Patent ID: 8613977

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium in which a magnetic layer is disposed on one main surface of a non-magnetic support, the method comprising a magnetic layer forming step in which a magnetic coating material containing a magnetic powder, a first binder resin and a first solvent is applied onto one main surface of the non-magnetic support to form a magnetic coating film, and a drying process is performed to remove the first solvent from the magnetic coating film so as to form the magnetic layer in which the magnetic powder is dispersed in the first binder resin, wherein, in the magnetic layer forming step, the drying process comprises: a pre-heating stage in which the magnetic coating film is heated until a surface temperature of the magnetic coating film stops rising and reaches a substantially constant temperature; a constant rate drying stage that is performed after the pre-heating stage in which the surface temperature of the magnetic coating film is held substantially constant; and a falling rate drying stage that is performed after the constant rate drying stage in which the surface temperature of the magnetic coating film is increased to be higher than the surface temperature during the constant rate drying stage to harden the magnetic coating film, in the magnetic layer forming step, the magnetic powder contained in the magnetic coating film is oriented in a predetermined direction in a magnetic field while performing the drying process, wherein, a constant rate drying period in which the constant rate drying stage is performed is 0.2 seconds to 10 seconds, the first solvent comprises one solvent or two or more solvents having different boiling points, a difference (Tb−Ts) between a boiling point Tb of the solvent having the lowest boiling point among the solvents contained in the first solvent and the surface temperature Ts of the magnetic coating film during the constant rate drying period is 1 to 50° C.