JP2007304495A - Endless belt and image forming apparatus using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endless belt capable of suppressing separation of the same from a support roll when being fed in a tension state while being wound and hung around a plurality of support rolls, and to provide an image forming apparatus using the endless belt. <P>SOLUTION: The endless belt comprises: an endless belt substrate; and a belt-like anti-meander guide member disposed along a side edge of at least one side of the belt substrate, wherein the anti-meander guide member is composed of a plurality of layers stacked in the thickness direction of the belt substrate and the outermost layer remotest from the belt substrate among the plurality of layers has the highest durometer hardness. The image forming apparatus provided with the endless belt is also provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endless belt and an image forming apparatus using the same, and more particularly to an endless belt used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system such as a copying machine or a printer, and an image forming apparatus using the same.

  As an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system, for example, there is an intermediate transfer type color image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer belt. This is because an intermediate transfer belt that rotates in contact with a transfer portion of an image carrier (for example, a photosensitive drum) on which a toner image is formed by an electrophotographic process is stretched between a plurality of belt support rolls. The plurality of toner images formed on the image carrier are primarily transferred so as to overlap each other at the same position on the intermediate transfer belt, and then the toner image transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt is transferred to a sheet of paper. Secondary transfer is performed at once. The multicolor toner image secondarily transferred onto the paper is then fixed by a fixing device to form a color image.

  In addition, as an image forming apparatus provided with an endless belt, there is also a so-called tandem type color image forming apparatus that uses a sheet conveying belt that carries a sheet and conveys it through a transfer portion of a plurality of image forming units. is there. This is because a plurality of image forming units are arranged side by side in order to individually form toner images of each color component, and the sheet conveying belt is placed between a plurality of belt support rolls so as to rotate in contact with the transfer portion of each image forming unit. Each toner formed in each image forming unit by being stretched and transporting the paper adsorbed and supported by the paper transport belt so as to pass through the transfer portion of each image forming unit The image is transferred onto the same sheet in order to be superimposed, and finally fixed to form a color image.

  By the way, in such a color image forming apparatus using an endless belt such as an intermediate transfer belt or a paper conveying belt, the parallelism of the rotation axis and the outer diameter of the roll are in a plurality of belt support rolls that stretch and support the endless belt. The endless belt does not travel straight, but travels in a state displaced in the axial direction of the belt support roll, due to variations or the tension becomes non-uniform due to a change in the circumference of the endless belt itself. Misalignment and meandering may occur. For this reason, the position of each toner image that is sequentially transferred directly to the endless belt or to the paper carried on the endless belt may be displaced. In this case, the color that is finally formed on the paper There is a problem that an image defect such as color shift or hue change occurs in the image.

  Therefore, in order to prevent such meandering of the endless belt, a method has been proposed in which meandering prevention guides are provided on the inner surfaces of both side edges of the endless belt and the guide portions are guided by grooves provided on the outer periphery of the belt support roll. ing. Regarding the latter technique, for example, a method of adhering a reinforcing tape to which an elastomer is adhered as a guide (for example, see Patent Document 1) has been proposed. By providing such a meandering prevention guide, meandering of the endless belt can be prevented.

  Here, in recent years, there has been a demand for downsizing of an image forming apparatus, and along with this downsizing demand, an endless belt is hung on a plurality of stretching rollers having a radius of curvature (R: roll radius) as compared with the conventional one. Then, the endless belt tends to be conveyed by rotating the stretching roller while being stretched by the plurality of stretching rollers. As the radius of curvature of the tension roller that stretches the endless belt decreases, the contact area between the endless belt, the tension roller of the endless belt, and the area around the contact area are bent following the curvature of the tension roller. It becomes more difficult. As described above, there is a concern that the endless belt is likely to be detached from the stretching roll because the bending along the outer peripheral surface of the stretching roller becomes difficult as the curvature radius of the stretching roller becomes smaller. .

  As a technique of the endless belt provided with the meandering prevention guide, a method of providing a reinforcing material in the meandering prevention guide (for example, refer to Patent Document 2), and a method of providing an adhesive between the meandering prevention guide and the inner peripheral surface of the belt body. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3), and a method of providing a meandering prevention guide continuously on the belt body and providing a groove corresponding to the protrusion of the meandering prevention guide in the stretching roller (for example, see Patent Document 4). ) And the like.

JP-A-4-333457 JP 2004-264522 A Japanese Patent No. 3544192 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-268660

However, in the technique of Patent Document 2 in which a reinforcing material is provided in the meandering prevention guide, the adhesive is used to suppress a decrease in the adhesive when a different material is used, and the adhesive strength between the laminated members is increased. Although it is possible to ensure, it is difficult to bend following the decrease in the radius of curvature of the stretching roller. Further, in the technique of Patent Document 3 in which an adhesive layer made of an adhesive is provided between the meandering prevention guide and the inner peripheral surface of the belt body, the meandering prevention guide is covered by covering 30% or more of the end exposed surface of the adhesive layer. Can be prevented from being peeled off from the belt body, but it is difficult to bend following the decrease in the radius of curvature of the stretching roller.
Further, in the technique of Patent Document 4, alignment with a groove forming position provided on the stretching roller becomes difficult due to curing contraction or thermal contraction of a predetermined meandering prevention guide and a belt provided with the meandering prevention guide. There are cases.

  The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and has the following contents. That is, it is an object of the present invention to provide an endless belt capable of suppressing detachment from the support roll when it is wound around a plurality of support rolls, and an image forming apparatus using the endless belt.

The above problem is solved by the following means.
That is, the present invention
<1> An endless belt base material and a belt-like meandering prevention guide member along at least one side edge of the belt base material are provided, and the meandering prevention guide member is in the thickness direction of the belt base material The endless belt is characterized in that the durometer hardness of the outermost layer farthest from the belt base material of the plurality of layers is the highest among the plurality of layers.

<2> The outermost layer is the endless belt according to <1>, wherein the durometer hardness is A70 / S to A90 / S.
<3> Endless as described in <1> or <2> above, wherein a layer other than the outermost layer of the plurality of layers includes a low hardness layer having a durometer hardness of A40 / S to A60 / S. It is a belt.

<4> The endless belt according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein a thickness of the outermost layer is 20% to 60% of a thickness of the meandering prevention guide member.
<5> The endless belt according to any one of <1> to <4>, wherein the thickness of the low hardness layer is 40% to 60% of the thickness of the meandering prevention guide member.

<6> The endless belt according to any one of the above items <1> to <5>, wherein the belt base material and the meandering prevention guide member are bonded with an elastic adhesive.
<7> The endless belt according to any one of <1> to <6>, wherein the elastic adhesive is a sheet-like heat-sensitive adhesive.

<8> The image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of endless belts according to any one of the above <1> to <7>, and a plurality of the endless belts wound around the endless belts. A support roll.

<9> The image forming apparatus according to <8> includes an intermediate transfer belt, and the intermediate transfer belt is the endless belt according to any one of <1> to <7>.
<10> The image forming apparatus according to <8> includes a transport belt for transporting a recording medium, and the transport belt is the endless belt according to any one of <1> to <9>. It is.

<11> The image forming apparatus according to any one of <8> to <10>, wherein an outer diameter of at least one of the plurality of support rolls is 12 mm to 18 mm.

  According to the endless belt and the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the endless belt capable of suppressing the separation from the support roll when the belt is wound around a plurality of support rolls and stretched, and the endless belt are used. An image forming apparatus can be provided.

The endless belt of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, an endless belt 10 of the present invention is a belt mounted on an electrophotographic image forming apparatus (described in detail later), which is an endless belt base 12 and an inner periphery of the belt base 12. A belt-like meandering prevention guide member 14 provided along at least one side edge of the surface or outer peripheral surface.
By being mounted on an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the belt base 12 is wound around each of a plurality of columnar or cylindrical support rolls, the details of which will be described later, and tensioned by the rotational drive of the plurality of support rolls. It is carried on a rack.

