CA1229464A - Method and apparatus for producing strip-like or foil- like products - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
Groups of juxtaposed slot nozzles are subject to the action of the same or different melts for producing thin metal strips or foils with a considerable width. The melts are applied as a closed pool to a moving cooler surface, e.g. a rotating drum, where the pool is solidified to a closed metal strip. These groups, which are staggered in the direction of movement of the cooler surface, can be subject to the action of different melts, so that a metal strip is obtained with juxtaposed and sharply defined regions with different characteristics. It is possible to produce amorphous or mixed amorphous/crystalline, or solely crystalline material structures. Alter-natively, by producing different cooling capacities on different surface areas, or by different structuring of different surface areas, it is possible to influence the solidification process of the melt on the cooler surface in such a way that within the strips or foils obtained) there are adjacent regions having different metallic and/or geometrical structures. Through the geometrical configuration of the cooler surface, it is possible to produce foils with a structured surface or with shape-limited individual regions, which permits the mass production of small parts from sheet or strip material.

Description

I.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING STRIP-LIKE
OR FOIL-LIKE PRODUCTS
KIWI VL~I~O~
The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses, as well as a use of the method for producing strip-like or foil-like products from metallic or metallic oxide material, in which a metallic or metallic oxide melt from at least one storage container is applied through at least one nozzle opening to the surface of a cooler moved at a regulated speed.
A method and an apparatus for producing amorphous metal strips are known (European Patent 0,026,812), in which a metallic melt from a storage container is forced out of at least one nozzle opening and is left to solidify on the surface of a cooler moved past the nozzle opening in the immediate vicinity thereof. This is based on the use of circular nozzles with a diameter of 0.5 to lam and when used for producing amorphous metal strips, there is an optimum relationship between the nozzle opening, the distance between the nozzle opening and the cooler surface and the speed of the cooler surface. This permits the production of uniformly formed metal strips at high production speeds. Such strips can either be completely amorphous or consist of a two-phase amorphous/crystalline mixture. The term amorphous metal alloy is understood to mean an alloy, whose molecular structure is at least 50% and preferably I

at least 80% amorphous.
In addition, a method and an apparatus for producing a metal strip are known (German Patent 2,746,238), which proposes various nozzle shapes, which are complicated to malefactor, for the production of "wide" metal strips. The greatest strip width obtainable is 12mm. Within the scope of this proposal, it is also pointed out that it must fundamentally be possible for a lo plurality of parallel, uniform nozzle jets to strike a moving substrate from a suitable distance, e.g. in order to obtain relatively wide strips.
However, this test has led to difficulties, particularly as the nozzle jets do not combine to form a pot, so that it is very difficult to obtain strips with a unfunny cross-section. It is also difficult, if not impossible, to obtain a pool with an adequately uniform thickness for drawing strips with an approximately unifol~n cross-section wider than about 7.5mm. To overcome these difficulties, German Patent 2,746,238 proposes devices with stepped nozzle shapes very close to the cooler surface, which make it possible to produce strips with more unify-thicknesses and widths, as well as uniform strength characteristics up to the range of the aforementioned widths.
In conjunction with an apparatus for producing metal strips at a high speed, a nozzle body with a curved surface and a slot-like nozzle -` ~Z2~9~6 opening are known for the purpose of influencing the slow conditions between the nozzle body and the cooler surface (European Patent 0,040,069~.
The strips produced in this way mainly have an amorphous structure. The coating of the cooler surface with referent materials is also described, but exclusively with respect to obtaining specific physical surface properties, particularly for the completely satisfactory and easy detachmellt of the strips produced from the cooler surface.
Finally, British Patent 2,083,455 discloses a drum-like cooler, which has a circumferential slot.
The circumferential slot on the drum to a certain extent serves as a mound for a relatively thick metal strip, which can subsequently be cut at right angles to form small disks, as are convent tonally used in the manufacture of semiconductors.
All the known methods and apparatuses for producing strips of the aforementioned type suffer from the important disadvantage that it has not hitherto been possible in a practical manner to produce strips significantly wider than about 15cm, despite a very considerable need for such strips, which could hitherto only be produced by complicated and cost-intensive rolling processes.
where is also a need for wider strips with an amorphous structure, which e.g. permit the production of transformers. Such transfol~ers have an approximately 30% lower magnetic reversal losses than conventional stacks of sheets.

