JP2003195599A - Conductive resin tube and conductive roller using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a conductive resin tube having high electrostatic charge capability and a strength to withstand repetitive continuous use, more particularly bending durability, and a conductive roller which can stably form high-quality images. <P>SOLUTION: The conductive resin tube 4 is mounted on an elastic layer 3 carried on the outer periphery of a shaft 2 to form the conductive roller 1. The roller contains, as a base material, a thermoplastic polybutylene phthalate resin or thermoplastic polybutylene terephthalate elastomer, more particularly thermoplastic poly (butylene terephthalate ether) copolymer resin or thermoplastic poly (butylene terephthalate ether) copolymer elastomer and to which a polymeric ion conducting agent is added. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conductive resin tube and a conductive roller using the same, and more specifically, charging, developing, transferring and cleaning in electrophotographic devices such as copying machines and printers and electrostatic recording devices. The present invention relates to a conductive roller used in, for example, and a conductive resin tube attached to the conductive roller.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic process in a copying machine, a printer or the like, first of all, a photoconductor (latent image carrier)
Surface is uniformly charged, an image is projected from this optical system to the photoconductor, and the electrostatic latent image is formed by erasing the charge on the part exposed to light. By transferring the toner image to, etc., and cleaning after transfer,
Copies are being made.

A corona discharge method has been generally adopted as a method for charging the photoreceptor. However, this corona discharge method is not preferable from the viewpoint of safe maintenance of the device because it is necessary to apply a high voltage of 6 to 10 kV, and in addition, harmful substances such as ozone are generated during corona discharge, which causes environmental problems. It also had the above problem. Therefore, various charging methods that can perform charging at a voltage lower than that of corona discharge and that can suppress the generation of harmful substances such as ozone have been studied, and as one of such charging methods. For example, a charging roller 21 to which a voltage is applied as shown in FIG.
There has been proposed a so-called contact charging method in which the charged body is charged with a predetermined pressing force to charge the body to be charged.

As a charging roller used in this contact charging system, for example, an acrylic layer is used on the surface of an elastic layer such as rubber or urethane foam in order to secure the smoothness of the surface, adjust the resistance, and improve the charging property. , Urethane, nylon, polyethylene, epoxy, polyester, polyether,
It is known that a resin layer is formed by applying a resin solution of polystyrene, phenol, polyamide, urethane-modified acrylic or the like by a dipping method, a spray method or the like.

Regarding development, a non-magnetic one-component developer (toner) is supplied to a latent image holding member such as a photosensitive drum holding a latent image, and the developer is attached to the latent image such as the photosensitive drum. A pressure developing method is known as a developing method for visualizing a latent image (US Pat. No. 3,152,2012,
No. 3731146, etc.). Since no magnetic material is required in this developing method, there are advantages that the apparatus can be simplified and miniaturized easily, and that toner can be colored easily.

In this pressure developing system, a developing roller carrying toner is brought into contact with a latent image holding member holding an electrostatic latent image such as a photosensitive drum and the toner is adhered to the latent image to perform development. Therefore, the developing roller used in this developing method needs to be formed of an elastic body having conductivity.

That is, in this pressure developing method, as shown in FIG. 2, for example, the above-mentioned structure is provided between the toner application roller 14 for supplying toner and the photosensitive drum 15 holding the electrostatic latent image. The developing roller 11 like the photosensitive drum 15
The developing roller 11, the photosensitive drum 15 and the toner applying roller 14 rotate in the directions of the arrows in the figure, respectively. The toner 16 is supplied to the surface of the developing roller 11. The toner 16 is formed into a uniform thin layer by the stratifying blade 17, and in this state, the developing roller 11 rotates while being in contact with the photosensitive drum 15, so that the toner 16 formed in the thin layer is developed.
Is attached to the latent image on the photosensitive drum 15 to visualize the latent image. Reference numeral 18 in FIG. 2 is a transfer unit, which transfers a toner image onto a recording medium such as paper, and 19 is a cleaning unit, which is a photosensitive drum after being transferred by the cleaning blade 10. 15 The toner remaining on the surface is removed. Also, reference numeral 1
Reference numeral 3 represents a charging roller.

