JP2013185015A - Resin composite composition - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a resin composite composition that excels in abrasion resistance, and has smoothness and excellent surface shape, and that is suitably used as a surface layer of a fixing member in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, printer and facsimile.SOLUTION: A resin composite composition that selects a combination of a fluorocarbon resin as a base resin and borosilicate glass as a filler, excels in abrasion resistance and can form a smooth surface shape not having irregularity. In addition, the resin composite composition is also excellent in peelability, thermal conductivity, and elasticity, and sufficiently has characteristics required for a surface layer of a fixing member in an image forming apparatus.

Description

  The present invention relates to a resin composite composition that is excellent in wear resistance, smooth and has a good surface shape, and is suitably used as a surface layer of a fixing member in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a fixing member in an image forming apparatus having the resin composite composition as a surface layer.

  Fluororesin has properties such as heat resistance and non-adhesiveness. Using these properties, for example, in image forming apparatuses such as copiers, printers, and facsimiles, the toner image transferred to paper or the like is heat-fixed. It is used as a surface layer of a fixing roll in an image forming apparatus. In addition, by adding various additives to the fluororesin used for the surface layer of the fixing roll, the wearability, triboelectric chargeability, releasability, etc. have been improved, making the characteristics more suitable as the surface layer of the fixing roll. Techniques to provide are proposed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 reports that by blending a fluoroalkyl sulfonate with a fluororesin, it is possible to improve frictional charging characteristics and achieve good insulation without blending a conductive filler. Yes. Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, the carbon nanotubes surface-treated with a fluorosurfactant are blended with a fluororesin so that the conductive characteristics and electrostatic charging characteristics are improved, and the conductive filler can be removed even after repeated use. It has been reported that stable physical properties can be maintained without dropping.

  As described above, the characteristics of the resin composition used for the surface layer of the fixing roll used in the image forming apparatus have been improved by various technical improvements. Along with performance improvements such as quality improvement, it is strongly required to have more excellent characteristics (particularly high wear resistance and smooth surface characteristics without irregularities). For example, if it is not a fixing roll having abrasion resistance commensurate with the performance improvement of the image forming apparatus, the surface layer is worn by the edge of the paper and the roughness changes when repeatedly used. As a result, a large paper such as A4 to A3 size There is a concern that edge wear may affect the image when the paper is passed. As described above, wear resistance is indispensable for realizing a high-speed image forming apparatus, and smooth surface characteristics without unevenness are important for eliminating image formation unevenness and forming a high-quality image. It is a characteristic.

  Conventionally, in order to improve peelability, durability, and surface shape (smoothness, etc.), at least one inorganic material selected from the group consisting of metal oxides, silicate minerals, carbon black, nitrogen compounds, and mica A technique of blending filler particles with a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether has been reported (see Patent Document 3). In order to improve wear resistance and peelability, glass particles are mixed in either the top layer or the primer layer in a fixing roll made of a fluororesin top layer, a primer layer, and a cored bar. Technology has been reported (see Patent Document 4). However, even the techniques described in Patent Documents 3 and 4 cannot satisfy the requirements for improvement in wear resistance and surface shape, which have been highly demanded by recent technological advances in image forming apparatuses.

  Against the background of such conventional technology, a resin composite having excellent wear resistance and smooth and excellent surface characteristics, and suitably used as a surface layer of a fixing member in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a facsimile machine The development of compositions is eagerly desired.

JP 2008-222942 A JP 2005-146081 A JP 2004-86202 A JP 2001-183935 A

  The present invention provides a resin composite composition that is excellent in wear resistance, smooth, has a good surface shape, and is suitably used as a surface layer of a fixing member in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile machine. The purpose is to do. Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a fixing member in an image forming apparatus having the resin composite composition as a surface layer.

  The present inventor has made extensive studies to solve the above problems, and the resin composite composition in which a combination of a fluororesin as a base resin and a borosilicate glass as a filler is excellent in wear resistance, And it discovered that the smooth surface shape without an unevenness | corrugation could be formed. Furthermore, it was also confirmed that the resin composite composition had good peelability, thermal conductivity, and elasticity, and had sufficient characteristics required for the surface layer of the fixing member in the image forming apparatus. The present invention has been completed by further studies based on such knowledge.

