Patent ID: 6929705
Filing Date: 2005-08-16
Classification: A01N,C09D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A process of manufacturing a metal sheet precoated with an antimicrobial polymer coating, comprising: providing a metal sheet substrate provided as a continuous strip having two opposed planar surfaces and comprising a nickel alloy base metal selected from the group consisting of nickel manganese, nickel-aluminum, nickel silver, nickel bronze and nickel-silicon; cleaning the surface of the substrate with an alkaline solution comprising one or more agents selected from the group consisting of caustic soda, soda ash, alkaline silicates, sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, sodium metasilicate, phosphates, alkaline builders, ammonium acid phosphate, ammonium hydroxide, monoethanol amine, and dimethylamine oxide wherein cleaning comprises removing bulk and molecular organic contaminants; pretreating at least one planar surface of the substrate to promote adhesion of a polymer coating; applying a polymer coating onto at least one planar surface of the substrate by roll coating the substrate with a polymer containing an anti-microbial powder comprising core particles associated with an antimicrobial metal component; wherein the content of the antibiotic powder is in the range of from about 0.2 to about 30 weight percent of the polymeric coating; wherein the core particle comprises one or more particles selected from the group consisting of: oxides selected from the group consisting of titanium, aluminum, zinc and copper oxides, sulfates selected from the group consisting of calcium, strontium and barium sulfates, sulfides selected from the group consisting of zinc and copper sulfides, zeolites, zirconium phosphate, mica, talc, kaolin, mullite, silica and mixtures thereof; wherein the antimicrobial metal component is selected from the group consisting of silver, copper, zinc, mercury, tin, lead, bismuth, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, nickel, and thallium ions and mixtures thereof; and treating the coated substrate to produce at least a partially hardened and adhered antimicrobial coating on the final sheet product.