Slide coating apparatus with moving plates

In a slide coating apparatus comprising at least one slide surface disposed along a top portion of a front plate supported by a platform and a fluid supply cavity for supplying a coating fluid to the slide surface, the cavity formed at the juncture of a side surface of said front plate with a side surface of a back plate contiguous with the front plate and moveably supported by said platform, said side surface for each plate adjoining two opposite side ends thereof. and means for applying force to said back plate to maintain said back plate contiguous to said front plate, the improvement comprising:

• means for moving said back plate away from said front plate to a first cleaning position along a direction substantially parallel to the slide surface, said moving means comprising at least a first actuator assembly connected between the back plate and the platform for effecting linear movement of a first shaft along said back plate direction.