JP7836110B2 - drying equipment - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a drying apparatus for a coating apparatus configured to transport a film-like substrate (a material to be coated) to a nozzle section that discharges a coating liquid from a slit-shaped tip discharge hole, thereby forming a thin film coating on its surface. The drying apparatus involves transporting the coated film-like substrate through a drying chamber configured to heat and dry the coated surface of the completed film-like substrate with hot air or a heater, thereby drying the coating film (coated surface) on the substrate's surface.

The drying apparatus installed in the coating apparatus conveys and passes through the film-like substrate, which has been coated with a coating liquid by the coating apparatus and is then heated by, for example, hot air or a heater to dry the coating film (coated surface) on the substrate's surface.

This type of drying apparatus consists of a drying chamber composed of multiple divided drying chambers (main body sections with top covers) arranged side-by-side on the left and right, through which film-like substrates are transported and passed. Multiple of these main body sections are connected so that their opposing transport inlets and outlets are in communication, thereby creating a longer drying chamber length (transport distance). Within each of these main body sections, for example, on the upstream side of transport, numerous support rolls are horizontally arranged within the multiple connected main body sections. The film-like substrate is passed over these support rolls, and while the film-like substrate is pulled back and horizontally transported, the coated surface of the substrate is dried by hot air from hot air outlets within each main body section and by heat from heater sections. On the downstream side of transport, hot air outlets are provided above and below within the multiple connected main body sections, allowing the coated surface (coating film) to be dried using a floating drying method while the substrate is transported and passed through without contact.

When a substrate coated with such a coating solution 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). Furthermore, if there are areas where the coating solution is applied and areas where it is not, heating and drying the coated surface can cause curling due to shrinkage of the coated surface, as well as fluttering due to hot air drying, resulting in wavy wrinkles in the width direction of the substrate.

For example, the electrode film of a lithium-ion battery is 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 likely it is that curling will occur due to the shrinkage of the binder (the substance that adheres the electrode film to the substrate) in the electrode film, and fluttering due to the hot air drying. This can lead to curling and wrinkling of the electrode film, and when wound onto a roll in this state, it can cause problems such as creases in the substrate or cracks at the edges of the electrode film.

Therefore, 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, with a shape that is slightly convex upwards in the center of the conveying direction and slopes slightly downwards towards the left and right ends in the width direction of the substrate—that is, a slightly curved shape in the vertical direction (a slightly curved banana shape). By supporting the dried film-like substrate with an angle of attachment on this expander roll and conveying it, tension is applied to the left and right ends in the width direction of the substrate, thereby eliminating wrinkles or curling of the substrate.

However, drying within the drying chamber, which involves a long transport distance, can cause the substrate to meander. This meandering is particularly pronounced when using the floating drying method in the later stages of drying to shorten the transport distance or accelerate drying time. Therefore, when using the expander roll to smooth out wrinkles, the substrate's center position may shift relative to the expander roll's center due to the meandering. This meandering can reduce the wrinkle-smoothing effect of the expander roll or even exacerbate the meandering, potentially leading to defects in the coating film (coated surface) when the material is wound up.

On the other hand, to compensate for the tendency of the substrate to meander, a meandering correction roll is also provided. This roll supports the substrate at an angle and adjusts its axial direction to be slightly inclined with respect to the width direction of the substrate, thereby correcting the meandering.

However, simply installing such a meandering correction roll could exacerbate or crush the wrinkles in the substrate if, as mentioned above, wavy wrinkles are present. Because this meandering correction roll has a large gripping angle and therefore high contact pressure (grip force) (generally, the gripping angle is 90 degrees, resulting in high grip force), the wrinkles may become fixed and permanently folded.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-118363

To solve these problems, this invention provides a wrinkle-removing and meandering correction mechanism with an expander roll and a meandering correction roll arranged side-by-side at the outlet of the drying chamber. Furthermore, the expander roll is positioned upstream of the meandering correction roll, eliminating wrinkles and curls with the expander roll, and then correcting the meandering with a meandering correction roll of equivalent or greater angle. By performing wrinkle removal and meandering correction simultaneously, it is possible to always remove wrinkles while correcting meandering, and to always perform wrinkle removal while the fabric is centered by the meandering correction. Therefore, the invention aims to provide a groundbreaking drying apparatus that effectively removes wrinkles without causing them to become permanently creased or fold-like.

The gist of this invention will be explained with reference to the attached drawings.

