JP2008064827A - Method for producing resin particles - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an easy and inexpensive method for producing resin particles, such as toner particles, where the surfaces of raw material particles are subjected to spheroidizing treatment at high accuracy. <P>SOLUTION: Regarding the method for producing resin particles, in the confronted first treatment face 1 and second treatment face 2, the first treatment face 1 is rotated relative to the second treatment face 2, so as to obtain shearing force, and working is carried out. The flow passage of raw material particles is made airtight. The second treatment face 2 is allowed to be confronted with the first treatment face 1 so as to be freely close/separated and is further energized so as to come close to the first treatment face 1. Raw material particles are jetted against the flow passage of the raw material particles, together with the air, and based on the balance among the pressure of the jetting acting in the direction in which both the treatment faces 1, 2 are separated, the centrifugal force produced by the rotation of the treatment faces, and the energizing force acting in the direction that act to make both the treatment faces 1, 2 approach, the fluid and raw material particles are made to pass through the gap, so as to perform the surface treatment of the raw material particles. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing resin particles. Specifically, the resin raw material particles such as the toner after pulverization are processed such as shape control, compositing, surface treatment, granulation, etc. to produce powder of the resin raw material particles such as toner, electrophotographic method, electrostatic The present invention relates to a method for producing toner particles used in an image forming method such as a recording method, an electrostatic printing method, or a toner jet type recording method, or a method for producing polyester particles other than toner.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-85741 JP 2000-52342 A

Processed powders produced by subjecting raw materials to pulverization, granulation and the like are usually obtained in various shapes. In general, the shape required of the treated powder as a treated product (product) varies depending on its application, and various powder processing apparatuses have been devised. A typical industry that uses this powder processing equipment for industrial powder processing is the copier and printer industry, which has advanced powder processing technology to produce developers (toners). is doing.
In general, a production method of a developer (toner) for a copying machine and a printer is roughly divided into a chemical production method such as a suspension polymerization method, an emulsion aggregation method, and a suspension granulation method, and a pulverization method.

For example, in a suspension polymerization method which is a typical example of a chemical production method, a monomer mixture is obtained by dispersing a colorant in a monomer. Thereafter, a polymerization initiator and, if necessary, a crosslinking agent, a charge control agent and other additives are uniformly dissolved or dispersed in this monomer mixture to obtain a monomer composition. Further, the monomer composition is dispersed in an aqueous medium containing a dispersion stabilizer or a surfactant using an appropriate high shear stirrer, and at the same time, the monomer is subjected to a polymerization reaction to obtain toner particles having a desired particle size. . A toner is produced by externally adding a fluidity improver (such as silica) to the toner particles.
This method is an excellent method for producing toner particles. However, since the plant equipment becomes large, the initial capital investment amount increases.
Moreover, since it is necessary to select a raw material in consideration of the ease of forming an emulsion, polymerization inhibition, etc., the raw materials that can be used are limited.

  On the other hand, it is known that the pulverization method is relatively easy to manufacture. In this production method, first, a predetermined amount of a binder resin, a colorant and the like are mixed, then melt-kneaded and cooled, and the cooled and solidified kneaded product is pulverized. Next, the pulverized product obtained by pulverization is classified to obtain toner particles having a predetermined particle size distribution. Thereafter, as in the suspension polymerization method, a fluidity improver (such as silica) is externally added to the toner particles to produce a toner.

In recent years, copiers and printers are required to have high image quality, space saving, environmental support, and the like. To meet this requirement, toner requires high transfer efficiency during development. When the transfer efficiency is low, a phenomenon called hollowing out occurs in terms of image quality. For example, when a character image is output to a paper surface by a copying machine and a printer, the toner is not transferred (not transferred) on the paper character portion, and the character is unclear (low image quality). Also, if the transfer efficiency is low, a large amount of waste toner container is required in the copying machine and printer due to the residual toner that is not transferred, and the volume of the apparatus becomes large. Furthermore, since waste toner is difficult to recycle, waste increases and the environmental load becomes heavy.
On the contrary, if the transfer efficiency is high, a waste toner container or a small-capacity container is sufficient, so that a small design is possible and space saving is realized. Of course, since there is no waste toner, the environmental load can be reduced.

  In general, in order to obtain high transfer efficiency, it is advantageous that the toner particle shape is spherical. This is thought to be because the chargeability is uniform when the toner particles are spherical. The above-described chemical manufacturing method can easily make the toner particles spherical. Therefore, in recent years, many manufacturers have started development of manufacturing apparatuses using this method and examination of manufacturing methods.

  On the other hand, spheroidizing technology for pulverized toner particles has been studied by paying attention to the fact that the manufacturing apparatus is inexpensive and the selectivity of raw materials is wide. For example, there has been proposed a method in which the pulverization method is changed from a conventional jet mill to a mechanical pulverization method to spheroidize toner particles (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Although this method can achieve a certain degree of spheroidization, spherical toner particles capable of high transfer cannot be obtained.

  In order to compensate for this insufficient spheroidization, spheroidization of toner particles by hot air has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In this method, spheroidization similar to the above-described chemical manufacturing method can be obtained. However, in general, toner particles contain wax in order to maintain fixability to various media (for example, paper), and the contained wax is melted by this hot air. The melted wax is deposited on the surface of the toner particles, and often develops a problem by contaminating the developing member when developing an image.

  On the other hand, there has been proposed a surface modification apparatus that can simultaneously perform surface treatment for chamfering toner particles and removing fine powder generated by chamfering without using hot air. However, since this apparatus is a batch continuous apparatus, it is not suitable for processing a large amount of toner particles. Further, since there is a problem in the toner particle dischargeability after processing, the direct rate is extremely bad. Further, when the operation is aimed at increasing the spheroidization, the fine powder removal efficiency is lowered and the fine powder is mixed into the product. When fine powder is mixed into the product, a defect called fog occurs on the image. Fogging refers to a phenomenon in which fine powder scatters around a target character when, for example, the character is output to a paper surface by a copying machine and a printer. This scattering hinders clear character output because the chargeability of the toner fine powder is different from the chargeability of the normal particle size, which makes control difficult.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing resin particles that solves the above problems.
That is, the present invention aims to provide a method for producing resin particles such as toner that can be spheroidized with high accuracy while maintaining the quality of resin particles such as toner. In addition, the present invention aims to provide a method for producing resin particles with high accuracy while enabling the surface of the powder raw material to be efficiently modified by continuous treatment.
Furthermore, the present invention is intended to provide a manufacturing method in which resin particles such as toner are spheroidized with high accuracy by an easy and inexpensive manufacturing method without requiring a complicated manufacturing process.

