Slot Die Coating Station minimizes setup time.
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Press Release Summary:
Designed to roll into place on commercial coating line, Modular Coating System enables operators of roll coating systems to readily switch between roll and slot die coating on trial basis. Each system is custom-designed to meet user requirement and is available with Ultracoat® adjustable-lip or Liberty® fixed-lip die. Systems typically include fluid-delivery system, adjustable support for positioning die lip, idler rolls, and precision backing roll, all unitized within steel frame.
Original Press Release:
Slot Die Coating Station Rolls into Place on Coating Line, Eliminating Setup and Speeding Switch from Roll Coating
TOKYO, April 25, 2007: A complete slot die coating station with all components from idler roll to backing roll eliminates hours of setup in switching from roll to slot die coating and gives users of conventional roll coating greater access to the advantages of slot die systems, it was announced today by Extrusion Dies Industries, LLC (EDI). The company is introducing the Modular Coating System at the CMM Japan exhibit of its agent in Japan, Kodama Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. (Booth 2-104).
The Modular Coating System (MCS) rolls into place on nearly any commercial coating line, enabling operators of roll coating systems to switch readily between roll and slot die coating or use slot die coating on a trial basis. EDI custom-designs each MCS to meet user requirements and can supply the system with an Ultracoat® adjustable-lip or Liberty® fixed-lip die. The MCS typically includes a fluid-delivery system, an adjustable support for positioning the die lip with respect to the web, idler rolls, and a precision backing roll. These components are unitized within a steel frame whose crossbars maintain straightness during operation and adjustment. The coating station is mounted on casters.
"With a standard slot die coating system assembled from individual components, it can take up to half a day, and even more for really large dies, to set up the system so that it is vertically plumb, the rolls are level with respect to one another, and the die is properly positioned with respect to the backing roll," said B.J. Kays, application engineer. "EDI's Modular Coating System eliminates much of this time, along with the risk of damaging rolls during handling."
EDI Gives Option of Adjustable-Lip or Fixed-Lip Die in New MCS System
EDI has long built slot coating dies under the tradename Ultracoat® and now manufactures slot dies of a different type under the Liberty® brand, which was acquired earlier this year when EDI purchased Liberty Coating Equipment. These die systems are distinctly different from each other:
o Ultracoat® dies have a flexible lip, whose adjustability is the key to controlling the lip gap profile and thus the coat weight. The flexible lip can be adjusted manually or by means of EDI's Autoflex® gauge profiler. The die lip is used to "wipe" the coating fluid onto the substrate. The minimum wet-coating thickness achieved is typically 10 to 12 microns.
"The adjustability of Ultracoat dies enables the operator to fine-tune coating application as line speeds change and to achieve high throughputs," said coating product manager Jeff Seckora. "We have dies running at speeds as high as 1,100 to 1,200 feet [335-356 meters] per minute."
Ultracoat dies are used to apply hot melt adhesives, pressure-sensitive emulsions, ceramic and metal slurries, and other coatings, for applications like packaging, tapes, labels, bandages, medical transdermal patches, window film, LCD and plasma screens, and filter membranes.
o Liberty® dies have a fixed lip, and the lip gap is varied by means of shims. Instead of the coating fluid being "wiped" onto the substrate, it is drawn from a relatively large lip gap (e.g., 10 mil) to wet-coating thicknesses as small as 1 micron. "This process makes the Liberty die system particularly appropriate for coatings that must be very thin or optically clear," said Mark D. Miller, project and manufacturing engineer.
Many coating line operators run several roll coating processes. In roll coating, the amount of material deposited on the substrate is controlled indirectly by means of wiping blades or pre-set gaps between rollers; any excess coating material is scraped away and returned to the coating bath; and the bath itself is open to the workplace environment. Slot dies, on the other hand, are closed systems, and the amount of coating material is pre-metered by means of a precision pump. As a result, slot die coating provides these advantages: 1) more consistent coat weight and cross-web distribution; 2) higher line speeds; and 3) minimization of volatile emissions, coating contamination, raw material waste, and workplace messiness.
EXTRUSION DIES INDUSTRIES, LLC is a leading international supplier of flat dies for sheet, film, extrusion coating, slot die coating, and pelletizing. The company designs and manufactures dies, feedblocks, deckling systems, vacuum boxes, and related equipment. Its subsidiaries include EDI GmbH in Reichshof-Wehnrath, Germany, and EDI China in Shanghai. In the U.S.A., Germany, and China, EDI operates facilities dedicated to reworking its own dies and those built by other suppliers, and it has licensed a fourth rework facility in Japan. Headquartered in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.A., EDI sells half of its dies outside the United States. Visit www.extrusiondies.com and www.reworkdies.com. E-mail: sales@extrusiondies.com.
