EP0594983A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of applying a coating at high bath concentration and low wet pick-up to materials such as nonwovens using a brush spray applicator
Assignee: Kimberly Clark Corp
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Filing: 1993-09-03
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2013-09-03
Abstract
Abstract Nonwoven, hydrophobic fibrous substrates uniformly coated with a wetting agent are disclosed which have improved tensile strength properties over conventional coated, nonwoven substrates. Also disclosed are processes for applying a high solids content wetting agent to a substrate in a manner which results in low wet pick-up and reduces or eliminates drying requirements. The low wet pick-up reduces degradation of the tensile strength of the material normally resulting from the wetting and drying of nonwoven substrates. In one embodiment the untreated side remains hydrophobic producing a "one-way valve" effect. In another embodiment, both sides of the material are treated with direct application to only one side of the material. Disclosed treatment methods include printing and brush spray application. Brush spray application provides the additional advantages of preserving the loft of the material and coating both sides of the material or at least deeply penetrating the material.
Inventors
- 👤 Arthur Edward Garavaglia
- 👤 Cheryl Anne Perkins
- 👤 Michael David Powers
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 21:41
CPC Classifications
B; B05; B05D; B05D1/00; B05D1/28; B05B; B05B3/00; B05B3/02; B05D1/36; B05D7/00; B05D7/50; B05D7/52; B05D7/54; B05D7/544; D; D04; D04H; D04H1/00; D04H1/40; D04H1/58; D04H1/64; D06; D06B; D06B1/00; D06B1/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
148 words
A process for coating a material comprising the steps of: introducing a coating solution to a rotating pick-up roll, the coating solution comprising from about 10 to about 100% by weight of a wetting agent and from about 90 to about 0% by weight of a solvent; contacting the rotating pick-up roll with bristles of a rotating bristle roll and thereby projecting a spray of the coating solution along a path from the rotating pick-up roll; and passing the material through the path of the spray so that a portion of the coating solution is applied to one side of the material in an amount such that the wetting agent is applied to the material in an amount from about 0.1 to about 1% by weight of the material and the solvent is applied to the material in an amount not exceeding 5% by weight of the material.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
16 words
A process as in claim 1 wherein the material comprises a substantially hydrophobic, polymeric, nonwoven fabric.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
A process as in claim 2 wherein the material has a basis weight from about 0.5 to about 1.5 ounces per square yard.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
24 words
A process as in claim 1 further comprising the step of drying the material after the coating solution has been applied to the material.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
19 words
A process as in claim 4 wherein the drying step includes the step of passing air through the material.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
41 words
A process as in claim 1 wherein the material initially has a first tensile strength, and after the coating solution has been applied to the material, has a second tensile strength which is at least 85% of the first tensile strength.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
A process as in claim 4 wherein the material initially has a first tensile strength, and after the drying step, has a second tensile strength which is at least 85% of the first tensile strength.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
A process as in claim 1 wherein the material initially has a first thickness, and after the coating solution has been applied to the material, has a second thickness which is at least 85% of the first thickness.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
A process as in claim 4 wherein the material initially has a first thickness, and after the drying step, has a second thickness which is at least 85% of the first thickness.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
A process as in claim 1 wherein the wetting agent comprises a surfactant.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
A process as in claim 1 wherein the wetting agent is applied in an amount from about 0.1 to about 0.5% by weight of the material and the solvent is applied in an amount not exceeding about 2% by weight of the material.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
47 words
A process as in claim 1 wherein the wetting agent is present in the coating solution in an amount from about 10 to about 30% by weight and the solvent is present in the coating solution in an amount from about 90 to about 70% by weight.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
25 words
A process as in claim 1 the coating solution spray is projected towards the material at a spray angle from about 10 to about 20°.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
22 words
A process as in claim 1 wherein the pick-up roll is rotated at a speed from about 1.5 to about 15 rpm.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
22 words
A process as in claim 14 wherein the bristle roll is rotated at a speed from about 480 to about 1200 rpm.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
44 words
A process as in claim 1 wherein the pick-up roll and the bristle roll are positioned relative to one another so the degree of interference between the bristles of the bristle roll and the pick-up roll ranges from about 0.01 to about 0.03 inches.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
44 words
A process as in claim 15 wherein the pick-up roll and the bristle roll are positioned relative to one another so the degree of interference between the bristles of the bristle roll and the pick-up roll ranges from about 0.01 to about 0.03 inches.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
42 words
A process as in claim 1 wherein the spray of coating solution is projected with sufficient velocity so that a portion of the wetting agent penetrates the material from the one side of the material to an opposite side of the material.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
30 words
A process as in claim 1 wherein the spray of coating solution is projected with a velocity effective to treat only one side of the material with the wetting agent.
Claim 20
Independent Claim
181 words
An apparatus for coating a material comprising: a rotatable pick-up roll; a rotatable bristle roll including an array of bristles extending from the bristle roll; means for introducing a coating solution to the pick-up roll, the coating solution comprising from about 10 to about 100% by weight of a wetting agent and from about 90 to about 0% by weight of a solvent; means for rotating the pick-up roll; means for rotating the bristle roll; means for contacting the rotating pick-up roll with the bristles of the rotating bristle roll and thereby projecting a spray of the coating solution along a path from the rotating pick-up roll; and means for passing the material through the path of the spray so that a portion of the coating solution is applied to one side of the material in an amount such that the wetting agent is applied to the material in an amount from about 0.1 to about 1% by weight of the material and the solvent is applied to the material in an amount not exceeding 5% by weight of the material.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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