JP2003241599A - Blade for image forming apparatus and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cleaning blade which can be easily manufactured at a low cost, can realize a stable touching pressure and has excellent durability. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning blade has a double layer structure provided with a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer layer over the entire surface on one side of a support layer formed of a high-rigidity resin, in which the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer consists of polycarbonate diol as a polyol component and aromatic polyisocyanate as an isocyanate component and the hardness in Shore A is 80 to 95 (20°C). <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 an electrostatic type image forming apparatus such as a plain paper copying machine, a plain paper facsimile, a laser beam printer or the like, which carries toner or a toner carrying surface such as a photoreceptor or a transfer belt. The present invention relates to a cleaning blade that removes residual toner on the surface of a member that contacts, a method for manufacturing the cleaning blade, and a method for fixing the cleaning blade.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to wipe off and remove toner remaining on the surface of a photoconductor, a transfer belt or the like after transferring a toner image on a sheet or the like in an electrostatic type image forming apparatus, it is well known in the prior art. A cleaning blade formed by cutting from a polyurethane-based elastic sheet having a thickness of about 1 to 3 mm has been used.

Such an elastic cleaning blade is intended to perform cleaning by elastically contacting the photosensitive member by utilizing its bending elasticity in the width direction, and in order to exert a sufficient cleaning ability, a predetermined amount with respect to the photosensitive member is used. Contact pressure is required. On the other hand, since the elastic body cleaning blade should not damage the surface of the photoconductor or the transfer belt even after cleaning, in reality, an elastic body having a Shore A hardness of 60 to 80 and a relatively low rigidity is used. used.

Therefore, a certain thickness or more is required to provide the bending elasticity required for the cleaning blade, and there is a limit to thinning the blade. Further, the elastic material has a problem that the compression set is large, and the contact pressure with the photoconductor is lowered by long-term use. In order to solve these problems, a technique is known in which a cleaning blade having a two-layer structure including a metal support and an elastic layer is used (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-219082).

[0005]

The cleaning blade described in the above publication is formed by laminating a metal plate and an elastic body, and a step of producing a metal plate as a support and an elastic layer are prepared. It is necessary to perform two steps, that is, a step of adhering the resin or a step of forming an elastic body layer by reacting and curing the reaction composition to form an elastic body by reacting and curing on a support. However, there is a problem in that the cost is high and the cost is high.

Further, the cleaning blade is fixed to the mounting member and supplied as a cleaning member. At the time of such fixing, in order to realize proper elastic contact between the photosensitive member and the cleaning blade, the application device and the cleaning blade used A step of aligning the mounting member and the cleaning blade so as to satisfy the protrusion length (free end length) set according to the material etc. is also required, and there is a limit to meet the demand for cost reduction.

To solve the above problems, PET
Preparation and evaluation of a multi-layered cleaning blade in which a thermoplastic elastomer layer, particularly a conventional cleaning blade, or a known polyester A or polycarbonate polyurethane elastomer layer having a Shore A hardness of 60 or more and less than 80 is laminated on a film As a result, it was found that, contrary to expectations, the cleaning durability was not sufficiently obtained.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning blade which can be manufactured easily and at low cost, can realize a stable contact pressure, and has excellent durability, and a manufacturing method thereof.

The present invention also provides a cleaning blade that can be easily aligned with the mounting member.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the inventors of the present invention have made earnest studies on an elastic material to be laminated on a high-rigidity support member, and found that the use of a specific thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer makes it practical. The inventors have found that a cleaning blade having durability can be obtained, and completed the present invention.

The present invention relates to a cleaning blade used in an image forming apparatus utilizing an electrostatic transfer process,
The support layer formed of a high-rigidity resin has a multi-layer structure including a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer layer on one side, and the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer includes a polycarbonate diol as a polyol component and an aromatic polyisocyanate. It is contained as an isocyanate component and has a hardness of 80 to 95 (20 ° C.) at Shore A.

With the above structure, a cleaning blade which can be manufactured easily and at low cost, can realize a stable contact pressure, and is excellent in durability was obtained.

