Roll-to-Roll Vacuum Deposition of Barrier Coatings

Book excerpt: A practical, working guide to producing high quality barrier coatings Roll-to-Roll Vacuum Deposition of Barrier Coatings is a practical guide, providing the reader with basic information to help them understand what is necessary in order to produce a good barrier coated web or to improve the quality of an existing barrier product. Keeping mathematics to a minimum, the terminology and science is introduced, and includes descriptions about barrier testing methods and the vacuum deposition process. The book looks at the whole process from the source materials through to the post deposition handling of the coated material. This holistic view of the vacuum coating process provides a description of the common sources of defects and includes the possible methods of limiting these defects. This enables readers to decide where their development efforts and money can best be used to improve the barrier performance of their own process or materials. Roll-to-Roll Vacuum Deposition of Barrier Coatings: Specifies the benefits and problems of producing vacuum deposited barrier coatings Explains why products designed by system operators might vary and how they can improve the quality and reproducibility of their products Describes the basic deposition process, limitations that may arise, and how they may be overcome Details why current barrier materials have limited performance and why it is so difficult and expensive to make improvements or to produce ultra barrier materials. This practical reference is invaluable to all readers using the roll-to-roll vacuum coating technology, including R&D scientists and engineers (process; product and process design), operators, technicians, line managers involved in producing vacuum deposited barrier coatings. It also serves the food packaging and medical packaging industries, along with any industry using Organic Light Emitting Devices (OLEDs) such as electronics, solar energy and photovoltaics (PVs), thin film battery as well as vacuum insulation panels.