JP2013246391A - Coated film removal device, method of manufacturing photosensitive drum, photosensitive drum, and image forming device equipped with photosensitive drum - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently remove unnecessary coated film from a base body.SOLUTION: A coated film removal device includes: a lift mechanism which lifts or lowers a cylindrical base body, having a coated film formed thereon by an immersion method, while supporting the same to keep the central axis thereof vertical; a solvent reservoir which is provided below the base body to store a solvent for removing the coated film; a cylindrical wiping member which is located in the solvent reservoir rotatably about the central axis of the base body and whose lower end is immersed in the solvent reservoir while the upper end can be fitted into the tip of the base body; and a rotation mechanism which rotates the wiping member relative to the base body. The cylindrical wiping member has grooves formed on an outer periphery surface. When the base body is lowered by the lift mechanism, the wiping member is fitted into the base body without having the base body immersed in the solvent reservoir. Rotating the wiping member relative to the base body then causes the solvent to be guided though the grooves up into the base body to remove the coated film.

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating film removing apparatus, a method for producing a photosensitive drum, a photosensitive drum, and an image forming apparatus including the photosensitive drum.

  Photosensitive drums (hereinafter abbreviated as “photosensitive members”) are mounted on image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and laser beam printers that employ an electrophotographic system. This photoreceptor is constituted by providing an organic photosensitive layer on the surface of a cylindrical substrate having at least a conductive surface by a coating method. The substrate is made of a nonmagnetic metal such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper, brass, austenitic stainless steel, or the like. The image is formed by charging the surface of the photoreceptor.

  As a method for forming a photosensitive layer coating film on the surface of a substrate, a coating method by dipping, a coating method by spraying, and a coating method using a roller have been put to practical use. In this method, the thickness of the photosensitive layer coating film to be formed can be easily adjusted by the viscosity of the coating solution and the pulling speed of the substrate. Compared to more used. The photosensitive layer usually has a three-layer structure in which an intermediate layer for blocking negative charges, a charge generation layer for generating charges, and a charge transport layer for transporting charges are stacked. Are sequentially formed on the substrate by the dipping method.

Since the coating liquid adheres to the inner surface of the lower end portion of the substrate, various problems arise due to the applied coating liquid. Specifically, when a coating film is formed on the inner surface of the lower end portion of the substrate, it may adhere to the pallet of the transport line and stain the pallet. There is a risk that the coating film adhering to the pallet may be mixed into the photosensitive layer film to produce defective products.
Further, in an image forming apparatus equipped with a photoconductor, the inner surface of the end portion of the photoconductor is used as a ground with zero charge during copying. If the coating liquid adheres to the inner surface of the lower end portion of the substrate, it causes a ground failure.

Furthermore, if an unnecessary coating film remains on the inner surface of the lower end portion of the base body, the flange cannot be inserted and mounted with high accuracy, and problems may arise in the base body deformation, dimensions, accuracy, and adhesive strength, and image defects may occur.
However, in the above dipping method, a photosensitive layer coating film is inevitably formed on the inner surface of the lower end of the substrate, and therefore it is necessary to positively remove unnecessary coating layers.

In order to solve such a problem, various end coating film removing methods and apparatuses have been developed so far. For example, as a solvent immersion method, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe a method of immersing a coating film in a solvent that dissolves the coating film under specific conditions and removing the coating film. Patent Document 3 proposes a method for removing the coating film by immersing in a solvent.
However, the solvent immersion method cannot be completely removed, and it takes time to remove, and the coating film becomes uneven due to fluctuations in the liquid level, and sagging due to solvent vapor occurs, leading to the required coating film. There is a risk of removal or unevenness.

On the other hand, Patent Documents 4 and 5 describe a method of spraying a solvent with a nozzle and dissolving and removing a coating film with a removing member such as a brush or a sponge. Patent Document 6 describes removal of a brush or a sponge or the like. There has been proposed a coating film removing apparatus and a method for wiping off an end portion of a photoreceptor on which a coating film is formed while pouring a solvent over a member.
Patent Document 7 discloses that a porous elastic body (sponge-like structure) impregnated with a solvent having a diameter larger than that of the base in the immersion direction of the base on which the coating film is formed is brought into contact with the base. It is described that the coating film formed on the lower end portion of the substrate is removed by rotating either one or both of the elastic body and the substrate. Moreover, it describes that a porous elastic body is wash | cleaned by ejecting a solvent toward a porous elastic body after coating film removal.
For this reason, if the technique of patent documents 4-7 is utilized, the problem which has arisen in patent documents 1-3 can be solved.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-202352 (published July 22, 1994) JP 05-173339 A (published July 13, 1993) Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 07-42533 (August 4, 1995) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-207084 (published August 7, 1998) JP 2000-275870 A (released on October 16, 2000) JP 2002-278104 A (published on September 27, 2002) JP 2001-157864 A (published on June 12, 2001)

