OFFLINE ROLL TO ROLL WEB COATING

Abstract

A coating system for coating a web of paper includes spaced apart support rollers, a guide roller, a tension roller, a motor, a dispenser, and a control system. The support rollers support respective spools of paper. The guide roller is configured for guiding the paper along a path between the spools of paper. The tension roller is positioned along the path and is configured to engage the paper. The motor is operable to rotate the support rollers and/or the tension roller. The dispenser is fixed proximal to the path and is operable to guide liquid coating onto the paper located on the path. The control system is in communication with the motor and is configured to direct the motor to cause the paper to shift in either direction along the path between the spools.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Environmental imperatives are causing pressware manufacturers to transition from synthetic plastics to more sustainable materials such as paper to manufacture plates, bowls, trays, and other pressware. Containers made of paper often need different types of coating for particular purposes such as preventing the paper from absorbing oil, grease, water, or other fluids. The specific coating is generally applied by the paper mill or the paper printer supplying the paper roll. The coating is an aqueous solution of water mixed with a chemical applied to the paper and may involve multiple layers of different solutions. Current solutions for applying a coating include dipping the paper into the solution and scraping off excess solution to achieve the desired coating. However, such machines are costly and time-consuming.

Therefore, there is a need for a system and method for coating paper for pressware that does not suffer from these and other deficiencies. This background discussion is intended to provide information related to the present invention which is not necessarily prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the current invention address one or more of the above-mentioned problems and provide a distinct advance in the art of paper product manufacturing and particularly in the art of applying one or more coats to a web rolled on a spool, such as a roll of paper.

A coating system for coating a web of paper includes spaced apart support rollers, a guide roller, a tension roller, a motor, a dispenser, and a control system. The support rollers support respective spools of paper. The guide roller is configured for guiding the paper along a path between the spools of paper. The tension roller is positioned along the path and is configured to engage the paper. The motor is operable to rotate the support rollers and/or the tension roller. The dispenser is fixed proximal to the path and is operable to guide liquid coating onto the paper located on the path. The control system is in communication with the motor and is configured to direct the motor to cause the paper to shift in either direction along the path between the spools.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method for coating a web of paper. The method includes (a) pulling, via a powered tensioning pinch roller, the web of paper from a first spool; (b) guiding, via an idle roller, the web of paper along a path; (c) dispensing, via a dispenser positioned at a first location along the path, a liquid coating on a portion of the web of paper; (d) forcing air toward the portion of the web of paper at a second location along the path that is downstream of the first location; (e) winding, via a winding roller, the coated web of paper on a second spool; (f) pulling, via the powered tensioning pinch roller, the web of paper from the second spool; (g) winding, via a winding roller, the coated web of paper on the first spool; and (h) repeating steps (a) through (g) until the coating on the web of paper obtains a desired thickness.

Another embodiment of the invention is a coating system for offline roll-to-roll web coating of paper. The coating system includes a first support roller, a second support roller, guide rollers, and a waterfall dispenser. The first support roller is for supporting a first spool of paper. The second support roller is for supporting a second spool for receiving paper from the first spool. The guide rollers are configured for guiding and unwinding the paper from the first spool of paper such that the paper traverses a path to the second spool. The waterfall dispenser is fixed above the path and includes a pressure chamber and a longitudinal narrow gap. The pressure chamber is for receiving liquid coating. The longitudinal narrow gap is in fluid communication with the pressure chamber. The liquid coating flows through the longitudinal narrow gap from the pressure chamber onto a width of the paper being unspooled from the first spool of paper.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Other aspects and advantages of the current invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the current invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram depicting a coating system constructed according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dispenser of the coating system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the dispenser of FIG. 2 viewed along lines 3-3;

FIG. 4 is a top sectional view of the dispenser of FIG. 3 viewed along lines 4-4;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting selected components of the coating system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram depicting a coating system constructed according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting exemplary steps of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The drawing figures do not limit the current invention to the specific embodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description of the technology references the accompanying drawings that illustrate specific embodiments in which the technology can be practiced. The embodiments are intended to describe aspects of the technology in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the technology. Other embodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the current invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the current invention is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Turning to FIG. 1, a coating system 10 constructed according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured to coat a web of paper 12 (such as paperboard or some other web of material) stored on a pair of spools 14, 16. Note that the paper 12 described herein can be any continuous web of material rolled up on a spool or the like. Furthermore, while the paper 12 may be uncoated, it may alternatively be precoated, with the coating system 10 herein used to add additional coating layers thereto. The coating system 10 coats the web 12 by unspooling the web 12 from one of the spools 14, coating the web 12, drying the coated web 12, and respooling the dried coated paper 12 on the other spool 16 in a single, continuous process. It may also include adding additional coatings by unspooling the second spool 16, directing the web 12 with the recently dried layer of coating back onto the first spool 14, and repeating the process.

