Photosensitive sheet dryer

A dryer apparatus for drying sheets of photosensitive material which comprises:

• a plurality of pairs of opposed drive rollers for supporting a sheet of photosensitive material in a generally planar sheet drying path, each pair of opposed drive rollers being spaced longitudinally along the sheet drying path;
• drive means for selectively rotating the drive rollers to move the sheet of photosensitive material in a first longitudinal direction along the sheet drying path;
• a plurality of pairs of opposed dryer nozzle facing the sheet drying path from each planar side thereof, each pair of opposed dryer nozzle being between adjacent longitudinally spaced pairs of drive rollers and each dryer nozzle including at least one laterally disposed air inlet;
• blower means for blowing air through the air inlet of each dryer nozzle toward the sheet of photosensitive material;
• and
• guide means for guiding the sheet of photosensitive material along the sheet drying path and toward selected pairs of drive rollers, the guide means including a plurality of generally parallel longitudinally extending fingers spaced laterally across a portion of each dryer nozzle, each finger having a first end and a second end with the first end being upstream, relative to the first longitudinal direction of movement of the sheet of photosensitive material along the sheet drying path, from the second end, and each finger defining a sheet guide ramp with its upstream end further from the sheet drying path than its downstream end and having no obstruction to air flow from the air inlets of the dryer nozzles to the sheet of photosensitive material in the sheet drying path between adjacent pairs of opposed drive rollers.

A dryer comprising for drying sheets of photosensitive material which comprises:

• a plurality of pairs of opposed drive rollers for supporting a sheet of photosensitive material in a generally planar sheet drying path, each pair of opposed drive rollers being spaced longitudinally along the sheet drying path;
• drive means for selectively rotating the drive rollers to move the sheet of photosensitive material in a first longitudinal direction along the sheet Y
• drying path;
• a plurality of opposed dryer nozzles facing the sheet drying path from each planar side thereof, each pair of opposed dryer nozzle being between adjacent longitudinally spaced pairs of drive rollers and each dryer nozzle having first and second air inlet slots which are generally parallel and laterally disposed relative to the sheet drying path, the first lateral edge of each air inlet slot being closer to the sheet drying path than a second lateral edge of that air inlet slot, with the first end of the slot being upstream, relative to the first longitudinal direction of movement of the sheet of photosensitive material along the sheet drying path, from the second end of the slot with baffle means between the first and second air inlet slots of each dryer nozzle, the baffle means having a generally planar, smooth surface facing the sheet drying path with a first lateral edge of the surface defining the second edge of the first air inlet slot and a second lateral edge of the surface defining the first edge of the second air inlet slot;
• blower means for blowing air through the air inlet of each dryer nozzle toward the sheet of photosensitive material;
• and
• guide means for guiding the sheet of photosensitive material along the sheet drying path and toward each pair of drive rollers and having no obstruction to air flow from the air inlets of the dryer nozzles to the sheet of photosensitive material in the sheet drying path between adjacent pairs of opposed drive rollers.

A dryer apparatus for drying sheets of photosensitive material which comprises:

• (a) a housing
• (b) a plurality of spaced apart, generally parallel upper drive rollers rotatably mounted with respect to the housing;
• (c) a plurality of spaced apart, generally parallel lower drive rollers rotatably mounted with respect to the housing, each lower roller being aligned under a respective upper roller to define a photosensitive sheet path therebetween;
• (d) drive means for rotating the rollers to move a sheet of photosensitive material in a first downstream direction along the photosensitive sheet path;
• (e) an upper dryer nozzle between adjacent upper drive rollers having a plurality of upstream air inlets, wherein no obstruction to air flow from said air inlets to the photosensitive sheet exists between adjacent upper drive rollers, and further including at least one downstream air outlet adjacent thereto;
• (f) a lower dryer nozzle between adjacent lower drive rollers having a plurality of upstream air inlets, wherein no obstruction from said air inlets to the photosensitive sheet exists between adjacent lower drive rollers, and further including at least one downstream air outlet adjacent thereto;
• (g) blower means for blowing air through the air inlets of the dryer nozzles toward the photosensitive sheet path;
• (h) a plurality of generally parallel upper fingers extending over the air outlet immediately upstream of each upper drive roller, each finger defining an upper sheet guide ramp with its upstream end further from the photosensitive sheet path than its downstream end;
• and
• (i) a plurality of generally parallel lower fingers extending over the air outlet immediately upstream of each lower drive roller, each finger defining a lower sheet guide ramp with its upstream end further from the photosensitive sheet path than its downstream end.

A method for drying sheets of photosensitive material which comprises the steps of:

• (a) supporting a sheet of photosensitive material on a generally planar sheet drying path defined between each opposed rollers of a plurality of spaced pairs of rollers;
• (b) rotating the opposed rollers of the roller pairs to move the sheet along the sheet drying path;
• (c) blowing air from opposed air inlets between adjacent spaced roller pairs toward opposite sides of the sheet on the sheet drying path;
• (d) eliminating all obstructions to air flow from each air inlet to the sheet in the sheet drying path between adjacent spaced roller pairs to permit air flow in a smooth, non-turbulent manner longitudinally along the opposed sides of the sheet in the sheet drying path.