WO2014163175A1 - Dehydrator - Google Patents

Abstract

A dehydrator (10) is provided with a dehydration chamber (14) for dehydrating a solid film (80), and an infrared heater (40). The infrared heater (40) has: a filament (41) for emitting electromagnetic waves including infrared light, the filament (41) being disposed inside the dehydration chamber (14); and an inner tube (42) and an outer tube (44) for absorbing infrared light having a wavelength exceeding 3.5 μm and covering the filament (41). The solid film (80) transmits at least some near-infrared light, and the pre-dehydration moisture content of the solid film (80) is greater than 0% by mass and equal to or less than 1% by mass. In any of a plurality of heater rows (29), any of the infrared heaters (40) constituting the row is disposed so as to be misaligned in the overlapping direction and in the perpendicular direction relative to the infrared heaters (40) constituting an adjacent row.

Description

Dehydrator

The present invention relates to a dehydration apparatus.

Conventionally, a heat treatment apparatus for performing heat treatment such as dehydration on a film such as a PET film is known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes that heat treatment of a PET film is performed using hot air and a far infrared heater in combination.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-275031

By the way, in such a conventional heat treatment apparatus, although there is a slight amount (for example, about 1% by mass) of moisture inside the solid film after heat treatment (dehydration), sufficient dehydration may not be possible. For example, the solid film after dehydration is used for a liquid crystal display, an organic EL, or the like by forming a transparent conductive film on the surface by sputtering or the like to form a transparent conductive film. In this case, if the moisture in the solid film is large, the transparent conductive film on the surface may be adversely affected. Therefore, it has been desired to further reduce the water content inside the solid film.

The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has as its main purpose to further reduce the water content inside the solid film.

The dehydrator of the present invention is
A dehydrating apparatus for dehydrating a solid film that transmits at least a part of near infrared rays and has an internal water content of more than 0% by mass and not more than 1% by mass,
A dehydration chamber for dehydrating the solid film;
An infrared heater that is disposed in the dehydration chamber and has a heating element that emits electromagnetic waves including infrared rays, and a tube that absorbs infrared rays having a wavelength exceeding 3.5 μm and covers the heating element;
It is equipped with.

This dehydrating apparatus of the present invention radiates infrared rays to the solid film whose internal moisture content before dehydration is more than 0 mass% and 1 mass% or less by an infrared heater. Since this infrared heater has a heating element that emits electromagnetic waves including infrared rays and a tube that absorbs infrared rays having a wavelength exceeding 3.5 μm and covers the heating element, infrared rays having a wavelength of 3.5 μm or less (near infrared rays) ). Infrared light having this wavelength can selectively give energy to water molecules and can efficiently dehydrate the solid film. And since a solid film permeate | transmits at least one part of near infrared rays, the near infrared rays from an infrared heater act on the water | moisture content inside a solid film directly. By these, the solid film whose internal moisture content is more than 0 mass% and 1 mass% or less can be further dehydrated, and the moisture content inside the solid film can be further reduced. In this case, the solid film may be dehydrated to a water content of 100 ppm or less in the dehydration chamber, or may be dehydrated to 10 ppm or less. The solid film may be dense. When the solid film is dense, the moisture inside the solid film is difficult to escape to the outside, but the dehydration apparatus of the present invention can selectively dehydrate the water molecules, so the significance of applying the present invention Is expensive. The solid film may be a PET film. The PET film has a relatively low glass transition point of, for example, about 70 ° C., but is hardly heated by near infrared rays. Therefore, it is easy to keep the PET film during dehydration below the glass transition point, and the present invention is highly meaningful.

In the dehydrating apparatus according to the present invention, the dehydrating apparatus includes a conveying unit that zigzags the solid film in the dehydrating chamber, and a plurality of the infrared heaters are arranged so as to form a plurality of rows. Are arranged side by side in the zigzag overlapping direction so that one or more of the plurality of columns are arranged with respect to an infrared heater in which at least one of the infrared heaters constituting the row constitutes an adjacent row. They may be arranged so as to be shifted in a direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction. A solid film is transported in a zigzag, and there is an infrared heater arranged in a direction perpendicular to the zigzag stacking direction with respect to the infrared heaters constituting the adjacent rows. It is easy to irradiate even the solid film which penetrates through the point. Thereby, the infrared rays from one infrared heater can be radiated to the solid film more efficiently, and the dehydration can be performed more efficiently. In addition, it is preferable that one or more rows of the plurality of rows are arranged such that all infrared heaters constituting the row are shifted in a direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction with respect to the infrared heater constituting the adjacent row. . Further, for any of the plurality of rows, it is preferable that one or more of the infrared heaters constituting the row are arranged so as to be shifted in a direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction with respect to the infrared heater constituting the adjacent row, It is more preferable that any of the infrared heaters constituting the row is shifted in a direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction with respect to the infrared heater constituting the adjacent row. Here, “transporting the solid film in a zigzag” may be transporting the solid film while being folded back in the thickness direction (transporting in a zigzag so that the surface of the solid film faces).

In the dehydrating apparatus according to the present invention, the dehydrating apparatus includes a conveying unit that zigzags the solid film in the dehydrating chamber, and a plurality of the infrared heaters are arranged so as to form a plurality of rows. The plurality of rows have outer rows arranged on one or both of the outer sides of the zigzag portion of the solid film in the overlapping direction. One or more of the configured infrared heaters may include a reflective layer that reflects at least a part of the near-infrared rays of the electromagnetic waves on the side opposite to the zigzag portion of the solid film as viewed from the heating element. If it carries out like this, the near infrared rays radiated | emitted in the direction opposite to the zigzag part of a solid film from the infrared heater of an outer side row | line | column can be reflected by a reflection layer, and dehydration of a solid film can be performed more efficiently. Here, the reflective layer may be formed on the outer surface of the tube of the infrared heater constituting the outer row, or may be formed on the inner surface. Further, the reflective layer may be configured independently of the tube.

In this case, the outer row is arranged both outside the zigzag portion of the solid film in the overlapping direction, and the infrared heater constituting the outer row is a zigzag portion of the solid film as viewed from the heating element. A reflective layer that reflects at least a part of the near-infrared ray of the electromagnetic wave may be provided on the opposite side of the electromagnetic wave. In this way, the solid film can be dehydrated more efficiently by the reflective layers on both sides of the zigzag portion.

In the dehydrating apparatus of the present invention, the dehydrating apparatus may include a conveying unit that conveys the solid film in the dehydrating chamber, and the infrared heater may be arranged so that the downstream side in the conveying direction of the conveying unit tends to be dense. At the downstream side in the transport direction, that is, at the end of the dehydration process in the dehydration chamber, the moisture of the solid film is reduced and problems such as deformation of the solid film are unlikely to occur. Therefore, the dewatering function can be improved efficiently by densely arranging the infrared heaters on the downstream side to increase the near-infrared radiation intensity. In addition, in the case where a plurality of infrared heaters are arranged so as to form a plurality of rows as described above, the rows on the downstream side in the transport direction may have a tendency that the infrared heaters are densely arranged. For example, the downstream row may have a large number of infrared heaters.

In the dehydrating apparatus of the present invention, the dehydrating apparatus may include a conveying unit that conveys the solid film in the dehydrating chamber, and the infrared heater may be arranged so that the upstream side in the conveying direction of the conveying unit tends to be dense. At the upstream side in the transport direction, that is, at the beginning of the dehydration process in the dehydration chamber, moisture may adhere to the surface of the solid film, but by placing an infrared heater so that the upstream side in the transport direction tends to be dense Such moisture can be quickly evaporated at the beginning of dehydration. In the case where a plurality of infrared heaters are arranged so as to form a plurality of rows as described above, the rows on the upstream side in the transport direction may be arranged so that the infrared heaters are densely arranged. For example, the upstream row may have a large number of infrared heaters. Further, the infrared heater may be arranged such that the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction tend to be denser than the center in the transport direction.

In the dehydrating apparatus of the present invention, the solid film is disposed in one or both of the zigzag overlapping direction of the zigzag portion of the solid film in a zigzag overlapping direction in the dehydration chamber, A reflecting plate that reflects at least a part of near infrared rays, and the infrared heater may be disposed between the reflecting plate and a zigzag portion of the solid film. If it carries out like this, the near infrared rays radiated | emitted in the direction opposite to the zigzag part of a solid film from an infrared heater can be reflected by a reflecting plate, and dehydration of a solid film can be performed more efficiently.

The dehydrating apparatus of the present invention may include a blowing means capable of blowing a fluid in the dehydrating chamber. Thereby, while dehydrating a solid film with an infrared heater, the removal of the water | moisture content which came out of the solid film inside by dehydration is performed by the ventilation from a ventilation means, and it can dehydrate more efficiently. In this case, the solid film may be cooled by blowing fluid from the blowing means. If it carries out like this, overheating of a solid film can be suppressed by ventilation, dehydrating a solid film with an infrared heater.

In the dehydrating apparatus of the present invention having a blowing means, the infrared heater, one or more nozzles as the blowing means capable of blowing fluid to the solid film, and a nozzle-equipped heater are provided. Also good. In this case, the heater with a nozzle includes the nozzle and an infrared transmission exposed surface that is exposed to the outside and transmits at least a part of the near infrared ray of the electromagnetic wave to irradiate the solid film. You may have the outer peripheral part which covers at least one part of the circumference | surroundings of an infrared heater, and the refrigerant | coolant flow path which can distribute | circulate the refrigerant | coolant which cools the said infrared transmission exposure surface. By carrying out like this, overheating of the infrared rays transmission exposure surface which is a surface exposed outside can be suppressed more by circulation of a refrigerant. And by further suppressing the overheating of the infrared transmission exposed surface, for example, the overheating of the atmosphere in the solid film or the dehydration chamber can be further suppressed, or the distance between the heater with the nozzle and the solid film can be reduced to improve the dehydration efficiency. Can be.