In this case, since the developing roller 11 must rotate while securely holding the state in which the developing roller 11 is in close contact with the photosensitive drum 15, silicone rubber or acrylonitrile butadiene is attached to the outer periphery of the shaft 2 made of a material having good conductivity such as metal. Elastic rubber such as rubber (NBR) or ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM), urethane foam or the like is blended with a conductive agent to form an elastic layer made of an elastic body having conductivity. . In order to improve the surface frictional properties and the image quality, it has also been proposed to provide an electroconductive powder on the elastic layer to provide electroconductivity.

[0009]

In the above contact charging method, the resin layer on the surface of the charging roller is brought into contact with the photoconductor for a long period of time, so that the resin layer and the photoconductor are brought into close contact with each other. In some cases, the surface of the photoconductor was contaminated by peeling off a part of the above. In addition, there may be a case where an image defect occurs due to a charging failure due to adhesion to the charging roller due to the strength of adhesiveness, or toner adhesion or abrasion of the photoreceptor due to friction with the photoreceptor. there were. Therefore, the resin used for the charging roller is required to have high charging ability and strength to withstand repeated and continuous use, especially bending durability, and to have low adhesion, tackiness, and toner adhesion to the photoreceptor. There is.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, to provide a conductive resin tube having a high charging ability and strength to withstand repeated continuous use, in particular, bending durability, and a high quality. An object is to provide a conductive roller that can stably obtain an image.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the inventors of the present invention have earnestly studied various synthetic resins as a base material of a conductive tube attached to a conductive roller and a conductive material. As a result, it was found that the object can be achieved by using a specific polymer material as the base material of the conductive resin tube, and by using a polymer ion conductive agent as the conductive material, and the present invention is completed. Came to.
That is, the present invention is as shown below.

(1) In a conductive resin tube which is mounted on an elastic layer carried on the outer periphery of a shaft to form a conductive roller, a thermoplastic polybutylene terephthalate resin or a thermoplastic polybutylene terephthalate elastomer is contained as a base material. However, the conductive resin tube is characterized in that a polymer ion conductive agent is added.

(2) In the conductive resin tube of (1), a thermoplastic poly (butylene terephthalate-ether) copolymer resin or a thermoplastic poly (butylene terephthalate-ether) copolymer elastomer is contained as the base material. It is a conductive resin tube.

(3) In the conductive resin tube of (1) or (2), the polymer ion conductive agent is a conductive resin tube containing a polyetheramide component or a polyetheresteramide component.

(4) In the conductive resin tube of (3), the polymer ion conductive agent is a conductive resin tube containing a low molecular weight ion conductive agent component.

(5) In the conductive resin tube according to (4), the polyether component of the polyether amide component or the polyether ester amide component is (CH ₂
-CH ₂ -O) and the polyamide component is nylon 1
This is a conductive resin tube containing 2 or nylon 6 and in which the low molecular weight ionic conductive agent is NaClO ₄ .

(6) In the conductive resin tube according to any one of (1) to (5), the amount of the polymer ion conductive agent added is 1 with respect to 100 parts by weight of the total amount of the resin component of the base material. The conductive resin tube is in the range of up to 200 parts by weight.

(7) In the conductive resin tube according to any one of (1) to (6) above, the volume resistance value is 10 ⁷ to 10 10.
It is a conductive resin tube of ¹⁴ Ω · cm.

(8) In a conductive roller having a shaft, an elastic layer carried on the outer periphery of the shaft, and a skin layer mounted on the elastic layer, the skin layer is one of (1) to (). A conductive roller comprising the conductive resin tube according to any one of 7).

The conductive resin tube of the present invention has good strength, particularly good bending durability, as well as high molecular weight ionic conductive agent by using the base material made of the above-mentioned specific polymer material. By using, it has good performance in terms of charging characteristics and does not cause a problem as in the prior art. Therefore, the conductive roller of the present invention using the conductive resin tube of the present invention can be suitably used for various roller members such as a charging roller, a transfer roller, and a developing roller in an image forming apparatus, particularly for a charging roller, As a result, it is possible to provide a good image without causing a defect even after long-term use.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example of the configuration of the conductive roller of the present invention using the conductive resin tube of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the conductive roller 1 includes a conductive resin tube 4 and an elastic layer 3 supported on the outer circumference of a shaft 2 and a conductive resin tube 4
Is formed by mounting.

