JP2006071805A - Cleaning device for cylindrical substrate, and method for cleaning the cylindrical substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent redeposition during cleaning a substrate, and to enhance cleanliness. <P>SOLUTION: The cleaning device 100 has cleaning tanks 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d in a form to be filled with a cleaning liquid 41 and to independently house each substrate 2. The cleaning liquid 41 is supplied from the bottom of a recovery tank 44 by a liquid supply pump 46 via a filter 48 and a liquid supply passage 50 to the bottom of each cleaning tank 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d; while the cleaning liquid 41 overflowing the upper open end of the cleaning tank 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d is once reserved in an overflow liquid receiving tank 42, then returned to the recovery tank 44 via a return passage 54 and reused. A plurality of substrates 2 are held by the inner surfaces, by a holding tool 30 provided in a holding device 21 and immersed in the respective cleaning tanks 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a cylindrical substrate cleaning apparatus and method, a cylindrical substrate, and an electrophotographic photoreceptor manufacturing method.

  In recent years, printers and copiers using electrophotographic technology have been required to have higher image quality. An electrophotographic photosensitive member (OPC) is often used for these printers, copiers, etc., and as an electrophotographic photosensitive member, an undercoat layer (UCL) is currently formed on a conductive substrate such as an aluminum tube. A structure in which a charge generation layer (CGL) and a charge transport layer (CTL) are sequentially laminated is the mainstream. Examples of the conductive substrate used for the electrophotographic photosensitive member include a cylindrical substrate made of various materials such as aluminum alloy, copper, nickel, stainless steel, brass, and various materials such as paper, plastic, and glass. Aluminum alloys are most common in terms of price, ease of processing, accuracy of dimensions and shapes obtained, strength and durability, weight, and the like.

  The substrate for an electrophotographic photoreceptor needs to be formed in a desired state from the viewpoint of preventing the interference fringes and the like in terms of shape accuracy and surface properties, and may be subjected to processing such as cutting, grinding, and blasting. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the substrate 2 is honed in a honing apparatus 60 in order to make the surface of the substrate 2 have a desired roughness. The honing device 60 is provided with a support arm 66 supported by a slide plate 64 that moves up and down along a moving guide 62, and a holding device 61 that holds the upper end of the base 2 at the tip of the support arm 66. Is provided. In addition, a nozzle 68 is provided for injecting a honing liquid containing an abrasive for making the surface of the substrate 2 a desired roughness onto the surface of the substrate 2. The injected honing liquid is returned to the nozzle 68 through the circulation path 70. In this honing process, a slight amount of abrasive or the like remains on the surface of the substrate 2.

  After these treatments, the foreign matter and oil adhering to the substrate are subjected to some cleaning, and then the coating film is formed. Such a coating film needs to be applied in a thin film with a uniform thickness, and as a pretreatment, it is necessary to sufficiently clean and remove the surface of the substrate. If the dirt cannot be removed sufficiently by washing, the quality of the coating film is impaired, and defects such as black spots, white spots, and halftone unevenness are caused in terms of image quality.

  Conventionally, halogenated hydrocarbons such as chlorofluorocarbons have been used as cleaning agents. However, hydrocarbon-based, water-based, and semi-water-based cleaning agents that do not destroy the ozone layer are often used from the viewpoint of protecting the global environment. It has become to.

  As cleaning methods, there are various methods such as immersion cleaning in which a substrate is introduced into a tank filled with the cleaning liquid and ultrasonic waves are applied, high-pressure jet cleaning of the cleaning liquid using a jet nozzle or the like, and rubbing cleaning using a rubbing member such as a brush or blade. Many have been adopted. In any of the cleaning methods, a rinsing process is generally provided after cleaning for the purpose of washing away the cleaning agent adhering to the substrate surface. In the rinsing, pure water is filled into the rinsing washing tank while overflowing circulation, the substrate is immersed therein, held for a predetermined time, and then pulled up to replace the cleaning agent on the substrate surface with pure water. It is often performed in a multi-stage rinse tank until the cleaning agent is sufficiently replaced.

  Further, since it is necessary to efficiently clean a large number of substrate surfaces in an actual production process, it is common to simultaneously wash a plurality of substrates at the same time. As shown in FIG. A plurality of bases 2 are arranged in a multi-row arrangement on the immersion table 45 in the immersion tank 43, and the immersion table 45 is lowered and immersed using the holding unit 47, and washed while appropriately irradiating ultrasonic waves. Immersion cleaning that is pulled up and sent to the next process is often used. The same is true for rinsing, and a rinsing cleaning is used in which a plurality of substrates are simultaneously immersed in a tank filled with pure water in a multi-row array, rinsed, and then lifted from the tank and sent to the next process. ing.

  However, the above-described immersion cleaning method has the following problems, and is not sufficient as a method for cleaning a photoreceptor substrate.