In one or more embodiments, the coating system 10 includes spaced apart support rollers 18, 20, 22, 24, one or more guide rollers 26, 28, one or more tension roller assemblies 30, one or more motors 32 (depicted in FIG. 5), one or more dispenser assemblies 34, one or more forced air assemblies 36, and a control system 38 (depicted in FIG. 5). The support rollers 18, 20, 22, 24 are configured to support and help rotate the spools 14, 16 to wind and/or unwind the spools 14, 16. The support rollers 18, 20, 22, 24 may be any type of roller assembly for supporting and unwinding spools without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, one or more of the support rollers may extend through the center of one of the spools. In one or more embodiments, the support rollers 18, 20, 22, 24 comprise cradle assemblies as described and depicted in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20240343516, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

One or more motors 32 may be associated with at least one of the support rollers 18, 20 supporting the first spool 14 and with at least one of the support rollers 22, 24 supporting the second spool 16. The motors 32 are operable to rotate at least one or more of the first support rollers 18, 20 and one or more of the second support rollers 22, 24. The other support roller supporting the first spool 14 may be a freely rotating roller. Similarly, the other support roller supporting the second spool 16 may likewise be a freely rotating roller just supporting the roll of paper. The motors 32 may be operable to rotate their respective support rollers in either direction so that both spools can be wound or unwound. The motors 32 may rotate respective support rollers 18, 20 to unwind the first spool 14 while the other support rollers 22, 24 wind the paper on the second spool 16 after the paper receives the coating and is dried as described herein. Additionally or alternatively, the motors 32 may be operable to reverse direction and rotate respective support rollers 18, 20 to wind paper onto the first spool 14 while the other support rollers 22, 24 unwind the coated paper on the second spool 16 to apply a second coating as described herein.

The guide rollers 26, 28 are configured for guiding the paper 12 along a path between the first spool of paper 14 and the second spool of paper 16. In one or more embodiments the guide rollers 26, 28 are idle rollers operable to freely rotate with the web 12. The guide rollers 26, 28 may be idler rollers positioned along the path toward the tension roller assembly 30. Specifically, the guide rollers 26, 28 may be positioned ahead of the tension roller assembly 30 and cooperatively guide the paper being unrolled from the first spool 14 to various other items or stations described herein.

In some embodiments, once the paper is fed past one or more guide rollers 26 proximate to the dispenser assembly 34, the paper may be fed toward and around a lower one of the guide rollers 28. In some embodiments, the lower one of the guide rollers 28 may be positioned below the forced air assembly 36, with the paper being directed around the lower one of the guide rollers 28 and generally upward to the tension roller assembly 30 and then on to the second spool 16. The guide rollers 26, 28 may be freely rotatable, or in some embodiments the guide rollers 26, 28 may be replaced with motorized rollers actuatable to rotate at a predetermined rate corresponding to rates of the other idler rollers and the pinch rollers. The guide rollers 26, 28 may be motorized, for example, by one or more of the motors 32.

The tension roller assembly 30 includes one or more tension rollers 40 and one or more pinch rollers 42 positioned along the path and configured to engage the paper 12. One or more motors 32 may be operable to rotate the tension roller 40 and/or the pinch roller 42. The tension roller assembly 30 may be located at a point along the path subsequent to the dispenser assembly 34 and/or the forced air assembly 36, as depicted in FIG. 1. The tension roller assembly 30 is configured to unwind the paper from the first or second spools 14, 16 at a constant linear rate and a constant tension. In some embodiments, the tension roller assembly 30 may be replaced with other pull rollers or other mechanisms for unspooling the web of material or paper from the spools 14, 16 without departing from the scope of the invention.

The tension roller 40 and the pinch roller 42 may be pressed toward each other or tensioned/biased against each other with the paper being unrolled from one of the spools 14, 16 fed therebetween, such that when the tension roller 40 and the pinch roller 42 rotate in opposite directions, they feed the paper 12 between the tension roller 40 and the pinch roller 42.