  The belt substrate 12 only needs to be configured in an annular shape, and may or may not have a seam. The material, shape, size, and the like of the belt base material are appropriately set according to the use of the endless belt 10 and the desired function, but the thickness of the belt base material 12 is usually 0.02 to 0.02. About 0.2 mm is preferable.

Examples of the material of the belt substrate 12 include polyimide resin, polyamideimide resin, polyester resin, polyurethane resin, polyamide resin, and fluorine resin. As the polyamideimide resin, Toyobo Viromax HR16NN (solid content: 18% by mass) can be suitably used.
As an example of the material of the belt base material 12, when the endless belt 10 is used as an intermediate transfer belt and a transfer conveyance belt of an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method, a polyimide resin containing a conductive agent is used. The

When the endless belt 10 is used as an intermediate transfer belt of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus and a conveyance belt for conveying a recording medium, the range is from 1 × 10 ⁹ Ω / □ to 1 × 10 ¹⁴ Ω / □. In order to control the surface resistivity, as necessary, as a conductive filler, a metal or alloy such as carbon black, graphite, aluminum, copper alloy, tin oxide, zinc oxide, kalim titanate, tin oxide-indium oxide or A metal oxide such as a tin oxide-antimony oxide composite oxide or a conductive polymer such as polyaniline is used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these, carbon black is preferable as the conductive filler in terms of cost. Moreover, processing aids, such as a dispersing agent and a lubricant, can be added as needed.

Measurement can be performed according to JIS K6991 using a circular electrode (for example, Hiresta UPMCP-450 “UR probe” manufactured by Dia Instruments Co., Ltd.).
Specifically, the circular electrode shown in FIG. 2 (Hiresta UPMCP-450 UR probe manufactured by Dia Instruments Co., Ltd .: outer diameter φ16 mm of cylindrical electrode portion C, inner diameter φ30 mm of ring electrode portion D, outer diameter φ40 mm) The voltage was applied at 100V (100V and 1000V for electric field dependence), and the current value after 10 seconds was calculated. Specifically, it is as described above. The measurement was performed at 22 ° C. and 55% RH environment. In this way, 24 points (3 in the width direction × 8 in the circumferential direction) of the belt were measured, and the average value was defined as the surface resistivity of the belt.

The meandering prevention guide member 14 is provided in a band shape along at least one side edge of the inner peripheral surface or outer peripheral surface of the belt base 12, and a plurality of layers of elastic members are laminated in the thickness direction of the belt base 12. Has been configured.
Among the plural layers of elastic members, the durometer hardness of the outermost layer elastic member as the layer farthest from the belt base material 12 side is configured to be the highest among the plural layers of elastic members. . In the following description, the outermost layer having the highest hardness among the multiple layers of elastic members of the meandering prevention guide member 14 will be referred to as a high hardness layer or an outermost layer as appropriate.

  In this way, by configuring the durometer hardness of the outermost elastic member as the layer provided at the furthest position from the belt base material 12 side so as to be the highest among the plural elastic members, The durometer hardness of the elastic member of the other layer of the outermost layer provided between the outermost layer and the belt substrate 12 can be made smaller than that of the outermost layer (hereinafter, the other layers of the outermost layer). Is referred to as a low hardness layer).

For this reason, the meandering prevention guide member 14 configured in this way is provided along the side edge on at least one side of the inner peripheral surface or outer peripheral surface of the belt base 12, so that the endless belt 10 has a plurality of support rolls to be described later. When the endless belt 10 is stretched by the support roll, the endless belt 10 is bent along the outer peripheral surface of the support roll by the deformation of the low hardness layer in the meandering prevention guide member 14 provided in the region where the endless belt 10 is bent by the support roll. The
Accordingly, partial lifting from the outer peripheral surface of the support roll of the belt base material 12 due to the fact that the meandering prevention guide member 14 is difficult to be bent can be suppressed, and therefore the endless belt stretched and conveyed by the plurality of support rolls. It can suppress that 10 remove | deviates from a support roll.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the meandering prevention guide member 14 is configured by laminating a low hardness layer 18 and a high hardness layer 20 on a belt base material 12. The meandering prevention guide member 14 is bonded to the belt base material 12 by an adhesive layer 16 provided on the belt base material 12.

The low hardness layer 18 is preferably composed of an elastic member having a durometer hardness of A40 / S to A60 / S, more preferably A40 / S to A55 / S, and A40 / S to A50 / S. It is particularly preferred.
By setting the durometer hardness of the low hardness layer 18 within the above range, deformation of the low hardness layer facilitates bending at the support roll of the meandering prevention guide. An effect is obtained that partial lifting can be suppressed.
On the other hand, when the durometer hardness of the low hardness layer 18 is out of the above range, there is a problem that the endless belt partially lifts from the outer peripheral surface of the support roll.

  Here, the durometer hardness means a hardness based on JIS K 6253 (1997). In the present invention, a measurement sample (standard test piece) is prepared by preparing a sheet-like low hardness layer 18 having a thickness of 6 mm as measurement data, and the pressure surface is in close contact with a type A durometer. The measurement result of the standard hardness within seconds was measured as the durometer hardness of the low hardness layer 18. In order to examine the durometer hardness of the low altitude layer of the meandering prevention guide from the endless belt after production, only the low hardness layer is cut out and laminated to a thickness of 6 mm, and can be examined by measuring as described above.

  As the material of the elastic member constituting the low hardness layer 18, the durometer hardness can be configured in the above range, and even if the durometer hardness has the above range even when a filler is added, The hardness is not limited, and the hardness can be adjusted by the selection of the elastic material described below, the type of filler, and the amount added.

As an elastic material used for the low hardness layer 18, specifically, 100 parts by mass of TC-551 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) is used as an isocyanate prepolymer, and ON-D56 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.). A material obtained by using 93 parts by mass as a polyol and heating them at 80 ° C. for 3 hours can be mentioned. The durometer hardness of this elastic material is A42 / S.
Further, 100 parts by mass of TC-551 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) was used as an isocyanate prepolymer, 88 parts by mass of ON-D56 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) was used as a polyol, The material obtained by heating for a time can be mentioned. The durometer hardness of this elastic material is A50 / S.
Further, 100 parts by mass of MC-B86 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) was used as an isocyanate prepolymer, 63 parts by mass of ON-D57 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) was used as a polyol, and both were used at 100 ° C. The material obtained by heating for a time can be mentioned. The durometer hardness of this elastic material is A58 / S.

