JP2003083322A - Thin roller and method of manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive thin roller strong against deformation, and reducing a material loss such as cutting chips, and its manufacturing method. SOLUTION: This thin roller 1 has a ring-shaped reinforcing member 3 on an inner peripheral surface for preventing the deformation. An opening part 3a is arranged in a part of the ring-shaped reinforcing member 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a roller used in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, and a FAX. More specifically, the structure and manufacturing of a thin roller used as a fixing roller of the image forming apparatus. It is about the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a thin fixing roller used in an image forming apparatus, a roller made of an aluminum material is often used. By applying a thin roller made of an aluminum material to a heat fixing roller, the warming-up time can be shortened, which has a preferable effect from the viewpoint of energy saving. However, the thinner the roller, the easier it is to deform, so it is common to provide a reinforcing rib inside the roller to prevent deformation.

As a general method for manufacturing a conventional thin-wall fixing roller, a convex rib is formed on the inner surface of the roller by forming a recess on the outer surface of the roller with a rolling roller while rotating a thick roller material. Then, the outer circumference of the roller is cut to reduce the wall thickness. As a result, a thin roller having a reinforcing rib for preventing deformation on the inner surface of the roller can be obtained.

However, a drawback is that a large amount of aluminum cutting chips is produced since the material is made thinner from a thick material. Of course, all aluminum scraps are collected and recycled, but it can be said that there is much waste from the viewpoint of material saving and energy saving.

As a conventional technique for such a thin roller, there is JP-A-8-262902. In this publication, instead of producing a thin roller from a thick material, electroless nickel plating and copper plating are applied on an aluminum pipe mother die, and a fluororesin layer is formed on the plated surface, and then the aluminum pipe is hot caustic soda solution. Discloses a method of producing a plated thin-walled pipe by melting and removing it. However, this technique has a problem in terms of material and cost because the aluminum matrix is chemically dissolved and removed.

[0006] Similarly, as a conventional technique, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
The publication No. 221993 is also cited. In this gazette, a core metal of a fixing roller is formed of a thin metal roller, and a supporting member is provided which is in pressure contact with at least a part of an outer peripheral surface of the roller.
A technique is disclosed in which the thickness of the portion of the support member that is in pressure contact is not less than the thickness of the portion in the vicinity of the portion that is in pressure contact. This technique is uneconomical because the material is cut out from a thick material, and in addition, there is a problem in workability and workability because the reinforcing material is pressed into the inner surface of the roller.

[0007]

Conventionally, a roller made of an aluminum material has been used because of its workability, cost, thermal conductivity, etc., and a ring-shaped reinforcing member is joined to the inside of the roller to meet the demand for thinning. Means have been used to secure and reinforce the rollers. A drawback of the deformation prevention method of reinforcing a thin roller with a ring-shaped reinforcing member is dimensional control of the inner diameter of the roller and the outer shape of the reinforcing member. That is, in the case of a long component such as a roller and having a thin wall, the processing cost in the dimension control such as the interference and the joint margin becomes a problem.

An object of the present invention is to provide a thin roller which is resistant to deformation, has a small material loss such as cutting waste, and is low in cost, and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a thin-walled roller having a ring-shaped reinforcing member on the inner circumference for preventing deformation, and The main feature is that an opening is provided in part.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized mainly in the thin roller according to claim 1 in which the reinforcing member is made of aluminum or steel.

Further, the invention according to claim 3 is characterized mainly in that the reinforcing member has the thin-walled roller according to claim 1 which has a spring property in the radial direction.

The invention according to claim 4 is mainly characterized in that the outer diameter of the reinforcing member is larger than the inner diameter of the thin roller.

The invention according to claim 5 is characterized mainly in the thin-walled roller according to claim 1 in which both ends of the open portion are combined in the form of a groove, a taper or a step.

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized mainly in the thin roller according to claim 1 in which both ends of the open portion are crossed in an overlapping manner.

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized mainly in the thin-walled roller according to any one of claims 1 to 6 in which a black coating is applied to the inner surface of the thin-walled roller to form a radiant heat absorbing film.

