JP2005128510A - Toner image carrier, manufacturing method of the toner image carrier, and electrophotographic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toner image carrier capable of attaining both of a high cleaning performance and the suppression of entanglement of a cleaning blade. <P>SOLUTION: Regarding the toner image carrier which is rotationally driven so as to carry the toner image, a plurality of grooves are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier along the rotating direction of the toner image carrier, and the plurality of grooves are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the rotating direction, then, the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier in the direction orthogonal to the rotating direction is formed to a periodically rugged shape. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner image carrier such as an electrophotographic photosensitive member and an intermediate transfer member, a method for producing the toner image carrier, and an electrophotographic apparatus having the toner image carrier.

  There are various types of image forming apparatuses adopting an electrophotographic system, so-called electrophotographic apparatuses. For example, when viewed by a transfer system, a toner image is transferred from an electrophotographic photosensitive member to a transfer material (paper, OHT, etc.). An electrophotographic apparatus using a direct transfer method, or an electrophotographic apparatus using a method (intermediate transfer method) in which a toner image is primarily transferred from an electrophotographic photosensitive member to an intermediate transfer member and then secondarily transferred from the intermediate transfer member to a transfer material. is there.

  In an electrophotographic apparatus, toner that cannot be transferred (including primary transfer and secondary transfer) and remains on the outer peripheral surface of a toner image carrier such as an electrophotographic photosensitive member or an intermediate transfer member (hereinafter referred to as “transfer residual toner”). .)) Is one of the major problems.

As one method of cleaning the transfer residual toner on the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier, a method of scraping and removing the transfer residual toner with a cleaning blade disposed in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier (hereinafter referred to as “ "Blade cleaning method" is known. As a technique for improving the cleaning performance of the blade cleaning method, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of setting the ten-point average roughness of the surface of the intermediate transfer member to 3.5 μm or less.
JP-A-10-142956

  However, the present inventors have formed an endless belt-shaped intermediate transfer member (intermediate transfer belt) having an outermost surface (layer on the outermost peripheral surface side) formed by a dip coating method and having an outer peripheral surface with a 10-point average roughness of 0.1 μm. ) And a blade cleaning method were combined to perform a cleaning performance test. In some cases, the cleaning blade was caught by the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt during the test and was damaged.

  In other words, when the smoothness of the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier such as an intermediate transfer member is high, it is suitable for removing the transfer residual toner by the cleaning blade, but the cleaning blade is caught in the rotation of the toner image carrier. There is a problem that it becomes easy. In particular, when the outermost layer of the toner image carrier is a coating layer (a layer formed by application of a coating liquid), the surface of the outermost layer, that is, the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier is extremely smooth depending on the physical properties of the coating liquid. As a result, the cleaning blade is more likely to be caught.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a toner image carrier capable of achieving both high cleaning performance and suppression of cleaning blade entrainment when used in an electrophotographic apparatus employing a blade cleaning method, and a method for producing the toner image carrier. And an electrophotographic apparatus including the toner image carrier.

The present invention provides a rotationally driveable toner image carrier for carrying a toner image, wherein a plurality of grooves along the rotation direction of the toner image carrier are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier, A toner image carrier characterized in that a plurality of grooves are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the rotational direction, whereby the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier is a periodic uneven shape. It is.

  The present invention also relates to a method for producing a toner image carrier having an application layer as the outermost layer of the toner image carrier, wherein the application liquid is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the object to be applied. And a curing step for curing the coating solution by applying energy to the coating solution applied by the coating step, and the curing step is performed by applying regions having different energy densities by the coating step. A method for producing a toner image carrier, comprising a step of curing the coating liquid by distributing it on the outer peripheral surface of the liquid.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrophotographic apparatus comprising the toner image carrier.

  According to the present invention, when used in an electrophotographic apparatus employing a blade cleaning method, a toner image carrier capable of achieving both high cleaning performance and suppression of cleaning blade entrainment, and a method for producing the toner image carrier And an electrophotographic apparatus provided with the toner image carrier.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
As described above, the toner image carrier of the present invention has a plurality of grooves along the rotation direction (hereinafter referred to as “rotation direction”) of the toner image carrier on the outer peripheral surface thereof. Further, by arranging a plurality of grooves in a direction orthogonal to the rotation direction (hereinafter referred to as “orthogonal direction”), the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier in the orthogonal direction is a periodic uneven shape. .