  That is, when washing or rinsing by immersing a plurality of substrates, oil or foreign matter brought into the air or from the substrate floats in the dipping bath, and when the washed or rinsed substrate is pulled up from the substrate, the substrate surface is re-applied. It will stick. Generally, in order to remove foreign substances in the tank, the cleaning liquid is overflow-circulated. However, since multiple substrates are introduced into one cleaning tank at a time, the tank becomes large, and the foreign substances in the tank are reliably The oil did not overflow and sufficient oil and foreign matter could not be removed. In particular, when the degree of integration of the substrates to be immersed is increased in consideration of productivity, the phenomenon that the foreign matter to be peeled reattaches between adjacent substrates becomes remarkable, and the cleaning quality deteriorates.

  The present invention has been made for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems, and even when a plurality of photoconductors are cleaned or rinsed at once, sufficient oil and foreign matter can be removed and good cleaning quality can be obtained. Is intended to provide a method that can be secured.

  The cylindrical substrate cleaning apparatus and cleaning method of the present invention have the following characteristics.

  (1) In a cleaning apparatus for a cylindrical substrate that is cleaned by immersing a plurality of cylindrical substrates in a substantially axial direction of the cylindrical substrate in a cleaning tank having at least a cleaning liquid supply, each of the cleaning tanks has a cylindrical shape. Each substrate has an independent cleaning chamber that can be immersed.

  (2) In the cylindrical substrate cleaning apparatus according to (1), a holding device is provided that holds an upper portion of the cylindrical substrate when the cylindrical substrate is immersed in a substantially axial direction.

  (3) The apparatus for cleaning a cylindrical substrate according to (1) or (2), further comprising a holding device that holds the cylindrical substrate when immersed in the substantially axial direction of the cylindrical substrate. A cross-sectional area S perpendicular to the substantially axial direction of the gap formed between the apparatus and the inner surface of the cylindrical base is a cross-sectional area Sa perpendicular to the substantially axial direction of the cylindrical base. On the other hand, there is a relationship of S / Sa ≧ 0.5.

  (4) In a cleaning method for a cylindrical substrate in which a plurality of cylindrical substrates are immersed in a cleaning tank having at least a cleaning liquid supply in the approximately axial direction of the cylindrical substrate, the approximately axial direction of the cylindrical substrate. A cross-sectional area S perpendicular to the substantially axial direction of the gap formed between the holding device and the inner surface of the cylindrical base is used using a holding device that holds the cylindrical base when immersed in However, there is a relationship of S / Sa ≧ 0.5 with respect to the cross-sectional area Sa orthogonal to the substantially axial direction of the cylindrical substrate.

  According to the present invention, when a cylindrical substrate that has been cleaned or rinsed is pulled out of the immersion tank, it is possible to reduce the reattachment of foreign matter or the like to the surface of the substrate, and to ensure good cleaning quality. Can do.

  Usually, for example, the cleaning of the substrate for the photoreceptor is performed by first immersing the substrate in a cleaning agent as described above, followed by a rinsing step for washing away the cleaning agent, a draining step for reducing the moisture on the substrate surface as much as possible, Subsequently, it comprises a drying step for removing moisture remaining on the surface of the substrate. The present invention can be applied to any of the washing process, the rinsing process, and the draining process, and exhibits a desired effect.

  As described above, the immersion cleaning is a method in which the immersion bath is filled with a cleaning solution, the electrophotographic photosensitive member substrate to be cleaned is immersed in the immersion bath, held for a predetermined time, and then lifted from the bath for cleaning. . At this time, the substrate may be cleaned while being irradiated with ultrasonic waves for the purpose of improving the cleaning property.

  The cleaning apparatus 100 of the present embodiment has a configuration as shown in FIG. That is, the immersion cleaning tanks 40 a, 40 b, 40 c, and 40 d are filled with the cleaning liquid 41 and have a shape that can be accommodated independently with respect to the individual substrates 2. On the other hand, from the bottom surface of the recovery tank 44, the washing tanks 40a, 40b, 40c, through the individual liquid supply passages 52a, 52b, 52c, 52d branched through the liquid supply passage 50 through the liquid supply pump 46 and the filter 48, respectively. The cleaning liquid 41 is supplied to the bottom surface portion of 40d, and the cleaning liquid 41 overflowed from the upper open end of the cleaning tanks 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d is temporarily stored in the overflow liquid receiving tank 42 and is always or occasionally returned via the return liquid path 54. It is returned to the collection tank 44 and used again. The inner surfaces of the plurality of base bodies 2 are held by the holding tools 30 provided in the holding device 21, and are immersed in the cleaning tanks 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d, respectively. In the cleaning apparatus 100, four cleaning tanks are used as one group. However, the number is not limited to this, and it is preferable to appropriately select the number of cleaning tanks according to the installation space.

