Novel approach to predict the varying thicknesses of a PVA film during a roll-to-roll process

•We develop a novel method to predict the thickness variation of very wide films.•Tension of a moving web is dominant in thickness variation.•Mechanical properties of substrate are changed by temperature and concentration.•The developed method is validated with experimental verification.

The problems of design and manufacturing cannot be exclusively addressed by experimental data owing to the limitations of equipment and technology. Whereas experiments are often used to validate the results of simulation, simulation is also used to predict unknown parameters that cannot be experimentally determined. The latter concept is very efficient and can be used to resolve urgent problems and reduce experimental cost. It also offers a good method for assessing design and manufacturing problems. In the present study, we particularly used simulation to predict the varying thicknesses of a flexible polyvinyl alcohol film for use as a substrate in the design and fabrication of printed electronics.