In the present invention, a thermoplastic polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) resin or a thermoplastic PBT elastomer, particularly a thermoplastic poly (butylene terephthalate-), is used as the base material of the conductive resin tube 4.
An ether) copolymer resin or a thermoplastic poly (butylene terephthalate-ether) copolymer elastomer is used.

The thermoplastic PBT resin is an engineering plastic having excellent heat resistance and chemical resistance. Since it has a small molding shrinkage ratio, it has excellent dimensional stability and strength, especially bending durability. The molecular weight of the thermoplastic PBT resin is particularly preferably about 10,000 to 30,000. Such a thermoplastic PBT resin can be obtained in the market, and examples thereof include Toray Industries, Inc., trade name: Trecon 1401 and the like. Also, thermoplastic PBT elastomers are readily available on the market,
For example, Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc., trade name: Grelax EH900HV, Toyobo Co., Ltd., trade name:
Pelprene E450B etc. can be mentioned.

In the present invention, a conductive resin tube having good strength, particularly good bending durability, can be obtained by using any one of these polymer materials as a base material.

Thermoplastic PBT resin or thermoplastic PBT
The elastomer may be used alone, but by using two or more of these in combination, the compatibility between the polymer component of the base material and the polymer ion conductive agent according to the present invention described below can be further increased. Particularly, an ester of a thermoplastic PBT resin and a thermoplastic PBT elastomer, Irgastat (registered trademark) P18 (manufactured by Ciba Specialty Chemicals Incorporated) as an example of a polymer ion conductive agent described later, and a thermoplastic PBT elastomer. A good affinity can be obtained with the ether.

The compounding ratio of the thermoplastic PBT elastomer in the base material can be appropriately determined by the resistance value of the conductive resin tube and the like. In order to obtain a suitable tensile modulus and a suitable resistance value described later, the compounding ratio is preferably about 5 to 150% by weight based on the total amount of the resin component of the base material.

In the present invention, a polymer ion conductive agent as a conductive material is added to such a base material. Examples of such a polymer ion conductive agent include, for example, JP-A-9-227717 and JP-A-10-120924.
The materials described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-327922 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-327922 can be used, but are not particularly limited.

Specifically, (A) an organic polymer material,
(B) ion-conductive polymer or copolymer,
And (C) an inorganic or low molecular weight organic salt,
The component (A) is a polyamine.
Acrylic ester, polymethacrylic ester, poly
Acrylonitrile, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl alcohol
Cate, polyamide, polyurethane or polyester
And component (B) is an oligoethoxylated acrylate.
Or methacrylate, aromatic ring
Toxylated styrene, polyether urethane, poly
Ether urea, polyether amide, polyether s
A teramide or a polyether ester, and
Component (C) is an inorganic or low molecular weight organic protonic acid
Lucari metal, alkaline earth metal, zinc or ammonium
Salt, preferably LiClO_Four, LiCF₃SO
₃, NaClO_Four, LiBF_Four, NaBF_Four, KBF_Four, N
aCF₃SO₃, KClO_Four, KPF₆, KCF₃SO₃, K
C_FourF₉SO₃, Ca (ClO_Four)₂, Ca (PF₆)₂, M
g (ClO_Four)₂, Mg (CF₃SO₃)₂, Zn (Cl
O _Four)₂, Zn (PF₆)₂Or Ca (CF₃SO₃)₂etc
Is.

Among these, a polymer ion conductive agent containing a polyether amide component or a polyether ester amide component is suitable as the component (B), and in addition to this, a low molecular weight ion as the component (C). It is preferable to contain a conductive agent component. Further, as the polyether amide component and the polyether ester amide component, those in which the polyether component contains (CH ₂ —CH ₂ —O) and the polyamide component contains nylon 12 or nylon 6 are particularly preferable. Particularly preferred is a polymer ion conductive agent containing as a component (B) and further containing NaClO ₄ as a low molecular weight ion conductive agent component of the component (C). Such a suitable polymeric ion conductive agent is
Irgastat (registered trademark) P18 and Irgastat (registered trademark) P22 (both Ciba
Specialty Chemicals Incorporated), Pelestat NC6321 (Sanyo Kasei Co., Ltd.)
Can be obtained as.

