JP2011185984A - Cleaning blade, method of manufacturing the same, image forming apparatus using cleaning blade, and process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning blade having improved durability and cleanability, a method of easily manufacturing the cleaning blade, an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge using the cleaning blade. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning blade is provided with a strip-like elastic rubber member composed of polyurethane rubber extending in a direction of a length (L), a direction of a width (W) and a direction of a thickness (T). The cleaning blade includes: a hardened layer (h); and a coated layer (d); the hardened layer (h) obtained by impregnating and hardening an impregnant containing at least an isocyanate compound, and provided on at least one (b) of L-W surfaces of the strip-like elastic rubber including a tip (e) constituted of the vicinity of a ridge where one of the L-W surfaces and one of L-T surfaces intersecting with each other, the coated layer (d) formed on one (c) of L-T surfaces located on the leading end, obtained by applying a coating agent containing a resin, drying or hardening the coating agent, and which is harder than the elastic rubber member. The cleaning blade is loaded at the image forming apparatus or the process cartridge, and then, the tip of the cleaning blade is brought in contact with the surface of a member to be cleaned to remove the toner remaining on the surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning blade employed in an electrophotographic process, a manufacturing method thereof, an image forming apparatus using the cleaning blade, and a process cartridge.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus to which a transfer type electrophotographic process is applied, a latent image is formed on an image carrier (photosensitive member) charged by a charger to form a latent image, and then a developing device is applied to the latent image. Then, the toner is attached to visualize the toner image, and the toner image is transferred onto a transfer paper or an intermediate transfer medium by a transfer device. The toner remaining on the photoconductor after transfer is removed from the photoconductor by a cleaning device, and the photoconductor after cleaning is continuously used repeatedly. Among the cleaning devices, a method using a cleaning blade is widely used because of its simple structure and high toner removability.
However, when a cleaning blade is used, the edge portion of the blade is worn by repeated use or damage such as chipping is likely to occur, resulting in poor cleaning. Further, even when the photosensitive member is worn away and fine irregularities are generated due to long-term use and the surface roughness is increased, defective cleaning tends to occur. In particular, it is difficult to secure a sufficient cleaning capability for a small particle size spherical toner used for high image quality, and there is a drawback that cleaning defects such as slip-through and black spots are likely to occur. .

For example, a method has been proposed in which a hardened layer is formed at an abutting portion of an elastic body made of polyurethane resin in contact with the surface of an image bearing member, and tan δ of the hardened layer is controlled to control blade curl and toner slip-out. (See Patent Documents 1 and 2). Alternatively, in the image forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 3, a cleaning blade is disclosed in which the tan δ of the blade edge and the thickness of the processing portion in the vicinity of the edge portion are defined. In addition, a method has been proposed in which a cured layer formed at a contact portion between an elastic body made of polyurethane resin and an image carrier is impregnated with a fluorine-modified isocyanate compound (see Patent Document 4).
However, even when the hardened layer described in Patent Documents 1 to 4 is formed, the posture of the blade that slides on the surface of the image carrier (photoreceptor) is not stable in a long-term operation. It is difficult to prevent wear and tear, and toner cannot be avoided.

Further, it has been proposed to reduce the friction coefficient by using a blade member having a surface treatment layer formed of a fluorine-based polymer or a silicone-based polymer and an isocyanate component (see Patent Document 5).
However, the blade member having the above configuration cannot be said to have a sufficient effect of cleaning and removing residual toner when a spherical or small particle size toner is used, and the edge portion of the cleaning blade that comes into contact with the photosensitive member is easily worn. When the resin layer at the edge portion is worn away, there is a problem that the friction coefficient increases and the cleaning performance also deteriorates.

In addition, the contact portion of the cleaning blade made of polyurethane is coated with a resin having a film hardness of pencil hardness B to 6H and the one in which a resin having a film hardness of pencil hardness B to 6H is impregnated. (See Patent Document 6).
However, even if the impregnation treatment is performed in the vicinity of the edge for the purpose of preventing wear, the wrapping around the member to be cleaned cannot be prevented, and the wear of the elastic rubber member cannot be suppressed only by coating.

Conventionally, the tip of an elastic rubber member made of strip-shaped polyurethane rubber (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “edge” or “in the vicinity of the edge”) is brought into contact with the surface of a member to be cleaned (such as an image carrier). In the case of a cleaning blade that removes the toner remaining on the surface of the member to be cleaned, for example, the impregnation process is performed in the vicinity of the edge to form a hardened layer. It is inevitable that toner will slip through due to wear. In addition, if the tip is covered with a resin harder than the elastic rubber member (for example, photo-curing resin or thermosetting resin), the cut surface erosion wear is suppressed, but the elastic behavior of the tip is too hindered to be cleaned. In addition to being unable to adapt flexibly to the surface of the member, the cleaning function deteriorates, and abnormal sounds (billing noises and squealing noises) are generated, which makes it impossible to use.
On the other hand, it has been found that the method of further coating the cured layer formed by impregnation treatment is also effective for improving the durability, but the composition adjusted to reduce the friction coefficient is found. On the surface of the hardened layer containing, there is a problem that the coating agent is not applied uniformly and repelling occurs, and in particular, there is a problem such as formation of a non-uniform film near the edge due to sink from the tip, insufficient adhesion of the coating film ( (See FIG. 8).
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described prior art, and is prevented from being caught in a member to be cleaned and cut surface aggression wear even in long-term use, can flexibly abut on the surface of the member to be cleaned, and To provide a cleaning blade that does not generate abnormal noise (buzzing noise or squeal), has high durability and has excellent cleaning properties, a simple manufacturing method thereof, an image forming apparatus using the cleaning blade, and a process cartridge. With the goal.

  As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found that the above problems can be solved by the inventions described in the following [1] to [14], and have reached the present invention. Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described.

[1]: The above problem is that at least one of the elastic rubber members made of a polyurethane rubber having a strip shape extended in the length (L) direction, the width (W) direction, and the thickness (T) direction is L- A cleaning blade that removes the toner remaining on the surface of the member to be cleaned by contacting the tip formed by the vicinity of the ridge line where the W surface and one LT surface intersect with the surface of the member to be cleaned,
One LW surface including the tip portion has a hardened layer formed by impregnating and curing at least an isocyanate compound-containing impregnating agent, and at least one LT surface on the tip portion side is provided with a resin. The problem is solved by a cleaning blade having a coating layer harder than the elastic rubber member, which is formed by applying, drying or curing a coating agent containing the coating agent.

  [2]: The cleaning blade according to [1], wherein the coat layer has a thickness of 10 μm or less.

  [3]: The cleaning blade according to [1] or [2], wherein the hardened layer has a friction coefficient of 0.3 or less.

  [4]: The cleaning blade according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the thickness of the hardened layer is 1000 μm or less.

  [5]: The cleaning blade according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the impregnating agent contains a friction reducing material.

  [6]: The cleaning blade according to [5], wherein the friction reducing material is a fluorine-based compound and / or a silicone-based compound.