In a conventional cleaning blade composed only of a polyurethane elastomer, a material having a hardness of less than 80 at Shore A is practically used in order to suppress abrasion of the photosensitive member. With the cleaning blade having the structure, the hardness is 80 to 95 (20
The durability was improved by using the material of (.degree. C.).

Although the reason for using the cleaning blade of the present invention is not clear, in the case of using a polymerized toner which is being put to practical use at present and cannot be sufficiently cleaned by the conventional single-layer type cleaning blade. Can also be effectively cleaned. In cleaning the polymerized toner, it is preferable that the hardness of the polyurethane elastomer is high.

In the above cleaning blade,
The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer has a 100% elongation modulus of M ₁₀₀ (20) at 20 ° C. and a M of 50 ° C.
₁₀₀ is preferably a ratio of _{(50) M 100 (20)} / M 100 (50) is 1.5 or less.

By using the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer having such characteristics, a cleaning blade having particularly excellent durability was obtained.

The above thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer has an M ₁₀₀ (20) of 6 MPa or more and a 50 ° C. value of M _100.
(50) is preferably 4 MPa or more, 300
% Elongation modulus at 20 ° C (M ₃₀₀ (20))
It is 20 MPa or more, and (M ₃₀₀ (5
0)) It is preferably 10 MPa or more.

In cleaning the polymerized toner,
The reason is not clear, but M₁₀₀ , M ₃₀₀ Is higher
Good

Although the reason why the modulus is preferably not less than a predetermined value is not clear, the polyurethane elastomer contacting the photoconductor does not have the predetermined modulus because tensile stress acts on the polyurethane elastomer by the rotation of the photoconductor. It is thought that this is due to the fact that partial material destruction may occur.

The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer constituting the cleaning blade of the present invention has bis (β-) as a glycol component for binding an isocyanate component.
It is preferable to contain (hydroxyethoxy) benzene.

By using bis (β-hydroxyethoxy) benzene as a constituent, a cleaning blade having a stable contact pressure and excellent durability can be obtained.

The above-mentioned cleaning blade is preferably provided with a plurality of through holes in the length direction.

When the cleaning blade is fixed to the mounting member or directly mounted on the image forming apparatus, the positioning work for setting the free end length to the set value can be easily performed. That is, a protrusion is formed on a mounting member made of metal or high-rigidity resin, and the protrusion of this mounting member is fitted into the through hole provided on the cleaning blade, so that the positioning operation is extremely easy and reliable. Can be done.

Another aspect of the present invention has a multi-layer structure in which a thermoplastic elastomer layer is provided on one surface of a support layer formed of a high-rigidity resin, and is used in an image forming apparatus utilizing an electrostatic transfer process. A method of manufacturing a cleaning blade, comprising a step of laminating a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer on one surface of the support layer in a fluid state to prepare a cleaning blade raw fabric, and cutting the cleaning blade raw fabric. And a cutting step of producing a cleaning blade, and the laminating step is performed by laminating the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer in a molten state in a neat state, or by coating with a solution and drying. The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer is
A polycarbonate diol is contained as a polyol component, an aromatic polyisocyanate is contained as an isocyanate component, and the hardness is 80 to 95 (20 ° C.) at Shore A.

By the above manufacturing method, a cleaning blade having a stable contact pressure and excellent durability can be manufactured easily and at low cost.

The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer used in the above-mentioned manufacturing method has a 100% elongation modulus at a value of M ₁₀₀ (20) at 20 ° C. and a value of M ₁₀₀ (5 at 50 ° C.).
The ratio M ₁₀₀ (20) / M ₁₀₀ (50) of 0) is preferably 1.5 or less.

The above thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer has an M ₁₀₀ (20) of 6 MPa or more and a 50 ° C. value of M _100.
(50) is preferably 4 MPa or more, 300
% Elongation modulus at 20 ° C (M ₃₀₀ (20))
It is 20 MPa or more, and (M ₃₀₀ (5
0)) It is preferably 10 MPa or more.

Further, the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer preferably contains bis (β-hydroxyethoxy) benzene as a glycol component for binding an isocyanate component.

The cleaning blade of the present invention may be composed of a high-rigidity support member and a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer layer, in which another elastomer layer is provided on the back surface layer of the high-rigidity support member. May be.

