Abstract: An apparatus for coating the flat surface of a substrate with a coating material is disclosed in which only a minimum amount of coating material is required for uniformly coating the entire surface of the substrate in an efficient manner under a variety of coating conditions, even if the substrate surface takes a non-circular configuration. According to one embodiment, the flat surface of the substrate is first coated with a coating material, and the substrate thus coated is then spunned at predetermined number of revolutions per minute. According to another embodiment, the apparatus includes a support table on which the substrate is fixedly mounted. A plurality of shaping members are slidably mounted on the support table for forming with the flat non-circular-shaped surface of the substrate a flat continuously extending circular-shaped surface.

Abstract: A die-casting apparatus is used to carry out a die-casting method in which an injection plunger is moved forwardly at a lower speed and then is temporarily stopped at a forward stroke intermediate position in which a space defined by the injection plunger and an injection sleeve is substantially filled with an amount of molten metal. Then, evacuation of a product cavity and the injection sleeve is commenced and, after the lapse of a predetermined time period, the injection plunger is again moved forwardly at a higher speed to inject the molten metal from the injection sleeve into the product cavity. Compared with the prior art, the method provides an increased evacuation time period and assures a reduction in the volume to be evacuated. In addition, the higher injection stroke reduces possibility that air and gases are trapped in the molten metal to provide die-cast products of a high quality.