Orientation device, production method for magnetic recording medium, and magnetic recording medium

An orientation device, comprising:

• a transport path that allows a base on which a magnetic coating film containing magnetic powder has been formed to pass through the transport path along a transport direction;
• a permanent magnet portion that includes
• a plurality of first permanent magnets, and
• a plurality of second permanent magnets that is opposed to the plurality of first permanent magnets across the transport path in a vertical direction that is vertical to the transport direction in a manner that opposite poles face each other, the permanent magnet portion vertically orienting particles of the magnetic powder by applying a magnetic field to the magnetic coating film on the base that passes through the transport path;
• a yoke portion
• that is made of a soft magnetic material, and
• that connects
• to poles on a side opposite to the transport path side of the plurality of first permanent magnets, and
• to poles on a side opposite to the transport path side of the plurality of second permanent magnets;
• and
• a drying portion that dries the magnetic-layer coating film under a state in which the particles of the magnetic powder in the magnetic-layer coating film have been vertically oriented by the magnetic field applied from the permanent magnet portion,
• wherein the drying portion includes a plurality of blowing ports that allows airflow for drying the magnetic coating film to be blown into the transport path,
• wherein the drying portion further includes a plurality of suction ports for allowing the airflow in the transport path to be sucked and discharged to an outside of the transport path,
• wherein the plurality of blowing ports is provided to allow the airflow to be blown in the vertical direction, and the plurality of suction ports is provided to allow the airflow to be sucked in a width direction orthogonal to the transport direction and the vertical direction, and
• wherein each of the plurality of suction ports is provided at an intermediate position in the transport direction between corresponding two of the plurality of blowing ports.

(An orientation device, comprising:

• a transport path that allows a base on which a magnetic coating film containing magnetic powder has been formed to pass through the transport path along a transport direction;
• a permanent magnet portion that includes
• a plurality of first permanent magnets, and
• a plurality of second permanent magnets that is opposed to the plurality of first permanent magnets across the transport path in a vertical direction that is vertical to the transport direction in a manner that opposite poles face each other, the permanent magnet portion vertically orienting particles of the magnetic powder by applying a magnetic field to the magnetic coating film on the base that passes through the transport path;
• and
• a yoke portion
• that is made of a soft magnetic material, and
• that connects
• to poles on a side opposite to the transport path side of the plurality of first permanent magnets, and
• to poles on a side opposite to the transport path side of the plurality of second permanent magnets,
• wherein the orientation device includes a plurality of units that is thin in the transport direction and arrayed in the transport direction, and
• each of the plurality of units includes
• corresponding one of the plurality of first permanent magnets,
• corresponding one of the plurality of second permanent magnets, and
• a yoke unit portion that constitutes a part of the yoke portion, and
• wherein the orientation device includes a magnet fixing plate for fixing the corresponding one of the plurality of first permanent magnet and the corresponding one of the plurality of second permanent magnets to the yoke unit portion, the magnet fixing plate being interposed between ones of the plurality of units, the ones of the plurality of units being adjacent to each other in the transport direction.

A production method for a magnetic recording medium, the production method comprising, in a transport path in an orientation device:

• allowing a base on which a magnetic coating film containing magnetic powder has been formed to pass through the transport path along a transport direction;
• and
• causing a permanent magnet portion to apply a magnetic field to the magnetic coating film on the base that passes through the transport path, thereby vertically orienting particles of the magnetic powder, the orientation device including
• the transport path that is formed along the transport direction,
• the permanent magnet portion that includes
• a plurality of first permanent magnets, and
• a plurality of second permanent magnets that is opposed to the plurality of first permanent magnets across the transport path in a vertical direction that is vertical to the transport direction in a manner that opposite poles face each other, and
• a yoke portion
• that is made of a soft magnetic material, and
• that connects
• to poles on a side opposite to the transport path side of the plurality of first permanent magnets, and
• to poles on a side opposite to the transport path side of the plurality of second permanent magnets,
• wherein the yoke portion includes
• a first yoke portion that supports the plurality of first permanent magnets from the side opposite to the transport path side of the plurality of first permanent magnets,
• a second yoke portion that supports the plurality of second permanent magnets from the side opposite to the transport path side of the plurality of second permanent magnets, and
• third yoke portions that couple the first yoke portion and the second yoke portion to each other, and
• wherein a relationship Bmag×Wm<Byoke×2T is satisfied, where
• T is a smallest thickness of
• a thickness in the vertical direction of the first yoke portion,
• a thickness in the vertical direction of the second yoke portion, and
• a thickness in a width direction of each of the third yoke portions, the width direction being a direction orthogonal to the transport direction and the vertical direction,
• Bmag is a remanent magnetic-flux density of the plurality of first permanent magnets and the plurality of second permanent magnets,
• Wm is a width of each of the plurality of first permanent magnets and the plurality of second permanent magnets, and
• Byoke is a saturation magnetic-flux density of the yoke portion.