As a result of intensive studies, the inventor of the present application realizes effective spheroidization of resin particles by passing resin particles continuously and instantaneously through a minute gap and applying a strong shearing force to the resin particles. In the present invention, the first treatment is based on a completely different idea from the method of keeping the distance between the two treatment surfaces mechanically constant by using the principle used for the mechanical seal. This is a method for producing resin particles in which the interval between the working surface and the second processing surface is set to a predetermined minute interval.
That is, 1st invention of this application takes the following means about the manufacturing method of the resin particle which processes the already grind | pulverized resin raw material particle | grain into a spherical shape.
The resin particle manufacturing method uses at least one of the first and second processing surfaces 1 and 2 facing each other and constituting at least a part of the flow path of the resin raw material particles. One processing surface is rotated relative to any one of the first and second processing surfaces to generate a shearing force, and the flow path of the resin raw material particles is To be airtight. Then, at least one of the first processing surface and the second processing surface faces the first processing surface and the second processing surface so that the first processing surface and the second processing surface are freely separated from each other, and close to the other processing surface. Energize to. Resin raw material particles are jetted into a flow path of resin raw material particles together with a fluid such as gas, and the pressure of the jet acting in the direction of separating both the first and second processing surfaces 1 and 2 and rotation of the processing surface In addition to the balance between the centrifugal force generated in step 1 and the urging force acting in the direction in which both processing surfaces 1 and 2 are brought close to each other, the fluid and the resin raw material particles are passed through the gaps to surface-treat the resin raw material particles. I do.
“Surface treatment” in the present invention means smoothing the unevenness of the particle surface, and means that the appearance shape of the particle is close to a sphere.

A second invention of the present application provides the method for producing resin particles according to the first invention of the present application, which employs the following means.
In other words, at least one of the first and second processing surfaces 1 and 2 is formed as an end surface of the processing ring that can be projected and retracted toward at least the other of the first and second processing surfaces. And from the center of the processing ring, between the first and second processing surfaces 1 and 2, resin raw material particles to be processed together with a fluid such as a gas are injected. A pressure receiving surface is provided between the end surface and the inner peripheral surface of the processing ring, and the fluid and resin raw material particles received by the pressure receiving surface are separated from the processing surface of the processing ring from the other processing surface. Act in the direction of

A third invention of the present application provides the method for producing resin particles according to the first invention of the present application, which employs the following means.
That is, the resin particle manufacturing method is to spheroidize by performing a surface treatment of resin raw material particles obtained by melt-kneading at least a binder resin and a colorant, and one end surface of the resin particle is the first treatment described above. The first processing ring 10 serving as the working surface 1, the second processing ring 20 having one end surface as the second processing surface 2, and the first processing ring 10 rotating relative to the second processing ring 20. A powder processing apparatus 71 having a rolling drive mechanism is used, and the fluid such as the gas is used as high-pressure air. The resin particle manufacturing method introduces the resin raw material particles together with the high-pressure air between the first processing ring 10 and the second processing ring 20, thereby separating the second processing ring 20 from the first processing ring 10. The surface of the resin raw material particles is treated by the rotation of the first treatment ring 10 provided by the rotation driving mechanism.

  A fourth invention of the present application is the third invention of the present application, wherein the powder raw material supply nozzle 60 and the resin raw material particles provided in the powder raw material supply nozzle 60 are supplied to the powder processing apparatus. And a high-pressure air introduction nozzle 61 provided at the shaft core portion of the powder raw material supply nozzle are employed, and the first treatment ring 10 to the second treatment ring are applied by air pressure. The manufacturing method of the resin particle which spaces apart 20 and creates a clearance gap and introduce | transduces resin raw material particle into the clearance gap is provided.

  A fifth invention of the present application is the resin according to any one of the second to fourth applications of the present application, wherein at least one of the processing rings is provided with a buffer mechanism for buffering fine vibration and alignment. A method for producing particles is provided.

  A sixth invention of the present application is the invention according to any one of the above third to fifth applications, wherein the maximum distance between the first processing surface 1 and the second processing surface 2 is defined in the powder processing apparatus. In addition, the present invention provides a method for producing resin particles characterized by employing a separation inhibiting portion that inhibits separation of both processing surfaces 1 and 2 larger than the maximum interval.

  A seventh invention of the present application is the invention according to any one of the above third to sixth applications, wherein the powder processing apparatus defines a minimum distance between the first processing surface 1 and the second processing surface 2. In addition, the present invention provides a method for producing resin particles characterized by employing a proximity suppression unit that suppresses the proximity of both processing surfaces 1 and 2 smaller than the minimum interval.

  The eighth invention of the present application is the invention of any one of the first to seventh applications, wherein at least a part of one or both of the first processing surface 1 and the second processing surface 2 is mirror-finished. A method for producing resin particles is provided.

  The ninth invention of the present application is the resin according to any one of the first to eighth applications of the present invention, wherein the outer peripheral peripheral speed of the rotating processing surface is 10 m / s to 100 m / s. A method for producing particles is provided.

  The tenth invention of the present application is the invention of any one of the first to ninth applications, wherein one or both of the first processing surface and the second processing surface is provided with a recess extending radially from the center of the processing surface. By employing the provided one, the at least one processing surface is separated from the first and second other processing surfaces by rotation of the at least one processing surface. A method for producing resin particles is provided.

The eleventh invention of the present application is the invention of any one of the first to tenth applications, wherein the particle diameter D of the resin raw material particles is
3μm ≦ D ≦ 10μm
The manufacturing method of the resin particle characterized by these is provided.
The twelfth invention of the present application is the invention of any one of the first to eleventh applications of the present application, wherein the distance between the first and second processing surfaces is 1 to 5 times the diameter of the resin raw material particles. Provided is a method for producing a resin particle.

According to the first to twelfth inventions of the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for producing resin particles that efficiently modify (spheroidize) the surface of a powder raw material with high accuracy. That is, a large shearing force can be applied to the powder raw material within a minute distance between the processing surfaces facing each other, and as a result, a highly accurate and uniform surface treatment that could not be obtained in the past can be realized. Is possible.
Moreover, the powder processing method which can obtain the spherical resin particle with little influence of a heat | fever and little content of a fine powder could be provided. Furthermore, as described above, it is possible to produce spherical resin particles with less influence of heat and less fine powders by an easy and inexpensive production method.
Specifically, the resin particle manufacturing method according to the present invention is based on the principle used in mechanical sealing, that is, the pressure of the jet and the processing surface acting in the direction of separating both the first and second processing surfaces. By balancing the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the surface and the urging force acting in the direction in which both processing surfaces are brought close to each other, a fluid film is formed between both processing surfaces, and the processing surface due to the influence of heat is Regardless of the deformation, it is possible to secure a minute gap suitable for the spheroidization of resin raw material particles between both surfaces of the first and second processing surfaces, and allow fluid and resin raw material particles to pass through the gap. Thus, a shearing force is applied to the resin to enable spheroidization with high accuracy.

In particular, by injecting resin raw material particles to be processed together with a fluid such as gas from the center of the processing ring between the first and second processing surfaces, the distance between the processing surfaces is adjusted by adjusting the injection pressure. Adjustments can be made. That is, the above injection pressure can be used as a parameter for adjusting the distance between the processing surfaces.
By using such an injection pressure, it is possible to adjust the distance between the processing surfaces more finely and to set the distance between the processing surfaces corresponding to the production of desired resin particles.
In addition, since the resin raw material particles are continuously supplied between the two processing surfaces and the spheroidizing process is continuously performed, the process can be performed with extremely high efficiency. Therefore, unlike the conventional batch continuous surface treatment apparatus, the present invention has good dischargeability of the powder raw material, and can maintain a high value, that is, almost 100%.
The orthogonality mentioned above refers to the ratio (recovery rate) of the powder that is discharged to the outside instead of staying inside the apparatus.

