Glossary and Appendix

📚 Glossary
A

• Air Entrainment – Trapping of air at the wetting line, leading to voids. 🔗 See Defects & Troubleshooting

• Alignment – Precise positioning of the die relative to the substrate. 🔗 See Slot Die Basics

B

• Bead (Coating Bead) – The liquid film formed between die lips and substrate. 🔗 See Coating Fundamentals

• Blade Coating – Alternative method using a blade to spread fluid. 🔗 See Coating Methods Comparison

C

• Chatter – Defect caused by mechanical vibration or flow instability. 🔗 See Defects & Troubleshooting

• Cleanroom Conditions – Controlled environment minimizing contamination. 🔗 See Environment & Process Control

• Coating Gap – Distance between die lips and substrate.

• Coating Window – Range of parameters where stable coating is achieved.

• Curtain Coating – Alternative precision coating method using free-falling liquid curtain.

D

• Die Lip – Precision-machined edge controlling fluid exit. 🔗 See Slot Die Anatomy

• Defect Library – Catalog of common coating issues (ribbing, streaks, pinholes).

• Dynamic Wetting Line – Point where liquid meets substrate during coating. 🔗 See Coating Fundamentals

F

• Fluid Delivery System (FDS) – Equipment ensuring uniform fluid supply to the die.

• Film Thickness – Measurement of coated layer, critical for performance.

M

• Manifold: Chamber for uniform fluid distribution; affects width uniformity.

• Meniscus Control – Managing liquid curvature at the coating bead.

• Multilayer Coating – Applying multiple films simultaneously with slot die technology.

P

• Pre-Metered Coating: Flow controlled before deposition; reduces waste.

R

• Ribbing – Instability in the coating bead causing uneven film. 🔗 See Defects & Troubleshooting

• R2R (Roll-to-Roll): Continuous web processing; scales with speed.

• Roll-to-Roll Processing – Continuous substrate handling method. 🔗 See Process Parameters

S

• Scalability – Ability to move from R&D to full-scale production.

• Shim: Thin spacer for adjustments; influences gap and thickness. Two types of shims are body shims and offset shims. 

• Slot Die Coating – Precision method for applying uniform thin films. 🔗 See Slot Die Basics

• Substrate – Base material being coated. 🔗 See Coating Fundamentals

T

• Throughput – Efficiency of coating at industrial speeds.

• Thickness Uniformity – Consistency of film thickness across substrate width.

V

• Viscosity: Fluid resistance to flow (cP units); key for pump choice and bead stability. 🔗 See Process Parameters

• Viscoelasticity – Fluid property combining viscosity and elasticity.

​
Appendix: Resources and Further Reading

• University of Minnesota Coating Process Fundamentals Short Course: For in-depth liquid coating studies.

• Association for Roll-to-Roll Converters: Introductory courses on coating basics.

• Historical References: Eastman Kodak patents (1951)

• Wikipedia on Slot-Die Coating.

• Additional:

• Paper, Film, & Foil Converter: Slot Die Coating | The Pressure is On

• The Research Gate: The Slot Die Coating Process

• The Research Gater: A Schematic of the Slot Die Coating Process

• Slot Die Theory by Ossila

• AIChE Journal on Operating Limits

• Science Direct: Slot Die Coating of perovskite solar cells: An Overview

Chapter 11: Advanced Features in Slot Die Coating

Table of Contents