Patent ID: 7311780

Claim:
An improvement station comprising at least five pick-and-place devices that periodically contact and re-contact a wet coating at different positions on a substrate having a direction of motion, wherein the coating has an average coating caliper, and defects including coating caliper surges, depressions and voids, wherein the pick-and-place devices comprise, undriven rolls that rotate in the direction of substrate motion and the number of pick-and-place devices having the same or substantially the same periods of contact with the substrate is sufficient so that coating caliper defects ranging from a complete absence of coating to an excess of as much as 200% of the average coating caliper are converted to range from 85% to 115% of the average coating caliper wherein the periods of contact of one or more of the devices can be changed to reduce or minimize coating defects in the direction of substrate motion, and the diameters of the pick-and-place rolls are not all the same.