Process for producing striped surface coatings

In a process for applying a coating to a major surface of a strip article, including the steps of

• (a) continuously advancing the article longitudinally past a dam extending transversely of said major surface in adjacent spaced relation thereto while
• (b) maintaining a body of a first liquid coating material in contact with said major surface immediately ahead of said dam for establishing a continuous wet coating layer on said major surface, and
• (c) immediately beyond said dam, advancing the article longitudinally past a wall of extended length in the direction of article advance and facing said major surface while restraining the article against movement of said major surface away from said wall beyond a predetermined distance equal to a desired thickness of said wet coating layer, such that said major surface and said wall mutually define a gap entirely filled by said wet coating layer across the width of said layer, the improvement which comprises
• (d) through at least one aperture in said wall, spaced from said dam in the direction of article advance, delivering at least a second liquid coating material to said gap under pressure sufficient to displace locally the first liquid coating material in the wet coating layer, thereby to establish a stripe of the second liquid coating material in said coating layer.