JP2012237808A - Molding method of lubricant molded product and molding apparatus for the same, and lubricant molded product and lubricant application apparatus having the molded product - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a molding method of a lubricant molded product and a molding apparatus for the product, by which a lubricant molded product having no uneven wear can be easily and inexpensively obtained by molding, and to provide a lubricant molded product and a lubricant application apparatus having the lubricant molded product.SOLUTION: A cavity 203 in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having an upper opening is formed by a mold 201. The molding method comprises: (a) partitioning the cavity 203 with a plurality of partition plates 541 into a plurality of segments 204a to 204j arranged in a longitudinal direction; (b) filling the plurality of segments 204a to 204j with a lubricant J in the respective predetermined amounts; then (c) pulling the plurality of partitioning plates 541 upward to eliminate the partitions; and (d) inserting a punch 202 into the cavity 203 to compact the lubricant J into a rectangular parallelepiped shape to obtain a lubricant molded product 6a1.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for molding a lubricant molded article applied to a surface of a surface of an image carrier carrying a latent image by a brush roller abutted so as to form a nip. The present invention relates to a lubricant molded product molded using the same and a lubricant coating device having the same.

  A conventional image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process has a photosensitive member as a drum-shaped (cylindrical) image bearing member, and the surface of the photosensitive member is charged and charged by discharging the surface of the photosensitive member. Then, the surface of the charged photoconductor is exposed to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor. Then, the image forming apparatus supplies toner to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive member to make it visible, and sequentially transfers the visible image to the intermediate transfer member to form the intermediate transfer member. A multicolor image is formed. The image forming apparatus electrostatically retransfers the multicolor image to a recording medium such as a recording paper so as to form a multicolor image without image displacement.

  Around the photoconductor in the conventional image forming apparatus, there is provided a cleaning member for removing the adhering matter such as transfer residual toner adhering to the surface of the photoconductor after transferring the toner image and cleaning the surface of the photoconductor. . By removing the deposits with this cleaning member, it is possible to avoid adverse effects such as image deterioration caused by the deposits. As such a cleaning member, for example, a cleaning blade made of an elastic body such as rubber is used.

  However, the cleaning blade may suffer from wear, chipping, deformation, etc. over time due to continued rubbing with the photoreceptor, resulting in a problem that the cleaning performance deteriorates. Further, since the surface of the photoconductor is also worn by rubbing with the cleaning blade, there is a problem that the life of the photoconductor is shortened. Further, there has been a problem that a fluidity imparting agent, a charge control agent and the like externally added to the toner adhere to the surface of the photoreceptor due to the contact pressure with the cleaning blade, and filming occurs.

  Therefore, conventionally, by applying a lubricant to the surface of the photoconductor, the frictional resistance acting between the photoconductor and the cleaning blade is reduced to prevent such wear and the like, thereby solving the above problem. It was.

  Ideally, the lubricant applied to the surface of the photoreceptor is directly supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor in the form of fine powder. However, in order to accommodate the fine powder lubricant, it is necessary to secure a considerable amount of space in the image forming apparatus. Therefore, in order to save space, a lubricant molded product obtained by molding a lubricant into a rod shape or the like is used.

  A lubricant application device that applies such a lubricant molded product to the photoreceptor is required to have a function of uniformly applying the lubricant molded product in the axial direction of the photoreceptor without any unevenness. As a lubricant application device having such a function, a device provided with a brush roller that is rotationally driven so as to contact both the lubricant molded product and the photosensitive member has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). FIG. 20 shows an image forming apparatus having such a lubricant application device.

  As shown in FIG. 20, a conventional image forming apparatus (indicated by reference numeral 100 in the figure) includes (1) a photoreceptor 101, and (2) a charging device 102 including a charging roller 102a and a charging cleaning roller 102b. (3) an exposure device 103; (4) a developing device 104 including a developing sleeve 104a, a screw 104b, and a doctor blade 104c; and (5) a transfer device 105 including a transfer roller 105a and an intermediate transfer belt 105b. (6) Lubricant application device 106 provided with lubricant molded product 106a, brush roller 106b, coating blade 106c, coating blade holding member 106d, lubricant molded product holding container 106g, and compression member (spring) 106h; ) Cleaning blade 107a, cleaning blade support member 107b, and toner recovery coil 1 7c a cleaning device 107 having the process cartridge 109 is provided with, and (8) a process cartridge case 108.

  According to the conventional lubricant application device 106 provided in such an image forming apparatus 100, the lubricant molding 106a is scraped by the brush roller 106b to become fine powder and adheres to the fibers of the brush roller 106b. In addition, since the fine powder lubricant adhered to the brush roller 106b is applied to the surface of the photosensitive member 101, the application unevenness is small and the space saving is excellent.

  In the above-described lubricant molded product 106a, a rectangular powder-shaped cavity having an upper opening formed by a mold is filled with a fine powder lubricant, and then a punch is inserted into the cavity to compress the lubricant. It is formed by. In such a lubricant molded product 106a, as shown in FIGS. 21 (a) to 21 (c), after a predetermined amount of lubricant is put into the lubricant-filled funnel, the tip of the funnel is inserted into the cavity. Then, it is moved so as to be gradually pulled upward while reciprocating in the longitudinal direction of the cavity (left and right direction in FIG. 21), and the fine powdery lubricant is discharged from the tip of the funnel, whereby the lubricant is injected into the cavity. As a result, the lubricant filling amount varies in the longitudinal direction of the cavity, and as a result, the longitudinal density distribution variation (irregular disturbance) occurs in the compression molded lubricant 106a. There was a case.

  In the above-described lubricant application device 106, the lubricant molded product 106a is gradually scraped and thinned by the friction of the brush roller 106b. If the density distribution of the lubricant molded product 106a varies, Since the portion where the thickness is low is scraped faster than the portion where the density is high, there is a problem that uneven wear occurs and one end side becomes thin and the other end side becomes thick as shown in FIG. When uneven wear occurs in the lubricant molded product 106a in this way, the usable period is limited by the thin portion, the life is shortened, and the fine powder lubricant is stably exposed over a long period of time. It could not be applied to the surface of the body 101 (that is, the image carrier).

  In addition, in order to eliminate the above-described variation in density distribution of the lubricant molded product, the fine powder lubricant filled in the cavity is made uniform with a spatula or the like, or a part of the fine powder lubricant is used. It is conceivable that the density is regularly collected to cause a difference in density (see, for example, Patent Document 2), but on the surface, the lubricant is flattened or regularly distributed. However, the inner packing density cannot be made uniform, and variations in density distribution cannot be sufficiently eliminated. In addition, there is another problem that the number of steps for leveling the lubricant using a spatula or the like increases and the cost increases.

