JP2002006668A - Release agent, fixing member, release agent coating applicator and image fixing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress the occurrence of an offset stably for a long period and to improve the durability of an image fixing device by preventing the adhesion of toners to a fixing roller surface. SOLUTION: Amino denatured silicone oil of 500 to 5,000 cs in viscosity at 25 deg.C and 20,000 to 40,000 in amine equivalent is used as a release agent to be applied on the surface layer of a fixing section. The toners T transferred onto recording material P are fixed by using the fixing device having the release agent coating applicator for applying such release agent, by which the adhesion of the fixed toners T to the surface of the fixing roll 101 is prevented and consequently the offset may be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a release agent, a fixing member, a release agent application device, and an image fixing device in an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to a toner transferred on a recording material in the image forming apparatus. A release agent that is applied to a fixing member such as a fixing roll of an image fixing device to prevent toner from adhering, a fixing member to which the release agent is applied, and a release agent for applying the release agent to the surface of the fixing member. The present invention relates to a mold applying device and an image fixing device including the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus, unfixed toner transferred onto a recording material such as paper is fixed by an image fixing device installed in the apparatus.

A conventional image fixing device will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. FIG.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image fixing device provided with a conventional release agent applying device, and FIG. 2 is an image fixing device provided with a web type release agent applying device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing a conventional image fixing state.

As shown in FIG. 1, in a conventional image fixing apparatus, a fixing roll 101 for fixing a toner T transferred onto a recording material P, and a pressing roll 102 opposed thereto.
And a releasing agent such as silicone oil for preventing the toner T from adhering to the surface of the fixing roll 101.
And a release agent application device 104 for supplying the release agent to the surface of the release agent No. 01. The fixing roll 101 and the pressure roll 102
A rubber elastic body 106 is formed on the metal cores 105a and 105b, and a heater 107 is provided in the metal core 105a of the fixing roll 101 as a heating source.

In operation, a recording material P such as a sheet on which an image is formed by transferring the toner T is sandwiched between a fixing roll 101 and a pressure roll 102 in the direction of the arrow, and the toner T is heated and pressed. The image is fixed on the recording material P. However, since the toner T is tackified by heat, a part of the toner T on the recording material P comes to adhere to the surface of the fixing roll 101 as shown in FIG. When the toner T advances toward the heated fixing roll 101, the toner T adhered and adhered to the fixing roll 101 is partially transferred to the next recording material P. This process is generally referred to as offset, and if the offset frequently occurs, the life of the image fixing device becomes long.

Therefore, in order to prevent the offset, the fixing roll 101 and the pressure roll 1 are applied while a release agent such as silicone oil is applied to the fixing roll 101.
02, fixing is performed by heating and pressing. The release agent is applied to the fixing roll 101 by a release agent application device 104.
This is performed using The release agent applying device 104 includes the release agent 1
09, a release agent storage tank 108 for the release agent 109, a release agent supply roll 110 for supplying the release agent 109 stored in the release agent storage tank 108, and a release agent supply roll 11
A release agent transfer roll 111 that transfers the release agent 109 attached to the surface of the “0” surface, and a release agent application roll 112 that applies the release agent to the fixing roll.

[0008] In addition to the oil tank system shown in FIG. 1, the release agent coating device impregnates the web 114 with a release agent as shown in FIG. There are an apparatus using a web system in which a release agent is applied to the surface, an apparatus using an oil roll system in which the release agent is stored inside the roll, and the release agent which oozes from the roll surface is applied to the surface of the fixing roll. The web type release agent applying apparatus includes a web supply roll 116 for feeding out a web 114 impregnated with a release agent, and a web 114 fed out.
Roll 115 for pressing the roller against the surface of the fixing roll 101
And a take-up roll 117 for taking up the fed web 114. The web 114 sent out from the web supply roll 116 is applied to the surface of the fixing roll 101 with a release agent, and then wound around a take-up roll 117 at a predetermined speed.

