JP2011192390A - Drying method and drying device of metal foil laminated body - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a drying method and device of a metal foil laminated body with high drying work efficiency and high productivity and which is suited for cost reduction. <P>SOLUTION: The metal foil laminate 30 is heated under inert gas for heating up to a given heated state in an airtight chamber 40, substituted with nitrogen gas supplied from a nitrogen gas cylinder 80, and then, the inside of the airtight chamber 40 is decompressed into a vacuum state to put the metal foil laminate 30 under vacuum heating for leaving it in a heated state for a given period. Thus, in the airtight chamber substituted with the inert gas, the metal foil laminate 30 is quickly heated by convection heating through the inert gas in addition to radiation heating with oxidation prevented, and then, the metal foil laminated body 30 is efficiently deprived of water and/or a solvent with the boiling point lowered in a heated state in the airtight chamber in a vacuum state, so that drying can be executed in a significantly short time, to result in stable quality of the product. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a drying method and a drying apparatus for drying a metal foil laminate in which a metal foil coated with a paste-like material containing moisture, an organic solvent and the like is laminated.

There is known a process of drying a metal foil laminate in which a metal foil coated with a paste-like material containing moisture or an organic solvent is laminated. For example, in manufacturing a battery, particularly when manufacturing a lithium ion battery described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, an active material in a powder state and a fluorine-based binder resin component are mixed in advance, and water or an organic solvent In order to remove the moisture and solvent in the paste-like active material, applying the paste-like active material to one surface of a metal foil for current collection such as copper or aluminum A lithium ion battery is configured by performing a drying process, then laminating a predetermined number of them, storing them in a battery case or a laminate bag, and injecting and sealing an electrolyte. And in such a manufacturing process, in the drying process which performs the drying process of the paste-form active material material apply | coated to one surface of the said metal foil, in order to improve drying work efficiency, the metal with which the paste-form active material material was apply | coated The foil is a metal foil laminate in which the foil is wound in the longitudinal direction or is cut into a predetermined rectangular shape and laminated in the thickness direction, and the drying device is a unit of the metal foil laminate. It is housed inside and dried by being heated to a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time.
JP 2001-319656 A JP 2008-251469 A

  By the way, when the metal foil laminate is dried, it is desirable that water or an organic solvent remaining in the paste-like active material applied on one surface of the metal foil is reliably removed so as not to affect the battery performance. For this reason, the metal foil laminate is accommodated in order to remove water or organic solvent remaining in the paste-like active material located between the laminated metal foils and to prevent oxidation of the metal foil laminate A temperature set to be equal to or lower than the heat-resistant temperature of the binder resin during a predetermined drying time in a state where the boiling point of the water or organic solvent is lowered in a low pressure state with a relatively low vacuum in the hermetic chamber. For example, it is conceivable to perform vacuum drying by heating at a temperature of about 130 to 150 ° C.

  However, when the above vacuum drying is applied, since there is not much gas between the metal foil laminate in the airtight chamber and the heater, conduction heating and convection heating cannot be expected, and only radiant heating by the heating heater can be expected. Since it cannot be expected, it is necessary to set both the heating time and the cooling time to be long, and the drying work efficiency, that is, the productivity is low, which is an obstacle to mass production and cost reduction. For example, the temperature rise in the vacuum drying requires at least about 4 to 5 hours, and the cooling time requires at least about 10 hours, for a total of 15 to 24 hours. Needed for drying.

  The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a method and apparatus for drying a metal foil laminate that has high drying work efficiency and high productivity and is suitable for cost reduction. .

  As a result of repeated studies on the background of the above circumstances, the present inventors have filled the gas in the hermetic chamber when the temperature of the metal foil laminate is increased in order to perform drying while maintaining oxidation prevention of the metal foil laminate. Then, it was found that when the inside of the hermetic chamber is evacuated to remove water or organic solvent remaining in the metal foil laminate, drying can be performed in a much shorter time than in the past. The present invention has been made based on this finding.

  The invention according to claim 1 for achieving the above object is a drying method for drying a metal foil laminate in which a metal foil coated with a paste-like material containing moisture and / or a solvent is laminated. A gas heating step for heating the metal foil laminate to a predetermined heating state in an airtight chamber filled with gas, and then reducing the pressure in the airtight chamber to a vacuum state so that the metal foil laminate is heated. It includes a heating step under vacuum for maintaining for a predetermined time, and a cooling step for cooling the metal foil laminate to a predetermined temperature after the predetermined time has elapsed.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in claim 1, the cooling step cools the metal foil laminate to a predetermined temperature in a state where the gas tight chamber is filled with the gas. To do.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 2, wherein the airtight chamber is disposed in close contact with a fan device for generating a circulating airflow in the airtight chamber and an outer wall of the airtight chamber, A refrigerant jacket for cooling the airtight chamber by allowing the refrigerant to pass therethrough, wherein the cooling step rotates the fan device in a state where the gas is filled in the airtight chamber and the refrigerant jacket. The metal foil laminate in the hermetic chamber is forcibly cooled to a predetermined temperature by allowing a refrigerant to pass therethrough.

  The invention according to claim 4 for suitably carrying out the drying direction according to claim 1 is a metal foil laminate in which a metal foil coated with a paste-like material containing moisture and / or a solvent is laminated. A drying device for drying, an airtight chamber for housing the metal foil laminate, a heater provided in the airtight chamber for heating the metal foil laminate in the airtight chamber, and the airtight chamber A vacuum pump connected to the hermetic chamber to create a vacuum, an inert gas supply device connected to the hermetic chamber to fill the inert gas in the hermetic chamber, and a supply from the inert gas supply device In the airtight chamber replaced with the inert gas, the heating under the inert gas for heating the metal foil laminate to a predetermined heating state using the heater, and the heating under the inert gas, Reduced airtight chamber to vacuum To, and a heating control unit for performing a vacuum heating to maintain a predetermined time the metal foil laminate in a heated state, characterized in that it contains.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the fan device for generating a circulating air flow in the hermetic chamber is disposed in close contact with the outer wall of the hermetic chamber, and the refrigerant is allowed to pass therethrough. A refrigerant jacket for cooling the hermetic chamber, wherein the heating control device rotates the fan in a state where the hermetic chamber is replaced with an inert gas following heating under vacuum and the refrigerant jacket. The metal foil laminate in the hermetic chamber is forcibly cooled to a predetermined temperature by allowing a refrigerant to pass therethrough.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the fan device according to the fifth aspect, wherein the fan device has a blade fixed to one end and is rotatably provided in the hermetic chamber; An outdoor rotary shaft that is provided concentrically with the indoor rotary shaft across an outer wall and is driven to rotate by an electric motor, the other end portion of the indoor rotary shaft, and an end portion of the outdoor rotary shaft on the indoor rotary shaft side And a magnetic coupling that transmits torque through the outer wall of the hermetic chamber.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the gas pump according to any one of claims 4 to 6, which is provided between the vacuum pump and the hermetic chamber and is sucked from the hermetic chamber by the vacuum pump. A trap for trapping water and / or solvent, the trap being provided in the trap chamber through which the gas sucked from the hermetic chamber is passed, a refrigerator, and cooled by the refrigerator It is characterized by having a trap plate.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the invention according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the hermetic chamber is a first air for heating the metal foil laminate to a predetermined heating state by heating under the inert gas. A second airtight chamber disposed adjacent to the first airtight chamber with a first open / close shutter therebetween, and maintaining the metal foil laminate at a heating temperature for a predetermined time by heating under vacuum; and a second open / close shutter And a third hermetic chamber that cools the metal foil laminate to a predetermined temperature, and the metal foil laminate is transferred by the transfer device to the first hermetic chamber. The first airtight chamber, the second airtight chamber, and the third airtight chamber are sequentially transported in one direction.