In the dehydration apparatus of the present invention having the above-described heater with a nozzle, the apparatus includes a conveying unit that zigzags the solid film in the dehydration chamber, and the heater with the nozzle has one infrared heater, A plurality of nozzles may be provided so that the fluid can be blown to each of the solid films sandwiched between the solid films of the zigzag portion. If it carries out like this, near infrared irradiation and ventilation can be performed with respect to the solid film of the both sides which pinch | interpose itself from the heater with a nozzle provided with one infrared heater, for example, a nozzle is separately provided with respect to the solid film of both sides Dehydration can be performed with a smaller number of infrared heaters than when a heater is provided. In this case, when the above-described heater with nozzle has the outer peripheral portion, a plurality of the outer peripheral portions can irradiate near infrared rays from the infrared heater to each of the solid films sandwiching itself. The infrared transmission exposed surface may be provided.

In the dehydration apparatus of the present invention, the dehydration chamber may have an atmosphere other than vacuum. The dehydration apparatus of the present invention can further reduce the moisture content inside the solid film even in an atmosphere other than vacuum, and performs dehydration with a simple apparatus configuration compared to a case where the dehydration chamber is in a vacuum atmosphere. Can do. In this case, the dehydration chamber may have an atmosphere with a dew point of −60 ° C. or less. By doing so, it becomes easy to dehydrate the moisture content inside the solid film to a lower value. The dehydration chamber may be an air atmosphere having a dew point of −60 ° C. or lower.

It is a longitudinal section of dehydrating device 10 of a 1st embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the dehydration apparatus 110 of 2nd Embodiment. It is an expanded sectional view of heater 30a with a nozzle. FIG. 5 is a BB view of the nozzle-equipped heater 30a of FIG. 4 viewed from the BB plane. It is an expanded sectional view of heater 30d with a nozzle. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the spin-drying | dehydration apparatus 210 of a modification. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the heater 130 with a nozzle of a modification. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the dehydrating apparatus 310 of Example 1.

[First Embodiment]
Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a dehydrating apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The dehydrator 10 performs dehydration of the solid film 80 using infrared rays and cold air, and includes a dehydration chamber 14, an exhaust device 25, a plurality of infrared heaters 40, a transport roller 87, and a controller 70. ing. Further, the dehydrating apparatus 10 includes a roll 84 provided in front of the dehydrating chamber 14 (left side in FIG. 1) and a roll 86 provided in the rear of the dehydrating chamber 14 (right side in FIG. 1). The dehydrating apparatus 10 is configured as a roll-to-roll type dehydrating apparatus that continuously dehydrates the solid film 80 to be dehydrated by rolls 84 and 86 and a plurality of conveying rollers 87 in the conveying direction. In the present embodiment, the transport direction is the front-rear direction (left-right direction in FIG. 1), and the solid film 80 is transported from the front to the rear.

The dehydration chamber 14 is for dehydrating the solid film 80. The dehydration chamber 14 is a heat insulating structure formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and has openings 17 and 18 on the front end face 15 and the rear end face 16, respectively. The dehydration chamber 14 has a length from the front end face 15 to the rear end face 16 of, for example, 2 to 10 m. In the dehydration chamber 14, a punching plate 19, a plurality of blower nozzles 20, reflection plates 22 a and 22 b, a plurality of infrared heaters 40, and a plurality of transport rollers 87 are disposed.

In the dehydration chamber 14, a first transport roller 87a to a seventh transport roller 87g as a plurality of transport rollers 87 are arranged. The first, third, fifth, and seventh transport rollers 87a, 87c, 87e, and 87g are disposed below the dehydration chamber 14, and the second, fourth, and sixth transport rollers 87b, 87d, and 87f are dewatered. Located above the chamber 14. The plurality of transport rollers 87 support the solid film 80 in a state where it floats from the transport rollers 87 by allowing a fluid (for example, room temperature or air of 50 ° C. or less) to flow out from a large number of holes in the cylindrical main body. It is configured as a non-contact roller for conveyance. The solid film 80 is conveyed substantially horizontally from the roll 84 through the opening 17 to the first conveying roller 87a, and the first conveying roller 87a to the seventh conveying roller are transferred to the upper conveying roller 87 and the lower conveying roller 87. It is passed in the order of 87 g, passes through the opening 18 from the seventh transport roller 87 g, and is transported substantially horizontally to the roll 86. Since the first transport roller 87a to the seventh transport roller 87g are alternately arranged up and down, the solid film 80 is transported so as to have a zigzag portion 81 that reciprocates up and down in the dehydration chamber. In addition, you may comprise the conveyance roller 87 as a contact-type roller.

The blower nozzle 20 can blow fluid into the dehydration chamber 14. The blower nozzles 20 are arranged one by one so as to sandwich each of the solid films 80 stretched above and below the zigzag portion 81 from the front-rear direction, and a total of twelve nozzles are arranged. The blower nozzle 20 is disposed above the zigzag portion 81 and slightly below the second, fourth, and sixth transport rollers 87b, 87d, and 87f. An air supply fan and a pipe (not shown) are connected to the blower nozzle 20, and the fluid flowing from the air supply fan through the pipe is blown into the dehydration chamber 14. The fluid is cold air that can cool the solid film 80, and is, for example, room temperature or air of 50 ° C. or lower. The lower the dew point, the better the fluid blown by the blowing nozzle 20. In the present embodiment, the blow nozzle 20 blows air (dry air) having a dew point of −60 ° C. or less. Each of the blow nozzles 20 has an opening formed in the direction of the exhaust port 28 of the exhaust device 25 (downward in FIG. 1), and blows fluid from the upper side of the zigzag portion 81 of the solid film 80 downward. As a result, the air blown from the blower nozzle 20 flows downward along the surface of the solid film 80 of the zigzag portion 81, passes through the punching plate 19 attached below the dehydration chamber 14, and reaches the bottom of the dehydration chamber 14. To flow. Although not shown, the blowing nozzle 20 is attached so that the longitudinal direction is parallel to the left-right direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1), and the opening of the blowing nozzle 20 is parallel to the left-right direction. Open in a slit shape. The punching plate 19 is a plate-like member having a large number of holes.

The exhaust device 25 is a device that discharges the atmospheric gas in the dehydration chamber 14. The exhaust device 25 includes an exhaust fan 26, a pipe structure 27, and a plurality of exhaust ports 28. A plurality (five in this embodiment) of exhaust ports 28 are provided at the bottom of the dehydration chamber 14 and open toward the direction of the solid film 80 and the transport roller 87 (upward direction in FIG. 1). The exhaust port 28 is attached to the pipe structure 27, and sucks in the atmospheric gas in the dehydration chamber 14 (mainly, the air blown from the blower nozzle 20 after flowing along the surface of the sheet 50) to suck the pipe structure 27. Lead in. The pipe structure 27 serves as a flow path for the atmospheric gas from the exhaust port 28 to the exhaust fan 26. The pipe structure 27 forms a passage from the exhaust port 28 through the bottom of the dehydration chamber 14 to the exhaust fan 26 outside the dehydration chamber 14. The exhaust fan 26 is attached to the pipe structure 27 and exhausts the atmospheric gas inside the pipe structure 27.

The plurality of infrared heaters 40 irradiate electromagnetic waves including near infrared rays (infrared rays having a wavelength of 0.7 to 3.5 μm) to dehydrate the solid film 80. The infrared heaters 40 are arranged to form a plurality of rows (seven rows of first to seventh heater rows 29a to 29g in this embodiment). The first to seventh heater rows 29a to 29f are also collectively referred to as a heater row 29. Each row of the heater rows 29 is composed of three infrared heaters 40 that are equally arranged in the vertical direction (a total of 21 infrared heaters 40). The first, third, fifth, and seventh heater rows 29a, 29c, 29e, and 29g are disposed immediately above the first, third, fifth, and seventh transport rollers 87a, 87c, 87e, and 87g, respectively. . The second, fourth, and sixth heater rows 29b, 29d, and 29f are disposed directly below the second, fourth, and sixth transport rollers 87b, 87d, and 87f, respectively. The heater row 29 is arranged alternately with the solid film 80 of the zigzag portion 81. That is, each row of the heater rows 29 is arranged side by side in the zigzag stacking direction (front-rear direction in FIG. 1) so that the solid film 80 of the zigzag portion 81 is sandwiched between the adjacent rows. The blower nozzle 20 is disposed between the heater row 29 and the solid film 80 in the front-rear direction, and fluid flows from the blower nozzle 20 into the space between each row of the heater row 29 and the solid film 80 of the zigzag portion 81. Is to be blown.

In addition, each row of the heater rows 29 has a direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction with respect to the infrared heaters 40 constituting the adjacent rows (up and down direction in FIG. 1). ). In the present embodiment, the infrared heaters 40 in each row of the heater rows 29 are alternately arranged above and below the adjacent infrared heaters 40, and are arranged in a staggered manner in a side view. For example, the first infrared heater 40 from the top of the second heater row 29b is arranged in the middle in the vertical direction of the first and second infrared heaters 40 from the top of the first heater row 29a. As shown in FIG. 1, the first infrared heater 40 from the top of the second heater array 29 b is separated from the first and second infrared heaters 40 from the top of the first heater array 29 a by a distance d (≧ 0) apart. Similarly, the other infrared heaters 40 are also arranged away from each other in the vertical direction by a distance d with respect to the infrared heaters 40 closest to the vertical direction of adjacent rows. The first, third, fifth, and seventh heater rows 29a, 29c, 29e, and 29g have the same arrangement in the vertical direction of the infrared heater 40. In each of the second, fourth, and sixth heater rows 29b, 29d, and 29f, the arrangement of the infrared heaters 40 in the vertical direction is the same.

