JP2000056609A - Blade and its production - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily keep the surface roughness of a sliding part between a blade and a roller small and accurate by constituting the blade of a supporting member and an elastic blade fixed on the supporting member and making either side surface of the blade adjacent to the edge surface of the elastic blade a ground surface. SOLUTION: This blade 1 is constituted of the supporting member 2 and the elastic blade 3 fixed on the supporting member 2. Then, projecting bodies 5 projecting from the edge surface 4 of the blade 3 are formed at both ends of the surface 4 of the blade 3, and either side surface 6a or 6b of the blade 3 is made the ground surface. It is desirable to set the ground surface as a side surface sliding on a fixing roller. Both side surfaces 6a and 6b are ground according to the use state of the blade 1. In such a case, by grinding the side surfaces 6a and 6b of the blade 3, the radius of curvature on the cross section of an edge part formed between the ground surface and the surface 4 of the blade 3 is made almost zero.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a blade, and more particularly to a blade which can be used for oil application in a fixing device of an electrophotographic apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electrophotographic apparatus such as a copying machine or a laser beam printer is provided with a fixing device for fixing a developer such as a developed toner on a sheet. This fixing device has a heater inside and a fixing roller that melts the developer on the sheet by keeping the roller surface at a high temperature, and a fixing roller that presses the molten developer on the sheet from above the sheet to the fixing roller. A pressure roller for pressing and fixing the developer is arranged. In particular, in a wet type electrophotographic apparatus having a multicolor function such as a color copying machine or a color laser beam printer, oil for imparting gloss to an image or facilitating peeling of a sheet from a roller is applied to a fixing roller. It has an oil application roller for supplying. These rollers remove unnecessary developer adhering to the roller surface,
Alternatively, an oil application blade for uniformly applying oil on the roller surface is provided.

Conventionally, for example, as an offset prevention liquid application amount adjusting blade, a blade formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape and supported by a support member on the short side of two parallel sides (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-1309), A notch is formed at both ends of the blade, and a wedge-shaped insertion member is press-fitted into the notch to protrude both ends of the blade main body and provide a support plate by removing a portion corresponding to the notch. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-231572), a blade formed as a whole by integrally forming an elastic body and a metal piece into a layered and narrow plate shape and bending both ends inwardly. (JP-A-59-220768) and the like are known. In addition, the blade body made of an elastic body is curved-formed so that both ends of the ridge line in contact with the surface of the heat fixing roller project in the direction opposite to the roller rotation direction, and then the formed surface is ground with an ultra-high speed and high hardness grinder. Forming method for adjusting the applied amount of offset prevention liquid (JP-A-6060
-123228) is known.

However, unlike such an offset prevention liquid application amount adjusting blade, the oil application blade needs to apply oil more uniformly, for example, and the sliding contact portion between the blade and the fixing roller must be maintained with high precision. Is required. For this reason, in the conventional oil application blade, one end of the plate-like rubber is fixed with a frame of metal or the like, and the shape of the portion of the blade that contacts the roller is substantially the same as the shape in the longitudinal direction of the roller. , And was formed on a linear surface without irregularities. Further, the manufacturing method has been performed by cutting a blade tip surface, which is a contact portion with a roller, with a cutter, but in order to exhibit the performance of an oil application blade, cutting with a cutter is also performed with high precision. Needed.

[0005]

However, in recent years,
The performance of electrophotographic apparatuses has been further improved, and the operation time (printing time) has been reduced and the size has been reduced. For example,
To cope with higher performance of the electrophotographic apparatus, the fixing temperature is raised to a higher temperature, the diameter of the fixing roller and the photosensitive roller is reduced, and the rotation of these rollers is increased. When the diameter of the roller is reduced or the rotation speed is increased, there is a problem that oil leaks from both ends of the roller.

In order to prevent the oil from leaking from both ends, it is conceivable to provide a convex body at both ends of the blade to smoothly recover excess oil. However, the sliding contact between the blade and the roller is considered. There is a problem that it is very difficult to keep the surface roughness of the part small and high precision. The reason is that by providing convex bodies at both ends of the blade,
This is because it becomes difficult to cut the blade tip surface with high accuracy using a cutter. Even when the cutting surface is ground with an ultra-high-speed and high-hardness grinder, a grinding wheel with a large diameter cannot be used due to the convex bodies at both ends, so that the grinding time due to clogging of the grinding wheel can be prolonged. There is a problem that the roughness of the ground surface does not become sufficiently small.

