JPH0950104A - Photosensitive material dryer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Problem] To dry a photosensitive material without causing damage, imprint, uneven gloss, and the like. SOLUTION: Conveying roller pairs 44-6 along a horizontal direction.
2 are arranged, and chambers 64 having slit holes for blowing warm air to the photographic printing paper P are arranged on the upper side and the lower side. Among the conveying roller pairs provided in the region where the water content of the emulsion layer of the photographic paper P is 2% or more and less than 20%, only the conveying rollers 54, 56, 58 that come into contact with the emulsion layer are made anti-stick rollers such as Teflon. The other rollers are made of a low cost material.
When the water content is less than 20%, the adhesive strength of the emulsion layer increases,
Since the emulsion layer having the increased adhesive strength is configured to contact only the adhesive resistant roller, troubles such as jamming of the printing paper P and transfer of the emulsion layer to the roller surface can be prevented. In addition, it is difficult for the roller to be pushed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a light-sensitive material drying device, and more particularly to a light-sensitive material drying device for drying while transporting a light-sensitive material that has been processed with a processing liquid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a photosensitive material processing apparatus (so-called automatic developing machine) for developing and processing a photosensitive material such as film and photographic paper,
The photosensitive material is successively immersed in a developing solution, a fixing solution, etc., washed with rinsing water, and conveyed to a photosensitive material drying device.

When the photosensitive material is dried, if the emulsion layer is brought into contact with and conveyed by a nip roller or a zigzag arrangement roller, damage, imprint, uneven gloss, etc. due to the contact may occur.

In order to avoid the above problems, conventionally, non-contact conveyance of the emulsion layer by suction conveyance or the like, or when contact conveyance is performed, an anti-sticking roller coated with Teflon resin has been used. .

However, when the photosensitive material is sucked and conveyed, a suction device for sucking the photosensitive material is required,
There is a problem that the device is complicated and the cost is high.

On the other hand, as a photosensitive material drying apparatus using an anti-adhesive roller, there is, for example, a photosensitive material drying apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-235553.

This photographic material drying apparatus focuses on the fact that the photographic material has a particularly strong tackiness when the water content of the emulsion layer is 20% to 40%, and the water content of the emulsion layer is 2%.
The anti-adhesion roller is arranged only in a portion corresponding to the photosensitive material in the state of 0% to 40%.

[0008]

However, although the inventor actually manufactured the device and conducted the experiment, the mark was left on the surface of the light-sensitive material, which was not satisfactory.

In consideration of the above facts, the present invention considers damage, imprint,
An object of the present invention is to provide a light-sensitive material drying device that does not cause uneven glossiness or the like on the light-sensitive material.

[0010]

As a result of experiments conducted by the inventor, the emulsion layer was dried so that the water content of the emulsion layer was 20%.
It has been found that the adhesive strength of the emulsion layer rapidly increases when the amount is less than the above.

The water content referred to herein is based on the maximum water content (called saturated water content) that the emulsion layer can absorb and hold, and the mass of the test material is M, which is the test water quantity when the maximum water content is held. Assuming that the mass is Mmax and the mass of the sample when completely dried is M0, the water content is expressed as follows.

[0012] The experiment conducted by the inventor will be described below.

A plurality of photographic papers having different water content in the emulsion layer (“Fuji Color Paper SU manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
PER FAV ". For the saturated water content of the emulsion layer, see "Fuji Film Processing Manual Fuji Color Paper CP40 /
The treatment of CP43 disclosed in “No. 43 treatment” is approximately 18.0 g /
m ² ) was prepared, and the dryness of the emulsion layer of each photographic paper, the adhesive strength of the emulsion layer, and the state of the emulsion layer (whether there were imprints) when nipped and conveyed by a pair of rollers formed of EPDM were examined. .

The experimental results are shown in Table 1 below. Here, the "water content" in Table 1 represents the water content (unit: gram) per 1 m ² of the printing paper, and the "water content" represents the water content of the emulsion layer of the printing paper. By the way, in the photosensitive material which has been subjected to the stabilization treatment or the water washing treatment, the liquid adhering to the surface is first removed by the squeeze roller, but the water content immediately after passing the squeeze roller is about 100%.