  [7]: The cleaning blade according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the resin contained in the coating agent is a photocurable resin or a thermosetting resin.

  [8]: The cleaning blade according to [7], wherein the photocurable resin is an acrylic photocurable resin.

  [9]: The cleaning blade according to any one of [1] to [8], wherein the elastic rubber member is fixed by a support member.

[10]: In the method for manufacturing a cleaning blade according to any one of [1] to [9],
(1) a step of covering one LT surface on the tip side of the elastic rubber member made of polyurethane rubber with a masking material or a jig;
(2) A step of impregnating at least one of the LW surfaces including the tip with an impregnating agent containing at least an isocyanate compound,
(3) removing the masking material or jig from one LT surface of the impregnated elastic rubber member;
(4) A step of heat-treating the elastic rubber member from which the masking material or jig has been removed to form a cured layer;
(5) A step of forming a coat layer harder than the elastic rubber member by applying a coating agent containing a resin to at least one LT surface on the tip end side, and then drying or curing;
It is solved by the manufacturing method of the cleaning blade characterized by comprising.

[11]: In the method for manufacturing a cleaning blade according to any one of [1] to [9],
(1) A sheet material made of a long polyurethane rubber having an uncut width (W) direction, and at least an isocyanate in advance at one or a plurality of positions on at least one LW surface which is used as the tip after cutting. A step of impregnating the impregnating agent containing the compound,
(2) a step of heat-treating the impregnated sheet material to form a cured layer;
(3) a step of cutting the sheet material into the strip-shaped elastic rubber member at an arbitrary width (W) of a region including each hardened layer formed in one or a plurality of locations of the sheet material to form the strip-shaped elastic rubber member;
(4) A coating agent containing a resin is applied to at least one of the LT surfaces on the tip side of the elastic rubber member having a strip shape, and then dried or cured to be harder than the elastic rubber member Forming a coat layer;
It is solved by the manufacturing method of the cleaning blade characterized by comprising.

  [12]: In the method for producing a cleaning blade according to [9] or [10] above, in the step of forming the cured layer, at least the isocyanate compound is contained on one LW surface including the tip. After impregnating with the impregnating agent, it is exposed to the vapor atmosphere of the solvent used for the impregnating agent, and then cured.

[13]: The above-mentioned problems include an image carrier, a charging unit that charges the surface of the image carrier, a latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the charged image carrier, and the image carrier. A developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface into a toner image, a transfer unit that transfers the toner image on the surface of the image carrier to a transfer body, and abuts on the surface of the image carrier; In an image forming apparatus comprising a cleaning unit having a cleaning blade for removing residual toner attached to the surface of an image carrier,
This can be solved by an image forming apparatus using the cleaning blade according to any one of [1] to [9] as the cleaning blade.

[14]: The above-described problem integrally supports the image carrier and at least a cleaning unit having a cleaning blade for removing residual toner attached to the surface of the image carrier, and is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body. In the process cartridge
The problem is solved by a process cartridge using the cleaning blade according to any one of [1] to [9] as the cleaning blade.

According to the present invention, even when used for a long period of time, entanglement in the member to be cleaned and cut surface aggression wear are suppressed, the surface of the member to be cleaned can be flexibly adapted to contact, and abnormal sounds (billing noise and squealing noise) can be generated. There are provided a cleaning blade having no durability, high durability and excellent cleaning properties, and a simple manufacturing method thereof.
According to the image forming apparatus and the process cartridge using the cleaning blade of the present invention, there is no cleaning failure (for example, occurrence of vertical streak-like cleaning failure) even in repeated image formation, and high quality images are continuously stabilized. Can be formed. Here, if a process cartridge is used, it is easy to store, transport, etc., and exchanging in a short time is excellent in handling.

It is a figure [(A): perspective view (B): WT sectional view of (A)] which shows typically the schematic shape of the elastic rubber member in the cleaning blade of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode that the elastic rubber member (10) in the cleaning blade of this invention was fixed to the support member (11) via the fixing | fixed part (12). It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating a mode that the (tip surface) of an elastic rubber member is previously coat | covered with a jig | tool prior to the impregnation process in the 1st manufacturing method of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the modified structural example in the cleaning blade of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating a mode that an elastic rubber member swells and an edge part is distorted in the impregnation process in the 1st manufacturing method of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the 2nd manufacturing method of this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structural example of the process cartridge which concerns on this invention. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a cleaning blade R1 manufactured in Comparative Example 2. FIG.

As described above, the cleaning blade according to the present invention is at least one of elastic rubber members made of strip-shaped polyurethane rubber extended in the length (L) direction, the width (W) direction, and the thickness (T) direction. A cleaning blade that removes toner remaining on the surface of the member to be cleaned by abutting the tip formed by the vicinity of the ridge line where the LW surface of the surface intersects with the one of the LT surfaces on the surface of the member to be cleaned. ,
One LW surface including the tip portion has a hardened layer formed by impregnating and curing at least an isocyanate compound-containing impregnating agent, and at least one LT surface on the tip portion side is provided with a resin. It has a coat layer harder than the elastic rubber member, which is formed by applying, drying or curing a coating agent containing the coating agent.

  The structure of the elastic rubber member provided with the hardened layer and the coat layer of the present invention exhibits excellent low-friction characteristics and wear-resistant characteristics at the tip part that contacts the surface of the member to be cleaned [image carrier (photosensitive member), etc.]. In addition, the coating layer on the tip surface keeps the blade posture stable and can flexibly contact and adapt to the sliding surface of the member to be cleaned. A cleaning blade with high durability and excellent cleaning performance is obtained, which is prevented from being caught in a member to be cleaned in the vicinity) and wear on the cut surface, and also prevented from generating abnormal noise (buzzing noise and noise). It is done.

The hardened layer constituting the tip is formed by impregnating and curing at least an impregnating agent containing an isocyanate compound. At this time, it is drawn into the portion to be cleaned, wear on the cut surface, wear due to elastic rubber, The friction coefficient is controlled to be low in order to suppress squealing.
Here, the coefficient of friction of the tip (cured layer) is preferably 0.3 or less. When the friction coefficient is higher than 0.3, the torque of the photoconductor increases and the power consumption increases. The coefficient of friction is a value obtained by measuring a probe with a portable friction meter Muse TYPE 94i (manufactured by Shinto Kagaku Co., Ltd.) with SUS.

  In order to lower the friction coefficient of the hardened layer, an isocyanate compound having a low frictional molecular structure or a method of adding a friction reducing material can be used. As the friction reducing material, for example, a fluorine compound or a silicone compound is preferably used.

