Method and apparatus for producing a non-uniform coating on a substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9266144-B2
Application number	US-201013518747-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2010
Priority date	Dec 22, 2009
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. 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 W 3 roll, a W 2 roll, a W 1 roll and a W 00 roll, a substrate wrapping at least a portion of the W 3 roll and entering the five roll coater at an infeed nip between the W 3 roll and the W 2 roll, the W 1 roll nipped with the W 2 roll, the coating roll nipped with the W 1 roll, and the W 00 roll nipped with the coating roll, and the at least one needle tube being disposed adjacent the coating roll on the side opposite the W 00 roll.

2. The coating apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first coating applicator is configured to supply coating to form a coating pond in an infeed nip between the coating roll and the W 00 roll.

3. The coating apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one needle tube applies the second coating to an infeed nip between the coating roll and the W 1 roll, or an infeed nip between the W 1 roll and the W 2 roll.

4. The coating apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a speed control for varying the relative speeds of the rolls forming the infeed nip.

5. The coating apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one needle tube applies the second coating to a face of a coating roll.

6. The coating apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second coating applicator comprises at least two needle tubes attached to a manifold.

7. The coating apparatus of claim 6 wherein the pressure in the manifold is between 5 psi to 20 psi.

8. The coating apparatus of claim 1 wherein the needle tube has a circular cross section and the internal diameter of the needle tube is between 10 to 100 mils.

9. The coating apparatus of claim 8 wherein a length of the needle tube is between 2 to 8 inches.

10. The coating apparatus of 1 wherein a length of the needle tube is between 2 to 8 inches.

Assignees

• Maier Gary W
• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Maier Gary W

Classifications

• B05C1/0813

  characterised by means for supplying liquid or other fluent material to the roller · CPC title

• B05D2252/02

  of indefinite length · CPC title

• B05C1/0834

  the coating roller co-operating with other rollers, e.g. dosing, transfer rollers · CPC title

• B05C9/06

  for applying two different liquids or other fluent materials, or the same liquid or other fluent material twice, to the same side of the work · CPC title

• B05D7/5385

  the two layers being applied simultaneously · CPC title