The invention according to claim 8 is characterized mainly in the thin roller according to any one of claims 1 to 7 used as a fixing roller of an image forming apparatus.

According to a ninth aspect of the invention, the first step of reducing the diameter of the reinforcing member, the second step of inserting the reduced diameter reinforcing member into the thin roller, and the step of releasing the reinforcing member from the diameter reduction The most main feature is a method of manufacturing a thin-walled roller, which comprises a third step of joining to the inner surface of the thin-walled roller and a fourth step of fixing the reinforcing member.

The invention according to claim 10 is mainly the method for manufacturing a thin roller according to claim 9, wherein the first step and the third step are performed by operating a pin or a protrusion provided on a jig. Characterize.

The invention according to claim 11 is the method of manufacturing a thin roller according to claim 9, wherein the third step is a step of joining the reinforcing member by a spring force to restore the diameter before the diameter reduction. Is the main feature.

The invention according to claim 12 is the method for manufacturing a thin roller according to claim 9, wherein the fourth step is a step of fixing using a silicon-based, polyimide-based or ceramic-based heat-resistant adhesive. It is a characteristic.

The thirteenth aspect of the invention is characterized mainly in the method for manufacturing a thin roller according to the ninth aspect, in which the fourth step is a step of fixing by spot welding.

The fourteenth aspect of the invention is characterized mainly in the method for manufacturing a thin roller according to the ninth aspect, in which the fourth step is a step of fixing by plating.

Further, in the invention according to claim 15, the plating used in the step of fixing by plating is any one of electroless nickel plating, electroless copper plating, nickel plating and copper plating. The main feature is the method for manufacturing a thin roller.

The invention according to claim 16 is characterized in that the copper plating is a plating for forming a black copper oxide film on the copper surface by a chemical oxidation treatment. To do.

The invention according to claim 17 is characterized in that the radiant heat absorbing film is formed by applying a black coating on the inner surface of the thin roller.
The method of manufacturing a thin roller according to any one of claims 9 to 16 is characterized by the following steps.

[0026]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a thin roller according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a sectional view of a thin roller material, FIG. 1B is a side view of a reinforcing member, and FIG. 1C is a sectional view of a thin roller having a reinforcing member fixed to the thin roller material. FIG. 2 is a side view of a reinforcing member used in the thin roller according to the embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a side view of the first example of the reinforcing member, FIG. 2B is a side view of the second example,
(C) is a side view of a 3rd example, (d) is a side view of a 4th example.

As the material of the thin roller material 2 shown in FIG. 1 (a), JIS 5000 / AL-Mg-Mn system known as heat-resistant aluminum in this embodiment is used, and a thin material can be used from the beginning. Therefore, the one having a thickness of 0.5 to 1.0 mm was used.

As shown in FIGS. 2 (a), (b), (c) and (d), the reinforcing member 3 is made of an aluminum material and has a ring shape. It has a part 3a. The open part 3a is shaped so that both ends overlap, (a) is a mortar shape, (b) is a taper shape,
(C) are combined in a stepwise manner, and (d)
Is a coil type that uses wire. Since it is desirable that the gap of the open portion 3a is as small as possible in terms of strength, both ends are overlapped to prevent the strength reduction in the open portion 3a.

The reinforcing member 3 has a spring-like property in the radial direction so that the reinforcing member 3 can be reduced in diameter and released, and the outer diameter is set larger than the inner diameter of the thin roller material 2. The reinforcing member 3
There is a hole 3 near the tip of the
b is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 1 (a), 1 (b) and 1 (c), after applying a heat resistant adhesive 4 such as silicon or polyimide to the outer periphery of the reinforcing member 3, the reinforcing member 3 is subjected to spring force. The thin roller material 2 is reduced in diameter and set at a predetermined position in the degreased and cleaned thin-walled roller material 2, and released from the reduced diameter to be joined and fixed to the inner surface of the thin-walled roller material 2 by the force of the spring force to expand . After the heat-resistant adhesive 4 is hardened, the thin roller 1 is finished to a desired external dimension and subjected to a surface treatment process such as black coating. Since the heat resistant temperature is limited as long as the heat resistant adhesive 4 is an organic compound, the thin roller material 2 and the reinforcing member 3 are fixed by spot welding to form the heat resistant thin roller 1
There is also a way to