  As described above, the cleaning apparatus 100 may be of a type in which a plurality of substrates are cleaned at a time in a single stage. For example, each of the cleaning apparatuses 100 using the transport apparatus 1 like the cleaning apparatus 200 shown in FIG. The plurality of bases 2 held by the holding tool 30 of the holding device 21 may be sequentially moved and immersed in the cleaning tank groups A, B, and C to perform the cleaning process in multiple stages. That is, as the cleaning tank groups A, B, and C are used, cleaning may be performed by gradually changing the components, concentration, and liquid temperature of the cleaning liquid 41. In FIG. 3, the same components as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. Further, as described above, the cleaning apparatus 200 has four cleaning tanks as one group, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is preferable to appropriately select the number of cleaning tanks according to the space to be installed.

  The cleaning liquid is not particularly limited as long as it is a liquid that can clean the substrate, but it is an aqueous cleaning liquid from the viewpoint of protecting the global environment, less harm to the human body, no risk of ignition and explosion, and ease of handling. Is used. For example, (1) water such as city water, pure water, ion exchange water, well water, (2) nonionic series such as polyoxyethylene alkylphenyl ether, polyoxyethylene / polyoxypropylene / block copolymer type and nonylphenol polyoxyethylene ether Surfactant, alkylbenzene, higher alcohol, anionic surfactant such as oxyacid salt such as sulfuric acid, silicic acid, phosphoric acid and carbonic acid of α-olefin, (3) super reducing property which is a kind of electrolytic alkaline ionized water Known cleaning liquids such as water (manufactured by JEOL Active Ltd., trade names: EKO-13, EKO-13AL, etc.), (4) any mixture of (1) to (3), and the like.

  The same applies to the rinsing, and a rinsing tank is used instead of the cleaning tanks 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d shown in FIG. 1, and this rinsing tank is filled with pure water instead of the cleaning liquid 41, and the substrate 2 after cleaning is filled therein. After being dipped and held for a predetermined time, it is lifted from the tank and rinsed. The rinsing tank of the present invention is similar to the above-described cleaning tank, and has a shape that can be accommodated independently for each substrate 2. Pure water is supplied from the bottom of the rinsing tank, overflowed from the upper open end of the rinsing tank, circulated and reused. If necessary, a plurality of rinsing tanks may be provided in multiple stages with respect to one substrate 2 as necessary, and the rinsing treatment may be performed by sequentially immersing them.

  Moreover, like the cleaning rinsing apparatus 300 shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of base bodies 2 after a small amount of mirror-cutting each held by the holding tool 30 of the holding apparatus 21 using the transport apparatus 1 are degreased and cleaned 1 group, The degreasing cleaning 2 group, the rinsing cleaning 1 group, and the warm pure water purification group may be sequentially moved and immersed in a plurality of immersion baths 40 to perform degreasing cleaning, rinsing, and cleaning processes in multiple stages. In FIG. 4, the same components as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted. As described above, in the cleaning and rinsing apparatus 300, each of the cleaning tank or the rinsing tank is a group composed of four immersion tanks 40, but is not limited to this, and the number of cleaning tanks depends on the installed space. Is preferably selected as appropriate.

  The shape of the washing tank or the rinsing tank is arbitrary, but it is efficient to eliminate the dead space as much as possible and to have a shape along the arrangement of the substrates. At this time, the central axis of the immersion tank or the rinsing tank and the central axis of the substrate holding should be aligned so that the shortest distance between the outer surface of the base and the inner wall of the immersion tank or rinsing tank is the same for each base. Is desirable. If the distance between the outer surface of the substrate and the inner wall of the immersion tank is different, the flow rate of the cleaning liquid varies depending on the position, and the foreign matter in the cleaning liquid is difficult to be discharged uniformly.

  The liquid overflowed from the washing tank or the rinsing tank is once returned to the recovery tank 44 as necessary, and returned to the tank through the liquid feed pump 46 from the lower part of the washing tanks 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d or the lower part of the individual rinsing tanks. It is. At that time, it is effective to install a filter 48 for capturing foreign particles in the circulation path.

  The flow rate of the cleaning liquid or pure water fed to the cleaning tank or the rinsing tank is preferably 5 ml / second or more, more preferably 20 ml / second or more. When the flow rate of the liquid feeding is less than 5 ml / second, there is a disadvantage that foreign matter and oil accumulate in the tank and reattach to the cylindrical base material.

  In cleaning and rinsing, if an ultrasonic transmission device is installed in a cleaning tank or a rinsing tank and ultrasonic waves are irradiated while the substrate is immersed, it is effective for removing foreign substances from the substrate. As the ultrasonic wave at this time, a type that does not damage the surface of the substrate due to cavitation is selected. For example, when an aluminum alloy is used for the substrate, one having an oscillation frequency of about 28 kHz to about 150 kHz is used. An ultrasonic transmission device that can periodically switch a plurality of frequencies is also effective. The base material subjected to the blasting process often uses a frequency of 80 kHz or more from the viewpoint of preventing the rise of a sacrificial defect called pickup. Further, the base is swung in the vertical direction so that the damage is not concentrated on a specific position of the base.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the base body is dipped and pulled up with the upper end held by the holder 30.

