Patent ID: 6979802

Claim:
A preheat chamber for conditioning an exposed imaging material having a conditioning threshold temperature and a development temperature higher than said conditioning threshold temperature, the preheat chamber comprising: a chamber housing having an entrance and an exit; a transport system for moving exposed imaging material through said chamber housing between said entrance and said exit; a heating system configured to heat the exposed imaging material to a desired conditioning temperature above the conditioning threshold temperature and below the development temperature as the imaging material is moved through the chamber housing; wherein the imaging material includes an aqueous-based emulsion of heat sensitive materials in an aqueous-based solvent, wherein the desired conditioning temperature causes moisture to be released from the aqueous-based emulsion and wherein the preheat chamber maintains the imaging material at the desired conditioning temperature for a required time period to cause substantially all moisture to be released from the aqueous-based emulsion before it is developed; and an evacuation system for removing from said chamber housing substantially all water vapor and other byproducts released from the aqueous based emulsion.