The amount of the polymeric ionic conductive agent added is preferably 1 to 200 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the substrate.
More preferably, it is in the range of 5 to 150 parts by weight, whereby the volume resistance value of the elastic material layer is preferably 10 ⁷ to 10
¹⁴ Ω · cm, more preferably 10 ⁸ to 10 ^13.5 Ω · cm
Can be adjusted to. In the present invention, by using the above-mentioned polymer ion conductive agent as the conductive material, the resistivity of the conductive resin tube is 10 ¹¹
The feature is that a resistance level of Ω · cm or less can be achieved. If the amount of the polymer ion conductive agent added is less than 1 part by weight, such a resistance level cannot be achieved, while 2
If the amount exceeds 100 parts by weight, physical properties such as bending durability may be affected, which is not preferable.

Further, the conductive resin tube of the present invention includes
A compatibilizing agent may be added in order to improve the compatibility between the base material and the polymeric ion conductive agent. Examples of the compatibilizer that can be preferably used in the present invention include EVA.
/ EPDM / polyolefin graft copolymer, polyolefin graft copolymer and reactivity (GM
A, MAH-containing) polyolefin graft copolymer, P (St-co-GMA), EGMA, P (Et-
co-EA-co-MAH), olefin-based graft copolymer, maleated polyolefin, SEBS and maleated products thereof, oxazoline group-containing styrene-based or acrylonitrile-styrene-based polymer, maleated EPDM, maleated PE, maleated PP, maleated. EVA, styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer, SA
N-grafted EPDM, reactive polystyrene, polycaprolactone-b-polystyrene, reactive styrene / acrylonitrile copolymer, imidized polyacrylate, ethylene / glycidyl methacrylate acrylic acid copolymer, chlorinated polyethylene, reactive phenoxy, silane compound, peroxide polymer, poly Caprolactone, E
VA / EPDM / polyolefin-based graft polymer and the like (abbreviations in the above list are EVA: ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, EPDM: ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer, EGMA: ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate copolymer, respectively). Polymers, SEBS: styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene copolymer, GMA: glycidyl methacrylate, MAH: maleic anhydride, EA: ethyl acrylate) and the like. Total amount of material and high molecular weight ionic conductive agent 100
By adding 0.1 to 20 parts by weight to the parts by weight, the compatibility of both is improved, and the polymer ionic conductive agent can be dispersed uniformly and satisfactorily in the substrate. The conductive resin tube can be obtained.

Further, in the present invention, other conductive material can be added to the base material as a functional component to supplementally give and adjust the conductivity. Such a conductive material is not particularly limited, lauryl trimethyl ammonium, stearyl trimethyl ammonium, octadecyl trimethyl ammonium, dodecyl trimethyl ammonium, hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium, perchlorate of modified fatty acid dimethyl ethyl ammonium,
Cationic surfactants such as quaternary ammonium such as chlorates, borofluorides, sulphates, ethosulfates, benzyl halides (verdil bromide, benzyl chloride etc.); aliphatic sulfonic acids , Higher alcohol sulfate ester salt, higher alcohol ethylene oxide addition sulfate salt, higher alcohol phosphate ester salt and other anionic surfactants; various betaine and other zwitterionic surfactants; higher alcohol ethylene oxide, polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester, polyvalent Antistatic agents such as nonionic antistatic agents such as alcohol fatty acid esters, LiCF ₂ S
Metal salts of Group 1 of the periodic table such as O ₂ , NaClO ₄ , LiBF ₄ and NaCl; Metal salts of Group ₂ of the periodic table such as Ca (ClO ₄ ) ₂ ; and these antistatic agents react with isocyanate And a group having at least one group having active hydrogen (hydrogen group, carboxyl group, primary or secondary amine group, etc.). Furthermore, these and polyhydric alcohol (1,
4-butanediol, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, etc.) or a derivative thereof, or an ion conductive agent such as a complex with ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, etc .; Ketjen black, acetylene black, etc. Conductive carbon; SAF, ISAF,
HAF, FEF, GPF, SRF, FT, MT and other rubber carbons; oxidized color ink carbons, pyrolytic carbons, natural graphite, artificial graphite, etc .; tin oxide, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, nickel,
Examples thereof include metals such as copper and metal oxides; conductive polymers such as polyaniline, polypyrrole, and polyacetylene.

