Coating apparatus

An apparatus for applying coating material in stripe form onto a film traveling in a vertical direction, which comprises:

• film conveying means for conveying a film in a vertical direction;
• a coating material effusion nozzle for effusing a coating material effusion nozzle for effusing a coating material and adapted to be contacted by the film traveling in the vertical direction so as to support the film, said coating material effusion nozzle having a flat support surface for contacting the film and allowing the film to travel therealong with the surface pressure of the film against said flat surface being substantially zero, said nozzle having a plurality of applicator grooves in said support surface having a substantially constant depth and extending in the film traveling direction, said grooves being spaced in the width direction of the traveling film at substantially equal intervals, said nozzle having coating material effusion ports in the bottom of each of said applicator grooves to allow coating material to be effused therethrough;
• and
• means for supplying coating material to said coating effusion nozzle at a flow rate less than sufficient to completely fill said applicator grooves for causing said applicator grooves to be at a pressure lower than atmospheric, whereby the portions of the film which are over said applicator grooves are moved inwardly into said applicator grooves.

An apparatus for applying coating material in stripe form onto a film traveling in a vertical direction, which comprises:

• film conveying means for conveying a film in a vertical direction;
• a coating material effusion nozzle for effusing a coating material and adapted to be contacted by the film traveling in the vertical direction so as to support the film, said coating material effusion nozzle having a flat support surface for contacting the film and allowing the film to travel therealong with the surface pressure of the film against said flat surface being substantially zero, said nozzle having a plurality of applicator grooves in said support surface having a substantially constant depth and extending in the film traveling direction, said grooves being spaced in the width direction of the traveling film at substantially equal intervals, said nozzle having coating material effusion ports in the bottom of each of said applicator grooves to allow coating material to be effused therethrough;
• means for supplying coating material to said coating material effusion nozzle;
• and
• gas blowing means in spaced opposed relation to said support surface for blowing a gas toward said support surface for pressing portions of the film overlying said applicator grooves toward said applicator grooves and thereby causing the coating material supplied to the applicator grooves to be stably applied to the traveling film.