Optimized Control Structure for Constant Tension
Innovative Development for Roll-to-Roll Processes in Flexible Electronics and Materials Processing
Jenaer Antriebstechnik GmbH (JAT) is working closely with a customer to develop a high-precision control structure for controlling winding and unwinding rolls in roll-to-roll processes. This new technology optimizes material guidance and is now available in servo drives. This innovation brings decisive advantages, especially in the processing of flexible materials.
Challenge: Precise tension control for flexible materials
Controlled tension is a critical factor for quality and process stability in the production of flexible electronics and other high-tech applications. In particular, flexible materials are increasingly being processed in industries such as consumer electronics, the display industry or the energy industry, including:
- Flexible Printed Circuit Boards (FPC)
- Printed Electronics
- Flexible thin glass
- Flexible solar panels
- Lithium-ion batteries and power caps
- Flexible OLED displays
The new control structure ensures precise tension control, even on ultra-thin materials. This leads to uniform material guidance, reduces process deviations and enables stable production with high repeatability.
Innovative dancer control for optimized processes
The system is based on rapid position control by so-called dancers. Fluctuations in web tension, for example as a result of a malfunction of a process roller, change the dancer position. The regulation compensates for the postponement:
- Increasing tension → increasing unwinding speed to relieve material
- Decreasing tension → reducing unwind speed to stabilize the process
- Compensation of the roller diameter → Dynamic adjustment of the respective winding speed in the event of systemic changes in the roller diameter
This ensures constant tension – even with demanding materials such as metal foils, PET or carbon fiber prepregs.
Greater efficiency and new applications
Thanks to this control function in servo amplifiers, the system is suitable for a wide range of industrial applications, including:
- Roll-to-roll wet chemical processing
- Laser structuring and laser ablation on flexible substrates
- Roll-to-roll lamination and encapsulation
- Packaging, sealing and sealing of flexible materials
- Optical Inspection and Quality Assurance in Manufacturing
Conclusion
y integrating this tension control into the controllers, users will benefit from:
- Greater process stability – minimization of material defects and production waste
- Extended material compatibility – processing plastics, metal foils, textiles and more
- Reduced downtime – Fast material change and optimized winding processes
- Scalability for different process speeds and material widths
"By working closely with our customer, we were able to develop a solution for high-precision roll-to-roll process that offers real added value for manufacturers of flexible electronics and other innovative materials," says Christian König, software developer at JAT.
The new function is available to JAT customers through software update for ECOVARIO 114D, 616 and 415 servo drives and can be integrated into both existing and new production lines.