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(11) | EP 0 484 980 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Method of coating and apparatus thereby |
| (57) By a coating method in which a coating solution is supplied from a coating solution
supply inlet of a solution injector, the coating solution is distributed in the width
direction of the solution injector by means of a manifold, and then is discharged
from the solution injector through a slot having an even interval from the manifold
to thereby perform coating. The coating method is characterized in that an end portion
of the manifold to which the coating solution touches has a curvature with which the
portion introduces the coating solution in the direction to discharge the coating
solution. |
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention particularly relates to a method and an apparatus for making a coating on a continuously running elongated flexible support, such as a photographic material, for example, a photographic paper or the like, a photograving material, photosensitive paper, thermosensitive paper, magnetic material, etc.
[0002] As for a coating method and a coating apparatus, conventionally known is a device in which a flowing path of a coating solution stream is curved over the entire length thereof as shown in Fig. 1 so as to make the coating solution distribution even from a coating solution supply inlet of a solution injector to a slot outlet of the solution injector in order to avoid thick coating at coating end portions and increase in coating amount at a center portion. ( Reference be made to Yuji Harazaki, "Progress of Coating Technique", Extension Technology Service Center Inc., 1988, p. 359.)
[0003] In the case of using a solution injector constituted by a coating solution supply inlet, a manifold in the direction of width of the solution injector and communicated with the coating solution supply inlet, a slot communicated with the whole of the manifold in the direction of width of the solution injector and communicated with a coating solution discharge outlet, the working to produce such a solution injector is very difficult in view of design and work, and therefore, generally, the manifold is passed through and the opposite ends of the manifold are formed of plugs which are worked linearly.
[0004] In the case where the end portion of the solution injector is worked linearly, however, the coating solution which touches the end portion of the manifold partially stays so that macromolecules in the coating solution are bridged to produce an insoluble material to cause a problem of generation of slag, streak, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention has been attained to solve the above problem and an object thereof is to provide a coating method and a coating apparatus in which a solution injector capable of maintaining good quality of coated products.
[0006] The above object of the present invention can be attained by:
(1) A coating method in which a coating solution is supplied from a coating solution supply inlet of a solution injector, then distributed in the width direction of the solution injector by means of a manifold, and then discharged from the solution injector through a slot having an even interval from the manifold to thereby perform coating, characterized in that an end portion of the manifold to which the coating solution touches has a curvature with which the portion introduces the coating solution in the direction to discharge the coating solution;
(2) A coating apparatus comprising a solution injector which has a coating solution supply inlet, a manifold in the direction of width of the solution injector and communicated with the coating solution supply inlet, a slot communicated with the whole of the manifold in the direction of width of the solution injector and communicated with a coating solution discharge outlet, characterized in that an end portion of the manifold to which the coating solution touches is constituted by a plug, and a front sectional shape of an inner surface of the plug has a curved surface tangentially connected to opposite ends of the slot; and
(3) A coating apparatus according to Claim 2, characterized in that a plan sectional shape of the inner surface of the plug has a curved surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] Fig. 1 is a front section of an example of a conventional solution injector having a curved flow path.
[0008] Fig. 2 is schematic front view of an embodiment of the coating apparatus according to the present invention.
[0009] Fig. 3(a) shows a cross section of an embodiment of the manifold according to the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] According to the present invention, the coating method in which a coating solution is supplied from a coating solution supply inlet of a solution injector, then distributed in the width direction of the solution injector by means of a manifold, and then discharged from the solution injector through a slot having an even interval from the manifold to thereby perform coating, including slide beads coating, extrusion coating, curtain coating, etc., and other coating methods using such a solution injector.
[0015] Although it is generally considered preferable to make circular the cross section shape of the manifold of the solution injector used in the present invention because of easiness in manufacturing the same, those having a cross section like an ellipse or approximate thereto may be used. In order to make the manifold act to distribute the coating solution in the width direction of the solution injector and to make the total pressure (dynamic pressure and static pressure) of the coating solution flowing in the manifold even as possible, it is preferable to make the manifold have a sectional area to a certain extent, and in order to make the stay of the coating solution as little as possible, it is desirable to make the corner of the path of the coating solution be curved.
[0016] The feature of the present invention is in that the slot portion is made to be linear while only the manifold portion is made to have a curved surface.
[0017] As a method in which the end portion of the manifold to which the coating solution touches is made to introduce, with a curvature, the coating solution in the direction to the coating solution discharge outlet of the slot, specifically, the manifold portion may be worked so that the solution injector is halved along the center line of the slot. As a simplest working method, however, there is a method in which the manifold portion is formed as a through hole which passes left/right through the solution injector and plugs are provided at the end portions to which the coating solution touches and the inner surfaces of the plugs are finished to be curved surfaces.
[0018] According to the present invention, there are two cases in which the coating solution supply inlet of the solution injector is provided at a center portion of the solution injector and in which the coating solution supply inlet of the solution injector is provided at one end portion of the manifold, respectively. In the former case, the coating solution touches the opposite end portions of the manifold, while in the later case, the coating solution touches the other end portion of the manifold.
[0019] The feature that an end portion of the manifold to which the coating solution touches is constituted by a plug, and a front sectional shape of an inner surface of the plug has a curved surface tangentially connected to opposite ends of the slot is specifically realized as follows. As shown in Fig. 3, in the cross section (a) of the manifold portion, assuming that the slot portion 2 exists just above the manifold portion 5, the front sectional shape of Fig. 3(b) shows the Y - Y section and the vertical height of the manifold portion is represented by h. If this is referred to as a two-dimensional curved surface, it is desirable to set the radius of curvature to be R₁ = (0.5 - 4.0)h. The present invention is effective even if the end surface of the plug is formed only of such a two-dimensional curved surface.