  According to the method for drying a metal foil laminate of the invention according to claim 1, a gas-under-heating step of heating the metal foil laminate to a predetermined heating state in an airtight chamber filled with gas, and then the airtight chamber A vacuum heating step for maintaining the metal foil laminate in a heated state for a predetermined time, and a cooling step for cooling the metal foil laminate to a predetermined temperature after the predetermined time has elapsed. Therefore, in the gas-under-heating process, in addition to radiation heating in the hermetic chamber, the metal foil laminate is heated quickly while preventing oxidation by convection heating through the gas, and in the vacuum-heating step, the air-tight chamber is heated. Since the water and / or the solvent whose boiling point is lowered by being brought into a vacuum state in the state is efficiently removed from the metal foil laminate, drying can be performed in a considerably shorter time than in the prior art. Accordingly, high drying work efficiency and productivity can be obtained, and the production cost can be reduced. Moreover, the temperature variation in the metal foil laminate in the hermetic chamber is reduced, and stable quality can be obtained.

  Moreover, according to the drying method of the metal foil laminated body of the invention which concerns on Claim 2, the said cooling process cools the said metal foil laminated body to predetermined temperature in the state with which the said airtight chamber was satisfy | filled with the said gas. For this reason, convection heat transfer by gas is applied when the metal foil laminate is cooled, so that the cooling time can be suitably shortened.

  Further, according to the method for drying a metal foil laminate of the invention according to claim 3, the airtight chamber is in close contact with a fan device for generating a circulating airflow in the airtight chamber and an outer wall of the airtight chamber. And a refrigerant jacket for cooling the airtight chamber by allowing the refrigerant to pass therethrough, and the cooling step rotates the fan device in a state where the airtight chamber is filled with the gas. And by letting the refrigerant pass through the refrigerant jacket, the metal foil laminate in the hermetic chamber is forcibly cooled to a predetermined temperature, so that cooling of the outer wall of the hermetic chamber by the refrigerant jacket and convective heat transfer by gas Since cooling is accelerated, the metal foil laminate is cooled in a shorter time.

  Moreover, according to the drying apparatus of the metal foil laminated body of the invention which concerns on Claim 4, in the airtight chamber in order to heat the airtight chamber which accommodates the said metal foil laminated body, and the said metal foil laminated body in the airtight chamber A heater provided, a vacuum pump connected to the hermetic chamber to evacuate the hermetic chamber, and an inert gas supply connected to the hermetic chamber to supply an inert gas to the hermetic chamber Heating under the inert gas using the heater and heating the metal foil laminate to a predetermined heating state in the airtight chamber replaced by the inert gas supplied from the apparatus and the inert gas supply device; A heating control device for performing heating under the inert gas and reducing the pressure in the hermetic chamber to a vacuum state and heating the metal foil laminate in a heated state for a predetermined time. By heating under active gas In the hermetic chamber substituted with the active gas, in addition to the radiant heating, the metal foil laminate is heated quickly while preventing oxidation by convection heating via the inert gas. Since the water and / or solvent whose boiling point has been lowered while being heated in the airtight chamber is efficiently removed from the metal foil laminate, drying can be performed in a considerably shorter time than in the prior art. Accordingly, high drying work efficiency and productivity can be obtained, and the production cost can be reduced.

  Moreover, according to the drying apparatus of the metal foil laminate of the invention according to claim 5, the fan device for generating a circulating air flow in the hermetic chamber, and a state in close contact with the outer wall of the hermetic chamber, A refrigerant jacket for cooling the hermetic chamber by passing a refrigerant, and the heating control device rotates the fan in a state where the hermetic chamber is replaced with an inert gas following heating under vacuum And passing the coolant through the coolant jacket forcibly cools the metal foil laminate in the hermetic chamber to a predetermined temperature, so that heat transfer and convection by an inert gas is performed when the metal foil laminate is cooled. In addition, the convection heat transfer is promoted by the circulating air flow in the hermetic chamber, and the outer wall of the hermetic chamber is cooled by the refrigerant jacket, so that the cooling time is also greatly reduced. It can be.

  Moreover, according to the drying apparatus of the metal foil laminated body of the invention which concerns on Claim 6, the said fan apparatus has the blade | wing provided in the one end part, and the indoor rotating shaft provided rotatably in the said airtight chamber, An outdoor rotary shaft provided concentrically with the indoor rotary shaft across the outer wall of the hermetic chamber and driven to rotate by an electric motor, the other end of the indoor rotary shaft, and the indoor rotation of the outdoor rotary shaft And an outer wall of the hermetic chamber for passing a shaft for driving the impeller, and a magnetic coupling for transmitting torque through the outer wall of the hermetic chamber. It is not necessary to provide a through-hole, and the airtightness is improved, so that the vacuum pump used for heating under vacuum can be reduced in size.

  Moreover, according to the drying apparatus of the metal foil laminated body of the invention which concerns on Claim 7, it is provided between the said vacuum pump and the said airtight chamber, The water contained in the gas attracted | sucked from the airtight chamber by the vacuum pump And / or a trap for trapping the solvent, the trap being provided in the trap chamber, through which the gas sucked from the hermetic chamber is passed, a refrigerator, and cooled by the refrigerator Since the water and / or solvent contained in the gas sucked from the airtight chamber is suitably captured by the vacuum pump, the vacuum pump maintenance work is simplified. , Its durability is enhanced.

