US 4,357,899 AGranted

Coating apparatus

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsDennis P. Jones, David J. Pipkin

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Abstract

A wide moving web is coated on one side thereof by passing the web through an elongated pool of non-Newtonian coating liquid. The pool is contained at its opposite ends by walls or dams, these dams being spaced a distance less than the width of the web, such that the side edges of the web are not coated. The dams are constructed and arranged such that the coating liquid approaches the adjacent web edge in an amount which increases as the depth of the pool of coating liquid increases. Monitoring means view the opposite side edges of the coated web. When the coating begins to retreat toward the center of the web, pool replenishment is increased. When the coating begins to approach the edges of the web, pool replenishment is decreased. The sensor whose coating is closest to the web edge is in control of the pump. If the coating reaches an edge of the web, the coating apparatus is stopped.

Claims13

Dependent claims

In a coating apparatus whereat a web of material passes through a coating station and at least one surface of the web encounters a pool of coating liquid, the web thereafter leaving the coating station bearing a coating of said liquid on all but at least one side edge of said web surface, the improvement comprising:

a wall member associated with said pool and acting as a dam to contain said pool adjacent said one side edge of said web, said dam being constructed and arranged to allow a greater width of said web to be coated as the liquid level in the pool rises, a rise in said liquid level thereby producing a coating on the web which moves toward said side edge of the web as the liquid level in the pool rises;
replenishment means for replenishing coating liquid to said pool;
and
sensing means associated with said web downstream of the coating station, said sensing means being responsive to the position of the coating relative said side edge of the web, and being connected to control said replenishment means.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.