By providing another elastomer layer on the back surface layer, it is possible in some cases to effectively prevent distortion such as warpage occurring in the blade.

The elastomer layer may be a thermosetting elastomer or a thermoplastic elastomer layer. As the thermoplastic elastomer, known thermoplastic elastomers can be used without limitation, but the same thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer layer as the surface layer may be used.

In the above-mentioned method of manufacturing the cleaning blade, it is a preferable aspect to further provide a through hole forming step of forming a through hole of a predetermined size at a predetermined position.

The through-hole forming step may be provided after the laminating step for manufacturing the original fabric or after the cutting step. Since the cleaning blade of the present invention has the support layer formed of the high-rigidity resin, the through hole can be accurately formed in both position and size.

The above-mentioned cleaning blade having a plurality of through holes provided in the lengthwise direction is mounted on a mounting member having two or more alignment protrusions, and the protrusion of the mounting member is cleaned at the through hole of the cleaning blade. It is fixed to the mounting member by a fixing method in which the blade is fitted and a high-rigidity sandwiching member having a through hole at a position corresponding to the through hole of the cleaning blade is fitted and then a screw is fixed using another through hole. can do.

In the cleaning blade having a plurality of through holes provided in the lengthwise direction of the present invention, a mounting member for fixing the cleaning blade is made of a thermoplastic resin, and at a position corresponding to the through hole of the cleaning blade. The protrusion can be provided, the cleaning blade can be fitted to the protrusion of the mounting member, and the tip portion of the protrusion can be melted and caulked after the high-rigidity sandwiching member is fitted to the mounting member. .

By any of the fixing methods, the number of steps for alignment is not required, and the fixing can be performed easily and at low cost. Further, the cleaning blade is held by the high-rigidity sandwiching member with a uniform force in the length direction, and waviness does not easily occur on the contact surface.

In particular, the cleaning blade of the present invention has the support layer formed of the high-rigidity resin, so that the position accuracy is high when the through hole is provided, and therefore the mounting member has two or more protrusions. By fitting the cleaning blade into the through hole of the cleaning blade, highly accurate alignment can be easily performed.

The mounting member referred to here is a member for mounting this cleaning blade, and may be a member for fixing the cleaning blade in the conventional cleaning member, so-called metal fitting, holder or the like, but it is the housing of the apparatus. Alternatively, it may be part of the case or frame of the developing unit.

[0039]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Suitable materials for the respective layers of the cleaning blade of the present invention are as follows.
The support layer constituent material is easy to cut, and even if it is thin, a sufficient contact pressure with the photoconductor can be obtained, so that a high-rigidity resin material can be used without limitation. Specifically, polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate, polyamide resins such as nylon-6,
Examples thereof include sheets and films of engineering plastics or super engineering plastics materials such as polycarbonate, acrylic resin, aramid resin, polyphenylene oxide, and polyphenylene sulfide. The thickness of the support layer varies depending on the material used and the required properties, but is generally 5
It is about 0 μm to 500 μm. If it is too thick, the rigidity becomes too high, and if it is too thin, it becomes difficult to obtain a predetermined contact pressure.

The above-mentioned support layer-constituting material may have a multi-layer structure, and for example, two films are stuck together via a resin layer having one or both of adhesiveness and creep resistance.
It may be a support layer having a layered structure. As such a multilayer film, a dialymy (made by Mitsubishi resin) in which a polyethylene terephthalate film is laminated via a resin layer having creep resistance and adhesiveness is commercially available,
It can be used.

It is a preferred embodiment that the support is subjected to a surface treatment for enhancing the adhesiveness with the raw material for forming the thermoplastic elastomer or an adhesive layer is provided. Examples of such surface treatment include corona discharge treatment and etching treatment with a chemical substance, and examples of the structure for providing the adhesive layer include a structure for providing a primer coat or a hot melt adhesive layer.

The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer constituting the elastic layer contains polycarbonate diol as a polyol main component and aromatic polyisocyanate as an isocyanate main component. The polyol component may be only polycarbonate diol and the isocyanate component may be only aromatic polyisocyanate.