I
Furthermore, known methods and apparatuses for pro-during strips of the aforementioned type are used exclusively for producing strips with homogeneous structures. No methods or apparatuses for producing strips are known, which have junta-posed areas with different metallurgical structures, or different geometrical structures. This is in spite of the fact that there is a considerable requirelllent for such strips, e.g.
for packaging foils, which hitherto had to be produced by the more complicated and cost-intens;ve rolling process, or for mass-produced products, particularly small parts, from strip or foil material, which hitherto had to be stamped or punched out of closed foils or strips. The stamping or punching process is also of a complicated and costly nature.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The problem of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus, permitting the production of strips from metallic or metallic oxide material of any random width and which also permit the production of strips with separate areas : of different structures (amorphous or crystalline).
It is also intended to permit the production of strips or foils with adjacent areas of different metallic andtor go-metrical structures.
According to the present invention there is provided a method for producing strip-like or foil-like products from . metallic or metallic oxide material, a metallic or metallic I oxide melt from at least one storage container being applied ; through at least one nozzle opening to the surface of a cooler moved at a regulated speed, wherein melts flowing out of a plurality of juxtaposed nozzle openings are combined into a I` ~Z2~
. closed melt on striking the cooler surface, the melts being made to solidify at the combining instant, in such a way that a closed material layer of desired width is formed.
; Thus, by partly overcoming ;

- pa -I

the hitherto known difficulties and the prejudices linked therewith, it is possible to produce strips of virtually a random width and strips with separate areas of different structures (amorphous or crystalline), thereby oaring a wide range of uses. For example, it is possible to produce a foil having an amorphous structure in the central area, so that it is rigid and dimensionally stable, or can be permeable or impermeable to air as required, whereas in the edge areas, in which the foil is connected to other elements, e.g. folded, it has a soft and flexible crystalline structure By the combined control of the method parameters for juxtaposed nozzles or nozzle groups, it is possible to largely determine in an advantageous manner the material kirk-teristics of the strips to be produced. Strips produced according to this method can be used in a particularly advantageous manner for cladding or lining mechanically or chemically stressed parts, e.g. pipelines, in order to make them corros;on-proof, or friction bearings. When using strips or foils produced according to the invention, such articles can be manufactured more simply and cheaply than when produced by traditional methods.
In addition, the products produced according to the proposed method have better technological properties than conventionally produced products, e.g. by a powder-metallurgical method. According to another method according to the invention, it is go possible by segmenting, perforating or profiling the cooler surface to define geometrically bounded areas, so that it is possible on the one hand to produce foils with a structured surface and on the other those with shape or form-limited individual areas. Thus it is possible in a simple and appropriatem~nner to mass produce small parts from strip or fowl material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
__ __ PA _ _ __ _ __ _ The invention is described hereinafter relative to non-limitative embodiments and the attached drawings, wherein show:
Fig 1 a diagrammatic perspective view of an apparatus for performing the method.
15 Fig 2 a first embodiment of a nozzle body with several individual slots.
Fig 3 a second embodiment with a slot nozzle formed from individual nozzles.
Fig 4 another embodiment with displaced individual nozzles and separate nozzle bodies.
Fig 5 a top view of the apparatus according to Fig 4.
Figs pa and 6b, a view from below of a nozzle body with displaced Nazi slots.
Figs pa to 7c nozzle modules with a through nozzle slot.
Figs pa to 8c nozzle modules with displaced nozzle s lots .
Fig pa and 9b nozzle modules with sloping nozzle 30 slots.

