Web transport system including scavenger blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9862179-B2
Application number	US-201514812078-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2015
Priority date	Jul 29, 2015
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A web transport system for transporting a web of media along a web-transport path including a fluid bar for guiding the web of media, and a scavenger blade positioned downstream of the fluid bar. A liquid is pumped through holes in an exterior bearing surface of the fluid bar, thereby pushing the web of media away from the fluid bar. The scavenger bar includes a blade edge facing the first surface of the web of media, the blade edge being spaced apart from the first surface of the web of media by a gap distance. The scavenger blade removes at least some liquid from the first surface of the web of media as it passes by the scavenger blade, thereby reducing the amount of liquid that is carried along to portions of the web-transport path that are downstream of the scavenger blade.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A web transport system for transporting a web of media along a web-transport path, comprising:
a fluid bar disposed along the web-transport path, the web of media being guided as it passes the fluid bar with a first surface of the web of media facing an exterior bearing surface of the fluid bar, wherein a liquid is pumped through holes in the bearing surface of the fluid bar and into a region between the first surface of the web of media and the bearing surface of the fluid bar, thereby pushing the web of media away from the fluid bar, and wherein the fluid bar is not submerged in a liquid; and
a scavenger blade disposed along the web-transport path downstream of the fluid bar, the scavenger blade spanning the web of media in a cross-track direction and including a sharp blade edge facing the first surface of the web of media, the sharp blade edge being spaced apart from the first surface of the web of media by a gap distance of at least 0.20 mm, wherein the web of media does not contact the scavenger blade and the web of media is not redirected as it passes by the scavenger blade, and wherein the scavenger blade removes at least some liquid from the first surface of the web of media as it passes by the scavenger blade, thereby reducing the amount of liquid that is carried along to portions of the web-transport path that are downstream of the scavenger blade;
wherein the scavenger blade includes a first surface on one side of the blade edge facing towards the fluid bar and a second surface on an opposite side of the blade edge facing away from the fluid bar, wherein the first surface of the scavenger blade is a substantially planar surface and the second surface of the scavenger blade is a curved surface, wherein the first and second surfaces meet to form the sharp blade edge along a leading edge of the scavenger blade, and wherein the scavenger blade draws away at least a portion of the liquid being carried along by the web of media from the first surface of the web of media as it passes over the blade edge such that at least some of the drawn away portion of the liquid flows down the second surface of the scavenger blade.

2. The web transport system of claim 1 , wherein the first surface of the scavenger blade is substantially perpendicular to the first surface of the web of media.

3. The web transport system of claim 1 , wherein the scavenger blade diverts at least a portion of the liquid being carried along by the web of media away from the first surface of the web of media such that the diverted portion of the liquid flows down the first surface of the scavenger blade.

4. The web transport system of claim 1 , wherein the gap distance is between 0.20 mm and 2.0 mm.

5. The web transport system of claim 1 , wherein the scavenger blade blocks fluid that is sprayed out from the region between the first surface of the web of media and the bearing surface of the fluid bar from reaching the portions of the web-transport path that are downstream of the scavenger blade.

6. The web transport system of claim 1 , wherein the web-transport path advances the web of media through a tank of the liquid upstream of the fluid bar.

7. The web transport system of claim 6 , wherein the liquid removed from the first surface of the web of media is directed into the tank of the liquid.

8. The web transport system of claim 6 , wherein the liquid is a plating solution for an electroless plating process, and wherein a plating substance in the plating solution is plated onto predetermined locations on the web of media as it is advanced through the plating solution in the tank of liquid.

9. The web transport system of claim 1 , wherein the web of media is travelling in a substantially horizontal direction as it passes by the scavenger blade.

10. The web transport system of claim 9 , wherein the scavenger blade is positioned below the web of media.

11. The web transport system of claim 1 , wherein a direction of travel of the web of media is redirected by more than 10 degrees as it passes the fluid bar.

12. The web transport system of claim 1 , wherein the bearing surface of the fluid bar has an arc-shaped cross-section.

13. The web transport system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the scavenger blade proximate the blade edge is more wettable than the first surface of the web of media such that the liquid is attracted more strongly to the scavenger blade than to the first surface of the web of media.

14. A web transport system for transporting a web of media along a web-transport path, comprising:
a fluid bar disposed along the web-transport path, the web of media being guided as it passes the fluid bar with a first surface of the web of media facing an exterior bearing surface of the fluid bar, wherein a liquid is pumped through holes in the bearing surface of the fluid bar and into a region between the first surface of the web of media and the bearing surface of the fluid bar, thereby pushing the web of media away from the fluid bar, and wherein the fluid bar is not submerged in a liquid; and
a scavenger blade disposed along the web-transport path upstream of the fluid bar, the scavenger blade spanning the web of media in a cross-track direction and including a sharp blade edge facing the first surface of the web of media, the sharp blade edge being spaced apart from the first surface of the web of media by a gap distance of at least 0.20 mm, wherein the web of media does not contact the scavenger blade and the web of media is not redirected as it passes by the scavenger blade, and wherein the scavenger blade prevents at least some liquid that flows out from the region between the first surface of the web of media and the bearing surface of the fluid bar from reaching portions of the web-transport path that are upstream of the scavenger blade;
wherein the scavenger blade includes a first surface on one side of the sharp blade edge facing towards the fluid bar and a second surface on an opposite side of the sharp blade edge facing away from the fluid bar, wherein the first surface of the scavenger blade is a substantially planar surface and the second surface of the scavenger blade is a curved surface, wherein the first and second surfaces meet to form the sharp blade edge along a leading edge of the scavenger blade, and wherein the scavenger blade draws at least a portion of the liquid that flows out from the region between the first surface of the web of media and the bearing surface of the fluid bar away from the first surface of the web of media as it passes over the sharp blade edge such that at least some of the drawn away portion of the liquid flows down the second surface of the scavenger blade.

15. A web transport system for transporting a web of media along a web-transport path that passes through a tank containing a liquid, comprising:
an input fluid bar disposed along the web-transport path upstream of a position where the web of media enters the liquid in the tank, the web of media being redirected toward the liquid in the tank as it passes the input fluid bar with a first surface of the web of media facing an exterior bearing surface of the input fluid bar, wherein the liquid is pumped through holes in the bearing surface of the input fluid bar and into a region between the first surface of the web of media and the bearing surface of the input fluid bar, thereby pushing the web of media away from the input fluid bar;
an input scavenger blade disposed along the web-transport path upstream of the input fluid bar, the input scavenger blade spanning the web of media in a cross-track direction and including a

Assignees

• Eastman Kodak Co

Inventors

• Hill Kelvin P
• Bettin Robert R
• Shifley James Douglas
• Young Timothy John
• Wainwright Gary P

Classifications

• B05C3/125

  the work being a web, band, strip or the like · CPC title

• B05C5/0245

  for applying liquid or other fluent material to a moving work of indefinite length, e.g. to a moving web (B05C5/0241, B05C5/0254, B05C5/027, B05C5/0283 take precedence) · CPC title

• C23C18/1651

  Two or more layers only obtained by electroless plating · CPC title

• B05C11/04

  with blades · CPC title

• C23C18/163

  Supporting devices for articles to be coated · CPC title