  In addition, the resin particle manufacturing method can instantaneously treat the particle surface, and as described above, the influence of heat can be minimized. Further, since the resin raw material particles to be processed are sent between the processing surfaces together with a fluid such as a gas, the heat generated by the friction between the particles can be suppressed by the intervention of the fluid. The effect of this can be effectively avoided.

In the second invention of the present application, a specific method is used as one of effective means for separating one of the first and second processing surfaces to either the first or second processing surface. Provided.
That is, the second invention of the present application utilizes the principle used for the mechanical seal described above, and the processing ring is one processing surface through the air containing the resin raw material particles to be processed. The pressure-receiving surface is set on the processing ring so as to press against the other processing surface that faces the end face.
In particular, by providing a pressure-receiving surface between the end surface serving as the processing surface of the processing ring and the inner peripheral surface of the processing ring, and receiving the fluid and powder fluid pressure at the pressure-receiving surface, more reliably, The processing surface of the processing ring can be made to act in a direction away from the other processing surface. Therefore, by initially selecting the size of the pressure receiving surface, the force acting in the separation direction can be set to a more suitable one.
In this way, air that can be pressurized (high pressure) using a known pressurizing means such as a compressor is used as a medium of force for adjusting the distance between processing surfaces, and a constant pressure is applied. After dispersing the powder raw material in the held high-pressure air, by utilizing the pressure of the high-pressure air, by separating the processing ring whose end surface forms one processing surface from the other processing surface, A minute and constant gap can be formed between both the first and second processing surfaces.

In the third invention of the present application, each of the first and second processing units includes a processing ring, and the first processing ring is connected to the second processing ring by a rotary drive mechanism provided in the powder processing apparatus. By relatively rotating, a large shearing force can be applied to the powder raw material within a minute interval between the two processing rings. As a result, it is possible to realize a highly accurate and uniform surface treatment that could not be obtained conventionally.
In addition, unlike the resin particles that use hot air, the degree of thermal degradation can be minimized.

  In the fourth invention of the present application, a high-pressure air introduction nozzle is provided in the shaft core portion of the powder raw material supply nozzle, and the ejector effect (by ejecting the fluid as a jet stream from around the nozzle, the other fluid is attracted and sent out. Since the powder raw material is introduced into the powder processing apparatus by the principle of spraying), the powder raw material can be introduced into the powder processing apparatus apparatus in a highly dispersed state with no bias of the powder raw material.

  In the fifth invention of the present application, by providing a buffer mechanism for buffering fine vibration and alignment of at least one of the first processing ring and the second processing ring, it absorbs alignment such as loose core runout, and wear due to contact, etc. Reduced the risk of causing trouble.

  In the sixth invention of the present application, the separation prevention unit defines a maximum interval between the first processing ring and the second processing ring, and when the powder processing apparatus is in operation, the separation between both processing rings larger than the maximum interval is determined. By suppressing the above, it is possible to prevent the gap between the first processing ring and the second processing ring from unnecessarily widening and to perform uniform surface treatment reliably.

  In the seventh invention of the present application, the proximity suppression unit defines a minimum distance between the first processing ring and the second processing ring when the powder processing apparatus is in operation, and the proximity of both processing rings is smaller than the minimum distance. By suppressing the above, it is possible to prevent the gap between the first processing surface and the second processing surface from becoming unnecessarily narrow and to prevent uniform surface treatment and powder overtreatment. .

  In the eighth invention of the present application, at least a part of one or both of the surfaces of the first processing ring and the second processing ring facing each other is mirror-finished so that the first processing ring and the second processing ring It was possible to realize the surface treatment with higher accuracy.

In the ninth invention of the present application, by setting the peripheral speed (second speed) of the outermost peripheral portion of the second processing ring to 10 m / s to 100 m / s, a shearing force suitable for resin spheroidization is given to the resin raw material particles. Made it possible.
That is, if the above peripheral speed is less than 10 m / s, it is difficult to obtain the required shearing force, and if it is more than 100 m / s, excessive centrifugal force is generated and the problem of powder overtreatment tends to occur. By setting the peripheral speed, the ninth invention of the present application avoids such a problem.

  In the tenth invention of the present application, at least one of the first processing surface and the second processing surface is provided with a concave portion extending radially from the center, and the other processing surface is rotated by rotation of one processing surface. By separating the working surface from the one processing surface, at the time of rotation, the high-pressure air smoothly flows in the concave portion due to the centrifugal force generated by the rotation, and the dynamic pressure is generated by the flow of the high-pressure air. A separation force acts on the processing surface, and it is possible to reliably form a better fluid film while rotating without contact.

Furthermore, in the eleventh aspect of the present invention, by adopting a resin raw material particle having a particle size in the above range, it is possible to obtain appropriate resin particles by processing. That is, if the particle size is smaller than 3 μm, the processed resin particles are difficult to control in a copying machine and a printer, and if the particle size is larger than 10 μm, the processed word resin Particles cannot realize high-definition image formation. Therefore, in the eleventh aspect of the present invention, by setting the particle diameter of the resin raw material particles in the above range, suitable post-processed resin particles can be obtained.
In the twelfth invention of the present application, by setting the distance between the first and second processing surfaces to the raw material particles as described above (less than 5 times the diameter of the raw material particles), the raw material particles are accurately set. It can be brought into contact with the processing surface, and processing can be performed reliably. Further, by setting the distance between the two processing surfaces as described above (one time or more than the diameter of the raw material particles), the processed particles can be smoothly discharged without clogging the particles.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, a case where the present invention is implemented in the production of toner particles will be described as an example. 1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a system suitable for carrying out the method for producing resin particles according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a powder processing apparatus which is a main part of the system shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional view of an essential part of the powder processing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a first processing ring of the powder processing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an AA schematic end view of FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a preferred embodiment of a toner manufacturing flow.

This toner manufacturing method includes a fine pulverization step, a coarse powder classification step, a fine powder classification step, a shape control step, and an external additive mixing for a toner raw material obtained by dissolving and kneading at least a binder resin and a colorant. The steps are sequentially performed.
This toner manufacturing method can be implemented using the system shown in FIG. This system includes a fine pulverizer 201 for pulverizing a toner raw material obtained by melt-kneading, a coarse powder classifier 202 for extracting only powder having a desired particle diameter or less from the raw material pulverized by the fine pulverizer 201, Unnecessary fine powder is removed from the obtained powder, fine powder classifier 203 that obtains toner raw material particles, shape control device 204 that obtains toner particles by controlling the shape of toner raw material particles, and additives are added to and mixed with toner particles The external mixing machine 205 is configured. The fine pulverizer 201 and the coarse powder classifier 202 may be configured separately or may be configured as one device.

By adopting such a system, it is possible to pulverize the raw material obtained by melt kneading with the pulverizer 201 in the pulverization step. In the coarse powder classifying step, only the powder having a desired particle diameter can be taken out from the raw material pulverized by the fine pulverizer 201 using the coarse powder classifier 202 described above. In the fine powder classification step, toner fine particles can be obtained by removing unnecessary fine powder from the powder extracted in the coarse powder classification step using the fine powder classifier 203 described above. In the shape control step, toner shape can be obtained by controlling the shape of the toner raw material particles using the shape control device 204 described above. Of the raw materials pulverized by the pulverizer 201, the powder larger than the desired particle size is returned to the pulverizer 201 (return of coarse particles) and pulverized.
Therefore, by using this system, it is possible to efficiently perform powder processing, and it can be implemented as a toner manufacturing flow combining a conventionally known apparatus and the powder processing system of the present invention.

