Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

3m Innovative Properties Company

Thomas M Milbourn

Robert A Yapel

Aparna V Bhave

Lawrence B Wallace

Brian P Teschendorf

W Blake Kolb

John F Kistner

Alberto Goenaga

Arthur V Lang

Truman Frank Kellie

John D Watson

Edward J Moe

Steven C Jensen

Donald H Larson

Richard J Foss

Joseph T Brophy

Daniel V Norton

Kent D Nelson

Hans E Iverson

William Blake Kolb

Larry A Lien

Jerry J Barth

Ashwani K Mehta

Ronald A Hanke

Mark E Ebensperger

Robert G Pleban

A method for reducing coating defects caused by strikethrough when simultaneously slide coating a first fluid layer, a second fluid layer, and a third fluid layer. The method includes preparing the first, second, and third fluids such that the first solute is incompatible with the second and third solutes and such that the first fluid minimizes strikethrough of at least one of the second and third fluids to a slide surface when the first fluid is positioned between the slide surface and the second and third fluids. The present invention is useful in preparing imaging, data storage, and other media.

Method for coating a plurality of fluid layers onto a substrate

The coater apparatus enclosure encloses the entire die of a coating apparatus includes an enclosure structure, a saturation station which saturates a supply gas with solvent, a device which supplies solvent-saturated gas to the enclosure to continuously purge the enclosure, and a device which controls the gas flow to the enclosure. The saturation station could include a heated jacketed vessel and a porous metal bubbler, or it could include a series of heat exchangers. No streaks can form due to coating fluid drying on the die lip because the gas supplied to the die enclosure is saturated with the solvent.

Coating method employing die enclosure system

A slide coating apparatus for coating liquid with a first slide member having a first slide surface onto which a first liquid may flow, and a second slide member having a second slide surface over which the first liquid may flow, the first slide member being positioned relative to the second slide member to form a first slot through which the first liquid may flow before flowing over the second slide surface, the first slide surface being positioned relative to the second slide surface such that at least a portion of the first liquid flowing from the first slot may flow onto the first slide surface rather than to flow directly from the first slot over the second slide surface, the first slide surface having a low surface energy region positioned such that it may come in contact with the first liquid.

Slide coating apparatus having a low surface energy region

A method and apparatus for coating a moving web with a coating fluid. The coating die has at least one feed slot for supplying the coating fluid to the moving web and a front face demarked from the at least one feed slot by a die edge. A guide mechanism guides the moving web in a first direction past the coating die such that a coating bead is formed in a gap between the moving web and the die edge. The spraying system sprays a cleaning fluid on at least a portion of the front face of the slide coating die such that the coating bead forms a substantially linear static wetting line on the front face of the coating die.

Die edge cleaning system

Coater die enclosure system

A method for minimizing coating defects caused by strikethrough when simultaneously slide coating a first fluid layer, a second fluid layer, and a third fluid layer. The method includes preparing the first, second, and third fluids such that the first solute is incompatible with the second and third solutes and such that the first fluid minimizes strikethrough of at least one of the second and third fluids to a slide surface when the first fluid is positioned between the slide surface and the second and third fluids. The present invention is useful in preparing imaging, data storage, and other media.

Novel polymeric compounds having pendent fluoroaliphatic groups, pendent organic-solubilizing groups, and pendent groups capable of reacting with an epoxy silane; which have been reacted with an epoxy silane have been discovered. These compounds are easy to apply, abrasion and impact resistant, and provide durable, low surface energy, streak reducing surfaces on coating dies, edge guides, and other coating and fluid contacting surfaces.

Durable, low surface energy compounds and articles, apparatuses, and

A process for treating silicon-containing organic polymeric surfaces (e.g., spent, fluorosilane-containing, low-energy coatings) including applying a treatment composition comprising a fluorochemical compound. Preferably, the fluorochemical compound is a fluorinated silane having the following formula:

Fluorochemical treatments to provide low-energy surfaces

A method of microfinishing the edge of a die component includes polishing the edges after the die component is machined by known methods to finish the edges of the die component to a smoother finish than the rest of the die component. This eliminates the incidence of undesirable streaking defects in the coating. The polishing step can be lapping, vapor honing, or grit blasting. The edges are polished to a finish of less than 8 microinches.

Coater die edge finishing method

Precise control of the wetting of an edge guide by a coating fluid (i.e., the wetting profile) can be achieved by providing a wetting line below which the coating fluid will wet the surface of the edge guide. Preferably, the height of the wetting line corresponds to a predetermined depth profile of a coating fluid flowing down a coater face. Optionally, a non-wetting surface can be provided above the wetting line, and the non-wetting surface can optionally have a low energy coating provided thereon.

Profiled edge guide

An imaging system and method incorporate an apparatus and method for cleaning developer liquid from an imaging substrate such as a photoreceptor. The system and method operate to move the imaging substrate in a first direction, form a latent electrostatic image on an imaging region of the imaging substrate, engage a development device in proximity with the imaging substrate, load a squeegee roller against the imaging substrate, the squeegee roller being driven by the imaging substrate in the first direction, apply developer liquid from the development device to the imaging region, thereby developing the latent electrostatic image, terminate application of developer liquid from the development device upon movement of a nonimaging region of the imaging substrate past the development device, wherein the disengagement of the development device leaves on the imaging substrate a second excess volume of the developer liquid, drive the squeegee roller in a second direction upon movement of the nonimaging region past the squeegee roller, the squeegee roller substantially removing the second excess volume of developer liquid, and transfer the developer liquid remaining on the imaging region to an imaging substrate, thereby forming a representation of an image.

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Mahtomedi, MN, United States of America

Thomas M Milbourn