Laboratory automatic coating machineThrough precision mechanical control, automated coating parameter adjustment, and multi system collaborative work, the uniform preparation of thin films on the substrate surface can be achieved. The core principle can be decomposed into the following technical steps:
1、 Core Drive System: Motor and Transmission Control
Motor drive: Using stepper motors or servo motors as power sources, the motion speed (adjustable from 0-180mm/s) and direction of the coating head are precisely controlled through digital signals. For example, a certain model of coating machine achieves a coating speed error of<1% through servo motors, ensuring reproducibility of experiments from different batches.
Transmission mechanism: Imported steel rods or high-precision guide rails replace traditional belt transmission to reduce the impact of mechanical vibration on coating uniformity. For example, a certain model adopts Taiwan, China silver mounting guide rail, which cooperates with the linear motion module to improve the movement stability of the coating head by 50%.
2、 Automated adjustment of coating parameters
Thickness control:
Wire rod/scraper combination: Adjust the wire rod diameter (such as Φ 8mm, Φ 12mm) or scraper angle (adjustable from 0-15 °) through the CNC system, and control the wet film thickness (range 0.1-2000 μ m). For example, when preparing lithium battery electrodes, the scraper pressure can be precise to 0.01 MPa, ensuring that the coating thickness deviation of the slurry is less than ± 2 μ m.
Slit coating technology: Some high-end models are equipped with non-contact slit coating heads, which can achieve nanoscale coating preparation (such as hydrogen fuel cell membrane electrode coating) by adjusting the feed pressure (0.1-0.5 MPa) and slit gap (10-50 μ m).
Speed and travel control:
The coating speed is infinitely adjustable through a CNC panel (such as 1-50mm/s) to adapt to materials of different viscosities (such as silicone solutions that require low-speed coating to avoid bubbles).
The stroke length can be customized (such as 250mm standard stroke, extended to 550mm) to meet the coating requirements of large-sized substrates (such as A3 paper, copper foil).
3、 Substrate fixation and motion system
Vacuum adsorption platform:
The microporous ceramic vacuum disc generates an adsorption force of ≥ 0.08MPa, which fixes soft or thin substrates (such as aluminum foil, PET film) to prevent substrate warping during the coating process. For example, a certain model of vacuum system can complete substrate adsorption within 0.5 seconds, increasing efficiency by 80%.
Sports mode:
The substrate can be stationary (with the coating head moving) or mobile (with the coating head fixed), and the motion speed and direction can be controlled by a servo motor to achieve unidirectional or reciprocating coating. For example, when preparing optical thin films, reciprocating coating can eliminate coating stripes and improve uniformity.
4、 Material supply and drying system
Material supply control:
The servo metering pump precisely controls the colloid flow rate (such as 0.1-10mL/min) to avoid material waste. For example, when coating photoresist, the flow accuracy can reach ± 0.01mL, ensuring consistent coating thickness.
Drying and curing:
Integrated strong wind circulation drying oven or infrared heating module, temperature control range RT-200 ℃, accuracy ± 1 ℃. For example, after coating with silicone film, it needs to be cured at 80 ℃ for 30 minutes, and the drying system can be shortened to 10 minutes while avoiding coating cracking.
5、 Intelligence and in-situ monitoring
AI algorithm optimization:
Some models are equipped with machine learning models that automatically recommend coating parameters (such as speed and pressure) based on material viscosity and substrate type. For example, a device trained on historical data to shorten the parameter setting time for new users from 30 minutes to 5 minutes.
In situ monitoring feedback:
Laser displacement sensors or spectrometers monitor coating thickness in real-time (such as collecting 100 data points per second), and dynamically adjust coating parameters through a closed-loop control system. For example, when a thickness deviation of>5% is detected during the coating process, the system automatically adjusts the scraper pressure or feed flow rate.