Further, the coat layer on one LT surface (tip surface) on the tip end side needs to have a higher hardness than the elastic rubber member in order to stably maintain the posture of the blade.
As the elastic rubber member, those having a JIS-A hardness of 80 (°) or less and a rebound resilience of 80 (%) or less are preferably used in the present invention. For example, a combination having a hardness of about 70 to 77 (°) and a rebound resilience of about 17 to 70 (%) is used. For this reason, as resin which forms a coating layer, if it is hard resin which has a larger value than the characteristic value of the elastic rubber member used, it will be used. The rebound resilience is a value determined according to JIS K6255.
As such a resin, either a thermosetting resin or a thermoplastic resin can be used, but a photocurable resin or a thermosetting resin having a crosslinked structure is preferably used. Examples of the photocurable resin include an acrylic photocurable resin. Use of a photo-curing resin is preferable because it cures in a short time and does not apply excessive heat stress to the elastic rubber member.
Here, the thickness of the coat layer is preferably 1000 μm or less. When the film thickness exceeds 1000 μm, the followability to the photoreceptor deteriorates and the toner may slip through.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram ((A): perspective view, (B): WT cross-sectional view of (A)) schematically showing a schematic shape of an elastic rubber member in the cleaning blade of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the elastic rubber member (10) has a strip shape extending in the length (L) direction, the width (W) direction, and the thickness (T) direction.
The length (L), width (W), and thickness (T) of the elastic rubber member made of the strip-shaped polyurethane rubber are determined according to the configuration, mechanism, size, etc. of the apparatus used. Therefore, it is not uniquely determined, and the one having the optimum size and shape is selected from the viewpoint of cleaning properties and durability.
Incidentally, the length (L) when used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a laser printer or a normal facsimile is about 330 mm, which is longer than 297 mm which is the A4 width. Although the width (W) and the thickness (T) are arbitrary, for example, the width (W) is about 14 mm and the thickness (T) is about 1.5 to 2 mm.

In FIG. 1B, one end of the tip (e) is located near the corner of the ridge line where one LW surface (b) and one LT surface (c) intersect (the portion in contact with the member to be cleaned). Take a role. As shown in FIG. 1 (B), the tip (e) consists of a hardened layer (h). Further, a coat layer (d) harder than the elastic rubber member is provided on the surface of one LT surface (e) on the tip end side.
In FIG. 1, symbol a is the other LW surface (the surface that does not contact the member to be cleaned), symbol f is the other LT surface (the surface that does not contact the member to be cleaned), and symbol g is Each member to be cleaned is shown.
That is, the cleaning blade of the present invention is impregnated with an impregnating agent containing at least an isocyanate compound on one LW surface (b) including a contact portion (FIG. 1E) with the member to be cleaned (g). An elastic rubber member having a hardened layer (h) formed by a curing process and formed by applying, drying or curing a coating agent containing a resin to one LT surface (c) of the elastic rubber member By having a harder coat layer (d), the elastic rubber member tip, which has been considered a problem in the past, is caught in the member to be cleaned, cut surface aggrebrasion, and abnormal noise (billing noise and noise) This eliminates various problems such as excellent cleaning and high durability even in long-term use.
The elastic rubber member (10) in the cleaning blade of the present invention is fixed to a support member (11) having an arbitrary shape via a fixing portion (12) as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. It is mounted on an image forming apparatus or a process cartridge mounted on a cleaning means that does not.

Next, a method for manufacturing the cleaning blade of the present invention will be described.
The first of the production methods in the present invention is characterized by comprising at least the following steps.
(1) A step of coating one LT surface on the tip side of the elastic rubber member made of polyurethane rubber with a masking material or a jig. (2) At least one LW surface including the tip portion is at least Step of impregnating with an impregnating agent containing an isocyanate compound (3) Step of removing a masking material or jig from one LT surface of the impregnated elastic rubber member (4) Removing the masking material or jig (5) Applying a coating agent containing a resin to at least one LT surface on the tip side, and then drying or curing to form the elastic layer. Process for forming a coat layer harder than rubber members

The first production method of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIG.
First, one LT surface (c) is covered with a masking material or a jig.
In the masking treatment, a sealing material such as an adhesive or an adhesive tape (for example, a polyester adhesive or an adhesive tape) may be used as long as it prevents infiltration of the impregnating agent from the c-plane and can be peeled off after the impregnation treatment. The covering substrate may be pressed against one LT surface (tip surface) (c) using a jig to cover the surface c.
The schematic diagram of FIG. 3 shows a state in which the (tip surface) of the elastic rubber member is previously covered with a jig prior to the impregnation treatment step in the first manufacturing method of the present invention.
In FIG. 3, the elastic rubber member (10) fixed by the support member (11) is sandwiched (mounted) between the fixing substrate (32) and the covering substrate (31) of the jig (30) and tightened. The surface of the tip surface (c) is covered with the covering substrate (31) by a mechanical force such as a screw (33). The jig configuration shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to this. Any configuration may be used as long as the tip surface c is covered and the impregnating agent does not enter.
That is, if the impregnation treatment is performed on the tip surface c of the elastic rubber member (10) with an impregnating agent containing an isocyanate compound and a friction reducing material, a coating layer is formed by subsequently applying a coating agent to the c surface. In this case, the coating agent is repelled and a desired coating film cannot be obtained. For this reason, it is important to cover the c surface with a masking material or a jig in advance.

Next, one LW surface (b) including the tip (e) is impregnated with an impregnating agent containing at least an isocyanate compound. The impregnation treatment may be an immersion method or a coating method.
The isocyanate compound used in the impregnating agent is not particularly limited as long as it has one or more isocyanate groups and can exhibit the function as the cured layer by a curing treatment, but contains two or more isocyanate groups. Aromatic isocyanate compounds or aliphatic isocyanate compounds are preferred.
Such isocyanate compounds include 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), 2,4- or 2,6-tolylene diisocyanate (TDI), m- or p-phenylene diisocyanate, hexanemethylene diisocyanate (HDI). ), Derivatives thereof, polymeric materials, and the like.
A friction reducing material may be added as a component of the impregnating agent. As such a friction reducing material, a fluorine-based material or a silicone-based material is preferably used because it has a large effect of reducing the friction coefficient.
In addition, as the impregnating agent, a solvent (for example, the above-mentioned 2-butanone, acetone, butyl acetate, cyclohexanone, tetrahydrofuran, or the like) for diluting the above components (isocyanate compound and friction reducing material) is used.

Next, after impregnating the one LW surface (b) including the tip (e) with an impregnating agent, the masking material or the jig is removed by drying (or air drying).
Next, heat treatment is performed on the elastic rubber member made of polyurethane rubber from which the masking material or jig has been removed, and the cured layer (h) is formed by advancing the polyurethane rubber and the isocyanate compound (including reactions of the isocyanate compounds) by a curing reaction. To do. The heat treatment conditions such as the curing temperature and time are not uniquely determined and are appropriately selected depending on the composition component of the impregnating agent.
In addition, you may age | cure | ripen by exposing the elastic rubber member in which the hardened layer was formed further to water vapor | steam. This aging has the effect of reacting unreacted isocyanate groups with water molecules.
As described above, the friction coefficient of the formed hardened layer (h) is preferably controlled to 0.3 or less. The layer thickness of the cured layer (h) is preferably controlled to 1000 μm or less.