~'~ Z 6 Fig 10 the basic view of a complete apparatus for performing the method.
Fig 11 the view of a preferred embodiment with several storage containers, for producing a strip or foil with juxtaposed areas of different materials or qualities.
Fig 12 a plan view of a cooling drum with a segmented surface structure.
Fig 13 the drum according to Fig 11 in a sectional view.
Fig 14 a plan view of a cooling drum with a perforated surface structure.
Fig 15 the drum according to Fig 14 in a sectional representation.
Fig 17 the drum according to Fig 16 in a sectional representation.
Fig 18 another embodiment in sectional representation.
Fig 19 a plan view of the embodiment according to Fig 18.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED E~BODIMEN'L`S
The apparatus for performing the methods shown in diagrammatic manner in Fig 1 contains a continuously rotating drum 1, which acts as a cooler, storage container 2 with one or more nozzles 3, e.g. with one nozzle slot, and an inductive heater 4 for heating the melt in the storage containers 2. A random different temperature-stabîli2ing device can be used in place of the inductive heater.
The storage containers 2 contain a molten -~.~Z~6~

metal, which is optionally supplied from a source 5. Both the storage container 2 and also the complete apparatus can he connected to an inert gas system, which is diagrammatical-lye indicated in Fig. 1 by a was container 6 collected to the s~oragc container 2. The area of the nozzle opening can also be surrounded by a protective gas atmosphere or be included in a vacuum. To avoid possibly unwanted influences of the border layer, the nozzle outlet can be covered by electron static fields. The storage container 2 can also be subject to the action of a slight overpricer from gas container 6. It is also possible -to use random other devices for pro-during a pressure difference between a storage container and the nozzle openings, e.g. per so known mechanical or electron magnetic pressure difference generating means A regulated power supply means 7 is connected to inductive heater 4.
For the better detachment of the forming strip 8 from drum 1 it is possible to provide a stripper nozzle 90 for air or protective gas, which is connected to a reservoir 100.
In the represented embodiment, the nozzle configu-ration 3 according to Fig. 1 comprises a plurality of India visual nozzles in the manner described hereinafter. En-sentially, a distinction is made between two construction types, which can be combined with one another. In a first construction type, as shown in Fig. 2, a single nozzle body integrated with the storage container 2 is provided, which in the represented embodiment contains three individual slots PA, 3B, 3C. In a -second construction type, which is diagrammatically shown in Figs 3, 4 and 5, a plurality of nozzle bodies is provided, which can in each case contain either individual nozzles 3 or nozzle groups 3AJ 3B~
3C and which are in each case connected to separate storage containers PA, 2B, 2C.
The slot nozzle 3 comprising nozzle openings 3AJ 3B, 3C according to Figs 2 and 3 runs at right angles to the movement direction Y
ox drum 1 and substantially parallel to the drum surface. Nozzle openings PA, 3B, 3C are juxtaposed in such a way that the molten metal flowing out of the storage container 2 or storage containers PA, 2B, 2C forms a continuous, closed melt Oil the surface of drum 1 acting as a substrate. Drum 1, constructed as a cooler, within the melt coating produces a temperature drop, which leads to the immediate solidification of the melt and to the formation of a mechanically closed material web on the substrate. Through the selection of the melt temperature, e.g. with the aid of a regulatable power supply means 7, as well as by the choice of the movement speed of drum 1 and the choice of the temperature gradients on the substrate surface, it is possible to produce material webs having different structures, i.e.
mainly an amorphous or a crystalline structure.
Such crystal structures can be determined on the finished product, e.g. by X-ray diffraction measurements. Crystalline materials show characteristic I

sharp diffraction lines, whereas in the case of amorphous material, the intensity on the X-ray diffraction pattern only changes slowly with the diffraction angle.
When using separate nozzle bodies which are connected to separate storage containers PA, 2B, it is possible two produce material webs, which contain yin juxtaposed manner an amorphous/arnorphous or amorphous/crystalline structure. A foil produced in this way appears as a closed maternal web but which in different areas has the known varying characteristics for crystalline or amorphous structures. For example, a foil produced in this way, is highly elastic and stable in the central area, whereas it is soft and consequently easily deformable in the edge areas, so that it is eminently suited as a packaging foil. A more exacting field of use consists of the production of juxtaposed and interconnected printed conductors with normal and superconducting regions on a foil.
Such foils can be used in the production of high-field coils for fusion plants.
According to the embodiment shown in Figs 4 and 5, the nozzle heads are displaced from one another in separate storage containers PA, 2B, 2C in the movement direction Y of drum 1.
Thus, the action areas of the nozzles or nozzle groups belonging to the individual storage con-trainers follow one another in pointless manner at right angles to the movement direction Y of drum 1.

