Slot die pre metered coating process for organic coating of architectural steels

The project will examine the feasibility of using slot die coating as a means of coating paint to steel which is used for exterior facades on steel buildings. . The project aims to develop the understanding of the slot die and curtain coating processes to allow it to deposit a high viscosity solvent based coating for the steel industry. The processes potentially offer a more repeatable and controlled means of depositing the paint, while also allowing smoother surfaces, shorter changeover times between colours, multi-layer wet on wet coating and reduced operator exposure to VOCs. It will use a combination of modelling and experimental techniques to investigate the operational envelope of the process when substrate - die contacted must be mitigated by an increased substrate / die surface. Through understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms associated with rheology, substrate wetting, free and surface flows, the deposition process will be understood.