In one or more embodiments, the dispenser assembly 34 includes a dispenser 44, a metering pump 46, and a supply tank 48. In one or more embodiments, the dispenser 44 is fixed proximal to the path and operable to guide liquid coating onto the paper 12 located on the path. For example, the dispenser 44 may be located above the paper or web such that the coating or solution is dispensed onto a surface of the paper 12 at one of the guide rollers 26 or between two of the guide rollers 26, 28 as depicted in FIG. 1. The dispenser 44 may be configured for evenly distributing the liquid coating or liquid solution (such as, for example, 95% water and 5% coating chemicals) over the width of the paper 12 thereunder.

The metering pump 46 may be a controlled precision metering pump that is operable to supply the liquid coating to the dispenser 44 from the supply tank 48. The supply tank may contain the coating or solution, and the metering pump 46 may be fluidly coupled between the supply tank 48 and the dispenser 44, thereby supplying a flow rate corresponding to the desired coating thickness and the linear speed of the paper being unspooled. The pump 46 may be electronically interlocked for on/off while the paper 12 is unwinding or unspooling at a continuous linear speed equal to the average web or paper consumption speed (e.g., the speed at which the paper generally soaks in the quantity of coating being pumped out). The metering pump 46 may control the rate at which the coating is dispensed onto the paper.

Turning to FIG. 2, in one or more embodiments, the dispenser 44 is a waterfall dispenser including a rigid base portion 50 and a top plate 52 that together define a longitudinal narrow gap 54 through which the coating solution is directed. The dispenser 44 is configured to evenly dispense coating across a width of the paper and helps control the thickness of the coating as the paper 12 travels along the path. In some embodiments, end fenders 56, 58 may be positioned at opposing sides of the longitudinal narrow gap 54 to define a width of the waterfall to approximately a same width as the web or paper.

Turning to FIG. 3, the rigid base portion 50 may include a pressure chamber 60 for receiving liquid coating, a seal 62 may be located between the top plate 52 and base portion 50, and an inlet port 64. The longitudinal narrow gap 54 is in fluid communication with the pressure chamber 60 and may be defined by an edge of the top plate 52 and an edge of the rigid base portion 50. The longitudinal narrow gap 54 restricts the outflow of the liquid coating to build up pressure in the pressure chamber 60, which then forces the coating to flow out evenly through the longitudinal narrow gap's entire width, and thus the entire width of the paper or web. The gap 54 height may be approximately between 0.002 inches (0.0508 millimeters (mm)) to 0.005 inches (0.127 mm). However, other gap 54 heights and widths may be used without departing from the scope of the invention, as long as the size of the chamber 60 relative to the longitudinal narrow gap's 54 height is such that water pressure builds within the pressure chamber 60 and the coating solution is dispensed evening along the width of the longitudinal narrow gap 54. In some embodiments, an angled protruding surface 66 of the rigid base portion 50 may extend further outward than the edge of the top plate 52 and be angled downward such that liquid coating flows from the longitudinal narrow gap 54 down the angled protruding surface 66 toward the paper or web traversing the path therebeneath.

The seal 62 provides a waterproof seal between the top surface of the rigid base portion 50 and the top plate 52, thereby preventing liquid coating from escaping through that joint. However, in some embodiments, the top plate 52 and the rigid base portion 50 may be formed of a single unitary rigid piece of material, such that the waterproof seal is unnecessary. The base portion 50 may comprise an opening at one end thereof through which inlet port 64 is placed to allow liquid coating to flow into the pressure chamber 60 therefrom.

The waterfall dispenser 44 can additionally or alternatively include mounting fixtures or mounting elements 68, 70 configured for mounting the waterfall dispenser to dispense liquid coating onto a location along the path where the paper is fed. One of more of the mounting elements 70 may be configured to secure the top plate 52 to the base portion 50. As shown in FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the pressure chamber 60 of the rigid base portion 50 is at least partially defined by a channel 72 cut or formed in the rigid base portion 50.

Turning back to FIG. 1, in one or more embodiments, the forced air assembly 36 includes to a pressurized air source 74, an air pressure regulator 76, a heater 78, and a plurality of air nozzles 80 directed toward the path the paper traverses downstream from the dispenser assembly 34. The pressurized air source 74 is configured to supply pressurized air and may include a connector connected to a central pressurized air source. Additionally or alternatively, the pressurized air source 74 may include one or more compressors, fans, or the like.

