Coating processes – Direct application of electrical – magnetic – wave – or... – Electrostatic charge – field – or force utilized
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-11
2002-04-23
Parker, Fred J. (Department: 1762)
Coating processes
Direct application of electrical, magnetic, wave, or...
Electrostatic charge, field, or force utilized
C427S483000, C427S374100, C101S487000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06376024
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to apparatus and methods for applying liquid materials to a web and further processing the web by application of additional liquid material to the web through an electrostatic field.
Conventional web-offset printing presses utilize heat-settable ink that is set or cured by heat after the ink is printed onto a paper web. The curing of the ink is typically done by passing the web through a dryer, which causes the temperature of the web to be raised to a relatively high temperature, such as in the range of 230° to 320° F. (Fahrenheit). After it passes from the dryer, the hot web must be cooled to allow effective processing of the web in subsequent operations.
FIG. 1
schematically illustrates a prior art web-offset printing press
10
of the type described generally above. Referring to
FIG. 1
, the prior art printing press
10
incorporates a plurality of rotatable printing cylinders
12
,
14
, each of which applies an image to a paper web
16
using a heat-settable ink. The paper web
16
, which is guided by a number of rollers
18
, passes through the printing press
10
from left to right, as indicated by the arrow shown in FIG.
1
.
After the ink is applied by the printing cylinders
12
,
14
, the web
16
is passed through a dryer
20
, which sets the ink by raising the temperature of the web
16
to a relatively high temperature. After passing through the dryer
20
, the web
16
is passed over a plurality of chill rolls
22
to cool the web
16
. Heat from the web
16
is absorbed by relatively cool water which is piped through the chill rolls
22
. After passing through all of the chill rolls
22
, the web
16
is at or close to (within 10° F.) room temperature.
After being heated by the dryer
20
and cooled by the chill rolls
22
, the paper web
16
has very little moisture content. Consequently, after being cooled by the chill rolls
22
, the web
16
is fed to an electrostatic remoistener
24
which adds moisture back to the web
16
. The remoistener
24
is provided with a plurality of spray nozzles (not shown) for spraying water droplets onto the paper web
16
and a plurality of field directors (not shown) on each side of the web
16
for generating a directed electrostatic field. The field directors on one side of the web
16
are maintained at a high voltage relative to the field directors on the other side of the web
16
, and water is sprayed through the electrostatic field so that the water droplets travel within a confined path between the spray nozzles and the paper web
16
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the invention is directed to an apparatus for processing a moving web of material. The apparatus has an applicator that applies a liquid material to the moving web, a drying apparatus that heats the web to an initial temperature, a first cooling apparatus that causes the web to be cooled to a second temperature that is at least about 20° F. lower than the initial temperature, and a second cooling apparatus disposed after the first cooling apparatus that causes the web to be cooled to a third temperature that is at least about 20° F. lower than the second temperature. The first cooling apparatus includes a generator adapted to generate a directed electrostatic field through which the web passes and a sprayer adapted to spray liquid through the electrostatic field and onto the web.
The electrostatic field generator may include a plurality of first field directors disposed on a first side of the web, each of the first field directors having a plurality of electrodes, a plurality of second field directors disposed on a second side of the web opposite the first side, each of the second field directors having a plurality of electrodes, and a voltage supply that supplies a relatively high voltage to the electrodes of one of the first or second field directors.
The invention is also directed to a method of processing a moving web comprising the steps of: (a) applying a liquid material to the web, (b) heating the web to a first temperature, (c) generating a directed electrostatic field, (d) causing the web to pass through the directed electrostatic field, (e) spraying liquid through the electrostatic field and onto the web to cause the web to be cooled to a second temperature that is at least about 20° F. lower than the first temperature, and (f) causing the web to be cooled to a third temperature that is at least about 20° F. lower than the second temperature.
During step (a), the liquid material may be applied evenly to the web to create a substantially uniform coating of the liquid material on the web, or alternatively, during step (a) ink may be applied by a plurality of printing cylinders to generate a plurality of images on the web.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to an apparatus for processing a moving web. The apparatus is provided with an applicator that applies a liquid material to the web, a drying apparatus that heats the web to an initial temperature of at least about 200° F., and an electrostatic cooling apparatus that causes the initial temperature of the web to be reduced to a lower temperature no greater than about 150° F. without the use of any chill rolls. The electrostatic cooling apparatus includes a generator adapted to generate a directed electrostatic field through which the web passes and a sprayer adapted to spray liquid through the electrostatic field and onto the web.
The invention is also directed to a method of processing and cooling a web exclusively with an electrostatic cooling apparatus and without the use of a chill roll. The method includes the steps of: (a) applying a liquid material to the web, (b) heating the web after the liquid material has been applied to cause the web to have a temperature of at least about 200° F., (c) generating a directed electrostatic field, (d) causing the web to pass through the directed electrostatic field when the web has a temperature of at least about 200° F., and (e) spraying liquid through the directed electrostatic field and onto the web to cause the web to be cooled to a reduced temperature of not greater than about 150° F. In accordance with the method, the cooling of the web is caused exclusively by an electrostatic cooling apparatus having a sprayer and an electrostatic field generator and not by a chill roll.
In the above apparatus and method, the liquid material may be applied evenly to the web to create a substantially uniform coating of the liquid material on the web, or alternatively, ink may be applied by a plurality of printing cylinders to generate a plurality of images on the web.
The features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is made with reference to the drawings, a brief description of which is provided below.
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p
Klein David M.
Siler Steven J.
Hurletron Incorporated
Marshall Gerstein & Borun.
Parker Fred J.
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