The amount of addition of these other conductive materials depends on the base material 1.
Preferably 0.01 to 30 parts by weight with respect to 00 parts by weight,
More preferably, it is about 0.1 to 20 parts by weight.

Further, in the present invention, other functional components can be added in addition to the above components within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention. For example, various fillers, coupling agents, antioxidants, etc. , A lubricant, a surface treatment agent, a pigment, an ultraviolet absorber, an antistatic agent, a dispersant, a neutralizing agent, a foaming agent, a cross-linking agent and the like can be appropriately mixed. Coloring may be performed by adding a coloring agent.

The thickness of the conductive resin tube of the present invention can be appropriately selected according to the application of the conductive roller when it is mounted on the conductive roller, and is not particularly limited, but is preferably 20 to. It is about 1000 μm.

In the conductive roller of the present invention, it is important that the above-mentioned conductive resin tube of the present invention is used as the skin layer, and the other constitutions of the shaft 2 and the elastic layer 3 are appropriately determined in accordance with the conventional practice. There is no particular limitation.

The shaft 2 can be made of metal or plastic. The material of the elastic layer 3 is not particularly limited as long as it has an elastic function,
Examples thereof include urethane rubber, silicone rubber, nitrile rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber, natural rubber, acrylic rubber, chloroprene rubber, butyl rubber, and epichlorohydrin rubber. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more, but urethane rubber, silicone rubber, and ethylene propylene rubber are particularly preferable.

In the elastic layer 3, if necessary, silica or charcoal is used.
Fillers such as calcium acidate, plasticizers, crosslinking accelerators, slow crosslinking
A spreading agent, an anti-aging agent, a coloring agent and the like may be appropriately mixed.
Further, the elastic layer 3 may be a foam, and in this case, it is dense.
0.05 ~ 0.9g / cm ³The degree is appropriate. Elasticity
The layer 3 is formed by molding the above-mentioned conductive resin tube 1 into a predetermined mold.
Method of installing on the inner surface and injecting the material of the elastic layer into it
Alternatively, the resin tube is used as a mold and the elastic layer is
Injecting materials can include, but is not limited to
Not something.

As described above, the conductive roller of the present invention is a charging device for charging a charged body by bringing it into contact with the charged body and applying a voltage between the charged body and the charged body. As a result, a high-quality image can be stably obtained, which has a high charging ability and strength enough to withstand repeated continuous use, in particular, bending durability and creep resistance.

Further, the conductive roller of the present invention carries a developer on the surface to form a thin film of the developer, and the developer is adhered from the thin film to the surface of the latent image carrier to visualize the electrostatic latent image. It can also be used as a developing roller for charging, a transfer roller for charging the transfer paper and transferring the developer from the electrostatic latent image carrier visualized by the developer onto the transfer paper, and also as a charge eliminating roller and a toner supply roller. it can. Further, it is also suitably used in an electrophotographic apparatus having a cleaning device for cleaning and removing the residual toner on the photoconductor after transfer.

The conductive resin tube of the present invention is not particularly limited, but the surface roughness is 10 μm or less, particularly 6 μm or less, further 3 μm in terms of JIS 10-point average roughness Rz.
The following is preferable.

The method for producing the conductive resin tube of the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, the resin component of the base material and the functional component such as the conductive material are kneaded by a biaxial kneader, The obtained kneaded product can be produced by extrusion molding using a ring die. Alternatively, a powder coating method such as electrostatic coating, a dipping method, or a centrifugal casting method can be preferably used.

[0043]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described in detail below based on specific examples. Example 1 Thermoplastic polybutylene terephthalate resin (Toray Industries, Inc.)
Product name: Trecon 1401CH2) 100 parts by weight of Irgasat as a polymer ion conductive agent
11 parts by weight of P18 (manufactured by Ciba Specialty Chemicals Incorporated) were mixed and melt-kneaded by a twin-screw kneader at a predetermined molding temperature (see Table 2 below, the same applies to the following Examples and Comparative Examples). . The obtained kneaded product was extruded and molded with an annular die attached to the head of a single-screw extruder to obtain an inner diameter of 12 mm and a thickness of 0.1 mm.
A conductive resin tube having a length of 250 mm was obtained. The following physical property tests were conducted on this conductive resin tube.