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 further includes an expander roll 5 that supports the film-like substrate 2, which has been transported and passed through the drying chamber 3 and whose coated surface has been dried, and applies tension in the width direction of the substrate to eliminate wrinkles or curls in the substrate 2, and a meandering correction roll 6 that supports the substrate 2 with an embrace angle and corrects the meandering of the substrate 2 by slightly tilting its axial direction relative to the width direction of the substrate, etc. The present invention relates to a drying apparatus characterized by a wrinkle-reducing meandering correction mechanism 7 provided on the outlet 8 side of the drying chamber 3, wherein the wrinkle-reducing meandering correction mechanism 7 is configured such that the expander roll 5 is arranged parallel to the meandering correction roll 6 on the upstream side of the conveying meandering correction roll 6, and further comprising a meandering detection unit that detects the meandering of the conveyed film-like substrate 2, a meandering correction roll tilt control mechanism 9 that controls the meandering correction roll 6 so that its axial direction tilts by a predetermined amount with respect to the substrate width direction, and an expander roll interlocking control mechanism 10 that 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.

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 recovery section 11 that winds up the film-like substrate 2 after it has been conveyed and passed through the drying chamber section 3, 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 positioned such that its gripping angle with respect to the substrate 2 is equal to or greater than the gripping angle of the expander roll 5 with respect to the substrate 2, and this gripping angle increases the contact pressure on the substrate 2.

Furthermore, the meandering correction roll tilt control mechanism 9 comprises a rotating unit base portion 12 that rotates horizontally so that the meandering correction roll 6 tilts in its axial direction relative to the substrate width direction based on the meandering detection unit, and a rotating drive unit 13 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. The expander roll interlocking control mechanism 10 is configured such that the expander roll 5 is provided on the rotating unit base portion 12 or on an interlocking unit base portion that rotates horizontally together with the rotating unit base portion 12. This is the drying apparatus according to claim 1.

As described above, this invention provides a wrinkle-removing and meandering correction mechanism with an expander roll and a meandering correction roll arranged side-by-side at the outlet of the drying chamber. Furthermore, the expander roll is positioned upstream of the meandering correction roll. The expander roll eliminates wrinkles and curls, and then the meandering is corrected by the meandering correction roll with an equivalent or larger angle. By performing both wrinkle removal and meandering correction simultaneously, the meandering correction is always performed while the fabric is wrinkle-free and centered. This results in excellent wrinkle removal and meandering correction, making it a groundbreaking drying apparatus that effectively corrects meandering while eliminating wrinkles without causing them to become permanently creased.

This is a schematic side view illustrating the configuration of this embodiment. This is an enlarged explanatory side view of the main part of this embodiment. This is an enlarged front view illustrating the main part of this embodiment. This is an enlarged explanatory plan view of the main part of this embodiment. This is an enlarged plan view illustrating the operation of one side of the main part of this embodiment.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described with reference to the drawings, illustrating the operation of the invention.

For example, the film-like substrate 2, after being coated by the coating apparatus 1, is transported through the drying chamber 3, where the coating film (coated surface) formed on its surface is dried.

In other words, for example, a substrate 2 with a coated surface is taken in and transported through the drying chamber 3, and the coated surface is dried by the hot air discharged from the hot air discharge unit 4 or the heat from the heater unit located within the drying chamber 3.

For example, when drying a substrate 2 to which such a coating film has been applied, as mentioned above, wavy wrinkles may occur at the widthwise edges of the substrate 2.

Furthermore, when transporting and drying materials over long distances, the substrate may meander, as mentioned above.

In this aspect, the present invention provides a wrinkle-removing and meandering correction mechanism 7 at the outlet 8 side of the drying chamber 3. This mechanism includes an expander roll 5 that supports the film-like substrate 2, whose coated surface has dried after being transported through the drying chamber 3, at an angle, and eliminates wrinkles or curls in the substrate 2 by applying tension in the substrate width direction; and a meandering correction roll 6 that supports the substrate 2 at an angle, slightly tilting its axial direction relative to the substrate width direction, thereby correcting the meandering of the substrate 2. Furthermore, the wrinkle-removing and meandering correction mechanism 7 of the present invention is configured such that the expander roll 5, which tilts in conjunction with the meandering correction roll 6, is positioned upstream of the meandering correction roll 6, which is tilt-adjustable. Therefore, in the present invention, both meandering correction and wrinkle removal of the substrate 2 are performed simultaneously.

