Operating Windows of Slot Die Coating: Comparison of Theoretical Predictions with Experimental Observations

The objective of the present study is to examine the validity of the theoretical predictions on the operating windows of slot die coating. The operating window is defined as a domain inside which stable and uniform coating is possible; different types of coating defects are found outside the window. A flow visualization technique was applied to observe the coating bead, particularly the positions and shapes of the downstream and upstream menisci, just before and after coating defects appear at high coating speeds. Special features of coating bead shapes, which lead to onsets of ribbing and air entrainment, were identified. The two-dimensional flow in the coating bead region was computed by the commercial software package FLOW-3D (R). Critical features observed experimentally for the onset of coating defects were used to judge whether the coating flow was within the operating window. The theoretically evaluated operating windows were found to be much larger than those determined experimentally in terms of coating speeds. However, the qualitative trends of theoretical predictions agree with experimental observations. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 29: 31-44,2010; Published online in Wiley Inter Science (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOT 10.1002/adv.20173