Method and apparatus for drying coated film, and method for manufacturing optical film

Abstract

A coated film drying method for drying a film which is coated on a surface of a web while the web is running through a tunnel-shaped dry case having a web entrance and a web exit, comprising the steps of: blowing dry air toward a surface of the coated film through an outlet port which is provided with a porous distributor; andsucking the dry air through an inlet port which is disposed at a position downstream or upstream of the position where the dry air is blown out and on the same side as that on which the outlet port is disposed relative to the coated film, so that a stream of the dry air which flows in a direction parallel to the running direction of the web is formed across the entire width of the surface of the coated film.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view showing an aspect of a drying apparatus according to the present invention having a dry case which is divided into three parts;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are conceptual views showing a drying apparatus according to the present invention which is configured with a blowing device, a planar member, and a suction device;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view showing a blowing device of a drying apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view showing a suction device of a drying apparatus according to the present invention;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are conceptual views showing a drying apparatus according to the present invention which is configured with a blowing device and a suction device;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a line for manufacturing an optical compensation film in which an apparatus for drying a coating solution according to the present invention is incorporated;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a line for manufacturing an anti-glare film and an anti-reflection film in which an apparatus for drying a coating solution according to the present invention is incorporated;

FIG. 8 is a table summarizing the results of Example A;

FIG. 9 is a table summarizing the results of Example B;

FIG. 10 is a table summarizing the results of Example C;

FIG. 11 is a table summarizing the results of Example D; and

FIG. 12 is a table summarizing the results of Example E.

Claims

1. A coated film drying method for drying a film which is coated on a surface of a web while the web is running through a tunnel-shaped dry case having a web entrance and a web exit, comprising the steps of: blowing dry air toward a surface of the coated film through an outlet port which is provided with a porous distributor; andsucking the dry air through an inlet port which is disposed at a position downstream or upstream of the position where the dry air is blown out and on the same side as that on which the outlet port is disposed relative to the coated film, so that a stream of the dry air which flows in a direction parallel to the running direction of the web is formed across the entire width of the surface of the coated film.

2. The method for drying a coated film according to claim 1, wherein the inlet port is also provided with a porous distributor.

3. The method for drying a coated film according to claim 1, wherein the outlet port and the inlet port have a length of 3 cm or more in the running direction of the web, and has a length which is generally equal to the width of the web in the width direction of the web.

4. The method for drying a coated film according to claim 1, wherein the dry air is blown toward the surface of the coated film at a wind speed of 0.1 to 3 m/sec.

5. The method for drying a coated film according to claim 1, wherein the linear wind speed of the unidirectional stream of dry air is within a range of 0.2 to 3 m/sec for the running web.

6. The method for drying a coated film according to claim 3, wherein the porous distributor provided to the outlet port and the porous distributor provided to the inlet port are separated from the coated film surface by a distance of 50 mm or less.

7. A coated film drying apparatus for drying a film which is coated on a surface of a web while the web is running through a tunnel-shaped dry case having a web entrance and a web exit, comprising: a blowing device which includes an outlet port having a length generally equal to the width of the web and blows dry air toward the coated film surface, the outlet port being provided with a porous distributor; anda suction device which is disposed on the same side as that on which the blowing device is disposed relative to the coated film surface and includes an inlet port having a length generally equal to the width of the web for sucking the dry air blown out of the blowing device therethrough,the blowing device and the suction device being alternatively arranged along the web running direction in the dry case.

8. The apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 7, wherein the inlet port is also provided with a porous distributor for sucking dry air therethrough.

9. The apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 7, wherein the porous distributor is a wire mesh or a perforated metal.

10. The apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 7, wherein the outlet port and the inlet port have a length of 3 cm or more in the running direction of the web, and has a length which is generally equal to the width of the web in the width direction of the web.

11. The apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 7, wherein the porous distributor provided to the outlet port and the porous distributor provided to the inlet port are separated from the coated film surface by a distance of 50 mm or less.

12. The apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of blowing and suction units each of which includes the blowing device and the suction device are arranged along the direction from the web entrance to the web exit in the dry case in correspondence to the length between the web entrance and the web exit.

13. The apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 7, wherein a planar member having a planar surface which is flush with the outlet port and the inlet port is interposed between the blowing device and the suction device.

14. The apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 13, wherein the planar member has a length of 5 cm or more in the running direction of the web.

15. The apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 7, wherein the dry air is blown out of the outlet port toward the coated film surface at a wind speed of 0.1 to 3 m/sec.

16. The apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 7, wherein the dry air blown through the outlet port is sucked through the inlet port so that a unidirectional stream of the dry air which flows in a direction parallel to the running direction of the web is formed on the coated film surface, and the linear wind speed of the unidirectional stream is within a range of 0.2 to 3 m/sec.

17. The apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 7, wherein the outlet port has a length in the width direction of the web which is longer than the web width by 50 mm or less.

18. The apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 12, wherein the blowing and suction unit is arranged at least until the point of time when the concentration value of a solvent contained in the coated film decreases to 50% or less of the value of the solvent at the application of the coating, or the viscosity of the coated film increases to 10 mPa·s or more, whichever comes first.

19. The apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 12, wherein the blowing and suction unit is arranged downstream of the coating position of the coated film at least by 10 cm.

20. A method for manufacturing an optical film, comprising the step of using the apparatus for drying a coated film according to claim 7 in a manufacturing line for an optical film.

21. The method for manufacturing an optical film according to claim 20, wherein the optical film is an optical compensation film, an anti-glare film, or an anti-reflection film.