  Moreover, according to the drying apparatus of the metal foil laminated body of the invention which concerns on Claim 8, the said airtight chamber is a 1st airtight chamber for heating the said metal foil laminated body to a predetermined heating state by the said inert gas heating. A second hermetic chamber that is disposed adjacent to the first hermetic chamber with a first open / close shutter therebetween and maintains the metal foil laminate at a heating temperature for a predetermined time by heating under vacuum, and a second open / close shutter. And a third hermetic chamber that is disposed adjacent to the second hermetic chamber and cools the metal foil laminate to a predetermined temperature, and the metal foil laminate is transported by the transport device to the first hermetic chamber. Compared to the case where a drying apparatus having a single hermetic chamber is used in a batch manner because it is continuously conveyed in one direction sequentially into the hermetic chamber, the second hermetic chamber, and the third hermetic chamber. Further, productivity can be improved.

It is a principal part enlarged view explaining the structure of a lithium ion battery. It is a figure which expands and demonstrates the unit battery of the lithium ion battery of FIG. The front view which removed the door explaining the drying apparatus of the metal foil laminated body of one Example of this invention with which the metal foil with which the paste-form material was applied which comprises some lithium ion batteries of FIG. 1 was laminated | stacked It is. It is side surface sectional drawing explaining the drying apparatus of the metal foil laminated body of FIG. It is a figure which expands and shows the structure of the trap of FIG. It is a figure explaining the drying control apparatus provided in the drying apparatus of the metal foil laminated body shown to FIG. It is a flowchart explaining the action | operation of the drying control apparatus of FIG. It is a time chart which shows the temperature of the metal foil laminated body heated by the drying control apparatus of FIG. It is a time chart which shows the temperature of the metal foil laminated body heated with the conventional drying apparatus of a heating system under vacuum. It is the schematic which shows the drying apparatus of the metal foil laminated body of the other Example of this invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the drawings are appropriately simplified or modified, and the dimensional ratios, shapes, and the like of the respective parts are not necessarily drawn accurately.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of the configuration of a lithium ion battery 10 using a metal foil laminate dried by a drying method or a drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a lithium ion battery 10 is known to be excellent in a low operating potential and the number of times of charging, and a negative electrode sheet 12 having a carbon-based material, a transition metal oxide containing lithium as a positive electrode sheet 14, For example, in the state in which a plurality of unit cells 18 which are polyethylene resin sheets or polymer gel electrolytes and each set of separators 16 located between the negative electrode sheet 12 and the positive electrode sheet 14 are stacked in the thickness direction, After an electrolytic solution in which a lithium salt such as LiPF ₆ is dissolved is injected into a solvent mainly composed of an organic compound, it is wrapped and sealed with a bag-like aluminum laminate sheet 20 that functions as a battery case. Configured.

As shown in FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner, the negative electrode sheet 12 includes a negative electrode current collector 22 made of metal such as copper foil, and a negative electrode fixed in a layered manner on the surface of the negative electrode current collector 22 on the separator 16 side. And an active material mixture layer 24. The negative electrode current collector 22 is a foil-like metal having a thickness of about 10 to 30 μm, but may be an electro-chemically stable conductor as long as an electrode reaction is possible. As the foil, rolled copper foil, electrolytic copper foil, copper alloy foil or the like is used. The negative electrode active material mixture layer 24 is made of, for example, a fluorine resin such as vinylidene fluoride ₍ PVDF), vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoroethylene copolymer, polytetrafluoroethylene, styrene-butadiene ₍ SBR) resin, or modified polyolefin. It consists of a binder resin such as a resin and a powdery active material made of a carbon material such as graphite or amorphous carbon dispersed therein.

  In the negative electrode active material mixture layer 24, the binder resin and the active material are kneaded using an organic solvent such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, cyclohexanone, isophorone, or water. After being formed into a negative electrode active material mixture paste having a predetermined viscosity, after being applied to one surface of the negative electrode current collector 22 with a predetermined thickness of, for example, about 50 μm using a die coating method, a comma coating method, a metal mask method, or the like , Fixed by drying.

In FIG. 2, the positive electrode sheet 14 includes a positive electrode current collector 26 made of metal such as an aluminum foil, and a positive electrode active material mixture fixed in a layered manner to the surface of the positive electrode current collector 26 on the separator 16 side. Layer 28. The positive electrode current collector 26 is a foil-like metal having a thickness of about 10 to 30 μm, and may be any electrically stable conductor as long as an electrode reaction is possible. As the foil, a rolled aluminum foil, an electrolytic aluminum foil, an aluminum alloy foil, or the like is used. Similarly to the negative electrode active material mixture layer 24, the positive electrode active material mixture layer 28 is, for example, a fluorine resin such as vinylidene fluoride ₍ PVDF), a vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoroethylene copolymer, or polytetrafluoroethylene, Binder resin such as styrene-butadiene ₍ SBR) resin and modified polyolefin resin, and lithium transition metal composite oxide dispersed therein (LiMO ₂ M is Co, Ni, Al, Mn, Ti, Fe, etc.) And a powdery active material composed of a lithium composite oxide having a spinel structure such as LiMn ₂ O ₄ .

  As in the case of the negative electrode active material mixture layer 24, the positive electrode active material mixture layer 28 is composed of the binder resin and active material containing N methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, cyclohexanone, After being kneaded using an organic solvent such as isophorone or water to obtain a positive electrode active material mixture paste having a predetermined viscosity, it is formed on one surface of the positive electrode current collector 26 using a die coating method, a comma coating method, a metal mask method, or the like. For example, it is applied with a predetermined thickness of about 50 μm and then fixed by drying.

  The negative electrode current collector 22 coated on one side with the negative electrode active material mixture paste and the positive electrode current collector 26 coated with the positive electrode active material mixture paste on one side are respectively dried, and the negative electrode sheet 12 and the positive electrode In the drying process for manufacturing each sheet 14, the negative electrode active material mixture paste and the positive electrode applied to one surface of the negative electrode current collector 22 and the positive electrode current collector 26 so as not to affect the battery performance of the lithium ion battery 10. It is desirable to reliably remove water or an organic solvent so that it does not remain in the active material mixture paste. At the same time, high productivity drying work efficiency is required to reduce the manufacturing cost. Therefore, the negative electrode current collector 22 coated with the negative electrode active material mixture paste on one side and the positive electrode current collector 26 coated with the positive electrode active material mixture paste on the one side are rolled in the longitudinal direction. It is a disk-shaped metal foil laminated body having a wound diameter of about 60 cm and a thickness of about 6 cm, or is cut in a predetermined rectangular shape of about 30 cm × 40 cm and laminated in the thickness direction at a height of about 24 cm. In a state of being a rectangular parallelepiped metal foil laminate, the unit is accommodated in a drying device in units of the metal foil laminate, and for a predetermined time, for example, at a predetermined drying temperature of about 130 to 150 ° C. It is dried by heating. Since the drying of the disk-shaped metal foil laminate and the rectangular metal foil laminate is the same, the rectangular metal foil laminate, which is one of them, will be described.

