Method and apparatus for coating wire and solvent recovery

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR COATING WIRE WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A BODY OF HOT LIQUID COATING COMPOSITION, WHICH COMPOSITION CONTAINS AS A SOLVENT THEREFOR, A SUBSTANTIALLY NON-FLAMMABLE HALOGENATED HYDROCARBON SOLVENT, PASSING WIRE TO BE COATED THROUGH SAID BODY OF COATING COMPOSITION, CONTINUOUSLY ADDING HEATED COATING COMPOSITION TO AND REMOVING COATING COMPOSITION FROM SAID BODY WHILE PASSING SAID WIRE THERETHROUGH, MAINTAINING A COOL ZONE IMMEDIATELY ABOVE THE BODY OF THE COATING COMPOSITION, FORMING A ZONE OF HALOGENATED HYDROCARBON SOLVENT VAPOR ABOVE THE BODY OF COATING COMPOSITION, WHICH ZONE IS WITHIN AND BELOW SAID COOLED ZONE, PASSING THE WIRE FROM THE BODY OF COATING COMPOSITION THROUGH A DIE MAINTAINED WITHIN THE ZONE OF SOLVENT VAPOR, REMOVING EXCESS COATING COMPOSITION FROM THE WIRE, CONDENSING AND RECOVERING SOLVENT VOLATILIZED FORM THE GBODY OF THE COATING COMPOSITION AND THE THUS-COATED WIRE IN SAID COOL ZONE, REMOVING THE COATING WIRE FROM SAID COOLED ZONE, AND, THEREAFTER, HEATING THE THUS-COATED WIRE TO EFFECT REMOVAL OF SUBSTANTIALLY ALL SOLVENT REMAINING IN THE COATING, SAID HEATING BEING CARRIED OUT AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE BOILING POINT OF THE SOLVENT BUT BELOW THAT AT WHICH SUBSTANTIAL CURING OF THE COATING TAKES PLACE.