  As the above-mentioned fine crusher 201, IDS type and PJM type jet mill (manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Industry Co., Ltd.), counter jet mill (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.), micron jet T type (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.), cross jet mill ( Kurimoto Senko Co., Ltd.), Condux Jet Mill (Mitsui Miike Chemical Co., Ltd.), Other Jet Mills and Airflow Crusher, Turbo Mill (Turbo Industry Co., Ltd.), Kuriproton (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.) ), Super Rotor (manufactured by Nissin Engineering Co., Ltd.), Fine Mill (manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Industrial Co., Ltd.), Crash Fire Mill (manufactured by Mitsui Miike Chemical Co., Ltd.) and other mechanical pulverizers can be employed.

  Examples of the coarse powder classifier 202 include turboplex (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation), turboclassifia (manufactured by Nissin Engineering Co., Ltd.), disversion separator (manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Industry Co., Ltd.), and sharp cut separator (Kurimoto Corporation). Furukawa Seisakusho, SF Sharp Cut Separator (manufactured by Kurimoto Steel Works, Ltd.), Elbow Jet (manufactured by Nippon Steel Mining Co., Ltd.) and other airflow classifiers can be employed.

  As the fine powder classifier 203, Elbow Jet (manufactured by Nippon Steel & Mining Co., Ltd.), Turboplex (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.), TSP separator (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.), Sharp Cut Separator (Satoshi Kurimoto Co., Ltd.) Kogakusho Co., Ltd.) and SF Sharp Cut Separator (manufactured by Kurimoto Seiko Co., Ltd.) can be employed.

  Examples of the external mixer 205 include a Henschel mixer (manufactured by Mitsui Miike Chemical Co., Ltd.), a hybridization system (manufactured by Nara Machinery Co., Ltd.), a super mixer (manufactured by Kawata Corporation), and a Ladige mixer ( German-made Reedige Co., Ltd.), other mixers having screws or stirring blades, and fluid mixing mixers using air and gas can be employed.

The toner particle production system shown in FIG. 1 can be adopted as the shape control device 204 used in this shape control step.
The toner particle manufacturing system will be described in detail. The toner particle manufacturing system includes an auto feeder 70, a powder processing device 71, a cyclone 72, a bag filter 73, and a suction blower 74 as shown in FIG. Prepare.

  The auto feeder 70 supplies the toner raw material particles 63 to the powder processing device 71. The toner raw material particles 63 supplied from the auto-feeder 70 are introduced into the powder processing apparatus 71 together with high-pressure air, and the toner raw material particles are subjected to a surface treatment, that is, a spheroidizing process. The toner raw material particles 63 have their surfaces modified by the powder processing device 71 to become spherical toner particles and are discharged from the powder processing device 71. As the discharged toner particles are sucked by the suction blower 74, unnecessary (particles smaller than desired particles) are collected from the cyclone 72 to the bag filter 73 side. On the other hand, properly processed toner particles are collected by the cyclone 72. The toner particles collected by the cyclone 72 are discharged from the cyclone 72 as a product.

The gist of the toner raw material particle manufacturing method according to the present invention is based on the processing performed using the powder processing apparatus 7 in the shape control step.
That is, the method for producing toner particles according to the present invention can be implemented using the powder processing apparatus 7 described above.
A method for producing toner particles using the powder processing apparatus 71 will be described in detail below.

First, as shown in FIG. 2, the powder processing apparatus 71 covers the first holder 11 together with the first holder 11, the second holder 21 disposed above the first holder 11, and the second holder 21. A case 3, a powder raw material supply nozzle 60, a high-pressure air introduction nozzle 61, and a contact pressure applying mechanism 4 are provided.
In this embodiment, a raw material powder inlet 62 (hereinafter referred to as a toner inlet 62) is provided at the top of the powder processing apparatus 71. Further, the powder processing apparatus 71 is provided with a fluid inlet 64 (hereinafter referred to as an air inlet 64) in addition to the toner inlet 62. The toner raw material particles 63 supplied from the introduction auto feeder 70 are introduced into the powder processing apparatus 71 from the toner introduction port 62. Further, the powder supply nozzle 60 is provided above the internal space of the case 3 inside the powder processing apparatus 71. The toner introduction port 62 communicates with the powder supply nozzle 60 in the powder processing apparatus 7. Further, the high-pressure air introduction nozzle 61 is provided in the shaft core portion (inner center portion) of the powder raw material supply nozzle 60. As shown in FIG. 5, the air introduction port 64 communicates with the high-pressure air introduction nozzle 61 and supplies high-pressure air to the nozzle 61. That is, the air inlet 64 is connected to a known gas pressurizing means such as a compressor (not shown), and can pressurize and inject air.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, an airtight passage 31 leading to the internal space 30 is provided above the internal space 30 of the case 3 in the powder processing apparatus 71. That is, the lower end of the passage 31 communicates with the internal space 30 of the case 3. The powder supply nozzle 60 is provided at the upper end of the passage 31. The toner raw material particles supplied from the toner introduction port 62 are directed toward the internal space 30 of the case 3 together with the gas due to the ejector effect of the gas injected from the high-pressure air introduction nozzle 61 toward the lower case 3 internal space 30. Be injected. For this gas, it is appropriate to employ air. However, as the gas, argon or other inert gas can be used instead of air.
Further, in the powder processing apparatus 71, the flow path of the toner raw material particles and the high pressure air from the powder supply nozzle 60 to the internal space 30 of the case 3 is formed airtight.

The first holder 11 is provided with a first processing ring 10 and a rotating shaft 50. One end surface of the first processing ring 10 constitutes the first processing surface 1.
The first processing ring 10 (mating ring) is a metal annular body as shown in FIG. 4, and the end surface to be the first processing surface 1 is mirror-finished (shaded in FIG. 4). The part indicated by is the mirror-finished part). The rotary shaft 50 is fixed to the center of the first holder 11 by a known fixing tool 51 such as a bolt, and an end portion of the rotary shaft 50 supplies a known rotational driving force such as an electric motor (rotational driving mechanism). Connected with. The rotating shaft 50 rotates the first holder 11 by transmitting the driving force of the rotation driving device 5 to the first holder 11. The first processing ring 10 is attached to the upper part of the first holder 11 concentrically with the rotation shaft 50, and rotates integrally with the first holder 11 by the rotation of the rotation shaft 50.