By using such a release agent applying device, at the time of fixing, the release agent is always applied to the surface of the fixing roll, so that adhesion of the toner to the surface of the fixing roll can be prevented.

[0010]

However, the conventional release agent, fixing member, release agent application device, and image fixing device have the following problems. That is, the fixing roll 101 is mainly formed of fluororubber, and a silicone-based release agent is mainly used as the release agent. Generally, compared with the surface energy of the fluororubber, the silicone-based release agent is used. Because the surface tension of the fixing roll 101 is large.
The release agent is hardly wet on the surface. Therefore,
Even though the release agent is applied to the surface of the fixing roll 101, the toner T locally adheres to the surface of the fixing roll 101. Contact may occur without any intervention, and the toner may adhere to the surface of the fixing roll 101 and cause offset.

In order to prevent such an offset, an image fixing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-230784 has a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 10 cs to 100,0.
00cs, and the amine equivalent is 7,500 to 500,
It has been proposed to use an amino-modified silicone oil of 000 as a release agent. Here, the amine equivalent is a value obtained by dividing the total molecular weight of the amino-modified silicone oil by the number of amino groups.

In the above-mentioned patent publication, a fixing test was carried out using an amino-modified silicone oil having various amine equivalents by an image forming apparatus equipped with an oil tank type release agent coating device, and the amine equivalent was 7,500 to 500,000. And the fixing temperature is in the range of 130 ° C. to 190 ° C. without any problem. No embodiment is described for the viscosity range of the release agent.

Therefore, in order to confirm the performance of the release agent described in the embodiment of the above-mentioned patent publication, a fixing test was performed while changing the fixing temperature. The test was made as close as possible to the conditions described in the embodiment. An amino-modified silicone oil having an amine equivalent of 100,000 and a viscosity of 300 cs was used as a release agent. The color laser printer used was our company. The configuration of the image fixing device is shown in FIG. 2 and differs from the embodiment of the above-mentioned patent publication, but a web type release agent coating device is used. In the fixing test, three color toners of yellow, cyan and magenta were carried on the recording material, and the fixing temperature was changed from 140 ° C. to 180 ° C. in 5 ° C. steps. The fixing test was evaluated by observing an image formed when the three color toners were fixed and evaluating whether or not offset had occurred. As a result, the temperature at which the image could be fixed without generating an offset was only around 155 ° C.

In general, the lower limit temperature and the upper limit temperature range at which the image can be fixed tend to gradually narrow when a long-term fixing test is performed. Life is also shortened. Actually, an endurance test was performed with the fixing temperature set to 155 ° C. under the above-described conditions, and as a result, an offset was generated after fixing 5k sheets.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems. When a web system is adopted as a release agent coating apparatus, the most suitable release agent composition for the web system is found, and the offset is stably maintained for a long period of time. And to improve the durability of the image fixing device.

[0016]

According to the present invention, there is provided an image fixing apparatus for fixing a toner transferred onto a recording material, which is used in a web type release agent coating apparatus. The viscosity of the agent at 25 ° C. is from 500 cs to 5,000 cs, and the amine equivalent is from 20,000 to 80,000.

In a web-type release agent coating apparatus, it is required that a constant amount of the release agent be retained on the web for a long period of time, and it is necessary to select an appropriate viscosity of the release agent. Also, the amine equivalent of the release agent affects the wettability to the fixing roller surface, but when the amine equivalent is reduced, the number of amino groups in the amino-modified silicone oil molecule as the release agent increases, and the release agent Has poor thermal stability. This is because the amino group has reactivity, but when the amino group reacts and the amino-modified silicone oil molecules bond with each other, the molecular weight of the oil increases, the viscosity of the oil increases, and the suitability as a mold release agent increases. I will lose it. For this reason, an amino-modified silicone oil used as a release agent for a web-type release agent coating device is required to have an appropriate viscosity and amine equivalent.