FIG. 3 is a front view of the reinforcing member shown in FIGS. 2 (a), 2 (b) and 2 (c). FIG. 4 shows (a) of FIG.
It is a principal part enlarged view of the reinforcement member shown to (b), (c). FIGS. 3 and 4A are structural views of the reinforcing member in a reduced diameter state, and FIG. 3B is a structural view of the released state.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 (a), the reinforcing member 3 is in a reduced diameter state by inserting a pin 5 provided in a jig (not shown) into the hole 3b. The reinforcing member 3 in this state is inserted into the thin roll material 2 and set at a predetermined position, and the pin 5 is removed from the hole 3b of the reinforcing member 3 as shown in FIGS. Is released from the contracted state. Since both ends of the open portion 3a of the reinforcing member 3 overlap each other, it is possible to prevent the strength from decreasing even when the open portion 3a is open.

FIG. 5 is a structural view of the essential parts of a fifth example of the reinforcing member used in the thin roller according to the embodiment of the present invention. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are a top view and a sectional view of a state in which the diameter of the reinforcing member is reduced, and FIGS. 5 (c) and 5 (d) are a top view and a sectional view of the state in which the reinforcing member is released. As shown in FIGS. 5B and 5D, both ends of the open portion 3a of the reinforcing member 3 are bent, and the diameter thereof is reduced by the action of the pin 5 provided on a jig (not shown). Further, as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, the pin 5 is removed to release the pin from the reduced diameter.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a thin roller according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This figure shows a thin-walled roller to which the reinforcing member shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, a coil type reinforcing member 3 using the wire shown in FIG. 2D is joined to the inner surface of the thin roller material 2.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a thin roller according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The thin roller material 2 and the reinforcing member 3 in the thin roller 1 shown in FIG. 7 are fixed by plating. Similar to the first embodiment, the reinforcing member 3 is inserted and positioned in the thin roller material 2. Thin roller material 2
Since the reinforcing member 3 is made of an aluminum material and cannot be directly plated, an electroless plating process is performed after a pre-treatment process of aluminum called a zinc substitution process. However, since electroless plating alone has a problem in strength, electroplating is continued. Since the thin roller material 2 and the reinforcing member 3 are made of the same aluminum material, the thin roller material 2 and the reinforcing member 3 can be covered with the plating film 6 having the same good adhesion. Further, in the case of a fixing roller or the like, since it is heated, the adhesion is improved from the beginning of plating. In this way, the inner surface of the thin roller material 2 and the reinforcing member 3 are integrated by metal plating, so that it is possible to provide the thin fixing roller 1 having improved heat resistance and fixing reliability as compared with the organic adhesive.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a thin roller obtained by applying a black copper oxide film to the thin roller of FIG. Usually, nickel plating and copper plating are often used as electroplating. In this embodiment, copper plating is used. Copper oxidizes to form black copper oxide on the surface. A black copper oxide film 8 was formed on the copper plating film 7 on the inner surface of the thin roller 1 plated for fixing purpose by a chemical oxidation process. Since this black copper oxide film 8 can be applied as a heat absorbing film, it has an advantage that the temperature characteristics as a heat fixing roller can be improved. Of course, the same effect can be expected with a black heat-resistant coating film. In the case of black coating, nickel plating may be used as the fixing plating.

[0037]

According to the invention described in claims 1 to 6, by providing the reinforcing member in the thin-walled roller, it is possible to obtain a thin-walled roller which is resistant to deformation due to the improvement of the second moment of area. Further, it is not necessary to perform strict size control in the fitting of the thin roller material and the reinforcing member, and a low cost thin roller can be obtained. Further, since it is not necessary to cut out from a thick-walled material, it is possible to obtain excellent effects in material saving, energy saving, reduction of processing man-hours, etc. without generating unnecessary cutting waste.

According to the invention described in claims 7, 8 and 17,
By applying a black coating on the inner surface of the thin roller to form a radiant heat absorbing film, it is possible to obtain a heat fixing roller having low heat absorption.

