Method and apparatus for drying thin coatings on metallic sheets

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR SOLIDIFYING A LIQUID COATING CONTAINING A FILM FORMING RESIN APPLIED TO A METAL SURFACE COMPRISING : A PLURALITY OF GAS FIRED INFRA-RED HEATERS MOUNTED ADJACENT TO ONE ANOTHER TO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS EMISSIVE SURFACE OF INFRA-RED RADIATION, MEANS FOR CONVEYING SAID COATED SURFACE ALONG A PATH OF TRAVEL PAST SAID EMISSIVE SURFACE WITH SAID COATING FACING SAID EMISSIVE SURFACE AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUALLY SPACED THEREFROM AS MEASURED IN THE DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID PATH OF TRAVEL, SAID EMISSIVE SURFACE DIRECTING INFRA-RED RADIATION ON TO SAID COATING WITH THE RADIATION INTENSITY AT SAID COATING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT IN MAGNITUDE AS MEASURED IN THE DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID PATH OF TRAVEL AND INCREASING IN MAGNITUDE IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID PATH OF TRAVEL, AIR MEANS FOR BLOWING PREHEATED AIR AT A HIGH VELOCITY ACROSS AND IN A FLOW PLATH NEXT AJACENT TO SAID COATING COMMENCING IMMEDIATELY UPON THE EXPOSURE OF SAID COATING TO SAID EMISSIVE SURFACE AND CONTINUING DURING THE ENTIRETY OF SAID PATH OF TRAVEL, SAID AIR MEANS COMPRISING NOZZLE MEANS HAVING AN OPENING EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY ALONG SAID PATH OF TRAVEL ADJACENT SAID CONVEYING MEANS WITH ONE BOUNDARY OF SAID OPENING DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY LEVEL WITH SAID COATING AS IT MOVES ALONG SAID PATH OF TRAVEL, SAID NOZZLE MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO IMPINGE SAID AIR UPON SAID COATING AT A HIGH VELOCITY IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH AND TRANSVERSELY OF SAID PATH OF TRAVEL, AND AIR EXHAUST MEANS HAVING AN OPENING OPPOSITELY DISPOSED FROM SAID NOZZLE OPENING WHEREBY SAID AIR IS URGED INTO A FLOW PATH SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID COATING AND IN SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS CONTACT THEREWITH AS IT FLOWS ACROSS SAID COATING.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR SOLIDIFYING A LIQUID COATING CONTAINING A FILM FORMING RESIN APPLIED TO A METAL SURFACE COMPRISING : A PLURALITY OF GAS FIRED INFRA-RED HEATERS MOUNTED ADJACENT TO ONE ANOTHER TO FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS EMISSIVE SURFACE OF INFRA-RED RADIATION, MEANS FOR CONVEYING SAID COATED SURFACE ALONG A PATH OF TRAVEL PAST SAID EMISSIVE SURFACE WITH SAID COATING FACING SAID EMISSIVE SURFACE AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUALLY SPACED THEREFROM AS MEASURED IN THE DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID PATH OF TRAVEL, SAID EMISSIVE SURFACE DIRECTING INFRA-RED RADIATION ON TO SAID COATING WITH THE RADIATION INTENSITY AT SAID COATING BEING SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT IN MAGNITUDE AS MEASURED IN THE DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO SAID PATH OF TRAVEL AND INCREASING IN MAGNITUDE IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID PATH OF TRAVEL, AIR MEANS FOR BLOWING PREHEATED AIR AT A HIGH VELOCITY ACROSS AND IN A FLOW PLATH NEXT AJACENT TO SAID COATING COMMENCING IMMEDIATELY UPON THE EXPOSURE OF SAID COATING TO SAID EMISSIVE SURFACE AND CONTINUING DURING THE ENTIRETY OF SAID PATH OF TRAVEL, SAID AIR MEANS COMPRISING NOZZLE MEANS HAVING AN OPENING EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY ALONG SAID PATH OF TRAVEL ADJACENT SAID CONVEYING MEANS WITH ONE BOUNDARY OF SAID OPENING DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY LEVEL WITH SAID COATING AS IT MOVES ALONG SAID PATH OF TRAVEL, SAID NOZZLE MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO IMPINGE SAID AIR UPON SAID COATING AT A HIGH VELOCITY IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH AND TRANSVERSELY OF SAID PATH OF TRAVEL, AND AIR EXHAUST MEANS HAVING AN OPENING OPPOSITELY DISPOSED FROM SAID NOZZLE OPENING WHEREBY SAID AIR IS URGED INTO A FLOW PATH SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID COATING AND IN SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS CONTACT THEREWITH AS IT FLOWS ACROSS SAID COATING.