As a result of intensive studies on the composition of the amino-modified silicone oil as a release agent for a web type release agent coating apparatus, the viscosity of the release agent at 25 ° C. was from 500 cs to 5,000 cs, and the amine equivalent was 25%. By setting 20,000 to 80,000, a fixed amount of the release agent can be held on the web for a long period of time. In the fixing test, the occurrence of offset can be prevented stably for a long time, and the durability of the fixing roll can be improved. I found something to improve.

The release agent of the present invention may be used in a fixing member or an image fixing device provided with a release agent application device such as an oil tank type or an oil roll type.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 is a release agent applied to the surface of a fixing member for fixing toner transferred onto a recording material, wherein the release agent has a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 500 c.
s to 5,000 cs and an amine equivalent of 20,000
0 to 80,000, and is a release agent characterized by being represented by the general formula (Formula 1).

Where n is from 200 to 7,000 and a is in the range from 0.0025n to 0.000625n. R ¹ is -R ³ -A, R ³ is an alkylene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, A is NH ₂ or NHR ⁴ NH _2, R ⁴ is an alkylene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms . R ² is a monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms.

By setting the viscosity and amine equivalent of the amino-modified silicone oil as the release agent in such ranges, excellent heat stability can be obtained, and the occurrence of offset can be prevented stably for a long time even in a fixing test. it can.

When the viscosity of the release agent is less than 500 cs, the release agent cannot be retained on the web for a long time when the web system is used in the release agent application device, and leaks out. During fixing, a sufficient amount of release agent cannot be supplied to the surface of the fixing roll, causing offset. When the viscosity of the release agent exceeds 5,000 cs, the oil cannot be evenly and uniformly applied to the surface of the fixing member such as the fixing roll from the release agent application device, and the fixing agent in which the release agent is not applied is applied. Since the oil is not sufficiently applied to the surface of the member, the toner melted during fixing adheres to the surface of the fixing member to cause offset.

When the amine equivalent of the amino-modified silicone oil as the release agent is less than 20,000, the oil molecules are apt to bond with each other when synthesizing the oil,
Since a sharp increase in viscosity is caused, it is difficult to produce oil stably. In addition, the amine equivalent is 80,
If it exceeds 000, the wettability of the release agent on the surface of the fixing roll 101 deteriorates, the initial fixing temperature range becomes narrow, and an offset occurs in a long-term fixing test.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fixing member for fixing toner transferred onto a recording material, wherein the release agent according to the first aspect is applied to the surface of the fixing member. By applying the releasing agent according to the first aspect, it is possible to stably prevent the occurrence of offset in a fixing test for a long period of time.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a release agent applying apparatus provided with a web, wherein the release agent according to the first aspect is applied to a surface of a fixing member. By adopting the web system as the release agent application device, it is possible to apply the release agent quantitatively to the surface of the fixing member, and to generate the offset stably for a long time in the fixing test. Can be prevented. The web to be impregnated with the release agent is preferably a woven fabric, a nonwoven fabric made by binding fibers without using a spinning machine or the like, or a porous fabric. As the material of the web, natural fibers or chemical fibers are suitable. The web structure is required to hold the release agent quantitatively and to apply it quantitatively to the surface of the fixing member at the time of fixing, so that the impregnated layer impregnating the release agent and the movement of the release agent are required. Of the barrier layer to prevent
Those having a layer structure are desirable. By adopting such a web and impregnating the release agent according to claim 1,
The release agent can be quantitatively held on the web, and the release agent can be quantitatively applied to the surface of the fixing member at the time of fixing, and the occurrence of offset can be prevented stably for a long time even in the fixing test. be able to.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the amount of the release agent impregnated in the web roll is 10 units per unit area of the web.
g / m ² to 40 g / m ² , wherein the release agent applying device according to claim 3 is impregnated into the web in such a range. By this, the amount of the release agent held on the web can be kept constant for a long time, and the release agent can be quantitatively supplied to the surface of the fixing member during fixing. The agent can be applied uniformly, and the occurrence of offset can be prevented stably for a long time even in a fixing test.