The first processing surface 1 is exposed from the first holder 11 and faces the second holder 21 side. The first processing surface 1 is preferably mirror-finished by polishing, lapping or polishing. The material of the first treatment ring 10 is preferably ceramic, sintered metal, wear-resistant copper, or other metal that has undergone hardening treatment, or hard material lining, coating, or plating. . Since it rotates especially, it is preferable to form the 1st process ring 10 with a lightweight raw material. The case 3 is a bottomed container having a discharge part 32, and the first holder 11 is accommodated in the internal space 30.
Here, the first processing surface 1 will be described in more detail. As shown in FIG. 4, an end surface (upper surface) of the first processing ring 10 where the second processing ring 20 is desired is arranged at the center (ring) of the first processing ring 10. A plurality of recesses 13... 13 extending radially from the hollow portion 12) toward the outer peripheral surface 14 side of the first processing ring 10 are formed. On the upper surface of the first ring 10, a portion other than the recesses 13... 13 (the portion indicated by hatching in FIG. 4) is the first processing surface 1 on which the above-described mirror finishing is performed. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the recesses 13... 13 communicates with the hollow portion 12 of the ring, but does not reach the outer peripheral surface 14 of the first processing ring 10.
More specifically, each of the recesses 13... 13 is formed on the upper surface of the first processing ring 10 such that the depth gradually decreases from the hollow portion 12 side toward the outer peripheral surface 14 side.
In addition, the thickness of the concave portion 13 (the width of the concave portion 13 when the first processing ring 10 is viewed in plan) is also gradually increased from the hollow portion 12 toward the outer peripheral surface 14 side on the upper surface of the first processing ring 10. It is formed to be narrow.
Furthermore, the inside of the recessed part 13 is provided with the scooping surface 15 which desires a rotation destination (rotation direction r). By forming the recess 13 as described above, the injection pressure Q of the high-pressure air (FIG. 2) in the state where the second processing surface 2 is in contact with the first processing surface 1 at the beginning of the operation of the powder processing apparatus 71. In response, the high-pressure air containing the toner raw material particles 63 enters the recesses 13 to 13 from the hollow portion of the first processing ring 10. As such high-pressure air travels in the recesses 13... 13, the recesses 13... 13 are narrowed and shallow, so that the momentum of entry presses the second processing surface 2. It is converted into a force to pry up. Moreover, by providing the scooping surfaces 15... 15 as described above, high-pressure air in the recesses 13... 13 is pressed from the scooping surfaces 15. Increase the force to pry the processing ring 20 open.
In addition, about the shape of said recessed part 13 ... 13, it is not limited to what was illustrated, It can change into another shape.
It is also possible to carry out without providing such recesses 13.

The second holder 21 is provided with a second processing ring 20 and a contact pressure applying mechanism 4. The second processing ring 20 (compression ring) is a metal annular body. The second processing ring 20 is fixed to the second holder 21 in this embodiment. One end surface of the annular second processing ring 20 constitutes a second processing surface 2. One end surface (lower surface) of the second processing ring 20 that is the second processing surface 2 is mirror-finished. The first processing surface 1 is opposed to the second processing surface 2. In addition to the second processing surface 2, the second processing ring 20 is located on the inner side of the second processing surface 2 and adjacent to the second processing surface 2 (hereinafter, a separation adjusting surface). 23).
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the separation adjusting surface 23 is an inclined surface, that is, a corner between the inner peripheral surface of the annular second processing ring 20 and the second processing surface 2 is dropped. It is formed as a mortar-shaped tapered surface.

  The above-described mirror surface processing applied to the second processing surface 2 employs the same method as the first processing surface 1. In addition, the same material as that of the first processing ring 10 is used for the material of the second processing ring 20. Further, as described above, the separation adjusting surface 23 is adjacent to the inner peripheral surface of the annular second processing ring 20.

  The contact surface pressure imparting mechanism 4 presses the second processing surface 2 against the first processing surface 1 in a pressure contact state or a close state, and (air) pressure generated from the high pressure air introduction nozzle 61 and the first pressure. A thin fluid (air) film is generated by the balance with the force separating the two processing surfaces 1 and 2 by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of one holder 11 (first processing ring 10). In other words, the thin fluid (air) film keeps the interval between the processing surfaces 1 and 2 at a minute interval.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the contact pressure applying mechanism 4 includes an accommodating portion 41, a spring receiving portion 42 provided at the back (deepest portion) of the accommodating portion 41, a spring 43, and air introduction. Part 44.
However, the contact surface pressure applying mechanism 4 only needs to include at least one of the pressure applying means including the accommodating portion 41, the spring receiving portion 42, and the spring 43 and the air introducing portion 44.

  The storage portion 41 is dimensioned so that the position of the second processing ring 20 in the storage portion 41 can be displaced deeply or shallowly (up and down). That is, the accommodating part 41 accommodates the 2nd process ring 20 so that it can protrude and retract. One end of the spring 43 is in contact with the back of the spring receiving portion 42, and the other end of the spring 43 is in contact with the front portion (upper portion) of the second processing ring 20 in the housing portion 42. In FIG. 2, only one spring 43 is depicted, but a plurality of springs are arranged (annularly) along at least the circumferential direction of the second processing ring 20, and the second springs It is preferable to press each part of the processing ring 20. This is because an equal pressing force can be applied to the second processing ring 20 by increasing the number of the springs 43 arranged along the circumferential direction of the second processing ring 20. Specifically, with respect to the second holder 21, the spring 43 is preferably attached to several to several tens (more preferably 4 to 20).

As shown in FIG. 2, a pressurized gas such as pressurized air can be introduced into the accommodating portion 41 from the air introducing portion 44 as described above. By introducing such a pressurized gas such as air, a pressure chamber can be provided between the accommodating portion 41 and the second processing ring 20 and air pressure can be applied to the second processing ring 20 as a pressing force together with the spring 43. . Therefore, by adjusting the air pressure introduced from the air introduction portion 44, it is possible to adjust the contact pressure of the second processing surface 2 with respect to the first processing surface 1 even during operation. Further, other fluid pressures such as hydraulic pressure may be used in place of the air introduction portion using the air pressure.
As described above, the air introduced from the air introduction portion 44 toward the upper surface of the second processing ring 20 (the end surface opposite to the second processing surface 2) is the high-pressure air introduction that generates a separation force. Contrary to the air jetted from the nozzle 61, the back pressure P acts in the direction of urging the second processing ring 20 (second processing surface 2) toward the first processing ring 10 (first processing surface 1). Supply.

  The contact surface imparting mechanism 4 supplies and adjusts a part of the above pressing force (contact surface pressure), and also serves as a displacement adjustment mechanism and a buffer mechanism. Specifically, as the displacement adjusting mechanism, the contact surface pressure imparting mechanism 4 can follow the axial displacement caused by the elongation or wear in the axial direction during starting or during operation by adjusting the air pressure, and can maintain the initial pressing force. Further, the contact surface pressure imparting mechanism 4 also functions as a buffer mechanism for fine vibration and rotational alignment by adopting a floating mechanism that allows and holds the runout of the second processing ring 20.

Specifically, the accommodating portion 41 of the second holder 21 allows the axial direction of the second ring 20 to be deviated from the direction of appearance of the second ring 20 (virtual direction orthogonal to the direction of appearance). The second ring 20 is received with a margin (allowing the second processing surface 2 to be inclined with respect to the surface). However, this inclination is such that the inclination of the second processing surface 2 is about 1 second to 2 degrees with respect to a virtual surface orthogonal to the direction of appearance. Further, it is allowed to incline with the angle in all directions on the virtual surface.
Furthermore, the size which has the allowance of the space | interval of both the inner peripheral surface of the inner side of the 2nd holder 21 and an outer side with respect to the width | variety of the inner peripheral surface of the 2nd ring 20, and an outer peripheral surface which accept | permit such inclination. (The diameter of the central portion of the second holder 20 is smaller than the inner diameter of the second ring 20 and the outer diameter of the second holder 20 is larger than the outer diameter of the second ring 20), but does not involve the inclination described above. The parallel displacement of the central axis of the second processing ring 20 with respect to the central axis of the second holder 21 is also allowed.
Such a size having a margin between the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the second holder 21 with respect to the width between the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the second ring 20 serves as the buffer mechanism. It constitutes a floating mechanism.

