Applied Materials has begun shipping multiple Applied Topmet 4450 systems, which the company says are the world's largest and fastest roll-to-roll thin-film metal deposition systems, to a customer in Europe.
According to the Applied Materials, this latest model of the company's Topmet 4450 product line deposits ultra-thin aluminum films on 4.5-meter (15 feet) wide rolls of substrate material at 20 meters per second (45 mph) to provide a barrier against oxygen, moisture and ultraviolet radiation for flexible packaging applications. The system is designed to provide direct cost savings and to enable higher material yield, simplified downstream processing, reduced labor requirements and a smaller factory footprint.
In addition, the system's efficient use of power and raw materials, enabled by high-rate evaporation sources, closed-loop automatic layer control and high-performance pumping systems, results in lower operating costs, according to the company. The real-time layer thickness-monitoring system enables consistent coating uniformity, while the uniform-tension roller design provides high-speed, wrinkle-free material handling, Applied Materials adds.
SOURCE: Applied Materials