  The present invention aims to solve the above problems. That is, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing a lubricant molded product that can easily and inexpensively form a lubricant molded product free from uneven wear, and a lubricant molded product and a lubricant application having the lubricant molded product. The object is to provide a device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is a gold mold in which a lubricant molded product applied to the surface of an image carrier by a brush roller is formed and a rectangular parallelepiped cavity having an opening upward is formed. In the molding method of a lubricant molded product molded with a mold, (a) an insertion step of inserting a partition member that partitions the cavity into a plurality of partitions arranged in the longitudinal direction, and (b) each of the plurality of partitions. A filling step in which a predetermined amount of lubricant is filled in, (c) a drawing step in which the partition member is pulled upward and pulled out from the cavity, and (d) a punch is inserted into the cavity to remove the lubricant. A method for forming a lubricant molded article, comprising: a compression step of sequentially compressing into a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

  In the invention described in claim 2, in the invention described in claim 1, in the step (a), a partition member that partitions the cavity into a plurality of at least three sections is inserted into the cavity, and In the step (b), the amount of the lubricant filled in the compartments at or near both ends of the plurality of compartments is larger than the amount of the lubricant filled in other compartments other than these compartments. In addition, each of the plurality of compartments is filled with the lubricant.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a lubricant molded product applied to the surface of the image carrier by a brush roller is formed on a gold plate in which a rectangular parallelepiped cavity having an opening upward is formed. In a molding apparatus for a lubricant molded product molded by a mold, a partition member that partitions the cavity into a plurality of sections arranged in a longitudinal direction, a partition member moving unit that holds the partition member movably, and a lubricant are measured. An apparatus for molding a lubricant molded product, comprising: a lubricant supply unit that fills each of the plurality of compartments; and a punch moving unit that movably holds a punch inserted into the cavity. It is.

  The invention described in claim 4 is the invention described in claim 3, wherein the partition member moving portion inserts the partition member into the cavity, and the partition member is inserted into the cavity. Filling means for measuring the lubricant in a predetermined amount for each of the plurality of compartments by the lubricant supply unit, and filling the lubricant measured in each of the plurality of compartments; After each of the compartments is filled with the lubricant, the partition member moving unit pulls the partition member upward to extract it from the cavity, and the punch movement after the partition member is extracted from the cavity. And a compressing means for compressing the lubricant into a rectangular parallelepiped shape by inserting a punch into the cavity. And it is characterized in that it comprises a.

  The invention described in claim 5 is the invention described in claim 4, wherein the partition member is configured to partition the cavity into a plurality of at least three or more sections, and is set in advance. Of the amount of lubricant, the amount of lubricant predetermined for both ends of the plurality of sections or a section in the vicinity thereof is greater than the amount of lubricant predetermined for other sections other than these sections. It is characterized by being set as follows.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, in the lubricant molding applied to the surface of the image carrier by a brush roller, the lubricant molding is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and The lubricant molded product is characterized in that the density of the lubricant in both end portions or the vicinity thereof of the lubricant molded product is higher than the density of the lubricant in the central portion.

  In order to achieve the above object, a seventh aspect of the present invention provides a brush roller that applies a lubricant to the surface of an image carrier, a lubricant supply member that supplies the lubricant onto the brush roller, In the lubricant application device having at least the above, the lubricant supply member is provided with the lubricant molded product according to claim 6.

  According to the invention described in claim 1, a rectangular parallelepiped cavity having an opening upward is formed by a mold, and (a) the cavity is partitioned into a plurality of sections arranged in the longitudinal direction by a partition member, and (B) After each of the plurality of sections is filled with a predetermined amount of lubricant, (c) the partition member is pulled upward to release the partition, and (d) a punch is inserted into the cavity. Since the lubricant is compressed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape to form a lubricant molded product, it corresponds to the compartment according to the amount of lubricant (lubricant filling amount) filled in the compartment formed by partitioning the cavity The density of the portion of the lubricant molding to be determined is determined, and therefore, it is possible to easily and inexpensively mold a lubricant molding having a uniform density distribution by filling all the compartments with the same amount of lubricant. By making the amount of the lubricant filled in any one or a plurality of compartments different from the amount of the lubricant filled in other compartments, it becomes easy and inexpensive to form a lubricant product having a regular density distribution. That is, it is possible to form a lubricant molded product that is free of uneven wear and has no uneven wear, and can be formed easily and inexpensively. Also, since the partition of the cavity is released by pulling up the partition member upward and extracting from the cavity, the lubricant filled in any one compartment is filled in another compartment adjacent to the partition when releasing the partition. Therefore, it is possible to form a lubricant molded product having a high density distribution with high accuracy.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the cavity is partitioned into three or more compartments arranged in the longitudinal direction by the partition member, and the lubricant filled in the compartments at both ends or in the vicinity thereof among the plurality of compartments. Since each of the plurality of compartments is filled with a lubricant so that the amount is larger than the amount of lubricant filled in other compartments other than these compartments, the density of both end portions or their neighboring portions is higher than that of the other portions. A lubricant molded product configured to be high can be formed. In such a lubricant molded product, both end portions having a high density or the vicinity thereof are less likely to be scraped than other portions having a low density, and therefore two pressures pressed against the brush roller by the both end portions or the vicinity thereof are set at two points. Therefore, the speed at which the brush roller is scraped by the rubbing of the brush roller becomes more uniform in the longitudinal direction, so that a lubricant molded product without uneven wear can be formed.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the partition member that partitions the cavity into a plurality of partitions arranged in the longitudinal direction, the partition member moving unit that holds the partition member movably, and the partition member that measures the lubricant. Since it has a lubricant supply section that fills each of the plurality of sections partitioned by the punch and a punch moving section that holds the punch inserted into the cavity so as to be movable, an opening is provided above the mold. A rectangular parallelepiped cavity is formed. (A) The partition member is inserted into the cavity by the partition member moving part, the cavity is partitioned into a plurality of sections arranged in the longitudinal direction by the partition member, and (b) lubricant supply After the predetermined amount of lubricant is filled in each of the plurality of sections by the section, the partition member is pulled upward by the partition member moving section and partitioned. Released, then, it is possible to mold the lubricant molded body by compressing the lubricant into a rectangular parallelepiped by inserting a punch into the cavity by (d) a punch moving section. As a result, the density of the location of the lubricant molded product corresponding to the section is determined according to the amount of lubricant (lubricant filling amount) filled in the section formed by partitioning the cavity. It is possible to easily and inexpensively form a lubricant molded product having a uniform density distribution by filling the same amount of the lubricant, or the amount of the lubricant filled in any one or a plurality of compartments, By making the amount different from the amount of lubricant filled in other compartments, it is possible to easily and inexpensively form a lubricant molded product having a regular density distribution, that is, there is no variation in the density distribution of the lubricant, Lubricant moldings without uneven wear can be molded easily and inexpensively. Further, since the partition of the cavity is released by pulling the partition member upward by the partition member moving unit and removing it from the cavity, the lubricant filled in any one of the partitions is adjacent to the partition when the partition is released. Therefore, it is possible to form a lubricant molded product having a high density distribution with high accuracy.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, after the partition member moving part is inserted into the cavity, the insertion member is inserted into the cavity, and after the partition member is inserted into the cavity, the lubricant supply part performs the operation. Filling means for weighing the lubricant to a predetermined amount for each of the plurality of compartments and filling the measured amount of the lubricant into each of the plurality of compartments, and the lubricant in each of the plurality of compartments After the filling, the partition member moving part pulls the partition member upward to extract it from the cavity, and after the partition member is extracted from the cavity, the punch moving part inserts a punch into the cavity. And a control means provided with a compression means for compressing the lubricant into a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Thus, by controlling the partition member moving unit, the lubricant supply unit, and the punch moving unit, the above-described operations (a) to (d) can be performed. A lubricant molded product having no distribution variation and no uneven wear can be more easily and accurately formed.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, the partition member is configured to partition the cavity into at least three or more sections, and the plurality of predetermined amounts of the lubricant among the plurality of the lubricants. Since the amount of lubricant predetermined for both ends of the sections or a section in the vicinity thereof is set to be larger than the amount of lubricant determined for other sections other than these sections, both end portions Alternatively, it is possible to mold a lubricant molded product configured such that the density of the vicinity thereof is higher than that of other portions. In such a lubricant molded product, both end portions having a high density or the vicinity thereof are less likely to be scraped than other portions having a low density, and therefore two pressures pressed against the brush roller by the both end portions or the vicinity thereof are set at two points. Therefore, the speed at which the brush roller is scraped by the rubbing of the brush roller becomes more uniform in the longitudinal direction, so that a lubricant molded product without uneven wear can be formed.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, the lubricant molded product is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the density of the lubricant in both end portions of the lubricant molded product or in the vicinity thereof is the lubricant in the central portion. Therefore, the pressure pressed against the brush roller by the both ends of the high density or in the vicinity thereof can be supported at two points. Therefore, the speed scraped by the rubbing of the brush roller becomes uniform in the longitudinal direction. Wear can be prevented.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the lubricant supply member of the lubricant application device is provided with the lubricant molded product according to the fifth aspect. Therefore, the lubricant can be stably supplied and applied to the surface of the image carrier over a long period of time.