Further, even if there is a margin between the upper part of the second processing ring 20 and the uppermost part of the housing part 41 in the housing part 41, the contact surface pressure applying mechanism 4 can be connected to the spring 43 with the first processing surface 1. The upper limit of the width of the gap between the second processing surface 2 is defined. That is, the contact surface pressure imparting mechanism 4 functions as a separation inhibiting unit that inhibits separation exceeding the regulation of the first processing surface 1 and the second processing surface 2.
Even if the first processing surface 1 and the second processing surface 2 are not in contact with each other, the spring 43 is prevented from protruding from the second processing ring 20 so that the spring 43 is connected to the first processing surface 1 and the second processing surface 2. The lower limit of the width of the gap between the surface 2 is defined. That is, in this embodiment, the spring 43 functions as a proximity deterrence unit that deters the proximity of the first processing surface 1 and the second processing surface 2 that is less than the specified range.

Hereinafter, a method for producing toner particles using the powder processing apparatus 71 will be described in more detail.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the toner particle manufacturing system, the toner raw material particles 63 supplied from the auto feeder 71 are introduced into the powder processing apparatus 71 via the toner introduction port 62 of the powder processing apparatus 71 shown in FIG. . The toner raw material particles 63 introduced into the powder processing apparatus 71 are guided to the powder raw material supply nozzle 60 as described above by the ejector effect by the high pressure air supplied from the high pressure air introduction nozzle 61. Thereafter, the toner raw material particles 63 are highly dispersed by the high-pressure air introduced from the high-pressure air introduction nozzle 61 and introduced between the processing surfaces 1 and 2.

On the other hand, the first processing ring 10 rotates while maintaining a predetermined rotation speed by the rotation drive device 5 (rotation drive mechanism). At this time, the second processing ring is pushed upward mainly by the pressure received from the high-pressure air introduction nozzle 61. As a result, the first processing surface 1 is rotated relative to the second processing surface 2 while maintaining a minute interval.
The toner raw material particles 63 introduced into the powder processing apparatus 71 together with the high-pressure air are subjected to strong shearing between the first processing surface 1 and the second processing surface 2 which are kept at a minute interval, and the surface Is modified into spherical toner particles and discharged from the discharge unit 32.
That is, the pressure of the high-pressure air jet acting in the direction of separating the processing surfaces 1 and 2 and the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the first processing surface and the second processing surface 2 (second processing ring 20) are A minute gap is secured between the processing surfaces 1 and 2 in addition to the balance with the urging force of the contact surface pressure applying mechanism 5 acting in the direction of approaching the processing surface 1 (first processing ring 10). However, high-pressure air and toner raw material particles are passed through the gap.
Thereafter, the processed toner particles are collected by the action of the suction blower 74 and the cyclone 72.

The processing in the powder processing apparatus 71 will be described more specifically.
As described above, after the toner raw material particles 63 are dispersed in the high-pressure air obtained by the compressor and maintained at a constant pressure by the high-pressure air injection nozzle 61, the first processing ring 10 is used using the pressure of the high-pressure air. And the second processing ring 20 is moved away. As a result, a minute and constant gap can be formed between the first processing ring 10 and the second processing ring 20.
In the above, about the injection pressure Q of the high pressure air injected by the high pressure air injection nozzle 61,
100 kPa <Q <500 kPa
Is preferable.
The first processing ring 10 and the second processing ring 20 each preferably have an outer diameter of 50 to 500 mm and an inner diameter of 30 to 400 mm.
And about such a 1st processing ring 10, it is preferable that the rotational speed of the outer peripheral surface 14 shall be 10 m / s-100 m / s.
Here, the pressure of the air as the urging means introduced from the air introduction part 44, that is, the back pressure P and the gap between the processing surfaces 1 and 2 (minute interval) will be described in detail. 10 kPa <P <700 kPa in the second processing ring 20 in order to adjust the gap between the first processing ring 10 and the second processing ring 20 during the surface treatment of the toner raw material particles).
It is preferable to apply a back pressure P of. If the pressure is less than 10 kPa, a gap (interval between the processing surfaces 1 and 2) is opened more than necessary during powder processing, and air is excessively discharged from the apparatus, so that predetermined powder processing cannot be performed. Desired toner particles cannot be obtained. On the other hand, if it is higher than 700 kPa, heat is generated and it tends to adversely affect the fusion within the apparatus and the quality of the powder raw material. Thus, by applying the back pressure within the above range, the degree of powder processing can be made more appropriate.
In particular, the back pressure P is preferably 50 kPa <P <500 kPa.
In this case, the pressing force of the springs 42... 42 is preferably 50 to 200 N.

Moreover, it is preferable that this powder processing apparatus is provided with the jacket for temperature adjustment which adjusts the temperature of one or both of the 1st processing ring 10 and the 2nd processing ring 20 (not shown). Further, it is preferable to surface-treat the toner raw material particles while passing a coolant (preferably cooling water, more preferably an antifreeze such as ethylene glycol) through the jacket. With such a temperature adjustment jacket, one or both of the first processing ring 10 and the second processing ring 20 can be cooled when the surface treatment is performed, and the toner raw material particles that are the powder to be processed can be cooled. It is possible to prevent quality deterioration and particle fusion in the apparatus.
The particle diameter D of the toner raw material particles is 3 μm ≦ D ≦ 10 μm.
It is preferable that This is because if it is finer than 3 μm, it is difficult to control in the copying machine and printer, and if it is coarser than 10 μm, high-definition image formation cannot be realized.
The fine interval suitable for the surface treatment of the toner raw material particles is preferably 1 to 5 times the diameter of the toner raw material particles. Therefore, when the diameter of the toner particles is 4 μm, 4 to 20 μm. Is preferable.

In the embodiment described above, the first processing ring 10 does not protrude from the first holder 11, but it can also be implemented as it protrudes from the holder like the second processing ring 20. In this case, the first processing ring 10 can also be implemented by adopting a floating mechanism as in the second processing ring 20. In addition, both the first processing ring 10 and the second processing ring 20 may be moved up and down, or only the first processing ring 10 may be moved up and down, and the second processing ring 20 may not be moved up and down.
Further, the second processing ring 2 may be rotated instead of the first processing ring 10 or together with the first processing ring 10. In other words, the second holder 21 can be connected to a rotation drive mechanism and rotated.
Further, the first processing surface 1 can be implemented as a plate surface without a hollow portion 12 instead of an annular shape (that is, instead of the first processing ring 10, a disk connected to a rotation drive unit is employed. It is also possible to implement the first processing surface 1 as an end surface of the disk).
In the above description, the present invention has been described with reference to the case where the method for producing toner particles is taken as an example. However, the present invention can be implemented in methods for producing resin particles for other purposes. The present invention is particularly suitable as a method for producing fine polyester particles.

Examples of the present invention and comparative examples will be described below.
Table 1 shows five examples of Examples 1 to 5 and a comparative example.

As described above, “surface treatment” in the present invention is to smooth the unevenness of the particle surface, and to indicate that the external shape of the particle is close to a spherical shape. In this embodiment, the degree of surface treatment of toner particles is shown as an average circularity as an index.
First, the measurement method, measurement conditions, and measurement of the particle size distribution of toner particles, which were investigated for each example and comparative example, will be described.

