Drying equipment

Abstract

To provide an epoch-making drying device capable of correcting meandering with wrinkles in a state of always being eliminated, capable of straightening wrinkles in a state of always being centered by the meandering correction, and capable of excellently carrying out the meandering correction exhibiting an excellent wrinkle stretching effect.SOLUTION: The drying device comprising an interlock-controlled expander roll 5 and a meandering correction roll 6 disposed downstream relative to the expander roll in the conveying direction, is provided with a wrinkle-elimination / meandering-correction mechanism 7 having a function of concurrently carrying out wrinkle straightening and meandering correction at the outlet of a drying chamber 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a drying device provided in a coating device configured to convey a film-shaped workpiece (base material) and form a thin film on the surface by discharging a coating liquid from, for example, a slit-shaped tip discharge hole, and drying the coating surface of the film-shaped base material after coating by heating with hot air or a heater, and conveying the base material through a drying chamber portion configured to dry the coating film (coating surface) on the surface of the base material.

Background Art

[0002] A drying device provided in a coating device conveys a film-shaped base material on which a coating liquid is coated on the surface by the coating device and sent out from the coating device, and dries the coating film (coating surface) on the surface of the base material by, for example, hot air or heater heating.

[0003] Such a drying device is composed of a drying chamber portion configured by arranging a plurality of divided drying chamber portions (main body portions with upper lids) provided on the left and right in parallel on the left and right, through which a film-shaped base material is conveyed through conveyance inlet / outlet portions provided on the left and right, and a plurality of the main body portions are connected so that the opposing conveyance inlet / outlet portions communicate with each other to form a long drying chamber length (conveyance distance). In each main body portion constituting the drying chamber portion, for example, on the upstream side of conveyance, a large number of support rolls are generally arranged horizontally in parallel in each of the plurality of connected main body portions, the film-shaped base material is passed through the support rolls, and while pulling and horizontally conveying the film-shaped base material, the coating surface of the base material is dried by hot air from the hot air delivery portion in each main body portion or the heat of the heater portion. On the downstream side of conveyance, hot air delivery portions are provided above and below in the plurality of connected main body portions, and the coating surface (coating film) is dried by a floating drying method while being conveyed through non-contact.

[0004] When a substrate coated with such a coating liquid is dried, the shrinkage of the coated surface (coating film) can cause the edges of the substrate in the width direction to curl upward (the edges to curve upward). In addition, if there are areas where the coating liquid is applied and areas where it is not, when the coated surface is heated and dried, shrinkage of the coated surface can cause curling, and fluttering due to hot air drying can cause wavy wrinkles in the width direction of the substrate.

[0005] For example, electrode films for lithium-ion batteries are formed by coating an electrode film onto the upper surface of a substrate such as aluminum or copper foil and drying it. However, when drying this electrode film (coated film) in a drying apparatus consisting of a drying chamber, the wider and thinner the substrate, the more curling and wrinkling can occur in the electrode film due to the shrinkage of the binder (the substance that adheres the electrode film to the substrate) in the electrode film and the fluttering caused by the hot air drying. When the film is wound onto a roll in this state, there is a risk of defects such as folds in the substrate or cracks in the edges of the electrode film.

[0006] Therefore, in order to suppress such curling and wrinkling, measures have been taken such as thinning the coating film to reduce shrinkage force, increasing the thickness of the substrate to increase rigidity, or reducing the drying speed (conveying speed) to prevent sudden stress differences. On the other hand, it has also been proposed to install an expander roll at the outlet of the drying chamber, which has a shape that is slightly convex upward in the center in the conveying direction and slopes slightly downward towards the left and right ends in the width direction of the substrate, that is, a shape that is slightly curved in the vertical direction (a banana shape that is slightly curved vertically), and to support the dried film-like substrate with an angle of attachment on this expander roll and convey it, thereby applying tension to the left and right ends in the width direction of the substrate, and thus eliminating the wrinkles or curls of the substrate.