Examples of the above-mentioned polycarbonate polyol include diols such as 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, diethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol and polytetramethylene glycol. Products made by reaction with phosgene, diallyl carbonate (eg diphenyl carbonate) or cyclic carbonates (eg propylene carbonate) can be used. The diols may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Aromatic polyisocyanates include 2,4-tolylene diisocyanate, 2,6-tolylene diisocyanate (TDI), 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), 1,5-naphthalene diisocyanate, tolidine diisocyanate, p -Phenylene diisocyanate is exemplified, and may be used alone,
You may use 2 or more types together.

The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer used in the present invention comprises a polycarbonate diol as a main component of a polyol component and an aromatic polyisocyanate as a main component of an isocyanate component. Other polyol components and polyisocyanate components known in the technical field may be used in combination. The polycarbonate diol may contain a trifunctional or higher functional polyol.

Known compounds can be used as the chain extender which constitutes the hard segment of polyurethane by combining with the polyisocyanate component, and ethylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1 , 4-bis (β-hydroxyethoxy) benzene and other glycols, trimethylolpropane and other collecting oils, methylenebis-o-chloroaniline (MOC
Diamines such as A) can be used. Of these, 1,4-bis (β-hydroxyethoxy) benzene is preferably used as described above, and this and other chain extenders may be used for adjusting physical properties such as hardness.

As the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, those having the above composition can be used without limitation, but in the production, the isocyanate group and the hydroxyl group have an equivalent ratio of 1 or more, preferably about 1.05 to 1.20. So-called incomplete thermoplastic type polyurethane elastomer in which isocyanate and groups remain in the polymer after polymerization in excess, or after polymerization at an equivalent ratio of isocyanate groups to hydroxyl groups of about 0.95 to 1.0, polyisocyanate It is preferable to use one containing an unreacted isocyanate group to which a compound is added.

Such a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer has a small amount of low-molecular weight component remaining in the polymer, can suppress the generation of the low-molecular weight component during processing, and has a problem due to the adhesion of the low-molecular weight component to the photoreceptor or the like. Is prevented.

As the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, it is also preferable to use a commercially available product having the above-mentioned constitution, that is, a polycarbonate polyol, and milactolane E995, AH9P1015 (manufactured by Nippon Miractolan) can be exemplified as a suitable commercial product.

The thickness of the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer layer is preferably 10 to 800 μm, and 2
It is more preferably 0 to 500 μm. If it is too thin, the life of the cleaning blade becomes short, and if it is too thick, the effect of compression set of the thermoplastic elastomer appears.

When the thickness of the high-rigidity support member is 1, the thickness of the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) layer is preferably 1.5 or less, more preferably 1.0 or less.

If the thickness of the TPU layer exceeds 1.5 times the thickness of the high rigidity support member, the blade may be warped.

When the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer is laminated on the high-rigidity support layer with a solution, an appropriate organic solvent that dissolves the thermoplastic elastomer is used. Examples of the organic solvent include amides such as dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide and N-methylpyrrolidone, ethers such as dioxane and tetrahydrofuran, ketones such as methyl ethyl ketone and cyclohexanone, and acetic acid n-.
Examples thereof include esters such as butyl and aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene and xylene. In addition to these, it is also a preferred embodiment to use poor solvents such as alcohols and aliphatic or alicyclic hydrocarbons in combination.

As a method for forming the thermoplastic elastomer layer using the raw material in a solution state, a known coater can be used, and a roll coater, a doctor blade, a comma coater, etc. are exemplified as a suitable coating device. To be done. Further, it may be formed by coating by a spray coating method, a dipping method, a spin coating method or the like.