(A) is a front view of one Embodiment of the lubricant shaping | molding apparatus of this invention, (b) is a side view. (A) is a perspective view of the metal mold | die and punch used for shaping | molding of a lubricant molding in the lubricant shaping | molding apparatus of FIG. 1, (b) is a cross-sectional view. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the lubricant molding device in FIG. 1. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process (lubricant shaping | molding process) based on this invention performed by the control part (CPU) of the forward lubricant shaping | molding apparatus of FIG. (A) is a front view which shows the initial state of a lubricant shaping | molding apparatus, (b) is a side view. (A) is a front view which shows the state by which the some partition plate was inserted in the cavity, (b) is a side view. (A) is a front view which shows the state by which a lubricant is sequentially filled in a some division, (b) is a side view. (A) is a front view which shows the state from which the some partition plate was extracted from the cavity, (b) is a side view. (A) is a front view which shows the state which has inserted the punch into the cavity and compressed the lubricant, (b) is a side view. (A) is a front view which shows the state by which the punch was extracted from the cavity, (b) is a side view. (A) is a figure which shows typically distribution of the lubricant with which the several division in this embodiment is filled, (b)-(c) is a figure which shows the other example of the said distribution typically. is there. It is a perspective view of one embodiment of the lubricant molded product of the present invention. It is a figure explaining the density distribution of the longitudinal direction of the lubricant molding of FIG. It is a figure explaining another example of the density distribution of the longitudinal direction of the lubricant molding of FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating still another example of the density distribution in the longitudinal direction of the lubricant molded product of FIG. 12. It is explanatory drawing of the process cartridge which has the lubricant coating device of one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 17 is an enlarged explanatory view of the process cartridge of FIG. 16. It is a cross-sectional view of the lubricant cartridge which the lubricant application apparatus of FIG. 16 has. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of an image forming apparatus having the process cartridge of FIG. 16. It is explanatory drawing of the conventional image forming apparatus. (A)-(c) is a figure explaining an example of the shaping | molding method of the conventional lubricant molding. It is a figure explaining the state which the partial abrasion produced of the lubricant molding.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a lubricant molding apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This lubricant molding apparatus molds a lubricant molding by filling a mold with a lubricant and applying a predetermined pressure to compress the mold.

  In this lubricant molding apparatus, for example, a lubricant molded product is molded using a finely powdered lubricant made of a commonly used known lubricating substance. In particular, solid lubricants such as boron nitride, polytetrafluoroethylene, and melamine cyanurate, which are excellent in lubricity, and fatty acid metal salts such as zinc stearate, which are excellent in film formation, are preferable. Can be used. Of course, any other lubricating material that meets the object of the present invention can be used. In this embodiment, a fine powder lubricant (zinc stearate GF-200 (average particle size 14 μm) or zinc stearate GP (average particle size 67 μm)) mainly composed of zinc stearate, Made).

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the lubricant molding apparatus 500 includes a base portion 501, a mold holding portion 502, a punch moving portion 503, a support column 504, a first moving portion 510, The second moving unit 520, the lubricant supply unit 530, the cavity partitioning unit 540, the control unit 550, a lubricant storage tank (not shown), and a transport hose (not shown) are configured. Yes.

  The base part 501 is formed in a flat plate shape with a metal such as steel, for example, and is installed on a factory floor or a work table. The base portion 501 includes a die holding portion 502 for holding a die 201 used for molding a lubricant molded product 6a1, which will be described later, and a punch moving portion for movably holding a punch 202 fitted to the die 201. 503 and a support column 504 erected in the vertical direction from the upper surface 501a of the base portion 501 are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the mold 201 includes a first mold part 201a, a second mold part 201b, a third mold part 201c, and a fourth mold part 201d. These mold parts are configured as a container that forms a rectangular parallelepiped space inside. The first mold part 201a has a strip-like bottom wall 201a1 and a side wall 201a2 erected from one long side of the bottom wall 201a1. The second mold part 201b is formed in a rectangular plate shape having the same shape in plan view as the side wall 201a2. The second mold part 201b is disposed relative to the side wall 201a2 of the first mold part 201a and becomes the side wall 201a3 of the mold 201. The third mold portion 201c and the fourth mold portion 201d are each formed in a rectangular plate shape, and a convex portion is provided on one surface thereof. The third mold part 201c and the fourth mold part 201d are disposed so as to be opposed to each other in a direction in which the short sides of the bottom wall 201a1 face each other so that the respective convex portions are sandwiched between the side wall 201a2 and the side wall 201a3. As a result, the side walls 201a4 and 201a5 of the mold 201 are formed. The bottom wall 201a1 is provided with an assembly portion (not shown) for assembling the first mold portion 201a, the second mold portion 201b, the third mold portion 201c, and the fourth mold portion 201d.

  The mold 201 is formed by combining the first mold part 201a, the second mold part 201b, the third mold part 201c, and the fourth mold part 201d, thereby opening an opening 203a on the inside of the mold 201. A cavity 203 that is a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped space is formed. A punch 202 is fitted into the cavity 203 of the mold 201.

  The punch 202 includes a rectangular plate-like base portion 202a and a convex portion 202b formed to protrude from the lower surface of the base portion 202a. The convex portion 202 b is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and its lower surface 202 c is formed in the same shape as the opening 203 a of the cavity 203 of the mold 201. As a result, the punch 202 is fitted so that the outer peripheral surface 202 d of the convex portion 202 b is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cavity 203. Then, by fitting the punch 202 into the cavity 203, the convex portion 202 b is inserted into the cavity 203, and a space along the shape of the lubricant molded product 6 a 1 is formed inside the mold 201. In the present embodiment, the convex portion 202b is inserted into the cavity 203 so that the space (that is, the outer shape of the lubricant molded product 6a1) has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a width of 10 mm, a length of 322 mm, and a height of 21 mm. In this specification, the rectangular parallelepiped shape includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose surface is formed in a slightly curved surface shape or a composite surface shape. That is, if the lubricant filled in the cavity 203 can be compressed by the punch 202, for example, either the upper surface of the bottom wall 201a1 of the first mold portion 201a or the lower surface 202c of the convex portion 202b of the punch 202 is curved. It may be formed.

  The punch 202 is fixed to the tip of a hydraulic piston 505 provided in a punch moving unit 503 described later via a punch holding unit 506.