According to the invention described in claims 9 to 11, the diameter of the reinforcing member is reduced, the reduced diameter of the reinforcing member is inserted into the thin-walled roller, the reinforcing member is released from the reduced diameter, and is joined to the inner surface of the thin-walled roller. By fixing, there is no need for severe dimensional control in the fit of the thin roller material and the reinforcing member,
A low-cost thin roller can be obtained. Moreover, since it is not necessary to cut out from a thick material, it is possible to obtain excellent effects in material saving, energy saving, reduction of processing man-hours, etc. without producing unnecessary cutting waste.

According to the twelfth to fifteenth inventions,
Since the thin roller material and the reinforcing member are fixed by adhesion, spot welding or plating, stress can be dispersed and excellent effects can be obtained in dimensional stability over time and strength stability. Moreover, since it is not necessary to cut out from a thick material, it is possible to obtain excellent effects in material saving, energy saving, reduction of processing man-hours, etc. without producing unnecessary cutting waste.

According to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, the copper plating can form a black copper oxide film by a chemical oxidation treatment, so that a heat fixing roller having good low heat absorption can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a thin roller according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a reinforcing member used in the thin roller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the reinforcing member shown in FIGS. 2 (a), (b) and (c).

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a main part of the reinforcing member shown in FIGS. 2 (a), (b) and (c).

FIG. 5 is a main part structural view of a fifth example of a reinforcing member used for the thin roller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a thin roller according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a thin roller according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a configuration diagram of a thin roller in which a black copper oxide film is applied to the thin roller of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 thin roller 2 Thin-walled roller material 3 Reinforcement member 3a open part 3b hole 4 Heat-resistant adhesive 5 pin 6 plating film 7 Copper plating film 8 Black copper oxide film

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A thin-walled roller having a ring-shaped reinforcing member on its inner circumference for preventing deformation, wherein the ring-shaped reinforcing member is provided with an opening portion at a part thereof. 2. The thin roller according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is made of aluminum or steel. 3. The thin roller according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member has a spring property in the radial direction. 4. The thin roller according to claim 1, wherein the outer diameter of the reinforcing member is larger than the inner diameter of the thin roller. 5. The thin-walled roller according to claim 1, wherein both ends of the open portion are combined in a worm shape, a taper shape, or a stepped shape. 6. The thin roller according to claim 1, wherein both ends of the open portion are crossed in an overlapping manner. 7. The thin-walled roller according to claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the thin-walled roller is coated with black to form a radiant heat absorbing film. 8. The thin roller according to claim 1, wherein the thin roller is used as a fixing roller of an image forming apparatus. 9. A first step of reducing the diameter of a reinforcing member, a second step of inserting the reduced diameter reinforcing member into a thin roller, and a step of releasing the reinforcing member from the reduced diameter and joining it to the inner surface of the thin roller. A method of manufacturing a thin roller, comprising a third step and a fourth step of fixing a reinforcing member. 10. The method of manufacturing a thin roller according to claim 9, wherein the first step and the third step are performed by operating a pin or a protrusion provided on the jig. 11. The method of manufacturing a thin roller according to claim 9, wherein the third step is a step of joining the reinforcing member by a spring force to restore the diameter before the diameter reduction. 12. The method of manufacturing a thin roller according to claim 9, wherein the fourth step is a step of fixing using a silicon-based, polyimide-based, or ceramic-based heat-resistant adhesive. 13. The method of manufacturing a thin roller according to claim 9, wherein the fourth step is a step of fixing by spot welding. 14. The method of manufacturing a thin roller according to claim 9, wherein the fourth step is a step of fixing by plating. 15. The thin-walled roller according to claim 14, wherein the plating used in the step of fixing by plating is any one of electroless nickel plating, electroless copper plating, nickel plating, and copper plating. Manufacturing method. 16. The method of manufacturing a thin roller according to claim 15, wherein the copper plating is a plating for forming a black copper oxide film on the copper surface by a chemical oxidation treatment. 17. The method of manufacturing a thin roller according to claim 9, further comprising a fifth step of forming a radiant heat absorbing film by applying black coating on the inner surface of the thin roller.