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US 5,206,057 AGranted
Method and apparatus for adjusting the curtain impingement line in a curtain coating apparatus
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsDouglas S. Finnicum, Kenneth J. Ruschak, Steven J. Weinstein
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a curtain coating apparatus for the coating of photographic film and paper webs and the like, the line of impingement of the curtain on the moving web is controlled by providing a pressure controlled zone on one side of the flowing curtain. Small changes in the static air pressure in the zone cause the position of the curtain to move without disturbing the quality of the curtain. Wetted side walls of the pressure controlled zone can serve as edge guides for the curtain.
Claims17
A curtain coating apparatus comprising
- means for continuously moving a substrate along a path through a coating zone, from an upstream direction to a downstream direction,
- a hopper means positioned above said path for forming a continuously flowing, curtain of liquid in said coating zone, said curtain having an upstream and a downstream side and impinging on the moving substrate in a line transversely across the substrate to form a coated layer of said liquid thereon,
- an enclosure means which includes (a) a pair of planar side walls positioned on opposite sides of the substrate parallel to the direction of movement thereof, said walls extending vertically from said hopper means to said substrate and (b) an upstream wall extending from the hopper means to a position close to said substrate,
- said enclosure means, in combination with the hopper means, the substrate and the curtain, forming a pressure controlled zone in which a substantially static gas pressure can be maintained, and
- means for controlling the static gas pressure in said zone and for establishing a pressure differential between the upstream and downstream sides of the curtain.
2 more elements
A curtain coating method which comprises
- continuously moving a substrate along a path through a coating zone,
- forming a continuously flowing, curtain of liquid in said coating zone above the path of said substrate,
- impinging the flowing liquid curtain on the moving substrate in a line transversely across the substrate to form a coated layer of said liquid thereon,
- maintaining a static gas pressure on both sides of said curtain, and
- creating a gas pressure differential between the upstream and downstream sides of said curtain to move the line of impingement of the curtain on the substrate without disturbing the uniform flow of said curtain.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.