In the tape manufacturing industry, the coating process represents the core of the entire production cycle. This technology essentially involves the precise application of a pressure-sensitive adhesive onto a BOPP base film, which is then dried and cured to form the final product. While the principle may appear straightforward, the precision control and process selection involved entail profound technical expertise.

Understanding Coating Equipment Systems

Modern coating machine sets are integrated continuous production line systems incorporating multiple functions. A complete set of equipment typically extends 30-40 meters, comprising functional modules including unwinding, coating, drying, cooling, and winding. Regarding equipment specifications, current market mainstream widths include various specifications of 0.5 meters, 1 meter, 1.3 meters, and 1.6 meters. Among these, the 1.3-meter model dominates the market due to its excellent balance between production capacity and flexibility. The narrower 0.5-meter and 1-meter equipment are typically used for specialty tape production, while 1.6-meter and wider machines represent the industry's trend toward high-efficiency, large-scale production.

In-Depth Analysis of Coating Process Technologies

The industry currently employs two mainstream coating technologies: knife-over-roll coating and metering rod coating. Each technology features unique working principles and application scenarios.

Knife-over-roll coating, as a traditional process, achieves quantitative adhesive application through precisely controlled blade devices. The greatest advantage of this process lies in its ability to produce exceptionally smooth and even coating surfaces, making it particularly suitable for high-end products with stringent appearance requirements. Correspondingly, this process demands higher base material quality and equipment precision, with production speeds somewhat limited.

Metering rod coating is a widely adopted process technology in recent years, controlling coating amount through precision-engineered metering rods. The advantage of this method lies in significantly increased production speed, enhanced adaptability to base materials, and the capability to handle high-solid-content adhesives. However, this process offers less flexibility in coating weight adjustment, requires regular replacement of metering rods as consumable components, and imposes higher requirements on adhesive quality.

Overview of the Production Process Flow

The complete tape production process begins with the raw material preparation stage, where materials such as acrylic undergo emulsification before being fed into the reaction vessel. Subsequently, the adhesive is uniformly applied to the corona-treated BOPP base film through precision coating equipment. The coated material then enters a drying system extending tens of meters, where the adhesive layer is cured through a controlled temperature profile. Finally, the cooled tape is wound into master rolls under constant tension control, preparing it for subsequent slitting processes.

Professional Recommendations for Equipment Selection

When selecting coating equipment, several critical factors must be comprehensively considered. First, product positioning must be clarified: high-quality products typically require knife-over-roll process equipment, while volume production focusing on efficiency is more suited to metering rod processes. Equipment capacity evaluation requires comprehensive consideration of both working width and design speed parameters, which directly impact return on investment.

Simultaneously, attention must be paid to the technical capabilities and after-sales service support of equipment manufacturers, particularly the performance of key components such as oven systems, tension control, and edge guidance systems. As environmental requirements continue to increase, equipment compatibility with water-based adhesives and energy consumption indicators have become important considerations. It is recommended that investors conduct site visits to visually assess equipment operation status and actual production effects, providing sufficient basis for decision-making.

By thoroughly understanding the technical characteristics of coating processes and equipment features, investors can select the most appropriate process route and equipment configuration based on their market positioning and production needs, establishing a solid technical foundation for market competition.