Bobst Introduces K5 VISION Compact Vacuum Metallizer

The new K5 VISION metallizer by Bobst, Lyon, France, is compact and designed to handle a wide variety of different film types, including heat sensitive films and thin gauge substrates. It can run at speeds up to 840 m/min, is available in widths from 1,250 mm to 2,450 mm and can house roll diameters of up to 1,000 mm.

BOBST is continually innovating and the K5 VISION is no exception. The machine incorporates a 600 mm coating drum providing the largest coating window in the industry that increases aluminum collection efficiency by up to 16%, resulting in less consumables, an extended boat life and a 10% -15% energy reduction. It also provides better film cooling due to the increased surface area of the drum; additional cooling is also given by the two-zone gas wedge, which provides better conduction of heat between the substrate and the drum, which is important for heat sensitive films such as CPP and LDPE.

The powerful, robust evaporation source with a staggered ceramic boat arrangement provides excellent coating uniformity. It also incorporates easy access to clean the boats and aluminum spools mounted on a removable trolley for easy changing; the full width viewing windows give an improved view of the source and the metallization process.

The K5 VISION pumping group is robust and has a compact design, with shorter pipe lengths giving the lowest footprint in the industry. It includes dry rotary screw pumps with a consistently high vacuum performance, booster pumps that operate at double the normal speed for maximum efficiency, and floor mounted diffusion pumps located beneath the evaporation zone, eliminating the risk for back streaming of oil onto the film.

The K5 VISION incorporates the BOBST ECO Mode, which reduces energy consumption by up to 50% during stand-by, only delivering energy and cooling water when needed. This results in a reduced carbon footprint and significant savings in production costs.

The BOBST winding mechanism incorporates a six-drive system giving three independent tension control zones. It provides low tension winding with adjustable bowed rollers to produce a virtually wrinkle-free metallization process and an optional pre-drum vari bow for better handling of thinner substrates.

The K5 VISION can handle a wide range of substrates including thin gauge films and enables quick changeover of different film types, making it the ideal machine for converters. It is also able to handle heat sensitive films such as CPP and PE, which makes it perfect for film producers of these thermally sensitive materials.

The BOBST AluBond process provides high metal adhesion with values up to 5N/15 mm and improves dyne level retention through vacuum metallization, eliminating the need for chemically treated films. BOBST AluBond is an advanced hybrid metal coating technology, which achieves higher barrier properties on BOPP and CPP films than conventional metallizing processes.