Balancing efficient production and quality, the technological breakthrough path of Composite copper foil equipment

The production of composite copper foil can be called "precision engineering in the microscopic world", from substrate surface treatment to nanoscale copper layer deposition, every step requires extreme equipment requirements. The technological breakthrough of Composite copper foil equipment is essentially a collaborative innovation of multidisciplinary technologies, which integrates cutting-edge achievements in vacuum physics, electrochemistry, intelligent control and other fields to build an efficient and stable production system. ​
At the core process level, the "dual process fusion" of magnetron sputtering and electroplating is the key breakthrough. Traditional single process either has the problem of insufficient adhesion of copper layer or faces the bottleneck of low production efficiency. The new generation Composite copper foil equipment adopts a composite process of "sputtering base+electroplating thickening": first, a dense copper layer of 50-100nm is formed on the surface of PET or PP substrate by magnetron sputtering, which serves as the "seed layer" for subsequent electroplating to ensure uniform nucleation of copper atoms; By using an improved electroplating process, the copper layer can be rapidly thickened, reducing the production cycle by more than 30%. Experimental data from a certain equipment manufacturer shows that the composite copper foil produced by this composite process has a peel strength of up to 1.5N/cm, far exceeding the industry standard of 1.0N/cm, fundamentally solving the industry pain point of coating peeling. ​​

Flexible manufacturing capability of Composite copper foil equipment adapted to diverse scenarios

The diversified development of the new energy industry has put forward differentiated performance requirements for composite copper foils. Composite copper foil equipment has built a flexible production system with "one machine, multiple capabilities" through modular design and process reconstruction. It can meet the high safety standards of power batteries, adapt to the lightweight needs of consumer electronics, and meet the long life requirements of the energy storage field. ​
In the field of power batteries, the adaptability of equipment's safety performance is particularly critical. In response to the safety requirements of extreme working conditions such as puncture and compression of power batteries, Composite copper foil equipment can produce high safety composite copper foil through three innovative processes: firstly, adding nano ceramic coating in the substrate pretreatment stage to increase the product's temperature resistance from 120 ℃ to 180 ℃; Secondly, gradient coating technology is adopted to present a "soft hard" transition structure from the inside to the outside of the copper layer, ensuring flexibility and enhancing puncture resistance; The third is to use an online defect detection system to accurately identify pinholes with a diameter greater than 5 μ m and automatically repair them, controlling the pinhole density below 1/m ². According to test data from a certain car company, batteries made of composite copper foil produced using this equipment showed no thermal runaway phenomenon in 1mm steel needle puncture tests, and the safety performance was improved by three levels compared to traditional copper foil batteries. ​
The demand for lightweight copper foil in the consumer electronics field is driving equipment to break through the limits of precision manufacturing. To meet the miniaturization requirements of products such as smartphones and wearable devices, Composite copper foil equipment can produce ultra-thin composite copper foil with a thickness of only 6 μ m, which requires the equipment to have nanometer level control accuracy. The equipment achieves precise control of a single atomic layer by using atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology, resulting in a minimum copper layer thickness of 0.1 μ m; At the same time, we innovatively adopt an ultra-thin substrate unwinding mechanism, which avoids tensile deformation of 0.5 μ m thick substrates through non-contact tension control. This ultimate precision manufacturing capability reduces the surface density of composite copper foil to below 4g/m ², reducing weight by 50% compared to traditional electrolytic copper foil, providing a material foundation for improving the battery life of consumer electronics products. ​
The long-term cycling performance requirements of copper foil for energy storage batteries test the stability control ability of the equipment. Energy storage batteries need to achieve a cycle life of over 3000 cycles in a wide temperature range of -30 ℃ to 50 ℃, which requires composite copper foils to have excellent corrosion resistance and interface stability. Composite copper foil equipment meets this demand through two core technologies: firstly, developing a pulse electroplating process to make the copper layer crystal denser and improve salt spray resistance from 48 hours to 1000 hours; The second is to introduce trace rare earth elements into the coating to form stable intermetallic compounds, reducing the increase in interfacial impedance during charge and discharge processes. The verification of a certain energy storage system manufacturer shows that the composite copper foil produced by this equipment can increase the capacity retention rate of the battery from 70% to 85% after 3000 cycles, significantly extending the service life of the energy storage battery. ​
The rapid changeover capability of the equipment further enhances the flexibility of scene adaptation. By adopting a modular design, Composite copper foil equipment can achieve rapid switching between different product specifications: when changing substrate types, only the unwinding module and pre-processing chamber need to be replaced, reducing the changeover time from 8 hours to 1.5 hours; When adjusting the thickness of the copper layer, one click access to the process parameter database can complete the thickness switch from 1 μ m to 10 μ m within 30 minutes. This efficient changeover capability enables the equipment to quickly respond to customers' customized needs, shortening the delivery cycle for small batch and multi variety orders from 15 days to 5 days, greatly improving the market response speed of downstream enterprises.