  The punch moving unit 503 includes a hydraulic piston 505, a punch holding unit 506 that holds the punch 202 provided at the tip of the hydraulic piston 505, and a cylinder unit that supports the hydraulic piston 505 so that it can protrude and retract in parallel to the vertical direction ( And a cylinder fixing part (not shown) for fixing the cylinder part to the base part 501. The cylinder part projects the hydraulic piston 505 from the cylinder part by oil pressure and immerses the cylinder part in the cylinder part, thereby moving the punch 202 fixed to the tip of the hydraulic piston 505 via the punch holding part 506 in the vertical direction. .

  The first moving unit 510 includes a supply unit holding unit 511 that holds a lubricant supply unit 530, which will be described later, and the supply unit holding unit in the X direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1A and the front-rear direction in FIG. 1B). ) And a first actuator 512 that is movably supported in the Y direction (the front-rear direction in FIG. 1A and the left-right direction in FIG. 1B) and the Z direction (FIGS. 1A and 1B). ) And a second actuator 513 that is movably supported in the vertical direction). A second actuator 513 is attached to the column 504. That is, the first moving unit 510 is provided on the support column 504.

  The second moving unit 520 includes a third actuator 522 that supports a partition member holding unit 521 that holds a cavity partitioning unit 540 described later so as to be movable in the Y direction and the Z direction. The third actuator 522 is attached to the support column 504 below the second actuator 513. That is, the second moving unit 520 is provided on the support column 504 below the first moving unit 510.

  That is, the first moving unit 510 moves the lubricant supply unit 530 held by the supply unit holding unit 511 in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction. Further, the second partition 520 moves the cavity partition 540 held by the partition member holder 521 in the Y direction and the Z direction. The second moving unit 520 corresponds to a partition member moving unit in claims.

  The lubricant supply unit 530 includes a storage container 531, a supply nozzle 532, and a measuring container 535.

  The storage container 531 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom, and stores the fine powder lubricant J therein. The container 531 is connected to a lubricant storage tank (not shown) in which the lubricant J is stored via a transport hose (not shown). The storage container 531 is provided with a vacuum pump, which sucks the lubricant J from the lubricant storage tank through the transport hose and transports it into the storage container 531. The container 531 is held by the supply means holding unit 511.

  The supply nozzle 532 is provided at the lower part of the storage container 531 so as to communicate with the inside of the storage container 531. Further, the supply nozzle 532 is configured such that the tip portion thereof can be opened and closed. The supply nozzle 532 opens the tip portion to discharge the lubricant J and supply it to the measuring container 535.

  The measuring container 535 is formed in a cup shape, temporarily stores the lubricant J, and measures the stored lubricant J. Moreover, the bottom part of the measurement container 535 is comprised so that opening and closing is possible. The measuring container 535 measures the lubricant J supplied through the supply nozzle 532 in a state where the bottom is closed, and supplies the measured lubricant J to the plurality of funnels 542 of the cavity partitioning unit 540 described later by opening the bottom. . The weighing container 535 is connected to the storage container 531 by the connecting member 536 and is moved together with the storage container 531.

  The cavity partitioning portion 540 includes a plurality of partition plates 541 as a partition member and a plurality of funnels 542.

  Each of the plurality of partition plates 541 is formed in a rectangular plate shape having the same cross-sectional shape as that of the cavity 203 of the mold 201 in plan view, and is arranged in parallel with each other and at equal intervals in the horizontal direction. It is held by the holding unit 521. The plurality of partition plates 541 are configured to partition the cavity 203 into a plurality of partitions arranged in the longitudinal direction by being inserted into the cavity 203. In the present embodiment, nine partition plates 541 are provided and configured to partition the cavity 203 into ten partitions 204a to 204j (FIGS. 6 and 7). The number and interval of the plurality of partition plates 541 can be arbitrarily adjusted.

  The plurality of funnels 542 are provided corresponding to each of the plurality of sections partitioned by the plurality of partition plates 541, and the partition member holding portions 521 are arranged at equal intervals in the horizontal direction like the plurality of partition plates 541. Is held in. The plurality of funnels 542 guide the lubricant J supplied from the measuring container 535 to the corresponding compartment and fill it. At this time, since the lubricant J is naturally dropped from above through the funnel 542, it is piled up and filled in a mountain shape forming an angle of repose in each of the above sections. In the present embodiment, ten funnels 542 are provided corresponding to the plurality of sections 204a to 204j. The number of the plurality of funnels 542 can be arbitrarily adjusted.

  The control unit 550 is configured by a known computer or the like. The control unit 550 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a storage device, an input device, a display device, and the like.

  The CPU performs various controls in the lubricant molding apparatus 500 and executes various processes including the control according to the present embodiment in accordance with various control programs stored in the ROM. The ROM stores various information such as the control program and parameters referred to by the control program. In particular, the ROM stores a control program for causing the CPU to function as various means such as insertion means, filling means, extraction means, and compression means. And CPU functions as various means mentioned above by running this control program. The RAM appropriately stores data, programs and the like necessary for the CPU to execute various processes.

  For example, a hard disk device or a flash memory card is used as the storage device, and the storage device is configured to hold data even when the power is turned off. This storage device stores various parameters and the like used in a lubricant molding process (to be described later) (compression pressure applied to the lubricant, lubricant filling amount predetermined for each of the plurality of sections, etc.). The input device includes a known keyboard, mouse, and the like, and various operations are input. The display device includes a liquid crystal display device, a printer device, and the like, and displays an operation menu, a lubricant molding operation completion notification, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 550 includes a punch moving unit 503 (cylinder unit), a first moving unit 510 (first actuator 512 and second actuator 513), and a second moving unit 520 (third actuator). 522) and a lubricant supply unit 530 (a supply nozzle 532, a measuring container 535, a vacuum pump), and the like are connected to each other by transmitting and receiving a predetermined control signal. Yes.

  Next, an example of the process (lubricant forming process) according to the present invention executed by the CPU of the control unit 550 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4 and the operation explanatory diagrams of FIGS.

  First, the mold 201 is set in the mold holder 502 of the lubricant molding apparatus 500 and the punch 202 is set in the punch holder 506. When the lubricant molding apparatus 500 is turned on, the CPU executes a predetermined initialization process. When a predetermined operation is input to the input device after the initialization process is completed, the CPU starts the lubricant molding process.

  In the lubricant molding process, the CPU first controls the second moving unit 520 to move the cavity partition 540 above the mold 201 and controls the first moving unit 510 to change the lubricant supply unit 530. It moves above the cavity partitioning part 540, controls the punch moving part 503, and moves the punch 202 above the lubricant supply part 530 (step S110, FIG. 5). Accordingly, the mold 201, the cavity partitioning part 540, the lubricant supply part 530, and the punch 202 are arranged at an initial position in order from below.

  Then, the CPU controls the second moving part 520 to move the cavity partitioning part 540 downward so as to approach the mold 201 and insert the plurality of partitioning plates 541 into the cavity 203 (step S120, FIG. 6). ) [Insertion step, insertion means]. Thereby, the cavity 203 is partitioned into a plurality of partitions 204a to 204j arranged in the longitudinal direction by the plurality of partition plates 541. In addition, the CPU controls the first moving unit 510 to move the lubricant supply unit 530 downward so as to approach the mold 201 in the same manner.

  And CPU reads the filling amount of lubricant J predetermined for each of the plurality of sections 204a to 204j from the storage device, and fills each of the plurality of sections 204a to 204j with the lubricant J (step S130, FIG. 7) [Filling step, filling means].

