Abstract: The aim of the invention is to coat running material webs (1). According to prior art, the coating material is applied to the material web (1) by means of curtain coaters. Said coating material is discharged from a slit nozzle (2) and passes through a free-falling curtain (3). The edges of the curtain (3) are separated by means of separating elements (9, 10) before the fall into the material web (1) for adjusting the coating width. According to the invention, a smaller curtain is produced on each edge by means of a first outer separating element (10). Said curtain is adjusted to the desired coating width by means of a second, inner separating element (9). In a preferred embodiment, an inner separating element (9) is used which contains a vertical channel in the interior thereof. Said channel is open on the separating edge. A water supply (24) flows into said channel.

Abstract: Known devices for contactlessly guiding or treating continuous lines of material (1) have one chamber (2). A supply device (3) for a gaseous fluid is connected to said chamber (2), which has a gas-permeable wall (4). The outer surface (5) of said wall (4) is embodied as a guide surface for the line (1). According to the invention, the gas-permeable wall (4) is produced from a porous, metal-containing material with open pores which have an average diameter of less than 500 &mgr;m, preferably less than 100 &mgr;m, especially less than 20 &mgr;m. The porous material used for the guiding surface enables the line (1) to glide on a fluid pad of less than 1 mm. The losses of fluid on the surfaces not covered by the line (1) are very low.