Download Audio File Coating specialists love to throw around big ideas and even bigger words (rheology, viscosity, surface tension, etc.). But what is important? What can you use daily as an applications individual in the fluid coating world? So let's start with the most important concept to understand in coating [...]

Download Audio File When you look at the process of fluid coating onto substrates, there are many ancillary pieces of equipment that affect the final coating quality of the product, be it an adhesive tape, optical film, or automotive battery. If we dig back deep enough into the process--beyond [...]

Download Audio File How well can a computer program, mathematical equation, or experience predict fluid coating performance is a question I am asked on a regular basis. As with any good question, the answer is, "It depends." I am an advocate of using predictive devices whenever possible, but the [...]

Download Audio File In many recent discussions in the converting industry, I have found myself trying to explain fluid coating technology to people who are familiar with extrusion technology. The resulting conversation feels like an excerpt from Men are from Mars/Women are from Venus! The control of a turbulent [...]

Download Audio File When coating a fluid onto a substrate, many factors come into play - chemistry of the fluid, surface tension of the substrate, curing conditions, slitting requirements, tension control of the web, etc… All these factors are interactive and require understanding of the limits and boundary conditions [...]

Download Audio File The best starting point for polymer understanding is rheology, or the flow of the polymer in fluid form. What is rheology? ρηεολογψ-It's all Greek to me! Yes it is. But it doesn't need to be. The term rheology comes from the Greek word rheos, which means [...]

Download Audio File Within all coating matters, scientific application of process and material understanding is critical to success. The amount of care applied to understanding each step in the fluid coating process provides a reduction in error to the process overall. Typically process engineers want to attack a coating [...]

Download Audio File I had a great physics professor in college. When I was considering what area of engineering to go into, he explained the world of technology in a simplified model-everything deals with flow. Electrical engineers deal with the flow of electricity through wires; civil engineers deal with [...]

Download Audio File With the advent of car battery technology moving into the mainstream for consumer vehicles, the need for advanced battery technology has skyrocketed. As with any consumer-based technology, the need to have a competitive edge financially is important. To obtain the competitive edge, battery manufacturing companies are [...]

Download Audio File What variables need to be considered when coating a fluid that isn't simple? When coating a simple fluid, slot die coating operators have enough to worry about if the fluid is a chemical or polymer diluted by a solvent. Viscosity curves at various shear rates and [...]