The thickness of the low hardness layer 18 thus obtained in the stacking direction is in the range of 40% to 60% of the total thickness of the plurality of layers constituting the meandering prevention guide member 14 in the stacking direction. It is preferably within the range, more preferably within the range of 45% to 60%, and particularly preferably within the range of 50% to 55%.
When the thickness of the low-hardness layer 18 in the stacking direction is less than 40% of the total thickness of the meandering prevention guide member 14, there is a problem that the bending polarity of the meandering prevention guide with respect to the support roll is deteriorated. If it is larger than%, the meandering prevention guide itself is easily deformed, and there is a problem that the meandering prevention of the endless belt cannot be suppressed.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, when the endless endless belt 10 is wound around a plurality of columnar support rolls 22 and stretched and conveyed, the belt base 12. Generates a so-called offset force that tends to move in the rotation axis direction (center axis direction) of the support roll 22. When this shifting force is generated, a reaction force (stress) of the same strength generated against this shifting force is directly applied to the meandering prevention guide member 14. In this case, this stress is dispersed and absorbed in the meandering prevention guide member 14, and the side edge of the layer having the highest hardness among the plurality of layers constituting the meandering prevention guide member 14 is arranged in the width direction (outer peripheral surface of the support roll 22. Since the high hardness layer 20 can be brought into direct contact with the support roll 22 of the meandering prevention guide member 14, the endless belt 10 can be prevented from meandering. .
As shown in FIG. 7C, the support roll 22 around which the endless endless belt 10 is wound may be provided with a groove 23 for allowing the meandering prevention guide member 14 to follow (regulate). . In this case, the stress is dispersed and absorbed in the meandering prevention guide member 14, and the side edge of the layer having the highest hardness among the plurality of layers constituting the meandering prevention guide member 14 is the groove 23 provided in the support roll 22. Since the high hardness layer 20 can be brought into direct contact with the support roll 22 of the meandering prevention guide member 14, the endless belt 10 can be prevented from meandering.
From the viewpoint of suppressing the meandering of the endless belt, the high hardness layer 20 is preferably composed of an elastic member having a durometer hardness of A70 / S to A90 / S, and is preferably A70 / S to A80 / S. More preferably, A75 / S to A80 / S are particularly preferable.

By setting the durometer hardness of the high hardness layer 20 in the above range, in addition to the resilience elastic modulus of the meandering prevention guide, the wear resistance is improved, so that an effect of running a stable belt base material can be obtained.
On the other hand, if the durometer hardness of the high hardness layer 20 is outside the above range, there is a problem that the belt base material is easy to meander.

  The durometer hardness of the high hardness layer 20 may be measured in the same manner as the durometer hardness of the low hardness layer 18.

  As a material for the elastic member constituting the high hardness layer 20, the durometer hardness can be configured within the above range, and even if a durometer hardness is within the above range even when a filler is added, the material is particularly limited. However, these hardnesses can be adjusted by selecting the following elastic material, and the type and amount of filler.

As an elastic material used for the high hardness layer 20, specifically, 100 parts by mass of Coronate 4370 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) is used as an isocyanate prepolymer, and Nippon Run 4378 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) is 80 masses. An elastic material obtained by heating the both parts at 70 ° C. for 10 hours can be used, and the durometer hardness of this elastic material is A80 / S.
Further, 100 parts by mass of Coronate 4370 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) is used as an isocyanate prepolymer, 70 parts by mass of Nippon Run 4379 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) is used as a polyol, and both are heated at 70 ° C. for 10 hours. The elastic material obtained by doing can be mentioned. The durometer hardness of this elastic material is A90 / S.
Moreover, a thermosetting urethane sheet (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-90) with a durometer hardness of A90 / S, and a thermosetting urethane sheet (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. typelen TR100 with a durometer hardness of A70 / S). -70).

The thickness in the stacking direction of the high hardness layer 20 thus obtained is in the range of 20% to 60% of the total thickness of the plurality of layers constituting the meandering prevention guide member 14 in the stacking direction. It is preferably within the range, more preferably within the range of 30% to 50%, and particularly preferably within the range of 35% to 50%.
When the thickness of the high-hardness layer 20 in the stacking direction is less than 20% of the total thickness of the meandering prevention guide member 14, the meandering prevention guide is easily deformed, and the meandering prevention of the endless belt cannot be suppressed. There is a problem, and if it is larger than 60%, there is a problem that the flexibility of the endless belt with respect to the support roll deteriorates.

  As described above, the meandering prevention guide member 14 includes the low hardness layer 18 made of an elastic member having a low hardness (durometer hardness A40 / S to A60 / S) and a high hardness (durometer hardness A70 / S to A90 / S). ) And a high hardness layer 20 made of an elastic member, and the high hardness layer 20 is provided as a layer (outermost layer) located on the side farthest from the belt substrate 12, and the thickness of the low hardness layer 18 is By setting the thickness of the high-hardness layer 20 to 20% to 60% of the total thickness of the meander prevention guide member 14, for example, the outer diameter is 14 mm to 18 mm. Even when the endless belt 10 is wound around a plurality of support rolls 22 having a small diameter as described above, the elastic member of the low hardness layer 18 is compressed along the outer peripheral surface or the groove 23 of the support roll 22. Serpentine protection The guide member 14 to follow can be bent. For this reason, the inner peripheral surface of the endless belt 10 can be bent together with the meandering prevention guide member 14 so as to follow the outer peripheral surfaces of the plurality of support rolls 22.

  Therefore, it is possible to suppress the endless belt 10 from being detached from the support roll 22 when the endless belt 10 is stretched and conveyed by the plurality of support rolls 22.

  Further, since the high hardness layer 20 is provided on the outermost surface side of the meandering prevention guide member 14, the side edge of the highest hardness layer among the plurality of layers constituting the meandering prevention guide member 14 is the width direction of the support roll 22. Since the high-hardness layer 20 can be brought into direct contact with the support roll 22 of the meandering prevention guide member 14 by being in contact with the end face (in a direction orthogonal to the outer peripheral surface) or the groove 23 of the support roll 22, endless It is possible to suppress the offset running and the meandering of the endless belt 10 that occur due to the different circumferential lengths of both ends of the belt 10.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the case where the layers constituting the meandering prevention guide member 14 is two layers will be described. However, the meandering prevention guide member 14 of the endless belt 10 of the present invention is limited to two layers. It may be three or more layers.
In the case of three or more layers, the layer provided at the position farthest from the belt base material 12 side among the plurality of layers is the outermost layer having the highest durometer hardness, and the other plural layers of the outermost layer are The durometer hardness may be lower than that of the outermost layer, and at least one of the plurality of layers may be a low hardness layer exhibiting a durometer hardness value as the low hardness layer.

As the adhesive layer 16, an elastic adhesive can be used. As an adhesive for adhering the belt base material 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14 of the endless belt 10 of the present invention, the durometer hardness of the cured adhesive from the viewpoint of having elasticity to follow the deformation of the belt. Can be suitably used an adhesive having elasticity within the range of A30 / S to A50 / S.
Specific examples of such an adhesive include Super-X No 8008 mainly composed of an acrylic-modified silicone polymer manufactured by Cemedine Co., Ltd., and MOS7 mainly composed of a special modified silicon polymer manufactured by Konishi Co., Ltd. From the viewpoint of increasing the adhesive strength between the belt base material 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14, Super-XNo8008 mainly composed of an acrylic-modified silicone polymer manufactured by Cemedine Co., Ltd. is preferably used.

In addition, as such an adhesive layer 16, from the viewpoint of excellent workability as well as elasticity following the deformation of the belt, a heat-sensitive sheet-like adhesive (so-called heat-sensitive adhesive) is used. It is preferable to use.
The heat-sensitive sheet-like heat-sensitive adhesive is a solid having no adhesive strength and adhesive strength at room temperature, but is composed of an adhesive that melts by heating and exhibits adhesive strength when cooled and solidified.

  Thus, by using a sheet-like heat-sensitive adhesive as the adhesive layer 16, and using a sheet-like heat-sensitive adhesive as the adhesive layer 16, the belt base material 12 is prevented from meandering by being in the sheet shape. In adhering the guide member 14, the work is easy, the adhesiveness between the belt base material 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14 is good, the adhesion unevenness between the belt base material 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14 is small, and the adhesive layer 16 can be formed with a uniform thickness.

For this reason, by using a sheet-like heat-sensitive adhesive as the adhesive layer 16, the belt substrate 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14 can be bonded to each other with uniform strength over the entire contact surface. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the deviation between the belt base material 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14 from occurring.
Further, unlike a pressure-sensitive adhesive that adheres by simply applying pressure at room temperature, the sheet-like heat-sensitive adhesive melts by heating, so that the surface of the belt base material 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14 are wet and familiar. Since it can also enter into fine irregularities and solidify, the adhesive strength is higher than that of the pressure-sensitive adhesive.

