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US 5,733,608 AGranted
Method and apparatus for applying thin fluid coating stripes
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorsCarl R. Kessel, William K. Leonard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for coating a substrate with ultra-thin layers in stripes includes moving the substrate through a coating station and forming a composite layer including coating fluids and a carrier fluid. The composite layer flows at a rate that is sufficiently high to form a continuous flowing fluid bridge of composite layer to the substrate surface and to contact the substrate with the flowing composite layer to interpose the coating layers between the substrate and the carrier fluid. The carrier fluid is removed while leaving the coating fluid deposited on the substrate as a coating layer.
Claims30
A method of coating a substrate with a layer comprising the steps of:
- moving the substrate along a path through a coating station;
- forming a plurality of separate flowing stripes of at least first and second coating fluids having different formulations;
- flowing the coating fluids into side-by-side abutting contact to form a single flowing layer of side-by-side stripes without functional mixing between adjacent stripes;
- forming a composite layer comprising the plurality of coating fluids and at least one carrier fluid having a different formulation from the those of the first and second coating fluids;
- flowing the composite layer at a rate that is sufficient to form a continuous flowing fluid bridge of composite layer to the substrate for the coating width, wherein the carrier fluid portion of the composite layer is continuous;
- contacting the substrate with the flowing composite layer to interpose the coating layer between the substrate and the carrier fluid;
- and
- removing carrier fluid while leaving the coating fluid deposited on the substrate as a coating layer wherein the removing carrier fluid step comprises at least one of mechanical doctoring, draining by gravity, centrifugal removal, blowing, suctioning off, and using magnetic fields.
5 more elements
A method of coating a substrate with a layer comprising the steps of:
- moving the substrate along a path through a coating station;
- forming a plurality of separate flowing stripes of at least first and second coating fluids having different formulations;
- flowing the coating fluids into side-by-side abutting contact to form a single flowing layer of side-by-side stripes without functional mixing between adjacent stripes;
- forming a composite layer comprising the plurality of coating fluids and at least one carrier fluid having a different formulation from the those of the first and second coating fluids;
- flowing the composite layer at a rate that is sufficient to form a continuous flowing fluid bridge of composite layer to the substrate for the coating width, wherein the carrier fluid portion of the composite layer is continuous;
- depositing the composite layer onto a transfer surface;
- contacting the substrate with the flowing composite layer to interpose the coating layer between the substrate and the carrier fluid;
- and
- removing carrier fluid while leaving the coating fluid deposited on the substrate as a coating layer.
6 more elements
A method of coating a substrate with a layer comprising the steps of:
- moving the substrate along a path through a coating station;
- forming a plurality of separate flowing stripes of at least first and second coating fluids having different formulations;
- flowing the coating fluids into side-by-side abutting contact to form a single flowing layer of side-by-side stripes without functional mixing between adjacent stripes;
- forming a composite layer comprising the plurality of coating fluids and at least one carrier fluid having a different formulation from the those of the first and second coating fluids using carrier fluid that is immiscible with the coating fluids with which it forms an interface and wherein the carrier fluid has wetting properties that cause it to not wet the surface of the first and second coating fluid-coated substrate;
- flowing the composite layer at a rate that is sufficient to form a continuous flowing fluid bridge of composite layer to the substrate for the coating width, wherein the carrier fluid portion of the composite layer is continuous;
- contacting the substrate with the flowing composite layer to interpose the coating layer between the substrate and the carrier fluid;
- depositing on the substrate the plurality of separate flowing stripes of coating fluids at wet calipers ranging from 50 through 10000 angstroms;
- and
- removing carrier fluid while leaving the coating fluid deposited on the substrate as a coating layer.
6 more elements
A method of coating a substrate with a layer comprising the steps of:
- moving the substrate along a path through a coating station;
- forming a plurality of separate flowing stripes of at least first and second coating fluids having different formulations;
- flowing the coating fluids into side-by-side abutting contact to form a single flowing layer of side-by-side stripes without functional mixing between adjacent stripes;
- forming a composite layer comprising the plurality of coating fluids and at least one carrier fluid having a different formulation from the those of the first and second coating fluids using carrier fluid that is immiscible with the coating fluids with which it forms an interface and wherein the carrier fluid has wetting properties that cause it to not wet the surface of the first and second coating fluid-coated substrate;
- flowing the composite layer at a rate that is sufficient to form a continuous flowing fluid bridge of composite layer to the substrate for the coating width, wherein the carrier fluid portion of the composite layer is continuous;
- contacting the substrate with the flowing composite layer to interpose the coating layer between the substrate and the carrier fluid;
- and
- removing carrier fluid while leaving the coating fluid deposited on the substrate as a coating layer.
5 more elements
An apparatus for coating a substrate with an ultra-thin layer comprising:
- means for bringing together at least first and second separate coating fluids having different formulations, which are in side-by-side abutting contact and which can form a single flowing layer of side-by-side stripes without functional mixing between adjacent stripes;
- means for depositing the plurality of coating fluids onto a carrier fluid having a different formulation from the those of the first and second coating fluids to create a plurality of flowing layers of fluid in face-to-face contact with each other to form a composite layer;
- means for moving the substrate at a spaced distance from the means for bringing together to permit the composite layer to form a continuous flowing fluid bridge to the substrate for a desired coating width and to deposit the coating layer on the substrate;
- and
- means for removing carrier fluid while leaving the coating fluids deposited on the substrate as a coating layer;
- wherein the means for bringing together comprises a die having a face, a slot communicating between the cavity and the face, and a lip, wherein the carrier fluid exits from the slot onto the face and flows along the face to the lip, wherein the depositing means deposits the coating fluids onto the carrier fluid while the carrier fluid flows along the face, and wherein the composite layer is transported along the die face to the die lip.
3 more elements
An apparatus for coating a substrate with an ultra-thin layer comprising:
- means for bringing together at least first and second separate coating fluids having different formulations, which are in side-by-side abutting contact and which can form a single flowing layer of side-by-side stripes without functional mixing between adjacent stripes;
- means for depositing the plurality of coating fluids onto a carrier fluid having a different formulation from the those of the first and second coating fluids to create a plurality of flowing layers of fluid in face-to-face contact with each other to form a composite layer;
- means for moving the substrate at a spaced distance from the means for bringing together to permit the composite layer to form a continuous flowing fluid bridge to the substrate for a desired coating width and to deposit the coating layer on the substrate;
- means for removing carrier fluid while leaving the coating fluids deposited on the substrate as a coating layer;
- and
- a transfer surface on which the composite layer is deposited before being deposited on the substrate.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.