In some embodiments, the air pressure regulator 76 is in fluid communication with the plurality of air nozzles 80 (directly or indirectly through the heater 78) and is in electrical communication with the control system. The air pressure regulator 76 may receive compressed air from the pressurized air source 74 and control the air flow rate fed to the heater 78 and/or the air nozzles 80. The heater 78 is operable to connect to the pressurized air source 74 (directly or indirectly through the regulator 76), heat the pressurized air, and supply the pressurized air to the plurality of air nozzles 80. In one or more embodiments, the heater 78 is an electric heater. Additionally, the heater 78 may include a temperature controller.

The air nozzles 80 are configured to direct air toward the paper traversing the path. The guide rollers 26, 28 may be positioned to guide the coated paper around the plurality of air nozzles 80 (e.g., an array of air nozzles) spaced apart and facing a surface of the paper 12 with the coating or solution thereon. The air nozzles 80 increase air flow velocity for drying the coating solution on the paper or web. As discussed above, the forced air emanating from the nozzles 80 may be heated air.

In one or more embodiments, the coating system 10 includes one or more sensors 82 in communication with the control system and configured to detect a property related to an amount of paper located on at least one of the first spool 14 or the second spool 16 and transmit one or more signals representative of the property to the control system. In one or more embodiments, the sensor 82 is a non-contact sensor, such as a roll diameter reader directed toward one of the spools and configured for detecting a real-time diameter of the roll of paper around the spool or some measurement associated with the real-time diameter of the roll of paper around the spool. This allows various components of the coating system 10 to stop, shut off, and/or reverse once the first spool 14 diameter is below a pre-defined threshold, such as, for example, if the first spool 14 no longer contains any paper thereon. The non-contact roll diameter reader 82 may provide its readings to the control system as later described herein. In some alternative embodiments, the non-contact roll diameter reader 82 may be replaced with another sensor configured for detecting that all of the paper has been unwound from the first spool 14.

Turning to FIG. 5, the control system 38 is configured to control operations of the system 10. In one or more embodiments, the control system 38 is in communication with the motors 32, the metering pump 46, the air pressure regulator 76, the heater 78, the sensor 82, and a human-to-machine interface 84. The control system 38 may comprise one or more communication elements 86, one or more memory elements 88, and one or more processing elements 90.

The control system 38 is configured to direct the motors 32 to shift the paper in either direction along the path between the first spool 14 and the second spool 16. This may include directing the motors 32 so that the tension roller assembly 30, the support rollers 18, 20, 22, 24, and any of the rollers described herein rotate at a predetermined rate of rotation and/or at least some of the rollers may be rotated at a substantially identical rate of rotation as one or more other rollers described herein. The control system 38 may be configured to synchronize the support rollers 18, 20, 22, 24 so that winding rollers thereof and the unwinding rollers thereof are synchronized with the rollers 40, 42 of the tension roller assembly 30 to provide a continuous linear speed of the paper 12 along the path traversed by the paper throughout the coating system 10. Additionally or alternatively, synchronization may be provided via various communication components or electronic connections between the various motors 32 or actuators controlling the pinch rollers, winding rollers, and unwinding rollers, and/or other actuatable rollers described herein.

The control system 38 may also be configured to direct the metering pump 46 to supply the liquid coating at a predetermined flow rate corresponding to at least one of a desired coating thickness, a linear speed of the paper shifting along the path, or a width of the paper. The control system 38 may have an algorithm stored on the memory element 88 thereof to calculate the pump rate according to the web or paper's width, speed, and a desired coating thickness, and then vary the pump rate accordingly (e.g., the rate varied by a precisely controlled amount). The control system 38 may also control motors 32 or other actuators for rotating any of the rollers described herein (e.g., such as for providing synchronization of the rollers described herein), any of the controlled precision metering pump 46, the plurality of air nozzles 80, the air pressure regulator 76, and the electric heater 78 described herein. For example, the control system 38 may control a speed of the rollers, the flow rate of the air being forced through the air nozzles, a temperature of the electric heater, and other such electronically controllable functions of the coating system 10. Furthermore, the control system 38 may be configured to store and/or automatically perform or control any of the method steps or operations described herein.

