JP2011177672A - Apparatus and method for drying coating film - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus and a method for drying uniformly a coating film formed by applying a coating liquid which can prevent uneven drying. <P>SOLUTION: The drying apparatus 14a is for drying the coating film after a coating film is formed by applying a solvent-containing coating liquid onto a carrier film 10 and is equipped with a blowing means 20 of blowing hot air directly and exclusively toward the center of the coating film while blowing air indirectly toward the outer periphery of the coating film, when the carrier film 10 with the coating film formed within the drying apparatus 14a is carried. While volatilization of the solvent and resultant drying of the coating film usually progresses from the outside to the center in natural drying, the whole coating film can be dried uniformly, because air is blown directly and exclusively toward the center of the coating film where drying tends to be retarded so as to promote drying of the solvent in the center. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a drying apparatus for drying a coating film applied to a carrier film made of a synthetic resin or the like, and a method for drying the coating film, and in particular, after applying a slurry that can be a coating film to a carrier film. The present invention relates to a coating film drying apparatus and a coating film drying method for preventing generation of uneven quality in a slurry to be dried in a drying process.

  In recent years, in electronic devices such as digital cameras and mobile phones that are required to have high performance and low power consumption, various electronic components such as large-capacitance capacitors and CPUs incorporated therein are also small and have high performance. As a result, the technology is rapidly developing. By the way, among the small and chip electronic parts, the multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) has a structure in which ceramics (metal oxide) and metal electrodes are alternately stacked and integrated in a layered manner. A dielectric paste called slurry is applied to a base carrier film made of a resin or the like (coating process), and the applied slurry is heated and dried with a drying device to form a ceramic sheet (so-called green sheet). (Drying step) After the electrode is printed on this heat-dried ceramic sheet (printing step), the composite composed of the electrode and the ceramic sheet is peeled off from the ceramic sheet (peeling step). Yes.

  When drying the slurry as the coating film by the drying process described above, usually, the hot air is blown to the slurry while the green sheet coated with the slurry is transported at a constant speed in the horizontal direction in the drying apparatus. Although the drying is performed, it is difficult to uniformly dry the slurry by simply blowing hot air on the slurry. End up.

  As related to the above prior art, Patent Document 1 discloses a coating film drying method in which a coating liquid is applied to a long support, and then the support coated with the coating liquid is dried in a drying apparatus. It is disclosed.

JP 2006-334561 A

  In Patent Document 1, an attempt is made to prevent drying unevenness of the coating film by setting conditions such as the solvent content of the coating film, the drying speed, and the drying temperature, but how to set these conditions. Even when the coating film dries, the drying time varies depending on the position of the coating area where the coating film is applied, such as the center position and the outer position. It is not suitable for drying.

  The present invention is a method and method for solving the above-mentioned problems, and air is directly blown to a position where it is difficult to dry the coating region where the coating film is applied, and air is indirectly applied to a portion which is easily dried. An object of the present invention is to provide a coating film drying apparatus and a coating film drying method capable of uniformly drying a coating film coated with a coating liquid.

The drying device for this coating film
A coating film drying apparatus that dries a coating film such as a dielectric paste containing a solvent on a carrier film to form a coating film, and then dries the solvent from the coating film,
When transporting the carrier film formed with the coating film in the drying device,
Blowing means for blowing air directly toward only the center of the coating film applied on the carrier film is provided.

  As a result, the coating film on which the coating liquid containing the solvent is applied on the carrier film has a characteristic that the solvent volatilizes from the outside toward the center in natural drying, but the coating film is delayed in drying. Air is blown directly toward the center of the coating film, and the drying of the solvent on the center side of the coating film, which tends to be delayed, is the same timing as the drying of the solvent on the side (outside) of the coating film. Can be completed with.

  Furthermore, the drying apparatus of this coating film is provided with the heating apparatus which heats the air sprayed toward only the center of the said coating film.