Next, a coating agent containing a resin is applied to the tip surface (c) of the elastic rubber member on which the cured layer (h) is formed, and then dried or cured to form a coat layer that is harder than the elastic rubber member. . The coating layer on the tip surface (c) needs to have a value higher than the hardness and rebound resilience of the elastic rubber member in order to maintain the blade posture stably.
As described above, the resin contained in the coating agent can be either a thermosetting resin or a thermoplastic resin as long as it has a higher hardness and impact resilience coefficient than the elastic rubber member, but has a crosslinked structure. A photocurable resin or a thermosetting resin is preferably used.
Specific examples of the resin include acrylic urethane and acrylic silicone. These are also useful as acrylic photo-curing resins.
A solvent can be used for the coating agent, and examples of such a solvent include 2-butanone, acetone, butyl acetate, cyclohexanone, and tetrahydrofuran.
As described above, the resin forming the coat layer is a hard resin that is larger than the characteristic values (the hardness and the rebound resilience) of the elastic rubber member used, and the film thickness of the coat layer is controlled to 10 μm or less. More preferably, it is preferably controlled to 0.5 μm or more and 10 μm or less.

The configuration shown in FIG. 1 shows the basic configuration of the present invention, and the configurations of the hardened layer and the coat layer may be modified within a range not impairing the target characteristics of the present invention. That is, a basic structure has a hardened layer (h) on one LW surface including a tip portion that comes into contact with the member to be cleaned and a coat layer on one LT surface (c) of the elastic rubber member. As long as the configuration is maintained, the cured layer and the coating layer can be appropriately changed according to the dimensions of the elastic rubber member, the material (composition) of the polyurethane rubber, the characteristics (viscoelastic characteristics, hardness, and the like). A modified configuration example of the cleaning blade of the present invention is shown in the schematic diagram of FIG.
In FIG. 4, reference numeral 10 is an elastic rubber member, a is the other LW surface, b is the LW surface, c is one LT surface, d is the coat layer, e is the tip, and f is the other surface. LT plane and h each indicate a cured layer.

According to the first manufacturing method, one of the LT surfaces (c) is covered with a masking material or a jig, and the end surface c is not impregnated. Can be prevented, the adhesion of the coat layer at the end face c can be improved, and its high durability can be improved.
However, in the case of the first manufacturing method, after the rubber member (elastic rubber member made of strip-shaped polyurethane rubber) of the base material is cut into a predetermined size and then impregnated, the elastic rubber member is impregnated during the impregnation process. (In particular, the solvent contained in the impregnating agent) may swell and, for example, the edge portion may be distorted as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. In order to prevent such swelling, the following second production method of the present invention is preferably used.
In FIG. 5, reference numeral 10 is an elastic rubber member, a is the other LW surface, b is the LW surface, c is one LT surface, and e is the tip.

A second manufacturing method according to the present invention is characterized by comprising at least the following steps.
(1) A sheet material made of a long polyurethane rubber having an uncut width (W) direction, and at least an isocyanate in advance at one or a plurality of positions on at least one LW surface which is used as the tip after cutting. A step of impregnating the impregnating agent containing the compound (2) a step of heat-treating the impregnated sheet material to form a cured layer (3) each cured layer formed in one or a plurality of locations of the sheet material Cutting the elastic rubber member into the strip-shaped elastic rubber member by cutting it in the LT plane direction at an arbitrary width (W) of the region including (4) one at least on the tip side of the elastic rubber member having the rectangular shape Forming a coat layer harder than the elastic rubber member by applying a coating agent containing a resin to the LT surface of the material and then drying or curing the coating agent.

The second manufacturing method of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the second manufacturing method of the present invention. In addition, in FIG. 6, the process example which manufactures several elastic rubber members at once is shown.
First, a sheet material (50) [Fig. 6- (1)] made of a long polyurethane rubber with the width (W) direction being uncut is used, and includes a corner ridge line portion that becomes the tip after cutting. A plurality of impregnation layers (H) are formed by impregnating the LW surface of the substrate with an impregnating agent containing at least an isocyanate compound in advance [FIG. 6- (2)].
The treatment for forming the impregnated layer (H) can be performed by a coating method or a dipping method. The same impregnating agent as that used in the examples is used.
After the impregnation layer (H) is formed, heat treatment is performed in the same manner as in the first production method, and the polyurethane rubber and the isocyanate compound (and the reaction between the isocyanate compounds) are advanced by a curing reaction to form a cured layer (h). The heat treatment conditions such as the curing temperature and time are not uniquely determined and are appropriately selected depending on the composition component of the impregnating agent. The thickness of the hardened layer (h) is 1000 μm or less, and the friction coefficient is controlled to 0.3 or less.

Next, the strip is cut in the LT plane direction at an arbitrary length W (predetermined width) of the region including the hardened layer (h) formed in the sheet material (50) [FIG. 6 (3)]. It is assumed that the shape of the elastic rubber member (10) [FIG. 6 (4)].
Next, as in the first manufacturing method, a coating agent containing a resin on the end surface c [one LT surface (tip surface) (c)] of the elastic rubber member (10) on which the cured layer (h) is formed. After coating, the coating layer is formed by drying or curing.
As the resin contained in the coating agent, either a thermosetting resin or a thermoplastic resin can be used as long as the resin is harder than the elastic rubber member when the coating layer is formed as in the first manufacturing method. A photo-curing resin or a thermosetting resin having the above is preferably used. Specific examples of the resin include acrylic urethane and acrylic silicone. These are also useful as acrylic photo-curing resins. The thickness of the coat layer is preferably controlled to 1000 μm or less.

As in the second manufacturing method of the present invention, the impregnation treatment is performed before the substrate used for the blade is cut into a desired shape (strip shape), so that the dimensional shape of the cleaning blade edge in the final product shape can be further increased. Accurate holding is possible, and the cleaning property and durability can be further improved.
The basic structure of the elastic rubber member obtained by the second production method of the present invention is naturally the same as that of the elastic rubber member obtained by the first production method, and the constitution of the cured layer and the coating layer is as shown in FIG. It may be deformed.

  In the first manufacturing method and the second manufacturing method of the present invention, after impregnating one of the LW surfaces (c) including the tip portion with an impregnating agent, in a vapor atmosphere of a solvent used for the impregnating agent Can then be cured. In particular, an isocyanate compound or a friction reducing material (for example, a fluorine-based compound and / or a silicone-based compound) in the impregnating agent can be obtained by exposure to a saturated or near (saturated) vapor atmosphere of the solvent used in the impregnating agent. The elastic rubber member can be efficiently penetrated and impregnated.