The "roller imprint" is obtained by visually observing the photographic paper (emulsion layer side) after being nipped and conveyed by a pair of rollers.
The “dryability” is evaluated according to the criteria shown in Table 2 below, and the “dryability” is evaluated according to the criteria shown in Table 2 below by touching the emulsion layer with a fingertip. Also,
"Adhesive strength" is a three-level evaluation according to the criteria shown in Table 2 below.

The "roller imprint" is related to the unevenness of the emulsion layer surface, and the smaller the number, the higher the quality. The "adhesive force" is mainly related to the transportability and the jamming resistance, and the smaller the number, the less likely the roller cling to jamming.

[0017]

[Table 1]

The "equilibrium moisture content in the experimental environment" in Table 1 above means that the photographic paper after the drying treatment is left for a long time in the room where the experiment was conducted (room temperature 26 ° C, humidity 58% RH). Then, it is the water content when the water content is in an equilibrium state.

That is, the emulsion layer of the photographic paper finally has a moisture content of zero if it is continuously dried, but if it is left indoors, it gradually absorbs moisture in the air and is determined by the ambient temperature and humidity. An equilibrium state is reached with the water content of.

[0020]

[Table 2]

As a result of the experiment, the visible impression of the roller is
The water content of the emulsion layer is 2.2% to 8.8% (water content 0.4 to
1.6 g / m ² ), in particular, water content 4.4% to 6.7% (water content 0.8 to 1.2 g / m ² ).
It became clear that it was remarkable among these. When the water content was 10.0% (water content 1.8 g / m ² ) or more, a slight imprint was generated, but the imprint disappeared due to subsequent drying. It was also found that when the water content was 1.1% or less, no imprint was formed on the emulsion layer.

On the other hand, the adhesive strength is such that the water content is 11.1% to 1
It becomes large between 9.4% (water content 2.0 to 3.5 g / m ² ), and the water content is 8.8% to 27.8% or more (water content 1.6.
~ 5.0 g / m ² or more) (however, water content 11.1% ~
(Excluding 19.4%), it was revealed to have a medium adhesive strength.

Although the experimental results are omitted, photographic film (SUPER G400 manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.) and roentgen film (Super HR manufactured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.)
-S) was used to perform the same experiment, but almost the same results as the results in Table 1 above were obtained.

The present invention has been made in view of the above facts, and the invention according to claim 1 is a photosensitive material provided with a plurality of conveying rollers for conveying the photosensitive material after being processed with a processing liquid. In the drying device, only the roller that comes into contact with the emulsion layer in the region where the water content in the emulsion layer of the light-sensitive material is less than 20% is made anti-adhesive.

In the photosensitive material drying device according to claim 1,
The photosensitive material is conveyed by a plurality of conveying rollers and dried. Here, if the water content of the emulsion layer provided in the light-sensitive material is less than 20%, the adhesive force of the emulsion layer increases, and the emulsion layer easily adheres to the contacted object. There is a high possibility of transfer (dropping of emulsion layer) and jamming of the photosensitive material. However, in the light-sensitive material drying apparatus of the present invention, since the roller contacting the emulsion layer is made tack-resistant in the region where the water content of the emulsion layer is less than 20%, the emulsion layer does not stick to the roller surface. It is possible to prevent troubles such as dropping of the emulsion layer and jamming of the light-sensitive material in advance, and it is also difficult for the roller to have a trace of pushing. In this photosensitive material drying device, an expensive anti-adhesive roller can be partially used, and an inexpensive roller that is not an anti-adhesive roller can be used in the other parts, so an increase in cost can be suppressed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the light-sensitive material drying device according to the first aspect, the emulsion layer in the emulsion layer of the light-sensitive material has a water content of from 2.2% to less than 20%. The feature is that only the roller that comes into contact with is made anti-adhesive.