  However, since the conventional techniques described in Patent Documents 4 to 7 supply the solvent to the porous elastic body with the nozzle, it is necessary to provide a solvent supply pipe for supplying the solvent to the nozzle. Since the solvent supply pipe is an apparatus having a relatively complicated structure, the manufacturing cost increases. Further, simply supplying the solvent from the nozzle cannot uniformly supply the solvent to the porous elastic body, impairing the uniformity of the wiping width, and cannot effectively remove the coating film.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and is a method for manufacturing a coating film removing apparatus and a photosensitive drum capable of efficiently removing a coating film on a substrate without complicating the apparatus configuration. The present invention provides a method, a photosensitive drum, and an image forming apparatus including the photosensitive drum.

  The present invention includes an elevating mechanism for supporting a cylindrical substrate on which a coating film is formed by an immersion method so that the axis is vertical and moving it up and down, and a solvent installed under the substrate to remove the coating film. A solvent tank to be stored; a columnar wiping member provided in the solvent tank so as to be rotatable coaxially with the substrate; and a lower end immersed in the solvent bath and having an upper end fitted into a tip of the substrate; the substrate and the wiping member; A rotating mechanism that relatively rotates the cylindrical wiping member, and the cylindrical wiping member has a groove formed on a circumferential surface, and the substrate is immersed in the solvent tank when the substrate is lowered by the lifting mechanism. The wiping member is inserted inside the base without the rotation, and the base and the wiping member rotate relative to each other, so that the solvent is guided into the groove and rises to the inside of the base, thereby removing the coating film. An apparatus for removing a coating film is provided.

According to the above configuration, the lifting mechanism lowers the substrate without immersing it in the solvent tank, and after contacting the wiping member whose lower end is immersed in the coating film removing solvent with the inner surface of the lower end of the substrate, the groove By using the wiping member on which the film is formed, the coating film removal solvent is guided to the groove during rotation without the solvent supply pump, and is uniformly supplied to the wiping member, effectively removing the coating film. be able to.
And since the removal of the coating film by the said structure is not what removes the base | substrate lower end part inner surface by immersing in the solvent for removing a coating film, a lower end part is immersed in the solvent for removing a coating film. It is possible to suppress coating unevenness and sagging, which are defects in the dipping method.
Therefore, it is possible to supply a wiping solvent to the wiping member when wiping the substrate without complicating the apparatus configuration, and to provide a coating film removing apparatus capable of efficiently removing a coating film. it can.

In the method for producing a photosensitive drum of the present invention, an intermediate layer is formed on a cylindrical substrate, a charge generation layer is formed on the intermediate layer, and a charge transport layer is formed on the charge generation layer by an immersion method. And a removal step of removing the intermediate layer, charge generation layer, and charge transport layer formed on the inner surface of the end portion of the substrate, and the coating film removing apparatus is used in the removal step.
Note that a photosensitive drum manufactured using a method for manufacturing a photosensitive drum and an image forming apparatus including the photosensitive drum are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  According to this invention, since the wiping solvent can be supplied to the wiping member when the substrate is wiped, the coating film can be efficiently removed.

It is a partially cutaway side view showing a photosensitive drum according to the present invention. It is the A section enlarged view of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure and operation | movement of the coating-film removal apparatus in embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the kind of wiping member. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the modification of the coating-film removal apparatus of this invention. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus including a photosensitive drum according to the present invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

  FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view showing the photosensitive drum of the present invention together with a flange. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the photosensitive drum 103 has a cylindrical base 25. The flanges 200 are attached to the openings at both ends of the base body 25. Further, an intermediate layer 52 and a photosensitive layer 53 are sequentially laminated around the substrate 25.

  The photosensitive layer 53 has a charge generation layer 54 and a charge transport layer 55. The substrate 25 serves as an electrode of the photosensitive drum 103 and also functions as a support member for the intermediate layer 52, the charge generation layer 54, and the charge transport layer 55.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an example of a coating film removing apparatus in this embodiment. The coating film removing apparatus 1 removes a portion of the substrate 25 that does not require a coating film from the coating film formed on the surface of the substrate 25 by a dipping method in which the substrate 25 of the photosensitive drum 103 is dipped in the coating liquid and then pulled up. It is a device to do. The layers from which the coating film is wiped off by the coating film removing apparatus 1 include an intermediate layer 52, a charge generation layer 54, and a charge transport layer 55.

