Coating machine for coating long lengths of material - has coating device to apply hot melt adhesive e.g. ethylene@]-vinyl] acetate to material, with adhesive chamber, coating roller and coating control means

A machine has a coating device to apply a hot melt adhesive to the material; with (a) a chamber for the adhesive; (b) a coating roller fed from the chamber, and (c) a means of controlling the coating and hence the coating thickness. The coating system has arrangements so that different hot melt adhesives can be selectively fed to the chamber. The machine pref. has a supply of one adhesive based on ethylene-vinyl-acetate and another based on polyurethane. The coating device (30) has an open side (33) towards the work to be coated and a vent (35) in its top. It (30) holds a vertical baffle (42) which can close off the interior as it turns about a vertical axis (45). This divides the interior between a front hot melt chamber (50) and a rear chamber (51) which is part of a feed for ethylene-vinylacetate adhesive fed in through the opening (37). The front chamber (50) has a feed bore (38) for polyurethane-based adhesive; this is within the range of the revolving baffle (44) which therefore can close it off. A coating roller (53) is located in front of the open side (33) so as to leave a gap (47). As the roller (53) revolves it draws adhesive out, and a horizontal rod (54) runs parallel to the roller (53) at an adjustable distance away, so as to control the thickness of adhesive on the coating roller (53).