This sheet-like heat-sensitive adhesive has good wettability during heating of the belt base material 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14 to be bonded, and also damages the belt base material 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14. It is appropriately selected from those that can exhibit adhesiveness at a low temperature.
Here, the heat-sensitive adhesive is a material that undergoes a change in state, such as from solid to liquid, from liquid to solid, etc., when adhering adherends (the belt base material 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14 referred to herein). It is distinguished from an adhesive that does not require a change in state during bonding.

  Examples of such heat-sensitive adhesives include resin materials such as acrylic, polyester, silicone, natural or synthetic rubber, urethane, and synthetic resin such as vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer. Is mentioned. When a polyimide resin or a polyamide-imide resin is used as the belt base material 12 and a polyurethane resin or polyurethane rubber is used as the meandering prevention guide member 14, a polyester-based adhesive is used as a heat-sensitive adhesive constituting the adhesive layer 16. Is preferably used because an endless belt with little breakage and deviation can be obtained. The reason for this is not clear, but the carbonyl group of the polyester-based adhesive interacts with the material surfaces of the belt equipment 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14, which have a large number of oxygen atoms, so that the adhesive force is increased. This is thought to be due to the increase. From the viewpoint of flexibility after bonding, it is preferable to use a polyester-based adhesive.

  A specific example of such a sheet-like heat-sensitive adhesive is D3600 manufactured by Sony Chemical Co., Ltd., which is made of a polyester-based heat-sensitive sheet-shaped adhesive having a thickness of 50 μm.

  When the adhesive layer 16 is configured using the sheet-like heat-sensitive adhesive, the temperature for heating the adhesive layer 16 is preferably 100 ° C. or higher and 180 ° C. or lower, more preferably 120 ° C. or higher and 150 ° C. or lower. It is below ℃. If the heating temperature is less than 100 ° C., the adhesive layer 16 may not be sufficiently melted by the heat-sensitive adhesive and the desired adhesive strength may not be obtained. If the heating temperature exceeds 180 ° C., the belt The base material 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14 may cause problems such as deformation depending on the heating temperature.

  The thickness of the adhesive layer 16 (that is, the length of the adhesive layer 16 in the thickness direction of the belt base material 12) is preferably 0.01 mm to 0.5 mm, and more preferably 0.02 to 0.05 mm. If the sheet thickness of the adhesive layer 16 is less than 0.01 mm, uniform adhesive strength may not be obtained. If it exceeds 0.5 mm, depending on the temperature or pressure applied to the adhesive layer 16 during heat bonding The meandering prevention guide member 14 may be displaced.

-Fabrication of meandering prevention guide member 14-
The meandering prevention guide member 14 composed of a plurality of layers of the elastic member of the present invention is a high-hardness thermosetting urethane sheet molded to a predetermined thickness (for example, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a durometer hardness of A90 / S (Tigers polymer). Typelen TR100-90) and a low-hardness thermosetting urethane sheet molded to a predetermined thickness (for example, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a durometer hardness of A50 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-) 50) can be obtained by preparing a two-layer urethane sheet pasted with an adhesive and cutting it to the size of the intended meandering prevention guide.

As another production method, a urethane material having a two-layer structure is produced by molding a urethane material having high hardness in a semi-cured state, molding a urethane material having low hardness thereon, and heating both materials. Can do.
Specifically, first, 100 parts by mass of Coronate 4370 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) is used as an isocyanate prepolymer, and 70 parts by mass of Nippon Run 4379 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) is used as a polyol, and both are mixed. The resulting liquid is poured into a molding die and heated to produce a semi-cured urethane sheet. (As described above, the durometer hardness of this elastic material is a high hardness urethane material of A90 / S.) Next, 100 parts by mass of TC-551 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) was used as the isocyanate prepolymer. ON-D56 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) is used as a polyol, and a liquid obtained by mixing both is poured onto the semi-cured urethane sheet and heated to heat the second layer of urethane. The material is molded (as described above, the durometer hardness of this elastic material is a low hardness urethane material of A50 / S), and a two-layer urethane sheet can be produced. This urethane sheet can be cut to a desired size to create a meandering prevention guide.

  The endless belt 10 is manufactured by bonding the sheet-shaped belt base 12 and the prepared meandering prevention guide member 14 with the adhesive layer 16, and thereafter bonding the end portions of the belt base 12 to form an annular shape. The endless belt 10 may be manufactured. Alternatively, the endless belt 10 may be manufactured by bonding the meandering prevention guide member 14 along at least one side edge of the inner peripheral surface of the belt base 12 after forming the belt base 12 in an annular shape. The meandering prevention guide member 14 may be provided only on one side edge of the belt base material 12, but from the viewpoint of further meandering prevention effect, durability, reinforcement effect, and the like, along the both side edges of the belt base material 12, More preferably, it is provided at a position spaced a predetermined distance from both side edges. The adhesion position (distance from the side edge) of the meandering prevention guide member 14 to the belt base 12 is appropriately set according to the use and function of the endless belt 10 and the apparatus using the endless belt 10.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the meandering prevention guide member 14 is affixed to the inner peripheral surface side of the endless belt base material 12, but an endless belt is used depending on the application to which the endless belt 10 is applied. You may make it provide in the outer peripheral surface side of the base material 12. FIG.
The meandering prevention guide member 14 is preferably provided over the entire circumference from the viewpoint of the reinforcing effect of the endless belt 10, but the meandering prevention guide member 14 may have a gap of about 1 to 10 mm at the joint. .

  The method for adhering the meandering prevention guide member 14 to the belt base material 12 is not particularly limited. For example, the sheet-like heat-sensitive adhesive composed of release paper on one side is applied to the meandering prevention guide member 14 at about 80 degrees. After the adhesive layer 16 is formed by temporarily adhering at a temperature, the release paper is peeled off, and then the belt substrate 12 is heated at a temperature of 100 ° C. to 180 ° C. to thereby cause the meandering prevention guide member 14 and the belt substrate 12 to It is preferable to use it after being bonded. In this way, the belt base material 12 and the meandering prevention guide member 14 are integrated by the adhesive layer 16 to produce the endless belt 10.

  Note that it is important that the belt substrate 12 and the meander-preventing guide member 14 are bonded together without bubbles, and are usually bonded with a hand roller, a rubber roller, a press, or the like, and bonded under reduced pressure. It is preferable to use a method such as bonding under pressure. Further, the surface of the meandering prevention guide member 14 or the surface of the belt substrate 12 may be improved in adhesion by performing corona treatment, blast treatment, primer treatment, aging, or the like on the opposite surface to be adhered.

<Image forming apparatus>
The image forming apparatus of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is an image forming apparatus of the paper conveyance belt type using the above-described endless belt 10 of the present invention and an image forming apparatus of the intermediate transfer body type using the endless belt of the present invention. Is not to be done. For example, a normal monocolor image forming apparatus that contains only a single color toner in a developing device, or a color image formation in which a toner image carried on an image carrier such as a photosensitive drum is sequentially subjected to primary transfer to an intermediate transfer member. Examples thereof include a tandem type color image forming apparatus in which a plurality of image carriers having developing devices for respective colors are arranged in series on an intermediate transfer member.