It is a preferred embodiment that a filler is added to the material constituting the thermoplastic elastomer layer, if necessary. The additives are appropriately selected according to the use and purpose, but the following additives are exemplified. Conductive Material: Carbon Black (Ketjen Black,
(Acetylene black, HAF carbon, etc.), conductive titanium oxide, ITO, graphite, lithium perchlorate, ammonium thiocyanate, etc. Lubricating materials: polytetrafluoroethylene, boron nitride, graphite, molybdenum disulfide, polydimethylsiloxane, etc. Others such as silicon compounds: Antioxidants, colorants, etc. The above additives may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a cleaning member in which the cleaning blade of the present invention is fixed to a mounting member.
1A is a perspective view, FIG. 1B is a plan view, and FIG.
6 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. The cleaning member 3 is fixed to the cleaning blade 1 and the mounting member 5 via an adhesive layer 14 so as to form a free end length L. The cleaning blade 1 is formed on the support layer 9 and the entire one surface thereof. And a thermoplastic elastomer layer 12.

The cleaning blade 1 is provided with four through holes 7 in the lengthwise direction, while a cylindrical projection 11 is formed on the mounting member. Protrusion 11 and through hole 7
The free end length L can be easily set by fitting the. In this example, the through holes 7 are linearly arranged at equal intervals in the length direction of the cleaning blade 1,
It is not limited to this. If at least a plurality of holes are provided in the length direction, they may not be evenly spaced, and there may be through holes arranged so as to be aligned in the width direction.

A projection 11 is provided on the surface of the mounting member 5 on which the cleaning blade 1 is mounted, and is fitted in the through hole of the cleaning blade 1. By this fitting,
The free end length L when the cleaning blade 1 and the mounting member 5 are fixed to each other can be easily set to a set value, and further, the effect of preventing the positional deviation of the cleaning blade 1 and the mounting member 5 due to shear stress can be obtained.

FIG. 2 shows a cleaning member using the mounting member 6 having a sectional shape different from that of FIG.
The characteristic of this cleaning member is that the protrusion provided on the mounting member 6 is formed to be thicker than the thickness of the cleaning blade 1, and after inserting into the through hole 7, the engaging portion 15 is formed by caulking the tip of the protrusion. is there.

By such caulking, the cleaning blade 1 and the mounting member 6 are more firmly fixed to each other. The mounting member 6 may be made of metal in this case as well, but is preferably made of a thermoplastic resin because the caulking can be performed easily and the locking portion 15 can be formed in a constant shape. That is, the mold is provided with a cavity for forming a protrusion,
For example, if the mounting member is molded by injection molding, the mounting member having such a protrusion can be easily manufactured.

The method of manufacturing the cleaning blade of the present invention will be described by taking as an example the method of manufacturing by laminating a thermoplastic elastomer in a molten state on a high-rigidity resin support layer.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a method for manufacturing an original fabric of a cleaning blade using a T die. The extruder 31 for extruding the thermoplastic elastomer is equipped with a T die 33. The support 9 is supplied to the vicinity of the molten resin discharge hole of the T die 33 by the roll 35, and the thermoplastic elastomer melted by the extruder 31 is discharged and laminated on the support 9 from the T die 33 to form a thermoplastic elastomer layer. 14 is formed and the two-layer cleaning blade original fabric 36 is manufactured.

By the steps described above, a cleaning blade original fabric is manufactured, and the cleaning blade is obtained by cutting it into a predetermined size. The cutting method is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include cutting with a rotating or non-rotating cutting blade, punching cutting with a Thomson blade or the like, and cutting with a laser beam. The cutting device for contacting the photoconductor or the transfer belt to form the edge portion that requires high precision may be different from the cutting device for forming the other portion.

The cutting process may be provided separately from the cleaning blade original fabric manufacturing process, but a slitter is provided after the original fabric manufacturing process to form a ribbon-shaped product of a predetermined width for the cleaning blade, and this product has a predetermined length. It may be a step of cutting. Cutting with a slitter is preferable because edge precision suitable for use in a counter system is obtained.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method of fixing a cleaning blade having a plurality of through holes to a housing made of thermoplastic resin, which is an example of a mounting member, by using a high-rigidity sandwiching member. The protrusion 11 is formed on the mounting portion of the housing 51. Like the cleaning blade 1, the high-rigidity sandwiching member 53 also has a through hole 55 corresponding to the protrusion 11. The cleaning blade 1 is fixed by fitting a plurality of through holes 7 into the projection 11 of the housing 51, fitting a high-rigidity sandwiching member 53, and then melting and caulking the tip of the projection 11. (Fig. 4
(B)).