The plurality of infrared heaters 40 constituting the heater row 29 have the same configuration. The plurality of infrared heaters 40 are attached so that the longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the transport direction (front-rear direction) of the solid film 80. Hereinafter, the configuration of one infrared heater 40 will be described. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. As shown in the enlarged portion of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the infrared heater 40 includes a heater body 43 formed so that an inner tube 42 surrounds a tungsten filament 41 that is a heating element, and an outside of the heater body 43. And an outer tube 44 formed so as to surround the inner tube 42, and caps 50 are attached to both ends thereof. A space between the inner pipe 42 and the outer pipe 44 is a refrigerant flow path 49 through which a refrigerant (for example, air) can flow. The infrared heater 40 includes a temperature sensor 59 that detects the surface temperature of the outer tube 44 (see FIG. 2). In the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 59 is disposed below the outer tube 44 as shown in FIG. 2, but may be disposed on the outer tube 44 closest to the solid film 80. The inner tube 42 and the outer tube 44 are arranged concentrically, and the filament 41 is positioned at the center of the circle.

The heater body 43 is supported at both ends by holders 55 arranged inside the cap 50. The heater body 43 is supplied with electric power from the power supply source 60 (see FIG. 2) disposed outside the dehydration chamber 14 to the filament 41, and the filament 41 is heated to a predetermined temperature (eg, 1200 to 1700 ° C.). And radiates electromagnetic waves including infrared rays. The electromagnetic wave radiated by the filament 41 is not particularly limited. For example, the peak wavelength is in the infrared region (the wavelength is 0.7 μm to 8 μm) or the near infrared region (the wavelength is 0.7 μm to 3.5 μm). ). In the present embodiment, an electromagnetic wave having a peak wavelength of about 3 μm is emitted. The inner tube 42 is a tube having a circular cross section surrounding the filament 41, and is formed of an infrared transmitting material that absorbs infrared rays having a wavelength exceeding 3.5 μm and transmits at least near infrared rays among electromagnetic waves radiated from the filament 41. Yes. Examples of such an infrared transmitting material used for the inner tube 42 include germanium, silicon, sapphire, calcium fluoride, barium fluoride, zinc selenide, zinc sulfide, chalcogenide glass, transparent alumina ceramics, and near infrared rays. For example, quartz glass that can transmit light can be used. In the present embodiment, the inner tube 42 is formed of quartz glass that absorbs infrared light having a wavelength exceeding 3.5 μm as a part of the electromagnetic wave and transmits infrared light having a wavelength of 3.5 μm or less as a part of the electromagnetic wave. It was supposed to be. Further, the inside of the inner tube 42 is a vacuum atmosphere or a halogen atmosphere. The electric wiring 41 a connected to the filament 41 is drawn out to the outside airtightly via a wiring drawing portion 57 provided in the cap 50, and is connected to the power supply source 60. As shown in FIG. 2, the cap 50 is formed by integrally molding a disc-shaped lid 54 and a cylindrical portion 52 erected on the lid 54. The left and right ends of the outer tube 44 are fixed to the cylindrical portion 52.

The outer tube 44 is a tube formed of the above-described infrared transmitting material. In the present embodiment, like the inner tube 42, it is formed of quartz glass that absorbs infrared light having a wavelength exceeding 3.5 μm and transmits infrared light having a wavelength of 3.5 μm or less. The outer tube 44 can be cooled to, for example, 200 ° C. or less by the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path 49.

The refrigerant channel 49 is a space between the inner tube 42 and the outer tube 44, and the refrigerant can flow through the fluid inlet / outlet 58 provided in the cap 50. The refrigerant is a fluid such as air. The fluid inlet / outlet port 58 is connected to a refrigerant supply source 65 disposed outside the dehydration chamber 14. The refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant supply source 65 flows into the refrigerant channel 49 from one fluid inlet / outlet 58, flows through the refrigerant channel 49, and flows out from the other fluid inlet / outlet 58. The refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path 49 plays a role of directly reducing the temperature of the outer tube 44 that is the outer surface of the infrared heater 40.

The reflection plates 22a and 22b (see FIG. 1) are plate-like members capable of reflecting at least a part of near infrared rays among electromagnetic waves radiated from the infrared heater 40. The reflecting plates 22a and 22b are arranged on both outer sides (both outer sides) in the zigzag overlapping direction of the zigzag portion 81 of the solid film 80, and are arranged so that the plate surfaces face each other. Specifically, the reflection plate 22 a is disposed in front of the zigzag portion 81 and in front of the first heater row 29 a located in the foremost position in the heater row 29. The reflection plate 22 b is disposed behind the zigzag portion 81 and behind the seventh heater row 29 g located most rearward among the heater rows 29. Further, the upper ends of the reflection plates 22a and 22b are located above the infrared heater 40 located at the top of the heater row 29 (for example, the uppermost infrared heater 40 of the first heater row 29a), and the reflection plate 22a. , 22b is located below the lowermost infrared heater 40 in the heater row 29 (for example, the lowermost infrared heater 40 in the second heater row 29b). Examples of the material of the reflecting plates 22a and 22b include metals such as SUS304 and aluminum. In addition, the reflecting plates 22a and 22b are obtained by coating the surface of the plate-like member (the surface on the zigzag portion 81 side) with an infrared reflecting material that reflects at least near infrared rays among electromagnetic waves radiated from the infrared heater 40. Also good. Examples of the infrared reflecting material include gold, platinum, and aluminum. The coating may be performed using a film forming method such as sputtering, CVD, or thermal spraying.

The solid film 80 is a dense film that transmits at least part of near infrared rays. Further, the solid film 80 has an internal water content of more than 0% by mass and 1% by mass or less before dehydration such as before being carried into the dehydration chamber. The solid film 80 is used for a liquid crystal display, an organic EL, or the like by forming a transparent conductive film on the surface by sputtering or the like after dehydration in the dehydration chamber 14. The solid film 80 is used for such a transparent conductive film, and is, for example, a resin film such as a PET film. In the present embodiment, the solid film 80 is a PET film. The solid film 80 is not particularly limited, but has a thickness of 10 to 100 μm and a width of 200 to 1000 mm, for example.

The controller 70 is configured as a microprocessor centered on a CPU. The controller 70 outputs a control signal to an air supply fan and an exhaust fan 26 (not shown) of the air blowing nozzle 20 to control the temperature and air volume of the fluid blown from the air blowing nozzle 20 and exhaust the atmosphere of the dehydration chamber 14. The amount of exhaust from the port 28 is controlled. In addition, the controller 70 inputs the temperature of the outer pipe 44 detected by the temperature sensor 59 that is a thermocouple, and the on-off valve 67 and the flow rate provided in the middle of the pipe connecting the refrigerant supply source 65 and the fluid inlet / outlet 58. A control signal is output to the adjustment valve 68 to individually control the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path 49 of the infrared heater 40 (see FIG. 2). Further, the controller 70 outputs a control signal for adjusting the magnitude of the power supplied from the power supply source 60 to the filament 41 to the power supply source 60 to individually control the filament temperature of the infrared heater 40 ( (See FIG. 2). Further, the controller 70 adjusts the passage time of the solid film 80 in the dehydration chamber 14 and the tension applied to the solid film 80 by controlling the rotation speed of the rolls 84 and 86 and the flow rate of the fluid flowing out from the transport roller 87. be able to.

Next, how the solid film 80 is dehydrated by using the dehydrating apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described. First, a solid film 80 having an internal moisture content of more than 0 mass% and 1 mass% or less is prepared and wound around a roll 84. Here, the solid film 80 having a moisture content exceeding 0% by mass and 1% by mass or less is a film having a moisture content exceeding 1% by mass, for example, by a biaxial stretching method (in this embodiment, a PET film). The film can be prepared and dried by a known drying apparatus such as a drying furnace that performs hot-air drying. In the present embodiment, the solid film 80 having an internal moisture content of 0.1% by mass or more and 1% by mass or less is prepared using such a drying apparatus.

When a roll obtained by winding such a solid film 80 around a roll 84 is prepared, first, the interior of the dehydration chamber 14 is set to a predetermined atmosphere during dehydration. In the present embodiment, the inside of the dehydration chamber 14 is an air atmosphere having a dew point of −60 ° C. or less. The atmosphere in the dehydration chamber 14 may be adjusted by, for example, blowing air having a dew point of −60 ° C. or less from the blow nozzle 20, or supplying the atmosphere during dehydration by another air supply device (not shown). May be performed. Subsequently, the controller 70 operates the rolls 84 and 86 and the transport roller 87 to start transporting the solid film 80. As a result, the solid film 80 is unwound from the roll 84 disposed in front of the dehydrating apparatus 10 in FIG. 1 and carried into the dehydrating chamber 14 through the opening 17 of the dehydrating chamber 14. Then, the solid film 80 is conveyed zigzag by the plurality of conveying rollers 87 so as to have the zigzag portion 81. Thereafter, the solid film 80 is unloaded from the dehydration chamber 14 through the opening 18 of the dehydration chamber 14, and is taken up by a roll 86 installed behind the dehydration chamber 14.