As described above, the image forming apparatus of the present invention includes an image carrier (photosensitive member), a charging unit that charges the surface of the image carrier, and a latent image that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the charged image carrier. Image forming means (exposure means), developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier to form a toner image, and transfer means for transferring the toner image on the surface of the image carrier to the transfer body The cleaning blade of the present invention as the cleaning blade in an image forming apparatus comprising: a cleaning blade having a cleaning blade that contacts the surface of the image carrier and removes residual toner attached to the surface of the image carrier It is characterized by using.
In an image forming apparatus (copying apparatus, facsimile, printer, etc.), an image carrier (photosensitive member), a charging unit, a latent image forming unit (exposure unit), a developing unit, a transfer unit, and a cleaning unit having a cleaning blade are fixed. However, it may be incorporated in the apparatus in the form of a process cartridge.
In other words, the process cartridge of the present invention integrally supports the image carrier and at least a cleaning unit having a cleaning blade for removing residual toner adhering to the surface of the image carrier, and is attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body. The cleaning blade of the present invention is used as the cleaning blade in a flexible process cartridge.
If the image carrier (photosensitive member) and at least the cleaning means having the cleaning blade of the present invention are integrally supported and a process cartridge that is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus is configured, poor cleaning can be achieved even in repeated image formation. There is no (for example, vertical streak-like cleaning failure), and a high-quality image can be formed continuously and stably. In addition, it is easy to store, transport, etc., and can be exchanged in a short time, so that it is excellent in handleability.
The process cartridge includes, for example, an image carrier (photoreceptor) (101) and a cleaning unit (107) having the cleaning blade of the present invention as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. , Development means (104), and other members as required. The example of the process cartridge in FIG. 7 has a transfer means (108) for transferring the toner image on the developed photoreceptor (101) to the transfer paper (105). Reference numeral 103 in the figure indicates an exposure means.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example and a comparative example are given and this invention is demonstrated further more concretely, this invention is not limited to these Examples at all. “Parts” are all parts by weight.

[Example 1]
<Preparation of cleaning blade 1>
A prepolymer mixed with polycaprolactone-based polyol, 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 1-4 butanediol and trimethylolpropane is put into the mold, devulcanized after primary vulcanization by heating, under high temperature and high humidity Was subjected to secondary vulcanization for 3 days or more to obtain a sheet-like elastic rubber (sheet material) made of polyurethane rubber. The obtained sheet material made of polyurethane rubber was dried and cut into strips (width 12 mm, length 326 mm, thickness 1.8 mm) to obtain an elastic rubber member. This strip-shaped elastic rubber member was fixed to the support member via an adhesive. The elastic rubber member had a hardness of 70 (°) and a rebound resilience of 18 (%).
Only the tip surface of the elastic rubber member (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) was masked with a polyester tape (manufactured by Sumitomo 3M), and then the tip portion 3 mm was immersed in an impregnating agent (impregnating liquid) having the following formulation. Next, the elastic rubber member was pulled up from the impregnating solution, air-dried for 10 minutes, and then the masked polyester tape was removed and heat-treated in a 100 ° C. oven for 10 minutes to form a cured layer.
Next, the tip surface (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) of the elastic rubber member fixed to the support member is coated with an airbrush using a coating agent having the following formulation, and the coating film is cured by an ultraviolet irradiation device [ultraviolet exposure ( 120 [W / cm] × 3 [m / min] × 5 passes)] to form a coating layer, and the cleaning blade 1 was manufactured.
(Impregnant formulation)
Isocyanate compound / polymeric MDI;
MR-100 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.): 10 parts Friction reducing material / fluororesin; Modiper F-600 (manufactured by NOF Corporation): 2 parts Solvent; 2-butanone: 88 parts [coating agent formulation]
Resin; Acrylate oligomer; UN-904 (manufactured by Negami Kogyo Co., Ltd.): 20 parts Polymerization initiator; Irgacure 184 (Ciba Specialty Chemicals): 1 part Solvent; 2-butanone: 79 parts

As described above, the hardened layer formed by the impregnation treatment on the surface (one LW surface) including the tip portion (corresponding to e in FIG. 1) that is a contact portion with the member to be cleaned, and the tip side A cleaning blade having a coat layer with a desired thickness on the surface (one LT surface) could be obtained.
As described above, since the cleaning blade is impregnated only on one LW surface including the front end portion (corresponding to e in FIG. 1) of the elastic rubber member, the front end surface does not cause the coating layer to sink or repel. It adhered to (one LT surface).
The thickness of the hardened layer was measured with an indentation load of 2 mN using an ultra-micro hardness meter (manufactured by Fischer Instruments). The Martens hardness of the rubber part which is not subjected to the curing process or the coating process is 0.8 N / mm ² .
The surface to 300 μm hardness was 1.5 N / mm ² , and the thickness decreased to 0.8 N / mm ² at a depth of 700 μm with a gradient. Thus, it was found that a 700 μm hardened layer was formed.
The coefficient of friction was 0.19 when the probe was measured with a portable friction meter Muse TYPE 94i (manufactured by Shinto Kagaku Co., Ltd.) with SUS.
Moreover, when the film thickness (layer thickness) of the coat layer was measured with a microscope VHX (manufactured by Keyence Corporation), it was 2 μm. When only the coat layer was coated on glass and the hardness was measured, it was 150 N / mm ² . It was confirmed that the hardness of the elastic rubber member is larger than that of the elastic rubber member.

[Example 2]
<Preparation of cleaning blade 2>
The elastic rubber member produced in the same manner as in Example 1 is fixed to a support member, and the jig shown in FIG. 3 is used so that the tip surface (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) of the elastic rubber member does not touch the impregnating liquid. Then, 3 mm of the tip portion was immersed in the impregnating agent (impregnating liquid) of the above formulation in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the tip surface c was coated. Next, the elastic rubber member was pulled up from the impregnating solution, air-dried for 10 minutes, the jig was removed, and the cured layer was formed by heat treatment in a 100 ° C. oven for 10 minutes.
Next, the tip surface of the elastic rubber member fixed to the support member (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) is coated with an airbrush using the coating agent of the above prescription, and the coating film is cured by an ultraviolet irradiation device [ultraviolet exposure ( 120 [W / cm] × 3 [m / min] × 5 passes)] to form a coating layer, thereby producing the cleaning blade 2.

As described above, the hardened layer formed by the impregnation treatment on the surface (one LW surface) including the tip portion (corresponding to e in FIG. 1) that is a contact portion with the member to be cleaned, and the tip side A cleaning blade having a coat layer with a desired thickness on the surface (one LT surface) could be obtained.
As in Example 1, since the cleaning blade is impregnated only on one LW surface including the tip of the elastic rubber member (corresponding to e in FIG. 1), the coating layer causes sink marks and repellency. It closely adhered to the tip surface (one LT surface). In Example 2, the masking operation was performed using a jig, thereby shortening the working time.
The thickness of the hardened layer was measured with an indentation load of 2 mN using an ultra-micro hardness meter (manufactured by Fischer Instruments). The Martens hardness of the rubber part which is not subjected to the curing process or the coating process is 0.8 N / mm ² .
The surface to 300 μm hardness was 1.5 N / mm ² , and the thickness decreased to 0.8 N / mm ² at a depth of 700 μm with a gradient. Thus, it was found that a 700 μm hardened layer was formed.
The coefficient of friction was 0.19 when the probe was measured with a portable friction meter Muse TYPE 94i (manufactured by Shinto Kagaku Co., Ltd.) with SUS.
Moreover, when the film thickness (layer thickness) of the coat layer was measured with a microscope VHX (manufactured by Keyence Corporation), it was 2 μm. When only the coat layer was coated on glass and the hardness was measured, it was 150 N / mm ² . It was confirmed that the hardness of the elastic rubber member is larger than that of the elastic rubber member.