  3 and 4 show that the negative electrode current collector 22 coated with the negative electrode active material mixture paste on one side, or the positive electrode current collector 26 coated with the positive electrode active material mixture paste on one side, has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The drying apparatus 32 for drying the laminated metal foil laminated body 30 is shown. FIG. 3 is a front view in which the door of the drying device 32 that accommodates and dries the metal foil laminate 30 is removed, and FIG. 4 is a side view that is shown in cross section for explaining the configuration of the drying device 32. is there.

  3 and 4, the drying device 32 is supported by a frame 34 and connected to each other on the five outer walls, that is, the left wall 36a, the right wall 36b, the back wall 36c, the upper wall 36d, the lower wall 36e, and the front wall. An airtight chamber 40 having a cubic airtight space surrounded by a door 38 that can be opened and closed at a position corresponding to the wall is provided. In the hermetic chamber 40, a two-stage mounting shelf 42 with a conveying roller for mounting a plurality of metal foil laminates 30 in which metal foils are stacked in a rectangular parallelepiped state is fixed, and the above-mentioned Rectifying plates 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d, and 44e, which are arranged with a predetermined space for gas flow inside the five outer walls 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, and 36e and are mutually connected, are connected to each other. It is fixed. The placement shelf 42 is disposed inside the current plates 44a, 44b, 44c, 44d, 44e.

  The space between the left wall 36a, the right wall 36b, the upper wall 36d, the lower wall 36e and the rectifying plates 44a, 44b, 44d, 44e facing the left and right and upper and lower four surfaces generates heat by supplying current. A plurality of groups of heaters 46a, 46b, 46d, 46e are arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction via a support tool (not shown). A rectifying plate 44c facing the back wall 36c is formed with a cylindrical ventilation duct 50 that covers the side surface of the blade 48 of the fan device 47. The fan device 47 is rotatably supported by a bracket (not shown) in the hermetic chamber 40, the indoor rotary shaft having the blade 48 fixed to one end and one rotor 52 a of the magnetic coupler 52 fixed to the other end. 54, supported by a bracket (not shown) so as to be concentric with the indoor rotation shaft 54 outside the hermetic chamber 40, one end of which is connected to the electric motor 56, and the other rotor 52b of the magnetic coupler 52 is connected to the other end. An outdoor rotary shaft 58 is provided which is fixed so as to face the one rotor 52a with an outer wall 36c therebetween. Thus, one rotor 52a and the other 52b of the magnetic coupler 52 are magnetically coupled to each other by the magnetic poles so that torque is transmitted across the outer wall 36c.

  When the blades 48 of the fan device 47 are driven to rotate, the gas in the hermetic chamber 40 is circulated as shown by the dashed arrows in FIG. Uniform cooling is possible. Further, the outer wall 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e is arranged in close contact with the outer walls 36a, 36b, 36d, 36e on the outside of the hermetic chamber 40, and the outer walls 36a, 36b, 36c are provided with a space 60 through which a refrigerant such as water for cooling the hermetic chamber 40 passes. , 36d and 36e are provided with a refrigerant jacket 62 provided between them. A circulating water cooling device 64 that cools and sends the refluxed water is connected to the refrigerant jacket 62 via a circulation pipe 66.

  In order to supply the inert gas into the airtight chamber 40, the vacuum pump 72 connected to the drying device 32 through the pipe 70 having the airtight chamber 40 and the trap 68 in order to evacuate the airtight chamber 40. In addition, an inert gas supply device, that is, a nitrogen gas pump 80 connected to the hermetic chamber 40 via a pipe 78 having an electromagnetic on-off valve 74 and a pressure reducing valve 76 is provided.

  FIG. 5 shows that the trap 68 is located between the vacuum pump 72 and the hermetic chamber 40 and captures water and / or solvent contained in the gas sucked from the hermetic chamber 40 by the vacuum pump 72. The trap chamber 82 through which the gas sucked from the hermetic chamber 40 is allowed to pass, the refrigerator 84, and the trap chamber 82 are provided, and the refrigerator 84 passes the heat pipe 86 to about −90 ° C. And a plurality of trap plates 88 that precipitate and trap the water and / or solvent. The water and / or solvent captured by the plurality of trap plates 88 are dropped when the refrigerator 84 is stopped, stored in the lower portion of the trap chamber 82, and periodically drained. The refrigerator 84 is operated at least during the operation of the vacuum pump 72.

  FIG. 6 shows an electronic control device 90 that is provided in the drying device 32 of this embodiment and functions as the heating control device. The electronic control device 90 is constituted by a so-called microcomputer, and according to a program stored in advance, four temperature sensors provided in the vicinity of the input operation device 92 and the plurality of groups of heaters 46a, 46b, 46d, 46e. 94, the heaters 46a, 46b, 46d, 46e, the circulating water cooling device 64, the vacuum pump 72, the electromagnetic on-off valve 74, the refrigerator 84, and the like are controlled.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a control operation by the electronic control unit 90. When the plurality of metal foil laminates 30 are carried into the hermetic chamber 40 and the automatic operation mode is selected by the input operation device 92 and an activation operation is performed, the operation shown in this flowchart is started. In step S1 of FIG. 7 (hereinafter, step is omitted), when the vacuum pump 72 is activated and the inside of the hermetic chamber 40 is brought into a predetermined vacuum state, the vacuum pump 72 is stopped and the electromagnetic pump is simultaneously stopped in S2. The on-off valve 74 is opened to fill the airtight chamber 40 with nitrogen gas. That is, the inside of the hermetic chamber 40 is replaced with nitrogen gas at about 1 atm (atmospheric pressure). The predetermined vacuum state is for increasing the substitution efficiency with nitrogen gas and does not necessarily have to be a high vacuum.

  Next, in S3, current is supplied to the four groups of heaters 46a, 46b, 46d, 46e, and heating of the plurality of metal foil laminates 30 in the hermetic chamber 40 is started in a nitrogen gas atmosphere. At the same time, when the electric motor 56 is operated, the nitrogen gas is circulated in the hermetic chamber 40 along the arrow indicated by the broken line in FIG. T1 in FIG. 8 showing the temperature change of the metal foil laminate 30 shows this state. In this heating, the four groups of heaters 46a, 46b, 46d, and 46e follow a preset target heating temperature (target drying temperature) based on input signals from four temperature sensors 94 provided in the vicinity thereof. To be controlled independently. A target heating temperature of, for example, about 130 to 150 ° C. obtained experimentally in advance is set in advance for each of the four groups of heaters 46a, 46b, 46d, and 46e so as to obtain uniform drying. In S4, S2 and S3 are repeatedly executed until it is determined that the first elapsed time te1 from the start of heating in S2 exceeds a preset first determination time T1. The first determination time T1 is set in advance so that the internal temperature of the metal foil laminate 30 in the hermetic chamber 40, particularly the temperature at the center, can sufficiently reach the target drying temperature. Said S2 thru | or S4 respond | corresponds to the heating process under inert gas. In the heating process under the inert gas, the electromagnetic on-off valve 74 is closed or slightly opened so that a small amount of nitrogen gas is continuously supplied into the hermetic chamber 40.