  An example of the holding device 21 for the substrate 2 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  The transport device 1 includes a holding device 21 that holds a cylindrical base 2 as a holding object, and a transport mechanism 4 that transports the cylindrical base 2 via the holding device 21.

  The transport mechanism 4 includes a plurality of vertical rails 6 laid so as to extend in the vertical direction in parallel along the wall surface 5 orthogonal to the horizontal floor surface, and extend in the horizontal direction along the plurality of vertical rails 6. And a plurality of guide members 7 that guide the elevating plate 8 along the vertical rail 6.

  The elevating plate 8 is moved up and down by an elevating drive mechanism 9. The elevating drive mechanism 9 is connected and fixed to the elevating plate 8, and is a drive rod that moves the elevating plate 8 up and down along the vertical rail 6 by moving up and down. 10 and a drive source 11 for moving the drive rod 10 up and down. Therefore, the drive rod 10 moves up and down by the drive source 11, and the elevating plate 8 moves up and down. In addition, the drive source 11 is comprised with a linear motion air cylinder, for example.

  Horizontal rails 12a and 12b are laid in parallel on the upper surface of the lift plate 8, and a slide plate 13 is provided on the horizontal rails 12a and 12b so as to be movable along the horizontal rails 12a and 12b. The slide plate 13 can be slid along the horizontal direction by a horizontal drive mechanism 14, and the horizontal drive mechanism 14 is connected and fixed to the slide plate 13 and moved in parallel with the horizontal rails 12a and 12b. , And a drive source 15 that moves the drive rod 14a parallel to the horizontal rails 12a and 12b. Accordingly, the drive rod 14a is moved in parallel with the horizontal rails 12a and 12b by the drive source 15, and the slide plate 13 is moved in parallel with the horizontal rails 12a and 12b. In addition, the drive source 15 is comprised by the linear motion air cylinder, for example like the drive source 11.

  Further, a support arm 16 extending in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal rails 12a and 12b is fixed to the slide plate 13. A holding device 21 is fixed to the tip of the support arm 16. Accordingly, the holding device 21 can move freely in the horizontal direction (A1 or A2 direction in FIG. 1) and the vertical direction (arrow B direction in FIG. 1) by operating the elevating drive mechanism 9 and the horizontal drive mechanism 14. It has become.

  The holding device 21 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view showing the main part of the holding device 21, and FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the holding mechanism of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the holding device 21 includes a holding mechanism 23 for holding the cylindrical base 2, and a drive unit that drives the holding mechanism 23 so that the cylindrical base 2 is held by the holding mechanism 23. 24.

  The holding mechanism 23 includes a ring-shaped external gear 25, and a gear portion 25 a is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the external gear 25.

  Three disc-shaped internal spur gears (internal gears) 26 are arranged inside the external gear 25, and a gear portion 27 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of each internal spur gear 26. In the present embodiment, the three internal spur gears 26 are referred to as 26a to 26c, respectively, for convenience of explanation. The internal spur gears 26 a to 26 c are arranged at equal intervals along the inner peripheral surface of the external gear 25. The internal spur gears 26a to 26c are rotatable around a rotation shaft 28 that passes through the centers thereof.

  And the gear part 25a of the external gear 25 and the gear part 27 of each internal spur gear 26a-26c are meshed | engaged mutually. Therefore, when the external gear 25 is rotated, all the internal spur gears 26a to 26c rotate in conjunction with the rotation, and conversely, when any of the three internal spur gears 26a to 26c is rotated, The external gear 25 rotates in conjunction with it, and the other internal gears rotate in conjunction with it.

  A rotating arm 29 is fixed to the rotating shaft 28. The rotating arm 29 rotates in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shaft 28 in a plane orthogonal to the extending direction of the rotating shaft 28. The rotating arm 29 is longer than the radius of the internal spur gear 26. By adjusting the length of the rotary arm 29, it is possible to determine the maximum inner diameter of the cylindrical substrate 2 that can be held. Specifically, if the rotary arm 29 is lengthened, the radius of rotation of a holding pin (holding tool) 30 described later is increased, and the maximum inner diameter of the cylindrical base 2 that can be held can be increased. However, if the rotary arm 29 is too long, the minimum inner diameter of the cylindrical base 2 that can be held becomes large, and the cylindrical base 2 with a small inner diameter cannot be held. Therefore, it is preferable to lengthen the rotary arm 29 as long as the tips do not contact each other when the tips of the three rotary arms 29 are directed toward the rotation center of the external gear 25.

  A holding pin (holding tool) 30 that is orthogonal to the rotating surface of the rotating arm 29 and extends to the opposite side of the rotating shaft 28 is fixed to the tip of the rotating arm 29. The holding pin 30 is made of a relatively strong material such as metal. Here, the holding pin 30 is preferably covered with a rubber material such as natural rubber in order to make it difficult to slip with respect to the inner wall surface of the cylindrical substrate 2.