  Specifically, the CPU first drives the vacuum pump of the lubricant supply unit 530 to convey the lubricant J from the lubricant storage tank to the storage container 531. Then, the CPU controls the first moving unit 510 to move the lubricant supply unit 530 so that the measuring container 535 moves above the funnel 542 corresponding to the section 204a. Then, the CPU reads the predetermined filling amount of the lubricant J for the section 204a, opens the supply nozzle 532, discharges the lubricant J, measures the lubricant J, and the measured value reaches the filling amount. Then, the supply nozzle 532 is closed. Then, the CPU opens the bottom of the weighing container 535 and fills the partition 204 a with the lubricant J through the funnel 542. Thereafter, the lubricant J is similarly filled in the sequential sections 204b to 204j. In this embodiment, the filling amount of the lubricant J determined in advance for the sections 204a and 204j located at both ends is the same and larger than the filling amount of the lubricant J determined in advance for the other sections 204b to 204i. The lubricant J is filled into the plurality of compartments 204a to 204j so as to be (for example, about 2% to 7% more). In order to prevent uneven wear, it is desirable that the amount of the lubricant J filled in the plurality of compartments 204a to 204j be set symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal center of the cavity 203. Since the lubricant J naturally falls from above through the funnel 542, the lubricant J is piled up and filled in a mountain shape that forms an angle of repose in each of the sections.

  When the filling of the lubricant J is completed for the plurality of sections 204a to 204j, the CPU controls the first moving unit 510 and the second moving unit 520 to set the lubricant supplying unit 530 and the cavity partitioning unit 540 to the mold. Then, the plurality of partition plates 541 are pulled upward and extracted from the cavity 203 (step S140, FIG. 8) [extraction step, extraction means]. Thereby, the partition of the cavity 203 is released. In addition, since the partition plate 541 is pulled upward, the lubricant J in the cavity 203 is not broken, and the shape at the time of filling is maintained.

  Then, the CPU controls the first moving unit 510 and the second moving unit 520 to move the lubricant supply unit 530 and the cavity partitioning unit to the retracted position (a position on the right side shown in FIG. 9B). Thereafter, the CPU controls the punch moving portion 503 to cause the hydraulic piston 505 to protrude from the cylinder portion and to move the punch 202 downward so as to approach the die 201, and to move the convex portion 202b of the punch 202 to the die. The lubricant J inserted into the cavity 203 is compressed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape (step S150, FIG. 9) [compression process, compression means]. At this time, the CPU reads the compression pressure (for example, 140 kN) applied to the lubricant from the storage device, and controls the punch moving unit 503 so as to compress the lubricant J in the cavity 203 with the compression pressure. .

  Then, the CPU controls the punch moving unit 503 to immerse the hydraulic piston 505 into the cylinder unit and move the punch 202 upward away from the mold 201 to move the convex portion 202b of the punch 202 from the cavity 203. Pull out (step S160, FIG. 10).

  Then, the mold 201 is removed from the mold holding unit 502 by a transfer arm unit (not shown), and the mold 201 is connected to the first mold part 201a, the second mold part 201b, and the third mold part 201c. The lubricant molded product 6a1 is taken out by being decomposed into the fourth mold portion 201d. In this way, the lubricant molded product 6a1 is molded.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the rectangular parallelepiped cavity 203 having an opening upward is formed by the mold 201, and (a) a plurality of compartments 204a arranged in the longitudinal direction by the plurality of partition plates 541. (B) After each of the plurality of sections 204a to 204j is filled with a predetermined amount of lubricant J, (c) the plurality of partition plates 541 are pulled upward to release the partition. Then, (d) the punch 202 is inserted into the cavity 203 and the lubricant J is compressed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape to form the lubricant molded product 6a1, so that the section formed by partitioning the cavity 203 is filled. Depending on the amount of lubricant (filling amount of the lubricant), the density of the location of the lubricant molded product 6a1 corresponding to the section is determined. By filling the same amount of the lubricant J into 204a to 204j, the lubricant molded product 6a1 having a uniform density distribution can be easily and inexpensively molded, or lubrication filled in any one or a plurality of compartments. By making the amount of the agent J different from the amount of the lubricant J filled in the other compartments, it is possible to easily and inexpensively form the lubricant molded product 6a1 having a regular density distribution, that is, the lubricant. It is possible to easily and inexpensively mold the lubricant molded product 6a1 with no variation in the density distribution of J and without uneven wear. Further, since the partition of the cavity 203 is released by pulling up the plurality of partition plates 541 upward and withdrawing from the cavity 203, the lubricant J filled in any one compartment is adjacent to the partition when the partition is released. It is not mixed with the lubricant J filled in the other compartments, and therefore the lubricant molded product 6a1 having a high density distribution can be formed.

  Further, the cavity 203 is partitioned into a plurality of compartments 204a to 204j arranged in the longitudinal direction by a plurality of partition plates 541, and the lubricant J filled in the compartments 204a and 204j at both ends of the plurality of compartments 204a to 204j. Each of the plurality of compartments 204a to 204j is filled with the lubricant J so that the amount is the same as that of the lubricant J filled in the other compartments 204b to 204i other than the compartments 204a and 204j. Therefore, it is possible to mold the lubricant molded product 6a1 configured so that the density of both end portions is the same as each other and higher than the other portions (that is, the central portion sandwiched between both end portions). In such a lubricant molded product 6a1, since both end portions having a high density are less likely to be scraped than a center portion having a low density, the pressure pressed against the brush roller by the both end portions can be supported at two points. Since the speed scraped by rubbing becomes uniform in the longitudinal direction, the lubricant molded product 6a1 with less uneven wear can be formed.

  Further, since the lubricant J is naturally dropped from above through the funnel 542 into the plurality of compartments 204a to 204j, the respective compartments are stacked and filled in a mountain shape forming an angle of repose. Since the lubricant J stacked in a mountain shape can be compressed with a punch without being leveled, the lubricant molded product 6a1 can be formed easily and inexpensively with a small number of steps.

  In the present embodiment described above, as schematically shown in FIG. 11 (a), the amount of the lubricant J filled in the partitions 204a and 204j (shown by a and j in the figure) at both ends is Each of the plurality of compartments 204a to 204j is larger than the amount of lubricant J that is the same and is filled in other compartments 204b to 204i (indicated by bi in the figure) other than the compartments 204a and 204j. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In addition to this, for example, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), the amount of the lubricant J filled in the sections 204b and 204i in the vicinity of both ends is the same, instead of the sections 204a and 204j at both ends. You may make it become larger than the quantity of the lubricant J with which it fills other division 204a, 204c-204h, 204j other than division 204b, 204i.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 11 (c), the amount of lubricant J gradually decreases from one end section 204a to the center section 204e, and the lubricant J extends from the center section 204f to the other end section 204j. The amount may be gradually increased. In other words, in the filling step, each of the plurality of compartments may be filled with the lubricant J so that the amount of the lubricant J gradually filled from the compartments at both ends toward the center compartment is reduced. Good. By filling in this way, it is possible to form a lubricant molded product configured such that the density of the lubricant gradually decreases from the both end portions toward the central portion of the lubricant molded product. A lubricant molded product having such a density distribution is provided with high-density portions at both ends that are relatively difficult to cut relative to a low-density portion. Therefore, when the lubricant molded product is scraped by a brush roller, it is always Both ends are the same as other parts or more than the other parts (ie, the height of both ends is equal to or higher than the other parts), so the two-point support against the brush roller is stable. It is possible to prevent uneven wear. Or as shown in FIG.11 (d), you may make it the quantity of the lubricant J with which all the divisions 204a-204j are filled be the same.