When the amount of the release agent impregnated in the web is less than 10 g / m ² per unit area of the web, the amount of the release agent applied to the surface of the fixing member at the time of fixing is reduced, and the surface of the fixing member is reduced. Since the wet-spreading does not occur uniformly, a portion of the fixing member to which the release agent is not applied occurs, and the toner adheres to this portion, thereby causing an offset. When the amount of the release agent impregnated in the web roll exceeds 40 g / m ² per unit area of the web, when the web is stored for a long time with the release agent impregnated, the amount of the release agent is reduced. Because it is too large, it cannot be held and leaks. The leaked release agent is excessively applied to the surface of the fixing member or flows out into the housing of the image fixing device. When applied to the surface of the fixing member, a large amount of the release agent migrates onto the recording material, so that the surface of the recording material becomes sticky and cannot withstand use.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image fixing apparatus including a fixing member and a release agent applying device, wherein the fixing member is the fixing member according to the second aspect, and An image fixing device characterized in that the coating device is the release agent coating device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the image fixing device fixes the release agent by using the image fixing device. The release agent can be quantitatively applied to the member surface, and the occurrence of offset can be prevented stably for a long time even in a fixing test.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an image fixing device provided with a web-type release agent applying device according to the embodiment of the present invention, as described above.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image fixing device includes a fixing roll 101 for fixing the toner transferred onto the recording material.
, A pressure roll 102 opposed thereto, and a fixing roll 1
The web 114 includes a web 114 for applying a release agent to prevent toner from adhering to the surface of the web 01, a web pressing roll 115, a web supply roll 116, and a web take-up roll 117. The fixing roll 101 is formed by molding a rubber elastic body 106 made of silicone by injection molding on a core metal 105a made of aluminum.
6 is polished to a thickness of 2 mm, and a fluororubber paint is sprayed thereon through a primer through a 50 μm
m coating to provide the surface material 103, the final outer diameter is about 40m
m. The surface is smoothed to prevent toner from adhering. Also, the core metal 105a
Inside, a heater 107 is provided as a heating source, and controls so that the surface temperature of the fixing roll 101 is maintained at about 140 to 170 ° C.

The pressure roll 102 is formed by placing a silicone rubber elastic body 106 on a stainless steel core 105b for about 2 m.
m thickness, and FLC (fluororesin)
The pressing portion surface layer material 113 is provided so as to cover the m-thickness, and is formed to have a final outer diameter of about 40 mm similarly to the fixing roll 101.
Note that, similarly to the surface material 103 described above, the pressurized portion surface layer material 113 may be formed by spraying a fluororubber paint.

The release agent 109 is applied to the fixing roll 101 by a web supply roll 116, a web take-up roll 117,
This is performed using the web pressing roll 115. The web 114 impregnated with the release agent is made of PTF on polyester cloth.
60μm thickness x 220m with E (fluororesin) attached
It is of m width × 1,220 mm length, and is wound from the web supply roll 116 to the web take-up roll 117 at a predetermined speed. At this time, the release agent impregnated in the web 114 is applied to the surface of the surface material 103 by pressing the fixing roller 101 with the web pressing roll 115 to make contact therewith. In other words, the toner is prevented from adhering to the fixing roll 101 by performing the fixing while applying the release agent to the fixing roll 101.

The release agent used in such a release agent application device is required not to allow the molten toner to adhere to the surface of the fixing roll 101 during fixing. To do this,
The release agent needs to spread evenly on the surface of the fixing member. In order for the release agent to be evenly spread on the surface of the fixing member, it is necessary to first supply the release agent quantitatively to the surface of the fixing member from the release agent application device. In order to quantitatively apply the release agent to the surface of the fixing member from the web 114 of the web type release agent application device shown in FIG. 2, the amount of the release agent impregnated into the web 114 per unit area is limited. It must be within a predetermined range. In the present invention, the amount of the release agent impregnated in the web 114 is set to 1 per unit area of the web.
By setting the range from 0 g / m ² to 40 g / m ² , the release agent can be evenly spread on the surface of the fixing member, and the adhesion of the molten toner to the surface of the fixing member during fixing can be prevented.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing a conventional image fixing state, as described above.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view showing a state of fixing an image according to the present invention.

