Web Tension and Speed Control in Roll-to-Roll Systems

Abstract

Roll-to-roll (R2R) printing shows great potential for high-throughput and cost-effective production of flexible electronics, including solar cells, wearable sensors, and so on. In roll-to-roll process, precise control of the web speed and tension is critical to ensure product quality, since improper web speed and tension would lead to severe damages to the substrates. In this chapter, we will focus on the advanced control algorithms of web tension and speed control in roll-to-roll system. Two concepts of control algorithms will be presented, which are model-based control and data-based control. For model-based control algorithms, the modeling of web dynamics and an application of robust H ∞ controller will be reviewed; for data-based control algorithms, two methods of neural network control learning methods will be introduced, and the application of neural network control in web tension and speed control will be presented. Moreover, performances of different control algorithms are compared.