Lab R2R Coater
LRC｜A Versatile R2R Coating Platform Built for Laboratories and R&D Units
Lab R2R Coater｜Versatile R2R Sputtering for R&D and Pilot ProductionA Roll-to-Roll Coating Platform Built for Laboratories and R&D Units
Roll-to-Roll (R2R) vacuum coating technology has been widely applied across diverse fields including transparent conductive films, copper-clad laminates, decorative textiles, satellite antennas, and functional thin films. Yet from new material research, process development, to customer pilot validation, research institutes and corporate R&D centers commonly face a key challenge — production-grade equipment carries excessive sampling costs and insufficient flexibility, making it difficult to meet exploratory laboratory research needs.
The Dah Young Vacuum LRC (Lab R2R Coater) is a small-width R2R coating platform built specifically for laboratories, academic research units, and corporate R&D centers. The LRC employs a 500 mm standard web width, short-roll substrate design, multi-process switching capability, and optional configuration of three power supply systems — DC, MF (Mid-Frequency), and HiPIMS (High Power Impulse) — enabling users to complete the entire R&D workflow from fundamental research, process development, to pilot validation on a single piece of equipment, substantially reducing experimental cost and time.
500 mm Web Width + Short Roll Design｜Lower Sampling Costs, Higher R&D Efficiency
The two most important resources in laboratory R&D are materials and time. Using large-width production equipment for small-batch sampling not only wastes substrate but also fails to match the rapid iteration pace of research. The LRC employs a 500 mm standard web width and 10–50 meter short-roll design, substantially reducing per-sample substrate consumption — letting researchers rapidly conduct multi-batch sampling comparisons, process parameter optimization, and material formula validation.
The LRC's compact design also reduces equipment footprint requirements, making it suitable for laboratories, research rooms, and other space-constrained environments. For academic research units with limited budgets but requiring complete R2R process capability, the LRC provides an industry-rare laboratory-friendly R2R equipment solution.
DC / MF / HiPIMS Three-Power Options｜Comprehensive Coverage of R&D Process Needs
Different coating applications require different power characteristics — DC power suits high-speed deposition of metallic conductive films, MF mid-frequency power suits reactive sputtering of oxide dielectric films, and HiPIMS high-power impulse power delivers high ionization rates for dense, high-adhesion specialty functional films. The LRC offers all three power options on a single piece of equipment, letting users conduct research on various film types within the same machine.
This multi-power design positions the LRC as the optimal universal platform for materials research, process development, and technology evaluation. Researchers do not need to purchase multiple pieces of equipment for different film system research — substantially reducing laboratory equipment investment cost and accelerating cross-disciplinary integrated research.
3 Cathode Positions｜Flexible Planar and Rotary Target Configuration
The LRC is equipped with 3 cathode positions, with flexible configuration of planar and rotary targets. Planar targets suit precise single-material deposition and thickness control; rotary targets provide longevity and uniformity advantages, suitable for long-duration continuous sputtering. The multi-cathode design supports diverse experimental needs including multilayer film structure research, alloy co-sputtering, and reactive sputtering.
Combined with Dah Young's proprietary high-precision tension control system, the LRC stably handles ultra-thin to medium-thickness film substrates from 6–50 μm. Even under rapid process-switching research scenarios, it maintains stable web handling and thickness uniformity. From fundamental research to pilot validation, the LRC provides users with comprehensive R2R coating experimental capability.
Specifications
| Item | LRC-500 |
|---|---|
| Product Line | R2R Coating Equipment — Lab R2R Coater |
| Web Width |
500 mm standard width｜optimized for laboratory and sampling needs |
| Substrate Length |
10–50 m short roll design｜reduces sampling material cost, improves R&D efficiency |
| Substrate Thickness | 6~50 μm｜covering ultra-thin to medium-thickness film substrates |
| Coating Technology | Magnetron Sputtering｜PECVD integration optional |
| Number of Cathodes | 3 cathode positions｜flexible planar + rotary target configuration |
| Power Supply System | Optional DC / MF (Mid-Frequency)/HiPIMS (High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering) |
| Tension Control | High-precision tension control system｜stable web handling for ultra-thin to medium-thickness substrates |
| Thickness Uniformity | Within ± 5% (full web) |
| Coating Materials | Metals (Cu, Al, Ag, Cr, Ti), Oxides (ITO, SiO₂, TiO₂), Nitrides, Alloys, Dielectric materials |
| Ultimate Vacuum | ≦ 5 × 10⁻⁶ Torr |
| Operation Mode | Auto / manual switching｜R&D-friendly flexible operation interface |
| Optional Modules | PECVD / plasma pre-treatment / multi-process switching kit / customized fixtures |
| Typical Customers | Research institutes, university thin-film labs, materials research centers, corporate R&D centers |
※ The above represents standard configuration. Actual specifications can be customized to customer research requirements.
