Wire-wound Mayer Film Applicator Rods
Article No. 10256
Mayer Rod, 1.5 mils, 3/8” dia.
The Gardco Mayer Applicator Rods & Jr. Drawdown Rods are round stainless steel bars tightly wound with stainless steel wire, also known as mayer rods, drawdown rods, and film applicators. The diameters of the rods and wires vary in size depending on type of application. The diameters of the wires, in the wound form, regulates the thickness of the coating. During the manufacturing process, tight tolerances are held along with strict quality control.
Features
- Made from 300 series stainless steel
- Wire-Wound Rods are 16" in length
- Jr Rods are 12" in length
- The coating thickness is governed by the area of the groove between the coils of wire. This groove or space allows the right amount of coating to pass through. The amount that has passed through flows out or congeals, leaving a smooth, uniform thickness on the substrate.
- The groove area is determined by the size of the wire, hence, the larger the wire, the larger the groove.
- Accurate thickness of coating from fractions of a mil and up can be achieved with this coating method.
- The desired thickness can be repeated again and again with little loss of time and expense.
- Applicator Rods are available in any length, a variety of diameters and almost any wire size.
- Click here to see the Wet Film Thickness Conversion Chart
- They are manufactured of ground and polished steel and the very finest of wires.
- Applications: Adhesives, Board, Cellulose, Ceramic Colors, Cosmetics, Driers, Duplicating Inks, Emulsions, Fillers, Floor Polishes, Lacquers, Metallic Powders, Oils, Paper, Photographic Papers, Pigments, Plastics, Printing Inks, Resins, Varnishes, Waxes & Hotmelts
- Custom Rods Include:
- Twin & Gapped Drawdown Rods - For those applications where heavier coatings are required, use these special drawdown rods with two wires. A standard single-wire rod is over-wound with a second, smaller wire which follows the spiral of the base wire. The result is a modified groove between the wires that will produce wet coatings up to 11 mils (.011") thick.
- Twin-Coat Rods - Another advantage is that a two-wire rod, used instead of a conventional single-wire rod, will have more than twice as many "grooves" for a given coating thickness. This results in taller raised striations which are affected more quickly by surface tension, and flatten out to a glass-like surface in a shorter time span.
- Gapped Rods - For higher viscosity coatings, gapped rods reduce clogging and eliminate lines. By winding a smaller wire with spacing (see image) the cavity created is wide and shallow allowing heavy coatings to flow better. A smaller wire creates a smaller interruption in the coating flow enabling the coating to wet out more completely. While a gapped rod is less durable than a twin coat rod, it is usually less expensive. Gapped Rods are used for coatings up to 25 mils (.025") thick. Typical coating patterns before "flow-out" Twin Coat Rods Gapped Rods
Technical Attributes
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- Rod Length & Diameter
- 16" x 3/8"
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- Approximate Wet Film Thickness
- 1.5 mils / 38.1 µm
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- Data
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Core 303 Stainless Steel Wire 302 Stainless Steel Core Diameter: +0 to -0.5 mils Wire Diameter: +0 to -0.5 mils Core Straightness: 0.006”/ 12”
Procedure
Drawdowns are an inexpensive method of making laboratory samples to determine coating thickness, substrate penetration, fluid compatibility, bond strength, etc. Drawdown rods enable the technician to perform these tests with a minimum of effort. The procedure is as follows:
- Attach (or tape) a sample of the most suitable substrate to the glass surface of the Drawdown Plate.
- Using a spatula, place a small pool of coating liquid near the top of the sample sheet.
- Immediately grasp the ends of the Drawdown Rod. Using the thumbs of both hands to keep the rod from bowing or bending away from the sample, draw the rod down through the liquid pool spreading and metering the fluid across the sample sheet. As the drawdown is made, note the behavior of the coating and any possible reaction with the substrate. (Note: It may be convenient to construct a small trough of cardboard to catch the excess liquid as it is drawn to the bottom edge of the drawdown board.) Immerse rod in Cleaning Tray after use.
- The coated sample is now ready for testing.
- If the coating application is too thin, use a rod with a larger diameter wire. Hence, if the coating is too thick, use a rod with a smaller diameter wire.
Accessories
Other Variations