Method and apparatus for producing a non-uniform coating on a substrate
Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company
InventorGary W. Maier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A roll coater can be modified by the addition of one or more needle tubes that supply coating fluid to the roll coater in discrete locations across the face of the coating roll. The needle tubes supply a localized band of coating material onto the coating roll superimposed over the uniform coating layer already present on the surface of the coating roll from an upstream coating pond creating a stripe pattern over the uniform coating layer. By varying the relative speeds of the coating rolls in the coater, the width of the stripe can also be adjusted.
Claims10
A coating apparatus comprising:
- a coating roll;
- a first coating applicator for applying a first coating onto the coating roll;
- a second coating applicator comprising at least one needle tube each having an internal diameter, the at least one needle tube being configured to apply a second coating in one or more discrete stripes over the first coating, and the one or more discrete stripes each extending along a machine direction;
- and
- a five roll coater including the coating roll, a W3 roll, a W2 roll, a W1 roll and a W00 roll, a substrate wrapping at least a portion of the W3 roll and entering the five roll coater at an infeed nip between the W3 roll and the W2 roll, the W1 roll nipped with the W2 roll, the coating roll nipped with the W1 roll, and the W00 roll nipped with the coating roll, and the at least one needle tube being disposed adjacent the coating roll on the side opposite the W00 roll.
The coating apparatus of 1 wherein a length of the needle tube is between 2 to 8 inches.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.