01Laboratory-Friendly Design | 500 mm Web Width + Short Roll Substrate
- 500 mm Standard Width: Matched to laboratory space and sampling needs, reducing material cost and time consumption.
- 10–50 m Short Roll: Short-roll design lets researchers rapidly conduct multi-batch sampling comparisons and parameter optimization.
- Compact Footprint: Optimized equipment footprint suitable for laboratories, research rooms, and corporate R&D centers.
02Three Power Systems | DC / MF / HiPIMS Free Switching
- DC Power: Suits high-speed deposition of metallic conductive films such as Cu, Al, Ag thin films.
- MF Mid-Frequency Power: Suits reactive sputtering of oxide dielectric films such as ITO, SiO₂, TiO₂.
- HiPIMS High Power Impulse: High ionization rate metal plasma — enabling research on dense, high-adhesion specialty functional films.
033 Cathode Positions Flexible Configuration
- Planar + Rotary Targets: Planar and rotary targets flexibly mixed and configured per research needs.
- Multilayer Support: Supports multilayer film structure research, alloy co-sputtering, reactive sputtering, and other diverse experiments.
- Convenient Target Changeover: Target changeover designed for R&D usage scenarios, reducing material switching time.
04High-Precision Tension Control | Diverse Substrate Adaptation
- Tension Control: High-precision tension control system ensures stable web handling for various substrates from 6–50 μm.
- Ultra-Thin Substrates: Addresses research needs for ultra-thin films (6 μm), suitable for advanced functional thin film development.
- Diverse Substrates: Plastic films, metal foils, textiles, specialty composite films all compatible.
05R&D-Friendly | Flexible Process Integration Capability
- PECVD Integration: Optional PECVD module enables sputtering + chemical vapor deposition integrated process research.
- Plasma Pre-Treatment: Optional plasma pre-treatment module improves substrate surface properties, enhancing film adhesion.
- Multi-Process Switching: A single piece of equipment conducts research on various film types — lowering the equipment threshold for cross-disciplinary research.
Combining 500 mm standard web width, three flexible power options, multi-cathode configuration, and integrated process capability, the LRC provides laboratories, academic research units, and corporate R&D centers with a complete R2R coating research platform — broadly applied across new material development, process validation, technology evaluation, sampling, and other diverse R&D scenarios.
01Academic & University Labs
University thin-film laboratories, materials research institutes, and physics / chemistry departments often need to conduct fundamental and exploratory experiments on various thin film materials. The LRC's multi-power options, multi-cathode flexible configuration, and short-roll sampling design fully meet academic research's core needs of flexibility, low cost, and multi-functionality.
02Research Institutes
National research institutes such as ITRI, NARL, MIRDC, and Taiwan Textile Research Institute carry the important mission of industrial technology upgrading and emerging technology development — requiring fully functional research-grade equipment. The LRC's multi-process capability suits cross-industry technology research projects and corporate-commissioned research.
03Corporate R&D Centers
Large enterprise R&D centers need independent research-grade experimental capability beyond production equipment for new product development, process innovation, and forward-looking technology research. The LRC provides corporate R&D departments with comprehensive R2R coating experimental capability, supporting internal technology exploration and long-term innovation research.
04Customer Pilot & Sampling
Customer pilot validation before mass production is the most critical stage in the R2R coating industry — customers need to confirm film quality, process stability, and mass production feasibility. The LRC provides Dah Young's production-machine customers with complete pilot validation capability, supporting customers' smooth transition from research to mass production purchasing decisions.
05Emerging Applications Research
As industries advance toward cutting-edge technologies, R2R coating opens up possibilities in many emerging application fields. The LRC's flexible platform characteristics help customers explore and validate next-generation R2R application opportunities.