  Thereby, since the warm air heated with the heating apparatus is sprayed on a coating film, drying of a coating film can be accelerated | stimulated.

  Further, this coating film drying apparatus continuously conveys a carrier film formed with a coating film by applying a coating liquid such as a dielectric paste containing a solvent into the drying apparatus. A blowing means for blowing hot air directly toward only the center in the width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the coating film applied to the carrier film conveyed inside.

  Thereby, even when the carrier film coated with the coating film is continuously conveyed in the drying apparatus, it is possible to always blow warm air on the center in the width direction of the carrier film during the conveyance. The solvent is uniformly distributed from the entire coating film so that the drying time of the solvent on the side (outside) of the coating film being transported in the heating device is the same as the drying time of the solvent on the center side. Can be dried.

  Further, the present coating film drying apparatus is provided with an exhaust hole on the side in the width direction of the coating film, through which hot air blown directly toward only the center in the width direction of the coating film is sucked. Is.

  As a result, the warm air sent directly to the center of the coating film is exhausted from the exhaust holes on the side in the width direction of the coating film, so that the hot air is directed from the center surface to the side surface of the coating film. As the hot air is exhausted from the exhaust hole, strong hot air is applied to the center of the coating film, and the hot air is weakened as it flows to the side (outside). it can. Therefore, in natural drying, the coating liquid contained in the coating film is dried from the side (outside) toward the center, but the solvent can be dried so as to be uniform from the coating film. it can.

  Further, the coating film drying apparatus includes a discharge device that sucks the hot air sucked from the exhaust holes and forcibly exhausts the air to the outside.

  As a result, when the air blown only to the center of the coating film is very strong, there is a possibility that convection or turbulence that tends to rise in the drying device may occur, but the center of the coating film may be caused by the discharge device. Since the air blown only to the air can be sucked and forcedly discharged, strong hot air is applied to the center of the coating film, and the hot air can be weakened as it flows to the side (outside) Therefore, the solvent can be uniformly dried from the coating film.

  Moreover, according to the invention of the drying method of the present coating film, after forming a coating film by applying a coating liquid containing a solvent on the carrier film, the coating film for drying the solvent from the coating film The hot air heated by a heating device is directly blown toward only the center of the coating film applied on the carrier film, and the hot air blown to the center of the coating film is applied to the coating film. As the coating film flows from the center to the side, the coating film is dried in such a manner that the wind force against the coating film is weakened, so that the entire coating film can be uniformly dried.

  Furthermore, according to the invention of the drying method of the present coating film, the exhaust hole is provided in the side portion of the coating film, and the exhaust hole is sucked in the hot air flowing from the center of the coating film to the side portion. As the hot air is applied to the center of the coating film and flows to the side (outside), the warm air can be weakened, so the solvent is uniformly dried from the coating film. Can be made.

  According to the coating film drying apparatus or the coating film drying method of the present invention, the solvent contained in the coating liquid is uniformly evaporated from the side (outside) to the center of the coating film and dried. As a result, the coating film is coated with a coating liquid to form a coating film and dried, and the carrier film (so-called green sheet) obtained by drying the coating film is cracked or thick. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of quality irregularities such as variations in the quality of the product, which in turn improves the manufacturing accuracy.

It is a perspective view which shows the coating apparatus which comprises a coating unit, a leveling unit, a conveyance unit, a drying unit, and a printing unit. It is a front view which shows the coating apparatus which comprises a coating unit, a leveling unit, a conveyance unit, a drying unit, and a printing unit. It is a perspective view which shows the state which looked at the drying unit from upper direction. It is a perspective view which shows the drying unit of the state which removed the cover. It is a perspective view which shows the state which looked at the drying unit from the bottom in the state which removed the cover. It is AA line schematic sectional drawing which shows the low-temperature drying apparatus comprised in a drying unit.

