Slot-die coating is a coating technique for the application of solution, slurry, or extruded thin films onto typically flat substrates such as glass, metal, paper, fabric or plastic foils.
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Slot-die coating is a coating technique for the application of solution, slurry, or extruded thin films onto typically flat substrates such as glass, metal, paper, fabric or plastic foils.
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The desired coating material is typically dissolved or suspended into a precursor solution or slurry and delivered onto the surface of the substrate through a precise coating head known as a slot-die.
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Commonly cited benefits of the slot-die coating process include its pre-metered thickness control, non-contact coating mechanism, high material efficiency, scalability of coating areas and throughput speeds, and roll-to-roll compatibility.
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Commonly cited drawbacks of the slot-die coating process include its comparatively high complexity of apparatus and process optimization relative to similar coating techniques such as blade coating and spin coating.
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Furthermore, slot-die coating falls into the category of coating processes rather than printing processes.
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Slot-die coating equipment is available in a variety of configurations and form factors.
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Slot-die coating was originally developed for industrial use and remains primarily applied in production-scale settings.
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Such roll-to-roll and sheet-to-sheet Slot-die coating systems are similar in their intent for large-scale production, but are distinguished from each other by the physical rigidity of the substrates they handle.
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Slot-die hardware can be applied in several distinct coating modalities, depending on the requirements of a given process.
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Dynamics of proximity Slot-die coating have been extensively studied and applied over a wide range of scales and applications.
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Furthermore, the concepts governing proximity Slot-die coating are relevant in understanding the behavior of other Slot-die coating modalities.
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Proximity Slot-die coating is therefore considered to be the default configuration for the purposes of this introductory article, though curtain Slot-die coating and tensioned web over slot die configurations remain highly relevant in industrial manufacturing.
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Slot-die coating is a non-contact coating method, in which the slot-die is typically held over the substrate at a height several times higher than the target wet film thickness.
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The coating width is typically a fixed value for a given slot-die process.
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The Slot-die coating window is a multivariable map of key process parameters, describing the range over which they can be applied together to achieve a defect-free film.
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Slot-die coating is a highly mechanical process in which uniformity of motion and high hardware tolerances are critical to achieving uniform coatings.
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Slot-die coating was originally developed for the commercial production of photographic films and papers.
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Slot-die coating has been most notably employed in research related to flexible, printed, and organic electronics, but remains relevant in any field where scalable thin film production is required.
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