3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Robert B Secor

Robert A Yapel

Pentti K Loukusa

Mikhail L Pekurovsky

Jennifer L Trice

Keith R Bruesewitz

William J Kopecky

Kristopher K Biegler

James M Nelson

Kara A Meyers

Rebecca A Shipman

Gary Timothy Boyd

Raghunath Padiyath

Tri Dinh Pham

James N Dobbs

Steven D Solomonson

Joan M Noyola

Shawn C Dodds

Donald L Pochardt

Steven H Kong

Craig E Hamer

John W Louks

Ronald P Swanson

Terence D Neavin

Fei Lu

Mitchell A F Johnson

Scott R Kaytor

Tyler J Rattray

Samad Javid

Joseph T Aronson

Matthew R C Atkinson

Michael C Martin

Jayshree Seth

Dong-Wei Zhu

Patrick Darby Hyde

Ross E Behling

Ann M Gilman

Robert D Waid

Charles N DeVore

Sharon Wang

William R Dudley

Scott L Ciliske

Hyacinth L Lechuga

David D Nguyen

Paul C Thomas

Michael J Tichy

Slah Jendoubi

Karl J Warren

Mark J Stevenson

Kurt W Oster

Todd L Peterson

Mark R Strenger

Anish Kurian

Yugeun P Yang

Thomas E Augustine

Gregory D Kostuch

Andrew Satrijo

Kevin T Reddy

Jeffrey M Imsande

Eric A Vandre

Chris A Pommer

Garth V Antila

Merlin J Steffen

Ilyess H Romdhane

Bruce D Shalles

Andrzej P Jaworski

Joseph B Farley

Angela S McLEAN

Brittni M Schiewer

Bernhard Lenz

Michelle Ji

Thomas A Mahler

Paul J Cordes

Neil J Fischer

Angela S Mclean

Nicholas F Galassi

Tobias Holtkamp

Dustin J Renville

Arnd Ehlers

Robert Heinz

Ralf Durdel

Charles W Taylor

Leonard D Cprek

Brandon A Rehkamp

Mitchell AF Johnson

Matthew RC Atkinson

Ethan B Secor

Methods and apparatuses for roll coating are provided. The roll coating system () includes a coating roll () having a deformable inner layer () with a surface thereof covered by a deformable outer layer (), the inner layer being softer than the outer layer. A substrate () is conveyed to the nip () between the coating roll and a back-up roll (). A metered coating material is transferred from the coating roll to a patterned surface structure () of the substrate at the nip to form a conformal coating on the patterned structure of the substrate.

Roll coating using metered coating roll including deformable layers

Methods and apparatuses for applying coatings on a moving web are provided. A coating die and a back-up roll engage with each other. The back-up roll includes a shell rotatably supported by a pressurized air layer. When a coating material is dispensed from the coating die onto the web to form a liquid coating, the pressure of the air layer is controlled such that the shell translates in space to balance forces from the air layer and the coating bead, while the web is being translated to drive the shell.

Die coating on air supported shell

Wet-on-wet coating processes are provided to produce multilayer articles. First and second coating materials are sequentially applied on to a structured substrate surface to form a skin layer directly over the structured substrate surface and a bulk layer over the skin layer. The conformability of the skin layer can be adjusted to provide desired surface and bulk properties.

Multilayer articles via wet-on-wet processing

Optical films for redirecting light are described, and optical systems, such as display systems, incorporating such optical films are described. The optical film may include a first structured surface including a plurality of prismatic structures, and a second structured surface opposing the first structured surface and including a plurality of microstructures. An effective transmission of the optical film is not more than 1% less than a film with a comparable construction except for a smooth, non-structured second surface.

Light redirecting film and display system incorporating same

An optical film having a structured surface is described. At least 90% of the structured surface has a slope magnitude that is less than about 5 degrees. The optical film may have an optical haze of less than about 10% and an optical clarity of less than about 50%, or may have an optical haze of less than about 7.5% and an optical clarity of less than about 60%, or may have an optical haze of less than about 3% and an optical clarity of less than about 65%.

