METAL STRIP COATING SYSTEMSADVANCED COATING EQUIPMENTMETAL STRIP COATING SYSTEMSApplications

Our strengths in metal strip coating
VON ARDENNE is a leading manufacturer of metal strip coating systems. These systems are modularly designed,
flexible production tools for thin-film coatings.
With the unique combination of our different technologies, highly reflective, highly absorbing and decorative
coatings can be created. Furthermore, contact layers or layers to improve corrosion protection can be deposited
for a wide range of applications.

With more than 55 years of experience in electron beam processes andover 40 years of know-how in vacuum coating, VON ARDENNE is one of
the leading providers of equipment and technologies in PVD thin-film
technology and vacuum process technology.

Anti-Corrosion Coatings

In-house technology &application center

Zinc and/or magnesium can be efficiently evaporated on both sides of steel strips using PVD technology. This
technology can be used in addition to existing hot dip galvanizing (HDG) or electroplating processes or evenreplace them altogether. By using ZnMg PVD coating, the corrosion protection can be improved or the thicknessof the coating layer thickness can be reduced.

ĵ Product & process verification and optimization
ĵ Sample coatings of customer applications
ĵ Development of customized layer stacks

Decorative Coatings
Decorative coatings on metal strip create surfaces that look and feel like high-quality metal at minimum process
costs. A wide range of colors can be created, either as surface-colored layers or interference-colored layers.
Functional properties can be achieved as well such as protection against corrosion, abrasion and scratches.

Close partnership
We cooperate with the Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics,
Electron Beam and Plasma Technology (FEP).

Functional coatings for fuel cells
Multiple deposition technologies can be applied on stainless steel substrates to improve the corrosion
resistance, minimize the interfacial contact resistance, and to increase the electrochemical stability and themechanical adhesion of bipolar plates. They are a key component of fuel cells.

Professional simulation support
We offer state-of-the-art software tools for the simulation ofprocesses and performance.

Highly Reflective Mirrors - Lighting Industries
Reflector systems based on highly reflective aluminum or silver allow for maximum light distribution andreduced energy consumption (~20 %) using the same light output.

Global project experience
Highly Reflective Mirrors - Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
CSP systems generate solar power by using highly reflective mirrors (HRM) to concentrate a large area ofsunlight, or solar thermal energy, onto a small area. Electricity is generated when the concentrated light isconverted to heat, which drives a heat engine (usually a steam turbine) connected to an electrical power
generator.

Flexible PhotovoltaicsThe deposition of functional layer stacks for thin-film photovoltaics on metal strip allows for manufacturingflexible building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) modules. The integration of flexible PV sheets into roof elements
for buildings improves their environmental impact and has a positive aesthetic effect too.

We have delivered and assembled our equipment in more than
50 countries.

Comprehensive service portfolio
ĵ training tailored to customer requirements
ĵ Supporting customer operation processesĵ Equipment optimization

Solar Absorbers
Metal strip with an absorber coating is used in flat and pressurized tube collectors. They are a centerpiece ofsolar thermal collectors and absorb sunlight at high efficiency and heats a fluid, which is usually water. Mainapplications are the heating of buildings and domestic water heating or cooling if used in connection with anadsorption chiller.

Printed Circuit Boards
The surface of copper strip is coated and then further processed to create special printed circuit boards (PCB).

ĵ Preventive maintenance of the equipment
ĵ Troubleshootingĵ Technical audits

Upgrade of existing equipment
We can upgrade your existing systems with new components and application
technology.

We are able to turn product property requirements into efficient andcompetitive coating solutions, which is an essential precondition for
individual machine concepts.

Key Features and Parameters

Configuration Examples

Coater type

We have gained a considerable process expertise from developing anddelivering numerous industry-proven metal strip coaters during the last
25 years. Thanks to this know-how, we are able to offer custom-madesolutions based on standardized components.

AIR-TO-AIR

BATCH— Entry and exit sections are equipped withdynamic lock roller systems to enableuninterrupted strip movement— Coil load lock chambers at entry and exitof vacuum proces section, to be separated
with strip valve— Strip buffer, joining and separation units
as well as coilers and uncoilers are placed
before and after the coater on athmospherefor continuous production— Coils can be loaded and unloaded without
interrupting the process vacuum— Production campaign time is only limited
by target / evaporant storage volume inside
the vacuum section— Production campaign time is 1 coil, thenstop for coil exchange; strip waste approx.
2x length of process section— EB process is equipped with additional
shutter to compensate for the coil exchange

Coating mode

Air-to-air system
for narrow substrates
air-to-air metal strip coater consisting of lock systems, plasma
pre-treatment and coating chambers, installed in a multifunctional
coating line.

Coater type
SINGLE-SIDED COATINGDOUBLE-SIDED COATING— All coating tools are arranged on one sideof the strip— No major concept change necessary whenusing sputtering process only

— When using electron beam (EB) process, thebottom side of the strip is coated (usually)— When using EB process, a two-level machineis necessary+

air-to-air

Coating mode

single-sided coating

Strip material

stainless steel, carbon steel

Strip width

300 mmStrip speed≤ 60 m/min

Strip thickness

0.3 mm to 0.7 mm

Flexible batch system
Batch-type metal strip coater with variable pre-treatment and coatingstations, flexible strip guidance for single-sided and double-sided
coating, and reverse mode operation.