[Comparative Example 1]
<Production of cleaning blade R1>
Similar to Example 1, except that the elastic rubber member produced in the same manner as in Example 1 was fixed to the support member, and the tip end surface (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) was left as it was. A tip portion of 3 mm was immersed in the impregnating agent (impregnating liquid) of the above-mentioned formulation. Next, the elastic rubber member was pulled up from the impregnating solution, air-dried for 10 minutes, and then heated in a furnace at 100 ° C. for 10 minutes to form a cured layer. A cured layer was also formed on the entire front end surface (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) of the elastic rubber member.
Next, the tip surface (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) of the elastic rubber member on which the hardened layer is formed is coated with an airbrush using the coating agent used in Example 1, and the coating film is removed with an ultraviolet irradiation device. Curing [ultraviolet light exposure (120 [W / cm] × 3 [m / min] × 5 passes)] was carried out to form a coating layer to prepare a cleaning blade R1.

The configuration of the cleaning blade R1 is shown in FIG.
In FIG. 8, reference numeral 10 is an elastic rubber member, a is the other LW surface, b is the LW surface, c is one LT surface, d is the coat layer, e is the tip, and f is the other surface. LT plane and h each indicate a cured layer.
As shown in FIG. 8, by forming the coat layer on the cured layer, the coating agent was not uniformly applied on the surface of the cured layer, and repelling occurred, and a coat layer with a desired thickness could not be obtained. . Further, a non-uniform film was formed in the vicinity of the edge due to sink marks from the edge of the end face c, and insufficient adhesion of the coating layer was observed.

[Comparative Example 2]
<Production of cleaning blade R2>
In the same manner as in Example 1, after masking only the front end surface of the elastic rubber member (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) with a polyester tape (manufactured by Sumitomo 3M), 3 mm of the front end portion was impregnated (impregnating liquid) of the above prescription. Soaked. Next, the elastic rubber member was pulled up from the impregnating solution and then air-dried for 10 minutes, after which the polyester tape was removed and heat-treated in a 100 ° C. oven for 10 minutes to form a cured layer.
In Comparative Example 2, the tip end surface (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) applied in Example 1 was not applied, and no coating layer was formed. This is referred to as a cleaning blade R2.

[Comparative Example 3]
<Production of cleaning blade R3>
Except that the strip-shaped elastic rubber member produced in Example 1 was fixed to the supporting member via an adhesive, the cured layer and the coat layer were not formed, and the cleaning blade R3 was obtained.

  The cleaning blades prepared in Examples 1-2 and Comparative Examples 1-3 were mounted on an Imagio MPC 2500 machine (manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd.), and durability evaluation was performed. The results are shown in Table 1 below.

  As is clear from the above results, in the case of the cleaning blade of the present invention having a hardened layer at the tip portion of the elastic rubber member and a coat layer harder than the elastic rubber member on the tip surface, Comparative Example 1 (elasticity Comparative example 2 (one in which a hardened layer is provided at the tip of the elastic rubber member but no coat layer is provided at the tip), comparison Compared with Example 3 (where the hardened layer is not provided at the tip of the elastic rubber member and the coat layer is not provided at the tip, the cleaning property and durability are greatly improved). Also, there was no abnormal sound (billing or squealing).

[Example 3]
<Preparation of cleaning blade 3>
100 parts by weight of a prepolymer having a molecular weight of 4200 composed of polycaprolactone ester polyol and 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate was defoamed in a vacuum oven at 90 ° C. for 2 hours, and mixed with 1,4-butanediol at a weight ratio of 85/15 A solution obtained by adding 13 parts by weight of trimethylolpropane and stirring the mixture is put into a mold of a centrifugal molding apparatus, subjected to primary vulcanization at 150 ° C. for 1 hour, demolded, and then secondary vulcanized at 120 ° C. for 12 hours. The sheet was aged at 70 ° C. and 70% humidity for 7 days to obtain a sheet-like elastic rubber (sheet material) made of polyurethane rubber.

Using the obtained sheet material, an elastic rubber member was produced in accordance with the process shown in FIG. That is, first, an impregnating agent (impregnating liquid) having the following prescription is used for a portion that becomes an edge after cutting of a sheet material made of a long polyurethane rubber with an uncut width (W) direction, and a screen with a width of 4 mm. Printed.
That is, as shown in FIG. 6- (2), the following impregnating solution is used at a plurality of locations on one LW surface including the one-side ridgeline portion that is the tip portion after cutting, and the portion that becomes the edge after cutting is cut. Screen printing was applied.
(Impregnant formulation)
Isocyanate compound / polymeric MDI;
MR-100 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.): 80 parts Friction reducing material / fluororesin; Modiper F-600 (manufactured by NOF Corporation): 2 parts Solvent; 2-butanone: 18 parts

Next, the screen-printed elastic rubber (sheet material) was exposed for 10 minutes in an atmosphere under or near the saturated vapor of 2-butanone to impregnate the sheet material with the impregnation liquid.
The impregnated sheet material was air-dried for 10 minutes and heat-treated in a 100 ° C. oven for 10 minutes. Further, the sheet material was aged by exposing it to steam at a temperature of 35 ° C. and a humidity of 85% for 12 hours or more.
The sheet material on which the cured layer (h) was formed by heat treatment was cut into a strip shape (width 12 mm, length 326 mm, thickness 11.8 mm) to obtain an elastic rubber member. This strip-shaped elastic rubber member was fixed to the support member via an adhesive.