During the continuous conveyance of the solid film 80 as described above, the controller 70 controls the intake fan, the opening / closing valve 67, the flow rate adjustment valve 68, the power supply source 60, and the exhaust fan 26 of the blower nozzle 20 which are not shown. Thus, while the solid film 80 passes through the dehydration chamber 14 (particularly, while the solid film 80 is in the zigzag portion 81), the infrared heater 40 in each row of the heater row 29 approaches the solid film 80 in the zigzag portion 81. Irradiation with infrared rays dehydrates the water inside the solid film 80. In the infrared heater 40, the filament 41 is covered with the inner tube 42 and the outer tube 44 that absorb infrared rays having a wavelength exceeding 3.5 μm and transmit infrared rays having a wavelength of 3.5 μm or less as described above. Therefore, electromagnetic waves including infrared rays (near infrared rays) having a wavelength of 3.5 μm or less are radiated from the infrared heater 40 to the solid film 80. That is, due to the presence of the inner tube 42 and the outer tube 44, an electromagnetic wave in which the proportion of infrared rays having a wavelength of 3.5 μm or less among the electromagnetic waves emitted from the filament 41 is increased is emitted to the solid film 80. The near infrared rays emitted from the infrared heater 40 in the direction opposite to the zigzag portion 81 are reflected to the zigzag portion 81 side by the reflecting plates 22a and 22b. For example, near infrared rays emitted forward (leftward in FIG. 1) from the first heater row 29a are reflected backward (rightward in FIG. 1) by the reflector 22a. Near infrared rays emitted backward from the seventh heater row 29g are reflected forward by the reflecting plate 22b. In addition, the moisture that has come out of the solid film 80 due to dehydration is removed by blowing air from the blowing nozzle 20. The air blown from the blower nozzle 20 containing moisture passes through the punching plate 19 and is exhausted by the exhaust device 25. Note that the air blown from the blower nozzle 20 is cold air and also cools the solid film 80. In the present embodiment, the controller 70 controls the flow rate of the blast from the blast nozzle 20 to a predetermined value, and a predetermined value (for example, 60) below the glass transition point (about 70 ° C.) of the solid film 80 (PET). The flow rate of the air blown from the blower nozzle 20 is controlled so that the air flow rate becomes 50 ° C, 50 ° C, 45 ° C, or the like. Not limited to this, for example, the flow rate is adjusted so that the temperature of the solid film 80 is kept below the glass transition point based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor provided in the dehydration chamber 14 such as near the solid film 80. Also good.

By performing dehydration of the solid film 80 in this way, the moisture content of the solid film 80 after being dehydrated, that is, after dehydration, is from 0.1% by mass to 1% by mass before dehydration. It will be in a state where moisture content is lower. In the present embodiment, the output of the infrared heater 40 by the controller 70 and the blow nozzle so that the water content of the solid film 80 after dehydration is less than a predetermined target value (for example, 100 ppm) less than a predetermined 0.1 mass%. The amount of air blown from 20, the conveyance speed of the solid film 80, and the like were determined in advance by experiments. The solid film 80 after being dehydrated by the dehydrating apparatus 10 has a transparent conductive film formed on the surface by sputtering or the like to become a transparent conductive film, and is used for, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL.

In the dehydrating apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment described above, an infrared ray having a wavelength of 3.5 μm or less by the infrared heater 40 is applied to a solid film having an internal water content before dehydration exceeding 0% by mass and 1% by mass or less. Radiates electromagnetic waves including (near infrared). The infrared rays having this wavelength can selectively give energy to water molecules, and the solid film 80 can be efficiently dehydrated. In addition, since the solid film 80 transmits at least part of the near infrared rays, the near infrared rays from the infrared heater 40 easily act on the moisture in the solid film 80 directly. As a result, the moisture content is further reduced, for example, by dehydrating the solid film 80 having an internal moisture content of more than 0% by mass and not more than 1% by mass so that the moisture content in the solid film 40 is 100 ppm or less. be able to. Moreover, since the solid film 80 is dense and moisture does not easily escape to the outside, the dehydration apparatus 10 of the present embodiment can selectively dehydrate the water molecules, and therefore the significance of applying the present invention. Is expensive. Further, the solid film 80 is a PET film and has a relatively low glass transition point, for example, about 70 ° C., but since the PET film is hardly heated in the near infrared, it is easy to keep the solid film 80 during dehydration below the glass transition point, The significance of applying the present invention is high.

In addition, a transport roller 87 for transporting the solid film 80 in a zigzag manner in the dehydration chamber 14 is provided, and a plurality of infrared heaters 40 are arranged so as to form a plurality of heater rows 29, and the plurality of heater rows 29 sandwich the solid film 80. Are arranged side by side in the zigzag overlapping direction, and one or more rows among the plurality of heater rows 29 are arranged such that one or more of the infrared heaters 40 constituting each row of the heater rows 29 constitute an adjacent row. The heater 40 is arranged so as to be shifted in the direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. For this reason, the infrared rays from the infrared heaters 40 that are displaced are transmitted through the solid film 80 and are easily irradiated to the solid film beyond the infrared rays. For example, the infrared rays from the infrared heater 40 of the first heater row 29a are not only the zigzag portion 81, but the zigzag portion 81 as well as the solid film 80 spanned between the first conveyance roller 87a and the second conveyance roller 87b. Of these, the solid film 80 stretched between the second transport roller 87b and the third transport roller 87c is easily irradiated. Thereby, the infrared rays from one infrared heater 40 can be radiated to the solid film 80 more efficiently, and the dehydration can be performed more efficiently. In addition, by disposing the infrared heater 40 in a direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction with respect to the infrared heater 40 constituting the adjacent row, the region that absorbs near infrared rays in the solid film 80 is easily dispersed. The variation in the temperature distribution of the solid film 80 can be further suppressed. In the present embodiment, for any row of the plurality of heater rows 29, any of the infrared heaters 40 constituting the row is shifted in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction with respect to the infrared heater 40 constituting the adjacent row. Therefore, these effects are higher.

Further, on both the outer sides in the zigzag overlapping direction of the zigzag portion 81 of the solid film 80, reflectors 22a and 22b that reflect at least a part of near infrared rays among the electromagnetic waves from the infrared heater 40 are provided. Is disposed between the reflecting plates 22 a and 22 b and the zigzag portion 81 of the solid film 80. For this reason, the near infrared rays radiated from the infrared heater 40 in the direction opposite to the zigzag portion 81 of the solid film 80 can be reflected by the reflectors 22a and 22b, and the solid film 80 can be dehydrated more efficiently. .

Furthermore, a blower nozzle 20 capable of blowing fluid in the dehydration chamber 14 is provided. For this reason, the solid film 80 can be dehydrated by the infrared heater 40, and the moisture removed from the solid film 80 by dehydration can be removed by blowing air from the blower nozzle 20, whereby the dehydration can be performed more efficiently. In addition, since the solid film 80 is cooled by blowing a fluid from the blowing nozzle 20, overheating of the solid film 80 can be suppressed by blowing while the solid film 80 is dehydrated by the infrared heater 40.

In addition, the interior of the dehydration chamber 14 is an atmosphere other than vacuum during dehydration. The dehydration apparatus 10 of this embodiment can further reduce the moisture content inside the solid film 80 even in an atmosphere other than vacuum by irradiating near infrared rays, and the interior of the dehydration chamber 14 is a vacuum atmosphere. Compared to the above, dehydration can be performed with a simple apparatus configuration. Further, since the inside of the dehydration chamber 14 has an atmosphere having a dew point of −60 ° C. or lower during dehydration, the water content in the solid film 80 can be easily dehydrated to a lower value.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dehydrating apparatus 110 of the second embodiment. The dehydrating device 110 does not include the blower nozzle 20 and the reflection plates 22a and 22b, includes a plurality of nozzle-equipped heaters 30 including the infrared heaters 40 in place of the plurality of infrared heaters 40, and includes a plurality of heater rows 29. Instead, the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment except that a plurality of heater rows 129 each including the nozzle-equipped heater 30 are provided. Therefore, among the components of the second embodiment, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted, and differences from the first embodiment will be described.

The heater 30 with a nozzle is capable of irradiating infrared light and blowing air, and is attached so that the longitudinal direction is orthogonal to the transport direction (front-rear direction) of the solid film 80. The nozzle-equipped heater 30 includes two types of nozzle-equipped heaters 30a, 30b, and 30c that can blow air from only one surface, and a nozzle-equipped heater 30d that can blow air from two surfaces. The nozzle-equipped heater 30 is arranged in the dehydration chamber 14 so as to form a plurality of rows (seven rows of first to seventh heater rows 129a to 129g in this embodiment). The first to seventh heater rows 129a to 129g are collectively referred to as a heater row 129. Each row of the heater rows 129 is composed of three nozzle-equipped heaters 30 that are equally arranged in the vertical direction. The first heater row 129a located in the foremost position among the heater rows 29 is composed of three nozzle-equipped heaters 30a arranged in a direction capable of blowing air toward the rear solid film 80. The seventh heater row 129g located on the rearmost side includes three heaters 30b with nozzles arranged in a direction in which air can be blown toward the front solid film 80. The other second to sixth heater rows 129b to 129f are each composed of three nozzle-equipped heaters 30d arranged in a direction capable of blowing air toward the front and rear solid films 80. The arrangement of the heater rows 129 and the arrangement of the heaters 30 with the nozzles constituting each row are the same as the arrangement of the heater rows 29 and the infrared heaters 40 in the first embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the first nozzle-equipped heater 30d from the top of the second heater row 129b has a vertical distance d from the first and second nozzle-equipped heater 30a from the top of the first heater row 129a. They are separated by (≧ 0). In addition to the nozzle-equipped heater 30 that constitutes the heater row 129, the nozzle-equipped heater 30 that irradiates and blows infrared rays to portions other than the zigzag portion 81 of the solid film 80 is disposed in the dehydration chamber 14. Has been. Specifically, one nozzle-equipped heater 30c capable of blowing air toward the lower solid film 80 is disposed between the opening 17 and the transport roller 87a, and between the opening 18 and the transport roller 87g. ing.

Subsequently, the nozzle-equipped heater 30a will be described. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the nozzle-equipped heater 30a. FIG. 5 is a BB view of the nozzle-equipped heater 30a of FIG. 4 as viewed from the BB plane. The nozzle-equipped heater 30b constituting the seventh heater row 129g has a configuration in which the front and rear of the nozzle-equipped heater 30a constituting the first heater row 129a are reversed. Further, the nozzle-equipped heater 30c disposed between the opening 17 and the conveyance roller 87a and between the opening 18 and the conveyance roller 87g is the right of the nozzle-equipped heater 30a constituting the first heater row 129a in FIG. It has a configuration rotated 90 ° around. As shown in FIG. 4, the nozzle-equipped heater 30 a includes an infrared heater 40 and an outer peripheral portion 31 a that covers the infrared heater 40.