When the water content of the emulsion layer is less than 2.2%,
Since no roller traces are left on the emulsion layer, it is not necessary to use an anti-adhesive roller in the region where the water content of the emulsion layer is less than 2.2%. In the light-sensitive material drying apparatus according to claim 2, since only the roller that comes into contact with the emulsion layer in the region where the water content in the emulsion layer of the light-sensitive material is 2.2% or more and less than 20% is made adhesive resistance, The cost can be further reduced by. Also, if you want to allow a few imprints that cannot be observed without careful observation,
The anti-adhesive roller may be used in a water content range of 4.4% or more and less than 20%. This can further reduce the cost.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a light-sensitive material drying apparatus equipped with a conveying means for conveying the light-sensitive material after processing with the processing liquid, wherein the water content of the emulsion layer of the light-sensitive material is less than 20%. In the area of the above, the transporting means transports the light-sensitive material without contacting the emulsion layer.

In the photosensitive material drying device according to the third aspect,
The photosensitive material is transported by the transport means and dried. Here, the water content in the emulsion layer of the light-sensitive material is 20%.
When the amount is less than the above, the adhesive force of the emulsion layer increases, and the emulsion layer easily adheres to the contacted person. For example, the emulsion layer may be transferred to the roller surface (emulsion layer is dropped) or the light-sensitive material may cause jamming. The nature is enhanced. However, in the light-sensitive material drying apparatus of the present invention, since the light-sensitive material is conveyed in a region where the water content of the emulsion layer is less than 20%, the emulsion layer is not brought into contact with anything, so that the emulsion layer may be removed or the light-sensitive material may be removed. It is possible to prevent problems such as jamming. Also,
Since the emulsion layer which is soft and has increased adhesiveness does not come into contact with the conveying means, it is possible to prevent the trouble that the mark of the conveying means remains on the emulsion layer. When the light-sensitive material is conveyed without contacting the emulsion layer, the light-sensitive material may be conveyed with the emulsion layer on the upper side using a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor in which a plurality of rollers are arranged.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the light-sensitive material drying apparatus according to the third aspect, when the water content in the emulsion layer of the light-sensitive material is 2.2% or more and less than 20%, the conveyance is performed. The means is characterized in that the light-sensitive material is conveyed without coming into contact with the emulsion layer.

When the water content of the emulsion layer is less than 2.2%,
Since no roller trace is formed on the emulsion layer, a normal roller can be used in the region where the water content of the emulsion layer is less than 2.2%. Therefore, in the photosensitive material drying device according to the fourth aspect, the cost can be further reduced.

Further, in the invention described in claim 5, there is provided a conveying means for conveying the photosensitive material after being treated with the processing liquid, and a drying means for heating and drying the photosensitive material conveyed by the conveying means. A light-sensitive material drying apparatus provided, characterized in that the drying means does not come into contact with the emulsion layer within a region where the water content of the emulsion layer of the light-sensitive material is less than 20%.

In the photosensitive material drying device according to claim 5,
The photosensitive material is conveyed by the conveying means, and the drying means heats and dries the conveyed photosensitive material. Here, if the water content in the emulsion layer of the light-sensitive material is less than 20%, the adhesive force of the emulsion layer increases, the emulsion layer easily adheres to the contacted object, and the possibility of the emulsion layer falling off increases. But,
In the light-sensitive material drying apparatus of the present invention, the water content of the emulsion layer is 20.
In the area of less than%, since the emulsion layer contact drying such as a heat roller is not performed, there is a problem that the emulsion layer is dropped due to the contact with the drying means and the light-sensitive material is jammed, and a trace of the drying means remains in the emulsion layer. It can be prevented.

[0034]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows an automatic development processing apparatus 10.
Is shown.

The automatic development processor 10 includes a casing 12
A processing section 11 and a drying section 2 as a photosensitive material drying device
0 is provided. The processing section 11 includes a developing tank 14, a fixing tank 16 and a washing tank 18, which are processing tanks partitioned by partition walls 13 along the transport direction of a photosensitive material (hereinafter referred to as “printing paper P”). An insertion opening 15 is provided on the side surface of the casing (the left side surface in FIG. 1) of the automatic development processing apparatus 10, and the photographic printing paper P is inserted through the insertion opening 15.

A pair of conveyance rollers 19 are provided on the downstream side of the insertion port 15, and the photographic printing paper P fed from the insertion port 15 is nipped by the conveyance rollers 19 and conveyed to the processing section 11. It is a configuration.