This arrangement permits the production of different material webs which directly link regions of different material, the transitions between the regions being along a sharp dividing Kline. This is achieved by controlling the method pa.ratneters, the melt temperature, the spacing between the nozzles and the movement speed of the drum surface, in such a way that a second melt with a different composition from the second storage container By is directly melted on the already solidified melt from storage container PA.
This leads to the formation of a unitary material layer, which can be removed as an entity from the drum surface.
In order to obtain optimum connection regions between the nozzle openings PA, 3B, 3C, it is particularly advantageous to -reciprocally displace juxtaposed nozzle openings in movement direction Y, of Figs PA and 6B. Such nozzle modules PA, 8B, 8C can be used individually or positively juxtaposed in plural form on the bottom of a storage container 2. Such a nozzle module contains several nozzle openings PA, 3B, 3C with a slot width a, a slot length b, a displacement c and an overlap do This arrangement leads to particularly advantageous uniform covering of the action areas of the nozzle openings The following values have proved to be particularly advantageous: a= 0.3 to O.8mm, b = 20 to loom, c = O to 5mm and d = O to 3mm.
Figs 7 to 9 show further advantageous embodiments -of such nozzle modules. According to Figs PA to 7C, the juxtaposed nozzle modules have a through or continuous nozzle slot 3. According to Fig PA, the abutting surface between the Nodules is at right angles to the nozzle slot. Fig 7B shows sloping abutting surfaces, which in practice leads to particularly good transitions between the individual nozzle modules, so that it is virtually impossible to detect interfaces Oil the product produced. According to Fig 7C, there are curved abutting surfaces between the modules, which particularly advantageously permit a self-centering of the through nozzle slot.
Each of the nozzle modules according to Fig PA contains a slot nozzle and sloping abutting surfaces. According to Fig 8B, a module contains several, and in the specific embodiment, two displaced slot nozzles, sloping abutting surfaces being provided between the modules and the nozzle slots are also displaced via the interfaces. However, in the case of the nozzle slots according to Fig 8C, they are continuous over abutting surfaces at right angles to the Nazi slots.
Fig 9B shows an embodiment, in which juxtaposed sloping nozzle openings overlap one another in such a way that the bent or extended ends of these openings overlap the adjacent nozzle module, so that no special starting and finishing modules are required.
According to a preferred embodiment for producing an amorphous strip from the alloy Fe40Ni40B20, an apparatus according to Figs l and 2 was used, in which a multiple nozzle arrangement had an overlap G of lam, a displacement D of 3mm, a nozzle slit width of 3mm and a distance between the nozzles and the substrate surface of 0.3mm. A casting speed of 1.2 krn/min is obtained for a drum rotation speed of 1200 rum and drum diameter of 30cm.
According to a further embodiment, in which a modular nozzle according to Fig 7 was used, the size of the individual nozzle was

2.0 x 0.3 x 35mm, with the distance between the nozzle and the substrate surface 0.3mm. The casting speed was the same as in the previous embodiment.
It has proved advantageous to so select the distance d between the nozzles and the substrate surface, that it is on the one hand larger than the thickness of the strip or layer to be produced but on the other hand is smaller than 0.5mm. In order to produce amorphous strips or layers, a casting speed in the range 1.2 to 2.0 km/min has proved particularly advantageous for the aforementioned preferred embodiments. In the embodiment, strips with a width of 5 to 30cm were produced By means of the described methods and apparatuses, it is possible to produce in a particularly advantageous manner foils from alloys, e.g. with No and Pod for catalytic reactions, I

