US3350788A - Process and apparatus for drying damp sheet material - Google Patents

Process and apparatus for drying damp sheet material Download PDF

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Publication number
US3350788A
US3350788A US536381A US53638166A US3350788A US 3350788 A US3350788 A US 3350788A US 536381 A US536381 A US 536381A US 53638166 A US53638166 A US 53638166A US 3350788 A US3350788 A US 3350788A
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United States
Prior art keywords
sheet material
belts
walls
damp
moisture
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Expired - Lifetime
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US536381A
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English (en)
Inventor
Breuers Theo Pierre Chretien
Friesen Peter Antoon
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Chemische Fabriek L Van der Grinten NV
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Grinten Chem L V D
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Application filed by Grinten Chem L V D filed Critical Grinten Chem L V D
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03D—APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING EXPOSED PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR
    • G03D15/00—Apparatus for treating processed material
    • G03D15/02—Drying; Glazing
    • G03D15/027—Drying of plates or prints

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Dampened sheet material such as exposed photocopy material to which a thin layer of liquid has been applied for development of the latent image, is dried effectively without either wrinkling or sticking in the apparatus by being transported and heated between confronting surfaces, at least one of which is a soft hairy surface, of moving walls such as contiguous flights of endless belts formed of material non-absorptive to moisture.
  • a suitable belt is made of nylon plush having hairs of .2.8 cm. in length.
  • This invention relates to a process and apparatus for drying sheet materials. It is of special value for drying the damp prints which are obtained by photocopying processes and will be described with particular reference to that use. Nevertheless it is to be understood that the process and apparatus is of utility in drying damp sheet materials of Other types.
  • photocopying processes any method for the production of an image on radiation-sensitive copy material which employs a processing technique such that the prints initially obtained are in a damp condition.
  • Such processes include, for example, those based on silver halide photographic materials (including materials for the silver salt diffusion processes), those based on diazotype and diazotype transfer materials, and those based on iron salt materials (e.g. blueprint).
  • the moistening liquid usually consists of water or of an aqueous solution of chemicals.
  • the water furnishes the moist medium in which the desired reaction can take place and it also acts as a carrier for uniformly distributing the chemicals dissolved therein over the copy material.
  • the copies After being moistened, the copies are generally passed through a drying apparatus, in which they are heated with the aid of heating elements.
  • the rise in temperature thus caused in the material often has a favourable influence on the image formation, while simultaneously the water evaporates, so that ultimately a dry copy is ob tained.
  • the temperature used in the drying apparatus is preferably high.
  • the temperature can not be raised too much, inter alia because the liquid must be prevented from evaporating so rapidly that the copy is already entirely dry before the image formation is complete. Too rapid an evaporation may occur in the known apparatuses for drying damp copies whichare frequently applied in photocopying processes and in which the copies are passed along electrical radiators with the aid of open string or belt systems.
  • the copies are pressed against the wall of a heated drum with the aid of a water-tight and vapour-tight belt which prevents the evaporating water from escaping from the copies.
  • the copies are moved forward through a narrow channel which is isolated from the surroundings and which extends between the wall of a rotating drum and a heated plate mounted around the drum.
  • the copies are dried in the desired manner and the image formation is entirely completed, they yet show defects.
  • the copies In the apparatus of the first-mentioned type the copies often become wrinkled or creased, because the belt holds the copy material firmly and thus prevents expansion and shrinkage of the material owing to moisture and, temperature variations. In the other apparatuses the material may stick in the narrow channel.
  • a process for drying damp sheet material which comprises passing the sheet material between two walls which face one another, move in the same direction and transport the sheet material, and heating the sheet material during its said passage, the said walls being formed of material of very low vapour-absorbency characteristics, i.e., of material substantially non-absorptive to moisture, and at least one of the facing surfaces of said walls being a soft hairy surface.
  • apparatus for drying damp sheet material which comprises two walls adapted to be. moved in the same direction, and located to accommodate between their facing surfaces a sheet material and to transport the said sheet material by such movement, the said walls being formed of material of very low vapour absorbency characteristics and at least one of the facing surfaces of said walls being a soft hairy surface, and means for applying heat to sheet material located between said walls.
