treatment zone 6. Thetreatment zone 6 may further comprise at least one etch chamber 9. Aftertreatment in one deposition chamber 8, 8' the substrate material 3 may betransferred to another deposition chamber 8, 8' for a next coating step. Thedeposition technique used in the different deposition chambers 8, 8' may bedifferent or the same.

The unwinding material reel 2 and the guiding rolls 5 arranged to alignthe substrate material 3 before entering the treatment zone 6 are arranged ina so called pay-out chamber 10, Fig. 2. The guiding rolls 5 arranged to alignthe substrate material 3 when exiting the treatment zone 6 before beingwinded up on the winding material reel 4 are arranged in a so called take-upchamber 11. ln Fig. 3 a pay-out chamber 10/take-up chamber 11 is shownwith the unwinding material reel 2/winding material reel 4 and guiding rolls 5including a braking roll 12/driving roll 13. Fig. 4 is a side view of a portion ofthe pay-out chamber 10/take-up chamber 11 in Fig. 3, in which the guidingrolls 5 including the braking roll 12/driving roll 13 are shown.

The winding and unwinding material reels 2, 4 have substantially noeffect on the driving/braking of the substrate material 3 in this continuous reel-to-reel arrangement 1. The braking roll 12 is a guiding roll 5 which isphysically and functionally separate from the unwinding material reel 2. Thedriving roll 13 is a guiding roll 5 which is physically and functionally separatefrom the winding material reel 4.

The guiding rolls 5 arranged to align the substrate material 3 rolled offfrom the unwinding material reel 2 are arranged in such a way that thesubstrate material 3 may be precisely aligned in the horizontal position as wellas in the vertical position of the direction of the moving substrate material 3while being driven through the at least one treatment zone 6.

The use of at least one driving roll 13 and at least one braking roll 12prevent too high forces to act on the unwinding/winding material reels 2, 4. 11 The tension force acting on the substrate material 3 is increased after thebraking roll 12 and decreased after the driving roll 13 and is at its maximumwhen the substrate material 3 passes through the treatment zone 6. Thereby,the risk of plastically deforming the substrate material 3 duringunwinding/winding is low. Also, wearing of the substrate material 3 by slidingof different layers of substrate materials 3 against each other on the materialreels 2, 4 is avoided. Further, a possible collapse of the whole winded reelstructure is avoided.

The constant braking force applied to the substrate material 3 by the atleast one braking roll 12 ensures that the substrate material 3 is kept in atensed condition when driven through the treatment zone 6. Also, thehorizontal and vertical position of the substrate material 3 inside the treatmentzone 6 is controlled and kept substantially constant independently of theamount of material (number of layers) that is winded on the material reels 2,4.

A typical substrate material 3 that may be handled in this reel-to-reelarrangement 1 has a thin sheet metal backbone (0.05 - 0.2 mm in thickness)with a width ranging from 2 mm up to 5 mm. A thin sheet metal having adistributed weight of pi, and being suspended between two points of equalhorizontal level at a distance L from each other and being subject to a tensionforce F will have a curvature described by the formula: Y = a><(cosh(X/a)-1), where a is calculated from a = L/(2> in which g is the earth gravity acceleration. ln order to control the horizontal position of the substrate material 3 withouttoo much of curvature it is important that the tension of substrate material 3 iscorrect and within a certain tolerance region.