In FIG. 5, a cleaning blade having a plurality of through holes is provided with a housing 51 which is an example of a mounting member.
Another mode in which the high-rigidity sandwiching member 53 is used for fixing is illustrated. Two protrusions 11a for alignment are formed on the mounting portion of the housing 51. Like the cleaning blade 1, the high-rigidity sandwiching member 53 also has a through hole 55 corresponding to the protrusion 11. The cleaning blade 1 and the high-rigidity sandwiching member 53 are each provided with a through hole 7a for positioning and a through hole 7 for screwing.

The cleaning blade 1 is fitted into the positioning projection 11 of the housing 51, and further, the high-rigidity sandwiching member 53 is fitted, and then the remaining through-hole 7 is used to screw the cleaning blade 1 into place. It is fixed to the housing 51 (FIG. 5B). The screw may be fixed in a screw hole formed directly in the housing, or may be fixed using a nut.

By directly fixing to the housing, as compared with the case shown in FIG. 2, a mounting member called a holder becomes unnecessary, the number of members can be reduced and the number of assembling steps can be reduced, and the apparatus can be reduced. The cost can be reduced as a whole. Further, the use of the high-rigidity sandwiching member improves the mounting dimensional accuracy of the cleaning blade after being fixed, as compared with the case shown in FIG.

Of the through holes 7 of the cleaning blade,
Positioning through hole 7a that fits with the positioning protrusion
It is preferable that the dimensional accuracy is higher than that of the screw-fastening through hole 7 and the clearance with respect to the alignment projection is small. It is also a preferable aspect that one of the through holes 7a for alignment has a high dimensional accuracy in the direction (width direction) that determines the free end length of the cleaning blade and is an ellipse elongated in the length direction. With such a configuration, even if the cleaning blade thermally expands or contracts due to a temperature change, it can be fixed accurately. The screw-fastening through hole 7 may have an elliptical or oval shape that is long in the length direction.

The through hole can be formed by a known method. Specific examples include a method using a drill, a method of punching with a blade such as a Thomson blade, and a method of burning off with a laser beam.

The high-rigidity sandwiching member 53 is formed of a metal such as iron, aluminum, stainless steel, or brass, and a high-rigidity thermoplastic resin exemplified as a material for the support layer. Further, the high-rigidity holding member 53 is provided with holes, grooves, etc. corresponding to the protrusions 11 of the mounting member.

[0072]

[Preparation of cleaning blade]

(Experimental Example 1) Using an extruder equipped with a T-die, while supplying a polyester film (Cosmoshine A4300, manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.) having a width of 1 m and a thickness of 250 μm, which has an easily-adhesive resin layer, its surface is thermoplastic. Polyurethane elastomer Miractolan AH9P1015 (manufactured by Nippon Miractolan Co., Ltd.) was pressed and laminated while being extruded in a molten state from the T-die to form a thermoplastic elastomer layer having a thickness of 200 μm and wound to obtain a cleaning blade original fabric.
The production speed in continuous production of this cleaning blade raw fabric was 1800 m ² / h at the line speed, and efficient production was possible. Also, the thickness of PET film 1
The thickness of the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer layer was 0.80.

(Experimental Example 2) In the same manner as in Example 1, a polyester film having a width of 1 m and a thickness of 188 μm (Cosmoshine A4100, manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd.) having an easily-adhesive resin layer was supplied and the surface thereof was thermoplastic. Polyurethane elastomer Miractolan E995 (manufactured by Nippon Miractolan Co., Ltd.) is pressed in a molten state, pressure-bonded and laminated to a thickness of 10
A thermoplastic elastomer layer having a thickness of 0 μm was formed and wound to obtain a cleaning blade original fabric. The production speed in continuous production of this cleaning blade raw fabric was 1800 m ² / h at the line speed, and efficient production was possible as in Example 1. The thickness of the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer layer was 0.53 with respect to the thickness 1 of the PET film.

(Experimental Example 3) A cleaning blade raw fabric was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that as the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, Miractolane E595 (manufactured by Nippon Miractolan Co., Ltd.) in which polycaprolactone polyol was used instead of Miractolan AH9P1015 was used. Obtained.