  The drive unit 24 includes a rotation shaft 28 that passes through the center of the internal spur gear 26b among the three internal spur gears 26, and a drive source 31 that is connected to the rotation shaft 28 and rotationally drives the rotation shaft 28. ing. The drive source 31 only needs to be able to transmit an arbitrary rotational drive force to the rotary shaft 28, and is constituted by a rotary actuator, for example. In this case, the rotational driving force applied to the rotary shaft 28 can be determined by the pressure of the air supplied to the drive source 31. If the air pressure is made constant, the rotational driving force of the rotary shaft 28 is kept constant. be able to.

  Next, a method for holding the cylindrical substrate 2 using the transfer apparatus 1 will be described.

  First, the holding device 21 is moved by the operation of the transport device 1 in the vicinity of the cylindrical base body 2 arranged in an upright state on the floor surface. The holding device 21 can be moved by the transport mechanism 4. Specifically, the slide plate 13 is moved along the horizontal rails 12a and 12b by operating the drive source 15 of the horizontal drive mechanism 14 and moving the drive rod 14a in the horizontal direction. The slide plate 13 is moved until the holding pin 30 of the holding device 21 is positioned directly above the cylindrical base 2.

  Next, the drive source 11 of the lift drive mechanism 9 is operated, and the lift plate 8 is moved down by moving the drive rod 10 downward. The elevating plate 8 is stopped when the upper end of the holding pin 30 is inserted to the inside of the cylindrical base 2.

  Subsequently, the holding device 21 is operated. Specifically, air is supplied to the drive source 31 of the drive unit 24 to set the air pressure to a predetermined value. At this time, a rotational driving force is applied to the rotary shaft 28 by the drive source 31 to rotate the rotary shaft 28, and accordingly, the internal spur gear 26 b that is a drive gear rotates. At this time, the rotating shaft 28 is rotated in a direction in which the interval between the holding pins 30 is increased. Referring to FIG. 3, the rotation direction of the internal spur gear 26b is a counterclockwise direction.

  When the internal spur gear 26b rotates, the external gear 25 rotates in conjunction with it, the internal spur gears 26a and 26c also rotate in conjunction with it, and eventually all the internal spur gears 26a to 26c rotate. Along with this, the holding pins 30 of all the inscribed spur gears 26 a to 26 c move in an arc shape via the rotating arm 29 and are finally pressed against the inner wall surface of the cylindrical base 2.

  At this time, the interval between the three holding pins 30 can be increased by rotating the internal gears 26a to 26c. For this reason, the cylindrical base 2 having various inner diameters can be held. Accordingly, the cylindrical substrate 2 can be held without switching the holding device to another holding device, and a photosensitive drum (a photosensitive layer is formed on the cylindrical substrate 2 due to a switching loss to another holding device). Can be avoided.

  Further, while the holding pin 30 is moving in an arcuate shape, the center of rotation of the internal spur gears 26a to 26c is not moved and is in a fixed position, so there is no need to enlarge the mechanism for moving the holding pin 30. Rather, by reducing the diameter of the internal spur gear 26, the diameter of the external gear 25 can also be reduced, and the mechanism for moving the holding pin 30 can be made sufficiently small. On the other hand, when the holding pin 30 is moved linearly, the mechanism unit that moves the holding pin 30 is moved linearly, and thus the mechanism unit that moves the holding pin 30 must be enlarged. For this reason, according to the holding device 21, the holding mechanism 23 can be further reduced in size compared with the case where the holding pin 30 is moved linearly, and as a result, the transport device 1 can be reduced in size.

  After all the holding pins 30 are pressed against the inner wall surface of the cylindrical substrate 2, the holding pins 30 are moved until the force applied to the inner wall surface of the cylindrical substrate 2 by the holding pins 30 and the reaction force from the inner wall surface are balanced. . For this reason, the cylindrical base 2 is firmly held by the holding pins 30.

  Even if the inner diameter of the cylindrical substrate 2 is different from the inner diameter, the holding pins 30 are applied to the inner wall surface of the cylindrical substrate 2 by the holding pins 30 in the same manner as described above. Therefore, the cylindrical base 2 is firmly held by the holding pins 30. Therefore, according to the holding device 21, the cylindrical base body 2 can be firmly held regardless of the inner diameter of the cylindrical base body 2.

  Furthermore, in the holding device 21, the internal spur gears 26 a to 26 c are arranged apart from each other so that an opening is provided in the central portion of the external gear 25. For this reason, when drying or cooling while holding the cylindrical base | substrate 2 with the holding | maintenance apparatus 21, the efficiency improvement of heat exchange can be aimed at through opening. In the manufacture of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, the cylindrical substrate 2 is washed with water before the photosensitive layer is applied. The cylindrical substrate 2 is held by the holding device 21 during the moisture drying step after the water washing. Then, as described above, it is possible to flow warm air through the opening and inside the cylindrical base body 2, thereby shortening the drying time and reducing the drying temperature.

