a method and apparatus for coating articles with a layer of plastic in which drippage of excess coating material onto the freshly coated articles is eliminated . a plurality of liquid plastic applicator nozzles positioned above a coating station supply coating material to an article . when the coating operation is completed , a suckback cycle is initiated creating a negative pressure inside the nozzles and drawing back into the nozzles any excess material . where different amounts of coating material may be supplied to different zones on the article , each individual zone of applicator nozzles is independently controlled , both in the flow and suck - back cycles of operation .