SKYLINE II

Small Footprint
The compact SINGULUS V metallizer and the use of servo drives allows a remarkable reduction of the SKYLINE II footprint. With a length of 1.35 m, a width of 1.09 m and the location of the downstream in front of the molding machine, the SKYLINE II can be easily integrated into optical disc production facilities.

Injection Molding
The injection molding machine is equipped with molds that are specially designed for molding of CDs or DVDs from polycarbonate (PC) of adequate quality. For the SKYLINE II DUPLEX, either a DVD mold or a CD mold is mounted in the injection molding machine. The injection molding machine is equipped with its own computer control unit and is fully integrated into SKYLINE II and interfaced with the PLC. Paired with the SINGULUS EMOULD, the SKYLINE II offers an advanced integrated molding station. The technical superiority of
electro-mechanical injection molding machines coupled with the leading technology of SINGULUS replication lines provides a significant competitive advantage for all CD and DVD 5 optical disc formats. Other qualified brands of molding machines may be integrated upon request.

New Drive Concept
A further milestone in the development of the SKYLINE II is the extensive use of AC servo-controlled drives. This leading-edge technology is now utilized for all transport and some process steps. Besides providing maximum precision and velocity, the servo drives with integrated drive encoders minimize the number of sensors required. These drives are a major contributor to the high productivity of the SKYLINE II.

Control Unit
The SKYLINE II is controlled through one Siemens S7 and one Mitsubishi PLC and interfaces with a proprietary SINGULUS visualization package based on Microsoft Windows 2000® as Man Machine Interface. Together with a 15" touch screen, the new visualization concept helps the operators to become rapidly accustomed to the operation of the whole line.

Cooling Conveyor
The high take-out temperatures generated by fast cycling molding machines make it necessary to cool down the discs before further processing. Therefore, SKYLINE II has an integrated cooling conveyor with 13 positions between each delivery point, from the molding machine take-out robot to the sputter module transfer position.

Sputter Station
The principle feature of the SKYLINE II is the integration of the SINGULUS V high rate sputter equipment. This unit has been used at customer sites for several years. The high performance of this metallizer significantly contributes to the increased reliability, high uptime and quick repair times of the SKYLINE II.

The system is equipped with one energy-saving, high performance FOCUS Cathode® achieving the specified layer characteristics for the metallization of CD and DVD 5 layers. Due to the specific geometry of the FOCUS target, superior target utilization is combined with excellent uniformity of the sputtered layer during the entire target lifetime. The masking units are located within the sputter station. The cathode unit can be swivelled 100° for easy access when changing the mask and / or target without disconnecting any supply units.

Spin-Off Units
The first spin-off bowl is used to rotate the disc while dispensing the lacquer or bonding resin. For CD production, the protective lacquer is distributed with high uniformity by means of spin-off. In DVD 5 mode, the bonding resin is dispensed onto the bottom disc half, then the top side disc is smoothly placed onto the resin. In the SKYLINE II DUPLEX, a second spin-off bowl is integrated next to the first one. This second bowl, with its assortment of spinning speeds, is used to ensure high uniformity of the bonding agent between the disc halves.

Bonding (DUPLEX only)
The bonding unit consists of a dosing system with a degassing unit, two spin-off bowls and an
I-BOND® system, guaranteeing the prevention of bubble generation during the bonding process. On one position of the input conveyor, every second disc half is flipped. The first disc half is metallized inside the sputter station and is then transferred to the bonding position in the first spin-off bowl where the bonding resin is dispensed free of micro bubbles. The second, previously-flipped disc half is transferred from the input conveyor to the bonding station with an intermediate stop in the metallizer load lock chamber. After the top side disc is positioned onto the resin ring, both disc halves are transferred to a second spin-off bowl. In this last process station, a uniform spacer layer thickness of the bonding resin is generated before UV-curing.

Main Features of Bonding Unit

Controlled degassing to remove micro bubbles
Temperature-controlled dispensing of bonding agent
Programmable quantity and dosing radius of dispensed bonding agent
Bond handling system is driven by AC servo motor for exact and fast positioning
Prevention of air inclusions
Use of the adhesive force of the bonding resin to prevent the creation of air inclusions
Improved bonding (I-BOND®)
Adjustable speed of the bonding handling
Minimized and stable volume of recycled bonding agent for accurate process stability
No refilling of bonding agent as the supply container of the agent is used as the „new lacquer tank“
Ability to change bonding agent container and filter during automatic production run without machine stop
Only stainless steel and PTFE / PETP / Calrez™ come in contact with the bonding agent

UV-Curing
The newly designed UV-curing station has a two-position turntable. The rotation of the disc in front of the UV-bulb guarantees a constant and uniform curing of the CD or DVD 5 as well as excellent curing results for the DVD 5 disc edge.

Final Inspection
The SKYLINE II is equipped with a high quality final inspection system for CD; the SKYLINE II DUPLEX has a different scanner for the inspection of DVD 5.

Output Buffer
As each spindle is placed behind its appropriate gate, direct access to every spindle is possible at any time.