Vacuum coating system comprising a transport unit for transporting substrates

A Transport unit, comprising:

• first and second transport devices disposed side by side for transport of elongate substrates in a transport direction, each transport device comprising at least one first endless conveyor arranged running in the transport direction, each at least one first endless conveyor including an endless conveying element guided around at least two guide pulleys, each conveying element being arranged with a vertical spacing to a respective guide device, the guide device being vertically aligned with and arranged parallel to the conveying element in the transport direction, the transport devices being arranged so that the conveying element of the at least one first endless conveyor of each transport device frictionally contacts a different end of the elongate substrates or substrate holding devices disposed at opposite ends of the elongate substrates, and wherein the ends of the elongate substrates or the substrate holding devices are introduced into the spacing between the conveying element and the respective guide device of each transport device and are moved by movement of the conveying element of the at least one first endless conveyor of the transport devices in the transport direction, and the transport devices engage only the ends of the elongate substrates.