Here, the following cases are used as the viscosity and amine equivalent of the release agent and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web.

(1) The viscosity at 25 ° C. is 5,000 c
s and amine equivalents from 20,000 to 80,000
When a release agent that is an amino-modified silicone oil represented by the general formula (Formula 1) is used, the release agent applied to the surface of a fixing member such as a fixing roll from a release agent application device is:
Unevenness occurs and the release agent cannot be uniformly applied.

When fixing the toner transferred onto the recording material P, the toner T comes into contact with the surface of the surface layer material 103 where the release agent is applied and where it is not. After the toner T on the recording material P has passed through the fixing member, the toner T is fixed on the recording material P on the surface of the surface material 103 where the release agent is applied, but the release agent is applied. In the area where the recording is not performed, the toner T adheres to the surface material 103 without being fixed on the recording material P. Surface material of fixing roll 10
When the toner T adheres to the recording material P next time, a part of the toner T adheres to the recording material P and causes an offset. This is shown in FIG.

(2) The viscosity at 25 ° C. is in the range of 500 cs to 5,000 cs, and the amine equivalent is 80,0
When a release agent that is an amino-modified silicone oil represented by the following general formula (Formula 1) is used, the release agent applied to the surface of a fixing member such as a fixing roll from a release agent application device is: The surface of the fixing roll made of fluororubber cannot be sufficiently wetted and spread, causing unevenness and making it impossible to apply the release agent uniformly.

When fixing the toner transferred onto the recording material P, the toner T comes into contact with the surface of the surface material 103 on which the release agent has been applied and on which the release agent has not been applied. After the toner T on the recording material P has passed through the fixing member, the toner T is fixed on the recording material P on the surface of the surface material 103 where the release agent is applied, but the release agent is applied. In the area where the recording is not performed, the toner T adheres to the surface material 103 without being fixed on the recording material P. Surface material of fixing roll 10
When the toner T adheres to the recording material P next time, a part of the toner T adheres to the recording material P and causes an offset. This is shown in FIG.

(3) The viscosity at 25 ° C. is in the range of 500 cs to 5,000 cs, and the amine equivalent is
A release agent comprising an amino-modified silicone oil having a range of from 00 to 80,000 and represented by the following general formula (Formula 1) is used as a release agent, and the above-mentioned amino-modified silicone oil is applied by a web-type release agent coating apparatus. When applying the release agent, the amount of impregnation per unit area of the web of the release agent is 10 g /
If it is less than m ² , the release agent applied from the release agent application device to the surface of the fixing member such as the fixing roll cannot be sufficiently wet and spread on the surface of the fixing roll made of fluororubber, causing unevenness and uniformity. Cannot be applied to the mold.

When fixing the toner transferred onto the recording material P, the toner T comes into contact with the surface of the surface layer material 103 where the release agent is applied and where the release agent is not applied. After the toner T on the recording material P has passed through the fixing member, the toner T is fixed on the recording material P on the surface of the surface material 103 where the release agent is applied, but the release agent is applied. In the area where the recording is not performed, the toner T adheres to the surface material 103 without being fixed on the recording material P. Surface material of fixing roll 10
When the toner T adheres to the recording material P next time, a part of the toner T adheres to the recording material P and causes an offset. This is shown in FIG.

(4) The viscosity at 25 ° C. is in the range of 500 cs to 5,000 cs, and the amine equivalent is
A release agent comprising an amino-modified silicone oil having a range of from 00 to 80,000 and represented by the following general formula (Formula 1) is used as a release agent, and the above-mentioned amino-modified silicone oil is applied by a web-type release agent coating apparatus. When applying the release agent, the amount of impregnation per unit area of the web of the release agent is 10 g /
When it is in the range from m ² to 40 g / m ² , the release agent applied to the surface of the fixing member such as the fixing roll from the release agent applying device can sufficiently wet and spread on the surface of the fixing roll made of fluororubber. The release agent can be uniformly applied.