  Examples as modes for carrying out the present invention will be described below. Needless to say, the present invention can be easily applied to configurations other than those described in the embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the coating apparatus 1 includes a coating unit 2, a leveling unit 3, a transport unit 4, a drying unit 5, and a printing unit 6. As shown in FIG. The unit 2, the leveling unit 3 and the transport unit 4, the drying unit 5, and the printing unit 6 are arranged adjacent to each other in this order, and are transported as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2. The film is conveyed in a U-turn.

  The transport unit 4 drives the unwinding roller 11 for unwinding the carrier film 10, the winding roller 12 for winding the carrier film 10 unwound from the unwinding roller 11, and the winding roller 12. The unwinding roller 11, the winding roller 12, and the driving motor 9 are installed at a low position, and the leveling unit 3 is disposed using an empty space above the unwinding roller 11, the winding roller 12, and the driving motor 9. . The leveling unit 3 is a coating liquid called slurry applied to the carrier film 10 in the coating unit 2 (specifically, a dielectric paste containing a solvent, and more specifically, titanium oxide, zirconium, titanium). This is a dielectric paste containing at least one ceramic powder of barium acid.) In order to stabilize the solvent contained in the drying unit 5 before being heated and dried in the drying unit 5 to form a ceramic sheet as a coating film. The outer region is a space region covered with the cover 13 and is not a sealed space region, but stabilizes the surface roughness of the coating film in a predetermined environment (in a solvent atmosphere).

  Further, as described above, the carrier film conveyed from the unwinding roller 11 by the driving of the winding roller 12 is coated with a coating liquid containing a solvent in the coating unit 2, and then the space in the leveling unit 3. The roughness of the surface of the coating liquid is stabilized in the region, and thereafter, the first to fourth low-temperature drying devices 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d provided in the upper part of the drying unit 5 in the order of 40 ° C. It is dried at about 50 ° C., and after drying, a printing material (specifically, a conductive paste, which is dried by a printing unit 6 is applied to a portion (ceramic sheet) where the coating liquid is applied to the carrier film and dried. Then, the ceramic sheet on which the printing material is transferred is peeled off from the carrier film 10, and then the first to fourth high-temperature drying devices 15a are transferred. Ceramics in which 15b, 15c, and 15d are dried in the order of 100 ° C. to 120 ° C. in the order of 15b, 15c, and 15d, the carrier film 10 is wound around the winding roller 12, and the printing material (conductor paste) is transferred and dried. The sheet is wound around a predetermined roller (not shown).

  Here, the low-temperature drying apparatus as the drying apparatus according to the present invention which is configured in the drying unit 5 will be further described. In the present embodiment, the first to fourth low-temperature drying devices 14a to 14d, that is, four low-temperature drying devices are included. However, since these basic structures are the same, the first low-temperature drying devices 14a to 14d are provided. Only the drying device 4a will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  In the casing 16 of the first low-temperature drying device 4a, the carrier film 10 is coated with a coating liquid on the upper surface, as shown in FIGS. A supply hole 17 and a discharge hole 18 are formed for supplying and discharging the gas.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, far-infrared rays are radiated toward the lower surface of the carrier film at the lower portion of the carrier film 10 coated with the coating liquid that is conveyed from the supply hole 17 and discharged from the discharge hole 18. A plurality of cylindrical heaters 19 are provided, and only the center of the coating film (the portion where the coating liquid is applied) on the upper surface of the carrier film 10 that has been transported into the housing 16 is provided at the top of the housing 16. The air blowing means 20 which blows air directly is provided (more specifically, only the center in the width direction of the coating film).