Quote; Quizzer, Nasser, and Mann alloys, e.g. for hydrogen reservoirs) as well as soldering foils based on iron for welding stainless steel and nickel alloys for joining ceramics with metal parts It is also possible to produce transformers plates or Ge-containing or Si-containing alloys for semiconductor purposes or carrier material, e.g. silicon solar cells can be coated therewith.
It is also possible to produce superconducting alloys in this way. According to the described method, such high-quality foils can be held on the edges of less valuable transport materials which permit the mechanical working of such foils with the aid of transport means acting on the edge, lo whilst protecting the useful foil.
By means of such products, or when using the described method, it is possible to produce composite materials of the most varied types, e.g. different metal alloys in sandwich form, or within the scope of the isostatic mounding of fibrous materials, strips and the like. Using the foils or strips produced by the method according to the invention, it is also possible to clad or line pipes or transport lines, so that they ego have a corrosion-resistance surface of high quality material, whilst the carrier material can be a simple, inexpensive mass-produced product Large-area coatings of this type can be realized by several butting material webs, the abutting regions between the juxtaposed material webs being subsequently treated in a following stage in such a way that a homogeneous surface of uniform thickness is obtained. The additional step can, for example, be performed with the aid of laser glassing The material coatings in the abutting regions are briefly locally melted to an adjustable penetration depth. The cooling potential of the surrounding material is sufficient to permit the solidification in glass-like manner of the melted-on volume with very high cooling rates, e.g. in the range 10 and 10 Schick so that once again an amorphous material structure can be produced. By means of this method, it is possible e.g. to upgrade the surfaces of pipes or shafts and work pieces with relatively large dimensions can also be provided with an age-hardened or hardened surface.
The apparatus for performing the method shown in Fig 2 contains a continuously rotating drum 1 acting as a cooler, a storage container 2 with at least one nozzle opening 3 and an inductive heater 4 for heating the melt in storage con-trainer 2. Nozzle opening 3 is at a distance d from the surface of drum 1. Storage container 2 contains a molten metal, or a metal alloy or metallic oxide, which is optionally supplied from a source 5. Both the storage container 2 and thy complete apparatus can be operated as a pressure or inert gas system, which is diagrammatically indicated in Fig 1 by a pressure container 6 connected to storage container 2. A regulated power supply means 7 is connected to the inductive heater 4.
The melt flowing from storage container 2 forms a thin melt coating on the surface of drum 1 ' 5 acting as a substrate. The drum l, which is constructed as a cooler, produces a temperature gradient within the melt coating "which leads to the immediate solidification of the melt and to the formation of a closed material web on the substrate. By the choice of the melt temperature with the aid of the regulatable power supply means 7, as well as by the choice of the speed of movement of the substrate, i.e. in the present case the speed of revolution of drum 1, together with the choice of the temperature gradient on the substrate surface, it is possible to establish whether the material web produced by a mainly amorphous or mainly crystalline structure. Such crystal structures can be determined on the finished product, e.g. by X-ray diffraction measurements.
Crystalline materials reveal characteristic shaft diffraction lines, whereas with amorphous material the intensity in the X-ray diffraction diagram only slowly changes with the diffraction angle When using separate storage containers PA, 2B, 2C according to Fig 11, it is possible to produce material webs, which contain in juxtaposed manner the same or different materials with different crystal structures (crystalline or amorphous. A foil produced in this way appears as a mechanically unitary strip. The individual storage containers PA, 2B, 2C contain e.g.
different metals or alloys, which solidify to a unitary strip on drum 1.
According to a variant, of Fig 11, there are three cooling means PA, 8B, 8C, which supply the drum 1 in areas lay lo and lo with a fluid coolant, e.g. air or inert gas. By the choice of suitable cooling capacities with the aid of cooling means PA, 8B and 8C, it is possible to produce different temperature ranges on the drum surface in areas lay lo and lo. The melts flowing out of storage containers PA, 2B and 2C are therefore quenched to a varying degree on striking the d-rum surface, so that a desired crystal structure can be. obtained on one of the drum areas lay lo and lo within the resulting closed material web.
