Patent ID: 7727594

Claim:
A method for drying a coated film formed by applying a coating liquid containing an organic solvent onto a running long support, the method which sequentially conducts, immediately after the application, following steps in a drying zone where a coated surface to be dried of the running long support is surrounded: a forward wind drying step of drying the surface of the coated film with a forward wind while running the long support in a forward wind zone in which such a drying air is supplied as to flow only in one direction from one end side to the other end side across the width of the long support; a reverse wind drying step of drying the surface of the coated film with a reverse wind while running the long support in a reverse wind zone in which such a drying air is supplied as to flow only in one direction reverse to that in the forward wind zone, i.e., from the other end side to one end side across the width of the long support; and further comprising a windless drying step of drying the surface of the coated film while running the long support in a windless zone in which the drying air is not blown, in between the forward wind drying step and the reverse wind drying step.