Next, the tip surface (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) of the elastic rubber member fixed to the support member is coated with an airbrush using a coating agent having the following formulation, and the coating film is cured by an ultraviolet irradiation device [ultraviolet exposure ( 140 [W / cm] × 5 [m / min] × 5 passes)] to form a coating layer, and the cleaning blade 3 was manufactured.
[Coating agent prescription]
Resin; Acrylate oligomer; UN-904 (manufactured by Negami Kogyo Co., Ltd.): 20 parts Polymerization initiator; Irgacure 184 (Ciba Specialty Chemicals): 1 part Solvent; 2-butanone: 79 parts

In the cleaning blade of Example 3, since the tip portion (edge portion) was formed by cutting after forming the hardened layer, the edge portion was not affected by deformation due to swelling in the impregnation process using the impregnating agent, and sharp. In addition, the elastic rubber member can be prevented from being distorted in the longitudinal direction.
Thereby, the hardened layer formed by the impregnation treatment on the surface (one LW surface) including the tip (corresponding to e in FIG. 1) which is a contact portion with the member to be cleaned, and the tip side A cleaning blade having a coat layer with a desired thickness on the surface (one LT surface) could be obtained. Further, since the cleaning blade is impregnated only on one of the LW surfaces including the front end portion (corresponding to e in FIG. 1) of the elastic rubber member, the front end surface (where the coat layer does not cause sink or repellency) One L-T surface) was in close contact.
The thickness of the hardened layer was measured with an indentation load of 2 mN using an ultra-micro hardness meter (manufactured by Fischer Instruments). The Martens hardness of the rubber part which is not subjected to the curing process or the coating process is 0.8 N / mm ² .
The surface to 300 μm hardness was 1.5 N / mm ² , and the thickness decreased to 0.8 N / mm ² at a depth of 700 μm with a gradient. Thus, it was found that a 700 μm hardened layer was formed.
The coefficient of friction was 0.19 when the probe was measured with a portable friction meter Muse TYPE 94i (manufactured by Shinto Kagaku Co., Ltd.) with SUS.
Moreover, when the film thickness (layer thickness) of the coat layer was measured with a microscope VHX (manufactured by Keyence Corporation), it was 2 μm. When only the coat layer was coated on glass and the hardness was measured, it was 150 N / mm ² . It was confirmed that the hardness of the elastic rubber member is larger than that of the elastic rubber member.

[Example 4]
<Preparation of cleaning blade 4>
A sheet-like elastic rubber member produced in the same procedure as in Example 3 was immersed in an impregnating agent (impregnating liquid) having the following formulation for 5 minutes. After pulling up the sheet material from the impregnating solution, the sheet material was air-dried for 10 minutes and heat-treated in a furnace at 100 ° C. for 10 minutes. Further, the sheet material was aged by exposing it to steam at a temperature of 35 ° C. and a humidity of 85% for 12 hours or more. The sheet material on which the cured layer (h) was formed by heat treatment was cut into a strip shape (width 12 mm, length 326 mm, thickness 1.8 mm) to obtain an elastic rubber member. This strip-shaped elastic rubber member was fixed to the support member via an adhesive.
Next, the tip surface of the elastic rubber member fixed to the support member (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) is coated with an airbrush using a coating agent having the same formulation as in Example 3, and the coating film is cured by an ultraviolet irradiation device. [UV exposure (140 [W / cm] × 5 [m / min] × 5 passes)] was performed to form a coating layer, and the cleaning blade 4 was produced.
(Impregnant formulation)
Isocyanate compound / polymeric MDI;
MR-100 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.): 10 parts Friction reducing material / fluororesin; Modiper F-600 (manufactured by NOF Corporation): 2 parts Solvent; 2-butanone: 88 parts

As in Example 3, in the cleaning blade of Example 4, the hardened layer was formed and then cut to form the tip part (edge part). Therefore, the edge part was deformed due to swelling in the impregnation process using the impregnating agent. It was not affected and a sharp right-angled shape could be formed, and the distortion of the elastic rubber member in the longitudinal direction could be suppressed.
Thereby, the hardened layer formed by the impregnation treatment on the surface (one LW surface) including the tip (corresponding to e in FIG. 1) which is a contact portion with the member to be cleaned, and the tip side A cleaning blade having a coat layer with a desired thickness on the surface (one LT surface) could be obtained. Further, since the cleaning blade is impregnated only on one of the LW surfaces including the front end portion (corresponding to e in FIG. 1) of the elastic rubber member, the front end surface (where the coat layer does not cause sink or repellency) One L-T surface) was in close contact.
The thickness of the hardened layer was measured with an indentation load of 2 mN using an ultra-micro hardness meter (manufactured by Fischer Instruments). The Martens hardness of the rubber part which is not subjected to the curing process or the coating process is 0.8 N / mm ² .
The surface to 300 μm hardness was 1.5 N / mm ² , and the thickness decreased to 0.8 N / mm ² at a depth of 700 μm with a gradient. Thus, it was found that a 700 μm hardened layer was formed.
The coefficient of friction was 0.19 when the probe was measured with a portable friction meter Muse TYPE 94i (manufactured by Shinto Kagaku Co., Ltd.) with SUS.
Moreover, when the film thickness (layer thickness) of the coat layer was measured with a microscope VHX (manufactured by Keyence Corporation), it was 2 μm. When only the coat layer was coated on glass and the hardness was measured, it was 150 N / mm ² . It was confirmed that the hardness of the elastic rubber member is larger than that of the elastic rubber member.

[Example 5]
<Preparation of cleaning blade 5>
In the same manner as in Example 3, after masking only the front end surface of the elastic rubber member (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) with a polyester tape (manufactured by Sumitomo 3M), impregnation of the prescription used in Example 3 was made at the front end portion of 3 mm. It was immersed in an agent (impregnation solution). Next, the elastic rubber member was pulled up from the impregnating solution, air-dried for 10 minutes, and then the masked polyester tape was removed and heat-treated in a 100 ° C. oven for 10 minutes to form a cured layer. Further, the elastic rubber member was aged by exposing it to steam at a temperature of 35 ° C. and a humidity of 85% for 12 hours or more.
Next, the tip surface (corresponding to c in FIG. 1) of the elastic rubber member fixed to the support member is coated with an airbrush using the coating agent of the formulation used in Example 3, and the coating film is removed by an ultraviolet irradiation device. Curing [ultraviolet light exposure (140 [W / cm] × 5 [m / min] × 5 passes)] was performed to form a coating layer, and the cleaning blade 5 was produced.

Thereby, the hardened layer formed by the impregnation treatment on the surface (one LW surface) including the tip (corresponding to e in FIG. 1) which is a contact portion with the member to be cleaned, and the tip side A cleaning blade having a coat layer with a desired thickness on the surface (one LT surface) could be obtained. Further, since the cleaning blade is impregnated only on one of the LW surfaces including the front end portion (corresponding to e in FIG. 1) of the elastic rubber member, the front end surface (where the coat layer does not cause sink or repellency) One L-T surface) was in close contact. In the cleaning blade of Example 5, since the impregnation treatment was performed after fixing the strip-shaped elastic rubber member to the support member, the edge portion was slightly deformed (the edge shape could not be maintained at a sharp right-angle shape). It was.
The thickness of the hardened layer was measured with an indentation load of 2 mN using an ultra-micro hardness meter (manufactured by Fischer Instruments). The Martens hardness of the rubber part which is not subjected to the curing process or the coating process is 0.8 N / mm ² .
The surface to 300 μm hardness was 1.5 N / mm ² , and the thickness decreased to 0.8 N / mm ² at a depth of 700 μm with a gradient. Thus, it was found that a 700 μm hardened layer was formed.
The coefficient of friction was 0.19 when the probe was measured with a portable friction meter Muse TYPE 94i (manufactured by Shinto Kagaku Co., Ltd.) with SUS.
Moreover, when the film thickness (layer thickness) of the coat layer was measured with a microscope VHX (manufactured by Keyence Corporation), it was 2 μm. When only the coat layer was coated on glass and the hardness was measured, it was 150 N / mm ² . It was confirmed that the hardness of the elastic rubber member is larger than that of the elastic rubber member.