Given the theoretical expressions above, if the tension force, F, appliedto a substrate material 3 with a distributed weight in the order of 5 grams permeter is 20 to 25 N and the suspension length of the substrate material 3 is 4meters, the resulting curvature of the substrate material 3 will have a lowest point of approximately 4 - 5 mm below the suspension points. 12 The braking roll 12/driving roll 13 shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 is enclosedby the substrate material 3 at an angle of about 180°. The substrate material3 is wrapped around the braking roll 12/driving roll 13 at an angle of about180° in order to avoid slipping or sliding between the braking roll 12/drivingroll 13 and the substrate material 3. The larger the wrap angle is, the lower isthe risk of slipping or sliding between the braking roll 12/driving roll 13 and thesubstrate material 3. A wrap angle larger than about 180i~5° would not befeasible. A wrap angle smaller than about 18015” is not desirable and wouldmake the geometric placement of the guiding rolls 5 in the pay-out chamber10/take-up chamber 11 complicated. No technical solution would, however,give a wrap angle of exactly 180° but tolerances and flexural resistance of thesubstrate material 3 will result in some deviation in wrap angle.

The material of the guiding rolls 5 should be chosen such that there isa large friction between the guiding roll 5 and the substrate material 3. Thematerial of the guiding rolls 5 should also be chosen such that there is a lowrisk of scratching the substrate material 3.

The driving roll 13 in the take-up chamber 11 may be propelled by anexternal electrical motor.

The braking roll 12 may be arranged between a first guiding roll 5,guiding the substrate material 3 at an angle of about 90°to engage thebraking roll 12, and a second guiding roll 5 guiding the substrate material 3 atan angle of about 90° for further transportation to the at least one treatmentzone 6. By turning the substrate material 3 as it is transported between theguiding rolls 5, braking roll 12 and driving roll 13, only one side of thesubstrate material 3 is mechanically touched. By only using guiding rolls 5whose axis are directed perpendicular to the direction of the moving substratematerial 3, the risk of scratching the coated surface of the substrate material 3during the transport from the at least one treatment zone 6 is low. ln this way,a substrate material 3 that has an extra sensitive side, such as electricalcontact strips, as well as strip material stamped and formed in the 3”dimension may be transported through the at least one treatment zone 6 without damaging the often sensitive connector pins. 13 The angle of about 90° is a preferred angle. ln the geometry shown inthe figures of the continuous reel-to-reel arrangement 1 of this disclosure, theoptimal angle is about 90:51 Deviations from this angle may result inundesirable twisting of and tension in the substrate material 3. Continuousreel-to-reel arrangements 1 with other guiding roll 5 geometries and otherguiding angles are also possible. Such arrangements 1 would, however,result in a more complicated geometric structure which would be morecomplicated and more space requiring to implement.

The radius of the guiding rolls 5 should be larger than what causes thesubstrate material 3 to be deformed due to combination of tensile stress andbending curvature which the substrate material 3 is subject to in thecontinuous reel-to-reel arrangement 1. By using guiding rolls 5 with largeenough radius, the substrate material 3 may be transported from one materialreel 2, 4 to another in the continuous reel-to-reel arrangement 1 without beingsubject to tensile stress or bending curvature that could cause plasticdeformation of the substrate material 3.

A minimum guiding roll 5 radius which may be used for a specificsubstrate material 3 may be derived from the following calculations:Elongation of a substrate material 3 due to bending curvature is e = AL/L,wherein L is the geometrical length of a substrate material 3 having thicknesst. The substrate material 3 is wrapped around a guiding roll 5 with radius Rwith a contact angle oi. Thereby, L=oi(R +t/2). The outer surface of the strip iselongated oi(r+t). Thus the elongation due to bending curvature may bewritten s = oi[(R + t) - (R+ t/2)]/o[R + t/2] = t/(2R + t), wherein t is presumed tobet« R=>a=tl2RThe tensile stress in the substrate material 3 due to bending curvature, og, isE >< e = oB , wherein E is the Young's modulus of the specific substratematerial.

The total tensile stress in the substrate material 3 is thenom = oB + op, wherein op is the tensile stress due to tension forces, F, actingon the substrate material 3 and may be expressed as op = F/A, wherein A is the cross sectional area of the substrate material 3. 14 The smallest radius, R, of a guiding roll 5, which may be used withoutplastically deforming the substrate material 3, at a given tension force, F, iswhen the total tensile stress, om, is equal to the yield point, 002, of a givensubstrate material 3.

