The new Bobst K5 Vision is a compact vacuum metalizer that is suitable for flexible packaging converters and CPP/PE film producers.

The K5 Vision is designed to handle a wide variety of different film types, including heat sensitive films and thin gauge substrates. It can run at speeds up to 840 m/m, is available in widths from 1,250 mm to 2,450 mm and can house roll diameters of up to 1,000 mm.

The machine incorporates a 600 mm coating drum, providing a large coating window that increases aluminum collection efficiency by up to 16%, resulting in less consumables, an extended boat life and a 10-15% energy reduction. It also provides better film cooling due to the increased surface area of the drum; additional cooling is also given by the 2-zone gas wedge, which provides better conduction of heat between the substrate and the drum, which is important for heat sensitive films such as CPP and LDPE.

The powerful, robust evaporation source with a staggered ceramic boat arrangement, provides excellent coating uniformity. It also incorporates easy access to clean the boats and aluminum spools mounted on a removable trolley for easy changing; the full width viewing windows give an improved view of the source and the metalization process.

The K5 Vision pumping group has a compact design with shorter pipe lengths giving the lowest footprint in the industry; it comprises of dry rotary screw pumps with a consistently high vacuum performance, booster pumps that operate at double the normal speed for maximum efficiency and floor mounted diffusion pumps located underneath the evaporation zone, eliminating the risk for backstreaming of oil on to the film.

The K5 Vision incorporates the Bobst Eco Mode, which reduces energy consumption by up to 50% during stand-by, only delivering energy and cooling water when needed. This results in a reduced carbon footprint and significant savings in production costs.

The Bobst winding mechanism incorporates a 6-drive system, giving three independent tension control zones. It provides low tension winding with adjustable bowed rollers to produce a virtually wrinkle-free metalization process and an optional pre-drum vari bow for better handling of thinner substrates.

The K5 Vision can handle a wide range of substrates, including thin gauge films and enables quick changeover of different film types, making it the ideal machine for converters. It is also able to handle heat sensitive films, such as CPP and PE, which makes it a fit for film producers of these thermally sensitive materials.

The Bobst AluBond process provides high metal adhesion with values up to 5N/15mm and improves dyne level retention through vacuum metalization, eliminating the need for chemically treated films. Bobst AluBond is an advanced hybrid metal coating technology, which achieves higher barrier properties on BOPP and CPP films than conventional metalizing processes.