[0007] Further, a blade including a metal support or the like and a rubber elastic body used in a fixing device, including an oil coating blade, is subjected to repeated thermal histories from room temperature to high temperature and from high temperature to room temperature during use. In addition, there is a problem that the oil penetrates into the bonding interface between the rubber and the metal during long-term use, thereby lowering the bonding strength between the rubber and the metal.

The present invention has been made to address such a problem, and it is easy to keep the surface roughness of a sliding contact portion between a blade and a roller small and high in accuracy, and to project the surface of the blade tip. Oil-applied blades that can sufficiently function even if they are oil-applied blades having a shape, and blades that do not reduce the adhesive strength between rubber and metal The purpose is to provide.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a blade for applying oil to a fixing roller of a fixing device, the blade comprising a support member and an elastic blade fixed to the support member. At least one side surface of the blade adjacent to the tip surface of the elastic blade is a polished surface.

Further, an edge formed by the elastic blade tip surface and a blade side surface having a polishing surface adjacent to the elastic blade is a sliding contact portion with the fixing roller.

Further, the elastic blade is characterized in that convex portions protruding from the distal end surface are formed at both ends of the distal end surface.

Another blade of the present invention is a blade used in a fixing device, the blade comprising a support member and an elastic blade, and having an uneven portion provided on the elastic blade fixing side surface of the support member. And the elastic blade are integrally fixed. Here, the uneven portion refers to a concave portion, a convex portion, or a concave portion and a convex portion.

[0013] The elastic blade is formed of a composition containing fluororubber, an injection-moldable thermoplastic fluororesin, and a low-molecular-weight fluoropolymer as essential components.

[0014] The method of manufacturing a blade according to the present invention includes a step of integrally fixing the supporting member and the elastic blade, and a step of polishing at least one blade side surface adjacent to the tip end surface of the elastic blade. And

According to the blade of the present invention, at least one of the blade side surfaces adjacent to the elastic blade front end surface is polished without polishing the front end surface of the elastic blade, so that the surface roughness of the portion in sliding contact with the fixing roller is reduced. It can be kept small and high precision. That is, when polishing the blade side surface adjacent to the blade tip surface, even when a convex portion is formed at the end of the tip surface, it can be polished with a grindstone having a large diameter using a plane polishing machine. . as a result,
Compared to the case where a grindstone having a small diameter is used, the polishing time can be shortened, no undulation or the like occurs on the polished surface, and a highly accurate edge portion with small surface roughness can be easily obtained.

Further, another blade of the present invention maintains the adhesive strength between the support member and the elastic blade by integrally fixing the elastic blade and the concave / convex portion provided on the elastic blade fixing side surface of the support member. Therefore, the durability can be improved, and the polishing accuracy can be maintained even when the blade side surface adjacent to the blade tip surface is polished.

The surface roughness can be reduced while the elastic blade constituting the blade is molded from a composition comprising fluororubber, an injection-moldable thermoplastic fluororesin and a low molecular weight fluoropolymer as essential components. Excellent in slidability and durability.

The method of manufacturing a blade according to the present invention includes a step of polishing at least one side surface of the blade adjacent to the front end surface of the elastic blade. Also, the surface roughness of the edge portion between the blade side surface and the adjacent end surface can be reduced, and flatness can be maintained. As a result, a blade that can apply a uniform amount of oil is obtained.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An example of a blade according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A is a plan view of a blade in which convex bodies are formed at both ends of a tip surface of an elastic blade.
(B) shows an AA cross-sectional view of (a). Blade 1
Is composed of a support member 2 and an elastic blade 3 fixed to the support member 2. At both ends of the elastic blade tip surface 4, convex bodies 5 projecting from the tip surface are formed, and one side surface 6a or 6b of the elastic blade 3 is a polished surface. The polished surface is preferably a side surface that comes into sliding contact with the fixing roller. Further, both side surfaces 6a and 6b can be polished surfaces depending on the use mode of the blade 1.

For the polishing, a plane polishing machine is used. Lay the blades on the table in the lengthwise direction and secure them.
Even if a fixing method using a double-sided tape or a fixing jig is used, the diameter L of the elastic blade 3 is 2
In the case of 00 to 400 mm, it is preferably 100 mmφ or more, more preferably 300 to 600 mmφ. If it is less than 100 mmφ,
It is difficult to reduce the surface roughness of the polished surface, and clogging of the grindstone tends to occur.