In the developing tank 14, the fixing tank 16 and the washing tank 18, the photographic printing paper P is driven by driving means (not shown).
Transport racks 24, 28, and 32 having transport rollers 22, 26, and 30 for transporting are disposed in a state of being immersed in each processing liquid.

A crossover rack 34 is disposed above the processing section 11. This crossover rack 34
Is provided with a guide plate 38 that guides the printing paper P from the processing tank on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the printing paper P to the processing tank on the downstream side.
Further, a conveying roller 39 is provided on the upstream side of the guide plate 38 in the conveying direction to squeeze the processing liquid for processing the printing paper P and reduce the carry-over amount.

Therefore, the photographic printing paper P fed into the automatic development processing device 10 from the insertion port 15 is carried in the developing solution by the carrying roller 22 in the developing tank 14 to be processed. The developed photographic printing paper P is sent to the fixing tank 16 by the crossover rack 34, where it is carried in the fixing solution by the carrying roller 26 and fixed. The fixing-processed photographic paper P is
It is sent to the washing tank 18 by the crossover rack 34, where the washing water is conveyed by the conveying rollers 30 and subjected to washing treatment.

The photographic printing paper P that has been washed with water is sent to the drying section 20 and dried.

As shown in FIG. 2, two pairs of squeezing rollers 40 and 42 are arranged upstream of the drying section 20.

In the drying section 20, a pair of conveying rollers 44 to 62 are arranged in the horizontal direction, and a conveying path for the photographic printing paper P is formed.

A chamber 64 is arranged above and below the pair of conveying rollers 44 to 62. Chamber 6
A dry air (warm air) generated by a warm air generating means including a heater and a fan (not shown) is introduced into the inside of the nozzle 4, and the dry air introduced into the inside faces the printing paper P. The photographic printing paper P is sprayed at a substantially right angle from a plurality of slit holes formed on the surface. Chamber 6
4 and the warm air generating means correspond to the drying means of the present invention, and the chamber 64 is separated by a predetermined dimension so as not to come into contact with the printing paper P.

The pair of conveying rollers 44 to 62 are rotated by the driving force of a driving means (not shown) being transmitted, and convey the photographic printing paper P while sandwiching it.

The photographic printing paper P which has been dried in the drying section 20 is discharged from the discharge port 13 provided in the casing 12 of the automatic development processing apparatus 10.

By the way, in the drying unit 20 of this embodiment,
Among the pair of conveying rollers 44 to 62, only the roller that comes into contact with the emulsion layer of the pair of conveying rollers provided in the region where the water content of the emulsion layer of the photographic printing paper P is 2% or more and less than 20% is an anti-adhesive roller. .

In this embodiment, the transport rollers 54, 56,
The rollers 54A, 56A, 58A on the upper side of 58 are anti-adhesion rollers.

In this adhesive resistant roller, the outer peripheral portion of the photographic printing paper P, which comes into contact with the emulsion layer, is formed of a material having excellent adhesive resistance, such as Teflon resin, or coated with Teflon resin.

Further, the rollers 54A, 56A, 58A
Other than the rollers, the outer peripheral portion is made of a material (for example, phenol, POM, PP) which is lower in cost than Teflon resin or the like.
E, PBT, PPS and other synthetic resins, EPDM and other rubber,
Elastomer, etc.).

The conveying roller pairs 44 to 62 have a constant diameter over the entire length and are set to be longer than the width of the printing paper P so that the edges of the rollers do not come into contact with the printing paper P.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below. When the photographic printing paper P is fed through the insertion port 15, the transport roller 1
It is sandwiched by 9 and guided to the developing tank 14. In the developing tank 14, the developing solution is conveyed and developed.

The developed photographic printing paper P is fed into the fixing tank 16. In the fixing tank 16, the photographic printing paper P that has been conveyed through the fixing solution and subjected to the fixing process is sent to the washing tank 18. The photographic printing paper P, which has been washed with water in the water washing tank 18 and has a large amount of water attached thereto, is nipped and conveyed by the squeezing rollers 40 and 42, whereby the water is squeezed out. When the water is squeezed out by the squeezing rollers 40 and 42, the water content in the emulsion layer of the photographic printing paper P is about 100%.