When fixing the toner transferred onto the recording material P, the toner T comes into contact with the surface of the surface material 103 where the release agent is uniformly applied. Toner T on recording material P
After passing through the fixing member, the toner T can be fixed without adhering to the surface of the surface material 103. Accordingly, the surface of the fixing roll surface layer material 103 is kept clean, and the toner T adhered to the surface layer material 103 is transferred to the next recording material P.
Thus, the durability of the fixing device is improved without causing an offset that is partially transferred to the fixing device. This is shown in FIG.

[0047]

Next, specific examples of the present invention will be described.

The configuration of the image fixing device that has been subjected to the fixing test will be described below.

In the fixing roll 101, first, a rubber elastic body 106 made of silicone is molded on a core metal 105a made of aluminum, and the surface of the molded rubber elastic body 106 is polished to adjust the thickness of the rubber elastic body 106 to 2 mm. I do. Next, a fluorine rubber paint is spray-coated on the surface of the rubber elastic body 106, and the solvent in the fluorine rubber paint is scattered by being left at room temperature for 2 hours. Next, this was dried in an 80 ° C. oven for 2 hours, and further dried in a 200 ° C. oven for 2 hours. The thickness of the surface material 103 of the fixing portion made of fluoro rubber is 100 μm.
m, and the outer diameter of the fixing roll 101 was 40 cm. The pressure roll 102 facing the fixing roll 101 is provided with a silicone rubber elastic body 1 on a stainless steel core 105b.
06 is molded, and the surface of the molded rubber elastic body 106 is polished to adjust the thickness of the rubber elastic body 106 to 2 mm. next,
The solvent in the fluororesin is scattered by spray-coating the fluororesin on the surface of the silicone rubber elastic body and leaving it at room temperature for 2 hours. Next, put it in an 80 ° C oven for 2
After drying for an hour, it was further dried in an oven at 250 ° C. for 2 hours.
The thickness of the pressure member surface layer material 113 made of fluoro rubber is 100
μm, and the outer diameter of the pressure roll 102 was 40 cm.

As a release agent applying member, a web roll wound around a web impregnated with a release agent was used. The web used was a polyester nonwoven fabric and a PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) sheet which were thermally welded.

As the release agent, an amino-modified silicone oil was prepared in which the viscosity and amine equivalent of the release agent were set to predetermined values, characterized by the general formula (1).
Further, a release agent coating apparatus was prepared by impregnating a predetermined amount of the amino-modified silicone oil into a web as a release agent coating member.

A fixing test was performed using a fixing device produced by combining these members. The test was performed for Examples and Comparative Examples, and the superiority of the test results was evaluated by the number of sheets fixed before the occurrence of offset. However, the maximum number of fixing test sheets was 60 k sheets.

As a test printer, a color laser printer manufactured by our company was used. The fixing test conditions were as follows: A4 letter size NIP paper (manufactured by Kobayashi Recording Paper Co., Ltd.) was used as the recording material, fixing temperature was 160 ° C. (fixing roll surface temperature), and fixing speed was 4p.
pm (4 sheets per minute). The toner used was a polyester resin-based resin having an average particle diameter of 12 μm (manufactured by Kao Corporation), and the printing pattern was a 5% random pattern.

Hereinafter, the results of the fixability test for the examples and comparative examples will be described.

Example 1 An amino-modified silicone oil having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 500 cs and an amine equivalent of 25,000 was used as a release agent. A web system was used as a release agent coating apparatus, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 25 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent coating device, no occurrence of offset was observed when fixing 60k sheets.

Example 2 A release agent having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 5,000 cs and an amine equivalent of 25,000
0 amino-modified silicone oil was used. A web system was used as a release agent coating apparatus, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 25 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent coating device, no occurrence of offset was observed when fixing 60k sheets.

