JP2000131998A - Manufacture of endless belt for electrophotographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a method for manufacturing an endless belt for an electrophotographic device capable of stably traveling for a long period, without causing the peeling of a guide rib, irrespective of a long use. SOLUTION: As for the manufacture of the end belt 1 which is constituted by forming a flexible film-like base material 2 to a ring shape and also joining the guide rib 3 made of flexible material to the inner periphery of the ring- shaped material along the side edge, the flexible material is formed to a sheet- like body, at least one surface of which is provided with fine projecting and recessed parts, and the sheet-like body is slit to a narrow rib body, and the surface with the fine projecting and recessed parts formed of the rib body is joined as an adhesive surface to the base material 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an endless belt used in an electrophotographic apparatus and an electrophotographic apparatus equipped with the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an endless belt for an electrophotographic apparatus having a rib for preventing meandering and capable of running stably for a long period of time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, electrophotographic image forming methods have been widely used in copiers, printers and the like, since high quality images can be obtained immediately. As the core photoreceptor, an endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor is widely used because it has a flexible property and a high degree of freedom in arrangement in an apparatus.

[0003] The endless belt-shaped photoreceptor 20 is obtained by cutting a photoreceptor sheet having a metal layer laminated on a synthetic resin film and a photoreceptor layer such as a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer formed thereon to a predetermined size. The two ends are fused using an ultrasonic fusing machine or the like to form an annular shape as shown in FIG. 3 and used as an image forming apparatus. 21 is a charger, 22 is an exposure optical system, 23 is a developing device, 24 is a cleaner, and 25 is a transfer charger.

In an electrophotographic apparatus, an intermediate transfer belt 30 is used as shown in FIG. The intermediate transfer belt 30 is for transferring an image developed by the developing device 23 onto the photosensitive drum 20 a once onto the intermediate transfer belt 30, and transferring the image to the paper 26 again. Thus, the endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member 20 or the intermediate transfer belt 30 has a problem that meandering occurs during traveling.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, the endless belt-shaped photoreceptor 20 and the like are joined with a rib material made of a rubber-like soft material along a side edge on the back surface to form a guide rib 31. The meandering is prevented by fitting the rib 31 into the groove 33 of the roller 32 and running. Endless belt-shaped photoreceptor 2 joined with guide rib 31
The endless belt of 0 or the like is formed of a flexible material such as silicone rubber because the belt is bent every time it goes around the outer circumference of the roller 32 during the rotational running. The method of joining the materials is important.

Conventionally, as a method for forming a rib, a mold plate having a long groove-shaped mold cavity penetrating from the front to the back is formed on the back surface of a film-like base material, and silicone rubber or the like is filled in the long groove to form a rib on the film-like body. A method of directly forming a rib body has been adopted.
However, when the rib body is directly formed, it is necessary to fix the mold plate so that it does not move until the filled rib material is hardened, so that the production efficiency cannot be increased.

[0007] For this reason, a method of joining ribs formed in advance with an adhesive or a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape has been used. However, it is difficult to bond the elastomer, especially the silicone rubber, and there is a problem in that the guide ribs peel off during long-term use. Further, when the surface of the guide rib is made to be wear-resistant in order to prevent the wear of the guide rib, there has been a problem that the adhesiveness is further reduced.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing an endless belt for an electrophotographic apparatus which can be stably run for a long period of time without peeling of a guide rib even during long-term use. .

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made as a result of diligent studies to solve the above-mentioned problems. A flexible film-like base material is formed in a ring shape, and a side edge is formed on the inner periphery thereof. In the manufacture of an endless belt in which guide ribs made of a flexible material are joined along, a flexible material is formed into a sheet having fine irregularities formed on at least one side, and the sheet is slit into a narrow width. And a method of manufacturing an endless belt for an electrophotographic apparatus, wherein the rib body is bonded to a substrate with a surface having fine irregularities formed thereon as an adhesive surface.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the present invention, an endless belt 1 is
As shown in FIG. 1, a flexible film-shaped substrate 2 is formed in a ring shape. Note that, in the present invention, a sheet and a film are used as synonyms, and identification by a film thickness is not performed. To describe an example in which the endless belt is used for an electrophotographic photoreceptor, a conductive support is used as a flexible film-shaped base material 2, and a photoreceptor layer is formed on the conductive support.

The conductive support is preferably a biaxially stretched film in which a metal layer is laminated. The material of the biaxially stretched film is a linear polyester resin such as polyethylene terephthalate or polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene or the like. Polyolefin resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, etc., but a linear polyester resin, particularly polyethylene terephthalate, is preferable in terms of mechanical strength, dimensional stability and the like.