By polishing the side surface of the elastic blade, the radius of curvature in the cross section of the edge formed by the polished surface and the distal end surface of the elastic blade can be made substantially zero. Even when the tip surface of the elastic blade is formed by cutting, or when the elastic blade molded body is used as it is, by polishing the side surface of the elastic blade, the radius of curvature is substantially zero. Can be For this reason, the present invention is suitable for an elastic blade molded body in which it is difficult to cut the blade tip surface with a cutter with high accuracy because it has convex bodies at both ends.

The surface roughness after polishing is evaluated at the tip of the edge formed by the polished surface and the tip of the elastic blade.
The arithmetic average roughness (Ra) and the maximum height (Ry) defined in SB0601 are Ra 3 μm or less, respectively, and R
It is preferable that y be 10 μm or less. By setting it in this range, the oil application performance can be improved.

The elastic blade according to the present invention can be used as long as it has a glass transition point at room temperature or lower and has rubber-like elasticity at room temperature. In the present invention, an elastic blade molded from a composition containing a fluororubber, a thermoplastic fluororesin capable of injection molding and a low molecular weight fluoropolymer having a molecular weight of 50,000 or less as an essential component,
Polishing is preferable because oil application performance can be improved.

The fluororubber is a polymer or copolymer of a unit monomer containing one or more fluorine atoms on average, and preferably has a number average molecular weight (Mn) of usually 5 × 10 ⁴ or more. In addition, Mn has a value of 7 × 10 ⁴ or more, particularly preferably because a high molecular weight material gives good results as much as possible.
1 × 10 ⁵ to 2.5 × 10 ⁵ fluoro rubber is more preferred. Commercial products of fluororubber satisfying the above conditions include tetrafluoroethylene-propylene copolymer manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd .: Afras, vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene copolymer DuPont, Showa Denko Co., Ltd .: Viton Audimont, a vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer: Tecnoflon, a fluorosilicone-based elastomer, Dow Corning: Silastic LS, phosphazene-based fluororubber, Firestone :
PNF, a perfluoro fluorine rubber manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd .: Daiel Perflo, and the like.

Injection-moldable thermoplastic fluororesins (abbreviations in parentheses) include tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkylvinyl ether copolymer (PFA),
Tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene-
Perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (EP
E), tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer (FEP), tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer (ETFE), trifluorochloroethylene polymer (CTPE), trifluorochloroethylene-ethylene copolymer (ECTFE) ), Polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). The molecular weight (Mn) is 5 × 10
It is preferably ⁴ or less, and particularly preferably 5 × 10 ³ to 2 × 10 ⁴ . Commercially available thermoplastic fluororesins satisfying the above conditions include PFA MP10 manufactured by DuPont-Mitsui Fluorochemicals Co., Ltd., and FEP manufactured by Mitsui-DuPont Fluorochemicals Co., Ltd .: Teflon FEP100, ETF
E, manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd .: Aflon COP, CTFE, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd .: NEOFLON CTFE, PVDF, manufactured by Kureha Chemical Co., Ltd .: PVF, manufactured by DuPont, Tedlar, etc.

The above-mentioned fluoro rubber and injection moldable
The composition mixed with thermoplastic fluororesin
In order to provide excellent sliding characteristics
Incorporates a low molecular weight fluoropolymer with a molecular weight of 50,000 or less
You. Low molecular weight fluoropolymers are polytetrafluoroe
Tylene (PTFE), tetrafluoroethylene-hexa
Fluoro such as fluoropropylene copolymer (FEP)
Olefin polymer, main structural unit -C_nF_2n-O- (n
Is an integer of from 1 to 4)
Body or CF_Three(CF_Two)_n−, H (CF_Two) _n− (N
Is an integer of 1 to 20)
It is preferably a group-containing compound. Of these,
PTFE low molecular weight polymers having an average particle size of 5 μm or less are most preferred.
New The molecular weight (Mn) is 5 × 10^FourThe following are preferred
In order to provide better sliding characteristics, 5 × 10
^ThreeIs particularly preferred. Low molecular weight satisfies the above conditions
Commercially available fluorine polymers include fluoroolefin polymerization
Body made by DuPont: Vidax AR, Asahi Glass
Manufactured by Fluon Lubricant L169, etc.
Audimont, an ether polymer: Fomblin
Z, Fomblin Y, Daikin Industries: Demnum, etc.
No. Also, a polyfluoroalkyl group-containing compound
Is a polyfluoroalkyl group having a reactive group.
Is preferred.

