ShinMaywa INSIGHT

Story about Thin Film Vacuum Coating System ①

Vacuum deposition technology that supports everyday life

For digital camera lenses and car lamps.

Thin film vacuum coating system is a device that applies a thin film to an object in a vacuumed container. The thickness of the film varies depending on the product, but it is approximately 0.1 to several tens of micrometers in thickness, which is thinner than household aluminum foil (which is approximately several tens of micrometers).

Currently, this thin film is used in a variety of fields, and it can be found all around us. So, what kind of products is it used in and what role does it play? Let me introduce you in detail.

For example, it is used in the following places.

Lenses for glasses and cameras (anti-reflection coating to allow light to pass through more easily)
Confectionery bags and plastic bottles (protective film to prevent moisture from entering resin confectionery bags)
Drill blade surface (hard film that makes the cutting edge less likely to wear out)

Furthermore, in reality, there are many cases in which not only one type of membrane is used, but also membranes with different functions are stacked together. For example:

Automobile headlamp reflector (aluminum reflective film and its protective film attached to the surface of the resin reflector)
Mobile devices and cell phones (transparent conductive films used in touch panels, anti-reflective films that reduce screen flickering, antifouling layers that prevent fingerprints, etc.)

Thin film vacuum coating system and the various thin films produced by it have now become indispensable, playing an active role in a variety of scenes in our daily lives.

Next time, I will explain how thin films are created using this thin film vacuum coating system and how it works.