<Measurement of Dynamic Tensile Elastic Modulus (E ')> The dynamic tensile elastic modulus was measured under the following conditions. Equipment: Toyo Seiki Co., Ltd. Rheographs
solid rheology meter sample shape: 5mm width x 0.15-0.22mm thickness x
30 mm (distance between chucks)

<Measurement of volume resistivity> Measured at a temperature of 23 ° C. and a relative humidity of 50% by using a resistance measuring instrument R8340A manufactured by ADVANTEST with a sample chamber R12704A connected thereto. The volume resistivity at a voltage of 100 V was measured. Further, under the same conditions, the same device measures the measured voltage 100.
The volume resistivity at 0 V was measured, and the number of digits of voltage dependence was calculated by the following formula. (In the formula, R _100V and R _1000V are 100V and 1000, respectively.
It is the volume resistivity (Ω · cm) at V. )

<Measurement of Bending Resistance> Toyo Seiki Co., Ltd.
The number of times of bending resistance was measured by using a manufactured MIT fatigue resistance tester, and the result is shown by an index with Comparative Example being 20.
The larger the number, the better the result.

Next, this conductive resin tube was inserted into a cylindrical mold, and a stainless steel cylindrical shaft having a diameter of 6 mm was passed through the central portion, and a conductive agent, a foaming agent, and a foaming agent were added between the shaft and the conductive resin tube. A conductive polyol (charging roller) was manufactured by injecting a liquid polyol in which a curing agent was dispersed / dissolved, and foaming and curing by heating to form a polyurethane foam layer. The following image printing test was conducted on the obtained charging roller.

<Image Printing Test> The charging roller thus prepared was mounted on a printer cartridge, and an image printing test was conducted with a Laserjet 4050 manufactured by Hewlett-Packard Company, and the image quality at the initial stage and when printing 8,000 sheets was visually observed. . In addition, the stain resistance to the photoconductor was also evaluated. The evaluation results of the image quality at the initial stage and after printing 8,000 sheets were evaluated as the image quality, and the evaluation results of the stain on the photoconductor were evaluated as the stain resistance.

Examples 2-5 The amount of thermoplastic PBT resin was kept at 100 parts by weight and Ir
The amount of gastat P18 is 25, 43, 67, 1 respectively.
A conductive resin tube was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the amount was set to 00 parts by weight, and a physical property test was conducted. Next, a conductive roller (charging roller) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1,
An image print test was conducted.

Examples 6 and 7 The amount of the thermoplastic PBT resin was 100 parts by weight, while Irgasat was used as the polymer ion conductive agent.
A conductive resin tube was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that Pelestat NC6321 (manufactured by Sanyo Kasei Co., Ltd.) was mixed in place of P18 at 54 and 67 parts by weight, respectively.
A physical property test was conducted. Next, a conductive roller (charging roller) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and an image printing test was conducted.

Examples 8 and 9 100 parts by weight of PBT elastomer (manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd., trade name: Perprene S70) was used in place of the thermoplastic PBT resin (manufactured by Toray Co., Ltd., trade name: Trecon 1401CH2). On the other hand, Ir as a polymer ion conductive agent
A conductive resin tube was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 18 and 67 parts by weight of gastat P18 were mixed, and a physical property test was conducted. Next, a conductive roller (charging roller) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and an image printing test was conducted.

Examples 10 and 11 PBT elastomer (manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd., trade name: Perprene E450B) was replaced by 100 instead of the thermoplastic PBT resin (trade name: Toraycon 1401CH2 manufactured by Toray Co., Ltd.).
A conductive resin tube was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 25 parts by weight and 67 parts by weight of Irgasat P18 as a polymer ion conductive agent were mixed, respectively, and the physical properties were tested. Next, a conductive roller (charging roller) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and an image printing test was conducted.

Examples 12 to 15 60, 50, 40 and 50 parts by weight of thermoplastic PBT resin (trade name: Toraycon 1401CH2, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) and PBT elastomer (trade name, manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd., respectively) :
Perprene S70) was mixed with 40, 50, 60 and 50 parts by weight, respectively, and 100 parts by weight of this mixture was mixed with Irgasat P18 (Ciba.
Specialty Chemicals Incorporated) was mixed at 54, 54, 54 and 67 parts by weight, respectively, to prepare a conductive resin tube in the same manner as in Example 1 and perform a physical property test. Next, a conductive roller (charging roller) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and an image printing test was conducted.