The compounding ratio of the fluororubber, the injection-moldable thermoplastic fluororesin and the low-molecular-weight fluoropolymer is from 50:50 to 97: 3 by weight ratio of the fluororubber to the injection-moldable thermoplastic fluororesin. A range is preferred. Because, if the blending weight ratio of the thermoplastic fluororesin exceeds 50/100, sufficient elastic properties cannot be obtained for the target composition, and 3/100
If the amount is less than the above, sufficient wear resistance cannot be obtained. Further, 5 to 50 parts by weight of a low molecular weight fluoropolymer is preferable based on 100 parts by weight of the total of the fluororubber and the thermoplastic fluororesin. This is because the blending ratio of the low molecular weight fluoropolymer is
If the amount is less than 5 parts by weight, sufficient sliding properties cannot be obtained, and if it exceeds 50 parts by weight, the rubber-like elastic properties are impaired.

In addition, various additives may be blended in addition to the above components as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. For example, as a vulcanizing agent for fluororubber, isocyanate, organic peroxide, polyfunctional monomer, etc., antioxidant or acid acceptor such as sodium stearate, magnesium oxide, calcium hydroxide, antistatic agent such as carbon, white Fillers such as carbon (silica) and alumina, other metal oxides, coloring agents, flame retardants and the like may be conveniently added.

The method of mixing the above-mentioned various raw materials is not particularly limited, and is generally used widely, for example, an elastomer which is a main raw material and other raw materials are sequentially or simultaneously individually roll-mixed. What is necessary is just to mix by a mixer. At this time, it is preferable to provide a temperature controller in order to prevent heat generation due to friction. When a roll mixing machine is used, it is more preferable to tightly tighten the roll interval to about 3 mm or less for finishing mixing.

The support member according to the present invention can be used as long as it does not easily generate rust or the like, which is considered to have an adverse effect on the toner and the carrier. For example, it is possible to use a plated part in which rust-proofing treatment is performed on iron such as resin, ceramics, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or mild steel reinforced with resin or fiber material. Here, the number of processing steps is increased, the rust prevention treatment that is not efficient in the manufacturing process can be omitted, and the rigidity and rigidity of the rubber elastic body are not reduced so that the edge accuracy is reduced. Also, if it is selected that there is no large dimensional change such as warpage and bending and that corrosion of metal due to generation of rust does not occur, stainless steel sheet,
A support member such as an aluminum alloy plate is preferable.

The elastic blade is fixed to the support member. As a fixing method, an adhesive may be used.
Also, the elastic member may be fixed by vulcanizing and forming the elastic blade by providing an uneven portion on the support member, or may be used in combination. FIG. 2 shows an example of a method of fixing the support member and the elastic blade. 2A shows an example in which the support member 2 is embedded and fixed in the elastic blade 3, and FIG. 2B shows an example in which the support member 2 is fixed to one side of the elastic blade 3. It is particularly preferable that the support member 2 is provided with an uneven portion on a side surface on which the elastic blade 3 is integrally formed and fixed. This is because the unvulcanized elastic blade enters the uneven portion and is vulcanized during vulcanization, whereby the support member 2 and the elastic blade 3 are integrally fixed.

FIG. 3 shows an example of an uneven portion that can be provided on the support member. 3 (a) to 3 (k) show perspective views of the concave and convex portions provided on the elastic blade fixed side, respectively. The supporting member shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C is an example having a through hole formed by punching. FIG. 3 (a)
3 (c) is preferable because it is excellent in punching workability and can reduce surface waviness and the like when fixed integrally with the elastic blade. In particular, a support member having a circular through hole shown in FIG. 3B is preferable because surface waviness can be reduced. 3D shows an example in which a concave portion is provided on one side surface of the support member, and FIGS. 3E to 3J show examples in which a convex portion is provided on one side surface. FIG. This is an example in which a unit is provided at the same time. 3 (d) to 3
As shown in (j), providing a convex portion on one side surface is preferable because the elastic blade can be integrally fixed to the side surface on which the convex portion is provided.

