Substrate passes through pool confining wall coating apparatus

Abstract

Method and apparatus for coating a moving porous web with viscous coating material, particularly for coating bias-cut, woven fabric with a tacky neoprene composition, to fill the interstices and uniformly coat the faces thereof, comprising a tenter frame for moving the fabric in a horizontal path of travel while maintaining it in dimensional stretched configuration. A pair of coating heads having opposed discharge manifolds positioned above and below the path of movement of the fabric on the tenter frame are supplied with viscous coating material which is applied to the moving fabric. The fabric is dried after each coating application and subsequently collected for use as reinforcement in the rubber cores of V-belt contructions. Each manifold of the first coating head includes a central vertical wall having edges which are in opposed relation to contact the coated fabric and force the coating material into the fabric interstices and fiber bundles of the yarns, thereby ensuring full penetration of the coating into the interior portions of the fabric. The first coating head also applies a uniform surface coating to upper and lower faces of the fabric. The manifolds of the second coating head provide a second uniform surface coating on upper and lower faces of the fabric and exceptional weight pick-up of the tacky neoprene elastomer is obtained. Depending on the characteristics of the fabric and the coating composition, the coating heads as well as the supply of coating material thereto may be adjusted to obtain desired results.