[0007] However, drying in the drying chamber, which has a transport distance, can cause the substrate to meander. In particular, when floating-type drying is performed in the latter half of the drying process to expedite the drying time or shorten the transport distance, the meandering may become more pronounced. Therefore, when an expander roll is used to smooth out wrinkles, the center position of the substrate may shift relative to the center of the expander roll due to the meandering. As a result, this meandering may reduce the wrinkle-smoothing effect of the expander roll or even exacerbate the meandering, potentially causing defects in the coating film (coated surface) when the material is wound up.

[0008] On the other hand, to correct the tendency of the substrate to meander, a meandering correction roll is also provided that supports the substrate with an angle of attachment and adjusts its axial direction to be slightly inclined with respect to the width direction of the substrate, thereby correcting the meandering of the substrate.

[0009] However, simply installing such a meandering correction roll could exacerbate or crush the wrinkles, potentially fixing them in place, if the substrate already has wavy wrinkles as described above. This is because the meandering correction roll has a large gripping angle and therefore high contact pressure (grip force) (generally the gripping angle is 90 degrees, resulting in a high grip force). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-118363 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0011] To solve these problems, the present invention provides a wrinkle-removing and meandering correction mechanism in which an expander roll and a meandering correction roll are arranged side by side on the outlet side of the drying chamber, and furthermore, the expander roll is positioned upstream of the conveying meandering correction roll, so that wrinkles and curls are removed with the expander roll and then meandering is corrected with a meandering correction roll of the same or larger angle, and by performing wrinkle removal and meandering correction together in this way, it is possible to perform meandering correction while always removing wrinkles and always performing wrinkle removal while always being centered by meandering correction, and thus the wrinkle removal effect and meandering correction effect are good, and therefore the aim is to provide a groundbreaking drying apparatus that removes wrinkles without fixing them into creases while providing a good meandering correction effect. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] The gist of the present invention will be explained with reference to the attached drawings.

[0013] The present invention relates to a drying apparatus in which a coating liquid is applied by a coating apparatus 1, and a film-like substrate 2 is transported and passed through a drying chamber 3, the drying chamber 3 being equipped with a hot air outlet 4 for blowing hot air to dry the coated surface of the substrate 2 coated with the coating liquid, or a heater for drying, the drying apparatus comprising: an expander roll 5 that supports the film-like substrate 2, whose coated surface has dried after being transported and passed through the drying chamber 3, with an angle of attachment, and eliminates wrinkles or curls in the substrate 2 by applying tension in the width direction of the substrate; and a meandering correction roll 6 that supports the substrate 2 with an angle of attachment and corrects the meandering of the substrate 2 by slightly tilting its axial direction relative to the width direction of the substrate. The present invention relates to a drying apparatus characterized in that a wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism 7 is provided on the outlet 8 side of the drying chamber 3, the wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism 7 is configured such that the expander roll 5 is arranged in parallel with the meandering correction roll 6 on the upstream side of the conveying meandering correction roll 6, and a meandering correction roll tilt control mechanism 9 controls the meandering correction roll 6 so that its axial direction tilts by a predetermined amount with respect to the width direction of the conveying film-like substrate 2 based on a meandering detection unit that detects meandering of the conveying film-like substrate 2, and an expander roll interlocking control mechanism 10 interlocks and controls the expander roll 5 to tilt by a predetermined amount in the same direction in conjunction with the tilting of the meandering correction roll 6.

[0014] Furthermore, the expander roll 5 and the meandering correction roll 6, which are arranged in parallel with the wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism 7, are located upstream of the winding and retrieval section 11 that winds up the film-like substrate 2 that has been conveyed and passed through the drying chamber section 3 and whose coated surface has been dried, and downstream of the outlet section 8 of the drying chamber section 3. The drying apparatus according to claim 1 is characterized in that the meandering correction roll 6 is arranged to grip the substrate 2 at an angle equal to or greater than the gripping angle of the expander roll 5 to the substrate 2, and this gripping angle increases the contact pressure on the substrate 2.

