Non-contact motion in vacuum for OLED deposition processes (Printed Electronics Europe 2014)

A major challenge in making inline vacuum deposition processes successful is to design a motion system that has no particle generation, is modular, able to deal with the high vacuum levels, still provides good serviceability and controls all carriers independently with accurate position and velocity profiles. Traditional methods using conveyor belts, linear motors, or feed through couplings are not able to meet these challenges at an attractive cost.

The patented Linear Motion System (LMS) of Bosch Rexroth and the magnetic Levitation System of Mecatronix provides a unique method to address all these challenges. Based on an 'inverted linear motor', its principle is that magnet plate is moved in the vacuum environment and is kept floating in the other 5 dimensions of freedom with high accurate magnet bearings. With proprietary coil control and sensor algorithms, the magnet plates can be controlled very accurately and independently. This results in a transport system that is very flexible, has no moving cables and virtually no maintenance requirements on the moving parts. By simply adding more coils and magnet plates, the system is expandable and modular.

The magnetic Levitation System operates as a contactless bearing. Thus, there is no friction or wear when using this particle- and contamination- free guidings and reliability can be increased significant. Furthermore, the system has a compact design for easily mounting.

The Linear Motion System as well as the Magnetic Levitation System has been successfully used in numerous applications for a.o. solar deposition, hard disk sputtering and OLED panel production.

Main topics of the presentation are the discussion of the challenges of vacuum transport, an explanation of the physical principle behind this new technology, and a closer look at a sample application.

 

Andreas Gryglewski have 16 years experience in the Bosch Rexroth technology Drive and Control. Different functions from Service coordinator up to development of indirect sales strategies complete his personal profile. Since January 2009, he is responsible for business development the Solar industry in the Division Drives and Controls.

Bosch Rexroth is one of the world's leading specialists in the field of drive and control technologies. Under the brand name of Rexroth the company supplies more than 500,000 customers with tailored solutions for driving, controlling and moving. Bosch Rexroth is a partner for industrial applications and factory automation, mobile applications and using renewable energies. As The Drive & Control Company, Bosch Rexroth develops, produces and sells components and systems in more than 80 countries. In 2013 Bosch Rexroth part of the Bosch Group, achieved sales of around 5.7 billion Euro with 36,700 employees.