METHOD FOR COATING WITH COATING LIQUID, COATING APPARATUSES FOR USE THEREIN, AND METHOD FOR DESIGNING THE SAME

Abstract

A method for coating with a coating liquid according to the present invention is a method for coating an object-to-be-coated with a coating liquid containing dispersed particles, using a die, wherein the flowage of the coating liquid within a manifold 5 provided within the die is such that the deviation of the average flow rate of the coating liquid in the direction of the width becomes equal to or less than 60% of an average flow rate over the entire area of the manifold 5, in at least 80% of the area from a liquid supplying portion 8 in the manifold to an end portion P of the manifold.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional schematic view illustrating a configuration of a die in the direction of the width, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic view illustrating the configuration of the die in a direction of a longitudinal cross-sectional area;

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the change of the cross-sectional area of a manifold of a die in a longitudinal direction, according to examples of the present invention, illustrating the relationship between a normalized coordinate in the direction of the die width and the cross-sectional area of the manifold which is normalized with respect to a position O;

FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating the flow rate distribution within the manifold in the die according to the examples of the present invention, illustrating the relationship between the normalized coordinate in the direction of the die width and the flow rate normalized with the flow rate at the position O (the liquid supplying portion);

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the change of the cross-sectional area of a manifold of a die according to a comparison example in the longitudinal direction, illustrating the relationship between a normalized coordinate in the direction of the die width and the cross-sectional area of the manifold which is normalized with respect to the position O;

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the flow rate distribution within the manifold in the die, illustrating the relationship between the normalized coordinate in the direction of the die width and the flow rate normalized with the flow rate at the position O (the liquid supplying portion);

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional schematic view illustrating the configuration of the die in the direction of the width, according to a comparison example; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the die in the direction of the longitudinal cross-sectional area.

Claims

1. A method for coating an object-to-be-coated with a coating liquid containing dispersed particles, using a die, wherein a flowage of said coating liquid within a manifold provided within said die is such that deviation of an average flow rate of said coating liquid in a direction of width becomes equal to or less than 60% of an average flow rate over an entire area of the manifold, in at least 80% of an area from a liquid supplying portion in said manifold to an end of said manifold.

2. The method for coating with a coating liquid according to claim 1, wherein the flowage of said coating liquid within the manifold is such that the average flow rate of said coating liquid is increased with increasing distance from the liquid supplying portion, in at least 40% of the area from the liquid supplying portion in said manifold to the end portion of said manifold.

3. An apparatus for coating an object-to-be-coated with a coating liquid containing dispersed particles, using a die, wherein said die comprises:a die main body constituted by a pair of die plates;a manifold formed within said die main body for distributing the coating liquid in a direction of width;a liquid supplying portion provided in at least any one of said pair of die plates for supplying the coating liquid to said manifold;a slot formed between the pair of die plates so as to extend from said manifold to a front edge of the die main body; anda die lip provided at the front edge of said die main body as a coating-liquid ejecting port, andsaid manifold is provided within the die main body, either in parallel to the direction of the width of said die or to be inclined toward said slot by an angle not more than 5 degrees about said liquid supplying portion, and said manifold is shaped such that the following equation is satisfied, assuming that a cross-sectional area of said manifold in a direction of a longitudinal cross-sectional area is A, and a distance from a predetermined position near said liquid supplying portion to an end portion of the manifold is x,

4. The apparatus for coating with a coating liquid according to claim 3, wherein said manifold is shaped such that deviation of an average flow rate of said coating liquid in a direction of width becomes equal to or less than 60% of an average flow rate over an entire area of the manifold, in at least 80% of an area from a liquid supplying portion in said manifold to an end of said manifold.

5. The apparatus for coating with a coating liquid according to claim 4, wherein said manifold is shaped such that the average flow rate of said coating liquid is increased with increasing distance from the liquid supplying portion, in at least 40% of the area from the liquid supplying portion in said manifold to the end portion of said manifold.

6. The apparatus for coating with a coating liquid according to claim 5, wherein said liquid supplying portion is provided near at least one of the end portions of said die in the direction of the width of said die.

7. A method for designing a coating apparatus having a die for ejecting, from a slot, a coating liquid containing dispersed particles toward an object-to-be-coated and coating the object-to-be-coated with the coating liquid, wherein a shape of the inside of the die is determined and the die is designed by repeatedly conducting three-dimensional flowage calculations for the inside of the die, using a calculator, on the basis of input data including at least data of the material of the coating liquid, data of the coating condition and data of the shape of the inside of the die, while changing the data of the shape of the inside of the die, until the cross-sectional area A of a manifold provided within said die in the direction of the longitudinal cross-sectional area and the distance x from a predetermined position near a liquid supplying portion for supplying said coating liquid to the manifold to an end portion of the manifold satisfy the following equation,

8. The coating-apparatus designing method according to claim 7, wherein the shape of the inside of the die inside is designed such that deviation of an average flow rate of said coating liquid in a direction of width becomes equal to or less than 60% of an average flow rate over an entire area of the manifold, in at least 80% of an area from a liquid supplying portion in said manifold to an end of said manifold.

9. The coating-apparatus designing method according to claim 8, wherein the shape of the inside of the die is designed such that the average flow rate of said coating liquid is increased with increasing distance from the liquid supplying portion, in at least 40% of the area from the liquid supplying portion in said manifold to the end portion of said manifold.