+ E+R Technology Centre
Investing in a continuous development process.
Tomorrow’s production challenges need today’s investment, establishing the manufacturing techniques for cost-effective product development and production solutions.
E+R’s Technology Centre give our clients and teams the environment to understand how products and processes perform under manufacturing conditions, as well as demonstrating our latest product range developments from our Print, Coating, Vacuum and Forming divisions.
The Technology Centre incorporates flexographic and screen-printing systems, vacuum and atmospheric coating systems and automotive tooling, fin and tube forming machinery and is available to access to develop your own coating technology within a production environment.
E+R has invested significantly to create a demonstration and development facility which is centered around:
- Genesis Vacuum Coater
- Dixon atmospheric pilot coater
- Digital Flexographic printing press
- Rotary Screen-printing system
- CS Clean corrosive gas abatement system
- Manufacturing test facilities and subsequent conformance validation equipment
- Glovebox Experimental Tool – featuring independent zones for magnetron sputtering and induction thermal evaporation
- Genesis XL Vacuum Coater
- Rotary Die Cutting System
E+R’s Technology Centre is available for trials, process qualification and development work and customers can purchase time in the centre with or without technician support.
For further information on our Technology Centre or to discuss accessing time on the equipment for your product development or prototyping please contact us.
+ Your process, our business
We have a highly experienced and skilled team of mechanical, electrical and software design engineers, research scientists, technology specialists, process engineers.
They work on internal, collaborative and customer lead research addressing machinery and application challenges in the following areas.
- Batteries and Energy Storage
- Barrier Coatings
- Screen/Flexographic printing for decorative applications
- Displays
- Flexible Photo Voltaic
- Flexible Electronics
- Electro-chromic Films
- Security Films
- Wearable Technologies
+ Informed thinking for your Development needs
Production challenges to roll-to-roll manufacturing of flexible substrates and devices.
As products can be made of multiple layers completed with different processes, it is essential for us to understand the relationship between coating and handling techniques, to de-risk and assist in the development of mitigation strategies for successful product roll-out.
E+R’s Technology Centre and our expertise play a critical role is assisting with the understanding of, but not limited to:
- Surface morphology
- Stress deformations
- Surface deformation
- Heat load- pre-heating, outgassing, heat-load rejection
- Creasing
- Scratching
- Winding control
- Handling of coated materials
- Surface protection
- Product registration and overlay
- Environmental handling considerations (Dry room/ Clean/ Grey room)
- Economies of scale- multiple machines vs one machine
- Barrier encapsulation
- Conformal coatings
Measurement Suite
+ Environmentally controlled measurement suite
Roll coated products require the validation stages in their manufacture, so to support the product qualification processes we have added a series of metrology equipment to assist in process development in a dedicated suite within the centre for on-the-spot analysis.
- Cole-Parmer transmission microscope
- Jandel 4-point probe for sheet resistance and electrical conductivity
- Filmetrics F10 UV-Vis spectrophotometer
- X Rite Colour space measurement head
- Tobias optical densitometer
- Plasus Spectraline spectral analysis software
- KLA Tencor physical profilometer
- Design of experiments and detailed analysis
- Karl Fischer Moisture Meter
- SafeLab Fume Cupboard
- 120L Fluid Delivery System
The centre’s laboratory equipment is additionally available for access, for more information, please contact us.
Spotlights
+ Genesis Vacuum Coater
- Bi Directional modular web path
- Winding of polymers, fabrics, foils
- Interleave/de-interleave
- Servo driven motors with load cell feedback control
- Speed 0.1-100m/min
- Max web width 500mm
- Dual rotatable sputtered PVD for metals and metal oxides
- Single planar cathode for metals and metal oxides
- PECVD of metal oxides
- Reactive Ion Etching
- Plasma treatment
- Temperature controlled drum from -15 to 200℃
- Turbo molecular pumping with CS Clean abatement for corrosive duty operations
- Inline Zeiss spectrophotometer for thickness and colour measurement from 380 to 1000nm
- Onboard OES/Impedance control system for closed loop deposition control
- Optical gas analyser for chamber condition management
+ Pilot Coater
- Modular web path
- Winding of polymers, fabrics, foils
- Lamination
- Servo driven motors with load cell feedback control
- Speed up to 50m/min
- Max web width 325mm
- In-line web guider
- Screen
- Gravure
- Meyer
- Slot die
- Knife
- Reverse Gravure
- Temperature controlled to 200℃ air impingement nozzles
- UV curing system with water cooled process drum
- IR curing
- Web cleaner
- Corona treater
- Calendering
+ Flexographic Printing Press
- Web cleaner
- Corona treater
- Modular building platform
- Winding of paper, vinyl, and non-wovens
- Servo driven motors with load cell feedback control
- Speed up to 100m/min
- Max web width 800mm
- 6 station. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Metallic, Lacquer Inline Flexographic printing press
- UV LED curing lamps with water cooled process drum, low power consumption.
- Minimised waste
- Quick job changeover system (patent pending)
- Full recipe control
+ Have you got a question for our Technology Centre Team?
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