Smoothness on film surface Development Department of Company X, a film manufacturer
Advanced control of the unevenness of the film surface
Monodisperse silica particles from nano to micron sizes
Company X was asked by a major client to develop an industrial film to be used in high-performance electronic devices compatible with next-generation communication standards and large-capacity storage for data centers, etc. However, they were unable to meet the required specifications and continued to go through trial and error every day.
Challenges
No matter how much we try to improve the polydisperse particles we know, it is difficult to achieve a high level of control over the unevenness of the film surface...
As electronic devices become more compact and sophisticated, the organic and inorganic materials used in these devices are rapidly becoming thinner and thinner, which was one of the concerns that concerned the development department.
Mr. S from the Development Department, who was in charge of selecting materials, looks back on the situation at that time as follows:
"Generally, roll-type film products have anti-blocking agents added to them to create an uneven surface to prevent blocking when the films are stacked together. However, to prevent defects in components such as pinholes, there was a demand for the development of a high-performance industrial film that retained anti-blocking properties while also having a high level of surface smoothness. For this reason, it was essential to have a high level of unevenness control on the film surface."
Mr. S and his team repeatedly tried to create prototypes using several particles that were likely to be effective among the anti-blocking agents that had a proven track record. However, no matter how much they tried to improve the polydispersed particles, it was difficult to control the unevenness of the film surface, and they were unable to achieve the target surface smoothness.
The client was urging him to provide a progress report on the development situation, but there was no prospect of developing a film with the required specifications, and Mr. S was at a loss.
Key Challenges
Development of high-performance industrial film with high surface smoothness while maintaining anti-blocking properties is proving difficult
No matter how much we tried to improve the film using polydisperse fine particles, which have a proven track record, it was difficult to control the unevenness of the film surface, and we were unable to achieve the desired surface smoothness.