The integral molding of the blade of the present invention does not require any special means in the molding step. The supporting member and the unvulcanized elastic blade are subjected to primary vulcanization (140) by a usual press molding method. 5 to 20 minutes at ~ 170 ° C, pressurized
5 ~ 15 kgf / cm ² ), then secondary vulcanization (230 ~ 280 ℃
10-20 hours, no pressurization). In this case, if the secondary vulcanization is performed at a temperature of 230 ° C. or less, the compression set characteristic of the composition is inferior, and “sagging” occurs at the edge serving as the blade edge of the blade. On the other hand, if the secondary vulcanization is carried out at a temperature of 280 ° C. or higher, the low molecular weight fluoropolymer starts to decompose a little and the mechanical strength becomes poor, which is not preferable.

The elastic blade can be formed in advance into a desired blade shape at the time of integral molding, for example, into a shape in which convex portions protruding from both ends of the distal end surface of the elastic blade are formed. Further, after the support member and the elastic blade are integrally formed, cutting may be performed to a desired blade shape. In the present invention, the radius of curvature in the cross section of the edge formed by the polished surface and the tip surface of the elastic blade can be reduced to almost zero by polishing the side surface of the blade, even if the shape is preformed, without cutting. Can be For this reason, since it has a convex body at both ends, even a blade can be easily manufactured.

The blade according to the present invention forms a recording pattern on a medium such as a photoreceptor by an externally applied electric signal, and converts a pattern of the amount of electricity formed on the medium into a visible pattern. The present invention can be applied to a fixing device of an image forming apparatus employing various methods. Among the image forming methods in the fixing device of the image forming apparatus, the blade according to the present invention can be applied to a wet method of applying oils. Specific examples of the apparatus to which the wet image formation is applied include a toner image transfer type electrostatic copying machine (PPC), a laser beam printer (LBP), a liquid crystal shutter (LCD) printer, a facsimile printer, and the like. No. That is, the wet image forming method to which the blade according to the present invention can be applied is a concept indicating a general wet type adopted in an image forming apparatus.

[0036]

EXAMPLE 1 As a blade for applying oil to a fixing roller of a fixing device, an oil application blade having a shape shown in FIG. 1 was manufactured.
First, the following rubber composition to be an elastic blade was prepared. 1) Fluoro rubber (Technoflon, manufactured by Ausimont)-
−−− 70 parts by weight 2) Injection-moldable thermoplastic fluororesin (Asahi Glass Co., Ltd .:
Aflon COP) 30 parts by weight 3) Low molecular weight fluoropolymer (manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd .: Fluon lubricant L169) 10 parts by weight 4) Carbon (manufactured by Vanderbilt: MT carbon)
5 parts by weight 5) Sodium stearate (general reagent) 1 part by weight 6) Organic peroxide (general reagent: α, α '-(t-butylperoxy) diisopropylbenzene) --- -1 part by weight 7) Polyfunctional monomer (general reagent: triallyl isocyanurate)----5 parts by weight

The fluororubber and the injection-moldable thermoplastic fluororesin were kneaded in the above mixing ratio by a roll mixer adjusted to a roll interval of 5 to 10 mm. Thereafter, the roll interval was adjusted to 1 mm, and mastication was performed about 10 times. In order to prevent frictional heat at this time, cooling water was always passed through the roll, and the roll temperature was kept at 60 ° C. or lower. Next, stop the cooling water and pass the steam through the roll to reduce the rubber temperature to 70.
Adjust the temperature so that the temperature is not less than 90 ° C and not more than 90 ° C.After that, return the roll interval to about 5 to 10 mm, and add low-molecular-weight fluoropolymer, carbon, sodium stearate, organic peroxide, and polyfunctional monomer little by little. The mixture was kneaded at the above mixing ratio while being added. Thereafter, the roll interval was again reduced to 1 mm and mastication was performed about 10 times to obtain a rubber composition.

As a support member, a stainless steel frame having the shape shown in FIG. 3 (b) was prepared, placed in a molding die capable of forming convex bodies protruding from both ends of the elastic blade, and integrally molded with the above rubber composition. . As vulcanization conditions, primary vulcanization (170 ° C., 10 minutes, press pressure 7 kgf / cm ² ) was performed, followed by secondary vulcanization (230 ° C., 16 hours, free heating). The vulcanized blade (length L: 330mm, width W: 10mm)
The side surface was polished using a flat polishing grindstone having a diameter of 300 mmφ (grain size: # 60). No grindstone clogging occurred during polishing.