A production method for a magnetic recording medium, the production method comprising, in a transport path in an orientation device:

• allowing a base on which a magnetic coating film containing magnetic powder has been formed to pass through the transport path along a transport direction;
• and
• causing a permanent magnet portion to apply a magnetic field to the magnetic coating film on the base that passes through the transport path, thereby vertically orienting particles of the magnetic powder, the orientation device including
• the transport path that is formed along the transport direction,
• the permanent magnet portion that includes
• a plurality of first permanent magnets, and
• a plurality of second permanent magnets that is opposed to the plurality of first permanent magnets across the transport path in a vertical direction that is vertical to the transport direction in a manner that opposite poles face each other, and
• a yoke portion
• that is made of a soft magnetic material, and
• that connects
• to poles on a side opposite to the transport path side of the plurality of first permanent magnets, and
• to poles on a side opposite to the transport path side of the plurality of second permanent magnets;
• and
• a drying portion that dries the magnetic-layer coating film under a state in which the particles of the magnetic powder in the magnetic-layer coating film have been vertically oriented by the magnetic field applied from the permanent magnet portion,
• wherein the drying portion includes a plurality of blowing ports that allows airflow for drying the magnetic coating film to be blown into the transport path,
• wherein the drying portion further includes a plurality of suction ports for allowing the airflow in the transport path to be sucked and discharged to an outside of the transport path,
• wherein the plurality of blowing ports is provided to allow the airflow to be blown in the vertical direction, and the plurality of suction ports is provided to allow the airflow to be sucked in a width direction orthogonal to the transport direction and the vertical direction, and
• wherein each of the plurality of suction ports is provided at an intermediate position in the transport direction between corresponding two of the plurality of blowing ports.

A production method for a magnetic recording medium, the production method comprising, in a transport path in an orientation device:

• allowing a base on which a magnetic coating film containing magnetic powder has been formed to pass through the transport path along a transport direction;
• and
• causing a permanent magnet portion to apply a magnetic field to the magnetic coating film on the base that passes through the transport path, thereby vertically orienting particles of the magnetic powder, the orientation device including
• the transport path that is formed along the transport direction,
• the permanent magnet portion that includes
• a plurality of first permanent magnets, and
• a plurality of second permanent magnets that is opposed to the plurality of first permanent magnets across the transport path in a vertical direction that is vertical to the transport direction in a manner that opposite poles face each other, and
• a yoke portion
• that is made of a soft magnetic material, and
• that connects
• to poles on a side opposite to the transport path side of the plurality of first permanent magnets, and
• to poles on a side opposite to the transport path side of the plurality of second permanent magnets,
• wherein the orientation device includes a plurality of units that is thin in the transport direction and arrayed in the transport direction, and
• each of the plurality of units includes
• corresponding one of the plurality of first permanent magnets,
• corresponding one of the plurality of second permanent magnets, and
• a yoke unit portion that constitutes a part of the yoke portion, and
• wherein the orientation device includes a magnet fixing plate for fixing the corresponding one of the plurality of first permanent magnet and the corresponding one of the plurality of second permanent magnets to the yoke unit portion, the magnet fixing plate being interposed between ones of the plurality of units, the ones of the plurality of units being adjacent to each other in the transport direction.