The yield point is a first point at which permanent deformation of astressed substrate material begins to take place. For engineering purposesthe yield point is taken as the point at which a certain small amount ofpermanent deformation, here 0.2%, 002, has occurred in the substratematerial 3.

A specific example with a stainless steel strip having a Young”smodulus of 200 MPa (N/mmz), a yield point, 002, of 290 MPa (N/mmz), a stripwidth of 3 mm and a strip thickness of 0.1 mm, gives a smallest radius of theguiding rolls 5 of 49 mm if the strip is stretched with a tension force, F, of 25N. lf the tension force, F, is 30 N, the radius should be increased to at least53 mm to avoid plastic deformation of the substrate material 3.

The tension force, F, acting on the substrate material 3 is at itsmaximum when the substrate material 3 passes through the treatment zone6. The tension force acting on the substrate material 3 is increased after thebraking roll 12 and decreased after the driving roll 13. Thereby, the risk of plastically deforming the substrate material 3 during unwinding/winding is low.

With this reel-to-reel arrangement 1 design the mechanical demandsrequired in the treatment zone 6 can be separated from the mechanicaldemands put on the devices in the pay-out chamber 10 and take-up chamber11.

During the deposition of materials onto the substrate material 3 in the deposition chamber 8, 8', energy in form of condensation heat, thermal radiation and ion flux will increase the temperature of the substrate material 3.

Since the process normally takes place in a controlled vacuum atmospherewith a pressure in the order of 1 - 10 mTorr, convection cooling is negligible.The only significant cooling method is by thermal radiation or conduction. Arough and simplified calculation model shows that given a normal depositionprocess using a substrate material 3 which is a thin and flat strip, will takemore than 20 seconds to cool down from 600 K down to 400 K just by radiation Cooling. ln many process situations, this is a too long time since thetransportation time from the deposition Chamber 8, 8' to the winding materialreel 4 will be below this time frame. Since the driving roll 13 and other guidingrolls 5 in the take-up Chamber 11 are made of materials that are chosen fortheir large friction and low tendency to scratch the substrate material 3, theyare not very resistant to elevated temperatures. ln order to cool down thesubstrate material 3 to temperatures suited for the guiding rolls 5, a coolingroll 14 (Fig. 1) can be placed close to the exit of the treatment zone 6.

The Cooling roll 14 should be able to quickly absorb the heat from thesubstrate material 3 by Conducting and transporting the heat from thesubstrate material 3 contact area. Suitable cooling roll 14 surfaces could beany metal with good heat conductivity that will not smear or react with thefreshly deposited surface of the substrate material 3. An alternative materialchoice could be a heat conductive ceramic material such as aluminium oxide.

One of the guiding rolls 5 in the pay-out Chamber 10 (preferably thesecond last or the last guiding roll 5) is carrying a voltage, i.e. a biasing roll15, Fig.1. For some applications a substrate material 3 biased with a voltagemay be preferred in the treatment zone 6. The voltage may be applied to thebiasing roll 15 with a suitable sliding brush Contacting the surface of theguiding roll 5.

Depending on the preferred orientation of the substrate material 3, anend stage roll (not shown) may be included before the treatment zone 6. Thisend stage roll may be used if the substrate material 3 is to be fed in horizontalposition through the deposition zone 6.

A system in which at least two Continuous reel~to-reel arrangements 1are arranged may be used for simultaneous transportation of at least twosubstrate materials 3. ln Fig. 5 a pay-out Chamber 10/take-up Chamber 11 of such a systemis shown. ln the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 the system Comprises eightContinuous reel-to reel arrangements 1, including eight winding material reels2/unwinding material reels 4, eight braking rolls 12/driving rolls 13. ln addition,the system also Comprises one Common treatment zone 6. The eightsubstrate materials 3 in the system are arranged substantially in parallel. 16 The number of continuous reel-to-reel arrangements 1 in the systemmay vary. ln some applications as few as two arrangements 1 are used in thesystem and sometimes a system may comprise up to ten or morearrangements 1.