As shown in FIG. 4, the outer peripheral portion 31a includes first to fourth members 32 to 35, a tubular member 36a having an infrared transmission exposed surface 37, a reflective layer 38, nozzles 39a and 39b, and a sealing member 90a. , 90b. The 1st member 32 is a member which comprises the outermost periphery of the heater 30a with a nozzle, and has an opening in back (right side of FIG. 4). From the rear opening of the first member 32, the rear ends of the second and third members 33 and 34 and the infrared transmission exposed surface 37 are exposed. The second member 33 and the third member 34 are bent plate-like members, and are disposed between the first member 32 and the tubular member 36a, respectively, and are tubular between the second member 33 and the third member 34. It arrange | positions so that the member 36a may be pinched | interposed from the upper and lower sides. The fourth member 35 is a plate-like member that is bent so that the rear side is open. The fourth member 35 covers the front side and the top and bottom of the infrared heater 40 while covering the front side of the tubular member 36a. The fourth member 35 has an upper rear end joined to the front end of the second member 33 and a lower rear side joined to the front end of the third member 34. The fourth member 35, the second member 33, and the third member 34 are joined together by welding, for example. Thus, a space 91 surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the first member 32 and the outer peripheral surfaces of the second to fourth members 33 to 35 is formed. The first member 32 is connected to an unillustrated air supply fan and piping similar to the air blowing nozzle 20 of the first embodiment, and the space 91 is a flow path for air flow from the air supply fan to the nozzles 39a and 39b. Yes. Although not shown, the first member 32 has a side portion at the end in the left-right direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 5), and the left-right direction of the space (spaces 91, 92) inside the first member 32. The end is closed by this side. Further, the end portions of the second to fourth members 33 to 35 in the left-right direction are welded to the side portions. The material of the first to fourth members 32 to 35 is, for example, a metal. The first to fourth members 32 to 35 are preferably formed of a material capable of reflecting at least a part of near infrared rays, such as SUS304 or aluminum, as in the case of the reflectors 22a and 22b of the first embodiment.

The nozzle 39 a is formed by the first and second members 32 and 33. The nozzle 39 b is formed by the first and third members 32 and 34. That is, the first and second members 32 and 33 are nozzle forming members that form the nozzles 39a, and the first and third members 32 and 34 are nozzle forming members that form the nozzles 39b. Specifically, the rear upper end of the first member 32 and the rear end of the second member 33 are separated from each other, so that the longitudinal direction is parallel to the left-right direction (left-right direction in FIG. 5) as shown in FIG. A slit-shaped nozzle 39 a is formed on the infrared transmission exposed surface 37. Similarly, the rear lower end of the first member 32 and the rear end of the third member 34 are separated from each other. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the longitudinal direction is a slit shape parallel to the left-right direction (left-right direction in FIG. 5). Nozzle 39b is formed below the infrared transmissive exposed surface 37. Further, a surface of the rear upper end portion of the first member 32 that faces the rear end portion of the second member 33 and a surface of the rear end portion of the second member 33 that faces the rear upper end portion of the first member 32 are , Both are inclined from the horizontal direction (front-rear direction) so as to approach the infrared transmission exposed surface 37 side (downward) as proceeding backward. Thereby, the fluid flowing through the space 91 and flowing from the nozzle 39a mainly flows out backward and downward (lower right in FIGS. 3 and 4) along this inclination. Similarly, the surface of the rear lower end portion of the first member 32 that faces the rear end portion of the third member 34, and the surface of the rear end portion of the third member 34 that faces the rear lower end portion of the first member 32, Are inclined from the horizontal direction (front-rear direction) so as to approach the infrared transmission exposed surface 37 side (upward) as they progress backward. Thereby, the fluid flowing through the space 91 and flowing from the nozzle 39b mainly flows out rearward upward (upper right direction in FIGS. 3 and 4) along this inclination. The fluid blown from the nozzle 39a and the nozzle 39b is the same as the fluid blown from the blow nozzle 20 of the first embodiment. The first to third members 32 to 34 that are nozzle forming members are arranged so as not to cover the infrared transmission exposed surface 37.

The tubular member 36 a is a tubular member that covers the periphery of the infrared heater 40. The tubular member 36a is a member that is capable of transmitting at least a part of near-infrared rays among electromagnetic waves from the infrared heater 40 and is integrally formed with the above-described infrared transmitting material. In the present embodiment, the tubular member 36a is made of quartz glass that absorbs infrared light having a wavelength exceeding 3.5 μm and transmits infrared light having a wavelength of 3.5 μm or less, like the outer tube 44 and the inner tube 42 of the infrared heater 40. It was assumed that it was formed. The tubular member 36a has an infrared transmission exposed surface 37 on the rear side. The infrared transmission exposed surface 37 is formed in a planar shape, and the plane is a surface parallel to the vertical direction (the vertical direction in FIGS. 3 and 4). The infrared transmissive exposed surface 37 and the rear ends of the first to third members 32 to 34 are located on the same plane. Further, the front side of the tubular member 36a has a cross-sectional shape of a curved shape such as a parabola, an elliptical arc, or an arc. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that it has a parabolic shape. Although not shown, the tubular member 36a has a side portion at the end portion in the left-right direction (left-right direction in FIG. 5), and the end portion in the left-right direction is substantially closed by this side portion in the space inside the tubular member 36a. ing. Further, the cap 50 (FIG. 2) of the infrared heater 40 passes through the side portion of the tubular member 36 a, and this side portion supports the infrared heater 40. Further, the tubular member 36 a is sandwiched between the side portions at both ends of the first member 32, and the tubular member 36 a is held by the side portions of the first member 32. A reflective layer 38 is formed on the front outer surface of the tubular member 36a. The reflection layer 38 is provided on the side opposite to the infrared transmission exposed surface 37 when viewed from the filament 41, and is formed of the above-described infrared reflection material that reflects at least a part of the near infrared ray among the electromagnetic waves radiated from the filament 41. Has been. The reflective layer 38 can be formed by depositing an infrared reflective material on the surface of the tubular member 36a using a film deposition method such as coating and drying, sputtering, CVD, or thermal spraying. Since the reflective layer 38 is formed on the front surface of the tubular member 36a, the cross section has a shape along the curved shape of the front side of the tubular member 36a. And the infrared heater 40 (filament 41) is arrange | positioned in the focus or center position of the curve shape. Therefore, a part of the near infrared rays emitted from the filament 41 is reflected by the reflection layer 38, passes through the infrared transmission exposed surface 37, and is efficiently irradiated to the rear solid film 80. In the present embodiment, since the tubular member 36a and the reflective layer 38 are parabolic, the near infrared light reflected by the reflective layer 38 proceeds horizontally backward, and in the solid film 80, the infrared transmissive exposed surface 37 and the front-rear direction. The opposite area is irradiated. In the heater with nozzle 30a, the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path 49 of the infrared heater 40 not only directly lowers the temperature of the outer tube 44, which is the outer surface of the infrared heater 40, but also reduces the temperature of the outer tube 44. By lowering, the temperature of the infrared transmission exposed surface 37 is indirectly lowered. Note that the space between the tubular member 36a and the outer tube 44 may be a refrigerant flow path, and the temperature of the infrared transmission exposed surface 37 may be lowered directly by circulating the refrigerant through the refrigerant flow path.

The sealing members 90a and 90b are members that seal the space 92 surrounded by the second to fourth members 33 to 35. The sealing member 90a is a rod-like member whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the left-right direction, and the rear upper side (upper right side in FIG. 4) of the tubular member 36a having the rear end portion of the second member 33 and the infrared transmission exposed surface 37. A slit-shaped opening between the two is sealed. The sealing member 90b is a rod-like member whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the left-right direction, and the rear lower side of the tubular member 36a having the rear end portion of the third member 34 and the infrared transmission exposed surface 37 (lower right side in FIG. 4). ) Is sealed with a slit-shaped opening. As a result, the sealing members 90 a and 90 b prevent the air from the nozzles 39 a and 39 b from entering the space 92. The sealing members 90a and 90b are elastic bodies, such as resin, for example. The sealing members 90a and 90b may be solid members with solid contents, or may be hollow members such as tubes.

Next, the nozzle-equipped heater 30d will be described. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the nozzle-equipped heater 30d. As shown in FIG. 6, the nozzle-equipped heater 30 d includes an infrared heater 40 and an outer peripheral portion 31 b that covers the infrared heater 40.

As shown in FIG. 6, the outer peripheral portion 31b includes an upper first member 32a, a lower first member 32b, a front second member 33a, a rear second member 33b, a front third member 34a, and a rear third member 34b. , An upper fourth member 35a and a lower fourth member 35b. The outer peripheral portion 31b includes a tubular member 36b having infrared transmission exposed surfaces 37a and 37b, nozzles 39c to 39f, and sealing members 90c to 90f. The upper first member 32a and the lower first member 32b are members constituting the outermost periphery of the nozzle-equipped heater 30d, and have openings formed in the front and rear (left and right in FIG. 6). From the front opening of the upper first member 32a and the lower first member 32b, the front end of the front second member 33a and the front third member 34a and the infrared transmission exposed surface 37a are exposed. From the rear openings of the upper first member 32a and the lower first member 32b, the rear end of the rear second member 33b, the rear third member 34b, and the infrared transmission exposed surface 37b are exposed. The front second member 33a and the front third member 34a are bent plate-shaped members, and are respectively between the upper first member 32a and the tubular member 36b and between the lower first member 32b and the tubular member 36b. It arrange | positions so that the tubular member 36a may be pinched | interposed from the upper and lower sides with the front side 2nd member 33a and the front side 3rd member 34a. The rear second member 33b and the rear third member 34b are also arranged in the same manner except for the front second member 33a, the front third member 34a, and the front / rear object (left-right symmetry in FIG. 6). The upper fourth member 35 a and the lower fourth member 35 b are plate-like members, and are disposed above and below the tubular member 36 b and the infrared heater 40. The upper fourth member 35a is joined to the front second member 33a and the rear second member 33b. The lower fourth member 35b is joined to the front third member 34a and the rear third member 34b. Thereby, a space 91a surrounded by the upper first member 32a, the front second member 33a, the rear second member 33b, and the upper fourth member 35a is formed, and the lower first member 32b, the front third member 34a, and the rear A space 91b surrounded by the third side member 34b and the lower fourth member 35b is formed. The upper first member 32a and the lower first member 32b are connected to an unillustrated air supply fan and piping similar to the blower nozzle 20 of the first embodiment, and the spaces 91a and 91b are connected to the nozzles 39c to 39c through the air supply fan. It becomes the flow path of the ventilation to 39f. Upper first member 32a, lower first member 32b, front second member 33a, rear second member 33b, front third member 34a, rear third member 34b, upper fourth member 35a, lower fourth member As the material of 35b, the same material as that of the first to fourth members 32 to 35 of the nozzle-equipped heater 30a can be used.