Example 3 A release agent having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 2,000 cs and an amine equivalent of 20,000
0 amino-modified silicone oil was used. A web system was used as a release agent coating apparatus, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 25 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent coating device, no occurrence of offset was observed when fixing 60k sheets.

Example 4 A release agent having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 2,000 cs and an amine equivalent of 40,000
0 amino-modified silicone oil was used. A web system was used as a release agent coating apparatus, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 25 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent coating device, no occurrence of offset was observed when fixing 60k sheets.

Example 5 A release agent having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 2,000 cs and an amine equivalent of 80,00
0 amino-modified silicone oil was used. A web system was used as a release agent coating apparatus, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 25 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent coating device, no occurrence of offset was observed when fixing 60k sheets.

Example 6 A release agent having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 2,000 cs and an amine equivalent of 25,000
0 amino-modified silicone oil was used. A web system was used as a release agent coating device, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 10 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent coating device, no occurrence of offset was observed when fixing 60k sheets.

Example 7 A release agent having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 2,000 cs and an amine equivalent of 25,000
0 amino-modified silicone oil was used. The web system was used as the release agent coating device, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 40 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent coating device, no occurrence of offset was observed when fixing 60k sheets.

Comparative Example 1 An amino-modified silicone oil having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 200 cs and an amine equivalent of 25,000 was used as a release agent. A web system was used as a release agent coating apparatus, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 25 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent applying device, an offset occurred when 10k sheets were fixed. Observation of the inside of the image fixing device revealed that oil had leaked from the web impregnated with the release agent, and that the release agent was not sufficiently supplied to the surface of the fixing roll.

Comparative Example 2 A release agent having a viscosity of 7,000 cs at 25 ° C. and an amine equivalent of 25,000
0 amino-modified silicone oil was used. A web system was used as a release agent coating apparatus, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 25 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent applying device, an offset occurred when fixing 1k sheets. When the surface of the fixing roll was observed, it was found that there was a portion where the release agent was not applied.

Comparative Example 3 A release agent having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 2,000 cs and an amine equivalent of 15,000
An amino-modified silicone oil was prepared with a target of a property value of 0, but during the preparation, the viscosity of the oil rapidly increased, causing gelation (solidification). Therefore, a fixing test could not be performed.

Comparative Example 4 A release agent having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 2,000 cs and an amine equivalent of 100,0
00 amino-modified silicone oil was used. A web system was used as a release agent coating apparatus, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 25 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent applying device, an offset was generated when 30 k sheets were fixed.

Comparative Example 5 A silicone oil having a viscosity of 2,000 cs at 25 ° C. and an infinite amine equivalent, that is, having no amino group, was used as a release agent. A web system was used as a release agent coating apparatus, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 25 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent coating device, an offset was generated after fixing three sheets.

Comparative Example 6 A release agent having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 2,000 cs and an amine equivalent of 25,000
0 amino-modified silicone oil was used. A web system was used as a release agent coating device, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 5 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent coating device, an offset was generated when 10k sheets were fixed. When the surface of the fixing roll was observed, it was found that there was a portion where the release agent was not applied.

Comparative Example 7 A release agent having a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 2,000 cs and an amine equivalent of 25,000
0 amino-modified silicone oil was used. A web system was used as a release agent application device, and the amount of the release agent impregnated per unit area of the web was 60 g / m ² . As a result of a fixing test using such a release agent coating device, no occurrence of offset was observed when fixing 60k sheets. However, it was found that the surface of the fixed image was sticky when touched with a finger.

The compositions and properties of the fluororubber coating compositions used in the Examples and Comparative Examples, the characteristics of the cured films of the fluororubber coating compositions, and the test results are summarized in Tables 1 to 4.