  If the determination in S4 is positive and the internal temperature of the metal foil laminate 30 in the hermetic chamber 40 has sufficiently reached the target drying temperature, in S5, the electromagnetic on-off valve 74 is closed and the vacuum pump 72 is activated and the inside of the hermetic chamber 40 is evacuated. In S6, since the temperature control by the four groups of heaters 46a, 46b, 46d, and 46e to keep the target temperature is continued, the airtight chamber 40 is heated under vacuum. This state is shown at time t2 in FIG. In S7, it is determined whether or not the second elapsed time te2 from the start of heating under vacuum has passed a vacuum heating maintaining time T2 set in advance to about 2 hours, for example. While the determination of S7 is negative, S5 and S6 are repeatedly executed. Steps S5 to S7 correspond to the heating step under vacuum. In this heating process under vacuum, the vacuum pump 72 is continuously operated at a relatively low rotation from the beginning. The hermetic chamber 40 in the heating process under vacuum may be such that it can be sufficiently removed from the metal foil laminate 30 by lowering the boiling point of water and / or solvent in the metal foil laminate 30 and is not necessarily high vacuum. Not necessarily.

  If it is determined in S7 that the second elapsed time te2 since the start of heating under vacuum has passed a preset vacuum heating maintenance time T2, heating in the heaters 46a, 46b, 46d, 46e is performed in S8. When the electromagnetic on-off valve 74 is opened, the airtight chamber 40, which has been in a vacuum state until that time, is filled with nitrogen gas of about 1 atm and the electric motor 56 is actuated to operate the blade 48. The nitrogen gas is circulated in the hermetic chamber 40 along the arrow shown by the broken line in FIG. At the same time, the circulating water cooling device 64 is operated to circulate the cooling water, and the inside of the airtight chamber 40 is quickly cooled by the refrigerant jacket 62. This state is shown at time t3 in FIG. Steps S7 and S8 are repeatedly executed until it is determined in S9 that the temperature in the hermetic chamber 40 has reached the cooling completion determination temperature set to about 50 to 60 ° C. in advance. S8 to S9 correspond to the cooling step under an inert gas. In the cooling step under the inert gas, the electromagnetic on-off valve 74 is closed or slightly opened, and a small amount of nitrogen gas is continuously supplied into the hermetic chamber 40.

  If the determination in S9 is affirmed, in S10, the electromagnetic on-off valve 74 is closed, and at the same time, the door 38 is permitted to be released, and the plurality of metal foil laminates 30 are taken out. This state is shown at t4 in FIG. In FIG. 8, the heating process under the inert gas from the time t1 to the time t2 is about 1 hour, the heating process under the vacuum from the time t2 to the time t3 is about 2 hours, and the heating process under the inert gas from the time t3 to the time t4. 2 hours. In the heating process and the cooling process of the metal foil laminate 30 of the drying device 32 of the present embodiment, in addition to the radiant heating, the inert atmosphere is replaced with the inert gas in the hermetic chamber 40 replaced with nitrogen gas, which is an example of an inert gas. The metal foil laminate 30 is quickly heated or cooled while preventing oxidation by convection heating via gas. Moreover, the broken line of FIG. 8, the dashed-dotted line, and the dashed-two dotted line have each shown the temperature of the surface layer part of the metal foil laminated body 30, the intermediate part, and the center part. As indicated by these broken lines, one-dot chain line, and two-dot chain line, the temperature difference between the surface layer portion, the middle portion, and the center portion of the metal foil laminate 30 is particularly small in the temperature rising process. In addition, stable quality can be obtained for the positive electrode sheet 14.

  By the way, in the case of a conventional drying apparatus only by heating under vacuum without using an inert gas, when the same heating temperature of about 130 to 150 ° C. is used, sufficient water and / or solvent in the metal foil laminate 30 is obtained. In order to remove it, the heating which shows the temperature curve of the metal foil laminated body 30 of FIG. 9 was required. That is, a heating time of about 6 to 20 hours, a heating temperature holding time of about 2 to 6 hours, and a cooling time of about 15 to 24 hours are required. Therefore, according to the drying apparatus 32 of the present embodiment, the working efficiency is 4.5 to 6 times that of the conventional drying apparatus, and at least 3 to 4 times the work efficiency even if conservatively viewed. Thereby, if it is the same production amount, the number and installation area of the drying apparatus 32 can be made into a fraction, and manufacturing cost can be reduced significantly. In addition, as shown by the broken line, the one-dot chain line, and the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9, the temperature difference between the surface layer portion, the middle portion, and the center portion of the metal foil laminate 30 is particularly large in the temperature rising process, About the negative electrode sheet 12 and the positive electrode sheet 14, the stable quality was not necessarily obtained.

  As described above, according to the drying method using the drying device 32 of the present embodiment, the metal foil laminate 30 is heated to a predetermined heating state in the hermetic chamber 40 replaced with nitrogen gas (inert gas). An inert gas heating step (S2 to S4), and then a vacuum heating step (S5 to S7) in which the inside of the hermetic chamber 40 is depressurized to a vacuum state and the metal foil laminate 30 is maintained in a heated state for a predetermined time. In addition, after the lapse of the predetermined time, an inert gas undercooling step (S8 to S9) for cooling the metal foil laminate 30 to a predetermined temperature is included. In addition, the metal foil laminate 30 is quickly heated while being prevented from being oxidized by convection heating through an inert gas, and in the vacuum heating process, the inside of the hermetic chamber 40 is heated to a vacuum state. Water with reduced boiling point Since beauty / or solvent can be efficiently removed from the metal foil laminate 30, it can be performed significantly short time drying as compared with the conventional. Accordingly, high drying work efficiency and productivity can be obtained, and the production cost can be reduced. Moreover, the variation in the temperature in the metal foil laminated body 30 in the airtight chamber 40 becomes small, and stable quality can be obtained for the negative electrode sheet 12 and the positive electrode sheet 14 after drying.

  Moreover, according to the drying method using the drying apparatus 32 of the present embodiment, the cooling step under inert gas (S8 to S9) sets the metal foil laminate 30 in a state in which the inside of the hermetic chamber 40 is replaced with nitrogen gas. Since cooling is performed to a temperature, convection heat transfer by an inert gas is applied when the metal foil laminate 30 is cooled, so that the cooling time can be suitably shortened.