  The cleaning blades produced in Examples 3 to 5 were mounted on an experimental machine obtained by modifying Imagio MPC 2500 (manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd.), and the cleaning property was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2 below. Further, based on the results shown in Table 1, an endurance test was conducted using an experimental machine obtained by modifying an Imagio MPC 2500 machine (manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd.) with a margin of contact pressure. The results are shown in Table 3 below.

In Examples 3 and 4, the contact pressure (linear pressure) at the tip of the elastic rubber member necessary for good cleaning was 11 g / cm. On the other hand, in Example 5, the contact pressure (linear pressure) at the tip of the elastic rubber member necessary for good cleaning was 15 g / cm. In Example 5, since the edge shape was not a sharp right-angle shape, it was necessary to increase the linear pressure.
Since the wear of the cleaning blade can be suppressed by lowering the linear pressure, as shown in Table 3, the number of durable sheets in Examples 3 and 4 was further improved as compared with Example 5.

  That is, the cleaning blade of the present invention is manufactured by a simple method, and even when used for a long period of time, it is prevented from being caught in a member to be cleaned and cut surface aggrebrasion, and there is no occurrence of abnormal noise (billing noise or squealing noise). High durability and excellent cleaning properties. If such a cleaning blade is attached to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a laser printer, or a normal facsimile machine, or a process cartridge, stable and high-quality image formation is possible.

(Reference in FIG. 1)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Elastic rubber member L Length direction W Width direction T Thickness direction a The other LW surface b One LW surface c One LT surface d Coat layer e Tip part f The other LT surface g Member to be cleaned h Hardened layer (reference numeral in FIG. 2)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Elastic rubber member 11 Support member 12 Fixing part (code | symbol of FIG. 3)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Elastic rubber member 11 Support member 30 Jig 31 Cover substrate 32 Fixing substrate 33 Tightening screw c One LT surface (tip surface)
(Reference in FIG. 4)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Elastic rubber member a Other LW surface b LW surface c One LT surface d Coat layer e Tip part f The other LT surface h Hardening layer (code | symbol of FIG. 5)
10 elastic rubber member a other LW surface b LW surface c one LT surface e tip (reference numeral in FIG. 6)
10 Elastic rubber member 50 Sheet material H Impregnated layer h Hardened layer (reference numeral in FIG. 7)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Image carrier (photosensitive body) Photoconductor 102 Charging means 103 Exposure means 104 Developing means 105 Image receiving paper 107 Cleaning means 108 Transfer means (reference numeral in FIG. 8)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Elastic rubber member a Other LW surface b LW surface c One LT surface d Coat layer e Tip part f The other LT surface h Curing layer

JP 2004-170779 A JP 2005-156696 A JP 2005-345758 A JP 2005-181434 A JP 2004-46145 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-127846 (Japanese Patent No. 3602898)

Claims (14)

At least one LW surface and one LT of an elastic rubber member made of strip-shaped polyurethane rubber extended in a length (L) direction, a width (W) direction, and a thickness (T) direction A cleaning blade that removes the toner remaining on the surface of the member to be cleaned by contacting the tip formed by the vicinity of the ridge line where the surfaces intersect with the surface of the member to be cleaned,
One LW surface including the tip portion has a hardened layer formed by impregnating and curing at least an isocyanate compound-containing impregnating agent, and at least one LT surface on the tip portion side is provided with a resin. A cleaning blade comprising a coating layer harder than the elastic rubber member, which is formed by applying, drying or curing a coating agent containing the coating agent.   The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the coating layer has a thickness of 10 μm or less.   The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein a friction coefficient of the hardened layer is 0.3 or less.   The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the hardened layer is 1000 μm or less.   The cleaning blade according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the impregnating agent contains a friction reducing material.   The cleaning blade according to claim 5, wherein the friction reducing material is a fluorine-based compound and / or a silicone-based compound.   The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the resin contained in the coating agent is a photocurable resin or a thermosetting resin.   The cleaning blade according to claim 7, wherein the photocurable resin is an acrylic photocurable resin.   The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the elastic rubber member is fixed by a support member. In the manufacturing method of the cleaning blade according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
(1) a step of covering one LT surface on the tip side of the elastic rubber member made of polyurethane rubber with a masking material or a jig;
(2) A step of impregnating at least one of the LW surfaces including the tip with an impregnating agent containing at least an isocyanate compound,
(3) removing the masking material or jig from one LT surface of the impregnated elastic rubber member;
(4) A step of heat-treating the elastic rubber member from which the masking material or jig has been removed to form a cured layer;
(5) A step of forming a coat layer harder than the elastic rubber member by applying a coating agent containing a resin to at least one LT surface on the tip end side, and then drying or curing;
A method of manufacturing a cleaning blade, comprising: In the manufacturing method of the cleaning blade according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
(1) A sheet material made of a long polyurethane rubber having an uncut width (W) direction, and at least an isocyanate in advance at one or a plurality of positions on at least one LW surface which is used as the tip after cutting. A step of impregnating the impregnating agent containing the compound,
(2) a step of heat-treating the impregnated sheet material to form a cured layer;
(3) a step of cutting the sheet material into the strip-shaped elastic rubber member at an arbitrary width (W) of a region including each hardened layer formed in one or a plurality of locations of the sheet material to form the strip-shaped elastic rubber member;
(4) A coating agent containing a resin is applied to at least one of the LT surfaces on the tip side of the elastic rubber member having a strip shape, and then dried or cured to be harder than the elastic rubber member Forming a coat layer;
A method of manufacturing a cleaning blade, comprising:   In the step of forming the hardened layer, one of the LW surfaces including the tip is impregnated with the impregnating agent containing at least the isocyanate compound, and then exposed to a vapor atmosphere of a solvent used for the impregnating agent, The method for manufacturing a cleaning blade according to claim 9, wherein the method is cured after that. An image carrier, a charging unit for charging the surface of the image carrier, a latent image forming unit for forming an electrostatic latent image on the charged image carrier surface, and an electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier. A developing means for developing the image into a toner image, a transfer means for transferring the toner image on the surface of the image carrier to the transfer body, and a residue attached to the surface of the image carrier in contact with the surface of the image carrier. In an image forming apparatus comprising a cleaning unit having a cleaning blade for removing toner,
An image forming apparatus using the cleaning blade according to claim 1 as the cleaning blade. In a process cartridge that integrally supports an image carrier and cleaning means having a cleaning blade that removes at least residual toner adhered to the surface of the image carrier, and is detachable from the image forming apparatus main body,
10. A process cartridge using the cleaning blade according to claim 1 as the cleaning blade.