In these days, surfaces have to meet a series of special demands, e.g. on conductivity and heat protection, picking only two. The functional layers meeting this challenge are often applied by PVD (physical vapour deposition) and PACVD (plasma activated chemical vapour deposition). Ensuring a high-quality coat to be produced on components, iSAM offers control systems supporting this kind of surface treatment under vacuum.

The plate-glass for flat screens represents one typical application. Here, the surface coating procedure is governed by our newly developed MELSEC® (Mitsubishi Electric) -control based system.

The modular production line comprises a central unit including the manipulator carrying the workpiece, a vacuum lock and a couple of machining cells the number of which can be adapted to the coating process. This modularisation is, again, characteristic of the control system and the associated software ensuring that adaptation of the process modules is effective by parameterisation only. Accordingly, the condition related state-machine software concept is employed, best suited to fully match the required modularisation.

Visualisation based on SCADA system InTouch is a valuable tool for the operator providing him with active assistance, e.g., by special notes and proposals, condition recording and statistical evaluation. For this purpose, iSAM offers tailored add-ons.

Fields of application: Production of solar cells, semi-conductors, DVDs, plate-glass coating, e.g., for flat screens, facade panels/windows