FILM APPLICATORS - THE PAST, THE PRESENT, THE FUTURE - HIGHLIGHTS SOME OF THE FACTORS DRIVING TODAYS FILM COATING PROCESSES

Film applicators, as a gate roll train or an inclined two-roll unit wi th applicator heads, prepare the surfaces of a paper or board sheet fo r the coating and/or finishing operations that follow. Recently, this technology is being used in some locations in non-traditional roles. A global review has shown that film applicators have been, and are bein g, used to apply sizing and pigments to a variety of webs. The purpose of this paper is to review the history and describe the challenges re lated to film application, to describe current film applicators and to outline future directions in film coating.