(Measuring method of average circularity)
The average circularity is measured using a flow type particle image measuring device “FPIA-2100 type” (manufactured by Sysmex Corporation), and is calculated using the following equation.

The “particle projected area” in Equation 1 is the area of the binarized particle image, and in Equation 2, “perimeter of the particle projected image” is the contour line obtained by connecting the edge points of the particle image. Define length. The measurement uses the perimeter of the particle image when image processing is performed at an image processing resolution of 512 × 512 (pixels of 0.3 μm × 0.3 μm). Specifically, the “peripheral length of the projected particle image” means, for example, when a particle silhouette is projected onto a grid indicated by a thin line in FIG. The length of the line. The “peripheral length of a circle having the same area as the projected particle area” is the circumference of a perfect circle having the same area as the area surrounded by the thick line.
The circularity here is an index indicating the degree of unevenness of the particles, and is 1.000 when the particles are completely spherical, and the circularity becomes smaller as the surface shape becomes more complex.
Further, the average circularity C, which means the average value of the circularity frequency distribution, is obtained from the following equation (Equation 3), where ci is the circularity (median value) at the dividing point i of the particle size distribution and m is the number of measured particles. Calculated.

“FPIA-2100” employed as a measuring device calculates the circularity of each particle, and then calculates the average circularity. Each is divided into equally divided classes, and the average circularity is calculated using the median (median) of the division points and the number of measured particles.
As a specific measuring method, 20 ml of ion-exchanged water from which impure solids have been removed in advance is prepared in a container, and after adding a surfactant (preferably alkylbenzene sulfonate) as a dispersant, The measurement sample is uniformly dispersed so that the sample concentration is 2000 to 5000 / μl. As a means to disperse, an ultrasonic disperser “ULTRASONIC CLEANER VS-150 type” (manufactured by ASONE Co., Ltd.) is used, and a dispersion treatment is performed for 1 minute under the following conditions to obtain a dispersion for measurement. In that case, it cools suitably so that the temperature of this dispersion may not be 40 degreeC or more. In order to suppress variation in circularity, the installation environment of the apparatus is controlled at 23 ° C. ± 0.5 ° C. so that the temperature inside the flow type particle image analyzer FPIA-2100 is 26 to 27 ° C. Preferably, autofocus is performed using 2 μm latex particles every 2 hours.

(Dispersion condition by ultrasonic oscillator)
The apparatus adopted as the ultrasonic transmitter is an ULTRASONIC CLEANER VS-150 type (manufactured by ASONE Corporation). The rating is an output of 50 kHz and 150 W. For the measurement of the circularity of the particles, the flow type particle image measuring device is used, the concentration of the dispersion is readjusted so that the toner particle concentration at the time of measurement is 3000 to 10,000 / μl, and 1000 or more particles are obtained. measure. After the measurement, using this data, data having an equivalent circle diameter of less than 2 μm is cut to determine the average circularity of the particles.
The outline of the measurement in this example and comparative example is as follows.

  The sample dispersion is passed through a flow path (expanded along the flow direction) of a flat and flat flow cell (thickness: about 200 μm). The strobe and the CCD camera are mounted on the flow cell so as to be opposite to each other so as to form an optical path that passes through the thickness of the flow cell. While the sample dispersion is flowing, stroboscopic light is irradiated at 1/30 second intervals to obtain an image of the particles flowing through the flow cell, so that each particle has a constant pattern parallel to the flow cell. Photographed as a two-dimensional image. From the area of the two-dimensional image of each particle, the diameter of a circle having the same area is calculated as the equivalent circle diameter. The circularity of each particle is calculated from the projected area of the two-dimensional image of each particle and the perimeter of the projected image using the above circularity calculation formula.

(Measurement of toner particle size distribution)
The particle size distribution of the toner particles can be measured by various methods, but it is preferable to use a Coulter counter, and the Coulter counter was employed in the measurement in this example.
As the measuring device, Coulter Counter Multisizer I type, II type or IIe type (manufactured by Coulter Inc.) is connected to an interface (manufactured by Nikkiki) that outputs number average distribution and volume average distribution and a general personal computer. A 1% NaCl aqueous solution was prepared as an electrolyte using special grade or first grade sodium chloride.
As a measuring method, 0.1 to 5 ml of a surfactant (preferably alkylbenzene sulfonate) is added as a dispersant to 100 to 150 ml of the electrolytic aqueous solution, and 2 to 20 mg of a measurement sample is further added. The electrolyte in which the sample is suspended is subjected to a dispersion process for about 1 to 3 minutes with an ultrasonic disperser, and by using the Coulter Counter Multisizer II, a 100 μm aperture is used as an aperture, and particles having a size of 2 to 40 μm on the basis of the number are used. The particle size distribution was measured, and various values were obtained therefrom.

  Each example is obtained by the apparatus configuration shown in FIG. 6, and is obtained by using the toner particle production system shown in FIG. 1 as the shape control apparatus 204. As the powder processing apparatus 71 of this toner particle manufacturing system, the one shown in FIG.

(Example 1)
In Example 1 shown in Table 1, a polyester color toner raw material obtained by melt-kneading is pulverized with an IDS type jet mill, and then classified with an elbow jet (manufactured by Nittetsu Mining Co., Ltd.) to obtain a toner raw material. Particles 63 were obtained. The obtained toner raw material particles 63 were measured by the above-mentioned Coulter Counter Multisizer. The volume average particle diameter was 6.7 μm, and the abundance of particles having a particle diameter of 4.00 μm or less was 15% by number. The average circularity was 0.925.
The toner raw material particles 63 were subjected to powder processing in the first processing ring 10 using the powder processing apparatus 71 described above and under the following conditions.
First, the rotation speed of the first processing ring 10 having an outer diameter of 100 mm and an inner diameter of 60 mm is set to 8000 rpm (peripheral speed: 41.9 m / sec), and 200 kPa of compressed air is introduced into the air introduction portion 44 to obtain the first. The surface pressure between the processing ring 10 and the second processing ring 20 was adjusted. Thereafter, 300 kPa of high-pressure air was supplied from the high-pressure air introduction nozzle 61, and the toner raw material particles 63 were supplied from the auto feeder 70 at 3 kg / Hr. The supplied toner raw material particles 63 are introduced into the powder processing apparatus through the toner introduction port 62 and are subjected to strong shearing in the gap between the first processing surface 1 and the second processing surface 2 generated by the high-pressure air. The processed toner particles are collected by the cyclone 72 via the discharge unit 32. The obtained toner particles had a volume average particle diameter of 6.6 μm and the abundance of particles having a particle diameter of 4.00 μm or less was 17% by number. The average circularity was 0.967.
The dimensions of the second processing ring 20 are the same as those of the first processing ring 10. This is the same in the following embodiments.

(Example 2)
In Example 2 shown in Table 1, the rotation speed of the first processing ring 10 having the same dimensions as above was set to 13000 rpm (peripheral speed: 68 m / sec), and 300 kPa of compressed air was introduced into the air introduction part 44. Thereafter, toner particles were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 400 kPa of high pressure air was supplied from the high pressure air introduction nozzle 61 to supply the toner raw material particles. The obtained toner particles had a volume average particle diameter of 6.5 μm and the abundance of particles having a particle diameter of 4.00 μm or less was 18% by number. The average circularity was 0.975.