Thereafter, the printing paper P is sent into the drying section 20. In the drying unit 20, the photographic printing paper P is conveyed by the conveyance roller pair 4
It is conveyed to the discharge port 13 side while being sandwiched by 4 to 62. In the drying unit 20, the drying air is blown out from the slit holes of the chamber 64, and the photographic printing paper P is heated and dried by the drying air. The dried printing paper P has a discharge port 1
Then, the developing process is completed.

Here, in the drying section 20, the water content of the emulsion layer of the photographic printing paper P gradually decreases, and when the water content becomes less than 20%, the adhesive force of the emulsion layer rapidly increases. In the drying unit 20 of the embodiment, since the emulsion layer in the state of increased adhesiveness is configured to come into contact only with the anti-adhesive roller, jamming of the photographic printing paper P or transfer of the emulsion layer to the roller surface occurs. Trouble can be prevented. In addition, it is difficult for the roller to be pushed.

Since the non-adhesive roller, which is expensive, is used only partially in the drying unit 20 and the other inexpensive roller is used, the manufacturing cost of the automatic processing unit 10 can be kept low.

In order to reduce the imprint of the roller of the emulsion layer as much as possible, these conveying roller pairs 44 to
Of the rollers constituting the roller 62, it is preferable that the rollers 44A to 62A which come into contact with the emulsion layer have low elasticity and the surface is smooth. In particular, the roller which comes into contact with the emulsion layer in the state of increased adhesiveness In the form, the rollers 54A, 56
The surfaces of A and 58A are particularly preferably smooth.
[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 3, the drying unit 2 of the present embodiment.
In No. 0, a belt conveyor 70 is provided instead of the conveying roller pairs 54 to 58.

The belt conveyor 70 carries the printing paper P conveyed by the upstream conveying roller pair 52 and conveys it toward the downstream conveying roller pair 60.

The lower chamber 64 is not provided with a slit hole (not shown) for blowing the dry air in the portion facing the belt conveyor 70.

In this embodiment, the photographic printing paper P from which the water content has been squeezed out is conveyed by the conveying roller pairs 44 to 52 and the belt conveyor 70.
And discharged via the pair of transport rollers 60 and 62.

The printing paper P on the belt conveyor 70
Is reliably conveyed because it is pressed against the belt conveyor 70 by the wind pressure of the dry air (arrow W) blown out from the slit hole provided in the upper chamber 64.

In this embodiment, when the photographic printing paper P is conveyed in the drying section 20, nothing is brought into contact with the emulsion layer when the emulsion layer exhibits a strong adhesive property. Trouble such as jamming of the printing paper P and transfer of the emulsion layer to the roller surface can be prevented more reliably than in the above embodiment. In addition, it is even more difficult for the roller traces to stick.

In the second embodiment described above, the photographic printing paper P is conveyed with the emulsion layer in a non-contact state using the belt conveyor 70, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of rollers are arranged closely. Alternatively, the photographic printing paper P may be conveyed by closely arranged rollers.

Further, in the above embodiment, the drying of the photographic printing paper P was explained, but in the photosensitive material drying apparatus of the present invention,
Any photosensitive material provided with an emulsion layer, such as a photographic film and an X-ray film, is effective.

Further, a light-sensitive material having emulsion layers on both sides may be processed. When a photosensitive material having emulsion layers provided on both sides is conveyed by a pair of conveying rollers, anti-sticking rollers are arranged on both sides. Also, in the case of conveying a photosensitive material provided with an emulsion layer on both sides by a belt conveyor,
Since the photosensitive material is only placed on the belt and is not strongly pressed, no trace (belt trace) is formed. (Test Example) In an actual light-sensitive material drying apparatus, the region where the water content is less than 20% changes depending on the type of light-sensitive material to be processed and the processing environment temperature and humidity. Therefore, it is preferable to calculate the corresponding region under various conditions by experiments or simulations, and determine the position where the anti-adhesion roller is arranged and the position where the emulsion layer is not contacted and conveyed so that the present invention can be achieved under all conditions.