That is, this invention provides the resin composite composition and fixing member of the aspect hung up below.
Item 1. A resin composite composition comprising a fluororesin and a borosilicate glass.
Item 2. Item 2. The resin composite composition according to Item 1, wherein the borosilicate glass has a thermal expansion coefficient of 55 × 10 ⁻⁷ / ° C. or less.
Item 3. Item 3. The resin composite composition according to Item 1 or 2, wherein the content of the borosilicate glass is 0.1 to 20% by mass.
Item 4. Item 4. The resin composite composition according to any one of Items 1 to 3, wherein the fluororesin is a tetrafluoroethylene-fluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer.
Item 5. Item 5. A fixing member in an image forming apparatus, comprising the resin composite composition according to any one of Items 1 to 4 as a surface layer.

  The resin composite composition of the present invention has excellent wear resistance, and the fixing member using the resin composite composition is less deteriorated even when used repeatedly and can have excellent durability. . In addition, since the resin composite composition of the present invention can have a smooth surface with little unevenness on the surface, when used as a fixing member in an image forming apparatus, it can suppress uneven image formation and form a high-quality image. Is possible.

1. Resin composite composition The resin composite composition of the present invention is characterized by containing a fluororesin and a borosilicate glass. Hereinafter, the resin composite composition of the present invention will be described in detail.

  In addition, the fluororesin used in the present invention is a fluororesin synthesized by polymerization, a fluororesin synthesized by polymerization, and a terminal group-stabilized fluororesin obtained by subjecting the fluororesin synthesized by polymerization to a fluorination treatment of a terminal group using a fluorinating agent Any of these mixtures may be used.

  Specific examples of the fluororesin used in the present invention include tetrafluoroethylene-fluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA), tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer (FEP), and ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer. Examples thereof include a polymer (ETFE), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE), and ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer (ECTFE). These fluororesins may be used individually by 1 type, and may be used in combination of 2 or more type.

  Among these fluororesins, a tetrafluoroethylene-fluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer is preferably used from the viewpoint of imparting heat resistance and toner releasability.

  In the resin composite composition of the present invention, the content of the fluororesin is not particularly limited, but is usually 80 to 99.5% by mass, preferably 90 to 99% by mass, based on the total amount of the resin composite composition. More preferably, 90-98 mass% is mentioned.

  In the present invention, the “borosilicate glass” is a glass mainly composed of boric acid and silicon dioxide. In the resin composite composition of the present invention, by selecting and using borosilicate glass as an inorganic filler, compared with the case of using soda lime glass, it has excellent wear resistance, thermal stability and It is possible to form a smooth surface with excellent releasability and less unevenness.

  Specifically, the composition of the borosilicate glass used in the present invention is 50 to 85% by mass of silicon dioxide, 4 to 15% by mass of boron trioxide, 1 to 20% by mass of aluminum oxide, and 0.1 to 1 of magnesium oxide. 0.0 mass% and calcium oxide 0.5-30 mass% is mentioned.

Further, the alkali elution amount of the borosilicate glass used in the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, the alkali elution amount (0.005 by JIS R 3505-2007 “Test method for glass instrument for chemical analysis” 6.2 Alkali elution test) mol / L sulfuric acid consumption, ml / g) is 12 ml / g or less, preferably 10 ml / g or less. Further, for example, JIS R 3505-2007 “Test method for glassware for chemical analysis” of borosilicate glass used in the present invention 6.2 Alkali elution amount (Na ₂ O μg / g) by alkali elution test is 3000 μg / g. g or less, preferably 2800 μg / g or less.

In addition, the thermal expansion coefficient of the borosilicate glass used in the present invention is not particularly limited, but preferably 55 × 10 ⁻⁷ / ° C. or less, more preferably 35 × 10 ⁻⁷ / ° C. or less. By using such a borosilicate glass having a thermal expansion coefficient, the effects of the present invention can be achieved more effectively. The coefficient of thermal expansion is measured using a thermomechanical analysis (TMA) instrument.