The nozzle 39c is formed by the front end of the upper first member 32a and the front end of the front second member 33a. The nozzle 39d is formed by the front end of the lower first member 32b and the front end of the front third member 34a. The nozzle 39e is formed by the rear end of the upper first member 32a and the rear end of the rear second member 33b. The nozzle 39f is formed by the rear end of the lower first member 32b and the rear end of the rear third member 34b. That is, the upper first member 32a, the lower first member 32b, the front second member 33a, the rear second member 33b, the front third member 34a, and the rear third member 34b form nozzles 39c to 39f. It is a member. These nozzles 39c to 39f are formed as slit-like nozzles whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the left-right direction, similarly to the nozzles 39a and 39b of the nozzle-equipped heater 30a. Also, the front and rear ends of the upper first member 32a, the front and rear ends of the lower first member 32b, the front end of the front second member 33a, the rear end of the rear second member 33b, the front end of the front third member 34a, and the rear first Each surface of the rear end of the three members 34b is inclined from the horizontal direction. As a result, the fluid that passes through the spaces 91a and 91b and flows from the nozzles 39c and 39d flows out so as to approach the infrared transmission exposed surface 37a along this inclination. Similarly, the fluid that passes through the spaces 91a and 91b and flows from the nozzles 39e and 39f flows out so as to approach the infrared transmission exposed surface 37b along this inclination. Specifically, the fluid flowing from the nozzle 39c flows out forward and downward, and the fluid flowing from the nozzle 39d flows out forward and upward. The fluid flowing from the nozzle 39e flows backward and downward, and the fluid flowing from the nozzle 39f flows backward and upward. The fluid blown from the nozzles 39c to 39f is the same as the fluid blown from the blow nozzle 20 of the first embodiment. The upper first member 32a, the lower first member 32b, the front second member 33a, the rear second member 33b, the front third member 34a, and the rear third member 34b, which are nozzle forming members, are exposed to infrared rays. It arrange | positions so that the surface 37a, 37b may not be covered.

The tubular member 36 b is a tubular member that covers the periphery of the infrared heater 40. The tubular member 36b is a member formed by integrally forming an infrared transmitting material in the same manner as the tubular member 36a of the nozzle-equipped heater 30a. In the present embodiment, the tubular member 36b is formed of the same quartz glass as the tubular member 36a. The tubular member 36b has an infrared transmission exposed surface 37a on the front side and an infrared transmission exposed surface 37b on the rear side. The infrared transmissive exposed surfaces 37a and 37b are formed in a planar shape, and the plane is a surface parallel to the vertical direction (the vertical direction in FIGS. 3 and 6). The infrared transmission exposed surface 37a and the front ends of the upper first member 32a, the lower first member 32b, the front second member 33a, and the front third member 34a are located on the same plane. Similarly, the infrared transmission exposed surface 37b and the rear ends of the upper first member 32a, the lower first member 32b, the rear second member 33b, and the rear third member 34b are located on the same plane. . Electromagnetic waves including near infrared rays emitted from the infrared heater 40 pass through these infrared transmission exposed surfaces 37a and 37b and are irradiated to regions of the solid film 80 facing the infrared transmission exposed surfaces 37a and 37b in the front-rear direction. In the heater with nozzle 30d, the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path 49 of the infrared heater 40 not only plays a role of directly lowering the temperature of the outer tube 44 that is the outer surface of the infrared heater 40, but also reduces the temperature of the outer tube 44. By lowering, the temperature of the infrared transmissive exposed surfaces 37a and 37b is indirectly lowered. Note that the space between the tubular member 36b and the outer tube 44 may be a refrigerant flow path, and the temperature of the infrared transmission exposed surfaces 37a and 37b may be lowered directly by circulating the refrigerant through the refrigerant flow path.

The sealing members 90c to 90f include the space 92a surrounded by the front second member 33a, the rear second member 33b, the upper fourth member 35a, and the tubular member 36b, the front third member 34a, the rear third member 34b, It is a member that seals the space 92b surrounded by the lower fourth member 35b and the tubular member 36b. The sealing members 90c to 90f are rod-shaped members whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the left-right direction, and seal the slit-shaped openings in the spaces 91a and 91b. As a result, the sealing members 90c to 90f suppress the blowing of air from the nozzles 39c to 39f from entering the spaces 92a and 92b. The sealing members 90c to 90f can be the same as the sealing members 90a and 90b of the nozzle-equipped heater 30a.

The dehydrator 110 adjusts the atmosphere of the dehydration chamber 14 in the same manner as the dehydrator 10 described above, conveys the solid film 80, and the heater 30 with the nozzle emits near-infrared rays from the infrared heater 40 and the nozzles 39a to 39f. By performing the ventilation, the solid film 80 can be dehydrated to a water content of 100 ppm or less, for example, in the same manner as the dehydrator 10.

In the dehydrating apparatus 110 according to the second embodiment described above, the outer rows arranged in the zigzag overlapping direction of the zigzag portion 81 of the solid film 80 in the heater row 129, that is, the first heater row 129a and the seventh heater row 129 are arranged. The infrared heater 40 of the nozzle-equipped heaters 30a and 30b constituting the heater row 129g has a reflective layer 38 formed on the tubular member 36a as shown in FIG. The reflection layer 38 is formed on the side opposite to the zigzag portion 81 of the solid film 80 when viewed from the filament 41. Therefore, near infrared rays radiated from the infrared heater 40 of the first heater row 129a and the infrared heater 40 of the seventh heater row 129g in the direction opposite to the zigzag portion 81 are reflected by the reflective layer 38 toward the zigzag portion 81 side. Thereby, the near infrared rays from the infrared heater 40 can be irradiated to the solid film 80 more efficiently, and the solid film can be dehydrated more efficiently.

The heaters 30a to 30c with nozzles are provided with nozzles 39a and 39b capable of blowing fluid to the infrared heater 40 and the solid film 80, and the heater 30d with nozzle blows fluid to the infrared heater 40 and the solid film 80. Possible nozzles 39c to 39f. Therefore, the solid film 80 can be dehydrated by the infrared heater 40, and moisture removed from the solid film 80 by dehydration can be removed by blowing air from the nozzles 39a to 39f, so that the dehydration can be performed more efficiently. In addition, by cooling the solid film 80 by blowing fluid from the nozzles 39a to 39f, the solid film 80 can be dehydrated by the infrared heater 40, and overheating of the solid film 80 can be suppressed by blowing.

Moreover, in the heater 30a with nozzle, the nozzle 39a blows fluid toward the rear lower direction (lower right direction in FIG. 4), and the nozzle 39b blows fluid toward the rear upper direction (upper right direction in FIG. 4). From the nozzles 39a and 39b, a fluid is directly applied to a region (a region facing the infrared transmissive exposed surface 37 in FIG. 4 and a peripheral region thereof) that is irradiated with near infrared rays through the infrared transmissive exposed surface 37 from the infrared heater 40. You will win. In other words, in the present embodiment, the region of the solid film 80 where the near infrared ray is irradiated and the region where the fluid directly hits (the region on the extension of the outflow direction of the air flow from the nozzles 39a, 39b) overlap. The inclination angle of the rear ends of the first to third members 32 to 34 and the distance between the nozzle-equipped heater 30a and the solid film 80 are adjusted in advance. Thereby, the water | moisture content dehydrated by near infrared rays can be efficiently removed by ventilation. The same applies to the heaters 30b and 30c with nozzles and the heater 30d with nozzles.

Furthermore, the heaters 30a to 30c with nozzles include nozzles 39a and 39b and an infrared transmission exposed surface 37 that is exposed to the outside and can transmit at least a part of near infrared rays of the electromagnetic waves from the filament 41 and irradiate the solid film 80. And an outer peripheral portion 31a covering at least a part of the periphery of the infrared heater 40 and a refrigerant flow path 49 through which a refrigerant for cooling the infrared transmission exposed surface 37 can flow. Similarly, the nozzle-equipped heater 30d includes an outer peripheral portion 31b having nozzles 39c to 39f and infrared ray transmission exposed surfaces 37a and 37b, and a refrigerant flow path 49. Therefore, overheating of the infrared transmission exposed surfaces 37, 37a, and 37b that are surfaces exposed to the outside can be further suppressed by circulation of the refrigerant. And the overheating of the atmosphere in the solid film 80 or the dehydration chamber 14 can be suppressed more by suppressing the overheating of the infrared transmission exposed surfaces 37, 37a, and 37b more. In addition, the distance between the nozzle-equipped heater 30 and the solid film 80 (the distance between the infrared transmissive exposed surfaces 37, 37a, 37b and the solid film 80) is further reduced to efficiently irradiate near infrared rays, thereby improving the dehydration efficiency. Can do.