TOUCH-FREE COATING OPTION
For sensitive optical coatings, a touch-freemachine concept is available.

Coater typeSTRIP MATERIAL

ALUMINIUM

COPPERSTAINLESS STEELCARBON STEEL! Remark: other metals on request

batch

Coating mode

single-sided coating & double-sided coating

Strip material

aluminium, copper, stainless steel, carbon steel

Strip width

300 mmStrip speed

10 m/min

Strip thickness

STRIP WIDTHSTRIP THICKNESSSTRIP SPEED

ANNUALPRODUCTIVITY

100 mm...

2000 mm

0.1 mm...

2.0 mm

0.1 m/min...

100 m/min

up to 10 million m² coated surface (one side)
up to 1 million t steel strip

note:! Please
In order to engineer an ideal tool configuration,

all dependencies between metal strip dimensions(width, thickness, coil length), layer stack properties(coating materials, layer thickness), strip transport
speed (during coating process), and annual
productivity need to be considered.

0.1 mm to 1.0 mm

High-volume system
for wide substrates
high-volume production coater that uses the air-to-air process fromcoil to coil and that can be continuously operated for up to 120 hours.

Coater type

air-to-air

Coating mode

single-sided coating

Strip material

aluminium, copper, stainless steel

Strip width
Strip speedStrip thickness

900 mm to 1 250 mm
up to 20 m/min
0.2 mm to 0.8 mm

VON ARDENNE key components
The success of our metal strip coating platform rests upon its highly
flexible and broad configuration range, our technological experience andknow-how, and the key components developed and manufactured by
VON ARDENNE.

Depending on the required platform configuration, a VON ARDENNE metal
strip coater may include some or even all of these components:
Strip lock systems, plasma pre-treatment, magnetrons for sputtering,
inline measurement and process control system, electron beam evaporation, and thermal evaporation.

Strip lock system

Plasma pre-treatment

The strip entry and exit sections enable
the continuous transport of the strip fromatmospheric pressure to vacuum and fromvacuum back to atmospheric pressure. An
array of lock rollers in the entry chamber,which is arranged in the direction of thestrip transport, gradually reduces thepressure. In combination with the vacuum
pumps, these lock rollers provide therequired pressure on the adjacent processcompartments. The same is true viceversa for the exit chamber.

Substrate surfaces are often
contaminated even after atmosphericcleaning processes, for instance withoxides of the substrate material, water film
from the environmental air moisture or
residual contaminants from wet chemical
pre-treatment processes.

Strip valves are located inside the entry
and after the process section or between
the different processes (e.g. sputtering/
electron beam). Therefore, the entire
process section or parts of it can be kept
under stable vacuum conditions when thetransport in stopped.

Pre-treatment in vacuum is only the last
step of cleaning and surface activation inorder to achieve substrate surfaces which
are ready for vacuum coating. However, it
is a key prerequisite for the good adhesionof coatings.
Methods of vacuum pre-treatment:—­Heating (thermal or EB heating)substrate temperature is increased—­Glow discharge pre-treatment
removal of water film—

­Sputter etching 		
removal of substrate material andsurface activation

Thermal evaporation
systems
VON ARDENNE can supply different
types of thermal evaporators, mainly forevaporating metals with lower melting
temperatures, such as magnesium.
Boat evaporators are available for systems
with low productivity and R&D coaters.
They are distributed over the strip
width to achieve the requested coatinghomogeneity.
Jet evaporators are suited for coaters
with a high productivity . They produce a
directed stream of a gaseous evaporantdirected through a hot channel or
distributed by nozzles across the strip
width. The hot channel version allows
a utilization of up to 90 percent of theevaporant deposited on the strip.

Due to the modular concept of all our metal strip coaters, these components can also be provided as upgrades or retrofits after the initialinstallation of the equipment.

Magnetrons

Electron Beam Systems

Thanks to many years of experience gained from designing andinstalling advanced sputtering equipment, we can offer a complete
portfolio for applications ranging from AC to DC processes.
Our magnetrons are either planar or rotatable and have a fully
integrated gas inlet system.

VON ARDENNE develops and manufactures electron beam systems
which are used for the high-rate evaporation of metals, alloys andcompounds in our metal strip coaters. The first electron beam
gun was developed in 1960 at the Manfred von Ardenne ResearchInstitute. Our more than 55 years of experience are reflected in over
400 electron beam systems installed worldwide.

