Application of liquid material to webs

A method of applying liquid to a web comprising:

• passing a web through a pair of solid blocks juxtaposed together with one block above the other defining an entrance end and an exit end, at least the bottom surface of the top block defining a recess located nearer to the exit end of said juxtaposed blocks, said recess extending transverse to the path of a web travelling through the applicator a distance at least equal to the width of the web being treated, a bore communicating the recess with a reservoir of coating liquid;
• introducing liquid through said bore into said recess;
• holding the pair of blocks spaced apart in the vertical direction to define an inlet passageway correlated with the width of the web to be coated, said inlet passageway extending from said recess to the entrance end of said juxtaposed blocks;
• and to define an exit from said recess to said exit end of said juxtaposed blocks;
• mounting at least one doctor blade on an end of said top block at said exit end to bear on a web exiting therefrom and having a width to extend transverse to said exit means;
• and
• mounting side curtain means against the end portions of the doctor blade to reduce the width of the doctor blade so that the coating operation can be conducted with the recess completely filled with coating liquid whereby precise thicknesses of coating can be applied to the surface of the web or impregnated thereinto in a substantially sealed enclosure.

An applicator for applying liquid to a web comprising first and second solid blocks juxtaposed together with one block above the other defining an entrance end and an exit end, at least the bottom surface of the top block defining first and second recesses, with the second recess located nearer to the exit end of said juxtaposed blocks, said recesses extending transverse to the path of a web travelling through the applicator a distance at least equal to the width of the web being treated, bores communicating each of the recesses with a reservoir of coating liquid, first means for holding the blocks spaced apart in the vertical direction and for defining a first inlet passageway correlated with the width of the web to be coated, said first inlet passageway extending from the first recess to the entrance end of said juxtaposed blocks, first exit means defining an exit from the first recess, said exit establishing fluid communication between the first and second recesses, second exit means defining an exit from the second recess to said exit end of said juxtaposed blocks, at least one doctor blade mounted on said exit end of said top block of said juxtaposed blocks at said second exit means to bear on a web exiting therefrom and having a width to extend transverse to said second exit means, and side curtain means mounted against the end portions of the doctor blade to reduce the width of the doctor blade so that the coating operation can be conducted with both recesses completely filled with coating liquid whereby precise thicknesses of coating can be applied to the surface of the web or impregnated thereinto in substantially sealed enclosures.