Avery Dennison Corporation

Joseph A LaRose

Allen Steven Pucciani

Lawrence Joseph Schnieders

Eric Alan Overholt

Tamara L McCartney

Robert J Takacs

Jeffrey J DeMange

A method and apparatus for applying a uniform electrostatic force to a web moving between a pair of electrodes to create an electron wind that urges the web toward one of the electrodes controls the current forming the electron wind to maintain the current and the wind force substantially constant even though impedance may vary. The method may be used to provide a hard nip, to adjust tension, to spread and/or to smooth a coating, to remove curl, and to cure a coating.

Web feeder with controlled electrostatic force and method

This invention relates to a process for applying a coating material comprising a release coating composition or a pressure sensitive adhesive composition to a substrate, the process comprising: (A) atomizing and electrically charging said coating material; and (B) spraying the atomized and charged coating material from step (A) on to a substrate which overlies a grounded support structure. In one embodiment, the coating material sprayed during step (B) is a release coating composition, said process further comprising the additional steps of: (C) curing said release coating composition; (D) atomizing and electrically charging a pressure sensitive adhesive composition; (E) spraying the pressure sensitive adhesive composition from step (D) on to said substrate over the cured release coating composition from step (C); and (F) placing another substrate over the sprayed pressure sensitive adhesive composition from step (E).

Process using electrostatic spraying for coating substrates with release

The present invention relates to a process for producing a polymer film from an aqueous polymer composition wherein the process comprises the steps of: (A) introducing an aqueous composition comprising water and a polymer through at least one feed unit in one or more upstream sections of an extruder comprising a plurality of interconnecting sections wherein at least one downstream section comprises a homogenizer mixer; (B) conveying the composition through the extruder; (C) maintaining the composition at a temperature of from about 60.degree. C. to about 160.degree. C. as it is conveyed through the extruder; (D) reducing the pressure in at least one section of the extruder downstream of the feed units sufficiently to evaporate at least a portion of the water in the composition conveyed through that section; (E) removing the evaporated water from the extruder through at least one vent in a downstream section to form a water-reduced composition; and (F) extruding the water-reduced composition through a die thereby to produce a film. In other embodiments, the invention relates to a process for producing sheets of a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition and to a process for coating a composition such as a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition onto a support web. In each of the embodiments of the invention, a film, sheet or coating composition is formed from an aqueous composition containing large amounts of water, and the product obtained is essentially water-free.

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Ravenna, OH, United States of America

Joseph A LaRose