Abstract: An improved vacuum treatment system includes containers for accommodating articles to be treated, a tunnel-like casing in which a plurality of the casings can move contiguously, a driving device for making the containers move in the casing, a plurality of evacuation ducts open to the casing at a plurality of locations, sealing devices for sealing the clearance between the outer surfaces of the containers and the inner surface of the casing at the positions between the openings, and an evacuation facility for evacuating the inside of the casings through the evacuation ducts. The locations of the evacuation ducts closest to the opposite ends of the casing are spaced apart from the ends of the casing by distances greater than the length of the container. The intervals between the locations of the evacuation ducts are preferably longer than the length of the container.

Abstract: In a continuous vacuum vapor deposition system, a reduced-pressure chamber is partitioned into a plurality of sub-chambers by seal devices each formed by one set of three pinch rolls arrayed in parallel on one plane or a single seal roll, and a pair of seal bars positioned on the same plane on the respective sides of the pinch roll or seal roll. Gaps between the pinch rolls or seal roll and seal bars are adapted to allow the base plate portions on the inlet side and on the outlet side, respectively, to pass therethrough. In each of the reduced-pressure sub-chambers are disposed a pair of deflector rolls so that the base plate portions on the inlet side and on the outlet side may be wrapped respectively around the pinch rolls or seal roll with a wrapping angle of 10 degrees or more.