  In the above-described holding method, the method of holding the cylindrical base 2 from the inside has been described, but it is of course possible to hold the cylindrical base 2 from the outside. In this case, the cylindrical substrate 2 is held by a method in which the interval between the holding pins 30 is widened in advance before the cylindrical substrate 2 is held, and the rotary shaft 28 is rotated in a direction to reduce the interval between the holding pins 30. Is the same as the method of holding the cylindrical substrate 2 from the inside.

  The cross-sectional area of the gap formed between the inner surface of the base body 2 and the holder 30 so that the liquid can easily enter the base body when immersed in a cleaning tank or a rinsing tank that is an immersion tank in the state described above. It is effective to be a holding tool that makes as wide as possible.

  That is, when immersing the base body 2 in the substantially axial direction, a holder that holds the upper or lower portion of the base body is used, and the gap formed between the holder and the inner surface of the base body 2 with respect to the substantially axial direction. It is preferable that the cross-sectional area S orthogonal to each other is in a relationship of S / Sa ≧ 0.5, more preferably 0.5 to the cross-sectional area Sa orthogonal to the substantially axial direction of the cylindrical base body. ≦ S / Sa ≦ 0.85.

  When the cross-sectional area of the gap portion is narrow, especially when the cross-sectional area of the gap is narrow, the flow of the liquid into the substrate 2 is deteriorated, and the foreign particles in the liquid are difficult to move upward in the immersion tank. Although the same effect can be obtained even when the lower end portion of the base is held by the holder, the device configuration is more preferable because the device configuration is complicated.

  A desirable holding tool in the present embodiment is a holding tool (holding as shown in FIG. 6 which is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion D surrounded by a broken line in FIGS. 5 and 5 described with reference to FIGS. 30) is desirable. In FIG. 5, the same components as those shown in FIG.

  As another holding tool of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 which are enlarged sectional views of E surrounded by a broken line in FIGS. 7 and 7, a holding tool 90 for holding the lower end portion of the base is used. There may be. In the holder 90, a plurality of support rods 94 or one support column 96 that is in contact with the inner surface of the substrate 2 is disposed on the substrate mounting table 92.

  Here, “Sa” mentioned above is a cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axial direction of the base 2 shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, and “S” is the inner surface of the base 2 and the holder shown in FIGS. 30 is a cross-sectional area perpendicular to the substantially axial direction of the gap formed between the substrate 30 and the substantially axis of the gap formed between the inner surface of the base 2 and the plurality of support rods 94 or the support columns 96. It is a cross-sectional area orthogonal to the direction.

  11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of F surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 10 and FIG. 10, the holder shown in FIG. 11 is attached to the side surface of the hollow shaft 99 and the hollow shaft 99 and encloses or discharges gas from the hollow shaft 99. An air chuck having at least one possible rubbery balloon 98.

  Here, the above-described “Sa” is a cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axial direction of the base body 2 shown in FIG. 11, and the above “S” is the distance between the inner surface of the base body 2 and the balloon 98 of the holding tool shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional area orthogonal to the substantially axial direction of the gap portion formed therebetween.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although this invention is demonstrated more concretely based on an Example and a comparative example, this invention is not limited to a following example.

Example 1
Cleaning processing was performed using a cleaning apparatus 300 having a cleaning tank and a rinsing tank that can be independently immersed for each cylindrical substrate 2. This will be described in detail below.

  A cylindrical base body made of an aluminum base tube (JIS A1050) was mirror-cut using a diamond tool to obtain a thickness of 0.75 mm, an outer diameter of 30 mm, and a length of 340 mm. Thereafter, the surface was finished to a smooth surface with Ra of 0.03 to 0.04 μm. After completion of the mirror cutting, the cylindrical base material was degreased and washed. Degreasing cleaning was sequentially performed in two cleaning tanks. A cleaning solution in which a surfactant was dissolved in ion-exchanged water was supplied to each cleaning tank from the bottom, and overflowed from the top. As the surfactant, a nonionic surfactant (LH? 600F manufactured by Lion Corporation) is used, and the concentration of the surfactant in the cleaning liquid is 10 to 20% by weight in the first cleaning tank. In the second washing tank, the content was 1 to 2% by weight. In addition, as the ion exchange water for the cleaning liquid, one having an electric conductivity of 0.1 μS / cm or less was used. Furthermore, ultrasonic waves were applied to the cylindrical base material via a cleaning solution by a plurality of ultrasonic oscillators of 30 to 100 Hz. After the cylindrical substrate was degreased and washed, the cylindrical substrate was rinsed and washed. Rinse washing was performed in the same manner as degreasing washing except that only ion-exchanged water was used as the washing liquid. After rinsing and washing, the cylindrical substrate was immersed in warm pure water maintained at 35 ° C. for 50 seconds and then pulled up at a speed of 1500 m / min. Also at this time, ultrasonic waves were applied to the cylindrical base material via a cleaning liquid by an ultrasonic oscillator. The surface of the cylindrical substrate thus obtained was roughened by a wet honing apparatus. In the roughening treatment, a suspension obtained by suspending 5.7 kg of an abrasive in 51 liters of water is sent to a gun at a flow rate of 10 liters / min, and cylindrical with a compressed air pressure of 0.1 to 0.2 MPa. The substrate was sprayed so that the surface roughness Ra was 0.1 to 0.3 μm. As the abrasive, aluminum oxide having a particle size of 35 μm (Aluna beads (CB? A35S) manufactured by Showa Titanium Co., Ltd.) was used (see FIG. 2).