The control system 38 may also be configured to receive from the sensor 82 readings regarding the diameter of the roll of paper around the first spool. Based on these readings, the control system 38 may communicate to other motors, actuators, and/or rollers described herein to stop one or more of the electrically-controlled components of the coating system 10 described herein when the supply around the first spool is below a predefined threshold. For example, the threshold may be the depletion of the first spool of all paper. Additionally, based on signals received from the sensor 82, the control system 38 may command or instruct the rollers being actuated to stop or turn off, the waterfall dispenser and/or the metering pump associated therewith may receive a signal to turn off the flow of the liquid coating, the heater may be automatically turned off, and/or the air nozzles may be closed off or otherwise stop blowing air outward therefrom (such as by turning off any valve between the compressed air supply and the air nozzles). The control system 38 may also be configured to direct one or more motors to shift the paper back from the second spool to the first spool.

The human-machine interface 84, which can be any sort of mouse, keyboard, touchpad, switches, or other human-machine interface known in the art for adjusting various settings for the speed the paper is unspooled, the temperature of the electric heater, the settings of the controlled precision metering pump, the settings for the air pressure regulator, and/or diameter information related to the first spool (such as a spool diameter size at which the first spool is out of paper).

A coating system 10A constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 6. The coating system 10A may comprise substantially similar components as coating system 10; thus, the components of coating system 10A that correspond to similar components in coating system 10 have an ‘A’ appended to their reference numerals.

The coating system 10A includes all the features of coating system 10 and further comprises a second dispenser assembly 92 fixed proximal the path and operable to guide liquid coating onto the paper 12A located on the path and a second forced air assembly 94 directed toward the path the paper traverses downstream from the second dispenser assembly 92. The system 10A may further include one or more additional guide rollers 96, 98 so that the second forced air assembly 94 is configured to force air toward the paper traversing the path.

The second dispenser assembly 92 is substantially the same as the first dispenser assembly 34A, and the second forced air assembly 94 is substantially the same as the first forced air assembly 36A. Furthermore, the additional guide rollers 96, 98 are substantially the same as the first set of guide rollers 26A, 28A and may be freely rotating idler rollers and/or motorized rollers. The second dispenser and forced air assemblies 92, 94 are positioned downstream of the first forced air assembly 94 so that the first coating applied to the paper 12A is sufficiently dry before receiving the second coating from the second dispenser assembly 92. The system 10A enables placing two coats on the paper 12A. While FIG. 6 depicts two sets of dispenser and forced air assemblies, any number of dispenser and forced air assemblies may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the system 10A may include more than two dispenser and forced air assemblies. Additionally, the dispenser of both dispenser assemblies 34A, 92 may share the same coating supply and/or metering pump. Likewise, the nozzles of the forced air assemblies 34A, 94 may share the same pressurized air source, heater, and/or regulator.

The flow chart of FIG. 7 depicts the steps of an exemplary method 700 of coating a web of paper. In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the various blocks may occur out of the order depicted in FIG. 7. For example, two blocks shown in succession in FIG. 7 may in fact be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order depending upon the functionality involved. In addition, some steps may be optional.

The method 700 is described below, for ease of reference, as being executed by exemplary devices and components introduced with the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-6. The steps of the method 700 may be performed by the control system through the utilization of processors, transceivers, hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof. However, some of such actions may be distributed differently among such devices or other devices without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Control of the system may also be partially implemented with computer programs stored on one or more non-transient computer-readable medium(s). The computer-readable medium(s) may include one or more executable programs stored thereon, wherein the program(s) instruct one or more processing elements to perform all or certain of the steps outlined herein. The program(s) stored on the computer-readable medium(s) may instruct processing element(s) to perform additional, fewer, or alternative actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

Referring to step 702, the web of paper is pulled, via the one or more powered tension roller assemblies, from the first spool. The web may be pulled from a roll of material (i.e., paper pulled from the first spool) via the pull and pinch rollers. As discussed herein, the pull and pinch rollers may be driven by one or more rotary motors known in the art. In some embodiments, this step 702 may additionally include unspooling of the web or paper from the first spool or roll of material by rotating one or more of the support rollers. The one or more unwinding support rollers may be biased against the web or paper and rotated via a motor or the like to assist in forcing or pushing via friction the roll or spool to rotate. In one or more embodiments, the pull roller and the one or more unwinding support rollers are synchronized so that the paper shifts along the path at a desired linear speed.

Referring to step 704, the web of paper is guided, via the guide rollers, along a path. The guide rollers guide and unwind the paper from the spool such that the paper traverses a path to the second spool to be subsequently or simultaneously wound thereon.

