JPH03219243A - Photosensitive material processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable stable conveyance even in the case of high-speed conveyance by using silicone rubber for the surface of a press-contacting roller between a couple of conveyor rollers which are so constituted that a fixing roller and the press-contacting roller which is pressed against it are both driven. CONSTITUTION:The fixing roller 36b is disposed at the turning part 36a of the conveyance rack 36 of a washing tank and press-contacting rollers 36c - 36e are arranged; and guides 36l and 36m are provided, a fixed roller 36f and its press-contacting roller 36g are disposed above them, and a fixing roller 36h and its press-contacting roller 36j are disposed further above. The conveyance roller couples consist of the fixing rollers and rollers which are pressed against them and both the rollers are driven. Phenol-based thermosetting resin is used for the fixing rollers and the pressure rollers have their roller surfaces made of silicone rubber. Consequently, the high-performance photosensitive material processor which conveys photosensitive materials at a high-speed is realized while stable operation is maintained without generating any conveyance trouble in liquid.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to high-speed processing of photosensitive materials, and more particularly, to photosensitive materials that are immersed in a water washing tank and are stably transported at high speed for processing. Related to improvements in material processing equipment.

[Conventional technology]

In some photosensitive material processing apparatuses, for example, a photosensitive material is processed by being transported through a processing liquid by a transport rack having a transport roller group made up of a pair of pressure rollers provided in a processing tank.

In such a photosensitive material processing apparatus, the transport speed of the photosensitive material is increased in order to increase the amount of graining of the photosensitive material and increase the capacity. In this case, it is necessary to ensure sufficient processing time for the processing liquid, so as the transport speed increases, the transport distance for the photosensitive material is lengthened and the volume of each processing tank is increased. There is.

In this way, high-speed conveyance now requires 2,500 mm/+ in instead of the conventional 2,000 mm/+ in, and an additional 4
000mm/win.

5000 mm/m in is now desired.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, when such high-speed conveyance is performed, slippage occurs between the conveyance roller and the photosensitive material, especially in the washing tank, and the gap between the preceding photosensitive material sheet and the following photosensitive material sheet gets clogged in the washing tank, causing them to overlap. As a result, the phenomenon of jams will occur frequently.

Regarding this, the material of the submerged conveyance roller pair of the washing tank up to now is 7゛enol thermosetting resin (Bakelite).
, EPDM rubber, and neoprene rubber (CR) are used, and it was found that water stains lower the coefficient of friction between them and the photosensitive material, resulting in slippage. Furthermore, neoprene rubber has poor durability and becomes tattered at high speeds.

As described above, conveyance failures due to slipping of the photosensitive material sheet in the washing tank are a fateful occurrence that frequently occurs during high-speed conveyance.

An object of the present invention is to solve these problems and provide a photosensitive material processing apparatus that exhibits stable transport even at high speeds.

[Means to solve the problem]

This objective is achieved by any of the following technical means (a) and (b).

(a) In a washing tank of a photosensitive material processing apparatus in which a photosensitive material is transported into a processing solution and processed by a plurality of pairs of transport rollers provided in the processing tank, both a fixed roller and a pressure roller that is in pressure contact with the fixed roller are driven. A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized in that a roller surface material of at least one of the pressure rollers in at least one of the pair of conveyance rollers configured to carry the pressure rollers is silicone rubber.

(b) The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to item (a), wherein the silicone rubber pressure roller is disposed at the turn portion and adjacent thereto.

[Effect]

To prevent limescale build-up, highly durable silicone rubber is used in at least the pressure roller of the pair of open-drive pressure conveyance rollers at locations where resistance is high, such as the turns in the washing tank, to prevent water stains from forming between the photosensitive material and the photosensitive material. The coefficient of friction increases, eliminating transport delays, and transport defects such as jams in the washing tank are eliminated.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a photosensitive material processing apparatus.

In the figure, reference numeral A is a photosensitive material loading section for carrying in the exposed photosensitive material, B is a processing section for processing the photosensitive material, C is a squeeze section for squeezing the exposed photosensitive material, and D is a processing section for squeezing the exposed photosensitive material. E is a drying section for drying the processed photosensitive material, and E is a photosensitive material unloading section for unloading the processed photosensitive material.

Photosensitive material loading section A Photographed photosensitive materials F are inserted one by one through an insertion slot 20 provided at an upper position of the main body L of the apparatus.
is provided with an insertion detection sensor 21, which detects the insertion of the photosensitive material and inputs it to the control section. As a result, the main body of the device
In addition to driving the transport system, the drying section is also driven to raise the drying temperature. In addition, photosensitive material F
Detects the insertion of , and sets the insertion interval according to the processing time.