  Next, an embodiment of the lubricant molded product of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This lubricant molded product is molded using the lubricant molding apparatus 500 described above. This lubricant molded product is applied to the surface of the image carrier that bears the latent image by a brush roller that is in contact with the surface so as to form a nip.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the lubricant molded product 6a1 is formed by compressing, for example, a fine powder lubricant containing zinc stearate as a main component into a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Of course, you may shape | mold using the lubricity substance other than this. In the present embodiment, the lubricant molded product 6a1 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a width of 10 mm, a length of 322 mm, and a height of 21 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the lubricant molded product 6a1 is such that the density of the lubricant at both end portions in the longitudinal direction (left and right direction in FIG. 12) is the same and higher than the density of the lubricant at the center portion. Molded. The lubricant molded product 6a1 having such a density distribution is filled with the lubricant J in a distribution as shown in FIG. 11A in the plurality of sections 204a to 204j in the above-described lubricant molding apparatus 500. can get.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the lubricant molded product 6a1 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the density of the lubricant in both end portions of the lubricant molded product 6a1 is made higher than the density of the lubricant in the central portion. Therefore, it is possible to support two points of pressure pressed against the brush roller by both end portions having a high density, so that the speed of scraping by the rubbing of the brush roller becomes uniform in the longitudinal direction and uneven wear can be prevented.

  The density distribution of the lubricant molded product 6a1 is not limited to the above. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the density of the lubricant molded product 6a1 gradually decreases from both ends toward the center. You may shape | mold to a proper density distribution. In other words, the density of the lubricant may be configured to gradually decrease from the both end portions of the lubricant molded product toward the central portion. The lubricant molded product 6a1 having such a density distribution is filled with the lubricant J in a distribution as shown in FIG. 11C in the plurality of sections 204a to 204j in the above-described lubricant forming apparatus 500. can get. Or you may shape | mold the lubricant molding 6a1 in density distribution so that a density may become uniform over the whole longitudinal direction, as shown in FIG. The lubricant molded product 6a1 having such a density distribution is filled with the lubricant J in a distribution as shown in FIG. 11 (d) in the plurality of sections 204a to 204j in the lubricant molding apparatus 500 described above. can get. And in the lubricant molded product 6a1 molded in such a density distribution as described above, the rate of scraping by the rubbing of the brush roller is uniform in the longitudinal direction, so that uneven wear can be prevented. When the density distribution shown in FIG. 14 is used, high-density portions that are relatively hard to be scraped with respect to the low-density portions are provided at both ends. Remains the same as other parts or more than other parts (that is, the height of both ends is equal to or higher than the other parts), so it is stably pressed against the brush roller with two-point support. Thus, uneven wear can be further prevented.

  Next, a lubricant application device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the lubricant application device 6 is provided in a process cartridge 10 having a photosensitive drum 1 as an image carrier that carries a latent image. The lubricant application device 6 includes a lubricant cartridge 6a as a lubricant supply member, a brush roller 6b, an application blade 6c, and an application blade support member 6d.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the lubricant cartridge 6 a includes the above-described lubricant molded product 6 a 1, a lubricant holding member 6 a 2, a pressure spring 6 a 3, and a lubricant cartridge frame 6 a 4. Has been. The lubricant holding member 6a2 is formed in a square shape having a strip-like upper wall portion and a pair of side wall portions extending downward from the long side of the upper wall portion. The lubricant molded product 6a1 is bonded to the upper surface of the part by an adhesive means such as a double-sided tape. The lubricant cartridge frame 6a4 is formed in a long box shape having an opening on the upper side, and a lubricant holding member 6a2 is housed inside the lubricant cartridge frame 6a1 so that the lubricant molded product 6a1 faces the opening. Yes. A total of two pressure springs 6a3 are disposed at both ends of the lubricant holding member 6a2 so as to be sandwiched between the lubricant holding member 6a2 and the lubricant cartridge frame 6a4. The pressure spring 6a3 biases the lubricant holding member 6a2 toward the opening side. Thereby, the lubricant molded product 6a1 is pressed against the brush roller 6b.

  In this embodiment, the lubricant cartridge 6a is disposed below the brush roller 6b, and the lubricant molded product 6a1 is pressed against the brush roller 6b from below. Instead, the lubricant cartridge 6a is brushed. It may be arranged above the roller 6b so that the lubricant molded product 6a1 is pressed against the brush roller from above. That is, it is possible to arrange the lubricant cartridge 6a in a free layout with respect to the brush roller 6b and maintain a predetermined image forming process.

  The brush roller 6b is rotatably provided in the lubricant application device 6, and is rotated by receiving a driving force from a driving unit in the same or independent manner as the photosensitive drum 1. Although the rotation direction is not particularly defined, for example, when it is desired to supply a large amount of lubricating substance onto the photosensitive drum 1, the rotation direction of the brush roller 6b is reverse to the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 1. It is possible to select as appropriate. Further, the brush roller 6b is in contact with the photosensitive drum 1 so that the brush fiber (not shown) is bitten by 0.5 to 1.0 mm.

  As a manufacturing method of the brush roller 6b, a method in which a pile made by implanting chemical fibers in a raw cloth (base cloth) is spirally wound around a conductive metal core, or the surface of the chemical fibers is bonded with an adhesive. There is a method of directly planting in a covered mandrel. As such a chemical fiber, it is preferable to use thermoplastic resin fibers such as polypropylene, polyester, PET, nylon, and acrylic. In particular, polyester and nylon fibers that can supply a lubricant to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 without damaging the photosensitive drum 1 are preferable. Moreover, what added electroconductive fillers, such as carbon, to such a fiber is more preferable.

  The coating blade 6c is composed of an elastic member such as urethane elastomer, silicone elastomer, or fluorine elastomer. Among these, urethane elastomers are particularly excellent in terms of wear resistance, high mechanical strength, and the like. The coating blade 6c is generally obtained by forming an elastic member into a sheet shape by centrifugal molding and then cutting it into a blade shape.

  The coating blade support member 6d is preferably made of a material selected from metals, plastics, and ceramics, but is not limited thereto. A steel plate such as SUS with high mechanical strength, an aluminum plate, or a copper plate such as phosphor bronze can also be used. The coating blade support member 6d made of such a material holds the coating blade 6c and brings the coating blade 6c into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 with a predetermined contact pressure and contact angle.

  Further, as described above, the lubricant application device according to the present invention is suitable for attaching the lubricant to the periphery of the photosensitive drum 1 and applying the lubricant to the surface thereof, but other image carriers such as the intermediate transfer belt 5b. Even if attached to the body, the same effect is produced.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the lubricant cartridge 6a serving as the lubricant supply member of the lubricant application device is provided with the above-described lubricant molded product 6a1, and thus the uneven wear of the lubricant molded product 6a1. Therefore, the lubricant can be stably supplied and applied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 over a long period of time.

  Next, an image forming apparatus having a process cartridge provided with the above-described lubricant applying apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the image forming apparatus 100 forms a single image from four color toners of yellow (hereinafter referred to as Y), cyan (hereinafter referred to as C), magenta (hereinafter referred to as M), and black (hereinafter referred to as K). Forming device. The image forming apparatus 100 includes four photosensitive drums 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K as image carriers for forming the four color toner images. As will be described later, these photosensitive drums 1Y, 1Y, Process cartridges 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K having a charging device 2, a developing device 4, a lubricant applying device 6, and a cleaning device 7 on the outer peripheral surface centering on 1C, 1M, and 1K are shown from the left in the drawing. They are arranged in order. On these process cartridges 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K, endless intermediate transfer belts 31 that are wound around and supported by four rollers 52, 53, 54, and 55 are respectively photosensitive drums 1Y, 1C, and 1D. It is driven and moved in the direction of A in the figure while contacting 1M and 1K.