[Measurement of Modulus and Hardness] A sheet having a thickness of 300 μm of the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer used for producing the cleaning blade of the above-mentioned experimental example was produced, and a strip having a width of 5 mm and a length of 30 mm was measured from the sheet. A sample was cut out and used for measurement. The modulus was measured according to JIS K6254.

The hardness was measured according to JIS K6253.

[Evaluation] (Durability Evaluation) A blade having a width of 15 mm and a length of 300 mm was cut from the original fabrics of Experimental Examples 1 to 3 to be prepared, and fixed to a metal fitting as a mounting member using a hot melt adhesive. Then, a cleaning blade was prepared. This cleaning blade is fixed to the photoconductor in a commercially available copying machine so as to have a predetermined contact pressure, continuous copy image formation is performed using standard original images, and image evaluation is performed at the end of a fixed number of sheets. The number of sheets in which black streaks were observed in the copied image was taken as the durability of the actual machine. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1 together with the measurement results of modulus and hardness.

[0078]

[Table 1] From the results shown in Table 1 above, it is clear that the cleaning blade satisfying the constitution of the present invention has excellent durability and the blade of Experimental Example 1 has particularly excellent characteristics.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a toner regulating member using a cleaning blade of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a toner regulation member having a different mounting member shape.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a manufacturing process of a cleaning blade original fabric.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a method of fixing a cleaning blade to a mounting member (housing).

FIG. 5 is a view exemplifying another aspect of a method for fixing a cleaning blade to a mounting member (housing).

[Explanation of symbols]

1 cleaning blade 9 Support layer 12 Thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer layer

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yukinobu Okura             1-17-18 Edobori, Nishi-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture             Toyo Tire & Rubber Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H134 GA01 GA10 GB02 HD01 HD02                       HD04 HD06 HD19 HD20 KD08                       KE02 KE03 KE04 KE07 KE09                 4J034 BA03 BA08 CA04 DC02 DF02                       HA07 HA11 HA13 HC12 HC13                       QB14 QB15 RA05 RA11 SA02                       SB04

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A cleaning blade used in an image forming apparatus utilizing an electrostatic transfer process, comprising a multi-layered structure comprising a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer layer on one side of a support layer formed of a highly rigid resin. The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer contains a polycarbonate diol as a polyol component, an aromatic polyisocyanate as an isocyanate component, and has a hardness of 80 to 95 (20 ° C.) at Shore A. 2. The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer has a value of 100% elongation modulus at 20 ° C. of M ₁₀₀ (2
0) and the value of 50 ° C M ₁₀₀ (50) ratio M ₁₀₀ (20) /
The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein M ₁₀₀ (50) is 1.5 or less. 3. The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer contains 1,4-bis (β-hydroxyethoxy) benzene as a glycol component that bonds an isocyanate component. 4. The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of through holes are provided in the length direction. 5. A cleaning blade for use in an image forming apparatus utilizing an electrostatic transfer process, which has a multilayer structure having a thermoplastic elastomer layer on one surface of a support layer formed of a highly rigid resin. A manufacturing method, a laminating step of producing a cleaning blade original fabric by laminating a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer on one surface of the support layer in a fluid state, and cutting the cleaning blade original fabric to form a cleaning blade. A cutting step for producing, wherein the laminating step is performed by laminating the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer in a molten state in a neat state, or by coating with a solution and drying. Polyurethane elastomer contains polycarbonate diol as a polyol component and contains aromatic polyisocyanate. Wherein the isocyanate component, the manufacturing method of the cleaning blade hardness of 80 to 95 (20 ° C.) in Shore A. 6. The thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer has a value of 100% elongation modulus at 20 ° C. of M ₁₀₀ (2).
0) and the value of 50 ° C M ₁₀₀ (50) ratio M ₁₀₀ (20) /
The method for producing a cleaning blade according to claim 5, wherein M ₁₀₀ (50) is 1.5 or less. 7. The method for producing a cleaning blade according to claim 5, wherein the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer contains 1,4-bis (β-hydroxyethoxy) benzene as a glycol component that bonds with an isocyanate component.