A method of removing contamination from process rollers has been devised by Teknek. This has been developed though the research work, with the Holst centre in Holland, into the upscaling of Plastic Electronics production.
Extensive research by Teknek has revealed that the process rollers used in a production line can be a major source of particulate contamination which can lead to defects such as scratches and dents on the film.
The traditional method of cleaning these rollers is to use wet chemicals and wipe them down manually. However, often the process rollers are in hard to access places such as an oven and as a result they do not get cleaned.
Teknek’s new “Line Cleaner” overcomes the problem by attaching a 1mm thick sheet of elastomer material to the top and bottom of the web (using splicing tape) at the unwind stage. This elastomer material has a chemical composition which attracts particles down to one micron in size. As the sheet moves through the process line it makes contact with each roller surface removing any dry unnattached particles present. At the rewind stage the “Line Cleaner” is removed and then disposed off, taking with it the contamination it has collected. Contamination removal using polymer technology is something that Teknek understands as this concept is used in their range of contact clean machines.
Sheila Hamilton, technical director at Teknek said: “Considerable attention has been given to protecting coating lines from environmental contamination and in cleaning the substrate. However, little research has been done on the contribution which individual components within the coating line make to defect levels.”
She added: “Our research demonstrated that rollers are a significant source of contamination leading to defects. Our novel solution (Patent Applied) provides an easy an quick way for manufacturers to ensure that particles are effectively removed from all the rollers in the production line. This will help significantly towards the goal of achieving zero defects and maximum yields.”