In other words, the present invention provides a wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism 7 with an expander roll 5 and a meandering correction roll 6 arranged side-by-side at the outlet of the drying chamber 3, and a mechanism that performs meandering correction and wrinkle removal simultaneously. Furthermore, the expander roll 5, which tilts in conjunction with the meandering correction roll 6 (which corrects meandering by tilt adjustment), is positioned upstream of the conveying mechanism. 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 equivalent or greater angle. By performing this wrinkle removal and meandering correction simultaneously, it is possible to always perform meandering correction while keeping the fabric centered by the meandering correction, resulting in excellent wrinkle removal and meandering correction effects. Thus, while the meandering correction effect is good, wrinkles are removed without becoming permanently folded.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

This embodiment applies the present invention to a drying apparatus in which a film-like material to be coated (substrate 2) is pulled out from a winding roll 16, transported via an opposing support roll 18 facing the nozzle section 17 of the coating apparatus 1, and the 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. The coated film-like substrate 2 is then horizontally transported through the drying chamber 3 of the drying apparatus to dry, and finally wound onto a winding and recovery section 11 (for example, a winding roll 11).

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. 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.

Specifically, the structure consists of a drying chamber 3 with multiple divided drying chambers (main body sections with lids) arranged side-by-side on the left and right sides, through which the film-like substrate 2 is transported and passed. Within this drying chamber 3, numerous support rolls 15 are arranged at intervals to support the substrate 2. Hot air outlets 4 and heaters are provided above and below the substrate 2 being transported and supported by these support rolls 15 to dry the coated surface of the substrate 2.

In this embodiment, on the upstream side of the conveying process, numerous support rolls 15 are horizontally arranged within the multiple connected main bodies. The film-like substrate 2 is passed through these support rolls 15, and while the film-like substrate 2 is pulled up and conveyed horizontally, the coated surface of the substrate 2 is dried by hot air from the hot air outlets 4 within each main body and 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 using a floating drying method while the substrate is conveyed and passed through without contact.

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 process. Similar to the drying apparatus described in the prior art patent document 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 downwards, thereby pressing and bringing the substrate 2 into contact with the support roll 15.

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 over long distances, as mentioned above, the substrate 2 may meander. To eliminate these wrinkles and correct the meandering, this embodiment provides a unit (wrinkle-eliminating meandering correction mechanism 7) at the outlet 8 of the drying chamber 3, which performs both wrinkle removal and meandering correction simultaneously.

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, which has been conveyed through the drying chamber 3 and whose coated surface has dried, 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, and corrects the meandering of the substrate 2 by slightly tilting its axial direction with respect to the width direction of the substrate. For example, the expander roll 5 has a shape in which the center part 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.

Furthermore, this wrinkle-eliminating meandering correction mechanism 7 has a configuration in which the expander roll 5, which is slightly curved vertically with a convex central portion, is placed alongside the meandering correction roll 6, which corrects meandering by tilt adjustment, on the transport upstream side.

Furthermore, the wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism 7 of this embodiment comprises 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 relative to the width direction of the conveyed film-like substrate 2 based on a meandering detection unit that detects 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.

To further explain, in this embodiment, the expander roll 5 and 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 where the base material 2 is wound. 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.

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

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

Specifically, the meandering correction roll tilt control mechanism 9 of this embodiment consists of a rotating unit base portion 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 (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. When the rotating drive unit 13 is driven and controlled by a predetermined amount based on the meandering detection signal from the meandering detection unit, and its rod extends and retracts by a predetermined amount, the rotating unit base portion 12, which is configured to rotate in conjunction with it 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.

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 a state parallel to the meandering correction roll 6. Based on the meandering detection signal from the meandering detection unit, the rotating drive unit 13 is driven and controlled 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, and as a result, the expander roll 5 also tilts 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 meandering to be constantly suppressed and corrected, and the center position of the expander roll 5 is also kept 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 so that they always maintain this distance and remain parallel, even when the two rolls are positioned side-by-side with a gap between them in the conveying direction.

Furthermore, the meandering correction roll 6 may be configured with an air-dispensed microgroove structure to prevent meandering during high-speed transport.

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

1. Coating apparatus 2. Substrate 3. Drying chamber 4. Hot air outlet 5. Expander roll 6. Meandering correction roll 7. Wrinkle-removing meandering correction mechanism 8. Outlet 9. Meandering correction roll tilting 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 (3)

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. The drying apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the expander roll and the meandering correction roll, which are arranged side-by-side 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 after it has been conveyed and passed through the drying chamber, 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. 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.