The thickness of the resin film is usually 50
About 150 μm. Further, as the metal layer constituting the conductive support, a metal deposition layer can be used, and examples of the metal of the metal deposition layer include copper, nickel, zinc, and aluminum, and among them, aluminum is preferable. The thickness of the metal deposition layer is usually 400 to 100.
The metal is deposited on the resin film by a known deposition method such as an electrothermal melting deposition method, an ion beam deposition method, or an ion plating method. Also,
As the metal layer, a metal foil such as an aluminum foil or a nickel foil, or a laminated film in which these metals are laminated can be used. In this case, the metal foil is preferably 5 μm or less.

A known barrier layer, which is generally used, can be provided between the conductive support and the photosensitive layer.
As the barrier layer, for example, polyvinyl alcohol,
An organic layer such as casein, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyacrylic acid, celluloses, gelatin, starch, polyurethane, polyimide and polyamide is used, and if necessary, inorganic particles such as titanium oxide and aluminum oxide may be added.

The photoreceptor layer may be a single layer containing a charge generating substance and a charge transporting substance, or may be of a function separated type in which a charge generating layer and a charge transporting layer are laminated. Regarding the function-separated type photoreceptor, as the charge generating substance used for the charge generating layer, any of known charge generating substances can be used, and phthalocyanine, azo dye, quinacridone, polycyclic quinone, pyrylium salt, thiapyrylium salt, indigo , Thioindigo, anthantrone, pyranthrone,
Examples include various organic pigments such as cyanine, dyes, and the like. Among them, metals such as metal-free phthalocyanines, copper indium chloride, gallium chloride, tin, oxytitanium, zinc, and vanadium, or oxides and chlorides of these phthalocyanines are preferable.

As the binder for the charge generation layer, resins such as polyacetal such as polyvinyl butyral, polyvinyl acetate, and phenoxy resin can be used. The thickness of the charge generation layer is usually 0.1 μm to 1 μm, preferably 0.15 μm to 0.6 μm. The content of the charge generating substance used here is in the range of 20 to 300 parts by weight, preferably 50 to 200 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the binder resin.

As the charge transporting material in the charge transporting layer, various low-molecular compounds such as various pyrazoline derivatives, oxazole derivatives, hydrazone derivatives, stilbene derivatives, and arylamines can be used. A binder resin is blended with these charge transport materials. Preferred binder resins include, for example, polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, vinyl polymers such as polyvinyl chloride, and copolymers thereof, polycarbonate, polyester, polysulfone, polyether, polyketone, phenoxy, epoxy, silicone resin, and the like. These partially crosslinked cured products are also used.

Further, the charge transport layer may contain various additives such as an antioxidant and a sensitizer. The thickness of the charge transport layer is 10 to 40 μm, preferably 10 to 30 μm. The photoreceptor sheet thus obtained is cut into a predetermined size and then joined at both ends. As a joining method, a heat sealing bar or a fusion device using ultrasonic waves can be used even if the joining is performed by an adhesive.

As will be described later, guide ribs may be provided before both ends are joined. When the endless belt of the present invention is used as an intermediate transfer belt, the resin composition of the flexible film-shaped substrate 2 is not limited to a thermosetting resin or a rubber of a thermoplastic resin. Since a thermoplastic resin or a thermoplastic elastomer can be continuously extruded, it is desirable in terms of production cost.

As the thermoplastic resin, polyethylene (high density, medium density, low density, linear low density), propylene ethylene block or random copolymer, rubber or latex component such as ethylene / propylene copolymer rubber, styrene -Butadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer or its hydrogenated derivative, polybutadiene, polyisobutylene, polyamide,
Polyamide imide, polyacetal, polyarylate,
Polycarbonate, polyphenylene ether, modified polyphenylene ether, polyimide, liquid crystalline polyester, polyethylene terephthalate, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylene sulfide,
Polybisamide triazole, polybutylene terephthalate, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, acryl, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyvinyl fluoride, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene hexafluoropropylene copolymer , Tetrafluoroethylene perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, polytetrafluoroethylene, fluororubber, alkyl acrylate copolymer, polyester ester copolymer, polyether ester copolymer, polyether amide copolymer, olefin copolymer Polymers, polyurethane copolymers, or a mixture thereof are used.

