Contactless guide system for continuous web
AssigneeBachofen + Meier AG Maschinenfabrik
InventorsBruno Holtmann, Konrad Dessovic, José Antonio Mena
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Known devices for contactlessly guiding or treating continuous lines of material (1) have one chamber (2). A supply device (3) for a gaseous fluid is connected to said chamber (2), which has a gas-permeable wall (4). The outer surface (5) of said wall (4) is embodied as a guide surface for the line (1). According to the invention, the gas-permeable wall (4) is produced from a porous, metal-containing material with open pores which have an average diameter of less than 500 μm, preferably less than 100 μm, especially less than 20 μm. The porous material used for the guiding surface enables the line (1) to glide on a fluid pad of less than 1 mm. The losses of fluid on the surfaces not covered by the line (1) are very low.
Claims14
In an apparatus through which a flexible web moves continuously in a travel direction, a guide comprising:
- a generally closed chamber having a wall having in turn an outer surface over which the web passes, the wall being formed over the entire outer surface with pores having an average diameter of less than 500 μm, the pores having at the surface a total flow cross section equal to less than 20% of a total surface area of the outer surface;
- and
- means for pressurizing the chamber with a gaseous fluid and for thereby forcing the fluid through the wall and forming between the outer surface a fluid cushion holding the web out of direct contact with the wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.