FIG. 4 shows (a) Processing environment 32 ° C. 80%
RH, (a) Processing environment 20 ° C. 50% RH, (c) Processing environment 12 ° C. 10% RH, the difference in the position where the water content of the emulsion layer is from 0% to less than 20% was found by experiment. Is. In this example, in the area (A) (portion having a conveying distance of 350 to 800 mm in the drying section), the roller that comes into contact with the emulsion layer is composed of an anti-adhesive roller, or
It can be seen that the non-contact transportation of the emulsion layer is a desirable constitution of the present invention.

[0067]

As described above, since the apparatus for drying a photosensitive material according to claim 1 has the above-described structure, damage, imprints, uneven gloss, etc. can be prevented, and a photosensitive material of high quality can be obtained. It has an excellent effect that it can be dried. Further, since the conveyance failure such as jamming does not occur, the drying process can be efficiently performed. Further, since it is not necessary to make all the rollers anti-adhesive, the cost can be kept low.

Since the photosensitive material drying device according to the second aspect has the above-mentioned structure, the number of adhesion-resistant rollers can be reduced to further reduce the cost.

Since the light-sensitive material drying device according to the third aspect has the above-described structure, it is possible to prevent damage, imprints, uneven gloss, and the like, and it is possible to dry the light-sensitive material with high quality. Have. Further, since the conveyance failure such as jamming does not occur, the drying process can be efficiently performed. Further, in a region where the emulsion layer can be transported in contact with the emulsion layer, a low-cost transport roller can be used, which can keep the cost low.

Since the photosensitive material drying device according to the fourth aspect has the above-mentioned structure, the cost can be further reduced.

Since the apparatus for drying a light-sensitive material according to the fifth aspect has the above-mentioned structure, there is a problem that the emulsion layer is dropped due to contact with the drying means, the light-sensitive material is jammed, and a trace of the drying means remains on the emulsion layer. It has an excellent effect that the photosensitive material can be dried and processed with high quality. Further, since the conveyance failure such as jamming does not occur, the drying process can be efficiently performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an automatic development processing apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a drying section of the automatic development processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a drying unit according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the transport distance of the drying section and the water content depending on the processing environment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 P Printing paper (photosensitive material) 10 Automatic development processing device 44 Conveying roller pair (conveying roller) 46 Conveying roller pair (conveying roller) 48 Conveying roller pair (conveying roller) 50 Conveying roller pair (conveying roller) 52 Conveying roller pair (conveying) Roller 54 Conveyor roller pair (conveyor roller) 56 Conveyor roller pair (conveyor roller) 56A roller 58 Conveyor roller pair (conveyor roller) 58A Roller 60 Conveyor roller pair (conveyor roller) 60A Roller 62 Conveyor roller pair (conveyor roller)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A photosensitive material drying apparatus comprising a plurality of transport rollers for transporting a photosensitive material after being treated with a processing liquid, wherein the emulsion layer of the photosensitive material has a water content of less than 20%. A device for drying a light-sensitive material, characterized in that only the roller that comes into contact with the emulsion layer is made resistant to tackiness. 2. A pressure-sensitive adhesive is provided only on a roller that comes into contact with the emulsion layer in a region where the water content in the emulsion layer of the light-sensitive material is 2.2% or more and less than 20%. The light-sensitive material drying device described in 1. 3. A photosensitive material drying device comprising a conveying means for conveying a photosensitive material after being treated with a processing liquid, wherein the emulsion layer of the photosensitive material has a water content of less than 20%, The transporting means transports the light-sensitive material without contacting the emulsion layer. 4. The conveying means conveys the light-sensitive material without contacting the emulsion layer within a region where the water content in the emulsion layer of the light-sensitive material is 2.2% or more and less than 20%. The light-sensitive material drying device according to claim 3, which is characterized. 5. A photosensitive material drying apparatus comprising: a conveying means for conveying a photosensitive material after being treated with a processing liquid; and a drying means for heating and drying the photosensitive material conveyed by the conveying means. The light-sensitive material drying apparatus is characterized in that the drying means does not come into contact with the emulsion layer in a region where the water content in the emulsion layer of the light-sensitive material is less than 20%.