Apparatus for applying protective films
First Claim
1. A system of applying a thin peelable, temporary protective film to the finished surface of a manufactured article comprising:
- a source of a polymeric emulsion having a viscosity of about 3,000 to 12,000 centipoise at a predetermined operating temperature;
an extrusion die having a body with an inlet connected to receive said emulsion from said source and having an outlet slot with a length substantially greater than its width to produce thin non-atomized ribbons of said emulsion at a thickness of about 200 microns; and
a robot to which said die body is attached for applying one or more ribbons of said emulsion to said finished surface by controlled movement that maintains said die outlet at a constant distance from said surface during the extrusion of said emulsion, which distance is substantially greater than the width of the slot and resulting thickness of said ribbons.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An applicator die for creating undivided ribbons of polymeric film and a method of using the die to apply an emulsified polymeric material in ribbons to a fully or partially finished surface of an automobile body. In one application, the ribbon is applied as a peelable film to an automobile body and in another application, a ribbon is applied to a rocker panel as an anti-chip coating. For both applications, the applicator die has an internal gallery and an outlet slot with flared edge surfaces to emit a laminarized ribbon of polymer-based material at a distance from the target surface where the opposite edges of the ribbon have become essentially parallel.
39 Citations
6 Claims
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1. A system of applying a thin peelable, temporary protective film to the finished surface of a manufactured article comprising:
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a source of a polymeric emulsion having a viscosity of about 3,000 to 12,000 centipoise at a predetermined operating temperature; an extrusion die having a body with an inlet connected to receive said emulsion from said source and having an outlet slot with a length substantially greater than its width to produce thin non-atomized ribbons of said emulsion at a thickness of about 200 microns; and a robot to which said die body is attached for applying one or more ribbons of said emulsion to said finished surface by controlled movement that maintains said die outlet at a constant distance from said surface during the extrusion of said emulsion, which distance is substantially greater than the width of the slot and resulting thickness of said ribbons. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Specification