Bobst was challenged by a customer to design and manufacture the world’s largest and widest roll-to-roll metalliser.
Nearly all of the 100 strong workforce based at BOBST’s site in Heywood near Manchester, England have been involved in some degree in the project to see the General K5000 4850 metalliser from design through to completion and ready to ship to the customer’s site in South East Asia.
BOBST has been able to achieve this engineering feat through a combination of a dedicated workforce and the latest state of the art engineering simulation tools and most advanced manufacturing techniques.
A machine that stands for maximum efficiency (productivity) in the metallised film industry, the K5000 is equipped to run large diameter rolls at high speeds while keeping the film cool through its unique heat management system and protecting the film’s barrier properties. The K5000 can deposit aluminium at a rate of 860m/min at 2.2 OD to obtain an excellent coating uniformity and good barrier properties at a low operating cost.
The evaporation source has wire feeders on both sides to prevent wire wander and its large coating drum provides high collection efficiency, up to 22% higher than competing models. The already renowned Bobst winding mechanism provides an exceptional web handling system which coupled with a reduced roller contact with the metallised surface leads to fewer defects.
Steve Carey, Managing Director at Bobst Manchester commented, ‘This machine has been designed to produce high quality metallised films with high output at the lowest possible operating cost; we are proud to be able to help our customers to protect their margins in such a heavily commoditised industry. The purchase of this, the largest metalliser in the world demonstrates the trend in the market for wider and wider machines and also BOBST’s ability to set the standards in vacuum metallisation and be the frontrunner in the market.’