  A color image forming apparatus that repeats primary transfer will be described below as an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

An image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 4 includes a photosensitive drum 101 as an image carrier, an intermediate transfer belt 102 as an intermediate transfer member, a bias roller 103 as a transfer electrode, and a paper tray 104 for supplying paper as a transfer target. , K (black) toner developing device 105, Y (yellow) toner developing device 106, M (magenta) toner developing device 107, C (cyan) toner developing device 108, belt cleaner 109, peeling claw 113, support A roll 121, a support roll 123, a support roll 124, a backup roller 122, a conductive roller 125, an electrode roller 126, a cleaning blade 131, a paper 141, a pickup roller 142 and a feed roller 143 are configured.
As the intermediate transfer belt 102, the endless belt 10 of the present invention is used.

  The intermediate transfer belt 102 is stretched across a support roll 121, a support roll 123, a backup roller 122, and a support roll 124 as a plurality of support rolls 22 (see FIG. 7) so as to be stretched. Mounted on the forming apparatus 100. In the following description, a support roll for stretching the endless belt 10 will be collectively referred to as a support roll 22.

  The intermediate transfer belt 102 is stretched and conveyed by a plurality of support rolls 22 (a support roll 121, a support roll 123, a backup roller 122, and a support roll 124), thereby causing the intermediate transfer belt 102 to move in a predetermined direction (the arrow G direction in FIG. 4). It is rotated and conveyed.

  Here, when the intermediate transfer belt 102 is stretched over the support roll 121, the support roll 123, the backup roller 122, and the support roll 124 as the plurality of support rolls 22, the endless belt 10 is used. The meandering prevention guide member 14 provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the intermediate transfer belt 102 includes a support roll 121, a support roll 123, a backup roller 122, and side edges of the support roll 124 or the support roll 121, the support roll 123, The backup roller 122 and the support roll 124 are positioned so as to contact the groove 23. For this reason, the intermediate transfer belt 102 is guided to the meandering prevention guide member 14 during belt running. For this reason, the intermediate transfer belt 102 does not cause a problem of meandering during the stretch conveyance.

  In the image forming apparatus 100, the photosensitive drum 101 is rotated in a predetermined direction (direction of arrow F in FIG. 4). When the photosensitive drum 101 is rotated, the surface of the photosensitive drum 101 is uniformly charged by a charging device (not shown). On the photosensitive drum 101 whose surface is uniformly charged, a laser modulated in accordance with a first color (for example, BK) included in image data of an image formed by an exposure device (not shown) such as a laser writing device. Light is scanned and exposed to form an electrostatic latent image corresponding to black image data. The electrostatic latent image is visualized by the black toner supplied from the developing device 105 that performs development using the black toner, whereby a black toner image T is formed on the photosensitive drum 101. When the toner image T reaches a region (primary transfer portion) facing the conductive roller 125 by the rotation of the photosensitive drum 101, an electrostatic field is applied to the toner image T from the conductive roller 125 by electrostatic force. By being attracted to the intermediate transfer belt 102, the primary transfer is performed on the intermediate transfer belt 102.

  Similarly, a second color (for example, R color) toner image, a third color (for example, G color) toner image, and a fourth color (for example, B color) toner image are sequentially formed in the same manner. Polymerization is performed at 102 to form a multiple toner image.

  The multiple toner images transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 102 reach a region (secondary transfer portion) facing the bias roller 103 by the tension transfer of the intermediate transfer belt 102. The secondary transfer unit includes a bias roller 103 disposed opposite to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt 102, a backup roller 122 disposed so as to sandwich and convey the intermediate transfer belt 102 between the bias roller 103, and this An electrode roller 126 that rotates in pressure contact with the backup roller 122 is included.

  The sheets 141 are picked up one by one from the sheet bundle accommodated in the sheet tray 104 by the pickup roller 142, and are fed to a region where the intermediate transfer belt 102 and the bias roller 103 of the secondary transfer unit are opposed by the feed roller 143 at a predetermined timing. Be fed. The toner image carried on the intermediate transfer belt 102 is transferred to the fed paper 141 by the pressure contact conveyance by the bias roller 103 and the backup roller 122 and the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 102.

  The paper 141 onto which the toner image has been transferred is peeled off from the intermediate transfer belt 102 by operating the peeling claw 113 at the retracted position until the primary transfer of the final toner image is completed, conveyed to a fixing device (not shown), and pressurized / heated. The toner image is fixed by the processing to be a permanent image. The intermediate transfer belt 102 after the transfer of the multiple toner image to the paper 141 is completed for removal of residual toner by a belt cleaner 109 provided downstream of the secondary transfer unit to prepare for the next transfer. The bias roller 103 is attached so that a cleaning blade 131 made of polyurethane or the like is always in contact with it, and foreign particles such as toner particles and paper dust adhered by transfer are removed.

In the case of transfer of a single color image, the primary transferred toner image T is immediately secondarily transferred and conveyed to the fixing device. In the case of transfer of a multicolor image by superimposing a plurality of colors, the toner image of each color is transferred to the primary transfer unit. Therefore, the rotation of the intermediate transfer belt 102 and the photosensitive drum 101 is synchronized so that the toner images of the respective colors do not shift so that they coincide with each other accurately. In the secondary transfer section, an output pressure (transfer voltage) having the same polarity as the polarity of the toner image is applied to the electrode roller 126 that is in pressure contact with the backup roller 122 disposed opposite to the bias roller 103 via the intermediate transfer belt 102. The toner image is transferred to the paper 141 by electrostatic repulsion.
As described above, an image can be formed.

Next, another example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention is shown.
An image forming apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 5 includes an image forming unit 201Y for forming a Y toner image, an image forming unit 201M for forming an M toner image, and a C toner image. Image forming unit 201 </ b> C, image forming unit 201 </ b> BK for forming a black (BK) toner image, paper transport belt 206 that transports paper on the surface, and transports the paper to each of the image forming units 201. A sheet conveying roll 208 and a fixing device 209 that fixes a toner image formed on the sheet to the sheet are configured. The image forming unit 201Y for forming the Y color toner image, the image forming unit 201M for forming the M color toner image, the image forming unit 201C for forming the C color toner image, and the black color The image forming unit 201BK for forming the (BK) toner image will be collectively referred to as the image forming unit 201.
The endless belt of the present invention is used as the sheet conveying belt 206.

  The sheet conveying belt 206 is stretched across a support roll 213, a support roll 212, a support roll 210, and a support roll 211 as a plurality of support rolls 22 (see FIG. 7) so as to be stretched. It is mounted on the forming apparatus 200.

  The sheet conveying belt 206 is stretched and conveyed by the plurality of supporting rolls 22 (the supporting roll 213, the supporting roll 212, the supporting roll 210, and the supporting roll 211), so that a predetermined direction (the direction indicated by the arrow H in FIG. 5). Is rotated and conveyed.

  Here, when the sheet conveying belt 206 is stretched over the supporting roll 213, the supporting roll 212, the supporting roll 210, and the supporting roll 211 as a plurality of supporting rolls, The meandering prevention guide member 14 provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the paper conveying belt 206 includes a support roll 213, a support roll 212, a support roll 210, and a side edge of the support roll 211 or a support roll 213, a support roll 212, and a support roll. The roll 210 and the support roll 211 are positioned so as to come into contact with the groove 23. For this reason, the sheet conveying belt 206 is guided to the meandering prevention guide member 14 during belt running. For this reason, the paper conveyance belt 206 does not cause a problem of meandering during stretch conveyance.

  For example, a metal roll having an outer diameter of 12 to 18 mm can be used as the plurality of support rolls.

  Each of the image forming unit 201Y, the image forming unit 201M, the image forming unit 201C, and the image forming unit 201BK includes a photosensitive drum 221Y that rotates at a predetermined peripheral speed in a predetermined direction (the arrow I direction in FIG. 5), and a photosensitive member. Each of the drum 221M, the photosensitive drum 221C, and the photosensitive drum 221BK is provided.

