Development of Roll to Roll Magnetron Sputtering System for Large-size Fabric

The aims of the proposed project are to develop a roll-to-roll (RtR) magnetron sputtering system for woven fabric and to investigate the system’s potential manufacturing applications. Tests will be carried out on the vacuum, RtR, stencilling and sputtering components of the system, whose overall operational performance will be evaluated and analyzed for application to the textile industry. The following are the project’s three major objectives. (i) To investigate RtR technology and the sputtering principle, and to develop a RTR sputtering system for woven fabric design treatment. (ii) To solve the problem of tension control in RtR systems and to design a parallel coating target position to produce multilayer films. (iii) To develop a stencilling design process to produce high value-added functional and decorative textile products employing the RtR magnetron sputtering system developed in the project. The proposed research will contribute to the development of a RtR magnetron sputtering system for large-sized fabrics. The employment of this system is expected to confer textile manufacturers with a number of business opportunities and marketing benefits, in addition to a more effective and economical production process and greener products.