  The air heated by the heating device 21 is supplied to the air blowing means 20, and is arranged in the horizontal direction from the hot air supply port 22 formed on the upper surface of the casing constituted by the air blowing means 20. Hot air is blown vertically toward only the center of the coated film. In addition, the air blower 20 is provided with a slide door 23 for adjusting the opening amount of the hot air supply port 22 so as to be freely opened and closed, and adjusts the range of spraying toward only the center of the coating film. be able to.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the width of the coating film is on both sides in the width direction of the coating film in the casing 16 (left and right direction shown in FIG. 6) and below the coating film. An exhaust hole 25 is provided for sucking warm air blown directly toward only the center of the direction, and the warm air blown toward only the center of the coating film from the exhaust hole 25 to the outside. When discharging while guiding (dotted arrow shown in FIG. 6), the exhaust device 26 forcibly sucking out the warm air can be forcibly exhausted to the outside of the device through the exhaust hole 25.

  According to the low-temperature drying apparatuses 14a to 14d as the above-described drying apparatuses, a coating film such as a dielectric paste containing a solvent is applied on the carrier film 10 to form a coating film, and then the solvent is removed from the coating film. A coating film drying apparatus for drying the coating film, and the center of the coating film coated on the carrier film 10 when the carrier film 10 having the coating film formed in the low temperature drying apparatuses 14a to 14d is being conveyed. For example, in the case of natural drying, the coating film coated with a coating liquid containing a solvent is usually applied from outside to the center. In this embodiment, air is blown directly toward only the center of the coating film that is delayed in drying, and air is indirectly applied to the outer peripheral side of the coating film. Since comprises blowing means 20 for applying, drying of the center side of the solvents delays tend coating film drying, it can be completed at substantially the same timing as solvent drying side portion of the coating film (outer).

  Furthermore, since the heating device 21 that heats the air blown toward only the center of the coating film is provided, by applying warm air heated to about 40 ° C. to 50 ° C. by the heating device 21 to the coating film, Drying of the film can be promoted.

  Further, the carrier film 10 on which a coating film such as a dielectric paste containing a solvent is applied to form a coating film is continuously transported by the transport unit 4 into the low-temperature drying devices 14a to 14d. Since it is provided with a blowing means 20 that blows hot air directly toward only the center in the width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the coating film applied to the carrier film 10 that is conveyed in the drying devices 14a to 14d. Even when the carrier film 10 to which the coating film is applied is continuously conveyed in the low temperature drying apparatuses 14a to 14d, the hot air is always applied only to the center in the width direction of the carrier film 10 during the conveyance. Can be sprayed. Accordingly, the drying of the solvent on the side (outside) in the width direction of the coating film being transported in the low-temperature drying apparatuses 14a to 14d and the drying time of the solvent on the center side are approximately the same. The solvent can be uniformly dried from the entire film.

  Further, since the exhaust hole 25 for sucking the hot air directly blown toward only the center in the width direction of the coating film is provided on the side in the width direction of the coating film, the exhaust hole 25 is directly provided only in the center of the coating film. Since the sent warm air is discharged from the exhaust holes 25 on the side in the width direction of the coating film, the warm air is discharged from the exhaust holes 25 so as to extend from the center surface to the side surface of the coating film. At that time, strong hot air is applied to the center of the coating film, and the hot air can be weakened as it flows to the side (outside). Therefore, in natural drying, the coating liquid contained in the coating film is dried from the side (outside) toward the center, but the solvent can be dried so as to be uniform from the coating film. it can.

  Furthermore, since the exhaust device 26 that sucks the hot air sucked from the exhaust hole 25 and forcibly exhausts it to the outside is provided, when the air blown only to the center of the coating film is very strong, the low-temperature drying device 14a ~ Although there is a possibility that convection or turbulent flow that is going to rise within 14d may occur, the blower blown only to the center of the coating film can be sucked and forcibly discharged by the discharge device 26. Since strong warm air is applied to the center of the water and the warm air can be weakened as it flows toward the side (outside), the solvent can be uniformly dried from the coating film.