[0015] Furthermore, the meandering correction roll tilt control mechanism 9 comprises a rotating unit base portion 12 that rotates horizontally based on the meandering detection unit so that the meandering correction roll 6 tilts in its axial direction relative to the substrate width direction, and a rotating drive unit 13 that rotates the rotating unit base portion 12 horizontally by a predetermined amount, wherein the meandering correction roll 6 is provided on the rotating unit base portion 12, and the expander roll interlocking control mechanism 10 comprises the rotating unit base portion 12 or an interlocking unit base portion that rotates horizontally together with the rotating unit base portion 12, characterized in that the expander roll 5 is provided on the rotating unit base portion 12. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] As described above, the present invention is configured to provide a wrinkle-removing and meandering correction mechanism with an expander roll and a meandering correction roll arranged side by side on the outlet side of the drying chamber, and furthermore, the expander roll is positioned upstream of the conveying meandering correction roll, so that wrinkles and curls are removed with the expander roll and then meandering is corrected with a meandering correction roll of the same or larger angle, and by performing wrinkle removal and meandering correction together, it is possible to perform meandering correction while always removing wrinkles and while always centering due to meandering correction, resulting in a revolutionary drying device that provides good wrinkle removal and meandering correction, and therefore removes wrinkles without fixing them into creases while providing good meandering correction. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a schematic side view illustrating the configuration of this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is an enlarged explanatory side view of the main part of this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged front view illustrating the main part of this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged explanatory plan view of the main part of this embodiment. [Figure 5] This is an enlarged plan view illustrating the operation of one side of the main part of this embodiment.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention that are considered suitable will be briefly described based on the drawings while showing the operation of the present invention.

[0019] For example, the film-like base material 2 that has been coated by the coating device 1 is dried by passing through the drying chamber section 3, and the coating film (coated surface) formed on the surface is dried.

[0020] That is, for example, when the base material 2 coated on the upper surface is drawn and conveyed through the drying chamber section 3, the coated surface on the upper surface is dried by the hot air sent from the hot air sending section 4 provided in the drying chamber section 3 or the heat of the heater section.

[0021] For example, when drying the base material 2 coated with such a coating film, as described above, wrinkles may occur in a wavy shape at the widthwise ends of the base material 2.

[0022] Also, when drying by conveying over a long distance, as described above, the base material may meander.

[0023] In this regard, in the present invention, on the outlet section 8 side of the drying chamber section 3, the film-like base material 2 that has passed through the drying chamber section 3 and whose coated surface formed with the coating liquid has dried is supported with a holding angle, and the wrinkles or curls of this base material 2 are eliminated by the tension applied in the width direction of the base material. It is configured with an expander roll 5 and a meander correction roll 6 that supports the base material 2 with a holding angle and corrects the meandering of this base material 2 by slightly inclining the axial direction with respect to the width direction of the base material. And this wrinkle elimination and meander correction mechanism 7 of the present invention is configured with the expander roll 5 that tilts in conjunction with the upstream side of the meander correction roll 6 that is tilt-adjusted. Therefore, in the present invention, both meander correction and wrinkle stretching of the base material 2 are performed.

[0024] In other words, the present invention provides a wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism 7 that has the function of performing meandering correction and wrinkle removal together, by arranging an expander roll 5 and a meandering correction roll 6 side by side at the outlet of the drying chamber section 3, and furthermore, the expander roll 5 which tilts in conjunction with the conveying upstream side of the meandering correction roll 6 which corrects meandering by tilt adjustment.Therefore, wrinkles and curls are removed by the expander roll 5 and then meandering is corrected by the meandering correction roll 6 which has an equal or greater gripping angle, and by performing wrinkle removal and meandering correction in this way, it is possible to perform meandering correction in a state where wrinkles are always removed and wrinkle removal is performed in a state where the material is always centered by meandering correction, resulting in good wrinkle removal and meandering correction effects.Therefore, the meandering correction effect is good and wrinkles are removed without becoming creased and fixed. [Examples]