Examples 16 to 22 Thermoplastic PBT resin (manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc., trade name: Trecon 1401CH2) was used as 60, 50, 40, 50, 6 respectively.
0, 50, 40 parts by weight and 4 parts of PBT elastomer (manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd., trade name: Perprene E450B)
0, 50, 60, 50, 40, 50, 60 parts by weight were mixed, and 100 parts by weight of this mixture were each added with Irgasat P18 (manufactured by Ciba Specialty Chemicals Incorporated) as a polymer ion conductive agent. A conductive resin tube was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 54, 54, 54, 67, 82, 82, and 82 parts by weight were mixed, and a physical property test was conducted. Next, a conductive roller (charging roller) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and an image printing test was conducted.

Comparative Example 100 parts by weight of a polycarbonate resin (Panlite K1300Y manufactured by Teijin Kasei Co., Ltd.) was used in place of the thermoplastic PBT resin (trade name: Toraycon 1401CH2 manufactured by Toray Co., Ltd.). Ir as a molecular ion conducting agent
A conductive resin tube was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 30 parts by weight of FEF carbon (manufactured by Asahi Carbon Co., Ltd.) was mixed instead of gasat P18 (manufactured by Ciba Specialty Chemicals Incorporated), and a physical property test was conducted. I went. Next, a conductive roller (charging roller) was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and an image printing test was conducted. Table 1 below shows the contents of the formulations of the above Examples and Comparative Examples, and Table 2 below shows the results of each molding temperature and each measurement. All units in Table 1 are parts by weight.

[0056]

[Table 1]

[0057]

[Table 2]

[0058]

As described above, according to the present invention, it has strength to withstand repeated continuous use, particularly good bending durability, and has a high charging ability, especially when a high voltage is applied. It is also possible to provide a conductive resin tube capable of stably obtaining an appropriate resistance value. Therefore,
According to the conductive roller of the present invention using the conductive resin tube of the present invention, it is possible to stably obtain a high-quality image that does not cause a defect even in long-term use.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conductive roller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 Conductive roller 2 shafts 3 elastic layer 4 Conductive resin tube 10 cleaning blade 11 Developing roller 13 Charging roller 14 Toner coating roller 15 Photosensitive drum 16 toner 17 Stratified blade 18 Transfer part 19 Cleaning section

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Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A conductive resin tube mounted on an elastic layer carried on the outer periphery of a shaft to form a conductive roller, comprising a thermoplastic polybutylene terephthalate resin or a thermoplastic polybutylene terephthalate elastomer as a base material. A conductive resin tube, wherein a polymer ion conductive agent is added. 2. The conductive resin tube according to claim 1, wherein the base material contains a thermoplastic poly (butylene terephthalate-ether) copolymer resin or a thermoplastic poly (butylene terephthalate-ether) copolymer elastomer. 3. The conductive resin tube according to claim 1, wherein the polymer ion conductive agent contains a polyetheramide component or a polyetheresteramide component. 4. The conductive resin tube according to claim 3, wherein the high molecular weight ionic conductive agent contains a low molecular weight ionic conductive agent component. 5. The polyether amide component or the polyether ester amide component has a polyether component containing (CH ₂ —CH ₂ —O), a polyamide component containing nylon 12 or nylon 6, and The conductive resin tube according to claim ₄ , wherein the low molecular weight ionic conductive agent is NaClO ₄ . 6. The amount of the polymeric ionic conductive agent added is 1 to 20 relative to 100 parts by weight of the total amount of the resin component of the base material.
The conductive resin tube according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is in a range of 0 parts by weight. 7. The conductive resin tube according to claim 1, which has a volume resistance value of 10 ⁷ to 10 ¹⁴ Ω · cm. 8. A conductive roller having a shaft, an elastic layer carried on the outer periphery of the shaft, and a skin layer mounted on the elastic layer, wherein the skin layer is the surface of the conductive roller.
A conductive roller comprising the conductive resin tube according to claim 1.