[0070]

[Table 1]

[0071]

[Table 2]

[0072]

[Table 3]

[0073]

[Table 4]

[0074]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) According to the first aspect of the present invention, when forming an image with a color laser printer, a viscosity and an amine equivalent capable of uniformly applying a release agent to the surface of a fixing member of an image fixing device without unevenness Can be supplied. Therefore, by applying the release agent according to claim 1 to the surface of the fixing member at the time of fixing, the occurrence of offset in which the toner adhered from the recording material to the surface of the fixing member is partially transferred to the next recording material is long. This can be prevented for a stable period, and the durability of the image fixing device can be improved.

(2) According to the second aspect of the present invention, the release agent according to the first aspect can be uniformly and uniformly applied to the surface of the fixing member of the image fixing device. Therefore, by using the release agent applying device according to the second aspect at the time of fixing, the occurrence of offset, in which the toner adhered to the fixing member surface from the recording material is partially transferred to the next recording material, is stabilized for a long time. And the durability of the image fixing device can be improved.

(3) According to the third aspect of the invention, the release agent according to the first aspect can be evenly applied to the surface of the fixing member of the image fixing device. Accordingly, by using the web roll according to the third aspect as a release agent coating device during fixing, the occurrence of an offset in which the toner adhered from the recording material to the fixing member surface is partially transferred to the next recording material is long. This can be prevented for a stable period, and the durability of the image fixing device can be improved.

(4) According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by using a web roll as a release agent application device and setting the amount of the release agent impregnated in the web roll to a predetermined amount, the release agent can be used during fixing. It is possible to apply the toner uniformly on the surface of the fixing member of the image fixing device. Therefore, by applying the release agent according to claim 1 to the surface of the fixing member at the time of fixing, the occurrence of an offset in which the toner adhered to the surface of the fixing member from the recording material is partially transferred to the next recording material. It can be stably prevented for a long time, and the durability of the image fixing device can be improved.

(5) According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image fixing apparatus capable of uniformly applying a release agent to the surface of a fixing member of an image fixing apparatus during image formation by a color laser printer. Can be provided. With such an image fixing device, the occurrence of offset, in which toner adhered to the fixing member surface from the recording material during fixing is partially transferred to the next recording material, can be stably prevented for a long time, and the durability of the image fixing device can be improved. Performance can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image fixing device including a conventional release agent applying device.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an image fixing device including a web-type release agent applying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view showing a conventional image fixing state.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view showing an image fixing state of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Fixing roll 102 Pressure roll 103 Surface layer material 104 Release agent application device 105a, 105b Core metal 106 Rubber elastic body 107 Heater 108 Release agent storage tank 109 Release agent 110 Release agent supply roll 111 Release agent transfer roll 112 Release agent application roll 113 Pressing portion surface layer material 114 Web 115 Web pressing roll 116 Web supply roll 117 Web take-up roll

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Noda 1006 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H033 AA09 AA23 AA25 BA42 BA43 BA51 BB01

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A release agent applied to a surface of a fixing member for fixing a toner transferred onto a recording material, wherein the release agent has a viscosity at 25 ° C. of 500 to 5,000 cs and an amine equivalent of 20,000. To 80,000, and represented by the following general formula (Formula 1). Embedded image (Where n is from 200 to 7,000 and a is in the range from 0.0025n to 0.000625n.
R ¹ is -R ³ -A, R ³ is an alkylene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, A is NH ₂ or NHR ⁴ NH ₂ , and R ^{4 is}
Is an alkylene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms. Also, R
² is a monovalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. ) 2. A fixing member for fixing toner transferred onto a recording material, wherein the release agent according to claim 1 is applied to a surface of said fixing member. 3. A release agent coating device provided with a web,
A release agent application device, which applies the release agent according to claim 1 to a surface of a fixing member. Wherein said web an amount of the releasing agent to be impregnated from the per unit area 10 g / m ² of the web 40 g / m ²
The release agent coating device according to claim 3, wherein: 5. An image fixing device comprising a fixing member and a release agent applying device, wherein the fixing member is the fixing member according to claim 2, and the release agent applying device is 4
An image fixing device, characterized in that it is a release agent applying device according to (1).