  The coating film removing apparatus 1 separates the base 25 and the wiping member 27 when the coating film is not removed. When the coating film is removed, the unnecessary portion of the coating film on the base 25 is brought into contact with the wiping member 27, and then the wiping member 27 rotates and slides on the inner surface of the end portion of the base body 25. The membrane is wiped off.

  FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a state when the coating film removing apparatus 1 does not remove the coating film. FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating a state when the coating film is removed by the coating film removing apparatus 1. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the coating film removing apparatus 1 includes a chuck device 26 that holds a cylindrical substrate 25, and a lifting mechanism (substrate lifting mechanism) 29 that lifts and lowers the chuck device 26. And a wiping device 36 for wiping off unnecessary portions of the coating film on the inner surface of the substrate 25.

  The elevating mechanism 29 includes an arm member 33, and the support shaft 31 of the chuck device 26 is connected to the arm member 33. The elevating mechanism 29 elevates and lowers the arm member 33 by driving the elevating motor 34. As a result, the chuck device 26 connected to the arm member 33 can be moved up and down. The elevating mechanism 29 raises the chuck device 26 when the coating film is not removed, and lowers the chuck device 26 when the coating film is removed.

  The chuck device 26 supports the base body 25 so that the axis of the base body 25 is in the vertical direction. Specifically, the chuck device 26 is inserted into the cylindrical base body 25, and the balloon bodies 32a and 32b attached to predetermined support positions of the support shaft 31 expand to support the base body 25 from the inside. . The balloon bodies 32a and 32b are supplied with a fluid such as pressurized air through a flow path formed inside the support shaft 31, and expand.

  The wiping device 36 is disposed below the chuck device 26. The wiping device 36 includes a solvent tank 37 that stores a solvent 40 for peeling the coating film from the surface of the substrate 25, a rotating mechanism 30, and a wiping member 27 having a groove 44 (FIG. 4).

  The wiping member 27 is a material that satisfies the conditions such as good holding power of the solvent 40, easy processing of the groove 44, high solvent resistance, and low occurrence of fiber waste. Is preferred. As materials satisfying these conditions, synthetic materials such as polyethylene and polycellulose are suitable.

Further, the wiping member 27 exists at a position where a part of its lower end is immersed in the solvent 40.
The solvent 40 is capable of dissolving the coating film, and is particularly preferably a solvent used in the photosensitive coating solution.
Here, the operation of the wiping device 36 in conjunction with the operation of the chuck device 26 will be described. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the wiping device 36.

  As described above, when removing the coating film, the elevating mechanism 29 lowers the arm member 33 as shown in FIG. 3B, so that the chuck device 26 is lowered accordingly. The substrate 25 is lowered to a position where it is not immersed in the solvent 40, and the inner surface of the tip of the substrate 25 comes into contact with the wiping member 27 having the groove 44.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rotation mechanism 30 includes a rotation motor 41 (see FIG. 3). When the rotation motor 41 is driven, the wiping member 27 having the groove 44 rotates. At the time of rotation, the wiping member 27 has the groove 44, so that the solvent 40 rises along the groove 44 and the solvent 40 is contained.
Therefore, when the coating film is removed, the solvent 40 rises along the groove 44 of the wiping member 27 by rotating the wiping member 27 in a state where the inner surface of the base 25 and the wiping member 27 are in contact with each other. By sliding the inner surface of the lower end portion of the base body 25 with the wiping member 27 containing the solvent 40, an unnecessary coating film formed on the inner surface of the lower end portion of the base body 25 can be wiped off.

Fig.5 (a)-(c) is a figure which shows the kind of wiping member 27 of the coating-film removal apparatus 1 in this embodiment.
In this embodiment, the wiping member 27 has a groove 44. The groove 44 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the wiping member 27 as shown in FIGS.
The groove 44 is preferably formed obliquely (spiral) with respect to the rotational axis of the wiping member 27 as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B so that the solvent 40 can easily permeate. As a result, the solvent 40 is easily transmitted through the groove 44 along with the rotation of the wiping member, so that the wiping member contains the solvent.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upper part of the wiping member 27 is preferably chamfered as shown in FIGS. Accordingly, the wiping member 27 can be smoothly inserted into the lower end portion of the base 25, and the solvent 40 contained in the wiping member 27 is repelled by the end of the base 25 during insertion. Can scatter and prevent the solvent 25 from reattaching to the substrate 25.