The aforementioned method also makes it possible to produce a closed material web from juxtaposed areas of a different material. In this case, the corresponding melt of the desired material is filled into storage containers PA, 2B, 2C and on the drum surface is provided a joint-free engaging closed web with juxtaposed areas of different material. The cooling conditions on the drum surface are set by means of cooling means PA, 8B, 8C using per so known criteria, in such a way that the solidification conditions on the dim surface are adapted to the selected removal rate, it to the rotation speed of the drum.
According to Figs 12 and 13, the drum surface is provided with separating ribs PA, 9B, 9C, which separates from one another intermediate substrate regions loan lob Foil segments form in substrate regions loan lob and are only slightly separated from one another in the vicinity of the separating ribs PA, 9B, 9C, so that the resulting strip-like material can be removed from the drum 1 as an entity and the segments can be easily separated from one another in a subsequent processing stage, e.g. during the final working of the foils.
According to the embodiment shown in Figs 14 and 15, perforations lea, lob, llC are provided in the drum and can have random configuratiolls.
The perforated regions of the drum surface are not wetted by the melt applied, so that there are corresponding recesses in the resulting strip-like material This makes it possible to obviate the hitherto conventional additional process stages such as stamping or punching. Thus, a high degree of further process ability is achieved directly at the time of the production the foils or strips. As a modification of this embodiment it is possible to produce projecting areas instead of recesses on the drum surface, so that the resulting strop-like material has a corresponding shape.
The embodiment according to Figs 14 and 15 also makes it possible to combine different materials or material characteristics in juxtaposed areas.
In the embodiments shown in Figs 16 and 17, the cooling drum has on its surface profiles AYE, 12B, e.g. rib prowls which unlike in the case of the embodiment of Figs 3 and I have smooth transitions, so that the ribs are uniformly coated by the melt and a corresponding foil-like or strip-like material forms. Such a material is used as a top-quality semifinished product, e.g. in the production of catalyst foils in chemical engineering.
In embodiments according to Figs 18 and 19, the drum 1 has periodic transverse grooves 13.
When using a fine nozzle opening 3) this makes it possible to produce material fires, whose length corresponds to the spacing between the transverse grooves. In the present embodiment, drum 1 has a diameter of 280mm. The fire length of 2cm was obtained by segmenting the drum in 2cm spacings. The V-shaped transverse groove 13 has a depth of lam and an angle of 60. The drum rotation speed is 1500 rum 9 corresponding to a casting speed of 1.32 km/min. The nozzle used has a 0.5mm diameter hole, whilst the distance d between the nozzle opening and the drum was approximately 2mm.
The embodiment was carried out with a Fe40Ni40B20-alloy. Typical fire dimensions are width 0.5mm, length 20mm and thickness 30 sum.
Such short fires made from metallic glasses can be used for reinforcing plastics, ceramics or cement. They also form a starting material for mounding and sistering in the production of compact, glass-like or finely crystalline work pieces.
In a modified embodiment, in which the nozzle opening 3 was in the form of a s lot, wide foil pieces were produced. A slot nozzle with a width of 20mm was used. The distance d was approximately 0.3mm. The alloy used was Fe40Ni40B20. The dimensions of a foil piece were width 20mm, length 20mm and thickness 60 jump According to another embodiment for producing profiled strips or strip portions according to Figs 16 and 17, the drum 1 had a diameter of approximately 320mm. The drum surface 15 was provided with a slightly rounded longitudinal profile of width 1.5mm and a projection of 0.2mm, the speed of revolution was 1500 rum The nozzle used was constructed as a slot nozzle and had a width of 9mm. The distance between the nozzle opening and the profile surface was 0.3mm. Typical values for the dimensions of the strip with profiled cross-section were, according to Fig 11, width 9mm9 thickness at the ends 45 em and thickness in the center 35 Jim.
According to another embodiment, the previously produced foils and other semifinished products were coated several times using the aforementioned method, so that a semifinished product was obtained with several coatings of different materials or difererlt crystal structures.

