Coating processes – Solid particles or fibers applied – Fluidized bed utilized
Patent
1997-08-01
2000-03-21
Edwards, Laura
Coating processes
Solid particles or fibers applied
Fluidized bed utilized
427421, 427427, 118600, 118612, 118629, 118308, B05D 700
Patent
active
060400048
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a particle-coated substrate (in particular, an abrasive material formed by coating a substrate with abrasive particles) in which a substrate is coated uniformly and in a thin layer with cohesive fine particles, a particle ejector for fabricating the coated substrate, a coated substrate fabricating apparatus comprising the ejector, a particle-coated substrate fabricating method (in particular, a method of fabricating an abrasive material in which a substrate is coated with abrasive particles), and an abrasive sheet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The known conventional particle ejecting pump in a coating device in which particles are fed out along with gas from a coating gun nozzle is, for example, constructed as shown in FIG. 12. More specifically, a porous plate 2 on which particles to be coated are placed is provided at a lower portion of a particle feed tank 7. The porous plate 2 is provided with a straight particle feed tube 8, one end of which is opened to the porous plate 2 and the other end of which is connected to an ejector 9. In the pump of such a construction, particles 1 are fed to upside of the porous plate 2, and fluidizing air 6 fed to the downside of the particle feed tank 7 passes through the porous plate 2 and agitates the particles 1 on the porous plate 2. Further, the particles 1 are fed to the ejector 9 via the particle feed tube 8 by an internal pressure Pa in the particle feed tank 7. Other similar examples are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publications No. 6-286872 and 6-304502.
Such a conventional particle-coated substrate fabricating apparatus has had the following problems. Even if a proper particle size distribution of the particles 1 is obtained by agitating the particles 1 so that it is brought into a fluidized state on the porous plate 2 (hereinafter, the term "agitation" means an agitation for imparting a fluidized state), the particles 1 would be subject to blocking, agglomeration or bridging again inside the particle feed tube 8 and in the container of the ejector 9 so that the particle size of the particle would be coarsened. The above "bridging" means that supplying particles are adhered in a certain range of size. The above "blocking" means that the bridging particles are adhered to each other and agglomerate. As a result, even if the particles 1 undergo shear due to a gas stream 5 fed to the ejector 9, the particles 1 would agglomerate and thereby have a coarsened particle size and a varied particle size distribution. Consequently, the conventional coating device has had difficulty in ejecting fine particles having a particle size distribution of 5 .mu.m or less without agglomeration. Furthermore, even if the particles 1 have a relatively large particle size, its particle size distribution would vary with time, encountering difficulty in controlling the particle size.
The object of the present invention is, therefore, to remedy the above-described disadvantages and to provide a particle ejector capable of attaining a uniform particle size distribution, a particle-coated substrate fabricating apparatus comprising the ejector, a particle-coated substrate fabricating method, a particle-coated substrate and a coated abrasive sheet having a uniform particle size distribution. While the present invention advantageously overcomes the problems described above with spraying particles of 5 .mu.m or less, the present invention is not thereby limited and may of course also be advantageously used with particles larger than 5 .mu.m.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above-described object, according to the present invention, there is provided an ejector for ejecting particles to be coated onto a substrate, comprising:
a storage container made of a porous material, the container including an interior adapted for storing particles in the container and an outer surface;
an ejection gas nozzle extending from outside the container to the interior and provided at a bottom portion of the storage container, in a po
REFERENCES:
patent: 3389507 (1968-06-01), Flaig
patent: 3709434 (1973-01-01), Gebhardt et al.
patent: 4095557 (1978-06-01), Croop et al.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 005, No. 022 (M-054), Feb. 10, 1981 & JP,A,55 149000 Nov. 19, 1980.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, vol. 007, No. 223 (M-247) Oct. 4, 1983 & JP,A,58 117400 Jul. 12, 1983.
Haga Muneo
Matsumoto Kenji
Suzuki Kazuo
3M Innovative Properties Company
Edwards Laura
Trussell James J.
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