  Further, according to the drying method using the drying device 32 of the present embodiment, the airtight chamber 40 includes the fan device 47 for generating a circulating air flow in the airtight chamber 40 and the outer wall 36a of the airtight chamber 40. , 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e, and a refrigerant jacket 62 for cooling the airtight chamber by allowing the refrigerant to pass therethrough. Since the metal foil laminate 30 in the hermetic chamber 40 is forcibly cooled to a predetermined temperature by rotating the blades 48 of the fan device 47 in a state where the gas is replaced and passing the refrigerant through the refrigerant jacket 62, Since the cooling is promoted by the cooling of the outer wall of the hermetic chamber 40 by the refrigerant jacket 62 and the convective heat transfer by the nitrogen gas, the metal foil laminate 30 is cooled in a shorter time.

  In addition, according to the drying device 32 of the present embodiment, the hermetic chamber 40 for housing the metal foil laminate 30 and the metal foil laminate 30 in the hermetic chamber 40 are provided in the hermetic chamber 40 for heating. The heaters 46a, 46b, 46d, and 46e, a vacuum pump connected to the hermetic chamber for making the inside of the hermetic chamber 40 vacuum, and the hermetic chamber 40 for supplying an inert gas into the hermetic chamber. A metal foil using heaters 46a, 46b, 46d, and 46e in a hermetic chamber 40 replaced with nitrogen gas supplied from the nitrogen gas pump 80 and an inert gas supply device 80. Following heating under an inert gas for heating the laminate 30 to a predetermined heating state and heating under the inert gas, the inside of the hermetic chamber 40 is depressurized to a vacuum state, and the metal foil laminate 30 is heated for a predetermined time. Maintain An electronic control device 90 (heating control device) that performs heating under vacuum, and in addition to radiation heating in an airtight chamber that has been replaced with inert gas by heating under inert gas, inert gas is supplied. The metal foil laminate 30 is rapidly heated while being prevented from being oxidized by convection heating, and then the water whose boiling point has been lowered while being heated in the vacuum-tight airtight chamber by heating under vacuum and / or Since the solvent is efficiently removed from the metal foil laminate 30, the drying can be performed in a much shorter time than in the past. Accordingly, high drying work efficiency and productivity can be obtained, and the production cost can be reduced. Moreover, the variation in the temperature in the metal foil laminated body 30 in the airtight chamber 40 becomes small, and stable quality can be obtained for the negative electrode sheet 12 and the positive electrode sheet 14 after drying.

  Further, according to the drying device 32 of the present embodiment, the fan device 47 for generating a circulating air flow in the hermetic chamber 40 and the outer wall of the hermetic chamber 40 are arranged in close contact with each other, and the refrigerant passes therethrough. The electronic control device 90 (heating control device) includes a refrigerant jacket 62 for cooling the inside of the hermetic chamber 40 in a state where the inside of the hermetic chamber 40 is replaced with an inert gas following heating under vacuum. By rotating the blades 48 and allowing the refrigerant to pass through the refrigerant jacket 62, the metal foil laminate 30 in the hermetic chamber 40 is forcibly cooled to a predetermined temperature. The convection heat transfer by the gas is applied, the convection heat transfer is promoted by the circulating air flow in the hermetic chamber 40, and the outer wall of the hermetic chamber 40 is cooled by the refrigerant jacket 62. Can be greatly shortened.

  Further, according to the drying device 32 of the present embodiment, the fan device 47 has the blade 48 provided at one end portion, the indoor rotary shaft 54 provided rotatably in the airtight chamber 40, and the airtight chamber 40. An outdoor rotary shaft 58 that is provided concentrically with the indoor rotary shaft 54 with an outer wall 36c therebetween and is driven to rotate by an electric motor 56, the other end of the indoor rotary shaft 54, and the indoor rotary shaft of the outdoor rotary shaft 58. 54, and a magnetic coupling 52 that transmits torque through the outer wall 36c of the hermetic chamber 40. Therefore, the hermetic chamber passes through the shaft for driving the blades 48. Since it is not necessary to provide a through hole in the outer wall of 40 and the airtightness is improved, the vacuum pump 72 used for heating under vacuum can be reduced in size.

  Further, according to the drying device 32 of the present embodiment, water and / or solvent contained in the gas provided between the vacuum pump 72 and the hermetic chamber 40 and sucked from the hermetic chamber 40 by the vacuum pump 72 is removed. The trap 68 includes a trap 68 for trapping. The trap 68 is provided in the trap chamber 82 through which the gas sucked from the hermetic chamber 40 is passed, a refrigerator 84, and cooled by the refrigerator 84. Therefore, water and / or solvent contained in the gas sucked from the hermetic chamber 40 by the vacuum pump 72 is preferably captured by the vacuum pump 72. It becomes simple and the durability is enhanced.

  Next, a drying apparatus 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same reference numerals are used for portions common to the above-described embodiment, and the description is omitted.

  The drying device 32 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has a batch structure, but FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the continuous drying device 100. In FIG. 10, the drying device 100 includes a loading table 102 for loading the metal foil laminate 30, a first replacement chamber 108 having a pair of shutters 104 and 106 at both ends, and a first replacement through the shutter 106. An inert gas lower heating device 110 connected to the chamber 108, and a second replacement chamber 116 having a pair of shutters 112 and 114 at both ends and connected to the inert gas lower heating device 110 via the shutter 112. The heating device 118 under vacuum connected to the second replacement chamber 116 via the shutter 114 and a pair of shutters 120 and 122 at both ends, and connected to the heating device 118 under vacuum via the shutter 120. A third replacement chamber 124, an inert gas subcooling device 126 connected to the third replacement chamber 124 via the shutter 122, and a pair of shutters 128 and 130 are provided. A fourth replacement chamber 132 at the end and connected to the inert gas lower cooling device 126 via the shutter 128; and a carry-out table 134 for receiving the metal foil laminate 30 carried out from the fourth replacement chamber 132; And a conveying device (not shown) such as a roller conveyor that continuously and appropriately conveys the metal foil laminate 30 from the carry-in table 102 to the carry-out table 134 in one direction.

  In the inert gas lower heating device 110, the vacuum lower heating device 118, and the inert gas lower cooling device 126, there are a first hermetic chamber, a second hermetic chamber, and a third hermetic chamber forming a tunnel-like space. Is provided. Openings at both ends of the first hermetic chamber, the second hermetic chamber, and the third hermetic chamber are kept airtight by shutters 106 and 112, 114 and 120, and 122 and 128, which will be described later, and the metal foil laminate 30 Passing is allowed.