The system enables simultaneous transportation of more than onesubstrate material 3 through at least one common treatment zone 6 withouthaving the different substrate materials 3 touching each other. Each differentsubstrate material 3 pass individual adjusting guiding rolls 5 (that also canserve as biasing roll 15 or cooling roll 14), as seen in Fig, 5 and Fig. 6including braking rolls 12/driving rolls 13 in order to precisely keep the righttension and position of the substrate material 3 within a certain toleranceregion when passing through the at least one common treatment zone 6.

The position and distance between the substrate materials 3 in thesystem are also dependent on the individual tension of the substratematerials 3 which is controlled by the braking rolls 12. All guiding rolls 5 mayrotate individually for each substrate material 3 that is fed through thetreatment zone 6. The driving roll 13 normally rotates at a similar speed asthe other driving rolls 13 around the common axis. However, in case of thatthe substrate material 3 is stopped (e.g. if the substrate material 3 is at theend), a torque limited brake will release inside that specific driving roll 13 andit will stop rotating, while the other substrate materials 3 can continue their motion in the system independently.

Claims

1. A continuous reel-to-reel arrangement (1) for transportation ofcontinuous substrate materials (3) from an unwinding material reel (2) to awinding material reel (4), wherein said substrate material (3) is arranged to bedriven through at least one treatment zone (6), said arrangement comprising: at least two guiding rolls (5) arranged to align said substrate material(3) when being rolled off from said unwinding material reel (2) before enteringinto said at least one treatment zone (6), and at least two guiding rolls (5) arranged to align said substrate material(3) when exiting said at least one treatment zone (6) before being winded upon said winding material reel (4), l _ | . I at least one of said guiding rolls (5) arranged to align said substratematerial (3) when exiting said at least one treatment zone (6) is a driving roll(13), and at least one of said guiding rolls (5) arranged to align said substratematerial (5) when being rolled off from said unwinding material reel (2) is abraking roll (12), arranged to apply a constant braking force to said substratematerial (3) when said substrate material (3) is driven through said at leastone treatment zone (6), characterised inthat the radius of said quidinq rolls (5) is larqer than what causes plastic deformation of said substrate material (3) due to combination of tensile stress and bendinq curvature which said substrate material (3) is subiect to in saidcontinuous reel-to-reel arranqement ( 1).

2. The continuous reel-to-reel arrangement (1) as claimed in claim 1,wherein the number of guiding rolls (5) arranged to align said substratematerial (3) rolled off from said unwinding material reel (2) are at least three.