The outline of the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS.
1 and 2, reference numeral 101 denotes a toner image carrier, 101a denotes a rotation direction (the rotation direction of the toner image carrier 101), and 101b denotes an orthogonal direction (a direction orthogonal to the rotation direction 101a of the toner image carrier 101). , 102 is a groove formed along the rotation direction 101a of the toner image carrier 101. A plurality of grooves 102 are arranged in the orthogonal direction 101b. 1 and 2 are partially simplified for the purpose of explanation, such as the number of grooves 102, and the present invention is not limited to the form shown in FIGS.

  In the present invention, it is only necessary that a plurality of the grooves 102 are arranged in the orthogonal direction 101b. For example, the grooves 102 may be formed without interruption in the rotation direction 101a as shown in FIG. 1, or as shown in FIG. As described above, the groove 102 may be formed so that the place where the groove 102 is present and the place where the groove 102 is not present are alternated. Further, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the grooves may be formed so that the number of grooves per unit length in the orthogonal direction 101b (the period of unevenness) is the same at any position. As shown in FIG. 2, the grooves may be formed so that the number of grooves per unit length in the orthogonal direction 101b (period of unevenness) varies depending on the position.

The number of grooves per unit length in the orthogonal direction 101b (period of unevenness) is preferably in the range of 50 to 5000 cm ^{−1 in} the region where the cleaning blade on the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier abuts. More preferably, it is in the range of 100 to 200 cm ⁻¹ .

There is no particular limitation on the uneven shape in the orthogonal direction of the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier. 3 and 4 show examples of shapes in which irregularities appear repeatedly. 3 and 4, reference numerals 301 and 401 denote orthogonal shapes of the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier, and H denotes a groove depth (amplitude of irregularities). Moreover, D is the distance between convex parts and is equal to the distance between grooves. As shown in FIG. 4, when the uneven shape is not constant, the difference between the highest portion of the convex portion and the deepest portion of the concave portion is defined as the groove depth (the uneven amplitude) H. Further, the distance between the highest protrusions among the protrusions is D, and this is the distance between the grooves.

  By providing the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier with the groove and shape as described above, the contact area between the toner image carrier and the cleaning blade can be reduced, and the toner image carrier can be driven to rotate. Since the contact area between the toner image carrier and the cleaning blade can be kept substantially constant, the contact state and sliding state of the cleaning blade with respect to the toner image carrier can be stabilized. It is possible to prevent the image carrier from being caught in the rotation.

  From the viewpoint of stably and sufficiently cleaning (removing) the toner on the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier, the amplitude (groove depth) and the distance between the grooves of the concave and convex shapes on the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier are: The average particle size of the toner to be used is preferably smaller than the average particle size. Specifically, since the average particle size of the toner to be normally used is several μm, the amplitude of the unevenness (groove depth) is 0.2 to 1. The thickness is preferably in the range of 0 μm, more preferably 0.6 μm or less. Moreover, it is preferable that the distance between grooves exists in the range of 50-100 micrometers. If the amplitude of the unevenness (groove depth) and the distance between the grooves are within the above ranges, the cleaning blade can be brought into contact with and slidably stabilized.

  Examples of the shape of the toner image carrier of the present invention include a belt shape and a drum shape. However, the degree of freedom in arranging the toner image carrier in the electrophotographic device is increased, and the electrophotographic device main body can be reduced in size by effectively using the space. The belt shape is preferable because it can reduce the cost and cost.

  In addition, in order to have the groove and shape as described above on the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier, the outermost layer of the toner image carrier is formed by coating from the viewpoint of easy control of the outer peripheral surface shape. Is preferred. Specifically, the coating liquid is applied to an object to be coated (immediately before forming the outermost layer of the toner image carrier) to form a wet film, and then the coating liquid (wet film) is cured. When applying energy to the coating liquid, the density of energy applied to the part to be recessed (energy amount per unit area) is different from the density of energy applied to the part to be convex. In other words, by distributing the regions having different energy densities and curing the coating solution, the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier can have the grooves and shapes as described above.

  The regions having different energy densities are formed, for example, through a mask (a mask having a slit) having an elongated opening (slit) formed at an appropriate width and interval and having an appropriate arrangement. It can be formed by applying energy for curing to the coating solution. The mask is disposed on the coating liquid so that the longitudinal direction of the slit is the rotational direction of the toner image carrier.

