Coating method
AssigneeBHP Steel Limited
InventorUdo Buecher
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of forming a coating of a polymer-based paint composition on a substrate (1) is disclosed The method is based on the use of pellets (13) rather than solid blocks of the paint composition. The method includes pre-heating a substrate (1) to a temperature that is above the glass transition temperature of the polymer of the paint composition and supplying pellets (13) of the paint composition to the surface of the substrate (1) whereby the pellets (13) progressively melt into a liquid state. Thereafter, the method includes forming a coating of the liquid paint composition on the substrate surface (1) and converting the liquid coating into a solid coating of the paint composition.
Claims8
A method of forming a coating of a polymer-based paint composition on a substrate which includes the steps of:
- (a) pre-heating the substrate to a temperature that is above the glass transition temperature of the polymer of the paint composition;
- (b) supplying pellets, as defined herein, of the paint composition to the surface of the substrate whereby the pellets progressively melt into a liquid state;
- (c) forming a coating of the liquid paint composition on the substrate surface;
- and
- (d) converting the liquid coating into a solid coating of the paint composition.
The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein step (b) of supplying pellets of the paint composition to the surface of the substrate includes supplying pellets while the substrate is moving at a controlled speed along a pre-determined path.
The method defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein step (c) of forming the coating of the liquid paint composition includes:
- (i) positioning a roller transverse to the moving substrate so that the roller applies pressure to the surface to be coated and thereby controls the thickness of the liquid coating on the substrate;
- and
- (ii) controlling the deposition rate of the paint composition on the substrate so that a pool of liquid paint composition is established and maintained immediately upstream of the roller and is contained by the roller and the substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.