This production line is specifically designed for the continuous slot-die coating of CCM cathode catalyst layers for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). It integrates the complete production process, including substrate unwinding, tension control, web guiding, precision slurry feeding, slot-die coating, multi-zone drying, cooling, in-line inspection, finished-product rewinding, and process data traceability.
Engineered with a strong focus on coating uniformity, process repeatability, and production stability, the line supports an effective coating width of 50–305 mm, expandable up to 600 mm, with a coating speed of 1.5–3.0 m/min. It is well suited for high-quality, large-scale production of cathode catalyst layers.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Substrate Unwinding → Coating Die Zero-Position Adjustment → Coating GAP Adjustment → Catalyst Slurry Feeding → Coating Thickness Adjustment → Multi-Zone Hot-Air Drying → Tension Control → In-Line Web Guiding → In-Line X-Ray Inspection → Visual Defect Inspection & Marking → Finished-Product Rewinding → Data Storage & Traceability
| Item | Technical Specification |
| Application | Continuous coating of CCM cathode catalyst layers |
| Effective Coating Width | 50–305 mm, customizable upon request |
| Coating Speed | 1.5–3.0 m/min |
| Registration Accuracy | ≤ 0.5 mm |
| Coating Method | Slot-die coating, single-side continuous coating |
| Die Flatness / Lip Straightness | ±0.001 mm |
| Drying Method | Multi-zone hot-air drying with independently adjustable temperature zones |
| GAP Adjustment Accuracy | 1 μm |
| Rewinding Accuracy | ±1 mm |
| Control System | PLC + HMI, supporting recipe management, alarms, trend monitoring, and data export |
| Communication Interface | Reserved interfaces for MES/OPC and other host systems |
1. Substrate Unwinding Unit
The unwinding unit adopts servo-driven closed-loop constant-tension control to maintain stable web tension in real time and minimize stretching or deformation of the proton exchange membrane. An EPC edge-position control system continuously corrects lateral web deviation, while a pneumatic expanding shaft securely holds the material roll.
The unit also incorporates splice detection and web-break detection to ensure smooth and stable substrate transport while minimizing wrinkling and misalignment.
2. Substrate Rewinding Unit
Designed for constant-tension, low-damage rewinding of the coated and dried membrane. Servo-driven closed-loop tension control is synchronized with web speed to maintain consistent winding tension.
A downstream EPC system automatically corrects lateral deviation, ensuring neat roll edges and uniform roll formation. The pneumatic expanding shaft provides reliable roll clamping, helping maintain consistent finished-product appearance and performance.
3. Slurry Feeding Unit
The slurry feeding system provides pressure-stabilized, constant-flow, precision delivery and filtration of catalyst slurry. A servo-controlled pump precisely regulates slurry pressure and flow before supplying the material to the slot-die head.
Integrated filtration, pressure buffering, and return-line degassing functions minimize pressure fluctuations and entrained air bubbles, helping prevent coating interruptions, streaks, and thickness variations.
4. Slot-Die Coating Unit
Catalyst slurry is uniformly distributed through the internal slot of the precision coating die. A servo-driven lifting mechanism enables accurate die positioning and GAP adjustment with 1 μm precision.
Through coordinated control of web speed and slurry flow rate, the system achieves precise catalyst-layer coating. Die positioning and vertical adjustment functions further help minimize streaking and coating-thickness deviations, ensuring uniform areal density and consistent surface quality.
5. Hot-Air Drying Unit
The drying section uses multi-zone independent temperature control with hot-air circulation to provide staged and controlled drying of the wet coating.
Optimized airflow distribution maintains uniform temperature across the drying zone, helping prevent localized overheating, cracking, wrinkling, or warping. This ensures stable coating structure as well as dimensional and performance consistency of the substrate.
6. In-Line Inspection Unit
●The in-line inspection system integrates web-guiding detection, machine-vision surface inspection, and X-ray areal-density measurement;
●Real-time monitoring of substrate edge position with dynamic deviation correction;
●High-resolution camera inspection for pinholes, scratches, missing coating, streaks, and other surface defects;
●Non-contact X-ray measurement of coating areal density in real time, providing continuous quality monitoring and supporting process parameter traceability.
7. Electrical Control & Digital Information System
The system is built around an industrial-grade PLC + HMI platform with servo and variable-frequency drives. It supports recipe management, multi-level user access, alarm history, trend curves, batch information management, and export of critical process data.
Reserved MES/OPC communication interfaces enable seamless integration with smart factory and manufacturing information systems.
1. Modular Architecture
Each process module is independently designed, simplifying maintenance, system upgrades, and future process adjustments.
2. High-Precision Coating Control
With die flatness and lip straightness of ±0.001 mm and 1 μm GAP adjustment accuracy, the system provides excellent catalyst-layer thickness consistency and process repeatability.
3. Closed-Loop Tension & Web Guiding
Segmented closed-loop tension control throughout the process, combined with EPC web guiding, ensures stable material transport and consistent coating quality.
4. Intelligent In-Line Inspection
Integrated X-ray areal-density measurement and machine-vision defect inspection provide real-time quality feedback, helping improve process stability and production yield.
5. Recipe-Based Process Management
Critical process parameters can be stored and recalled as recipes, with multi-level access control to support rapid product changeover and reliable process replication.
6. Safety & Environmental Design
The line incorporates comprehensive safety guarding, interlocks, and emergency-stop functions. Product-contact materials are selected to meet process cleanliness and corrosion-resistance requirements, while reserved exhaust interfaces support connection to the customer's environmental treatment system.
7. Full Data Traceability
Critical process parameters, alarms, and batch data are automatically recorded throughout production and can be exported for quality analysis and full-process traceability.
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