  • the walls between which the copies are heated can be.
  • 1 is the developing section (which is of a known construction, see United States patent specification No. 2,981,171) in which a thin layer of developing liquid is applied on to both sides of the copy material to be developed.
  • FIG. 1 gives a section perpendicular to and through the axes of rollers driving and guiding endless belts forming the moving walls according to this invention
  • FIG. 2 gives a section through one of the boxes between said belts for heating by air, said section being taken along the line IIII in FIGURE 1 but not showing the part of the box through which the section of FIGURE 1 is taken.
  • This FIGURE 2 is at a smaller scale than FIGURE 1, namely about half the scale of FIGURE 1.
  • the drying apparatus comprises three cooperating systems of endless belts.
  • the first system consists of a number of juxtaposed belts 4, which have been stretched around a guide roller 5 and a driving roller 6; the belts 4 are made of a fabric which does not absorb vapour and is heat-resistant, such as a fabric made of polyester yarn.
  • the second belt system consists of a number of juxtaposed belts 7, which are made of heat-resistant material having a soft hairy surface (such as nylon plush, the hairs of which have a length of 0.2-0.8 cm.) and which have been stretched around guide rollers 8, 9, 10 and 11 and around a driving roller 12.
  • the third belt system consists of a number of juxtaposed endless belts 13, which have been stretched around a guide roller 14 and a driving roller 15.
  • the belts 13 are also made of a fabric which does not absorb moisture and is heatresistant.
  • Each belt system may also consist of one broad belt instead of being composed of a number of juxtaposed belts. All the belts are driven with the same
  • heating elements 16, 17 and 18 are mounted, with which the belts are in contact.
  • the heating elements consist of boxes formed of metal plate, through which air having a temperature of about 120 C. is blown.
  • the boxes 16 and 17 have plane walls; the box 18 has a partly inclined, partly curved wall as shown.
  • the temperature of the air is regulated in a known manner with the aid of a thermostat 19 which controls the temperature of the wall of one of the boxes, e.g. box 17.
  • the apparatus contains guide plates 20, 21, and 22, guide rollers 23 and 24 and a receiving table 25.
  • 26 shows the feeding guide plate for copies exposed in a copying apparatus not shown.
  • This plate 26 guides the copies between the upturned edges of two baths 29 and 30 with a developing liquid, each with a rotating roller 27 and 28 respectively partially submerged therein.
  • the copies are guided into the nip of two rollers 31 and 32 moistened by developing liquid and from this nip the copy sheets are guided by and between rollers 33 and 34 pushed together by a weighting roller 35.
  • Rollers 33 and 34 squeeze out surplus of developing liquid from the copy sheets between them.
  • the copy sheets are taken up by a driven guiding roller 36, which guides them to belts 4 on top of roller 6.
  • the belts guide the copy sheets downwards between belts 4 and 7, the sheets being thereupon guided around roller 8 by the guide plates extending on one side between the belts 4 and at the other side between the belts 13, so that the sheets are thereafter moved upwardly between belts 7 and 13, separated from the top of belts 13 on roller 15 by guide plates 21 and guided by guide plates 22 to the nip between guide rollers 23 and 24 so as to be discharged on receiving table 25.
  • the copies are quickly heated. The vapour thus formed cannot escape at once, but is retained in the copies and between the hairs of the belts 7.
  • the elevated temperature and the moist medium ensure that the development takes place rapidly, so that it is practically entirely complete when the copies are fed around the roller 11 by the plates 20.
  • the copies, while still damp, are then passed between the belts 7 and 13. These belts have less intimate contact with each other owing to the curvature in the wall of the box 18. Hence, the evaporated Water can now escape and the copy is dried.
  • the dried copy is then carried off by the belts 13, guide plates 21, 22 and guide rollers 23 and 24 and delivered on to the receiving table 25 as described.
  • rollers are driven positively from an external source including an electric motor with suitable gear mechanism not shown: 27, 28, 36, 6, 12, 15 and 23.
  • Gear wheels 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 at one end of the apparatus connect rollers 6, 12 and 15 drivingly, a chain 42 drives roller 23 from roller 12 and a chain 43 drives roller 36 from roller 6.
  • Rollers 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 24 are rotated by friction contact with driven rollers as shown.
  • Rollers 5, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 14 are each rotated by frictional contact with one of the belts 4, 7 and 13.
  • Rollers 5 and 14 are loaded by springs 44 attached at their lower ends to the stationary structure and at their upper ends to end trunnions of said rollers.
  • roller S is vertically adjustable by set screws 45 adapted When rotated to move the roller 8 with the guide plates 20 up or down by engaging the end trunnions of this roller 8. Rollers 5, 8 and 14 are movably guided for up or down movement by guide slots 46 for their end trunnions.