  In the vicinity of each of the photosensitive drum 221Y, the photosensitive drum 221M, the photosensitive drum 221C, and the photosensitive drum 221BK, a charging device (charging) for charging the photosensitive drum along the rotation direction of each photosensitive drum. 202Y, charging device 202M, charging device 202C, and charging device 202BK), and exposure units (exposure unit 203Y, exposure unit 203M, and exposure unit 203C) for forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image data on the photosensitive drum. , And exposure device 203BK), developing devices for developing the electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive drum with toner (yellow developing device 204Y, magenta developing device 204M, cyan developing device 204C, black developing device 204BK), photosensitive member Cleaning blade (cleaning blade 2) for removing deposits such as residual toner on the top 5Y, the cleaning blade 205M, the cleaning blade 205C, and the cleaning blade 205BK), and a transfer roll for transferring the toner image on the photosensitive drum to the paper 216 conveyed between the paper conveying belt 206 and the photosensitive drum ( A transfer roll 207Y, a transfer roll 207M, a transfer roll 207C, and a transfer roll 207BK) are sequentially provided.

  The transfer roll 207Y, the transfer roll 207M, the transfer roll 207C, and the transfer roll 207BK are provided on the inner peripheral side of the paper conveyance belt 206, and the photosensitive drum 221Y, the photosensitive drum 221M, the photosensitive drum 221C, and the photosensitive drum. The sheet conveying belt 206 is sandwiched between each of the 221BKs.

  The image forming unit 201BK, the image forming unit 201C, the image forming unit 201M, and the image forming unit 201Y are each along the paper transport belt 206 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction of the paper transport belt 206. Although they are arranged in order in parallel, the order is not limited to this, and an appropriate order can be set according to the image forming method.

  The fixing device 209 fixes the toner image on the sheet on which each color toner image is transferred by the image forming unit 201Y, the image forming unit 201M, the image forming unit 201C, and the image forming unit 201BK. Then, the sheet is discharged outside the image forming apparatus 200.

  In the image forming apparatus 200, first, the surface of the photosensitive drum 221BK of the image forming unit 201BK is uniformly charged by the charging device 202BK, and then the light beam modulated according to the image data is scanned and exposed by the exposure device 203BK. As a result, an electrostatic latent image is formed. This electrostatic latent image is developed by the black developing device 204BK to form a toner image of BK toner. The toner may be one-component or two-component.

  The black toner image formed on the photoconductive drum 221BK passes through a region where the photoconductive drum 221BK and the paper transport belt 206 are opposed to each other, and at the same time, the paper 216 is electrostatically attracted to the paper transport belt 206. The sheet is conveyed to the opposite area and transferred onto the outer peripheral surface of the sheet 216 by an electric field formed by a transfer bias applied from the transfer roll 207BK.

  Next, in the image forming unit 201C, the image forming unit 201M, and the image forming unit 201Y, the same processing as that of the image forming unit 201BK is performed, so that the C, M, and Y color toners are sequentially applied to the paper 216. Images are transferred in sequence.

  The sheet 216 to which the BK, C, M, and Y toner images are transferred is conveyed to the installation position of the fixing device 209 by the conveyance of the sheet conveying belt 206, so that the toner image is transferred by the fixing device 209. After fixing, the image forming apparatus 200 is discharged to the outside.

  In the above example of the image forming apparatus, the case where the endless belt 10 is wound and conveyed by the plurality of support rolls 22 has been described. However, according to the endless belt 10 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. In addition, the pair of support rolls 22 may be wound around and supported by the support roll 300 and the support roll 302.

  According to the endless belt 10 of the present invention, as described above, when mounted on the image forming apparatus as an intermediate transfer belt or a sheet conveying belt of the image forming apparatus, the belt is wound around a plurality of support rolls 22 and stretched and conveyed. The

  When the endless belt 10 of the present invention is stretched over the plurality of support rolls and stretched, the endless belt 10 is placed on the outer peripheral surface of the columnar support roll 22 as shown in FIG. It will be in the state bent along.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, like the conventional endless belt 400, a single layer meandering prevention guide member 17 having a uniform durometer hardness is provided on the belt base 12 via the adhesive layer 16 and the like. If the durometer hardness of the meandering prevention guide member 17 is too high, it becomes difficult for the meandering prevention guide member 17 to be bent following the curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the support roll 22 or the groove 23. The meandering prevention guide member 17 and the belt base 12 main body are lifted from the outer peripheral surface of the support roll 22, and the endless belt 10 may be detached from the support roll 22.
If the durometer hardness of the one-layer meandering prevention guide member 17 having a uniform durometer hardness is too low as a conventional technique, the meandering prevention function by the meandering prevention guide member 17 is lowered, and the endless belt 10 is prevented from being meandering prevention guide member 17. There is a risk that the vehicle will deviate from the vehicle and run one side.

  On the other hand, in the endless belt 10 of the present invention, as described above, the meandering prevention guide member 14 provided in a strip shape along the side edge on the belt base 12 is constituted by a plurality of layers of elastic members, and the belt base. The durometer hardness of the elastic member of the outermost layer provided at the position farthest from 12 is constituted by an elastic member of high hardness (durometer hardness A70 / S to A90 / S). At least one layer is formed of an elastic member having a low hardness (durometer hardness A40 / S to A60 / S).

  For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7B, when wound around the plurality of support rolls 22 and stretched, the layer of the elastic member having low hardness is compressed along the outer peripheral surface of the support roll 22. Thus, the meandering prevention guide member 14 can be bent along the curvature of the outer peripheral surface of the support roll 22. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the endless belt 10 from being detached from the support roll 22 when the endless belt 10 is stretched and conveyed by the plurality of support rolls 22.

  Further, since the high hardness layer 20 having the durometer hardness A70 / S to A90 / S is provided on the outermost surface side of the meandering prevention guide member 14, the highest hardness of the plurality of layers constituting the meandering prevention guide member 14 is provided. Since the layer is contacted with the end surface or the groove 23 in the rotation axis direction of the support roll 22, the region directly contacted with the support roll 22 can be the high hardness layer 20 with high hardness. The offset travel of the endless belt 10 and the meandering of the endless belt 10 can be suppressed.

As described above, according to the image forming apparatus using the endless belt 10 of the present invention, when the endless belt 10 is stretched and conveyed by the plurality of support rolls 22, the conventional one-layer durometer hardness is constant. Compared to the endless belt 400 provided with the meandering prevention guide member 17, it can be bent along the outer peripheral surface of the support roll 22.
Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the endless belt 10 from running to the side and the meandering of the endless belt 10, and to carry the tension by the support roll 22 having a smaller outer diameter as compared with the conventional image forming apparatus using the endless belt 400. In this case, the endless belt 10 can be stably stretched and conveyed without being detached from the support roll 22, and the image forming apparatus provided with the endless belt 10 can be downsized.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although this invention is demonstrated further in detail using an Example, this invention is not limited by the following Example.

Example 1
<Preparation of belt substrate>
For production of the belt substrate, first, the following polyamic acid solution (A) was prepared.
N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solution of polyamic acid composed of 3,3 ′, 4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether (DDE) (manufactured by Ube Industries) To Euvarnish S (solid content: 18% by mass), 100 parts by mass of the solid content of the raw material capable of forming the polyimide resin in this solution, dry oxidized carbon black (SPECIAL BLACK4 (manufactured by Degussa, pH 3.0, volatile content: 14.0%)) to 23 parts by mass, using a collision type disperser (GeanusPY made by Seanas), pressure 200 MPa, minimum area 1.4 mm ² and split into two After colliding and passing through the path divided into two again 5 times and mixing, a polyamic acid solution (A) containing carbon black for the substrate is obtained. .