[0025] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0026] In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to a drying apparatus in which a film-like material to be coated (substrate 2) pulled out from a winding roll 16 is pulled out and conveyed via an opposing support roll 18 facing the nozzle section 17 of the coating apparatus 1, a coating liquid is discharged from the tip discharge hole of the nozzle section 17 to coat one side (upper surface) of the film-like substrate 2 supported by the opposing support roll 18, and then the coated film-like substrate 2 is horizontally conveyed through the drying chamber section 3 of the drying apparatus to dry, and then wound onto a winding and recovery section 11 (for example, a winding roll 11).

[0027] In other words, this drying apparatus in this embodiment is installed downstream of a coating apparatus 1, which is configured to coat the upper surface of a film-like substrate 2 in a film-like manner by discharging the coating liquid from the tip discharge hole of the nozzle 17 and transporting the film-like substrate 2 facing the nozzle 17 toward the nozzle 17. The drying apparatus is configured to transport and dry the film-like substrate 2 that has been coated on its upper surface by the coating apparatus 1.

[0028] Specifically, the structure consists of a drying chamber section 3, which is configured by arranging multiple divided drying chamber sections (main body sections with lids) on the left and right sides, through which the film-like substrate 2 is transported and passed. A large number of support rolls 15 are arranged in parallel within the drying chamber section 3 at intervals to support the substrate 2, and hot air outlets 4 and heater sections are provided above and below the substrate 2 that is supported and transported by these support rolls 15 to dry the coated surface of the substrate 2.

[0029] In this embodiment, on the upstream side of the conveying process, a large number of support rolls 15 are horizontally arranged within the multiple connected main bodies, and the film-like substrate 2 is passed through these support rolls 15. The film-like substrate 2 is then picked up and conveyed horizontally, while the coated surface of the substrate 2 is dried by hot air from the hot air outlets 4 within each main body and by the heat from the heaters. On the downstream side of the conveying process, hot air outlets 4 are provided above and below the multiple connected main bodies, and the coated surface (coating film) is dried in a floating drying manner while being conveyed and passed through without contact.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a hot air outlet 4 is provided between each support roll 15 in the drying chamber 3 on the upstream side of the conveying. Similar to the drying apparatus with the configuration shown in the prior art patent developed by the present applicant, this hot air outlet 4 is equipped with a Coanda nozzle 19 that generates a Coanda action, that is, a force that blows hot air in a predetermined direction to pull the substrate 2 downward, thereby pressing the substrate 2 against the support roll 15.

[0031] Furthermore, when drying the coating film (coated surface) of the film-like substrate 2 in this manner, as mentioned above, wavy wrinkles may occur at the widthwise edges of the substrate 2. Also, when drying by transporting it over a long distance, as mentioned above, the substrate 2 may meander. In order to eliminate these wrinkles and correct the meandering, this embodiment provides a unit (wrinkle-eliminating meandering correction mechanism 7) that performs both wrinkle-eliminating and meandering correction simultaneously at the outlet 8 of the drying chamber 3.

[0032] In other words, in this embodiment, a wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism 7 is provided at the outlet 8 of the drying chamber 3 (immediately downstream of the conveyance at the outlet 8 in this embodiment), which includes an expander roll 5 that supports the film-like substrate 2, whose coated surface has dried after being conveyed through the drying chamber 3, with a predetermined gripping angle, thereby eliminating wrinkles or curls in the substrate 2 by tension applied in the width direction of the substrate, and a meandering correction roll 6 that supports the substrate 2 with an equivalent or even larger gripping angle, thereby correcting the meandering of the substrate 2 by slightly tilting its axial direction relative to the width direction of the substrate. For example, the expander roll 5 has a shape in which the center in the conveyance direction is slightly convex upward and slopes slightly downward towards the left and right ends in the width direction of the substrate, that is, a shape that is slightly curved in the vertical direction (a banana shape that is slightly curved vertically), and by supporting the substrate 2 with a predetermined gripping angle and conveying it, tension is applied in the width direction of the substrate, which performs the function of eliminating wrinkles or curls in the substrate 2.