  In the present invention, since the borosilicate glass is dispersed in the fluororesin, it is in the form of particles. Although it does not restrict | limit especially as an average particle diameter of the borosilicate glass used by this invention, For example, 0.1-20 micrometers, Preferably it is 0.5-10 micrometers, More preferably, 2-5 micrometers is mentioned. Here, the average particle diameter of the borosilicate glass is a particle diameter at an integrated value of 50% in the particle size distribution measured by an electric resistance method using a Coulter counter.

  In the resin composite composition of the present invention, the content of the borosilicate glass is not particularly limited, but is usually 0.1 to 20% by mass, preferably 1 to 10% by mass, based on the total amount of the resin composite composition. More preferably, 2-5 mass% is mentioned. In particular, when the content of borosilicate glass is 2 to 5% by mass, the improvement in wear resistance and the smooth surface shape can be combined even better.

  In addition to the fluororesin and borosilicate glass, the resin composite composition of the present invention contains other resins, other fillers, and other additives as long as they do not interfere with the effects of the present invention. Also good.

  The resin composite composition of the present invention is a method such as an extrusion molding method, a roll molding method, an injection molding method, etc. after mixing a fluororesin, a borosilicate glass, and other components as required in a predetermined ratio. Is manufactured by molding into a desired shape.

  The resin composite composition of the present invention is remarkably excellent in terms of wear resistance, smooth surface shape without unevenness, peelability, thermal conductivity, elasticity, etc., and is used as a surface layer of a fixing member in an image forming apparatus. Since it has the required characteristics, it is preferably used as a surface layer of a fixing member in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile.

  Furthermore, the resin composite composition of the present invention can be used not only as a fixing member in an image forming apparatus but also as a member of various products (for example, various sliding members) requiring the above characteristics.

2. Fixing member Further, the present invention provides a fixing member in an image forming apparatus, to provide a fixing member having the resin composite composition as a surface layer.

  The fixing member of the present invention is a surface layer comprising the above resin composite composition, directly or via a primer layer (intermediate layer) and / or a silicone rubber layer on the outer peripheral surface of a belt-shaped or roll-shaped base base. Is formed.

  In the fixing member of the present invention, those used in conventional fixing members can be adopted as the base base used and the primer layer and / or silicone rubber layer provided as necessary.

  In the fixing member of the present invention, the thickness of the resin composite composition forming the surface layer is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 10 to 200 μm, preferably 15 to 100 μm, and more preferably 25 to 50 μm. It is done.

  The fixing member of the present invention is used as a fixing unit in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile. Specifically, the fixing member of the present invention is installed as a belt-shaped or roll-shaped fixing unit in various image forming apparatuses, and is opposed to and pressed against a pressure roller such as a rubber roller, to which a toner image is transferred. The transferred object passes, and unfixed toner is heated and melted to be fixed on the transferred object.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example is given and this invention is demonstrated, this invention is not limited to these Examples.

Example 1-5 and Comparative Example 1-15
Various fillers shown in Table 1 and tetrafluoroethylene-fluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA) powder were dry-mixed at a weight ratio of 2: 8 to obtain a mixture. Next, the obtained mixture was subjected to extrusion molding at 250 to 350 ° C. with a twin-screw kneading extruder to prepare filler-containing fluororesin pellets.

  Next, the filler-containing fluororesin pellets obtained and the tetrafluoroethylene-fluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer pellets were mixed so as to have the final composition shown in Table 1. The mixed pellets were extruded at 300 to 420 ° C. with a single screw extruder, and formed into a film so as to have a predetermined film thickness described in Table 1.

  Furthermore, as Comparative Example 14, extrusion molding was performed under the same conditions as described above using a PFA resin (trade name “AP230AS”, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) in which acetylene black was blended to create a film having a thickness of 40 μm. . Further, as Comparative Example 15, a PFA resin (trade name “C9068”, manufactured by Mitsui DuPont Co., Ltd.) containing acetylene black was subjected to extrusion molding under the same conditions as described above to prepare a film having a thickness of 40 μm.

Test Example 1: Evaluation of Static Friction Coefficient The static friction coefficient of the film of Example 3-4 was measured using a portable friction meter (HEIDON Tribogear μs Type 94i) (n = 5). Moreover, the static friction coefficient was similarly measured about the film of the comparative examples 1, 10-11, and 14-15 for the comparison.

