Patent ID: 7422772

Claim:
A method of dispensing a coating material onto a substrate using an applicator comprising: a body comprising a liquid flow passage for receiving the coating material and a fluid passage for receiving a pressurized fluid, an extension connected to the body, a nozzle attached to the extension and including a dispensing orifice, a dispensing valve operable by a control to dispense the coating material through the dispensing orifice onto a substrate, and a cap surrounding the nozzle and forming a fluid path conducting the pressurized fluid, the method comprising: initiating a flow of pressurized fluid along the fluid path and through spaces between splines in the fluid path upstream of a distal end of the cap, the splines extending outward from the extension and having respective lengths extending parallel to a nozzle axial centerline; opening the dispensing valve to initiate a flow of coating material from the dispensing orifice; and discharging the pressurized fluid in a direction substantially parallel to the nozzle axial centerline, the pressurized fluid contacting the flow of coating material to form a randomized monofilament pattern of coating material on the substrate.