[0033] Furthermore, this wrinkle-eliminating meandering correction mechanism 7 is configured to have the expander roll 5, which is slightly curved vertically with a convex central portion, placed alongside the meandering correction roll 6, which corrects meandering by tilting adjustment, on the transport upstream side.

[0034] Furthermore, the wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism 7 of this embodiment is configured as a unit that includes a meandering correction roll tilt control mechanism 9 that controls the meandering correction roll 6 so that its axial direction is tilted by a predetermined amount with respect to the width direction of the substrate, based on a meandering detection unit that detects the meandering of the conveyed film-like substrate 2, and an expander roll interlocking control mechanism 10 that controls the expander roll 5 to tilt by a predetermined amount in the same direction in conjunction with the tilting of the meandering correction roll 6.

[0035] To explain further, in this embodiment, the expander roll 5 and the meandering correction roll 6 of the wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism 7 are configured to be installed downstream of the outlet 8 of the drying chamber section 3 and upstream of the winding and retrieval section 11 that winds up the base material 2. The meandering correction roll 6 is positioned so that its gripping angle with respect to the base material 2 is equal to or slightly larger than that of the expander roll 5, thereby increasing the contact pressure on the base material 2.

[0036] Furthermore, the meandering correction roll tilt control mechanism 9 of the wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism 7 consists of a rotating unit base 12 that rotates horizontally so that the meandering correction roll 6 tilts in its axial direction relative to the width direction of the substrate based on the meandering detection unit, and a rotating drive unit 13 that controls the horizontal rotation of the rotating unit base 12 by a predetermined amount, with the meandering correction roll 6 provided on the rotating unit base 12. Moreover, the expander roll interlocking control mechanism 10 consists of the expander roll 5 provided on the rotating unit base 12, and in addition to meandering correction by tilt control of the meandering correction roll 6, the expander roll 5, which is installed alongside it, is also tilted in conjunction with this tilt control to maintain centering.

[0037] In other words, when the meandering correction roll 6 is tilted in its axial direction relative to the width direction of the substrate based on the meandering detection unit to correct meandering, the expander roll 5 also tilts in conjunction with this, resulting in a unit configuration that corrects meandering while suppressing any misalignment between the center position of the expander roll 5 and the center position of the substrate 2.

[0038] Specifically, the meandering correction roll tilt control mechanism 9 of this embodiment consists of a rotating unit base portion 12 that rotates horizontally based on the meandering detection unit so that the meandering correction roll 6 tilts in its axial direction relative to the width direction of the base material, and a rotating drive unit 13 (cylinder device) that rotates the rotating unit base portion 12 horizontally by a predetermined amount. The meandering correction roll 6 is provided on the rotating unit base portion 12 via an end mounting portion 14. Based on the meandering detection signal from the meandering detection unit, the rotating drive unit 13 is driven and controlled by a predetermined amount so that its rod extends and retracts by a predetermined amount. The rotating unit base portion 12, which is configured to rotate in conjunction with this via a link mechanism 20, rotates horizontally in conjunction by a predetermined amount with the pivot point 21 on one side of the link mechanism 20 as the pivot point. This rotation of the rotating unit base portion 12 causes the meandering correction roll 6 mounted on it to tilt by a predetermined amount. By providing such a structure on both the left and right sides, the meandering correction roll 6 can be tilted so that its left and right ends move in opposite directions relative to its central part. This tilt control allows for constant suppression and correction of meandering.

