CAVIFLEX HOTMELT PROCESS

1) CAVIFLEX modular system CAVITEC develops, designs, manufactures and supplies hotmelt coating and laminating lines with rotogravure, rotary screen and roller coating heads for a long time. The new idea is combining different hotmelt coating heads modular and interchangeable in a basic machine This modular system enables you to adapt the best-known and proved application methods into the same line. Even if you decide for a roller coating system today, later you will be able to adapt new coating demands quickly. The Caviflex - modular system enables an easy change of the 1) Cavimelt gravure roller head by a Caviroll (multi roller coating system) or Cavislot (slot die system) or Caviscreen (screen print) coating module. 2) Caviroll multi roller coating module 3) Cavislot slot die module

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Caviflex Hotmelt Process

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CAVIMELT Gravure roller coating system Meltprint is an engraved roller application system to apply fusible hotmelt onto webs. The system is designed to apply liquid hotmelt onto a passing substrate in exactly defined patterns and to laminate it to a second substrate. Thus it meets the special requirements to produce a soft and permeable composite. A passing web is pressed by a press roller against a heated engraved roller, the cavities of which are filled by a liquid hotmelt that is applied by doctor. The applicator unit is a heated trough that is sealed off against the engraved roller by a spring steel doctor blade. Via pressure of the engraved roller against the substrate the hotmelt is transferred onto the web and a patterned coating - conform with the configuration of the engraved roller - is achieved. To laminate a second web to the coated substrate, the surface of the latter is - if necessary - slightly heated by means of the pre-heating zone and fed directly to the calendar, where it is joined with the coated web. Fusible hotmelt laminates, which are produced by this system, depend on the following two effects: the chemical adhesive properties of the fusible compound in their liquid state the mechanical bonding of the adhesive polymer in the surface structure of the laminated web after the adhesive has set and crystallized.

Of special importance is the configuration of the coating pattern. From the experience gained by coating fusible interlinings in the garment industry, it is well known that the coating in dot form is most suitable for the lamination of textile composites. Depending on the closeness and the size of the adhesive dots, only par of the warp and weft intersections - or of intertwined threads - are blocked and the softness and elasticity of a material remains mainly unaffected.

textile substrate

textile substrate

melting point

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Caviflex Hotmelt Process

After a certain know how has been gathered, a number of standardized dot patterns had been established that are suitable for the process depending on material type and final product. For coatings and laminations where softness and elasticity of the laminate is of lesser importance, a variety of net shaped or lined patterns are also applied. Examples: conventional regular dot pattern with symmetric configuration

computer dot (irregular dot) pattern to avoid interfering patterns on textile substrates

net structured pattern

subdivided rhomboid pattern, to receive different elasticity longitudinal and lateral

CAVIFLEX - with gravure roller

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Caviflex Hotmelt Process

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CAVIROLL multi roller coating system The multi roller coating system is suitable to achieve an overall, compact coating on a textile or non-textile substrate. This system will be applied mainly for technical textiles where a compact film like coating is requested e.g. back coatings for furniture and carpet industry , compounds for building and automotive industry. The hotmelt is fed into the gap of the metering and the application roller. The metering roller is responsible for the coating weight and thickness by means of the gap opening to the application roller, which is fix installed. Both rollers are steel with plain surfaces and are oil heated. The speed ratio between the application roller and the substrate influences the coating weight and the compactness of the film and can be adjusted easily. Also in this system, thermoplastic and reactive PUR adhesives can be used according to the respective requirements.

CAVIFLEX - with multi roll coater

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Caviflex Hotmelt Process

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CAVISLOT Slot die System The slot die coating system is especially suitable for having an overall or interrupted film coating on the textile substrates. The add-on can be adjusted by the feed-in capacity of the hotmelt adhesive and the speed of the substrate to be coated. The hotmelt will be fed-in via heated hoses into the nozzle, which is positioned at a certain angle and causes a special pressure flow. The main application of CAVISLOT is in the field of technical textiles and the paper coatings. It can be also used for the transfer coating area for pressure sensitive adhesives onto release papers or foils.

CAVIFLEX - with slot die

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Caviflex Hotmelt Process

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Caviflex Hotmelt Coating and Laminating Meltprint lines are of modular are of modular structure and consist of the following elements: - Winding Systems and Material Accumulators - Web Guiding Systems - Caviflex Coating and Laminating Unit - Melting System for the Adhesive Compound - Auxiliary Aggregates and Line Control Units Below see the key components:

6 3

4 1 2

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)

Coating substrate with tension controlled feed-in Counter roller, cooled, equipped either with steel surface or silicone rubber coated, as per request Engraved roller heated, with fast release roller exchange Applicator, thermal oil heated, application width adjustable Laminating substrate with tension controlled in-let Infrared heater Laminating unit with separate adjustable drive, roller pair either steel/steel or steel / silicone rubber coated. These rollers can be cooled or heated, de-pending on the actual process.

