Wire Feed Optimization

Presented by Jens Bannert, HS-Group GmbH

The lifetime of evaporator boats most likely sets the limits of production. This paper will review a new technology that can expand the lifetime of the boat and improve the coating result. Modern metallizers use a single-wire feed with guardian wires to control the way the wire hits the evaporation boat. This guardian wire can only be aligned offline when the system is vented. In case of a misalignment, it is impossible to readjust during the metallization. Therefore, the OptiFeed technology helps to control the wire in a certain way on the evaporation boat. Furthermore, we present upgrade possibilities for existing systems including the impact for the yield.