[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the expander roll interlocking control mechanism 10 is configured such that the expander roll 5 is also provided on the rotating unit base portion 12 via an end attachment portion 14, in parallel with the meandering correction roll 6. Based on the meandering detection signal from the meandering detection unit, the rotating drive unit 13 is driven by a predetermined amount, and when its rod extends or retracts by a predetermined amount, the rotating unit base portion 12 rotates horizontally by a predetermined amount around the pivot point 21 via the link mechanism 20, thereby causing the expander roll 5 to tilt by a predetermined amount together with the meandering correction roll 6. Moreover, by providing such a structure on both the left and right sides, both the meandering correction roll 6 and the expander roll 5 can be tilted so that their left and right ends move in opposite directions with respect to their center portion. This tilt control allows for constant suppression and correction of meandering, and also prevents the center position of the expander roll 5 from shifting. Furthermore, the tilting of the expander roll 5 and the meandering correction roll 6, which move in conjunction with each other, is designed such that they always maintain this distance and remain parallel, even when the two rolls are arranged side by side with a gap between them in the conveying direction.

[0040] Alternatively, the meandering correction roll 6 may be configured as a micro-groove structure that is air-discharged to prevent meandering during high-speed transport.

[0041] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and the specific configuration of each constituent element can be designed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 Coating apparatus 2 Base material 3 Drying room 4. Hot air outlet 5. Expander Roll 6. Meandering correction roll 7. Wrinkle-reducing and meandering correction mechanism 8 Exit section 9. Meandering correction roll tilt control mechanism 10. Expander Roll Interlocking Control Mechanism 11. Winding and retrieval section 12 Rotating Unit Base 13 Rotary drive unit 14 End mounting section 15 Support Roll 16 reel rolls 17 Nozzle section 18 Opposing support roll 19 Coanda nozzle section 20 Link mechanism 21 Fulcrum

Claims

1. A drying apparatus comprising a drying chamber through which a film-like substrate is conveyed after being coated with a coating liquid by a coating apparatus, and a hot air outlet or heater for drying is provided within the chamber, which blows hot air to dry the coated surface of the substrate coated with the coating liquid, A wrinkle-removing and meandering correction mechanism is provided on the outlet side of the drying chamber, comprising an expander roll that supports the film-like substrate, which has been conveyed through the drying chamber and whose coated surface has dried, with an angled support and applies tension in the width direction of the substrate to eliminate wrinkles or curls in the substrate, and a meandering correction roll that supports the substrate with an angled support and slightly inclins its axial direction relative to the width direction of the substrate to correct meandering of the substrate. The wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism is configured such that the expander roll is arranged in parallel with the meandering correction roll on the upstream side of the conveying side, A drying apparatus characterized by comprising: a meandering correction roll tilting control mechanism that controls the meandering correction roll to tilt by a predetermined amount in its axial direction with respect to the width direction of the substrate based on a meandering detection unit that detects the meandering of the conveyed film-like substrate; and an expander roll interlocking control mechanism that interlocks and controls the expander roll to tilt by a predetermined amount in the same direction in conjunction with the tilting of the meandering correction roll.

2. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the expander roll and the meandering correction roll, which are arranged in parallel with the wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism, are provided on the upstream side of the winding and retrieval section that winds up the film-like substrate that has been conveyed through the drying chamber and whose coated surface has been dried, and on the downstream side of the outlet section of the drying chamber, and are arranged such that the gripping angle of the meandering correction roll with respect to the substrate is equal to or greater than the gripping angle of the expander roll with respect to the substrate, and this gripping angle increases the contact pressure on the substrate.

3. The meandering correction roll tilt control mechanism comprises a rotating unit base that rotates the meandering correction roll horizontally so that its axial direction is tilted relative to the substrate width direction based on the meandering detection unit, and a rotating drive unit that rotates the rotating unit base by a predetermined amount horizontally, wherein the meandering correction roll is provided on the rotating unit base. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the expander roll interlocking control mechanism is configured such that the expander roll is provided on the rotating unit base or on the interlocking unit base that rotates horizontally together with the rotating unit base.

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