Articles with thin caliper melt coatings of high molecular weight, high viscosity materials and methods of making such coatings.

Articles with thin melt coatings and methods for making same

A method of controlling a slot die comprises, while continuing to pass the extrudate through the fluid flow path and out the applicator slot, changing the position of the actuators with the controller to either increase the cross-directional thickness of the fluid flow path adjacent each of the actuators or substantially close the fluid flow path adjacent the actuators, and after changing the cross-directional thickness of the fluid flow path adjacent each of the actuators, while continuing to pass the extrudate through the fluid flow path and out the applicator slot, repositioning each of the actuators with the controller according to the set of discrete settings to resume operating the slot die with the actuators positioned according to the set of discrete settings.

Slot die position adjustment and return to baseline

A system comprises a slot die including an applicator slot extending about a width of the slot die, wherein the applicator slot is in fluid communication with a fluid flow path through the slot die, and a plurality of actuators spaced about the width of the slot die, wherein each actuator in the plurality of actuators is operable to adjust a cross-directional thickness of the fluid flow path at its respective location to provide a local adjustment of fluid flow through the applicator slot. The system further comprises a controller configured to set the position of each actuator according to one of a plurality of discrete settings for operation of the slot die. The controller is further configured to, using fluid dynamics and a digital model of the die, predict a set of discrete settings from the plurality of discrete settings corresponding to a preselected cross-web profile for the extrudate.

Slot die position adjustment control

A method of controlling a slot die comprises positioning actuators of the slot die with a controller according to a first set of discrete settings, operating the slot die by passing an extrudate through the fluid flow path and out the applicator slot with the actuators positioned according to the first set of discrete settings, and while passing the extrudate through the fluid flow path and out the applicator slot, changing the positions of the actuators with the controller to create patterned features in the extrudate.

Slot die position adjustments to facilitate patterned products

This disclosure provides (meth)acryloyl pressure-sensitive adhesive foams and foam articles having one or more of the following properties: small cells, uniform cell sizes, pressure sensitive adhesive compositions, compliance to irregular substrates and vibration damping, and shock absorbing properties.

(Meth)acryloyl pressure-sensitive foam adhesives

Computer implemented method for making a die includes: selecting coating uniformity required to produce a particular coated product with the die and a value for one or more dimensions of the die; determining (using a mathematical model determined by regression analysis) total indicated run-out (TIR) of a die surface and dimensions of the die not having a user specified value; and machining die part or parts to the determined TIR and dimensions. A thermal treatment process for reducing the number of finishing (e.g., grinding) cycles needed to produce a desired die flatness is provided. A coating fluid rheological characteristic can be an input to the method.

System and method for designing a die to yield a desired coating uniformity

The invention is a die comprising a die body. The die body defines an internal cavity and an applicator slot. The cavity is in fluid communication with the applicator slot. A plurality of gas relief passages are in fluid communication with the internal cavity.

Coating die and method for use

The invention is a method of forming extrudate having substantially uniform thickness. A shim is formed which has a thickness variation of less than or equal to about 0.5 mil (13 microns) total indicated runout. This shim is disposed between a first die portion having a first surface and a second die portion having a second surface. A slot is formed between the first surface and the second surface. The slot has a height dimension substantially the same as the shim thickness. Flowable material is extruded through the slot.

Method of improving coating uniformity

The invention is a contact die for dispensing of flowable material on a substrate. The contact die includes at least one die block including a first internal passage. A die lip portion is disposed on the die block having a lateral dimension. A first plurality of orifices is disposed through the die lip portion proximate to each other and in communication with the internal passage to dispense flowable material as a single strip on the substrate. A first edge is disposed on one lateral side of the first plurality of orifices to direct the flowable material.

Die lip for strip coating

Growing community of inventors

Stillwater, MN, United States of America

Robert B Secor