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Caviflex Hotmelt Process

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Tri-Laminate The CAVITEC tri-laminate manufacturing method is a patented system enabling to laminate three layers in a single pass. The patented issue is: The middle layer, a breathable membrane, will be dot coated synchronous on both sides in such a way that the dots meet back to back. This allows the remaining of a maximum breath ability of the membrane even in three layer laminates. The characteristic "high breathe ability" is one of the most important facts for laminates for the functional cloth industry.

CAVITEC also supplies double-head hotmelt coating and laminating machines without this back-to-back coating, just for having a tri-laminate in a single pass, e.g. for the automotive industry.

3. substrate tri-laminate

2. substrate

1. substrate

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Caviflex Hotmelt Process

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Melting System Different melting systems are applied depending on type, melting range and viscosity. Drum melting units for 25 kg, 50 or 200 kg drums are well suited for moisture-curing PUR hotmelt, as they are humidity proof. These units are also suitable for most other adhesive compounds as long as they are available on the market in such drums. The typical melt capacity is up to 200 kg/h. Helical screw extruders (single screw) have to be used for high melting polymer chips. The advantages of extruders are the speed at which they are ready for operation, the fast and mainly waste-free change of material which is possible and the high flow rate involved. Furthermore the adhesive does not suffer from thermal loss. Tank melting units are suitable for low melting adhesives of medium viscosity) in brick , chip and pellet shape. Should the unit additionally be equipped with a gas protection unit, moisture-curing PUR hotmelt could be applied. Drum melting unit - system Helical screw extruder - system

2 4 3 1 3 1 2

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1) Melting system for the adhesive 2) Melting system for the cleaning agent 3) Bypass valve 4) Heated flexible feed-in hose 5) Cavimelt applicator unit 1) Hopper

2) Screw conveyor with heat register 3) Heated flexible feed-in hose 4) Cavimelt applicator unit

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Caviflex Hotmelt Process

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Requirements concerning fusible materials and substrates 8.1 Adhesive materials are mainly hotmelt polymers which are liquefied in melt tanks or extruders. Depending on the kind of polymer and its melt viscosity, application temperatures up to 240C have to be used. Initial problems with the heat stability of polymer melts have been solved up to date. There is a wide range of products on the market with different characteristics to be applied in Meltprint lines without any difficulties. This range includes classical adhesives for textiles on the basis of CoPA and CoPES and special compound recipes formulated to customers specific requirements including bonding adhesives. Development of reactive adhesives based on moisture curing polyurethanes has undergone great changes within the last few years. Today a selection of products is available and can be applied on Meltprint lines without any problems. Almost every substrate can be coated and laminated by the Meltprint process. The only limitations with regard to webs are those with loose fibrous surfaces and with very open and coarse structures.

8.2

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Caviflex Hotmelt Process

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Examples of Application Meltprint is a versatile coating and laminating system for textile materials or similar webs. Typical applications are found in the following fields: automotive interiors protection clothes functional sports wear interlining for clothing and shoe industry hygiene and medical products technical compounds upholstery, decorative industry

Almost every kind of combination of different materials such as woven or knit fabrics, non woven, artificial leather, papers and foils are possible. In foam lamination, the Meltprint process provides an excellent alternative to the flame laminating technique still applied. Due to the high production rates and emission-free process, competitive advantages may result.

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Caviflex Hotmelt Process

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Summary With regard to productivity and range of application the Meltprint process belongs to the most efficient concepts in hotmelt processing. Particular advantages are: versatility of application high production possibility emission-free process, no vapors, aerosols, fumes low specific energy consumption small floor space requirement for production line high precision of hotmelt application and easy reproducibility, thus rendering a high process efficiency use of hotmelt compounds in different forms, no grinding costs, moderately priced optimized adhesive compounds can be used. careful treatment of material during process

The use of the Caviflex technique will bring new standards into the area of the composite webs. It connects the optimum utilization of a modern adhesive with an economical application and an elementary, operationally reliable basic principle. Low process costs coupled with high quality standards of products are forming the base of the economical process system of CAVITEC Caviflex Lines.

Contact address: CAVITEC AG Murgtalstrasse 18 CH-9542 Mnchwilen Tel. +41 71 969 1515 Fax: +41 71 969 1520

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