Spray-coating method and spray coater

The present invention relates to a spray-coating method according to claim 1.

The invention also concerns a spray coater.

Conventionally, coating paste is applied using so-called spray coaters in which a coating paste spray is impinged on a paper or board web from a distance. The coat quality is controlled by adjusting the distance between the spraying nozzle and the web, the spraying jet velocity and the mass rate of spraying. Furthermore, the coat quality can be modified by adjusting the coating paste formulation and proportion of its components. In nozzles utilizing compressed air for atomizing the coating paste, the air pressure to the nozzle provides an additional control variable. The spraying apparatus is enclosed in a tray hood surrounding the nozzle assembly and extending over the entire cross-machine width of the web, and the bottom of the tray is provided with a duct for removing excess paste. The coating paste being sprayed expands as an aerosol into the entire volume of the tray hood. However, the aerosol also forms larger droplets which may impair the coating quality when landing on the web. Further, as the gaps between the coater and the web are awkward to seal, the coating paste aerosol escapes also to the surroundings of the coater hood thus impairing the coating quality and soiling other equipment outside the coater. Removal of such excess aerosol by means of suction is difficult, since the separation of the paste droplets from the air flow back to the coating paste circulation requires use of expensive and complicated separating means.

US Pat. No. 9,944,960 describes a spray coater utilizing the above-described suction methods for reducing the spreading about of the excess coating aerosol.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the above-described prior-art techniques and to achieve an entirely novel spray-coating method and spray coater.

The goal of the invention is accomplished by arranging a coating paste flow to pass along the inner walls of the tray hood enclosing the spraying nozzles, whereby the flow absorbs the excess portion of the coating paste aerosol.

More specifically, the method according to the invention is characterized by what is stated in the characterizing part of claim 1. Furthermore, the spray coater according to the invention is characterized by what is stated in the characterizing part of claim 5.

The invention offers significant benefits.

The arrangement according to the invention is capable of essentially reducing the amount of excess coating paste aerosol as the coating paste flow effectively absorbs the excess aerosol. No separating means are required and the aerosol is prevented from agglomerating into larger droplets that can impair the coating quality. The invention is capable of improving the efficiency of a spray-coater apparatus by collecting the excess coating paste aerosol back to the coating paste circulation, wherefrom it is recycled back to the spraying nozzle. The apparatus is also capable of improving the coating quality of a spray coater, because it cuts down the air layer travelling along with the moving web that tends to disturb the coating process, since the coating paste flow also provides an effective air barrier close to the web.

In the following the invention is described in greater detail with reference to the exemplifying embodiments illustrated in the appended diagrams in which <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none" compact="compact"><li>Figure 1 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of the spray-coating apparatus according to the invention;</li><li>Figure 2 is a schematic side view of another embodiment of the spray-coating apparatus according to the invention;</li><li>Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the spray-coating apparatus shown in Fig. 2 connected to coating paste feed means;</li><li>Figure 4 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the spray-coating apparatus according to the invention; and</li><li>Figure 5 is a side view of still another alternative embodiment of the spray-coating apparatus according to the invention.</li></ul>

Referring to Fig. 1, a web 1 is taken supported by guide rolls 8 onto the surface of a backing roll 2. A spray coater 3 is adapted under the backing roll whose spraying nozzles 4 discharge the coating paste aerosol onto the surface of the paper web 1. The spraying nozzles 4 are arrayed to extend over the entire cross-machine width of the web. The nozzles 4 are enclosed by a tray hood 19, whose outer edges are provided with overflow trays 5 into which so much coating paste is fed that a constant flow 18 of coating paste occurs along the side walls 6 of the tray hood 19 and is then removed via an outlet nozzle 20 as the outlet flow 7 for recycling back to the coating paste circulation. The distance of the spray coater 3 from the web 1 is arranged adjustable. By moving the coater 3 noncontactingly as close as possible to the web, the air layer travelling along with the web can be cut down. Then, the overflow of coating paste past the edges of the overflow trays 5 acts as an effective air barrier. Also the distance of the spraying nozzles 4 from the web 1 is made separately adjustable, as well as the mass rate of flow of the coating paste to the spraying nozzles 4. Furthermore, the angle of incidence of the aerosol spray to the paper or board web 1 is arranged adjustable within the constraints of the physical dimensions of the tray hood 19. This arrangement offers a facility of controlling the coating quality and also the aerosol generation inside the tray hood 19.

Referring to Fig. 2, an embodiment is shown in which the coater 3 is divided into two sections 10 and 11 which are hingedly connected to each other by joints 9 about which the apparatus can be opened for cleaning as indicated by the arrows. This arrangement provides easy cleaning of the apparatus.

Referring to Fig. 3, the flow control system shown therein comprises a first inlet nozzle 15 for feeding coating paste into the spraying nozzle 4 and second inlet nozzles 12 and 13 for feeding coating paste into overflow trays 5. The excess coating mix is removed via an outlet nozzle 14 to a coating paste tank 16. This arrangement provides effective recycling of the coating paste.

As is evident from Fig. 4, the coater may be provided with air discharge/suction pipes 17 placed in the vicinity of the spraying nozzle 4 so that the pipes are rotatable about their longitudinal axis as shown in the diagram. Proper control of these air flows provides improved absorption of the excess aerosol to the downward flows 18 shown in Fig. 1. Additionally, the interior pressure of the tray hood 19 can be adjusted with the help of the air feed pipes as required. The air discharged from the air pipes 17 is injected in a controlled manner via small holes in the pipes over the entire width of the web 1. The discharge direction of the air jets may be altered by rotating the air pipes 17. If the pressure of the compressed air introduced to the system causes the coating paste aerosol to escape from the coater, the air inlet to the system must be complemented with a pressure-reducing valve.

As shown in Fig. 5, the spray-coating apparatus may also be adapted below an endless web-supporting belt or wire 21.