  The energy to be applied to the coating solution can be appropriately selected depending on the type of the binding material (resin etc.) contained in the coating solution (wet film). For example, a photo-curable binding material is added to the coating solution. When it is contained, light energy can be used as energy, and when a thermosetting binder material is contained in the coating liquid, heat energy can be used as energy.

In addition, as a method for providing the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier with the grooves and shapes as described above, a method of mixing fine particles in the coating solution for the outermost layer of the toner image carrier, and an outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier After applying the outermost layer coating liquid to the substrate and forming a wet film, apply a periodic saw blade tool to the wet film to wet it. A method of transferring to the surface (outer peripheral surface) of the film in a state is also mentioned.

  However, in the method of mixing fine particles in the coating solution for the outermost layer, although it is easy to form a periodic concavo-convex shape in the direction orthogonal to the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier, a plurality of grooves along the rotation direction are formed. It is difficult to form. Further, in the case of the method of machining the outer peripheral surface, the surface shape obtained by the machining is a shape reflecting the tip shape of the machining tool. Therefore, a groove along the rotation direction is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier. Although it is easy to form a plurality, it is difficult to form a periodic uneven shape in the orthogonal direction. In the case of transferring the saw blade shape to the surface (outer peripheral surface) of the wet film, the transferred saw blade shape when the coating solution (wet film) is cured after the saw blade shape is transferred. Whether or not it can be maintained depends largely on the physical properties of the coating solution, and therefore lacks versatility.

  In addition, a skin layer (thin film) is formed on the outermost surface of the outermost layer of the toner image carrier of the present invention in which the additive contained in the outermost layer coating solution is unevenly distributed on the outer peripheral surface side of the toner image carrier. May be. The additive in the coating solution may be unevenly distributed due to the interaction with the binding material or the like in the coating solution. Depending on the type of additive, the electrophotographic characteristics may be improved.

  In addition, the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier of the present invention preferably has high water repellency (releasability) from the viewpoint of improving the cleaning property and improving the slipperiness of the cleaning blade, and specifically, the toner image carrier. The contact angle of the outer peripheral surface with respect to pure water is preferably 90 ° or more, and more preferably 95 ° or more.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a schematic configuration of an electrophotographic apparatus using an endless belt-shaped toner image carrier of the present invention as an intermediate transfer belt (endless belt-shaped intermediate transfer body).

  In FIG. 5, reference numeral 1 denotes a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member, which is driven to rotate at a predetermined peripheral speed in the direction of the arrow about the shaft 2.

  The outer peripheral surface of the rotationally driven electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 is uniformly charged to a predetermined positive or negative potential by a charging unit (primary charging unit: charging roller or the like) 3, and then slit exposure, laser beam scanning exposure, or the like. The exposure light (image exposure light) 4 output from the exposure means (not shown) is received. The exposure light at this time is exposure light corresponding to the first color component image (for example, yellow component image) of the target color image. In this way, the first color component electrostatic latent image (yellow component electrostatic latent image) corresponding to the first color component image of the target color image is sequentially formed on the outer peripheral surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1.

  The intermediate transfer belt 11 stretched by the stretching roller 12 and the secondary transfer counter roller 13 has substantially the same peripheral speed as that of the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 in the direction of the arrow (for example, 97 to 97% of the peripheral speed of the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1). 103%).

  The first color component electrostatic latent image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 is formed by the first color toner (yellow toner) contained in the developer of the first color developing means (yellow developing means) 5Y. The first color toner image (yellow toner image) is developed. Next, the first color toner image formed and supported on the outer peripheral surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 is transferred to the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 and the primary transfer member (primary transfer roller) 6p by the primary transfer bias from the primary transfer member 6p. Are sequentially transferred onto the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 that passes between them.

  The outer peripheral surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 after the transfer of the first color toner image is cleaned by receiving the developer (toner) remaining after the primary transfer by the electrophotographic photosensitive member cleaning means 7p (7pb is a cleaning blade). Then, it is used for image formation of the next color.