  The results are shown in Table 2. From this result, it is confirmed that the film of Example 3-4 has a suitable coefficient as a fixing member surface layer or the like in an image forming apparatus because it has a static friction coefficient equivalent to that of a commonly used fixing member surface layer. It was done.

Test Example 2: Evaluation of surface roughness The film of Example 4-5 was measured for surface roughness (Ra and Rz) using a surface roughness measuring device (Surfcom 480A, manufactured by Tokyo Seimitsu Co., Ltd.). The measurement conditions of the surface roughness were set to measurement speed: 0.15 mm / s, cut-off value: 0.8 mm, evaluation length: 4.0 mm, measurement range: ± 40 μm, measurement direction: circumferential direction. For comparison, the surface roughness of the films of Comparative Examples 1-9 and 12-13 was measured in the same manner.

  The results are shown in Table 3. Since the surface roughness of the commonly used fixing member surface layer is Ra 1 μm or less and Rz 3 μm or less, the fluororesin film (Example 3-4) containing borosilicate glass is used for fixing in an image forming apparatus. It was confirmed that it had suitable characteristics as a member surface layer.

Test Example 3: Evaluation of wear resistance-1
About the film of Example 1-4, abrasion resistance was evaluated by the following method. A film (20 × 50 mm) was attached to silicon rubber (bottom area 1,000 mm ² ) capable of sliding operation under pressure to a width of 280 mm so as to cover the bottom surface. Next, a total of 6000 times at 300 mm / second in a longitudinal direction of 280 mm of A4 size plain paper in a state in which the film stuck on silicon rubber is in close contact with A4 size plain paper under a pressure of 0.2 kg / cm ^2. Slided. In addition, A4 size plain paper was replaced every 2000 slides. After 2000 times, 4000 times, and 6000 times of sliding, the weight of the film attached to silicon rubber was measured, and the difference from the weight before the sliding was calculated as the amount of wear. For comparison, the film of Comparative Example 1 was similarly measured for abrasion resistance.

  The results are shown in Table 4. Table 4 shows the wear amount after the slide and the film thickness of the film after the slide converted from the wear amount. From this result, it became clear that the fluororesin film (Example 1-4) blended with borosilicate glass has significantly less wear and has excellent wear resistance. In particular, in the fluororesin film (Example 4) containing 5% by mass of borosilicate glass, the wear resistance was remarkably reduced, and it was confirmed that the film had extremely high wear resistance.

Test Example 4: Abrasion resistance evaluation-2
The film of Example 4-5 was evaluated for wear resistance by the same method as in Test Example 3 except that the number of slides was changed to 500. For comparison, wear resistance was similarly measured for 1-2, 6, 8, and 13.

  The results are shown in Table 5. Table 5 shows the wear amount after the slide and the film thickness of the film after the slide converted from the wear amount. From this result, in the fluororesin film containing the borosilicate glass (Example 4-5), no wear after sliding was observed, but the fluororesin film containing no filler (Comparative Example 1), In the fluororesin films (Comparative Examples 2, 6, 8, and 13) blended with polytetrafluoroethylene, aluminum borate, or acetylene black, clear wear of the film was observed.

Comparative Example 16-19
A film was produced in the same manner as in Example 4 except that the types and addition amounts of fillers shown in Table 6 were used, and the properties of the obtained film were evaluated.

  The results are shown in Table 6. From these results, Comparative Example 16-20 was not able to form a film in the first place, and Comparative Example 21-22 was able to form a film, but its physical properties were extremely inferior, and it was practically used as a fixing member in an image forming apparatus. It was not possible.

Claims (5)

  A resin composite composition comprising a fluororesin and a borosilicate glass. The resin composite composition according to claim 1, wherein the borosilicate glass has a thermal expansion coefficient of 55 × 10 ⁻⁷ / ° C. or less.   The resin composite composition according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the content of the borosilicate glass is 0.1 to 20% by mass.   The resin composite composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fluororesin is a tetrafluoroethylene-fluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer.   A fixing member in an image forming apparatus having the resin composite composition according to claim 1 as a surface layer.