A typical nozzle for applying an adhesive to a continuously moving web has a body formed with a passage for feeding the adhesive and having a guide face directed toward the web and upstream in the travel direction of an outlet end of the passage.
This nozzle for applying adhesive can be used in particular for laminating nonwovens against themselves or against films. The nozzle applies heated adhesive, typically a hot-melt, to a moving web constituted by the nonwoven. To this end, the web rides on the guide face. The pressure with which the web is moved over the guide face results in friction and abrasion on the web. As a consequence, fibers of the web deposit on the nozzle. For reducing friction and avoiding deposits, the guide face is often provided with a slide coating, for example a PTFE coating. The passive coating can be further improved by surface burnishing. However, the known slide coatings wear relatively quickly. Experience has shown that the slide coating on a guide face of a nozzle has to be renewed every four to six weeks.