(Example 3)
In Example 3 shown in Table 1, the rotation speed of the first processing ring 10 having the same dimensions as above was set to 13000 rpm (peripheral speed: 68 m / sec), and 300 kPa of compressed air was introduced into the air introduction part 44. Thereafter, toner particles were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 400 kPa of high pressure air was supplied from the high pressure air introduction nozzle 61 and the toner raw material particles 63 were supplied from the auto feeder 70 at 5 kg / Hr. The obtained toner particles had a volume average particle size of 6.6 μm and the abundance of particles having a particle size of 4.00 μm or less was 16% by number. The average circularity was 0.970.

Example 4
In Example 4 shown in Table 1, toner particles were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 400 kPa of high-pressure air was supplied from the high-pressure air introduction nozzle 61. The obtained toner particles had a volume average particle size of 6.6 μm and the abundance of particles having a particle size of 4.00 μm or less was 16% by number. The average circularity was 0.965.

(Example 5)
In Example 5 shown in Table 1, toner particles were obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the rotation speed of the first treatment ring 10 was set to 400 rpm (peripheral speed: 20.9 m / sec). The obtained toner particles had a volume average particle diameter of 6.7 μm and the abundance of particles having a particle diameter of 4.00 μm or less was 15% by number. The average circularity was 0.960.

(Comparative example)
As a comparative example shown in Table 1, a polyester color toner material obtained by melt-kneading in the same manner as in Example 1 was pulverized with a turbo mill mechanical pulverizer, and then classified with an elbow jet (manufactured by Nippon Steel Mining Co., Ltd.). To obtain toner raw material particles 63. The obtained toner raw material particles 63 were not subjected to surface treatment by the shape control device 204 in FIG. When the particles were measured with the above-mentioned Coulter Counter Multisizer, the volume average particle diameter was 6.7 μm, and the number of particles having a particle diameter of 4.00 μm or less was 17% by number. The average circularity was 0.945.

  From the above, while the average circular longitude of the comparative example stays below 0.95 (0.945), each of the above Examples 1 to 5 has a value of 0.96 or more. It turns out that it is a more round thing with respect to a comparative example.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the outline of the system suitable for implementing the manufacturing method of the toner particle which concerns on this invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view of a powder processing apparatus that is a main part of the system shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a main part of the powder processing apparatus of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing a first processing ring of the powder processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic AA end view of FIG. 2. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a preferred embodiment of a toner manufacturing flow. It is explanatory drawing which shows the image of the circumference of a particle projection image.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st processing surface 2 2nd processing surface 3 Case 4 Contact surface pressure provision mechanism 5 Rotation drive device 10 1st processing ring 11 1st holder 20 2nd processing ring 21 2nd holder 23 Pressure receiving surface (adjustment surface for separation | separation) )
30 Internal space 32 Discharge portion 41 Storage portion 42 Spring receiving portion 43 Spring 44 Air introduction portion 50 Rotating shaft 51 Fixture 60 Powder raw material supply nozzle 61 High pressure air introduction nozzle 62 Toner introduction rod 63 Toner raw material particle 71 Auto feeder 72 Cyclone 73 Bug Filter 74 Suction blower

Claims (12)

In the method for producing resin particles in which the resin raw material particles already pulverized are processed into a spherical shape,
The first and second processing surfaces facing each other, which constitute at least part of the flow path of the resin raw material particles, are used, and at least one of the first and second processing surfaces is defined as the first and second processing surfaces. By rotating relative to the other processing surface of 2, a shearing force is generated and processing is performed.
Make the resin material particle flow path airtight,
At least one of the first and second processing surfaces is made to face either the first or second processing surface so as to be close to or away from the other processing surface, and is attached so as to be close to the other processing surface. Vigorously,
The resin raw material particles are injected into the flow path of the resin raw material particles together with a fluid such as a gas, and the pressure of the injection and the rotation of the processing surface act in the direction of separating both the first and second processing surfaces. The surface treatment of the resin raw material particles is performed by allowing the fluid and the resin raw material particles to pass through the gap in addition to the balance between the centrifugal force generated in the above and the biasing force acting in the direction in which both processing surfaces are brought close to each other A method for producing resin particles, wherein: At least one of the first and second processing surfaces is formed as an end surface of the processing ring that can be projected and retracted toward at least the other of the first and second processing surfaces.
From the center of the processing ring, between the first and second processing surfaces, resin raw material particles to be processed together with a fluid such as a gas are sprayed. An end surface serving as a processing surface of the processing ring and a processing ring Provide a pressure-receiving surface between the inner peripheral surface,
2. The resin according to claim 1, wherein the flow pressure of the fluid and the resin raw material particles received on the pressure receiving surface is applied in a direction in which the processing surface of the processing ring is separated from the other processing surface. Particle manufacturing method. It is spheroidized by performing a surface treatment of resin raw material particles obtained by melt-kneading at least a binder resin and a colorant,
A first processing ring having one end surface as the first processing surface, a second processing ring having one end surface as the second processing surface, and the first processing ring relative to the second processing ring. Using a powder processing apparatus equipped with a rolling drive mechanism for rotating
The fluid such as the above gas is high pressure air,
By introducing the resin raw material particles together with the high-pressure air between the first processing ring and the second processing ring, the second processing ring is separated from the first processing ring, and the first processing ring provided by the rotation drive mechanism The method for producing resin particles according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the resin raw material particles is treated by rotation. The powder processing apparatus is provided with a powder raw material supply nozzle, a resin inlet for supplying resin raw material particles provided in the powder raw material supply nozzle, and a shaft core portion of the powder raw material supply nozzle. With a high-pressure air introduction nozzle
The method for producing resin particles according to claim 3, wherein a gap is formed by separating the second treatment ring from the first treatment ring by air pressure, and the resin raw material particles are introduced into the gap.   The method for producing resin particles according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a buffer mechanism for buffering fine vibration and alignment is provided on at least one of the processing rings.   The powder processing apparatus is provided with a separation prevention unit that regulates the maximum distance between the first processing surface and the second processing surface and suppresses separation between both processing surfaces larger than the maximum distance. It employ | adopts, The manufacturing method of the resin particle in any one of Claims 3-5 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The powder processing apparatus is provided with a proximity deterring unit that regulates the minimum distance between the first processing surface and the second processing surface and suppresses the proximity of both processing surfaces smaller than the minimum distance. It employ | adopts, The manufacturing method of the resin particle in any one of Claims 3-6 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The method for producing resin particles according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of one or both of the first processing surface and the second processing surface is mirror-finished.   The method for producing resin particles according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the outer peripheral peripheral speed of the rotating processing surface is 10 m / s to 100 m / s.   By adopting one or both of the first processing surface and the second processing surface provided with a concave portion extending radially from the center of the processing surface, the first processing surface is rotated by the rotation of the at least one processing surface. The method for producing resin particles according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein at least one of the second processing surfaces is separated from the first and second other processing surfaces. The particle diameter D of the resin raw material particles is 3 μm ≦ D ≦ 10 μm
The method for producing resin particles according to any one of claims 4 to 10, wherein:   The method for producing resin particles according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the distance between the first and second processing surfaces is 1 to 5 times the diameter of the resin raw material particles.

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