Furthermore, the nozzle-equipped heater 30d has one infrared heater 40 and is sandwiched between the solid films 80 of the zigzag portion 81, and can blow fluid to each of the solid films 80 sandwiching itself. A plurality of nozzles 39c to 39f are provided. In other words, the nozzle-equipped heater 30d includes nozzles 39c to 39d capable of blowing fluid to the front solid film 80 and nozzles 39e to 39f capable of blowing fluid to the rear solid film 80. If it carries out like this, near infrared irradiation and ventilation can be performed with respect to the solid film 80 of the both sides which pinch | interpose itself from the heater 30d with a nozzle provided with the one infrared heater 40. FIG. For this reason, for example, the heaters 30a and 30b with nozzles are arranged back-to-back instead of the heater 30d with nozzles. Dehydration can be performed with the heater 40.

Here, the correspondence between the constituent elements of the first and second embodiments and the constituent elements of the present invention will be clarified. The dehydration chamber 14 of the first to second embodiments corresponds to the dehydration chamber of the present invention, the filament 41 of the first to second embodiments corresponds to a heating element, the inner tube 42 of the first to second embodiments, The outer tube 44 and the tubular members 36a, 36b of the second embodiment correspond to tubes, and the infrared heater 40 of the first and second embodiments corresponds to an infrared heater. Further, the transport roller 87 of the first and second embodiments corresponds to a transport unit, the reflective layer 38 of the second embodiment corresponds to a reflective layer, and the reflective plates 22a and 22b of the first embodiment correspond to reflective plates. The blowing nozzle 20 of the first embodiment and the nozzles 39a to 39f of the second embodiment correspond to blowing means. Furthermore, the nozzles 39a to 39f of the second embodiment correspond to nozzles, the heater 30 with nozzles of the second embodiment corresponds to a heater with nozzles, and the infrared transmission exposed surfaces 37, 37a, 37b of the second embodiment are infrared rays. It corresponds to a transmission exposed surface, the outer peripheral portions 31a and 31b of the second embodiment correspond to the outer peripheral portion, and the refrigerant channel 49 of the second embodiment corresponds to the refrigerant channel.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, in the first embodiment described above, the number of the infrared heaters 40 provided in each row of the heater rows 29 is the same, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the infrared heater 40 may be disposed so that the downstream side in the transport direction (front-rear direction) is dense, or the infrared heater 40 may be disposed so that the upstream side in the transport direction is dense. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a dehydrating apparatus 210 according to a modification. As shown in FIG. 7, in the dehydrating apparatus 210, the innermost seventh heater row 29g in the transport direction is composed of six infrared heaters 40, compared to the second to sixth heater rows 29b to 29f. The infrared heater 40 is dense. Here, at the downstream side in the transport direction, that is, at the end of the dehydration process in the dehydration chamber 14, the moisture of the solid film 80 is reduced, and problems such as deformation of the solid film 80 are unlikely to occur. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently improve the dehydration function and shorten the dehydration time by closely arranging the infrared heaters 40 on the downstream side to increase the near-infrared radiation intensity. Further, in the dehydrator 210, the first heater row 29a in the foremost direction in the transport direction is composed of six infrared heaters 40, and the infrared heaters 40 are denser than the second to sixth heater rows 29b to 29f. It has become. Here, moisture may adhere to the surface of the solid film 80 on the upstream side in the transport direction, that is, in the initial stage of the dehydration process in the dehydration chamber 14. Therefore, by disposing the infrared heater 40 so that the upstream side in the transport direction tends to be dense, it is possible to quickly evaporate such moisture at the initial stage of dehydration and shorten the dehydration time. In addition, it is good also as what arrange | positions in the tendency for the infrared heater 40 to become dense only in any one of the upstream and downstream of a conveyance direction. In FIG. 7, the infrared heaters 40 are densely arranged only in the foremost first heater row 29a and the innermost seventh heater row 29g, but this is not restrictive. For example, when the infrared heaters 40 are arranged so that the downstream side tends to be dense, the infrared heaters 40 gradually become dense toward the downstream side (the number of infrared heaters 40 in each row gradually increases). May be. Similarly, when the infrared heaters 40 are arranged so that the upstream side tends to be dense, the infrared heaters 40 gradually become dense toward the upstream side (the number of infrared heaters 40 in each row gradually increases). It may be. In FIG. 7, the infrared heaters 40 are arranged so as to be dense in the vertical direction. However, the infrared heaters 40 may be arranged so as to be dense in the front-rear direction. In addition, although the modification of 1st Embodiment was shown in FIG. 7, it is the same also about arrangement | positioning of the heater 30 with a nozzle of 2nd Embodiment.

In the second embodiment, the reflective layer 38 is formed on the outer surface of the tubular member 36a, but may be formed on the inner surface. Further, the reflective layer 38 may be formed on the outer surface or the inner surface of the outer tube 44, or may be formed on the outer surface of the inner tube 42. Moreover, it is good not only as what is formed in the surface but the infrared heater 40 may be provided with a reflective layer as an independent member. Similarly, the infrared heater 40 of the first embodiment may be formed by forming a reflective layer on the outer tube 44 or the inner tube 42 or may include the reflective layer as an independent member. In this case, it is preferable that the infrared heater 40 constituting the outer row disposed outside the zigzag overlapping direction of the zigzag portion 81 of the solid film 80 includes a reflective layer. Specifically, the infrared heater 40 constituting the first heater row 29a of FIG. 1 and the infrared heater 40 constituting the seventh heater row 29g are preferably provided with a reflective layer, and the infrared heaters 40 of these two rows are provided. More preferably, all have a reflective layer.

In the first embodiment, the infrared heaters 40 constituting each heater row 29 are arranged away from each other in the vertical direction by a distance d with respect to the infrared heater 40 closest to the vertical direction of the adjacent row. However, it is not limited to this. For example, the vertical position may partially overlap with the infrared heater 40 closest to the vertical direction of the adjacent row. The same applies to the heater 30 with a nozzle according to the second embodiment.

In the first embodiment, for any row of the plurality of heater rows 29, all of the infrared heaters 40 constituting the row are shifted in a direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction with respect to the infrared heater 40 constituting the adjacent row. Although it is assumed that it is arranged, it is not limited to this. For example, in any one or more of the plurality of heater rows 29, there may be an infrared heater 40 that is not arranged so as to be shifted in a direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction with respect to the infrared heater 40 that constitutes the adjacent row. . In addition, there may be one or more heater rows 29 that do not exist that are shifted in the direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction with respect to the infrared heaters 40 constituting the adjacent rows. The same applies to the heater 30 with a nozzle according to the second embodiment.

In the first and second embodiments, the interior of the dehydration chamber 14 is set to an atmospheric atmosphere having a dew point of −60 ° C. or lower during dehydration, but is not limited thereto. For example, the dew point may not be −60 ° C. or lower. Moreover, it is good also as atmospheres other than vacuum (for example, inert gas atmosphere etc.) other than air atmosphere. Further, the atmospheric pressure in the dehydration chamber 14 is not limited to the atmospheric pressure, and may be a state where the pressure is reduced from the atmospheric pressure. Alternatively, the interior of the dehydration chamber 14 may be a vacuum atmosphere.

In the first embodiment, the blow nozzle 20 blows the fluid downward in FIG. 1, but is not limited thereto. For example, the air may be blown obliquely downward toward the solid film 80. Moreover, it is good also as a thing provided with the ventilation nozzle 20 also in 2nd Embodiment.

In the first and second embodiments, the transport roller 87 is configured to transport the solid film 80 up and down in the dehydration chamber 14 in a zigzag manner, but is not limited thereto. For example, the solid film 80 may be stretched from side to side in the dehydration chamber 14 and conveyed zigzag. Alternatively, the solid film 80 may be transported in a straight line from the opening 17 to the opening 18 without being transported in a zigzag manner in the dehydration chamber 14.

In the second embodiment, the nozzle-equipped heater 30a is provided with the infrared transmission exposure surface 37, but the infrared heater 40 may be exposed to the outside of the nozzle-equipped heater 30a without this. The same applies to the heaters 30b to 30d with nozzles.

In the second embodiment, the outer peripheral portion 31a of the nozzle-equipped heater 30a has the first to third members 32 to 34 as nozzle forming members separately from the tubular member 36a having the infrared transmission exposed surface 37. You may form a nozzle in the member which has the infrared rays transmission exposure surface 37. FIG. For example, you may employ | adopt a structure like the heater 130 with a nozzle of the modification of FIG. The nozzle-equipped heater 130 includes an infrared heater including a heater main body 43 including a filament 41 and an inner pipe 42, and an outer pipe 144 provided outside the heater main body 43 so as to surround the inner pipe 42. 140. The outer tube 144 can transmit at least a part of near infrared rays in the electromagnetic waves from the filament 41 as in the tubular member 36a described above, and the outer peripheral surface is an infrared transmission exposed surface 137. The outer tube 144 has a plurality of nozzles 144a. In the heater 130 with a nozzle, a space between the inner tube 42 and the outer tube 144 serves as a refrigerant flow path 49. The refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path 49 flows out from the nozzle 144 a to the outside of the nozzle-equipped heater 130, and this is blown to the solid film 80. That is, in the heater 130 with the nozzle, the refrigerant from the refrigerant flow path 49 can serve both as cooling itself and blowing air to the solid film 80. Even with the nozzle-equipped heater 130, both near-infrared irradiation and air blowing can be performed.

In the second embodiment, the nozzle-equipped heater 30d performs near-infrared irradiation and ventilation on the solid films 80 on both sides sandwiching itself, but the nozzle-equipped heaters 30a and 30b are used instead of the nozzle-equipped heater 30d. May be placed back to back. Moreover, although the heater 30d with a nozzle is provided with one infrared heater 40, it may be provided with a plurality of infrared heaters 40. For example, the heater 30d with a nozzle has two infrared heaters: an infrared heater 40 that irradiates one of the solid films 80 on both sides sandwiching itself with the infrared heater 40 and an infrared heater 40 that irradiates the other with near infrared. 40 may be provided.

In the first and second embodiments, the transport roller 87 transports the solid film 80 while supporting the solid film 80 in a state of floating from the transport roller 87 itself by causing the fluid to flow out to the surroundings. May be used as air blow to the solid film 80.