  Similarly to the first color toner image, the second color toner image (magenta toner image), the third color toner image (cyan toner image), and the fourth color toner image (black toner image) are respectively charged. 3. Exposure light 4 (exposure light corresponding to the second color component image) and second color developing means 5M, charging means 3, exposure light 4 (exposure light corresponding to the third color component image) and third color The intermediate transfer belt is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor 1 by the developing unit 5C, the charging unit 3, the exposure light 4 (exposure light corresponding to the fourth color component image), and the fourth color developing unit 5K. 11 are sequentially transferred to the outer peripheral surface. Thus, a synthetic toner image corresponding to the target color image is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11. During the primary transfer of the first to fourth colors, the secondary transfer member (secondary transfer roller) 6s and the cleaning blade 7ib of the intermediate transfer belt cleaning means 7i are separated from the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11.

  The composite toner image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 is transferred from the transfer material supply unit (not shown) to the secondary transfer counter roller 13 and the intermediate transfer belt 11 by the secondary transfer bias from the secondary transfer member 6s. Secondary transfer is sequentially performed on a transfer material (paper or the like) P that is taken out and fed between the secondary transfer member 6s (contact portion) in synchronization with the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 11.

  The transfer material P that has received the transfer of the synthetic toner image is separated from the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 and is introduced into the fixing means 8 to receive image fixing, thereby forming a color image formed product (print, copy) outside the apparatus. Printed out.

  The cleaning blade 7ib of the intermediate transfer belt cleaning means 7i is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11 after the composite toner image is transferred, and the secondary transfer residual developer (toner) is removed by the cleaning blade 7ib. And cleaned surface.

  In addition, the outer peripheral surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 after the transfer residual developer (toner) is removed by the electrophotographic photosensitive member cleaning unit 7p may be subjected to charge removal processing by pre-exposure light from the pre-exposure unit. As shown in FIG. 5, when the charging unit 3 is a contact charging unit using a charging roller or the like, pre-exposure is not necessarily required.

  The toner image carrier of the present invention may be used as an intermediate transfer member as described above, or other toner image carrier that requires cleaning (removal) of toner by a cleaning blade (for example, transfer). It may be used for a material conveying member or an electrophotographic photosensitive member.

  In addition, the “toner image” in the present invention is not limited to a toner image that is finally output as a print or a copy, and includes, for example, a toner patch formed on an outer peripheral surface of a transfer material conveying member or the like.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these.
Endless belts 1 to 12 were produced by the procedure described below.

(Example 1)
-Preparation of endless belt 1 A 50 μm thick sheet made of polyvinylidene fluoride (made by Kureha Chemical Co., Ltd.) in which carbon black is dispersed is wound twice around the outer circumference of an aluminum cylinder, and there is a slight gap (about 100 μm). Then, after fitting with a SUS cylinder that can be fitted, the sheet was sandwiched between an inner aluminum cylinder and an outer SUS cylinder.

  Next, while being sandwiched between the aluminum cylinder and the SUS cylinder, it was uniformly heated to the melting temperature of polyvinylidene fluoride and cooled, and then an endless belt substrate having a thickness of 100 μm was obtained. The inner peripheral surface of the SUS cylinder is finished by cutting so that it has a saw blade shape with a period of 20 μm and an amplitude of 1 μm in the cylinder width direction (direction parallel to the axis of the SUS cylinder). The shape of the inner peripheral surface of the SUS cylinder was transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt base.

  A solution of acrylic resin (manufactured by Dainippon Ink & Chemicals, Inc.) in which fluorine atoms are arranged as a functional group of the polymer is dip-coated on the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt base, and then placed in an electric furnace kept at 80 ° C. By standing for a minute, an endless belt 1 having a surface layer with an average film thickness of 1 μm was obtained. The endless belt 1 has a two-layer structure of a base and a surface layer.

  The outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 1 had a shape schematically illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4. The outer peripheral surface of the endless belt base has a discontinuous saw blade shape, but the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 1 after forming the surface layer has a smoothly continuous uneven shape.

(Comparative Example 1)
-Production of endless belt 2 An acrylic resin (manufactured by JSR Co., Ltd.) in which inorganic fine particles are dispersed in an acrylic resin in which fluorine atoms are arranged as a functional group of the polymer used for forming the surface layer of endless belt 1. An endless belt was produced in the same manner as the endless belt 1 except that the endless belt 1 was changed.
The outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 2 was relatively smooth, and periodicity was not confirmed.