  Below the four process cartridges 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K, latent images are formed by laser light L irradiated on the surfaces of the charged photosensitive drums 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K based on the image data of each color. An exposure unit 25 to be formed is provided. Further, toner images formed on the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K are placed on the intermediate transfer belt 31 at positions facing the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K with the intermediate transfer belt 31 interposed therebetween. A primary transfer roller 32 for primary transfer is disposed on the top. The primary transfer roller 32 is connected to a power supply unit (not shown) and is applied with a predetermined voltage.

  The secondary transfer roller 34 is pressed against the outside of the portion of the intermediate transfer belt 31 supported by the roller 52. The secondary transfer roller 34 is connected to a power source (not shown) and is applied with a predetermined voltage. The contact portion between the secondary transfer roller 34 and the intermediate transfer belt 31 is a secondary transfer portion, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 31 is transferred to transfer paper (recording paper). An intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 33 for cleaning the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 31 after the secondary transfer is provided outside the portion of the intermediate transfer belt 31 supported by the roller 55.

  Above the secondary transfer portion, a fixing device 40 for fixing the toner image on the transfer paper to the transfer paper semi-permanently is provided. The fixing device 40 includes a heating roller 42 having a halogen heater therein and an endless fixing belt 43 wound around the fixing roller 44, and a heating roller 42 disposed opposite to the fixing roller 44 via the fixing belt 43. And a pressure roller 45. Below the image forming apparatus 100, there is provided a paper feeding device 20 for placing the transfer paper and feeding the transfer paper toward the secondary transfer unit.

  FIG. 20 is an enlarged explanatory view of one process cartridge 10 of the four process cartridges 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K in the image forming apparatus 100. The process cartridge 10 includes a charging device 2 that applies a charge to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 around the photosensitive drum 1, and a developing device that develops a latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 with each color toner to form a toner image. 4. A lubricant applying device 6 for supplying and applying a lubricant to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 and a cleaning device 7 for cleaning the surface of the photosensitive optical drum 1 after the toner image transfer are arranged. The process cartridge 10 is configured to be able to be pulled out from the main body of the image forming apparatus 100 when parts are replaced, maintained, or inspected.

  The lubricant application device 6 is rotated and driven by a lubricant cartridge 6 a provided with a lubricant molded product 6 a 1, and the fine powder lubricant is scraped from the lubricant molded product 6 a 1 and supplied to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1. A brush roller 6b and a coating blade 6c for applying a fine powder lubricant supplied by the brush roller 6b to the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 are provided. The lubricant cartridge 6a is detachably attached to the lubricant application device 6, and can be easily replaced.

  The photosensitive drum 1 is rotatably supported by the process cartridge 10, and a part of the surface thereof is in contact with the intermediate transfer belt 5 b of the transfer device 5. Reference numeral 5a denotes a transfer roller. The photosensitive drum 1 is obtained by providing a photosensitive layer, which is a photoconductive substance, on the surface of a conductive support having a diameter of about 30 to 100 mm. The conductive support can be a conductive metal such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, nickel, stainless steel. In the present embodiment, the drum-shaped (cylindrical) photosensitive drum 1 is used as the image carrier. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a belt-shaped photosensitive member may be used as the increase / decrease itself. The photosensitive drum 1 includes a single layer type in which the functions of the charge generation material and the charge transport material are integrally formed, and a function separation type in which the charge generation layer and the charge transport layer are composed of two layers. Can be used. A general function-separated type photosensitive drum 1 is provided with a charge generation layer directly on a conductive support or via an undercoat layer (intermediate layer), and a charge generation layer is formed on the charge generation layer. A resin layer (charge transport layer) containing a transport material is provided. In particular, the use of a function-separated type laminated image carrier increases the degree of freedom in sensitivity design. Therefore, the image carrier 1 is preferably a function-separated type laminated image carrier. In this embodiment, a laminated image carrier is employed. .

  The charging device 2 includes a charging roller 2 a configured by covering a conductive metal core with a medium-resistance elastic layer or a resin layer, a spring (not shown) for bringing the charging roller 2 a into contact with the image carrier 1, and the like. I have. The charging roller 2a is connected to a power supply unit (not shown), and is applied with a predetermined DC voltage and AC voltage. In addition, when the charging roller 2a is provided with spacer members at both ends, the spacer abuts on the image carrier 1 and can be arranged in a non-contact manner with a certain gap. In the present embodiment, the above-described non-contact charging method is used to extend the life of the charging member. Further, around the charging roller 2a where the charging roller 2a and the image carrier 1 are in contact with each other, a charging cleaning roller 2b that cleans foreign matter adhering to the surface of the charging roller 2a is provided. Thereby, it is possible to further extend the life of the charging roller 2a.

  The exposure device 3 is provided in the exposure unit 25 and irradiates the surface of the photosensitive drum 1 uniformly charged with light information corresponding to color image formation as a latent image by a known laser method. An exposure apparatus comprising an LED array and an image forming unit can also be employed. In the present invention, the exposure apparatus 3 also has a function of removing residual charges on the photosensitive drum 1 by irradiating the entire surface of the image carrier with a laser when a signal is received from the control unit after completion of normal image formation.

  In the developing device 4, a developing sleeve 4 a including a magnetic field generating unit is disposed at a position facing the photosensitive drum 1. Below the developing sleeve 4a, there are provided two screws 4b for mixing toner introduced from a toner bottle (not shown) with the developer and pumping it up to the developing sleeve 4a while stirring. The developer composed of toner and magnetic carrier pumped up by the developing sleeve 4a is regulated to a predetermined developer layer thickness by the doctor blade 4c and is carried on the developing sleeve 4a. The developing sleeve 4 a carries and conveys the developer while moving in the direction of the arrow at a position facing the photosensitive drum 1, and supplies toner to the latent image surface of the photosensitive drum 1.

  The cleaning device 7 includes a cleaning blade 7a as a cleaning member, a blade holding member 7b for holding the cleaning blade 7a, and a toner collection coil 7c that collects the toner and paper powder that have been cleaned and transported while transporting them. It has.

  The image forming apparatus 100 described above discharges the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K to charge the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K, and charges the charged photosensitive drums. The surface of each of the body drums 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K is exposed to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of each of the photoreceptor drums 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K. The image forming apparatus 100 supplies toner to the electrostatic latent images formed on the surfaces of the photosensitive drums 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K to make them visible, and these visible images are transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 5b. Multiple transfer is sequentially performed to form a multicolor image on the intermediate transfer belt 5b. Then, the image forming apparatus 100 electrostatically batch-retransfers the multicolor image onto a recording medium such as transfer paper to form a multicolor image.

  The inventors formed a plurality of lubricant molded products having different density distributions as shown in Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 1 below, and uneven wear and formed images for the respective lubricant molded products. The quality was confirmed.

  In Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 1, a fine powder lubricant (zinc stearate GF-200 (average particle size 14 μm), manufactured by NOF Corporation) mainly composed of zinc stearate is used as the mold 201. And a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped lubricant molded product having a width of 10 mm, a length of 322 mm, and a height of 21 mm.