Referring to step 706, a liquid coating is dispensed, via one or more of the dispenser assemblies positioned along the path, on a portion of the web of paper. This step may include dispensing coating from a source of liquid coating (e.g., the supply tank) via the waterfall dispenser. For example, the supply tank may supply protective coating to the waterfall dispenser via the controlled precision metering pump or other items configured to control a flow of the coating provided to the waterfall dispenser. The waterfall dispenser is fixed above the path traversed by the paper or web. As described above, the waterfall dispenser includes a pressure chamber fluidly coupled with the source of liquid coating and having a longitudinal narrow gap through which the liquid coating is forced to flow evenly across a width of the paper being unspooled. This step may include supplying, via the metering pump, the liquid coating at a flow rate based at least in part on a desired coating thickness, a linear speed of the paper shifting along the path, or a width of the paper. This step may include operating two or more dispensers at different locations along the path.

Referring to step 708, air is forced toward the portion of the web of paper at a location along the path that is downstream of the dispenser. This step may include forcing heated air toward the paper traversing the path. Specifically, the plurality of air nozzles may be directed toward the path the paper traverses, but downstream from the waterfall dispenser. In some embodiments, the forced air may not be heated. However, in other embodiments, the forced air is heated via the electric heater or any other heating method or device known in the art. The air pressure regulator may, in some embodiments, receive compressed air from the pressurized air source, provide the air at a predetermined flow rate through the electric heater configured to heat the air flow therethrough. Then, from the electric heater, the air may be forced through the plurality of air nozzles or an array of air nozzles. This dries the coating that was dispensed onto the web or paper. In some embodiments, some of these steps may be repeated with duplicated components immediately following a location along the path where the plurality of air nozzles dries the coating onto the paper or web. This duplication of parts and the method steps described above is particularly useful when two or more layers of the coating is required.

Referring to step 710, the coated web of paper is wound, via the winding or support rollers, on the second spool. This may be accomplished by rotating the second spool with various actuators or motors and/or by rotating one or more of the winding support rollers via actuators, motors, or the like. The second spool may then be transported to one or more secondary locations within a facility or to a secondary facility for use thereby, such as for forming pressware or the like. This step may include detecting, via the sensor, a remaining amount of paper on the first spool. In some embodiments, the coating system may also allow for creating multiple different secondary coated rolls of paper from one single large roll of paper on the first spool in some embodiments, with the processor stopping to switch the second spool out when a pre-determined change in the diameter of the roll of paper of the first spool is sensed. Each roll of coated paper resulting from the coating system using one or more of the method steps described above may have different types of coating solution and/or different quantities of the coating solution applied, allowing for coating customization for different needs, such as different types of pressware.

Referring to step 712, in one or more embodiments, the method 700 further includes pulling, via the one or more tension roller assemblies, the web of paper from the second spool so that the paper can be rewound on the first spool. This step may be performed in order to add additional coating on the paper. Additionally or alternatively, for additional coats, the second spool may be transported to the support rollers or cradle assembly of the first spool, and the depleted first spool may be placed on the support rollers or cradle assembly on which the second spool was previously supported.

Referring to step 714, the coated web of paper is rewound, via the support rollers, on the first spool. This enables the coated paper to run through the coating system again to receive additional coats of the same or additional coating solution.

Referring to step 716, in one or more embodiments, the method 700 includes repeating steps 702 through 714 until the coating on the web of paper obtains a desired thickness or other property. This allows for optimizing coating type and thickness via a processor in real time.

The method 100 may include additional, less, or alternate steps and/or device(s), including those discussed elsewhere herein.

Throughout this specification, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to are included in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separate references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” in this description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included. Thus, the current invention can include a variety of combinations and/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

Although the present application sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legal scope of the description is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent and equivalents. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical. Numerous alternative embodiments may be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implement components, operations, or structures described as a single instance. Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustrated and described as separate operations, one or more of the individual operations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that the operations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures and functionality presented as separate components in example configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of the subject matter herein.

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a number of routines, subroutines, applications, or instructions. These may constitute either software (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium or in a transmission signal) or hardware. In hardware, the routines, etc., are tangible units capable of performing certain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. In example embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone, client or server computer system) or one or more hardware modules of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may be configured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) as computer hardware that operates to perform certain operations as described herein.