RSM/RSM - 2X ROTATABLE SINGLE MAGNETRON
RSM/RSM magnetrons have a distinct advantage: Their power
is individually adjustable per tube as they have two independentpower supplies. The target lifetime can be adjusted to thestoichiometry and campaign time. Furthermore, the thermal impact
on the substrate is lower compared to MF technology.
RDM - ROTATABLE DUAL MAGNETRON
Rotatable magnetrons with best coating rates, energy efficiency
and material yield are integrated in our metal strip coating systems
and guarantee a stable and long-term production campaign. Theysurpass planar magnetrons in at least four aspects: coating rate
(because of higher power limits), target inventory, target utilizationand the self-cleaning of the target from parasitic coatings. The latteris particularly important for high insulating dielectric films.
WSM - PLANAR SINGLE MAGNETRON
WSM planar single magnetrons can be operated at low cost for thinfilm deposition in a simple metal strip coating process.

Each evaporation chamber of our metal strip coating systems is
usually equipped with two electron beam guns which are used———as energy sources for the evaporating process. The guns
generate electron beams of high power density which are shot
onto the evaporation crucible units.
to heat up the evaporant which is filled into the crucible. Thecrucible is on the bottom of the chamber.
for highly productive coating systems. They offer up to tentimes higher evaporation rates than magnetron sputtering.

Electron beam crucibles:
Different crucible types are available.
They are mounted on the inside ofthe evaporation chamber door andare suited for metals, melting andsubliming oxides.

OUR STRENGTHSIN-HOUSE TECHNOLOGY &APPLICATION CENTER

PROFESSIONAL SIMULATION SUPPORTWe offer professional simulation technology to ensure bestprocess quality with regards to plasma, heat and cooling.
Furthermore, our simulation tools help demonstrate, develop
and improve layer properties and define or optimize processes,
details and the performance of our systems.

ĵ Sample coatings of customer applications
ĵ Development of customized layer stacks
ĵ Product & process verification and optimization
ĵ Testing of new technologies and components

GLOBAL PROJECT EXPERIENCECOMPREHENSIVE SERVICE PORTFOLIOVON ARDENNE equipment is used in over 50 countries.

ĵ VON ARDENNE services hubs around the world
ĵ On-site service (on request)

We have established an installed base of hundredsof coating systems worldwide, ranging from small tools
to equipment for large-area coating applications forseveral markets.

ĵ Remote access from our technology department (if required)ĵ Regular technical and technological trainings offeredĵ Spare & wear part warehouse close to customers
ĵ Lifecycle extension of wear parts

CLOSE PARTNERSHIPUPGRADES & RETROFITSVON ARDENNE entertains a close network of partners foreven more profound R&D work and to identify futuretechnologies. It consists of:

As soon as your business is growing, your VON ARDENNEequipment will grow accordingly - thanks to its modular design
and the upgrades we provide. We will also supply you with thenecessary technology upgrades if you decide to change yourapplications.

ĵ Fraunhofer Institutes such as IPMS, FEP, IST and ISE
ĵ Institutes of the Helmholtz Association (Jülich, Berlin)
ĵ Universities (Kiel, Dresden, Sheffield)

Furthermore, when your equipment is ageing, we will retrofit
your systems with new components, no matter if they are
VON ARDENNE or third-party machines.

ĵ Companies such as FAP GmbH, scia Systems GmbHPRODUCTTOPICS

PRODUCTINDEXCOMPONENTS
www.vonardenne.biz

WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO
VON ARDENNE develops and manufactures industrial equipment for vacuum
coatings on materials such as glass, wafers, metal strip and polymer films. These
coatings give the surfaces new functional properties and can be between one
nanometer and a few micrometers thin, depending on the application.

We supply our customers with technologically sophisticated vacuum
coating systems, extensive expertise and global service. The keycomponents are developed and manufactured by VON ARDENNE itself.
Systems and components made by VON ARDENNE make a valuable
contribution to protecting the environment. They are vital for
manufacturing products which help to use less energy or to generateenergy from renewable resources.

Our customers use these materials to make high-quality products such asarchitectural glass, displays for smartphones and touchscreens, solar modules andheat protection window film for automotive glass.

SALES
CONTACTSSERVICECONTACTSWORLDWIDE SALES AND SERVICEVON ARDENNE GmbH (headquarters) I Am Hahnweg 8 I 01328 DRESDEN I GERMANY
Sales: +49 (0) 351 2637 189 I sales@vonardenne.biz
Service: +49 (0) 351 2637 9400 I support@vonardenne.biz
VON ARDENNE Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. I
VON ARDENNE Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. I+60 4408 0080 I

VON ARDENNE Japan Co., Ltd. I Tokyo office I+81 3 6435 1700 I

VON ARDENNE North America, Inc. I Ohio office I
VON ARDENNE Vietnam Co., Ltd. I+86 21 6173 0210 I+86 21 6173 0200 I sales-vave@vonardenne.biz; support-vave@vonardenne.biz+60 4403 7363 I sales-vama@vonardenne.biz; support-vama@vonardenne.biz+81 3 6435 1699 I sales-vajp@vonardenne.biz; support-vajp@vonardenne.biz+1 419 386 2789 I+1 419 873 6661 I sales-vana@vonardenne.biz; support-vana@vonardenne.biz+84 966 29 29 50 I sales-vavn@vonardenne.biz; support-vavn@vonardenne.biz

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ENGLISH 07/2021