Textile demonstration line
Building a roll-to-roll demonstration line for the textile industry. Eliminating waste and toxic chemicals from textile manufacturing.
About project
Realization of a semi-industrial pilot line for proof of concept and initial series production for the finishing of textiles.
Client situation
Plasma coating technology has already shown great potential for the finishing of textiles and has been the subject of academic research in several institutes. Despite the potential benefits of Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) and Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) technology for the textile industry, adoption has been slow, and there are currently few industrial machine manufacturing companies offering equipment solutions. A significant barrier is the difficulty of scaling up from laboratory-scale experiments to industrial-scale production.
However, as sustainability and innovation become increasingly important in the textile industry, there is growing interest in plasma technology as a potential solution.
The suggestion of solution
There is a need for a demonstration center equipped with full-scale test equipment for promoting and commercializing vacuum coating technology for textile finishing. By allowing potential customers and stakeholders to experience the technology firsthand, a demonstration center can help to overcome reluctance or skepticism about the technology and demonstrate its effectiveness in a practical setting.
A demonstration center can also serve as a hub for innovation and collaboration, bringing together researchers, designers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders to explore new ideas and applications for vacuum coating technology. By providing a platform for prototyping and testing new products, a demonstration center can help to accelerate the commercialization of the technology and promote its adoption across different industries and markets.
Results
A semi-industrial roll-to-roll coater has been built for treating coating roll widths up to 1.6 meters. The demonstration line can metallize textiles with aluminum, silver, stainless steel, or copper, and/or make the textile hydrophobic or hydrophilic. It is also possible to apply colorful oxides and nitrides for decorative and other functional purposes. Applications can be found in several markets, such as filtration, home textiles, automotive, sport tech, and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE).
What have we achieved?
The semi-industrial coater is available in AGC’s Demonstration and Research Center in Lauenförde (DE). Several textile manufacturers are using the tool to apply innovative coatings on their textiles and to validate the market acceptance of the finished textiles prior to investing in in-house manufacturing capabilities.
- 4 deposition positions, including sources for magnetron sputtering and PECVD
- Feasibility to treat roll widths up to 1.6 meters wide
- Expert support to experiment with new coating formulations and to test the performance of different coatings on their textiles
How does the client evaluate our solution?
AGC Plasma's commitment to support the textile industry through innovative coating technology and dedicated customer support is a positive step towards a more sustainable and promising future for the industry.
By using the semi-industrial coater, textile manufacturers can not only add new functionalities to their textiles, but also improve the sustainability of their production processes. Plasma coating technology can be used to apply coatings that are free from harmful chemicals. Being a waterless technology, it reduces the consumption of energy considerably and at the same time it produces less waste.
Overall, the availability of a semi-industrial coater in AGC Plasma's demonstration center is a positive development for the textile industry and could help drive the adoption and introduction of PVD and PECVD technology for the finishing of textiles.