(Comparative Example 2)
・ Preparation of endless belt 3 Acrylic resin (manufactured by Sumitomo Osaka Cement Co., Ltd.) in which fine particles of an acrylic resin in which fluorine atoms are arranged as a functional group of the polymer used for forming the surface layer of endless belt 1 are dispersed. An endless belt was prepared in the same manner as the endless belt 1 except that the endless belt 3 was changed.
The outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 3 was relatively smooth, and periodicity was not confirmed.

(Comparative Example 3)
-Preparation of endless belt 4 Endless belt 1 and the endless belt 1 except that the acrylic resin in which fluorine atoms are arranged as a functional group of the polymer used for forming the surface layer of the endless belt 1 is changed to an acrylic resin (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Silicone). Similarly, an endless belt was produced, and this was designated as endless belt 4.
The outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 4 was relatively smooth, and periodicity was not confirmed.

(Example 2)
-Production of endless belt 5 A 50 μm thick sheet made of polyvinylidene fluoride (made by Kureha Chemical Co., Ltd.) with carbon black dispersed is wound twice around the outer circumference of an aluminum cylinder and fitted with a slight gap. After fitting with a possible SUS cylinder, the sheet was sandwiched between an inner aluminum cylinder and an outer SUS cylinder.

  Next, while being sandwiched between the aluminum cylinder and the SUS cylinder, it was uniformly heated to the melting temperature of polyvinylidene fluoride and cooled, and then an endless belt substrate having a thickness of 100 μm was obtained. The inner peripheral surface of the SUS cylinder was finished by buffing so that the cylindrical width direction was a smooth mirror surface.

A wet film is formed by dip-coating a solution of an acrylic resin (manufactured by JSR Co., Ltd.) added with a water-repellent silicone resin on the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt base, and then the wet film (coating liquid). A mask having a plurality of slits arranged in parallel along the circumferential direction (rotation direction) of the endless belt (hereinafter simply referred to as “mask having slits”) is disposed on Thus, the endless belt 5 was obtained by irradiating the wet film with ultraviolet rays having an illuminance of 100 mJ / cm ² . The mask was arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the slit was the rotation direction of the toner image carrier. A skin layer in which a water-repellent silicone resin is unevenly distributed is formed on the extreme surface of the endless belt 5. The endless belt 5 has a two-layer structure of a base and a surface layer (a total three-layer structure is obtained because if the skin layer is counted, the surface layer is divided into a skin layer and a non-skin layer).

The mask slit pitch was 200 μm, and the ratio of the slit width to the width of the non-slit portion was 1: 1.
The outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 5 has a shape schematically illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4.

(Example 3)
-Preparation of endless belt 6 Endless belt 6 is endless in the same manner as endless belt 5 except that the mask having slits is changed to a slit pitch of 100 μm (ratio of slit width to non-slit width is 1: 1). A belt was produced and used as an endless belt 6.
The outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 6 has a shape schematically illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4.

Example 4
・ Production of endless belt 7 A mask having slits in which slits and non-slit portions are alternately arranged in the rotation direction of the endless belt (mask slit pitch is 100 μm, slit width and slit are not slits) An endless belt was produced in the same manner as the endless belt 5 except that the ratio to the width of the portion was changed to 1: 1).
The outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 7 had a shape schematically illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4.

(Example 5)
-Production of endless belt 8 In which a mask having slits is arranged such that slits and non-slit portions alternate in the rotation direction of the endless belt (mask slit pitch is 50 μm, slit width and slit are not slits) An endless belt was produced in the same manner as the endless belt 5 except that the ratio to the width of the portion was changed to 1: 1).
The outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 8 had a shape schematically illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

(Example 6)
-Fabrication of endless belt 9 A slit having a slit arranged so that the slit and the non-slit portion alternate in the direction of rotation of the endless belt (mask slit pitch is 50 μm, slit width and not slit) The ratio of the width to the portion is changed to 1: 1), and the endless belt is the same except that the water-repellent silicone resin is not added to the acrylic resin (manufactured by JSR Corporation) used for forming the surface layer. An endless belt was produced in the same manner as in Example 5, and this was designated as endless belt 9.
The outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 9 had a shape schematically illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

(Example 7)
-Preparation of endless belt 10 Endless belt 10 is endless in the same manner as endless belt 5 except that the mask having slits is changed to a slit pitch of 20 μm (ratio of slit width to non-slit width is 1: 1). A belt was produced and used as an endless belt 10.
The outer peripheral surface of the endless belt 10 has a shape schematically illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3.