  The inert gas lower heating device 110 and the vacuum lower heating device 118 are provided with the same heater as described above so as to surround the first hermetic chamber and the second hermetic chamber forming the tunnel-like space. Nitrogen gas is supplied to the first replacement chamber 108, the first hermetic chamber of the inert gas lower heating device 110, the third replacement chamber 124, and the third hermetic chamber of the inert gas lower cooling device 126 through the electromagnetic open / close valve 74. The first replacement chamber 108, the second replacement chamber 116, the second hermetic chamber of the under-vacuum heating device 118, and the fourth replacement chamber 132 are connected to the vacuum pump 72 via the pipe 70. And is in a vacuum state. A fan device 47 is provided in each of the first hermetic chamber of the inert gas lower heating device 110 and the third hermetic chamber of the inert gas lower cooling device 126, and the third of the inert gas lower cooling device 126 is provided. A cooling jacket 62 is fixed outside the hermetic chamber. The pair of shutters 104 and 106, the pair of shutters 112 and 114, the pair of shutters 120 and 122, and the pair of shutters 128 and 130 are alternatively selected by a driving device (not shown) according to instructions from the electronic control unit 90. It is designed to be opened and closed.

  In the drying apparatus 100, the metal foil laminate 30 on the carry-in table 102 is carried into the first replacement chamber 108 by opening the shutter 104, and the nitrogen gas is kept in a state where the shutter 104 and the shutter 106 are closed there. After the atmosphere is set, when the shutter 106 is opened, it is carried into the heating apparatus 110 under inert gas. The metal foil laminate 30 is heated by being heated under the inert gas as described above while moving in the inert gas under-heating device 110. Next, the metal foil laminate 30 is carried into the second replacement chamber 116 when the shutter 112 is opened, and the shutter 114 is opened after the shutter 112 and the shutter 114 are closed in a vacuum state. Then, it is carried into the heating device 118 under vacuum. While the metal foil laminate 30 is moving in the vacuum heating device 118, the metal foil laminate 30 is heated under the same vacuum as described above to remove moisture or solvent. Next, the metal foil laminate 30 is carried into the third replacement chamber 124 by opening the shutter 120, where the shutter 120 and the shutter 122 are closed to form a nitrogen gas atmosphere. Is opened, it is carried into the cooling device 126 under the inert gas. The metal foil laminate 30 is cooled under the inert gas as described above while moving in the inert gas cooling device 126. Then, the metal foil laminate 30 is carried into the fourth replacement chamber 132 when the shutter 128 is opened. After the atmosphere is changed to the atmosphere in the fourth replacement chamber 132, the shutter 130 is opened and delivered onto the carry-out table 134.

  In the lower part of FIG. 10, the pressure in the drying apparatus 100 is changed to the first replacement chamber 108, the inert gas lower heating device 110, the second replacement chamber 116, the vacuum lower heating device 118, and the third replacement arranged in one direction. The chamber 124, the inert gas lower cooling device 126, and the fourth replacement chamber 132 are shown corresponding to the positions. In the first replacement chamber 108, nitrogen gas is supplied after being temporarily evacuated in order to quickly replace the atmosphere with nitrogen gas. The second replacement chamber 116 is brought into a vacuum state, and then the shutter 114 is opened to communicate with the heating device 118 under vacuum. The third replacement chamber 124 is communicated with the cooling device 126 under the inert gas by opening the shutter 122 after the interior of the third replacement chamber 124 is replaced with nitrogen gas. The fourth replacement chamber 132 is supplied with the atmosphere after being temporarily evacuated in order to quickly replace the nitrogen gas with the atmosphere.

  According to the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained, and the metal foil laminate 30 can be formed in the first hermetic chamber of the under-active-gas heating device 110 and the under-vacuum heating device 118 by the transfer device. Compared to the case where the drying device 32 having a single hermetic chamber is used in a batch system because it is continuously conveyed in one direction sequentially into the second hermetic chamber and the inert gas lower cooling device 126 in the third hermetic chamber. Thus, productivity can be further increased.

  As mentioned above, although one Example of this invention was described in detail with reference to drawings, this invention is not limited to this Example, It can implement in another aspect.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, nitrogen gas is used as the inert gas in the inert gas lower heating steps S2 to S4 and the inert gas lower cooling steps S8 to S9. Other types of chemically inert gases may be used. In the case where the metal foil is a copper foil that is relatively easily oxidized, oxidation of the copper foil in the heating step S2 to S4 under inert gas and the cooling step S8 to S9 under inert gas is suitably prevented. . However, the inert gas does not necessarily need to have a high purity, and depending on the material of the metal foil and the cooling temperature, it contains an oxidizing gas such as oxygen in a certain ratio within a range in which the metal foil is not oxidized. It may be a thing.

  Further, in the heating process under the inert gas S2 to S4 and the cooling process under the inert gas S8 to S9 of the above-described embodiment, for example, the metal foil is an aluminum foil that is relatively difficult to be oxidized, and the heating target temperature or cooling start temperature Is about 110 to 120 ° C., or higher than about 130 to 150 ° C., air containing about 20% oxygen can be used.

  Further, in the heating process S2 to S4 under inert gas and the cooling process S8 to S9 under inert gas in the above-described embodiment, the inside of the hermetic chamber 40 was replaced with nitrogen gas of about 1 atm. It may be replaced by nitrogen gas at a high atmospheric pressure, for example, at least 2 atmospheric pressure. In this case, since the efficiency of convective heat transfer is increased by the high density nitrogen gas, the heating efficiency in the heating process under inert gas S2 to S4 or the cooling efficiency in the cooling process under inert gas S8 to S9 is increased. It is done.

  Moreover, in the above-mentioned Example, although the metal foil laminated body 30 was for manufacturing the negative electrode sheet 12 and the positive electrode sheet 14 which are used for a lithium ion battery, the electrode sheet of another kind of battery, or lamination | stacking It may be for other applications such as capacitor electrode sheets.

  Moreover, in the above-mentioned Example, the drying apparatus 32 carries out heating drying of the metal foil laminated body 30 by the electronic control apparatus 90, heating process S2-S4 under inert gas, heating process S5-S7 under vacuum, and inert gas. Although the lower cooling steps S8 to S9 are automatically performed in this order, heating under inert gas, heating under vacuum, and cooling under inert gas may be sequentially performed by manual operation.