  • FIGURE 2 shows a centripetal fan 47 driven through its shaft 48 by an electric motor 49, mounted on top of a surrounding airtight casing 50.
  • casing 50 with fan 47 for the three boxes 16, 17 and 18 in common, this casing extending the full width of the three boxes together, but having internal guide walls necessitating all the air entering from the three boxes to pass the fan 47.
  • These three boxes are extending backwards, as seen in FIGURE 1, to the outside of the apparatus, where there are no belts 4, 7 and 13, and the easing 50 is secured to the end of these boxes by bolts 51.
  • each of the boxes 16, 17 and 18 is divided into an upper compartment 52 and a lower com artment 53, which com partments are separated by a horizontal partition 54, which does only extend in those parts of the boxes outside the parts contacting the belts 4, 7 and 16.
  • the fan 47 is adapted to circulate air through the fan downwards and to the left side as seen in FIGURE 2, being to the front as shown in FIGURE 1, Le. through lower compartment 53, then upwards in the zone of the plane of FIGURE 1 and then backwards as seen in FIGURE 1, i.e. to the right as seen in FIGURE 2, in the upper compartment 52, and so back to the fan 47 again.
  • Electrical heating means 55 governed by thermostat 19 heat the circulating air to the required temperature. Curved walls 56 and 57 (FIG. 2) guide the air smoothly to and from the fan 47.
  • a process for drying damp sheet material which comprises, after applying liquid to sheet material to dampen the same, passing the damp material between two walls which face one another, are moving together in the same direction and will hold the material between their confronting surfaces so as to transport it through a drying zone, and heating said damp material between said walls to evaporate moisture from it in said zone, said walls being formed of material substantially non-absorptive to moisture and at least one of their confronting surfaces being a soft hairy surface engaging said sheet material through limp hairs which will keep evaporated moisture in contact with said sheet material yet enable said sheet material to expand or shrink freely as it is dried.
  • An apparatus for drying damp sheet material comprising, in association with means for applying liquid to sheet material that is thereafter to be dried, means including contiguous movable walls having confronting surfaces to receive and hold therebetween damp sheet material being delivered from said liquid applying means, means for moving said Walls to transport said material through a drying zone, and means for applying heat to said material between said walls to evaporate moisture from it as it is transported through said zone, wherein at least one of said walls is formed of a material substantially non-absorptive to moisture and presents as one of said confronting surfaces a soft hairy surface engaging said sheet material through limp hairs which will keep evaporated moisture in contact with said sheet material yet enable said sheet material to expand or shrink freely as it is dried.
  • Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the hairs of the hairy surface have a length of 0.2-0.8 cm.
  • said heat applying means comprising stationary heating elements in the form of box-like bodies contacting the inner sides of said endless belts and means for passing heated air through said box-like bodies.
  • said heat applying means comprising stationary heating elements in the form of box-like bodies contacting the inner sides of said endless belts, means for passing heated air through said box-like bodies, and means including a thermostat responsive to the temperature of a wall of one of said box-like bodies for regulating the temperature of said air.
  • An apparatus for drying damp photo-print sheet material comprising, in association with means for applying a thin layer of developing liquid to at least one side of exposed photoprint sheet material, means including systems of endless belts having contiguous elongated flights presenting confronting surfaces to receive and transport therebetween damp sheet material being delivered from said liquid applying means, means for driving said belts so as to move said flights together with said material therebetween through a drying zone, and means for applying heat to said material between said flights to evaporate moisture from it and complete the development of it in said zone, wherein the belts of one of said systems are formed of a fabric that is substantially nonabs-orptive to moisture and presents over its outer side as one of said confronting surfaces limp hairs which will keep evaporated moisture in contact with said material yet enable said material to expand or shrink freely as it is dried.
  • the belts of said one system having advance and return flights coacting respectively with contiguous flights of the belts of first and third endless belt systems located adjacent thereto, there being means for guiding said material from said advance flight to said return flight, said advance flight being held sufficiently close to the coacting flight of said first belt system that moisture evaporated from said material will be kept by said hairs in continuing contact with said material, and said return flight having less intimate contact with the coacting flight of said third belt system so that such moisture may escape.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Drying Of Solid Materials (AREA)
US536381A 1965-03-24 1966-03-22 Process and apparatus for drying damp sheet material Expired - Lifetime US3350788A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NL6503753A NL6503753A (de) 1965-03-24 1965-03-24