(Comparative Example 4)
-Preparation of endless belt 11 A 50 μm thick sheet made of polyvinylidene fluoride (made by Kureha Chemical Co., Ltd.) in which carbon black is dispersed is wound twice around the outer circumference of an aluminum cylinder and fitted with a slight gap. After fitting with a possible SUS cylinder, the sheet was sandwiched between an inner aluminum cylinder and an outer SUS cylinder.

  Next, while being sandwiched between the aluminum cylinder and the SUS cylinder, it was uniformly heated to the melting temperature of polyvinylidene fluoride and cooled, and then an endless belt substrate having a thickness of 100 μm was obtained. The inner peripheral surface of the SUS cylinder was finished by buffing so that the cylindrical width direction was a smooth mirror surface.

The outer peripheral surface of the endless belt base, after a solution of acrylic resin with the addition of water-repellent silicone resin (JSR (Ltd.)) was dip coated to form a film of wet, the ultraviolet illuminance 100 mJ / cm ² The endless belt 11 was obtained by irradiating the wet film. A skin layer in which a water-repellent silicone resin is unevenly distributed is formed on the extreme surface of the endless belt 11. The endless belt 11 has a two-layer structure of a substrate and a surface layer (a total three-layer structure is obtained because if the skin layer is counted, the surface layer is divided into a skin layer and a non-skin layer).

(Comparative Example 5)
-Production of endless belt 12 An endless belt was produced in the same manner as the endless belt 11 except that the water-repellent silicone resin was not added to the acrylic resin (manufactured by JSR Co., Ltd.) used in forming the surface layer. This was designated as endless belt 12.

(Evaluation)
Measurement of the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the endless belts 1 to 12 For the measuring instrument, a stylus type surface roughness meter (trade name: SE-3400, manufactured by Kosaka Laboratory Ltd.) was used, and the measurement length was 0.8 mm. The measurement was performed at a scanning speed of 0.1 mm / s. The shape of the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt in the orthogonal direction (direction orthogonal to the rotation direction) is represented by a curve (roughness curve) obtained by scanning in the orthogonal direction. The presence or absence of periodicity was judged from this roughness curve, and the period was measured as “D” and the amplitude as “H”. When periodicity was not confirmed, 10-point average roughness was substituted for H.

・ Measurement of the contact angle of the outer peripheral surface of the endless belts 1 to 12 with pure water Specifically, a water droplet is formed on the needle tip from a syringe filled with pure water, and this water droplet is gently placed on the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt for injection. After the needle was moved away from the water droplet, the angle formed by the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt and the water droplet was measured. The measurement was made in the same manner at five locations, and the average was taken as the contact angle with respect to pure water on the outer peripheral surface of the endless belt.

Evaluation of entrainment characteristics of cleaning blade Endless belts 1 to 12 were each mounted as an intermediate transfer belt in an electrophotographic apparatus having a schematic configuration shown in FIG. 6, and the entrainment characteristics of the cleaning blade for the intermediate transfer belt were evaluated.

Specifically, after the toner is transferred to the endless belt (intermediate transfer belt) in a band of 10 mm width only once, the intermediate transfer belt cleaning blade is brought into contact with the endless belt (intermediate transfer belt) 50 The number of rotations of the endless belt (intermediate transfer belt) until the cleaning blade for the intermediate transfer belt was wound around the endless belt (intermediate transfer belt) was measured. The measurement results were classified into the following three grades.
A: 30 revolutions or more B: 10 revolutions or more and less than 30 revolutions C: less than 10 revolutions

Evaluation of Cleaning Characteristics of Cleaning Blade Endless belts 1 to 12 were each mounted as an intermediate transfer belt in an electrophotographic apparatus having a schematic configuration shown in FIG. 6, and the cleaning characteristics of the cleaning blade for the intermediate transfer belt were evaluated.

Specifically, the toner was transferred twice to an endless belt (intermediate transfer belt) in the form of a 10 mm wide belt, and it was confirmed that the entire amount of toner could be removed with a cleaning blade. The measurement results were classified into the following four grades.
AA: 100% toner could be removed, and the same was true after repeating 100,000 times.
A: 100% toner was removed.
B: Although 95% or more of the toner could be removed, some of the toner remained unremovable.
C: Only less than 90% of the toner could be removed, and most of the toner remained unremovable.