In various embodiments, computer hardware, such as a processing element, may be implemented as special purpose or as general purpose. For example, the processing element may comprise dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or indefinitely configured, such as an FPGA, to perform certain operations. The processing element may also comprise programmable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. It will be appreciated that the decision to implement the processing element as special purpose, in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry, or as general purpose (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “processing element” or equivalents should be understood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or to perform certain operations described herein. Considering embodiments in which the processing element is temporarily configured (e.g., programmed), each of the processing elements need not be configured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where the processing element comprises a general-purpose processor configured using software, the general-purpose processor may be configured as respective different processing elements at different times. Software may accordingly configure the processing element to constitute a particular hardware configuration at one instance of time and to constitute a different hardware configuration at a different instance of time.

The processing element may include processors, microprocessors (single-core and multi-core), microcontrollers, DSPs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), analog and/or digital application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or the like, or combinations thereof. The processing element may generally execute, process, or run instructions, code, code segments, software, firmware, programs, applications, apps, processes, services, daemons, or the like. The processing element may also include hardware components such as finite-state machines, sequential and combinational logic, and other electronic circuits that can perform the functions necessary for the operation of the current invention. The processing element may be in communication with the other electronic components through serial or parallel links that include address busses, data busses, control lines, and the like.

Computer hardware components, such as communication elements, memory elements, processing elements, and the like, may provide information to, and receive information from, other computer hardware components. Accordingly, the described computer hardware components may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiple of such computer hardware components exist contemporaneously, communications may be achieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses) that connect the computer hardware components. In embodiments in which multiple computer hardware components are configured or instantiated at different times, communications between such computer hardware components may be achieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiple computer hardware components have access. For example, one computer hardware component may perform an operation and store the output of that operation in a memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. A further computer hardware component may then, at a later time, access the memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. Computer hardware components may also initiate communications with input or output devices, and may operate on a resource (e.g., a collection of information).

The memory device or element may include data storage components, such as read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM, erasable programmable ROM, random-access memory (RAM) such as static RAM (SRAM) or dynamic RAM (DRAM), cache memory, hard disks, floppy disks, optical disks, flash memory, thumb drives, universal serial bus (USB) drives, or the like, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the memory element may be embedded in, or packaged in the same package as, the processing element. The memory element may include, or may constitute, a “computer-readable medium”. The memory element may store the instructions, code, code segments, software, firmware, programs, applications, apps, services, daemons, or the like that are executed by the processing element.

The communication element may generally allow communication with systems and/or external devices. The communication element may include signal or data transmitting and receiving circuits, such as antennas, amplifiers, filters, mixers, oscillators, digital signal processors (DSPs), and the like. The communication element may establish communication wirelessly by utilizing RF signals and/or data that comply with communication standards such as cellular 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, or LTE, WiFi, WiMAX, Bluetooth®, BLE, or combinations thereof. The communication element may be in communication with the processing element and the memory element.

The various operations of example methods described herein may be performed, at least partially, by one or more processing elements that are temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanently configured, such processing elements may constitute processing element-implemented modules that operate to perform one or more operations or functions. The modules referred to herein may, in some example embodiments, comprise processing element-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods or routines described herein may be at least partially processing element-implemented. For example, at least some of the operations of a method may be performed by one or more processing elements or processing element-implemented hardware modules. The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed among the one or more processing elements, not only residing within a single machine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processing elements may be located in a single location (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment or as a server farm), while in other embodiments the processing elements may be distributed across a number of locations.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using words such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions or processes of a machine (e.g., a computer with a processing element and other computer hardware components) that manipulates or transforms data represented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical) quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or other machine components that receive, store, transmit, or display information.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

The patent claims at the end of this patent application are not intended to be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f) unless traditional means-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for” or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claim(s).

Although the technology has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is noted that equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein without departing from the scope of the technology as recited in the claims.

Having thus described various embodiments of the technology, what is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent includes the following:

Claims

1. A coating system for offline roll-to-roll web coating of paper, the coating system comprising: one or more first support rollers for supporting a first spool of paper;one or more second support rollers spaced apart from the one or more first support rollers and provided for supporting a second spool of paper;one or more guide rollers configured for guiding the paper along a path between the first spool of paper and the second spool of paper;one or more tension rollers positioned along the path and configured to engage the paper;one or more motors operable to rotate at least one of the one or more first support rollers, the one or more second support rollers, and the one or more tension rollers;a dispenser fixed proximal the path and operable to guide liquid coating onto the paper located on the path; anda control system in communication with the one or more motors and configured to direct the one or more motors to shift the paper in either direction along the path between the first spool and the second spool.