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US3350788A true US3350788A (en) 1967-11-07

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US536381A Expired - Lifetime US3350788A (en) 1965-03-24 1966-03-22 Process and apparatus for drying damp sheet material

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US (1) US3350788A (de)
BE (1) BE677840A (de)
CH (1) CH431274A (de)
DE (1) DE1497429B1 (de)
FR (1) FR1470945A (de)
GB (1) GB1121089A (de)
NL (1) NL6503753A (de)
SE (1) SE330830B (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20080084591A1 (en) * 2006-10-05 2008-04-10 Rassatt Bradley B Imaging apparatus with moveable entrance guide
US20090133286A1 (en) * 2007-11-26 2009-05-28 David Vallejo Method and machine for pre-drying stamp-prints

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1919275A (en) * 1932-01-16 1933-07-25 George N Dunham Photoprint drier
US2581790A (en) * 1948-03-01 1952-01-08 Drycor Felt Company Industrial and papermaker's felt
US2895395A (en) * 1955-04-16 1959-07-21 Engelhard Ind Inc Conveyor device for photo-printing material in photo-printing machines
US2924163A (en) * 1954-02-12 1960-02-09 Duophoto Corp Photographic development apparatus
US3145637A (en) * 1960-07-12 1964-08-25 Gen Aniline & Film Corp Diazotype development apparatus
US3248802A (en) * 1962-11-27 1966-05-03 Huyck Corp Stable dryer fabrics
US3263345A (en) * 1963-04-24 1966-08-02 Rolor Corp Photographic material drying apparatus

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE1009025B (de) * 1951-09-11 1957-05-23 Ozalid Co Ltd Vorrichtung zum Entwickeln photographischer Schichttraeger
DE1013964B (de) * 1952-11-26 1957-08-14 Zindler Lumoprint Kg Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Herstellung von photographischen Bildern

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1919275A (en) * 1932-01-16 1933-07-25 George N Dunham Photoprint drier
US2581790A (en) * 1948-03-01 1952-01-08 Drycor Felt Company Industrial and papermaker's felt
US2924163A (en) * 1954-02-12 1960-02-09 Duophoto Corp Photographic development apparatus
US2895395A (en) * 1955-04-16 1959-07-21 Engelhard Ind Inc Conveyor device for photo-printing material in photo-printing machines
US3145637A (en) * 1960-07-12 1964-08-25 Gen Aniline & Film Corp Diazotype development apparatus
US3248802A (en) * 1962-11-27 1966-05-03 Huyck Corp Stable dryer fabrics
US3263345A (en) * 1963-04-24 1966-08-02 Rolor Corp Photographic material drying apparatus

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20080084591A1 (en) * 2006-10-05 2008-04-10 Rassatt Bradley B Imaging apparatus with moveable entrance guide
US20090133286A1 (en) * 2007-11-26 2009-05-28 David Vallejo Method and machine for pre-drying stamp-prints

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BE677840A (de) 1966-09-15
NL6503753A (de) 1966-09-26
DE1497429B1 (de) 1970-07-30
SE330830B (de) 1970-11-30
CH431274A (de) 1967-02-28
FR1470945A (fr) 1967-02-24
GB1121089A (en) 1968-07-24

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