In the embodiment described above, W (tungsten) is exemplified as the material of the filament 41 that is a heating element, but there is no particular limitation as long as it emits electromagnetic waves including infrared rays when heated. For example, Mo, Ta, Fe—Cr—Al alloy and Ni—Cr alloy may be used.

In the embodiment described above, air is used as the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path 49 and the cold air, but an inert gas such as nitrogen may be used.

[Example 1]
A dehydrating apparatus 310 shown in FIG. The dehydrating device 310 includes the dehydrating chamber 14, the three infrared heaters 40, the exhaust device 25, and the air supply device 29. The dehydration chamber 14 has openings 17 and 18 on the front end surface and the rear end surface, respectively. The infrared heater 40 has the same configuration as the infrared heater 40 of the first embodiment. The filament 41 of the infrared heater 40 was used with a 100% output of 750 W. The three infrared heaters 40 are arranged at equal intervals in the front-rear direction. The exhaust device 25 exhausts the atmosphere of the dehydration chamber 14 through the opening 17. The air supply device 29 supplies hot air (air) into the dehydration chamber 14 through the opening 18. The solid film 80 is a PET film having a thickness of 175 mm × 145 mm and a thickness of 38 μm, and was placed on a table in the dehydration chamber 14. The water content of the solid film 80 was 1% by mass or less.

[Comparative Example 1]
A dehydrating apparatus having the same configuration as the dehydrating apparatus 310 was prepared except that the infrared heater 40 was not provided and dehydration was performed only with hot air from the air supply apparatus 29, and Comparative Example 1 was obtained.

[Evaluation test]
For Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, the solid film 80 placed in the dehydration chamber 14 was dehydrated, and the water content of the solid film 80 after dehydration was compared. In Example 1, the temperature of the hot air supplied by the air supply device 29 was 30 ° C., the air volume was 37.6 m ³ / h, and the wind speed was 1.9 m / s. In addition, the air volume exhausted by the exhaust device 25 (exhaust volume) was set to 29.2 m ³ / h. The infrared heater 40 had an output of 78%, and the flow rate of air flowing through the refrigerant flow path 49 was 300 L / min (per one infrared heater 40). When dehydration was performed under these conditions, the exhaust temperature of the exhaust device 25 was 70 ° C., and the surface temperature of the outer tube 44 of the infrared heater 40 was 184 ° C. In Comparative Example 1, the temperature of the hot air supplied by the air supply device 29 was 82 ° C., the air volume was 37.6 m ³ / h, and the wind speed was 1.9 m / s. In addition, the air volume exhausted by the exhaust device 25 (exhaust volume) was set to 28.6 m ³ / h. When dehydration was performed under these conditions, the exhaust temperature of the exhaust device 25 was 64 ° C. The dehydration conditions of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 are summarized in Table 1. Under these dehydration conditions, the test was performed by changing the dehydration time to 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 90 minutes, and the water content of the solid film 80 at each dehydration time was measured.

As a result of the evaluation test, in Example 1, assuming that the moisture content of the solid film 80 before dehydration is 100, the moisture content of the solid film 80 at the dehydration time of 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 90 minutes is about 35 respectively. , About 20, about 20. In Comparative Example 1, assuming that the moisture content of the solid film 80 before dehydration is 100, the moisture content of the solid film 80 at the dehydration time of 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 90 minutes is about 70, about 45, and about 45, respectively. there were. As can be seen from this result, the moisture content of the solid film 80 was lower in the dehydrating apparatus of Example 1 that performed dehydration using the infrared heater 40 at any of the dehydration times of 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 90 minutes. . In Example 1, even when the dehydration time was 30 minutes, the moisture content of the solid film 80 was lower than in the case of Comparative Example 1 where the dehydration time was 30 minutes, 60 minutes, or 90 minutes. . Further, in both Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, the water content of the solid film 80 became a substantially constant value in the region where the dehydration time was 60 minutes or more. From these, even if the dehydration time is increased in Comparative Example 1, it is considered that the water content of the solid film 80 cannot be reduced to the same level as in Example 1. In the dehydration apparatus of Example 1, the moisture content inside the solid film can be further reduced by absorbing infrared rays exceeding 3.5 μm using the infrared heater 40 and irradiating the solid film 80 with near infrared rays. It is thought that.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-0783339 filed on April 4, 2013, and the contents of all of the contents are included in this specification by reference.

The present invention can be used in a dehydrating apparatus that performs heat treatment such as dehydration on a film such as a PET film used for a liquid crystal display or an organic EL.

10, 110, 210, 310 Dehydration device, 14 Dehydration chamber, 15 Front end surface, 16 Rear end surface, 17, 18 Opening, 19 Punching plate, 20 Blower nozzle, 22a, 22b Reflector, 25 Exhaust device, 26 Exhaust fan, 27 Pipe structure, 28 exhaust port, 29 air supply device, 29 heater row, 29a-29g 1st-7th heater row, 30, 30a-30d, 130 nozzle heater, 31a, 31b outer periphery, 32 first member, 32a upper first member, 32b lower first member, 33 second member, 33a front second member, 33b rear second member, 34 third member, 34a front third member, 34b rear third member, 35 Fourth member, 35a Upper fourth member, 35b Lower fourth member, 36a, 36b Tubular member, 37, 37a, 3 b, 137, infrared transmissive exposed surface, 38 reflective layer, 39a-39f nozzle, 40, 140 infrared heater, 41 filament, 41a electrical wiring, 42 inner tube, 43 heater body, 44, 144 outer tube, 49 refrigerant flow path, 50 Cap, 52 cylindrical part, 54 lid, 55 holder, 57 wiring lead-out part, 58 fluid inlet / outlet, 59 temperature sensor, 60 power supply source, 65 refrigerant supply source, 67 open / close valve, 68 flow rate adjustment valve, 70 controller, 80 solid film 81 zigzag portion, 84, 86 roll, 87 transport roller, 87a-87g first to seventh transport roller, 90a-90f sealing member, 91, 91a, 91b space, 92, 92a, 92b space, 144a nozzle.

Claims (13)

1. A dehydrating apparatus for dehydrating a solid film that transmits at least a part of near infrared rays and has an internal water content of more than 0% by mass and not more than 1% by mass,
   A dehydration chamber for dehydrating the solid film;
   An infrared heater that is disposed in the dehydration chamber and has a heating element that emits electromagnetic waves including infrared rays, and a tube that absorbs infrared rays having a wavelength exceeding 3.5 μm and covers the heating element;
   A dehydrator equipped with.
2. Conveying means for conveying the solid film in a zigzag in the dehydration chamber;
   With
   A plurality of the infrared heaters are arranged to form a plurality of rows, and the plurality of rows are arranged in a zigzag overlapping direction so as to sandwich the solid film, and one or more rows of the plurality of rows are In addition, one or more of the infrared heaters constituting the row are arranged shifted in a direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction with respect to the infrared heater constituting the adjacent row.
   The dehydrator according to claim 1.
3. The dehydrator according to claim 1 or 2,
   Conveying means for conveying the solid film in a zigzag in the dehydration chamber;
   With
   A plurality of the infrared heaters are arranged to form a plurality of rows, the plurality of rows are arranged in a zigzag overlapping direction so as to sandwich the solid film, and the plurality of rows are a zigzag of the solid film. One or more of the infrared heaters constituting the outer row are arranged on one or both of the outer sides in the overlapping direction of the portions, and one or more of the infrared heaters constituting the outer row are on the side opposite to the zigzag portion of the solid film as viewed from the heating element , Including a reflective layer that reflects at least a part of the near-infrared ray of the electromagnetic wave,
   Dehydration device.
4. The outer row is arranged both outside the zigzag portion of the solid film in the overlapping direction, and the infrared heater constituting the outer row is opposite to the zigzag portion of the solid film as viewed from the heating element. In addition, a reflection layer that reflects at least a part of the near-infrared ray of the electromagnetic wave is provided.
   The dehydrating apparatus according to claim 3.
5. The dehydration device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
   Conveying means for conveying the solid film in the dehydration chamber;
   With
   The infrared heater is arranged so that the downstream side in the transport direction of the transport means tends to be dense,
   Dehydration device.
6. A dehydrator according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
   Conveying means for conveying the solid film in the dehydration chamber;
   With
   The infrared heater is arranged so that the upstream side in the transport direction of the transport means tends to be dense,
   Dehydration device.
7. The dehydrator according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
   Conveying means for conveying the solid film in a zigzag in the dehydration chamber;
   A reflective plate that is disposed on one or both of the zigzag portions of the solid film in the zigzag overlapping direction and reflects at least a part of near infrared rays of the electromagnetic wave;
   With
   The infrared heater is disposed between the reflector and a zigzag portion of the solid film,
   Dehydration device.
8. The dehydrator according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
   A blowing means capable of blowing a fluid into the dehydration chamber;
   A dehydrator equipped with.
9. The dehydrator according to claim 8,
   A dehydrating apparatus comprising: the infrared heater; and one or more nozzles as the blowing means capable of blowing fluid to the solid film; and a nozzle-equipped heater.
10. The heater with nozzle is
    The nozzle, and an infrared transmissive exposed surface that is exposed to the outside and transmits at least a portion of the near-infrared rays of the electromagnetic wave to irradiate the solid film, and covers at least a portion around the infrared heater. An outer periphery,
    A refrigerant channel through which a refrigerant for cooling the infrared transmission exposed surface can flow;
    Having
    The dehydrator according to claim 9.
11. Conveying means for conveying the solid film in a zigzag in the dehydration chamber;
    With
    The nozzle-equipped heater has one of the infrared heaters and is disposed between the solid films of the zigzag portion so that the fluid can be blown to each of the solid films sandwiching itself. Having a plurality of nozzles,
    The dehydrator according to claim 9 or 10.
12. The dehydration chamber is an atmosphere other than vacuum.
    The dehydrator according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
13. The dehydration chamber has an atmosphere with a dew point of −60 ° C. or lower.
    The dehydrator according to claim 12.

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