3. The continuous reel-to-reel arrangement (1) as claimed in any one ofclaims 1 or 2, wherein the number of guiding rolls (5) arranged to align said 15| 19 substrate material (3) when exiting said at least one treatment zone (6) are atleast three. 55.wherein a smallest radius, R, of said guiding rolls (5) at a given tension force, The continuous reel-to-reel arrangement (1) as claimed in claim 41, F, is when the total tensile stress, om, acting on said substrate material (3) isequal to the yield point, 002, of a given substrate material (3). SQ.the preceding claims, wherein said braking roll (12) is enclosed by said The continuous reel-to-reel arrangement (1) as claimed in any one of substrate material (3) at an angle of about 180°. IQ.the preceding claims, wherein said braking roll (12) is arranged between a The continuous reel-to-reel arrangement (1) as claimed in any one of first guiding roll (5), guiding said substrate material (3) at an angle of about90° to engage said braking roll (12), and a second guiding roll (5) guiding saidsubstrate material (3) at an angle of about 90° for further transportation tosaid at least one treatment zone (6). 8_7_.the preceding claims, wherein at least one of said guiding rolls (5) arranged to The continuous reel-to-reel arrangement (1) as claimed in any one of align said substrate material (3) rolled off from said unwinding material reel(2) before entering into said at least one treatment zone (6), is providing saidsubstrate material (3) with a voltage. l 9§. The continuous reel-to-reel arrangement (1) as claimed in any one ofthe preceding claims, wherein an evacuated environment is provided in atleast a section of said at least one treatment zone (6). 499, The continuous reel-to-reel arrangement (1) as claimed in any one ofthe preceding claims, wherein said at least one treatment zone (6) comprisesat least one coating chamber (8). 4410. The continuous reel-to-reel arrangement (1) as claimed in any one ofthe preceding claims, wherein one of said guiding rolls (5) arranged to alignsaid substrate material (3) when exiting said at least one treatment zone (6)before being winded up on a winding material reel (4) is a cooling roll (14). 4-211. The continuous reel-to-reel arrangement (1) as claimed in any one ofthe preceding claims, wherein said substrate material (3) is any one of a strip, a wire, and a foil. 43_1__2_. A system comprising at least two of said continuous reel-to-reelarrangements (1) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 42_1_1_,wherein said at least one treatment zone (6) is common for said at least twocontinuous reel-to-reel arrangements (1), and wherein at least two substratematerials (3) are arranged substantially in parallel when driven through said atleast one common treatment zone (6). MQ. A method of treating at least one continuous substrate material (3),said method comprising the steps of: unwinding said at least one substrate material (3) from at least oneunwinding material reel (2), guiding said at least one substrate material (3) to at least onetreatment zone (6) by the use of at least two guiding rolls (5), wherein theradius of said quidinq rolls (5) is larqer than what causes plastic deformationof said substrate material (3) due to combination of tensile stress and bendinqcurvature which said substrate material (3) is subiect to in said method, 21 treating said at least one substrate material (3) in said at least onetreatment zone (6), and winding up said at least one substrate material (3) on at least onewinding material reel (4), wherein that-said method comprises a step ofdriving and a step of braking said at least one substrate material (3). 1515. A method of feeding at least one continuous substrate material (3) to atleast one treatment zone (6), said method comprising the steps of: unwinding said at least one substrate material (3) from at least oneunwinding material reel (2), guiding said substrate material (3) at an angle of about 90° around afirst guiding roll (5) to engage a braking roll (12), enclosing said braking roll (12) by said substrate material (3) at anangle of about 180°, guiding said substrate material (3) at an angle of about 90° around asecond guiding roll (5), entering said at least one treatment zone (6). 1315. A continuous reel-to-reel apparatus for transportation of continuoussubstrate materials (3) from a pay-out chamber (10) to a take-up chamber(11), wherein said substrate material (3) is arranged to be driven through atleast one treatment zone (6), wherein the pay-out chamber (10) comprises at least two guiding rolls(5) arranged to align said substrate material (3) rolled off from an unwindingmaterial reel (2) in said pay-out chamber (10) before entering into said atleast one treatment zone (6), andfwherein said take-up chamber (11) comprises at least two guidingrolls (5) arranged to align said substrate material (3) when exiting said at leastone treatment zone (6) before being winded up on a winding material reel (4)in said take-up chamber (11), l . I . | 22 wherein at least one of said guiding rolls (5) in said take-up chamber(11) is a driving roll (13), and wherein at least one of said guiding rolls (5) in said pay-out chamber(10) is a braking roll (12), arranged to apply a constant braking force to saidsubstrate material (3) when said substrate material (3) is driven through saidat least one treatment zone (6), characterisedinthat the radius of said quidinq rolls (5) is larqer than what causes plasticdeformation of said substrate material (3) due to combination of tensile stress and bendinq curvature which said substrate material (3) is subiect to in saidcontinuous reel-to-reel apparatus. ﬂﬁ. The continuous reel-to-reel apparatus as claimed in claim 16, whereinthe number of guiding rolls arranged to align said substrate material rolled offfrom said unwinding material reel are at least three.