This photosensitive material carrying-in sA is provided with a photosensitive material width detection means (not shown), which detects the width of the photosensitive material and outputs the information to the control section, and the control section uses this information to determine the width of the photosensitive material. The area is calculated and used as a reference for replenishing the processing liquid.

Processing section B The processing section B includes a developer tank 30, a fixing tank 31 . Processing tanks such as a washing tank 32 are provided, and transport racks 33, 34, 35, and 36 each having a group of feed rollers are removably provided so that they can be removed when cleaning the processing tank or transport rack. It has become. These transport racks 33 to 36
Turn portions 33a each change the conveyance direction of the photosensitive material.
36a, and the conveyance direction is changed from the bottom to the top at the bottom of the processing tank.

Between the developing tank 30 and the fixing tank 31, the fixing tank 31 and the washing tank 3
A transition section 37, 38 is provided between the developer tank 30 and the developer tank 30.
The photosensitive material transported by the transport racks 33 and 34 is sent from the developing solution to the transfer section 37, and the developer is squeezed by a group of rollers in the transfer section 37 and sent to the fixing tank 31. In the fixing tank 31, the photosensitive material is transported by a transport rack 35 and sent from the fixing solution to a transition section 38, where the fixing solution is squeezed and sent to the washing tank 32, and the processing solution is transferred to the subsequent processing tank. is prevented from being brought in.

A conveyance mechanism provided in the developer tank 30 is a turn portion 33a.

34a, and these transport racks 33, 34 are arranged in series in the direction of transport of the photosensitive material. This is to lengthen the conveyance path during high-speed conveyance to ensure that the prescribed processing time is met. Transition portions 39 of the transport racks 33 and 34 are arranged in the processing solution, and at this transition portion 39, the photosensitive material F is transported in the developer solution without coming out into the air, making continuous development processing possible. .

Next, at a transition section 37, the photosensitive material F exits into the air and enters the next fixing tank 31. The fixing tank 31 incorporates a transport rack 35 having a turn portion 35a. Next to the fixing tank 31, a similar transition section 38 is used to transfer the photosensitive material F.
This is so that the water enters the next washing tank 32.

The washing tank 32 includes a transport rack 3 having a turn portion 36a.
6 is included. The photographic material F that has been washed with water enters a squeeze section C that wipes off the remaining water from the washing.

Squeeze section C Squeeze section C squeezes the photosensitive material F by its roller group 40.
Squeeze or absorb the washing water and send it to the drying section.

In the drying section, the photosensitive material F is fed by a group of feed rollers 50, and in the front part of the drying section, there is an infrared drying section Dl that dries by inputting infrared rays from an infrared heater 51, and moisture is removed from a slit nozzle 52. It consists of a warm air drying section D2 in which unsaturated heated air is blown onto the photosensitive material F to dry it.

In the infrared drying section D1, in the former part where the blackened area has more moisture than the white area, infrared rays are mainly applied to the photosensitive material to dry the blackened area at a faster drying speed than the white area. ,
When the residual moisture in the blackened area and the white area become almost the same, the latter hot air drying section D2 dries the blackened area and the white area at approximately the same speed. The water content in the removed area is reduced to almost zero at the same time, and sufficient drying is carried out without causing deterioration such as hardening of the gelatin bath in the blackened area or the white area.

The moisture evaporated in the drying section is discharged to the outside via the exhaust duct 60 together with the exhaust from the exhaust duct 1-61 of the processing section B by driving the exhaust 7-an 62.

Photosensitive material carrying-out section E A photosensitive material carrying-out section E is provided on the side opposite to the photosensitive material carrying-in section A of the apparatus main body 1, and the processed photosensitive material F that has been developed and dried is stored in the basket 70. be discharged.

Now, the transport racks 33 and 34 of each processing tank in the processing section B mentioned above.
．． 35.36 turn parts 33a, 34a, 35a, 36
The arrangement of the rollers in the vicinity of a is such that rollers of the same shape are placed in similar positions as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

That is, a fixed roller 36b is placed at the turn portion 36a of the transport rack 36 of the washing tank 32 in FIG.

