TiB₂-BN Evaporation Boats For Vacuum Metallizing
In a roll-to-roll vacuum web coater, aluminium wire is fed continuously onto a resistance-heated ceramic boat, melts into a pool that wets the boat surface, and evaporates onto the film passing above. The boat decides how evenly the metal goes down and how long the run lasts. Pyroflux India supplies two-component titanium diboride–boron nitride (TiB₂-BN) evaporation boats for aluminium metallizing of packaging and capacitor film, engineered for uniform heating across the cavity, which keeps spitting and pinholes down and coating quality consistent across the web, and for long service life. Standard sizes cover the common coater clamps; custom geometries are supplied to match a line’s evaporation-rate targets. Send the boat you run today, or the coater model and the evaporation rate you want, and we will quote the matching boat.
What The Boats Are
| Composition | Two-component composite of titanium diboride (the conductive phase) and hexagonal boron nitride (the insulating, machinable phase), hot-pressed and machined |
|---|---|
| Function | Resistance-heated between the coater’s clamps; aluminium wire fed onto the cavity melts, wets the surface and evaporates |
| Design aim | Uniform temperature across the cavity, so the melt pool stays stable and the coating goes down evenly across the web |
| Sizes | Standard sizes for common coater clamps; custom lengths, widths, cavity shapes and resistivity to match evaporation-rate targets |
| Film types | Packaging film (metallized PET, BOPP, paper) and capacitor film |
| Supplied as | Per boat, quoted per set; samples for a line trial |
Two-component boats are the standard choice for most packaging and capacitor lines; where a line’s power supply or evaporation rate calls for a different resistivity, tell us the boat you run today and we match it.
What Decides Boat Life And Coating Quality
- Uniform heating. Hot and cold spots across the cavity cause the melt pool to wander, spit and throw droplets that become pinholes in the film. An even temperature profile is the single biggest factor in both coating quality and boat life.
- Wire feed and boat temperature. Evaporation rate is set by boat power and wire-feed rate together; running a boat hotter than the rate needs shortens its life without improving the coating.
- Wetting. A boat surface the aluminium wets evenly gives a stable pool; poor wetting shows as a pool that balls up at one end of the cavity.
- Preconditioning. Ramping a new boat up to temperature in steps before the first wire is fed avoids thermal shock and extends life.
- Clamp contact. Clean, flat clamp faces and correct clamping pressure keep the end resistance low; most premature failures start at a bad contact.
How To Specify a Boat
- Send the coater make and model, or the dimensions of the boat you use today (length, width, thickness, cavity shape) and its resistivity class if known.
- Tell us the film and the evaporation rate or line speed you run, and how long a boat currently lasts.
- We quote a matching standard boat, or a custom geometry where the line needs one, with a sample quantity for a trial.
- Run the trial on one position; compare coating uniformity, pinhole count and boat life against your current boat.
Boron nitride coatings for the rest of the chamber, and machined BN components, come from the same supplier: see BN ceramics and BN coatings.
Common Questions
What is the difference between two-component and three-component boats?
Two-component boats are TiB₂ and BN; three-component boats add aluminium nitride. Two-component boats are the usual choice for packaging and capacitor film lines; the choice depends on the line’s power supply, evaporation rate and the boat life you need, and we advise from the boat you run today.
Can you match the boats we use now?
Usually, yes. Send the dimensions, cavity shape and resistivity class of your current boat, or the coater model, and we quote the matching size for a trial.
What causes spitting and pinholes?
An uneven temperature across the cavity, a melt pool that does not wet the boat evenly, or a boat run hotter than the evaporation rate needs. Uniform heating is the design aim of these boats for that reason.
How long does a boat last?
It depends on evaporation rate, boat temperature, wire quality and clamp contact, so we do not quote a single figure. A line trial on one position against your current boat gives the honest comparison.
Do you supply a technical data sheet?
Yes, by email within one working day of a request, together with handling and preconditioning guidance.
Tell Us The Coater; We Will Match The Boat
Coater model or current boat dimensions, film type, evaporation rate or line speed, and the boat life you get today. That is everything we need to quote a matching boat and a trial quantity.
- Phone
- +91 98181 87838
- sales@pyroflux.in
- Office
- G-5, Sector 63, Noida 201301, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Factory
- G-15, Sector 63, Noida 201301, Uttar Pradesh, India
- Hours
- Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm IST