Web-processing apparatus
AssigneeFaustel, Inc.
InventorMatthew R. Lind
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A web-processing apparatus comprises a dryer with air-turn apparatus for flotatingly supporting a web and, preferably, for changing a direction of web movement. The air-turn apparatus may be used in the web dryer or with other suitable web-processing equipment, particularly in applications where a coated web side faces the air-turn apparatus. Preferred forms of the air-turn apparatus comprise a body having an outer surface defining a web flotation zone facing a coated side of the web and a plurality of openings in the body positioned along the web flotation zone. An air-conducting conduit provides pressurized air to the body and body openings thereby forming an air cushion at the web flotation zone on which the coated web is flotatingly supported without contacting the body.
Claims22
In a dryer for drying a coated web moving therethrough, said dryer having a frame with a web inlet, a web outlet and a web path therebetween, dryer apparatus mounted with respect to the frame along the web path, at least one web-turning apparatus mounted with respect to the frame for changing the direction of web movement, the improvement wherein the at least one web-turning apparatus is an air-turn apparatus comprising:
- a body having an arcuate outer surface defining an arcuate web flotation zone facing a coated side of the web and a plurality of openings in the body positioned along the web flotation zone through which pressurized air from an air blower is directed to form an air cushion along the web flotation zone, said air cushion being of sufficient volume to support the moving web fully spaced apart from the body, said body being rotatably mounted with respect to the frame for rotational movement in the direction of web movement;
- an air-conducting conduit at least partially in the body, the conduit having an inlet for receiving pressurized air and at least one outlet in communication with the body openings thereby providing a passageway through which the pressurized air is directed out of the body to form the air cushion along the web flotation zone;
- the air blower being in communication with the conduit inlet, said air blower providing the pressurized air to the conduit in the volume sufficient to generate the air cushion along the web flotation zone fully supporting the coated web;
- and
- drive apparatus in power-transmission relationship with the body to rotate the body synchronously with the web in the direction of web movement;
- whereby the coated web is fully supported for direction change within the dryer by the air cushion along the web flotation zone of the at least one rotating air-turn apparatus so that the coated side of the web does not continuously contact the air-turn apparatus.
A rotatable air-turn apparatus for flotatingly supporting a moving web having a coated side facing the air-turn apparatus comprising:
- a cylindrically-shaped body having first and second end walls, a body center axis, an arcuate outer surface defining an arcuate web flotation zone facing the coated side of the web and a plurality of openings in the body positioned along the web flotation zone through which pressurized air from a pressurized air source is directed to form an air cushion along the web flotation zone, said air cushion being of sufficient volume to flotatingly support the moving web fully spaced apart from the body;
- an air-conducting conduit at least partially in the body, the conduit having an inlet for receiving pressurized air from the pressurized air source and at least one outlet in communication with the body openings thereby providing a passageway through which the pressurized air is directed out of the body to form the air cushion along the web flotation zone;
- and
- a first mount along the body first end wall and a second mount along the body second end wall, said mounts adapted to rotatably support the body about the center axis for rotation in the direction of web movement;
- whereby the web is supported by the air cushion along the web flotation zone so that the coated side of the web does not continuously contact the air-turn apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.