Patent ID: 7721461

Claim:
A method for drying a honeycomb formed body including subjecting, to high-frequency heating through electromagnetic wave irradiation, a honeycomb formed body in an undried state (i.e., undried honeycomb formed body) which is formed from a raw material composition containing a ceramic raw material and water and which has a plurality of cells defined by partition walls, in a drying space of a humidified and heated atmosphere, whereby water is vaporized from an inner part and an outer part of the undried honeycomb formed body to dry the undried honeycomb formed body, thereby producing a dried honeycomb formed body, wherein the humidified and heated atmosphere in the drying space is maintained at a humidity level of 30 to 65% and a temperature of 75 to 130° C. through feeding water vapor from a water vapor generator into and forcedly discharging the drying space; and the undried honeycomb formed body is subjected to high-frequency heating in the atmosphere through electromagnetic wave irradiation such that 50 to 99 mass % of water contained in the formed body is evaporated at the end of high-frequency heating, whereby the amount of water vaporized from the outer part of the undried honeycomb formed body, which amount is smaller than that of water vaporized from the inner part of the formed body through high-frequency heating alone, is increased, thereby reducing a difference between amount of water vaporized from the inner part of the undried honeycomb formed body and that of water vaporized from the outer part thereof as well as reducing a difference between drying degree of the inner part of the undried honeycomb formed body and that of the outer part thereof, thereby producing a dried honeycomb formed body in which deformation of the partition walls caused by the difference between drying degree of the inner part and that of the outer part is surpassed, wherein, after drying of the honeycomb formed body through high-frequency heating, the honeycomb formed body is further dried through application of hot air thereto, the hot air being different from the water vapor.