  In addition, according to the invention of the method for drying the coating film, after applying a coating liquid containing a solvent on the carrier film 10 to form a coating film, the solvent and the dielectric sheet are dried from the coating film. A method of drying a coating film to be performed, in which hot air heated by the low-temperature drying devices 14a to 14d is directly blown toward only the center of the coating film applied on the carrier film 10, and the center of the coating film As the hot air blown on the coating film flows from the center of the coating film to the side, the coating film is dried so that the wind force against the coating film is weakened, so the entire coating film is uniformly dried. be able to.

  Furthermore, the exhaust hole 25 is provided in the side part of the coating film, and the hot air flowing from the center of the coating film to the side part can be sucked to the outside through the exhaust hole 25. As the hot air is applied to the side and the hot air can be weakened as it flows to the side (outside), the solvent can be uniformly dried from the coating film.

  And according to invention of the low-temperature drying apparatus 14a-14d of the coating film described above or the drying method of a coating film, the solvent etc. which were contained in the coating liquid are centered from the side part (outside) of the coating film. Since the dielectric paste can be dried uniformly by evaporating over the coating film, the coating film is formed by applying the coating liquid to the drying unevenness of the coating film or the carrier film 10 and obtained by drying it. For ceramic sheets (so-called green sheets), it is possible to suppress the occurrence of uneven quality such as cracks and variations in thickness, and as a result, the manufacturing accuracy of the ceramic sheets can be improved. .

  Although an example of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, an object to which a printing material is transferred is a flexible material. Any film-like material may be used and may be appropriately selected.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coating apparatus 2 Coating unit 3 Leveling unit 4 Conveyance unit 5 Drying unit 6 Printing unit 9 Drive motor 10 Carrier film 11 Unwinding roller 12 Winding roller 13 Cover 14a 1st low-temperature drying apparatus (drying apparatus)
14b Second low-temperature drying device (drying device)
14c Third low-temperature drying device (drying device)
14d Fourth low-temperature drying device (drying device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15a 1st high temperature drying apparatus 15b 2nd high temperature drying apparatus 15c 3rd high temperature drying apparatus 15d 4th high temperature drying apparatus 16 Housing | casing 17 Supply hole 18 Discharge hole 19 Heating heater 20 Blowing means 21 Heating apparatus 22 Hot air supply Port 23 Slide door 25 Exhaust hole 26 Discharge device

Claims (8)

A coating film drying apparatus for drying the solvent from the coating film after applying a coating liquid containing a solvent on the carrier film to form a coating film,
When transporting the carrier film formed with the coating film in the drying device,
An apparatus for drying a coating film, comprising: air blowing means for directly blowing air toward only the center of the coating film coated on the carrier film.   The apparatus for drying a coating film according to claim 1, further comprising a heating device that heats air blown toward only the center of the coating film.   A carrier film formed by applying a coating solution containing a solvent to form a coating film is continuously conveyed into a drying apparatus, and the coating film applied to the carrier film is conveyed in the drying apparatus. An apparatus for drying a coating film, comprising air blowing means for blowing hot air directly toward only the center in the width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction.   The exhaust hole into which the warm air blown directly toward only the center in the width direction of the coating film is provided in a side portion in the width direction of the coating film. Coating film drying equipment.   The coating film drying apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a discharge device that sucks the hot air sucked from the exhaust holes and forcibly exhausts the air to the outside. A method for drying a coating film, wherein a coating film is formed by applying a coating liquid containing a solvent on a carrier film, and then the solvent is dried from the coating film,
The hot air heated by the heating device is directly blown toward only the center of the coating film applied on the carrier film, and the hot air blown to the center of the coating film is laterally extended from the center of the coating film. A method for drying a coating film, wherein the coating film is dried so that the wind force to the coating film becomes weaker as it flows into the coating film.   The coating film according to claim 6, wherein an exhaust hole is provided in a side portion of the coating film, and the hot air flowing from the center of the coating film to the side portion is sucked and discharged from the exhaust hole. Method.   8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coating liquid is a dielectric paste.

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