The polyamic acid solution (A) containing carbon black is applied to the inner surface of the cylindrical mold so that the thickness of the coating film becomes 0.5 mm via a dispenser, and the mold is rotated at 1500 rpm for 15 minutes to obtain a uniform thickness. After forming a coating film having a temperature of 60 ° C. from the outside of the mold for 30 minutes while rotating the mold at 250 rpm, the mixture was heated at 150 ° C. for 60 minutes and then cooled to room temperature. A film was formed.
Thereafter, the film formed on the inner surface of the mold is peeled off, and this film is coated so as to cover the outer periphery of the metal core, and the temperature is raised to 400 ° C. at a rate of 2 ° C./min. For 30 minutes to remove the solvent and dehydrated ring-closing water remaining in the film and complete the imide conversion reaction. Then, after cooling the metal core to room temperature, the polyimide film formed on the surface of the metal core was peeled to obtain an endless belt-like belt base material having a thickness of 0.08 mm and an inner diameter of 168 mm.
The obtained belt base material had a Young's modulus of 3800 Mpa, a volume resistivity of 1 × 10 ^9.5 Ωcm, and a surface resistivity of 1 × 10 ¹² Ω / □.

<Preparation of meander prevention guide>
The meander prevention guide is a high hardness elastic member having a thickness of 0.4 mm, a width of 5 mm,
A thermosetting urethane sheet having a length of 527.5 mm and a durometer hardness of A90 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-90) was prepared. Moreover, as a low-hardness elastic member, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 0.6 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm, and a durometer hardness of A50 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-50) ) Was prepared. Then, after applying the following urethane-based adhesive to the low hardness elastic member and the opposing surface of the high hardness elastic member, it is softened by heating at 100 ° C. for 3 minutes, and then applied at a pressure of 0.25 Mpa. Thus, a belt-shaped meandering prevention guide having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm was obtained.
As the urethane adhesive, 10 parts by mass of Coronate L (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) are added as a curing agent to 100 parts by mass of Nippon Run 2301 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) as the main material. Using.

<Production of endless belt>
Super-XNo.8008 manufactured by Cemedine Co., Ltd. was applied as an elastic adhesive on the layer of the low-strength elastic member of the manufactured meandering prevention guide to a thickness of 20 μm, and then the inner circumference of the manufactured belt base material By arranging the meandering prevention guide prepared above along the side edge on one side of the surface so that the coated surface of the elastic adhesive faces the inner peripheral surface of the belt base material, the distance from the side edge of the belt base material is 0. After being positioned at a position of 1 mm, an endless belt was manufactured by applying pressure at a pressure of 0.03 MPa for 60 seconds in an environment of 22 ± 2 ° C.

(Example 2)
<Preparation of belt substrate>
In Example 2, a solvent-soluble polyamideimide resin: manufactured by Toyobo Co., Ltd .: Viromax HR16NN (solid content: 18 wt%, solvent: methyl-2-pyrrolidone) was used as the polyamideimide resin as the material for the belt base material. As a conductive agent, carbon black (Degisa Co., Ltd. Special Black 4: pH 3. Volatile content: 14 wt%) was added at 25 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the resin component, and a high-pressure collision disperser (Genus Co., Ltd.) And passing through an orifice with a diameter of 0.1 mm at 150 Mpa, and dispersing the slurry divided into two parts 5 times. This solution is applied to the outer surface of an aluminum pipe having an outer diameter of 168 mm, spin-dried at 150 ° C. for 30 minutes, and then heated at 250 ° C. for 1 hour to obtain a polyamide-imide resin belt having a thickness of 0.08 mm, an inner diameter of 168 mm, and a width of 352 mm. It was. The belt substrate had a surface resistivity of 1.1 × 10 ¹² Ω / □.

<Preparation of meander prevention guide>
The meandering prevention guide is a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 0.5 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm and a durometer hardness of A70 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Tylen TR100 as a high hardness elastic member. -70) was used. In addition, as a low-hardness elastic member, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 0.5 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm and a durometer hardness of A50 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-50) Was used.
Then, after applying the following urethane-based adhesive to the low hardness elastic member and the opposing surface of the high hardness elastic member, it is softened by heating at 100 ° C. for 3 minutes, and then applied at a pressure of 0.25 Mpa. Thus, a belt-shaped meandering prevention guide having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm was obtained.
As this urethane adhesive, 10 parts by mass of Coronate L (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) as a curing agent is added to 100 parts by mass of Nippon Runan 2301 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) as a main material. Using.

<Production of endless belt>
Super-XNo.8008 manufactured by Cemedine Co., Ltd. was applied as an elastic adhesive on the layer of the low-strength elastic member of the manufactured meandering prevention guide to a thickness of 20 μm, and then the inner circumference of the manufactured belt base material By arranging the meandering prevention guide prepared above along the side edge on one side of the surface so that the coated surface of the elastic adhesive faces the inner peripheral surface of the belt base material, the distance from the side edge of the belt base material is 0. After being positioned at a position of 1 mm, an endless belt was manufactured by applying pressure at a pressure of 0.03 Mpa for 60 seconds in an environment of 22 ± 2 ° C.

(Example 3)
An endless belt was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the following meandering prevention guide was used as the meandering prevention guide.

As a high hardness elastic member, a thermosetting urethane sheet (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-70) having a thickness of 0.6 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm and a durometer hardness of A70 / S is used. Using. Moreover, as a low-hardness elastic member, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 0.4 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm, and a durometer hardness of A60 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-60) ) Was used.
Then, after applying the following urethane-based adhesive to the low hardness elastic member and the opposing surface of the high hardness elastic member, it is softened by heating at 100 ° C. for 3 minutes, and then applied at a pressure of 0.25 Mpa. Thus, a belt-shaped meandering prevention guide having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm was obtained.
As this urethane adhesive, 10 parts by mass of Coronate L (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) as a curing agent is added to 100 parts by mass of Nippon Runan 2301 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) as a main material. Using.

Example 4
An endless belt was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the belt substrate produced in Example 2 was provided with the following meandering prevention guide as a meandering prevention guide.
As a meandering prevention guide, as a high-hardness elastic member, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 0.4 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm and a durometer hardness of A90 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Tylen TR100 -90) was used. Moreover, as a low-hardness elastic member, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a durometer hardness of A60 / S having a thickness of 0.6 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-60) Was used.
Then, after applying the following urethane-based adhesive to the low hardness elastic member and the opposing surface of the high hardness elastic member, it is softened by heating at 100 ° C. for 3 minutes, and then applied at a pressure of 0.25 Mpa. Thus, a belt-shaped meandering prevention guide having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm was obtained.
As the urethane adhesive, 10 parts by mass of Coronate L (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) are added as a curing agent to 100 parts by mass of Nippon Run 2301 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) as the main material. Using.

(Example 5)
An endless belt was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the following meandering prevention guide was provided as a meandering prevention guide on the belt base material produced in Example 2.
As a meandering prevention guide, as a high hardness elastic member, thickness 0.4 mm, width 5 mm,
A thermosetting urethane sheet having a length of 527.5 mm and a durometer hardness of A90 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-90) was used. Further, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a durometer hardness of A42 / S having a thickness of 0.6 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm was used as the low hardness elastic member.
The thermosetting urethane sheet having a durometer hardness of A42 / S is 100 parts by mass of TC-551 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) as an isocyanate prepolymer and ON-D56 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) as a polyol. ) 93 parts by mass, molded into a sheet shape, and heated at 80 ° C. for 3 hours.
Then, after applying the following urethane-based adhesive to the low hardness elastic member and the opposing surface of the high hardness elastic member, it is softened by heating at 100 ° C. for 3 minutes, and then applied at a pressure of 0.25 Mpa. Thus, a belt-like meandering prevention guide having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm was obtained.
As the urethane adhesive, 10 parts by mass of Coronate L (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) are added as a curing agent to 100 parts by mass of Nippon Run 2301 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) as the main material. Using.