  The evaluation results are shown in Table 1. In Table 1, “contact angle” means the above “contact angle with respect to pure water on the outer peripheral surface”, “entrainment characteristic” means “the entrainment characteristic of the cleaning blade”, and “cleaning characteristic” means the above It means “cleaning characteristics of the cleaning blade”.

The endless belt produced in the same manner as the endless belts 7 and 8 was evaluated as an endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photosensitive member (photosensitive belt) or a transfer material conveying member (transfer material conveying belt). In addition, good results were obtained for both the cleaning characteristics.

  According to the present invention, when used in an electrophotographic apparatus employing a blade cleaning method, a toner image carrier capable of achieving both high cleaning performance and suppression of cleaning blade entrainment, and a method for producing the toner image carrier And an electrophotographic apparatus provided with the toner image carrier.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an outer peripheral surface of a toner image carrier. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another outline of the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier. It is a figure which shows the example of the shape where an unevenness | corrugation appears repeatedly. It is a figure which shows another example of the shape where an unevenness | corrugation appears repeatedly. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an electrophotographic apparatus using an endless belt-shaped toner image carrier of the present invention as an intermediate transfer belt. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Electrophotographic photosensitive member 2 Axis 3 Charging means 4 Exposure light 5Y First color developing means 5M Second color developing means 5C Third color developing means 5K Fourth color developing means 6p Primary transfer member 6s Secondary transfer member 7i Intermediate transfer belt cleaning means 7ib, 7pb Cleaning blade 7p Electrophotographic photosensitive member cleaning means 8 Fixing means 11 Intermediate transfer belt 12 Stretching roller 13 Secondary transfer counter roller 101 Toner image carrier 101a Rotation direction (toner image carrier) 101 direction of rotation)
101b orthogonal direction (direction orthogonal to the rotation direction 101a of the toner image carrier 101)
102 Grooves 301 and 401 formed along the rotation direction 101a of the toner image carrier 101. Shape of the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier in the orthogonal direction D Distance between the protrusions H Groove depth (amplitude of unevenness)
P transfer material

Claims (12)

  In a rotationally driven toner image carrier for carrying a toner image, a plurality of grooves along the rotation direction of the toner image carrier are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier, and orthogonal to the rotation direction. A toner image carrier, wherein a plurality of the grooves are arranged in the direction to be aligned, so that the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier in the orthogonal direction is a periodic uneven shape.   The toner image carrier according to claim 1, wherein an amplitude of the unevenness of the uneven shape is 0.2 to 1.0 μm.   The toner image carrier according to claim 1, wherein a contact angle of the outer peripheral surface with pure water is 90 ° or more.   The toner image carrier according to claim 1, which has an endless belt shape.   The toner image carrier according to claim 1, further comprising a coating layer as an outermost layer.   The toner image carrier according to claim 1, which is an intermediate transfer member. A method for producing a toner image carrier having a coating layer as the outermost layer according to claim 5,
A coating process for coating the coating liquid for the coating layer on the outer peripheral surface of the coated body, and a curing process for curing the coating liquid by applying energy to the coating liquid coated by the coating process,
A method for producing a toner image carrier, wherein the curing step is a step of curing the coating solution by distributing regions having different energy densities to the outer peripheral surface of the coating solution applied by the coating step.   In the curing step, a mask having a slit is disposed along the rotation direction of the toner image carrier on the coating solution applied in the coating step, and then energy is applied to the coating solution through the mask. The method for producing a toner image carrier according to claim 7, wherein the coating liquid is cured by the step.   An electrophotographic apparatus comprising the toner image carrier according to claim 1.   The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a cleaning unit configured to clean toner on an outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier.   The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the cleaning unit has a cleaning blade disposed in contact with an outer peripheral surface of the toner image carrier. The electrophotographic apparatus includes an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a charging unit for charging the outer peripheral surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and irradiating the outer peripheral surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member charged by the charging unit with exposure light. An exposure means for forming an electrostatic latent image, and a developing means for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the outer peripheral surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member by the exposure means with toner to form a toner image. A primary transfer member for primarily transferring the toner image on the outer peripheral surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member formed by the developing means to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer member; and primary transfer by the primary transfer member A secondary transfer member for secondary transfer of the toner image on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer member to the transfer material,
The electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the toner image carrier is the intermediate transfer member.

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