Particularly preferred resins for the intermediate transfer belt are polyvinylidene fluoride, polyvinyl fluoride, ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene hexafluoropropylene copolymer, and tetrafluoroethylene perfluoroalkyl. Vinyl ether copolymers, fluororesins such as polytetrafluoroethylene, and fluororubbers are also preferred for preventing contamination from toners and the like.Also, polycarbonate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyester ester copolymers, polyether esters Ester-based thermoplastic resins or thermoplastic elastomers such as copolymers are preferable because of little change in electric resistance in terms of electric resistance and stability.

Further, a conductive filler may be added to these materials to adjust the electric resistance. As conductive filler, carbon black, graphite, carbon fiber,
It is preferable to use at least one selected from metal powders, conductive metal oxides, organometallic oxides, organometallic compounds, organometallic salts, conductive polymers, and the like, or a mixture of several kinds of these. Among them, carbon black is particularly preferred.
Examples of the carbon black include carbon black such as acetylene black, furnace black, and channel black. Acetylene black excellent in dispersibility is preferable so as not to impair the appearance of the film.

The amount of carbon black varies depending on the type of carbon black. In the case of acetylene black, it is preferably 3 to 25 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the thermoplastic resin, and in the case of Ketjen black, it is 1 to 10 parts by weight. Parts by weight are preferred. If it is less than the above range, the conductivity is poor, and if it is more than the above range, the appearance of the product is deteriorated and the material strength is unfavorably reduced.

[0023] The resin composition may contain various additional components to be added to the usual resin composition, as long as the object of the present invention is not hindered. Such components include antioxidants, lubricants, release agents, and the like. These intermediate transfer belt materials can be obtained by cutting a flat sheet into a predetermined size using a T-die or an annular die, and then joining both ends. For the joining, the means described for the endless belt-shaped photoconductor can be used.

Further, a seamless tube can be formed by forming a cylindrical shape using an annular die by an internal mandrel system and cutting the cylindrical shape into a predetermined length. As shown in FIG. 1, a guide rib 3 is joined to the inner peripheral surface of the ring-shaped flexible film-shaped base material 2 having a predetermined width obtained as described above along the side edge. The material for forming the guide ribs 3 is not particularly limited as long as it is a material having flexibility and bending resistance, but the hardness according to JIS K7215 (A type) is 20 to 90 degrees, preferably 30 to 80 degrees. Is preferred, and specifically, neoprene rubber, urethane rubber, butyl rubber, silicone rubber and the like are preferred.

Among them, urethane rubber and silicone rubber are preferable from the viewpoint of adhesiveness to the substrate, electric insulation, environmental resistance such as moisture resistance, solvent resistance, ozone resistance and heat resistance. The silicone rubber is not particularly limited, and may be any of a room temperature curing type and a heat vulcanization type. The flexible material is formed into a sheet shape as shown in FIG. The molding method is not particularly limited, and an extrusion molding method such as a calendering method or a press molding method, an injection molding method, a casting method, or the like can be used.

The sheet 4 has a thickness of 0.2 to 3.0 m.
m, preferably 0.3 to 2.0 mm, and fine irregularities 5 are formed on at least one surface thereof. The size of the irregularities is such that the average roughness Ra is 0.3 μm or more, preferably 0.8 μm.
m, more preferably about 0.9 to 5 μm.
The means for forming the fine irregularities 5 is not particularly limited. When the sheet-like body 4 is formed by press molding, casting or injection molding, the sheet-like body 4 is formed by using a mold having an irregular surface. Plane. In the case of using the calendar method, the irregularities can be provided by superimposing and calendering a mold having an irregular surface.

Further, irregularities may be provided by mechanically treating the formed sheet-like body 4, and brushing or sand blasting can be used as mechanical means. The sheet-like body 4 having the fine unevenness 5 formed on at least one surface thus obtained is slit into a narrow width rib body, and the surface on which the fine unevenness is formed is used as an adhesive surface, and the back surface of the substrate 2 is It is joined along the side edge on the surface side. The width of the slit of the sheet 4 is generally 1.0 to 10 mm, preferably 2 to 6 mm.

The joining method is not particularly limited, and the joining can be performed using an adhesive or using a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. The joining of the guide ribs 3 to the base material 2 may be performed after joining both ends of the base material 2 to form an annular shape, or may be performed in a flat state before the annular shape is formed, and then the base is formed. Both ends of the material 2 may be joined to form a ring.

The endless belt 1 of the present invention can be used as the endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member 20 shown in FIG. 3 or as the intermediate transfer belt 30 shown in FIG. As a driving or guiding roll of the endless belt 1 of the present invention, a roll 32 having a groove 33 as shown in FIG. 5 or tapered rings 34, 34 at both ends as shown in FIG.
Can be used.

