Optimization of the film coating process for polymer blends by the grey-based Taguchi method

The purpose of this paper is to find the optimum conditions of the film coating process for polymer blends and the influence of major processing parameters on the morphological properties of the material surface has been discussed. The surface roughness is regarded as the target characteristic of the smaller-the-better system. In order to achieve the aim of the multiple-response process of robustness, the grey-based Taguchi method is proposed. Nine experimental trials based on the L₉(3⁴) orthogonal array are conducted to determine the optimum processing conditions, the significant factor levels, and the percent contributions together with the analysis of variance (ANOVA). Also, confirmation experiments are performed to verify that the experimental results are reproducible. Moreover, atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be carried out with 3D atomic resolution in air for the measurement and analysis of the precision surface .