  The following cleaning treatment was performed on the cylindrical substrate thus roughened. That is, first, well water was sprayed at 25 L / min for 60 seconds on the roughened cylindrical base material, and then a pressing process was performed with a pressing brush while spraying 0.2% surfactant at 2 L / min. As the pressing brush, one composed of a rod-shaped shaft member and a number of nylon brushes attached radially to the shaft member was used. The wire diameter of the brush is 65 μm, the outer diameter of the brush part is 130 mm, the length of the brush is 30 mm, the shaft member is parallel to the rotation axis of the cylindrical base material, and the tip of the brush is the surface of the cylindrical base material It arranged so that it might touch. The pressing process was performed for 60 seconds while the cylindrical base material and the pressing brush were rotated in the same direction, the rotational speed was 100 rpm, and the cylindrical base material was moved up and down.

  The cylindrical base material thus pressed was washed with a washing apparatus 100 shown in FIG.

  Thereafter, similarly, the cleaning of the cylindrical base material was repeated three times in the cleaning device 200 (FIG. 3). At this time, the time T (hereinafter referred to as tact time) T from the time when the cylindrical base material was immersed in a certain cleaning tank to the time when the cylindrical base material was immersed in the next cleaning tank was set to 60 seconds. Further, while the cylindrical substrate was immersed in the cleaning liquid, rinsing and cleaning were performed for 1.5 minutes while vibrating up and down at 30 times / min.

  Next, 100 parts of an organic zirconium compound (trade name: Orgatics ZC540, manufactured by Matsumoto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), 10 parts of a silane coupling agent (trade name: A1100, manufactured by Nihon Unicar Co., Ltd.), polyvinyl butyral resin (trade name) : BM-S, manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.) 10 parts and 130 parts of n-butyl alcohol were mixed, and the cylindrical substrate was dip-coated, heated at 140 ° C. for 15 minutes, A subbing layer having a thickness of 1.0 μm was formed. Next, a hydroxygallium phthalocyanine pigment is mixed with a 2% cyclohexanone solution of polyvinyl butyral resin (trade name: BM-1, manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.) so that the ratio of the pigment to the resin is 2: 1. Then, a dispersion treatment was performed for 3 hours by a sand mill. The obtained dispersion was further diluted with n-butyl acetate and dip-coated on the undercoat layer to form a charge generation layer having a thickness of 0.15 μm. Next, a solution obtained by dissolving 4 parts of N, N′-diphenyl-N, N′-bis (m-tolyl) benzidine and 6 parts of polycarbonate Z resin in a mixed solvent of THF and monochlorobenzene is dip-coated on the charge generation layer. And dried at 115 ° C. for 40 minutes to form a charge transport layer having a thickness of 24 μm. Thus, an electrophotographic photosensitive member was obtained.

(Comparative Example 1)
Instead of the cleaning apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, the cleaning apparatus 400 shown in FIG. 16, that is, the cleaning apparatus 400 having the cleaning tank 43 in which the plurality of cylindrical base bodies 2 are immersed at one time, is used. Cleaning was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the cleaning apparatus shown in FIG. 17 in which the apparatus of FIG. 16 was provided in multiple stages instead of the apparatus 200 was obtained to obtain an electrophotographic photoreceptor.

  About 1000 electrophotographic photoreceptors obtained in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1 shown below, the number of defects on the surface of the photoreceptor is measured using a surface defect evaluation apparatus composed of a CCD camera and a microscope, and the defect occurrence rate. Was calculated. The evaluation results are as follows.

Defect occurrence rate of Example 1: 0.1%
Defect occurrence rate of Comparative Example 1: 3.8%

(Examples 2 and 3)
Cleaning was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the cleaning apparatus shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 was used instead of the cleaning apparatus 100 in Example 1 to obtain an electrophotographic photoreceptor. Examples 2 and 3 have different S / Sa ratios as shown in Table 1.

(Examples 4 and 5)
Cleaning was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the cleaning apparatus shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 was used instead of the cleaning apparatus 100 in Example 1 to obtain an electrophotographic photoreceptor. Examples 4 and 5 have different S / Sa ratios as shown in Table 1.

