This essential introduction to coating technology delineates the major processes used in coating continuous webs, from fluid preparation and delivery through coating application and drying to the finished product. The chapters focus on the entire process, not just the application hardware. The book pays particular attention to the precision application technology needed to produce high performance coatings. It also discusses speed and thickness limitations of various coating methods, causes of various defects that occur, handling of the web or support, drying of the coated web, and ways in which the surface chemistry of both the coating fluid and the substrate affect the process.

From the Preface: “...It is important to begin by defining what we mean by `coatings' and `coating industry.' The term coating is used in many ways and applied to the material used as well as the process. We define coating as the process of replacing air with a new material on the substrate. The focal areas are replacement, which is the coating engineering process, and the material doing the replacing. Together they comprise the `coating industry'...”

Target Audience: Any engineer, chemist, physicist, or other technical specialist concerned with the coating and drying of continuous webs.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Choosing the Coating Method

Fluid Handling and Preparation

Roll Coating

Premetered Coating

Air Knife Coating

Drive Systems for Off-Machine Coaters

Thin Film Drying

Index