[0020] Further, if such a curved surface in the X - X section, that is, in the plan section, as shown in Fig. 3(c) is added, the curved surface becomes a three-dimensional curved surface.
[0021] If the width of the manifold portion is represented by l, it is desirable to set the radius of curvature to be R₂ = (0.5 - 4.0)l.
[0022] Provided with such a three-dimensional curved surface, that is, R₁ and R₂, the effect of the present invention is made higher.
[0023] As a material of the plug according to the present invention, any material, for example, such as metal, rubber, synthetic resin, or the like, however, it is particularly preferable to use Teflon, polyvinyl chrolide, resin, rubber, or the like.
[0024] In the present invention, the "coating solution" may include those of various solution components corresponding to usages. For example, it includes: coating solutions for a photographic emulsion layer, a under coating layer, a protection layer, a back layer, etc. in a photographic material; coating solutions for a magnetic layer, a under coating layer, a lubrication layer, a protection layer, a back layer, etc. in a magnetic recording medium; and other coating solutions for an adhesive layer, a colored layer, a rust prevention layer, etc., those coating solutions containing a soluble binder or an organic binder.
[0025] In order to clarify the effect of the present invention, examples of the invention will be shown under.
[ Example-1 ]
[0026] By using a gelatin coating solution shown below as the coating solution, and by using the solution injector according to the present invention, the coating solution was supplied from the center portion of the solution injector. The manifold was filled first with the coating solution containing dyes while the coating solution was supplied at a predetermined flow rate, then the coating solution of the above solution composition containing no dyes (transparent solution) was supplied at the same flow rate, and the time taken for substitution was measured. The test was carried out with respect to three kinds of the plugs provided at the opposite end portions of the manifold, one being a kind in which the inner surface of each plug is a flat surface (Comparative Example), another one being in which the inner surface of each plug has a two-dimensional curved surface, the remainder one being a kind in which the inner surface of each plug has a three-dimensional curved surface. The results were as shown in Table 1.
[0027] Composition of the coating solution:
alkali gelatin + sodium dodecylsulfonate + sodium polystyrenesulfonate + dyes
Table 1
| 2 l/M | 4 l/M | |
| Example | 56 min | 31 min |
| Two-dimensional Curved Surface | 37.5 min | 17 min |
| Three-dimensional Curved Surface | 11.8 min | 6.1 min |
In the above examples, h=50 mm, l=25 mm,
,
.
[0028] As seen in Table 1, it is understood that although the stay of the solution is remarkably reduced by making the end surface of the plug be a two-dimensional curved surface, this effect is made to be more extremely preferable when the end surface of the plug uses a three-dimensional curved surface.
[0029] In both the cases of using a two-dimensional curved surface and a three-dimensional curved surface, it became that no slag, streak, etc. occurred.
[ Example-2 ]
[0030] With respect to a case where the manifold is provided with a coating solution supply inlet at its one end, the test was made on the two cases in which in the 40 mmφ manifold, the shape of the plug at the other end of the manifold has a flat surface cut at a taper of 45°, (shown in Fig. 4(a)) as Comparative Example and has a two-dimensional curved surface with R₁=2 x 40 as Example of the present invention, respectively. As the coating solution, water in which red/yellow/blue dyes are added (viscosity of 1 cp) was used. The coating solution was supplied into the solution injector at a predetermined flow rate so that the manifold was filled with the coating solution, and then 7 weight % solution (100 cp) of sodium polystyrenesulfonate was supplied at the same flow rate. The time taken for the substitution of this solution for the coating solution was measured. The results are shown in Table 2.
Table 2
| 2 l/M | 5 l/M | |
| Comparative Example (45° taper) | 12 min | 5 min |
| Example of the Invention | 3.6 min | 1.5 min |
1. A coating method in which a coating solution is supplied
from a coating solution supply inlet of a solution injector, then distributed in the width direction of said solution injector by means of a manifold, and then discharged from said solution injector through a slot having an even interval from said manifold to thereby perform coating, characterized in that;
an end portion of said manifold to which said coating solution touches has a curvature with which said portion introduces said coating solution in the direction to discharge said coating solution.
from a coating solution supply inlet of a solution injector, then distributed in the width direction of said solution injector by means of a manifold, and then discharged from said solution injector through a slot having an even interval from said manifold to thereby perform coating, characterized in that;
an end portion of said manifold to which said coating solution touches has a curvature with which said portion introduces said coating solution in the direction to discharge said coating solution.
2. A coating apparatus comprising a solution injector which has a coating solution supply
inlet, a manifold in the direction of width of said solution injector and communicated
with said coating solution supply inlet, a slot communicated with the whole of said
manifold in the direction of width of said solution injector and communicated with
a coating solution discharge outlet, characterized in that;
an end portion of said manifold with which said coating solution touches is constituted by a plug, and a front sectional shape of an inner surface of said plug has a curved surface tangentially connected to opposite ends of said slot.
an end portion of said manifold with which said coating solution touches is constituted by a plug, and a front sectional shape of an inner surface of said plug has a curved surface tangentially connected to opposite ends of said slot.
3. A coating apparatus according to Claim 2, characterized in that a plan sectional shape
of said inner surface of said plug has a curved surface.