(Example 6)
An endless belt was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the belt substrate produced in Example 2 was provided with the following meandering prevention guide as a meandering prevention guide.
The meander prevention guide is a high hardness elastic member having a thickness of 0.2 mm, a width of 5 mm,
A thermosetting urethane sheet having a length of 527.5 mm and a durometer hardness of A90 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-90) was prepared. Moreover, as a low-hardness elastic member, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 0.8 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm, and a durometer hardness of A50 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-50) ) Was prepared. Then, after applying the following urethane-based adhesive to the low hardness elastic member and the opposing surface of the high hardness elastic member, it is softened by heating at 100 ° C. for 3 minutes, and then applied at a pressure of 0.25 Mpa. Thus, a belt-shaped meandering prevention guide having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm was obtained.
As the urethane adhesive, 10 parts by mass of Coronate L (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) are added as a curing agent to 100 parts by mass of Nippon Run 2301 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) as the main material. Using.

(Example 7)
An endless belt was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the belt substrate produced in Example 2 was provided with the following meandering prevention guide as a meandering prevention guide.
The meander prevention guide is a high hardness elastic member having a thickness of 0.3 mm, a width of 5 mm,
A thermosetting urethane sheet having a length of 527.5 mm and a durometer hardness of A90 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-90) was prepared. Moreover, as a low-hardness elastic member, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 0.4 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm, and a durometer hardness of A50 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-50) ) And a thickness of 0.3 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm, and a durometer hardness of A50 / S, a thermosetting urethane sheet (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-50) was prepared. And after apply | coating the following urethane type adhesives to the opposing surface of these two types of low-hardness elastic members and this high-hardness elastic member, after heating for 3 minutes and softening at 100 degreeC, it is 0.25 Mpa. Pressure was applied to obtain a belt-shaped meandering prevention guide having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm.
The elastic member was composed of an elastic layer having a durometer hardness of A50 / S, an elastic layer having a durometer hardness of A60 / S, and an elastic layer having a durometer hardness of A90 / S from the belt base material.
As the urethane adhesive, 10 parts by mass of Coronate L (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) are added as a curing agent to 100 parts by mass of Nippon Run 2301 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) as the main material. Using.

(Example 8)
An endless belt was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the belt substrate produced in Example 2 was provided with the following meandering prevention guide as a meandering prevention guide.
The meandering prevention guide is a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 0.2 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm, and a durometer hardness of A90 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Tyrene) TR100-90), a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 0.3 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm, and a durometer hardness of A70 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-70) was prepared. . Further, as a low hardness elastic member, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 0.5 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm, and a durometer hardness of A50 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-50) ) And prepared. And after apply | coating the following urethane type adhesive agent to the opposing surface of these two types of high-hardness elastic members and this low-hardness elastic member, after heating at 100 degreeC for 3 minutes and softening, 0.25 Mpa of Pressure was applied to obtain a belt-shaped meandering prevention guide having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm.
The elastic member was composed of an elastic layer having a durometer hardness of A50 / S, an elastic layer having a durometer hardness of A70 / S, and an elastic layer having a durometer hardness of A90 / S from the belt base material.
As the urethane adhesive, 10 parts by mass of Coronate L (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) are added as a curing agent to 100 parts by mass of Nippon Run 2301 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) as the main material. Using.

(Comparative Example 1)
As a meandering prevention guide, except that a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm and a durometer hardness of A70 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd., Typelen TR100-70) was used, An endless belt was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

(Comparative Example 2)
As a meandering prevention guide, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm and a durometer hardness of A90 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-90) was used. An endless belt was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

(Comparative Example 3)
As a meandering prevention guide, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm and a durometer hardness of A60 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-60) was used. An endless belt was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

(Comparative Example 4)
An endless belt was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the belt substrate produced in Example 2 was provided with the following meandering prevention guide as a meandering prevention guide.
The meander prevention guide is a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 0.3 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm, and a durometer hardness of A90 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Tyrene) TR100-90) was prepared. Moreover, as a low-hardness elastic member, a thermosetting urethane sheet having a thickness of 0.4 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm, and a durometer hardness of A50 / S (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-50) ) And a thickness of 0.3 mm, a width of 5 mm, a length of 527.5 mm, and a durometer hardness of A50 / S, a thermosetting urethane sheet (Tigers Polymer Co., Ltd. Typelen TR100-50) was prepared. And after apply | coating the following urethane type adhesives to the opposing surface of these two types of low-hardness elastic members and this high-hardness elastic member, after heating for 3 minutes and softening at 100 degreeC, it is 0.25 Mpa. Pressure was applied to obtain a belt-shaped meandering prevention guide having a thickness of 1 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a length of 527.5 mm.
The elastic member was composed of an elastic layer having a durometer hardness of A90 / S, an elastic layer having a durometer hardness of A60 / S, and an elastic layer having a durometer hardness of A50 / S from the belt base material.
As the urethane adhesive, 10 parts by mass of Coronate L (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) are added as a curing agent to 100 parts by mass of Nippon Run 2301 (manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Co., Ltd.) as the main material. Using.

(Evaluation)
As shown in FIG. 6, each of the endless belts produced in Examples 1 to 8 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 has a pair of support rolls 300 having the same outer diameter and a support roll 22 as shown in FIG. The roll 302 was stretched with a tension of 5 N, and a running test was performed in which the outer periphery of the endless belt traveled 100,000 revolutions at a speed of 120 mm / sec to evaluate whether or not the endless belt was detached from the supporting roll.

  Note that the support roll 300 and the support roll 302 had the same outer diameter, and the running test was performed using support rolls having outer diameters of 12 mm, 14 mm, 16 mm, 18 mm, and 20 mm.

  The evaluation results are shown in Tables 1 and 2 below. In addition, “◯” shown in the evaluation results of Table 1 indicates that the endless belt is not detached, “Δ” indicates that the endless belt has not been detached but the offset running has occurred, and “×” Indicates that neither the endless belt was detached nor offset.

  For the endless belts produced in Examples 1 to 8, the endless belt was detached from the support rolls after the running test even when a support roll having any outer diameter of 12 mm to 18 mm was used. Although no deviation occurred, the endless belts produced in Comparative Examples 1 to 4 showed no separation or deviation when the outer diameter of the support roll was 20 mm according to the running test. However, there was a result that separation or deviation occurred when the outer diameter was 12 mm to 18 mm.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an endless belt of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the measuring apparatus of surface resistance, (a) is a top view, (b) is sectional drawing. It is the structure schematic which shows the meander prevention guide provided in the belt base material. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus including an endless belt of the present invention as an intermediate transfer belt. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus including an endless belt of the present invention as an intermediate transfer belt. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the tension state different from the said FIG.4 and FIG.5 of an endless belt. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state of the endless belt of this invention stretched | stretched by the support roll, (A) is a width direction sectional view of an endless belt, (B) is an outer peripheral direction sectional view of an endless belt. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the state of the conventional endless belt stretched around the support roll, and is an outer peripheral direction sectional view of the endless belt.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Endless belt 12 Belt main body 14 Meander prevention guide 100, 200 Image forming apparatus

Claims (2)

  An endless belt base material and a belt-like meandering prevention guide member are provided along at least one side edge of the belt base material, and the meandering prevention guide member is laminated in the thickness direction of the belt base material. An endless belt comprising: a plurality of layers, and an outermost layer of the plurality of layers farthest from the belt base material having the highest durometer hardness. An endless belt according to claim 1;
A plurality of support rolls on which the endless belt is wound, and the endless belt is stretched and conveyed;
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images