A fixed roller 36f and a pressure roller 36g are provided above the fixed roller 36+o, and a fixed roller 36g is provided above the fixed roller 36f.
6h and its pressure roller 36j are provided. Then, the fixed roller and the roller that presses it together form a pair of conveyance rollers, and both rollers are driven. Then, the sheet film F is bitten by each pair of conveying rollers from above, reaches the turn portion 36a, makes a U-turn along the guides 36Q and 36m, and rises again.

This arrangement also applies to each roller of the transport rack in the fixing tank upstream thereof and each developing tank further upstream thereof, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, each roller 35b of the turn portion.

They are arranged in the same shape as 35c, 34b, 34c, 33b, and 33c.

Here, a fixed roller 33b is installed at the turn portion of each processing tank.

34b, 35b, 36b and their pressure roller 33c,
The crimping relationship with 34c, 35c, and 36c is designated as B, as shown in FIG. 2, which shows only the washing tank.

Further, the fixed rollers 33f, 3 adjacent to and above the turn portion
4f, 35f, 36f and pressure rollers 33 for them
g.

The crimping relationship with 34g, 35g, and 36g is set to A as shown in the figure with only the washing tank in FIG.

Conventionally, the fixed rollers of parts A and B were made of phenolic thermosetting resin, and the pressure roller was made of EPDM resin (
As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 5, large slips occurred when conveying at a high speed of 5000 mm/min when using rubber), phenolic thermosetting resin, or neoprene rubber (CR). Although the slippage in the developing tank (DEV) and the fixing tank (FIX) is not so large, the slippage in the washing tank is about 90 mm, which is so large that it cannot be put to practical use. This is also 2000mm/m as shown in Figure 4.
At low speeds like in, it is small at about 25 mm, but 40
As the speed increases to 0.5000 mm/min, the amount of slip increases.

By the way, the coefficient of friction between the photosensitive material F to be processed and the material of the pressure roller that presses it and conveys it is determined by the conveyance speed of 3000.
mm/min, crimping force 200-10100O/cm
Table 1 shows the results of measurements taken under the same conditions as when immersed in liquid in a processing tank.

EP is preferable to conventional phenolic rollers for pressure bonding rollers.
DM rubber was often used because it has a much larger coefficient of friction and better conveying force, but as shown in Table 1, the coefficient of friction becomes extremely low in the washing section as well, as shown in Table 1. Conveying power decreases.

In order to eliminate these drawbacks, various experiments were conducted, and as shown in Table 1, it was found that when silicone rubber was used, excellent effects were exhibited in all parts of development, fixing, and washing.

The result of conveying the photosensitive material F in this manner is shown by the solid line in the graph of FIG. That is, 5000mm/m
Slips during high-speed conveyance are developed (DEV).

It has decreased in each section of fixing (FIX) and washing (WASH), and in particular, it has decreased sharply in washing.

In addition, in practical use, in DEV and FIX, the material of the pressure rollers in parts A and B mentioned above is not made of silicone rubber, and although the durability may be somewhat poor, the conveying force is sufficient with EPDM combs. However, in the washing tank, by using silicone rubber for the pressure roller, the conveying force is significantly improved and it becomes possible to stabilize conveyance.

Note that the pressure roller is not rotated through a fixed roller, but is directly driven in the same manner as the drive roller, and is made slightly movable by a spring so as to come into pressure contact with the fixed roller.

The silicone rubber roller can be applied not only to pressure rollers A and/or B of the washing tank, but also to any other pressure rollers, and of course is highly effective when applied to processing tanks other than washing. Further, all or part of the fixed roller may be a silicone rubber roller.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, it has become possible to realize a high-capacity photosensitive material processing apparatus that transports and processes photosensitive materials at high speed while maintaining stable operation without causing transportation troubles in liquid.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1II is a schematic diagram of a photosensitive material processing apparatus. Figure 2 is a roller arrangement diagram of the water washing rank. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the arrangement of rollers in each cage. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the transport speed of photosensitive material and the amount of slip in a conventional washing tank. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the sling of the photosensitive material in each processing tank during high-speed conveyance.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a washing tank of a photosensitive material processing apparatus in which a photosensitive material is transported and processed into a processing liquid by a plurality of pairs of transport rollers provided in the processing tank, both a fixed roller and a pressure roller that is in pressure contact with the fixed roller are driven. A photosensitive material processing apparatus characterized in that a roller surface material of at least one of the pressure rollers in at least one of the pair of conveyance rollers configured to carry the pressure rollers is silicone rubber. (2) The photosensitive material processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the silicone rubber pressure roller is disposed at and adjacent to the turn section.