  Moreover, in the heating under vacuum in the above-described heating steps S5 to S7 of the embodiment, the hermetic chamber 40 is brought into a vacuum state, but it is not always necessary to use a high vacuum. In the heating steps S5 to S7 under vacuum. As long as the water and solvent can be easily removed from the metal foil laminate 30 at a low heating temperature, the boiling point of the water or solvent can be lowered and drying can be performed efficiently. Good.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, in the inert gas heating step (S2 to S4), the temperature of the metal foil laminate 30 reaches the target heating temperature as shown between the time t1 and the time t2 in FIG. However, it is not always necessary that the temperature of the metal foil laminate 30 reaches the target heating temperature, and may be up to that point. Similarly, the heating step under vacuum (S5 to S7) is a section in which the temperature of the metal foil laminate 30 reaches the target heating temperature and is maintained as shown between the time t2 and the time t3 in FIG. However, it is not always necessary that the temperature of the metal foil laminate 30 reaches the target heating temperature and is maintained, and the temperature of the metal foil laminate 30 is raised toward the target heating temperature before this. It may contain the state to do.

  Moreover, in the inert gas subcooling step (S8 to S9) of the above-described embodiment, the metal foil laminate 30 in the hermetic chamber 40 is cooled under nitrogen gas and under cooling by the cooling jacket 62. It is not always necessary to cool the metal foil laminate 30 under nitrogen gas and under cooling by the cooling jacket 62. For example, when a certain amount of cooling time is allowed to be extended, the cooling jacket 62 may not be provided or may not be under nitrogen gas.

  It should be noted that the above description is merely an embodiment, and other examples are not illustrated. However, the present invention is implemented in variously modified and improved modes based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention. Can do.

12: Negative electrode sheet 14: Positive electrode sheet 22: Negative electrode current collector (metal foil, copper foil)
24: Negative electrode active material mixture layer (paste material)
26: Positive electrode current collector (metal foil, aluminum foil)
28: Positive electrode active material mixture layer (paste material)
30: Metal foil laminate 32, 100: Drying device 40: Airtight chambers 44a, 44b, 44d, 44e: Rectifying plates 46a, 46b, 46d, 46e: Multiple groups of heaters 47: Fan device 48: Blade 52: Magnetic cup Ring 54: Indoor rotating shaft 56: Electric motor 58: Outdoor rotating shaft 62: Refrigerant jacket 68: Trap 72: Vacuum pump 80: Nitrogen gas pump (inert gas supply device)
82: Trap chamber 84: Refrigerator 88: Trap plate 90: Electronic control device (heating control device)
110: Heating device under inert gas (first airtight chamber)
118: Heating device under vacuum (second hermetic chamber)
112, 114: Shutter (first opening / closing shutter)
120, 122: Shutter (second open / close shutter)
126: Inert gas lower cooling device (third hermetic chamber)
S2 to S4: Inert gas heating step (gas heating step)
S5 to S7: heating step under vacuum S8 to S9: cooling step under inert gas (cooling step)

Claims (8)

A drying method for drying a metal foil laminate in which a metal foil coated with a paste-like material containing moisture and / or a solvent is laminated,
A gas-under-heating step of heating the metal foil laminate to a predetermined heating state in an airtight chamber filled with gas;
Next, a vacuum heating step of reducing the pressure in the hermetic chamber to a vacuum state and maintaining the metal foil laminate in a heated state for a predetermined time;
A cooling step of cooling the metal foil laminate to a predetermined temperature after the predetermined time has elapsed. The said cooling process cools the said metal foil laminated body to predetermined temperature in the state with which the said airtight chamber was satisfy | filled with the said gas, The drying method of the metal foil laminated body of Claim 1. The airtight chamber is disposed in a state of being in close contact with the outer wall of the airtight chamber, and a refrigerant for cooling the airtight chamber by allowing the refrigerant to pass therethrough for generating a circulating airflow in the airtight chamber. With a jacket,
In the cooling step, the metal foil laminate in the hermetic chamber is forcibly cooled to a predetermined temperature by rotating the fan device with the gas filled in the gastight chamber and passing the refrigerant through the refrigerant jacket. The method for drying a metal foil laminate according to claim 2. A drying apparatus for drying a metal foil laminate in which a metal foil coated with a paste-like material containing moisture and / or a solvent is laminated,
An airtight chamber for accommodating the metal foil laminate;
A heater provided in the hermetic chamber for heating the metal foil laminate in the hermetic chamber;
A vacuum pump connected to the hermetic chamber to create a vacuum in the hermetic chamber;
An inert gas supply device connected to the hermetic chamber for supplying an inert gas into the hermetic chamber;
In the gas-tight chamber replaced with the inert gas supplied from the inert gas supply device, the metal foil laminate is heated to a predetermined heating state using the heater, and the inert gas is heated. A heating control device that, after heating under gas, depressurizes the hermetic chamber to a vacuum state and performs heating under vacuum to maintain the metal foil laminate in a heated state for a predetermined time. Dryer for foil laminate. A fan device that is rotationally driven to generate a circulating airflow in the hermetic chamber;
A refrigerant jacket that is disposed in close contact with the outer wall of the hermetic chamber and that cools the hermetic chamber by allowing the refrigerant to pass therethrough,
The heating control device is configured to rotate the fan in a state where the airtight chamber is replaced with an inert gas and to pass the refrigerant through the refrigerant jacket following heating under vacuum, thereby stacking the metal foil in the airtight chamber. The apparatus for forcibly cooling a body to a predetermined temperature. The drying apparatus for a metal foil laminate according to claim 4. The fan device has a vane at one end and is rotatably provided in the hermetic chamber, and an electric fan is provided so as to be concentric with the rotary shaft with an outer wall of the hermetic chamber therebetween. A magnetic cup that is provided at an outdoor rotary shaft that is rotationally driven by a motor, the other end of the indoor rotary shaft, and an end of the outdoor rotary shaft on the indoor rotary shaft side, and that transmits torque through the outer wall of the hermetic chamber It has a ring. The drying apparatus of the metal foil laminated body of Claim 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. A trap provided between the vacuum pump and the hermetic chamber, for trapping water and / or a solvent contained in the gas sucked from the hermetic chamber by the vacuum pump;
The trap has a trap chamber through which gas sucked from the hermetic chamber is allowed to pass, a refrigerator, and a trap plate provided in the trap chamber and cooled by the refrigerator. A drying apparatus for a metal foil laminate according to any one of claims 4 to 6. The hermetic chamber is disposed adjacent to the first hermetic chamber with a first open / close shutter and a first hermetic chamber for heating the metal foil laminate to a predetermined heating state by heating under the inert gas. A second hermetic chamber for maintaining the metal foil laminate at a heating temperature for a predetermined time by heating under vacuum, and a second hermetic chamber across a second opening / closing shutter, the metal foil laminate being disposed A third hermetic chamber for cooling to a predetermined temperature,
The said metal foil laminated body is a thing conveyed sequentially in one direction to the said 1st airtight chamber, the said 2nd airtight chamber, and the said 3rd airtight chamber by the conveying apparatus. The drying apparatus of 1 metal foil laminated body.

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