For example the drum 1, serving as a cooler, and which constituted the substrate for the strips or coatings to be produced, was replaced by a suitable semifinished product, e.g. pipes or other work pieces, which can be coated with the aid of the described apparatus and method. Whilst maintaining a continuous drawing speed, the semi-finished product to be coated was moved under the nozzle body and cooled as a function of the material properties or thermal conductivity characteristics of the semifinished product used as the substrate, so that the coating with the desired crystal structure crystalline or amorphous) was formed on the surface.
Pipes with an amorphous coating produced in this way have a particularly high degree of corrosion resistance, in the case of a suitable choice of the coating material. They can be used with particular advantage in the manufacture of chemical apparatus.
They are much less expensive than the hitherto used solid material pipes for this purpose, because simple, inexpensive material can be used as the semifinished product.

Claims (25)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A method for producing strip like or foil-like products from metallic or metallic oxide material, a metallic or metallic oxide melt from at least one storage container being applied through at least one nozzle opening to the surface of a cooler moved at a regulated speed, wherein melts flowing out of a plurality of juxtaposed nozzle openings are combined into a closed melt on striking the cooler surface, the melts being made to solidify at the combining instant, in such a way that a closed material layer of desired width is formed.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein immediately after the solidification of the melts from at least one nozzle displaced at right angles to the direction of movement of the cooler surface, at least one second melt, differing from the first melt, is applied to the same cooler surface, the second melt being melted directly on the particular strip formed from the first melt, in such a way that a closed material layer is formed, with juxtaposed areas having a different composition.

3. An apparatus for performing the method according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of juxtaposed nozzle openings is connected to one or more storage containers, in such a way that the action ranges of the nozzle openings on the surface of the cooler directly connect to one another or overlap one another.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the nozzle openings are displaced relative to one another in the direction of movement of the cooler acting as a substrate.

5. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the slot nozzle is formed from a plurality of juxtaposed nozzle bodies, each nozzle body containing one or more nozzle openings.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the slot nozzle is formed by a plurality of positively joined nozzle modules.

7. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the slot nozzle comprises an uneven number of nozzle openings, in such a way that the two outer nozzle openings are arranged in a line with respect to the direction of movement of the substrate surface.

8. An apparatus according to clam 3, wherein juxtaposed storage containers are connected to separately regulated control means, for the separate regulation of the method parameters with respect to the two storage containers.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein jux-taposed nozzle openings overlap one another, all the starting areas of the nozzle openings being in a first line at right angles to the direction of movement of the substrate surface and all end areas of the nozzle openings being in a second line at right angles to the direction of movement.

10. An appartus for performing the method according to claim 2, wherein the nozzles or nozzle groups belonging to different melts are displaced relative to one another in the direction movement of the cooling surface by a distance such that the action areas of the nozzles or nozzle groups are linked in jointless manner at right angles to the movement direction of the cooler surface.

11. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the nozzle openings have a slot width between 0.3 and 0.8mm and a slot length between 20 and 100mm.

12. An apaparatus according to claim 4, wherein the reciprocal displacement of the nozzle openings is max. 5mm.

13. An apparatus for performing the method according to claim 1 using a pressure difference between the storage containers and nozzle openings, wherein the reciprocal dis-placement of the nozzle openings is in the range 5 to 12mm in the direction of movement of the cooler.

14. An apparatus according to one of the claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the area of the nozzle outlets is protected by an inherent gas atmosphere or included in a vacuum.

15. An apparatus according to one of the claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the area of the nozzle outlets is covered by electrostatic fields.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein the con-tinuously moved cooler surface is formed by the semi-finished product to be coated.

17. A method according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the material coatings are processed to composite mate-rials by applying additional material coatings of the same or a different composition, or by isostatic moulding.

18. A method according to claim 16, for improving the surface of the semi-finished product, wherein abutting areas between adjacent material webs are locally and briefly melted in an additional process stage and the melted-on volume is made to solidify in glass-like manner.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein melting-on takes place with the aid of a laser and the melted-on mate-rial is made to solidify in glass-like manner with a tempera-ture gradient between 104 and 105°C/sec.

20. A method for producing strip-like or foil-like products from metallic or metallic oxide material, a metallic or metallic oxide melt from at least one storage container being applied through at least one nozzle opening to the sur-face of a cooler moved at a regulated speed, wherein the solidification process of the melts is controlled by the choice of surface-related method parameters with respect to the different cooling capacities on different surface areas and/or with respect to different structuring of different surface areas, and wherein after the solidification of the melts, the metallic or metallic oxide product is separated from the cooler surface.

21. A method according to claim 20, wherein the cool-ing capacity is controlled by forced cooling and wherein the cooling capacity differs in adjacent cooling zones at right angles to the direction of movement of the cooler.

22. A method according to claim 20, wherein the cooling capacity is influenced by subjecting areas with different thermal conductivities within the cooler surface to the action of a common coolant potential.

23. An apparatus for performing the method according to claim 20, wherein there are juxtaposed areas of different cooler material with different thermal conductivity chara-cteristics at right angles to the movement direction of the cooler.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the regions of the different cooler material are connected to a common cooling circuit with a fluid cooling medium.

25. An apparatus for performing the method according to claim 20, wherein the cooler surface is provided with a segmented, perforated or profiled surface structure.