(Examples 6 and 7)
Cleaning was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the cleaning apparatus shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 was used instead of the cleaning apparatus 100 in Example 1 to obtain an electrophotographic photoreceptor. Examples 6 and 7 have different S / Sa ratios as shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Examples 2 and 3)
Cleaning was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the cleaning apparatus shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 was used instead of the cleaning apparatus 100 in Example 1 to obtain an electrophotographic photoreceptor. In Comparative Examples 2 and 3, the S / Sa ratio is different as shown in Table 1, and the ratio is less than 0.5.

(Comparative Examples 4 and 5)
Cleaning was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the cleaning apparatus shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 was used instead of the cleaning apparatus 100 in Example 1 to obtain an electrophotographic photoreceptor. In Comparative Examples 4 and 5, the S / Sa ratio is different as shown in Table 1, and the ratio is less than 0.5.

(Example 6)
Cleaning was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the cleaning apparatus shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 was used instead of the cleaning apparatus 100 in Example 1 to obtain an electrophotographic photoreceptor.

(Comparative Example 7)
Cleaning was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the cleaning apparatus shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 was used instead of the cleaning apparatus 100 in Example 1 to obtain an electrophotographic photoreceptor.

  For each 1000 electrophotographic photoreceptors obtained in Examples 2-7 and Comparative Examples 2-7, the number of defects on the surface of the photoreceptor was measured using a surface defect evaluation apparatus composed of a CCD camera and a microscope. Incidence was calculated. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

  As described above, it has been found that according to the cleaning apparatus and the cleaning method of the present invention, the cleanliness of the substrate can be effectively increased. Due to the increased cleanliness of the substrate, no white spots, black spots, uneven image density, etc. occur on the image when a photosensitive layer is formed on the substrate and used as an electrophotographic photoreceptor for use in an electrophotographic process. Good image quality can be obtained. This also greatly reduces the cost of manufacturing the electrophotographic photoreceptor substrate.

  The cleaning apparatus and the cleaning method of the invention can be used for cleaning the surface of a general cylindrical substrate, and are particularly useful for the surface cleaning of a cylindrical substrate used in an electrophotographic photosensitive member.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of an example of the washing | cleaning apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of a honing apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other structure of the washing | cleaning apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other structure of the washing | cleaning measure of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of an example of the base | substrate holding | maintenance apparatus in the washing | cleaning apparatus of this invention. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion D surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 5. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the other example of the base | substrate holding | maintenance apparatus in the washing | cleaning apparatus of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of an example of the part E surrounded by the broken line of FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of the other example of the part E enclosed by the broken line of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the other example of the base | substrate holding | maintenance apparatus in a washing | cleaning apparatus. It is an expanded sectional view of the part E enclosed with the broken line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows roughly an example of the conveying apparatus used for the washing | cleaning apparatus of this invention. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the principal part of the holding | maintenance apparatus of FIG. It is a top view which shows the holding | maintenance apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conventional washing | cleaning apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the 1 step | paragraph washing | cleaning apparatus used for the comparative example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the multistage washing | cleaning apparatus used for the comparative example.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transfer apparatus, 2 Cylindrical base | substrate, 21 Holding apparatus, 40a, 40b, 40c, 40d Cleaning tank, 41 Cleaning liquid, 42 Overflow liquid receiving tank, 44 Collection tank, 46 Liquid feeding pump, 48 Filter, 50 Liquid feeding path, 52a, 52b, 52c, 52d Individual liquid supply paths.

Claims (4)

In the cylindrical substrate cleaning apparatus for cleaning by immersing a plurality of cylindrical substrates in a substantially axial direction of the cylindrical substrate in a cleaning tank having at least a cleaning liquid,
The cleaning apparatus for a cylindrical substrate, wherein the cleaning tank has independent cleaning chambers that can be immersed in each cylindrical substrate. The cylindrical substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1,
A cylindrical substrate cleaning apparatus, comprising: a holding device that holds an upper portion of the cylindrical substrate when the cylindrical substrate is immersed in a substantially axial direction. In the cylindrical substrate cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
When dipping in the substantially axial direction of the cylindrical substrate, a holding device for holding the cylindrical substrate is provided,
A cross-sectional area S perpendicular to the substantially axial direction of the gap formed between the holding device and the inner surface of the cylindrical base is perpendicular to the substantially axial direction of the cylindrical base. A cylindrical substrate cleaning apparatus characterized by having a relationship of S / Sa ≧ 0.5 with respect to Sa. In a cleaning method for a cylindrical substrate, the cylindrical substrate is cleaned by immersing a plurality of cylindrical substrates in a substantially axial direction of the cylindrical substrate in a cleaning tank having at least a cleaning liquid supply.
When dipping in the substantially axial direction of the cylindrical substrate, using a holding device that holds the cylindrical substrate,
A cross-sectional area S perpendicular to the substantially axial direction of the gap formed between the holding device and the inner surface of the cylindrical base is perpendicular to the substantially axial direction of the cylindrical base. A method for cleaning a cylindrical substrate, wherein S / Sa ≧ 0.5 in relation to Sa.

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