2. The coating system of claim 1, further comprising one or more metering pump operable to supply the liquid coating to the dispenser.

3. The coating system of claim 2, wherein the control system is in communication with the one or more metering pump and configured to direct the metering pump to supply the liquid coating at a predetermined flow rate corresponding to at least one of a desired coating thickness, a linear speed of the paper shifting along the path, or a width of the paper.

4. The coating system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of air nozzles directed toward the path the paper traverses downstream from the dispenser, wherein the plurality of air nozzles are configured to force air toward the paper traversing the path.

5. The coating system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of air nozzles are configured to force heated air toward the paper traversing the path.

6. The coating system of claim 5, further comprising a heater operable to connect to a pressurized air source, heat the pressurized air, and supply the pressurized air to the plurality of air nozzles.

7. The coating system of claim 6, wherein the heater is an electric heater.

8. The coating system of claim 7, wherein the control system is configured to adjust a temperature setting of the heater.

9. The coating system of claim 8, further comprising an air pressure regulator in fluid communication with the plurality of air nozzles and in electrical communication with the control system, wherein the control system is configured to direct air pressure regulator to obtain a desired air flow rate at the plurality of air nozzles.

10. The coating system of claim 1, further comprising a non-contact sensor in communication with the control system and configured to detect a property related to an amount of paper located on at least one of the first spool or the second spool, and transmit one or more signals representative of the property to the control system.

11. The coating system of claim 10, wherein the control system is configured to direct the one or more motors to shift the paper from the first spool to the second spool until a threshold amount of paper has been shifted based at least on the one or more signals, and direct the one or more motors to shift the paper back from the second spool to the first spool.

12. The coating system of claim 1, further comprising a second dispenser fixed proximal the path and operable to guide liquid coating onto the paper located on the path.

13. A method for coating a web of paper, the method comprising: (a) pulling, via one or more powered tensioning pinch rollers, the web of paper from a first spool;(b) guiding, via one or more idle rollers, the web of paper along a path;(c) dispensing, via one or more dispensers positioned at a first location along the path, a liquid coating on a portion of the web of paper;(d) forcing air toward the portion of the web of paper at a second location along the path that is downstream of the first location;(e) winding, via one or more winding rollers, the coated web of paper on a second spool;(f) pulling, via the one or more powered tensioning pinch rollers, the web of paper from the second spool;(g) winding, via one or more winding rollers, the coated web of paper on the first spool; and(h) repeating steps (a) through (g) until the coating on the web of paper obtains a desired thickness.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising prior to step (f) detecting, via one or more non-contact sensors, a remaining amount of paper on the first spool.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein step (c) comprises supplying, via one or more metering pump, the liquid coating at a flow rate based at least in part on a desired coating thickness, a linear speed of the paper shifting along the path, or a width of the paper.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more powered tensioning pinch rollers and the one or more winding rollers are synchronized so that the paper shifts along the path at a desired linear speed.

17. A coating system for offline roll-to-roll web coating of paper, the coating system comprising: one or more first support rollers for supporting a first spool of paper;one or more second support rollers for supporting a second spool for receiving paper from the first spool;a plurality of guide rollers configured for guiding and unwinding the paper from the first spool of paper such that the paper traverses a path to the second spool; anda waterfall dispenser fixed above the path and including: a pressure chamber for receiving liquid coating, anda longitudinal narrow gap in fluid communication with the pressure chamber and through which the liquid coating flows from the pressure chamber onto a width of the paper being unspooled from the first spool of paper.

18. The coating system of claim 17, further comprising a control system in communication with the plurality of guide rollers and configured to direct the plurality of guide rollers to shift the paper in either direction along the path between the first spool and the second spool.

19. The coating system of claim 17, further comprising a first plurality of air nozzles directed toward the path the paper traverses downstream from the waterfall dispenser, wherein the first plurality of air nozzles are configured to force air toward the paper traversing the path.

20. The coating system of claim 19, wherein the waterfall dispenser is a first waterfall dispenser, further comprising: a second waterfall dispenser positioned downstream of the first plurality of air nozzles and including: a pressure chamber for receiving liquid coating, anda longitudinal narrow gap in fluid communication with the pressure chamber and through which the liquid coating flows from the pressure chamber onto a width of the paper being unspooled from the first spool of paper; anda second plurality of air nozzles directed toward the path the paper traverses downstream from the second waterfall dispenser, wherein the second plurality of air nozzles are configured to force air toward the paper traversing the path.