Consolidated Papers, Inc.

James L Hoogesteger

Wayne A Damrau

A gas/air or bubble separator is disclosed, particularly for use with supplying air/gas or bubble free coating liquid to a paper coater. The separator includes three cast elements containing three formed chambers, a distribution chamber at the top of the device which supplies incoming liquid to a plurality of separators which operate on the vortex principle, a liquid collection chamber for collecting the essentially or substantially air/gas or bubble free liquid at the bottom of the device, and an air/gas bubble collection chamber above the vortex separators for collecting the gas/air or bubble containing liquid. These chambers are of cast construction and made of stainless steel so that no weld need be used. The device has essentially inline flow for the bulk of the liquid from inlet to outlet and clean streamline design with no dead spaces to prevent accumulations, build ups and problems associated with the same. The vortex separators are made in parts and they can be replaced or individually optimized to achieve air/gas or bubble free operation at high coater speeds of 3,000 to 6,000 feet per minute.

Air/gas separator device

A filled supercalender roll is characterized by a plurality of resin impregnated discs that are carried side-by-side on a shaft and form a homogeneous roll body. To make the supercalender roll, a web of woven or nonwoven fibrous material is immersed in and carried through a vat of thermosetting resin to saturate the web with the resin. The resin saturated web is then transported through an oven to partially cure the resin to the B stage, after which the web is cut into a plurality of the discs. The discs are placed side-by-side on the shaft and a collapsible oven is assembled around the discs. The discs are then axially compressed while being heated within the oven to fully cure the resin to the C stage, during which time the collapsible oven decreases in length in accordance with a decrease in the axial length of the axially compressed discs on the shaft as the resin cures. Upon completion of curing of the resin, the discs are fused together and form the homogeneous roll body, which is then finish machined to provide a smooth cylindrical surface on the supercalender roll.

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Wisconsin Rapids, WI, United States of America

James L Hoogesteger