The obtained blade of Example 1 was evaluated as an oil coating blade of a fixing roller. First, JIS
The surface roughness defined in B0601 was measured for the edge. That is, the arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) and the maximum height (Ry) of the tip of the edge formed by the polished surface and the tip surface of the elastic blade adjacent to the polished surface were measured.
Table 1 shows the results. Next, an actual machine cleaning test was performed. In the actual machine cleaning test, a 20 mm diameter roller made of silicone rubber (30 degree product) was heated to 150 ° C by a shaft heating method. The pressing force was 400 gf, and the roller rotation speed was 100 rpm. Was operated for 30 hours under the condition of supplying the same periodically. After 30 hours, the state of oil application was evaluated as good (marked with ○), there was a little oil bleeding (marked with △), and there was considerable oil bleeding (marked with x), and the results were also shown in Table 1.

Comparative Example 1 The same blade as in Example 1 was prepared except that the side surface was not polished. The obtained blade was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, and the results are shown in Table 1.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2 The same vulcanized blade as in Example 1 was prepared and had a diameter of 10 mm.
Only the tip surface of the elastic blade was polished using a grinder equipped with a whetstone of φ (grain size: # 60). The obtained blade was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, and the results are shown in Table 1.

[0042]

[Table 1]

As is clear from Table 1, the oil-applied blade of Example 1 had extremely small arithmetic average roughness (Ra) and maximum height (Ry). Also, in the actual machine cleaning test, the product of the present invention showed excellent oil applicability. Further, even after continuous use for 100 hours, the initial strength of the adhesive strength between the support member and the elastic blade was maintained.

[0044]

The blade of the present invention is a blade for applying oil to the fixing roller of the fixing device, and at least one of the side surfaces of the blade adjacent to the tip surface of the elastic blade is a polished surface. However, the radius of curvature in the edge section can be made substantially zero. As a result, a blade with improved oil application performance is obtained.

In particular, when the edge portion is a sliding contact portion of the fixing roller, the oil application performance is further improved.

Further, since a convex body protruding from the front end surface is formed at both ends of the front end surface of the elastic blade, oil leakage and the like can be prevented. Furthermore, since the side surface is polished even in the case of a molded body on which a convex body is formed, an edge portion having extremely small surface roughness can be easily formed.

The blade of the present invention is a blade composed of a support member and an elastic blade used in the fixing device. Since the uneven portion provided on the support member and the elastic blade are integrally fixed. In addition, stable adhesive strength can be maintained for a long time regardless of the silicone oil used in the fixing section.

In the blade of the present invention, the elastic blade is formed from a composition containing fluororubber, an injection-moldable thermoplastic fluororesin, and a low-molecular-weight fluoropolymer as essential components. An edge portion having extremely small surface roughness is obtained, and a blade having excellent sliding characteristics and durability is obtained.

The method of manufacturing a blade according to the present invention includes a step of integrally fixing the support member and the elastic blade and a step of polishing at least one blade side surface adjacent to the distal end surface of the elastic blade. Can be easily polished even if the elastic blade has convex bodies formed at both ends. As a result, a blade excellent in oil application performance can be easily obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a blade of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a blade.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an uneven portion that can be provided on a support member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 blade 2 support member 3 elastic blade 4 elastic blade tip surface 5 convex body 6 side surface

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A blade for applying oil to a fixing roller of a fixing device, the blade comprising a support member and an elastic blade fixed to the support member, and at least a blade adjacent to a tip end surface of the elastic blade. A blade characterized in that one side surface of the blade is a polished surface. 2. An edge portion formed by a tip surface of the elastic blade and a side surface of the blade having a polishing surface adjacent to the tip surface is a sliding portion with the fixing roller. The described blade. 3. The blade according to claim 1, wherein a convex body protruding from the distal end surface is formed at both ends of the distal end surface of the elastic blade. 4. A blade used in a fixing device, the blade comprising a support member and an elastic blade, and an uneven portion provided on the elastic blade fixing side surface of the support member; Characterized in that the blade is integrally fixed. 5. The elastic blade according to claim 1, wherein the elastic blade is formed from a composition comprising fluororubber, an injection moldable thermoplastic fluororesin, and a low molecular weight fluoropolymer as essential components. Item 5. The blade according to any one of items 4 to 6. 6. A method for manufacturing a blade, comprising: a step of integrally fixing a supporting member and an elastic blade; and a step of polishing at least one side surface of the elastic blade adjacent to a tip end surface of the elastic blade.