Method of designing and manufacturing a distributor bar for applying a viscous foamable liquid mixture onto a laminator

A method (3000) of designing and manufacturing a distributor bar (210, 230, 240, 250, 260, 280, 290, 300) having a central inlet (2) for receiving a predefined viscous foamable liquid mixture at a predefined flow rate (Qtotal), and having a predefined even number (Nholes) of outlets (p1-p12) fluidly connected to said inlet via a main channel (5), the number of outlets being spaced apart equidistantly over a predefined length (Lbar),

• wherein the distributor bar has a geometry such that, when a ratio of the predefined flow rate (Qtotal) entering the central inlet and the predefined length (Lbar) is at least 1.00×10−4 m2/s, the mixture will leave each of the outlets (p1-p12) with an average velocity which is constant for each of the outlets within a predefined tolerance margin of at most +/−5%;
• the method comprising the steps of:
• a) choosing (3001) a geometry for the distributor bar to be manufactured and defining a set of parameters corresponding to a physical shape and dimensions of said distributor bar;
• b) assigning (3002) values to the geometrical parameters;
• c) creating (3003) a virtual model of said geometry having said assigned values;
• d) simulating (3005) a flow of liquid mixture in said virtual model by performing a Computational Fluid. Dynamics simulation (CFD), taking into account (3004) in the simulation a non-Newtonian shear thinning model and predefined shear thinning parameter (n, m) of said viscous foamable liquid mixture;
• e) evaluating (3006) whether the simulated flow satisfies a predefined criterium, and if an outcome of said evaluation is negative, repeating steps b) to e);
• and if an outcome of said evaluation is positive, either repeating steps b) to e) or going to step f);
• f) building (3007) a physical distributor bar having a geometry that satisfied the predefined criterium.