[0030]

According to the present invention, an endless belt which is excellent in productivity and has improved joining force because a narrow strip formed by slitting a sheet-like body having fine irregularities formed on at least one surface is used as a guide rib. Even in the long-term use, there is no fear of peeling of the guide ribs, so that the running can be stably performed for a long period of time.

[0031]

Example 1 As a guide rib, a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer B760PNAT (hardness 62) manufactured by Nippon Miractran Co., Ltd.
, A calender is formed by stacking interleaving paper having fine irregularities on the surface, and forming a film having a fine irregularity on one side.
A 5 mm sheet was formed. When the surface roughness was measured by the following method, it was Ra = 1.8 μm.

On the surface of the sheet provided with fine irregularities, a UT522 manufactured by Sony Chemical Co., Ltd. was used as a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape.
After attaching 0BU, slit to width 3mm and length 37
A 0 mm guide rib was formed. After forming a photoreceptor layer thereon using a polyethylene terephthalate biaxially stretched film as a base material, and joining the photoreceptor sheet along the both sides to the back surface of the photoreceptor sheet on which a ground layer is formed using conductive ink, Both ends of the sheet were joined using an ultrasonic sealing machine to obtain an endless belt-shaped photosensitive member having a width of 245 mm and a circumference of 380 mm. This was mounted on a commercially available full-color printer, and as a condition that it was easy to meander on one side by operating the spring of the belt cartridge, 2,000 full-color images were copied, but the guide ribs could peel off or the image could be misaligned. Did not.

Surface roughness measurement conditions Apparatus: "Surfcom SE-30K" manufactured by Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd. Measurement length: 5.0 mm Cut-off value: 0.8 mm

Example 2 As a guide rib, a millable silicone rubber TSE221-5U (hardness: 50) manufactured by Toshiba Silicone Co., Ltd. was pressed and formed to have a thickness of 0.5 mm having fine irregularities on one surface by press molding.
Sheet was obtained. The surface roughness Ra was 0.96 μm. After slitting this, Example 1 was used except that WFT765 manufactured by Teraoka Seisakusho was used as a double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape.
An electrophotographic photoreceptor was obtained in exactly the same manner. This was mounted on a commercially available full-color printer, and 2,000 full-color images were copied under conditions that facilitated one-sided meandering by operating the spring of the belt cartridge. However, the guide ribs did not peel off and the images did not shift. .

Comparative Example 1 A sheet (Ra = 0.0) was obtained by using a smooth roll instead of the calendering method using an interleaf paper having fine irregularities on the surface.
An electrophotographic photoreceptor was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the thickness was 8 μm), and the same experiment was performed. As a result, peeling occurred on one of the guide ribs after copying 1,000 sheets, resulting in an image shift.

Comparative Example 2 A sheet (Ra =
An electrophotographic photoreceptor was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the thickness was 0.09 μm). As a result, 30
On one sheet, peeling occurred on one of the ribs, resulting in an image shift.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an endless belt according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a sheet-like body for a guide rib.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example of an endless belt-shaped photoconductor of the electrophotographic apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing an intermediate transfer belt of the electrophotographic apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a conventional endless belt with guide ribs.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a roll for driving an endless belt with guide ribs.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Endless belt 2 Base material 3 Guide rib 4 Sheet-shaped body 5 Fine unevenness 20 Electrophotographic photoreceptor 30 Intermediate transfer belt

Claims (6)

[Claims] In the manufacture of an endless belt in which a flexible film-shaped substrate is formed in an annular shape and a guide rib made of a flexible material is joined to the inner periphery thereof along a side edge, a flexible material is used. At least one surface is formed into a sheet having fine irregularities formed thereon, and the sheet-like body is slit into a narrow width to form a rib body, and the rib body is used as a bonding surface with the surface having the fine irregularities formed on a substrate. A method for producing an endless belt for an electrophotographic apparatus, comprising joining. 2. The sheet-like body has a thickness of 0.2 to 3.0 mm.
The method for producing an endless belt for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fine irregularities have an average roughness Ra of 0.3 μm.
3. The method for producing an endless belt for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the length is at least m. 4. The method for producing an endless belt for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fine irregularities are formed by a template in the process of forming the sheet. 5. The method for producing an endless belt for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fine irregularities are formed on the formed sheet by mechanical means such as sandblasting. 6. The method for producing an endless belt for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible material is silicon rubber or urethane rubber.