Example 1
Using the lubricant forming apparatus 500 described above, a lubricant molded product was formed as follows. The nine partition plates 541 are attached to the partition member holding portion 521 so as to be parallel to each other and arranged at equal intervals in the horizontal direction, and the plurality of partition plates 541 partition the cavity 203 of the mold 201 into ten sections, (A) 7.81 g, (b) 7.76 g, (c) 7.71 g, (d) 7.66 g, (e) 7.61 g, (f) 7. Filled with 61 g, (g) 7.66 g, (h) 7.71 g, (i) 7.76 g, (j) 7.81 g of lubricant and compressed at 140 kN pressure to form a lubricant I got a thing.

(Example 2)
The nine partitions 541 divide the cavity 203 into 10 compartments, and in order from these ends to these compartments, (a) 8.11 g, (b) 7.61 g, (c) 7.61 g, (d ) 7.61 g, (e) 7.61 g, (f) 7.61 g, (g) 7.61 g, (h) 7.61 g, (i) 7.61 g, (j) 8.11 g of lubricant. A lubricant molded product was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except for filling.

(Example 3)
The cavity 203 is divided into six sections by five partition plates 541, and (a) 13.01 g, (b) 12.85 g, (c) 12.68 g, (d ) 12.68 g, (e) 12.85 g, (f) A lubricant molded product was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 13.01 g of the lubricant was charged.

Example 4
The cavity 203 is partitioned into six sections by five partition plates 541, and (a) 13.18g, (b) 12.68g, (c) 12.68g, (d ) 12.68 g, (e) 12.68 g, and (f) 13.18 g of lubricant were filled in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain a lubricant molded product.

(Example 5)
A lubricant molded product was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the cavity 203 was divided into 10 sections by nine partition plates 541 and all these sections were filled with 7.71 g of lubricant. Obtained.

(Comparative Example 1)
As shown in FIG. 21, the lubricant is discharged from the lubricant nozzle while moving the lubricant discharge nozzle along the longitudinal direction of the cavity 203 to fill the cavity 203 with 77.1 g of lubricant and 140 kN. Compressed with pressure to obtain a lubricant molding.

The lubricant molded products of Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 1 were incorporated into the above-described image forming apparatus 100 (that is, the lubricant application apparatus 6), and the average circularity was 0.972 and the volume average particle diameter was 5.0 μm. Using a polymerization toner having a binder resin heat softening point of 70 ° C., 200,000 sheets of a 5% density prescribed image were continuously printed at a rate of 45 sheets / minute on A4 size recording paper. Then, the uneven wear of the lubricant molded product and the quality of the formed image were evaluated using the following evaluation criteria.
[Uneven wear]
○ ・ ・ ・ Lubricant molded product remains with a uniform thickness in the longitudinal direction × ・ ・ ・ Lubricant molded product is tilted to an extent that can be visually confirmed [Image quality]
○: Image defect that can be visually confirmed in the first image and the 200,000th image and no image quality deterioration ×: Image defect that can be visually confirmed in the first image and the 200,000th image And image quality degradation

  Table 1 shows the evaluation results of uneven wear and image quality.

  From the evaluation results shown in Table 1, in Examples 1 to 5, the lubricant molded product remains with a uniform thickness in the longitudinal direction even after printing 200,000 sheets. It could be supplied and applied to the surface of the body drum, preventing image defects and image quality deterioration over time. In addition, from the results of Examples 1 to 5, it was confirmed that the number of sections of the cavity 203 was arbitrary between 6 and 10. On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1, uneven wear of the lubricant molding occurred, resulting in image defects and image quality deterioration over time.

  From such evaluation results, the effect of the present invention could be confirmed.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1 Photosensitive drum (image carrier)
6 Lubricant coating device 6a Lubricant cartridge (lubricant supply member)
6a1 Lubricant molding 6b Brush roller 10 Process cartridge 100 Image forming apparatus 201 Mold 202 Punch 203 Cavity 204a to 204j Multiple sections 500 Lubricant molding apparatus (molding apparatus for lubricant molding)
501 Base unit 502 Mold holding unit 503 Punch moving unit 504 Support column 505 Hydraulic piston 506 Punch holding unit 510 First moving unit 511 Supply means holding unit 512 First actuator 513 Second actuator 520 Second moving unit (partition member moving unit)
521 Partition member holding portion 522 Third actuator 530 Lubricant supply portion 531 Storage container 532 Supply nozzle 535 Measuring container 536 Connection member 540 Cavity partition portion 541 Partition plate (partition member)
542 Funnel 550 Control unit (insertion means, filling means, extraction means, compression means)
J Lubricant

JP 2007-153919 A JP 2010-060839 A

Claims (7)

In the molding method of the lubricant molding, the lubricant molding applied to the surface of the image carrier by the brush roller is molded with a mold in which a rectangular parallelepiped cavity having an opening is formed above.
(A) an insertion step of inserting a partition member that partitions the cavity into a plurality of sections arranged in the longitudinal direction into the cavity;
(B) a filling step of filling each of the plurality of compartments with a predetermined amount of lubricant;
(C) a sampling step of pulling up the partition member upward and extracting it from the cavity;
(D) a compression step of inserting a punch into the cavity and compressing the lubricant into a rectangular parallelepiped shape;
A method for forming a lubricant molded product, comprising: In the step (a), a partition member that partitions the cavity into a plurality of sections of at least three or more is inserted into the cavity, and
In the step (b), the amount of the lubricant filled in the compartments at or near both ends of the plurality of compartments is larger than the amount of the lubricant filled in other compartments other than these compartments. The method for molding a lubricant molded product according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of compartments is filled with the lubricant. In a molding apparatus for a lubricant molding, a lubricant molding applied to the surface of an image carrier by a brush roller is molded with a mold in which a rectangular parallelepiped cavity having an opening above is formed.
A partition member that partitions the cavity into a plurality of sections arranged in the longitudinal direction;
A partition member moving section for movably holding the partition member;
Lubricant supply unit that measures the lubricant and fills each of the plurality of compartments;
A punch moving unit that movably holds a punch inserted into the cavity;
An apparatus for molding a lubricant molded product, comprising: An insertion means for inserting the partition member into the cavity by the partition member moving unit;
After the partition member is inserted into the cavity, the lubricant supply unit measures the lubricant to a predetermined amount for each of the plurality of sections, and measures the lubrication measured for each of the plurality of sections. Filling means for filling the agent;
After each of the plurality of compartments is filled with the lubricant, extraction means for pulling the partition member upward by the partition member moving unit and extracting it from the cavity;
A compression means for compressing the lubricant into a rectangular parallelepiped shape by inserting a punch into the cavity by the punch moving portion after the partition member is extracted from the cavity;
The apparatus for molding a lubricant molded product according to claim 3, further comprising a control unit provided with the control unit. The partition member is configured to partition the cavity into at least three or more compartments; and
Of the predetermined amount of lubricant, the amount of lubricant predetermined for both ends of the plurality of partitions or for a partition in the vicinity thereof is the amount of lubricant predetermined for other partitions other than these partitions. The lubricant molding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the lubricant molding apparatus is set to be larger than the amount. In the lubricant molding applied to the surface of the image carrier by the brush roller,
The lubricant molded product is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and
The lubricant molded product, wherein a density of the lubricant in both end portions or the vicinity thereof of the lubricant molded product is higher than a density of the lubricant in a central portion. In a lubricant application device having at least a brush roller that applies a lubricant to the surface of an image carrier, and a lubricant supply member that supplies the lubricant onto the brush roller,
The lubricant application device according to claim 6, wherein the lubricant supply member is provided with the lubricant molded product according to claim 6.

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