Further, in this embodiment, the outer diameter of the wiping member 27 is preferably slightly larger (3 mm or less) than the inner diameter of the base body 25. Thereby, since the wiping member 27 can adhere more closely to the inner surface of the lower end portion of the base body 25, the wiping effect can be improved.
When the outer diameter of the wiping member 27 is smaller than the inner diameter of the base body 25, it is clear that the wiping member 27 and the inner surface of the base body 25 are not in contact with each other and the coating film cannot be removed. When it is 3 mm or more larger than the inner diameter, the wiping member does not smoothly enter the inner surface of the substrate, and the substrate may repel the wiping member and the wiping solvent may be scattered.
5B shows an example in which the upper portion of the wiping member 27 is not chamfered, and FIG. 5C shows an example in which the groove 44 is put in parallel to the rotation axis.

<Modification>
FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3B showing a coating film removing apparatus 1A according to a modification of the embodiment. Here, the state of the coating film removing apparatus 1A at the time of coating film removal is shown. As shown in FIG. 6, the coating film removing apparatus 1 </ b> A includes a rotation mechanism 50 including a rotation motor 42 that rotates the support shaft 31 of the chuck device 26. As a result, the base body 25 held by the chuck device 26 rotates in the same rotational direction as the support shaft 31 in conjunction with the rotation of the support shaft 31. Note that the rotation direction of the support shaft 31 of the chuck device 26 is opposite to the direction in which the rotation mechanism 30 rotates. Other configurations are the same as those shown in FIG.

  At the time of removing the coating film, the coating film removing apparatus 1A rotates the wiping member 27 and the chuck device 26 in the opposite directions in a state where the inner surface of the lower end portion of the base 25 and the wiping member 27 are in contact with each other. The relative speed when the wiping member 27 slides on the base body 25 held by the chuck device 26 can be increased. As a result, the amount of the solvent 40 transmitted through the groove 44 also increases, and the wiping member 27 is in a state containing more solvent 40, so that either the wiping member 27 or the chuck device 26 is rotated. The effect of removing the coating film can be enhanced.

  Note that if the same effect is obtained by rotating only the chuck device 26 at a high speed, the centrifugal force of the base 25 held by the chuck device 26 increases. Since the coating film is removed when it is not dried, the uniformity of the photosensitive layer decreases when the centrifugal force of the substrate 25 generated by the high speed rotation of the chuck device 26 increases.

  Further, since the chuck device 26 holds the base body 25 from the inside of the cylinder by expanding the balloon bodies 32a and 32b, when the base body 25 is rotated at a high speed, the rotation center of the support shaft 31 and the axis of the base body 25 are aligned. There may be eccentricity. In this case, when removing the coating film, the inner surface of the lower end portion of the base body 25 does not uniformly contact the wiping member 27, so that there is a risk that the coating film cannot be reliably removed.

  On the other hand, when the wiping member 27 is rotated and the chuck device 26 is not rotated, if the rotation speed of the rotation mechanism 30 is increased, the centrifugal force of the wiping member 27 rotating in conjunction with the rotation of the rotation mechanism 30 is increased. Become. Thereby, the solvent 40 held by the wiping member 27 may be scattered by centrifugal force. When the scattered solvent 40 adheres to a necessary portion of the coating film of the substrate 25, it adversely affects the photosensitive layer 53.

  In contrast, in the coating film removing apparatus 1A according to this modification, the base member 25 and the wiping member 27 held by the chuck device 26 are rotated by rotating the chuck device 26 and the wiping member 27 in opposite directions. And the relative rotational speed can be increased. For this reason, each rotation speed of the chuck device 26 and the wiping member 27 can be kept small. Thereby, the uniformity of the photosensitive layer 53 can be prevented from being lowered and the solvent 40 can be prevented from being scattered.

  In this embodiment and the modified example, a coating film is formed on the surface of the substrate 25 by the dipping method, an unnecessary coating film is removed by the coating film removing apparatuses 1 and 1A, and dried to form an image forming apparatus. The case where the photosensitive drum 103 which is the mounted image carrier is manufactured has been described as an example. Therefore, the coating film removed by the coating film removing apparatus 1 or 1A is a coating film formed in the manufacturing process of the photosensitive drum 103, such as the intermediate layer 52, the charge generation layer 54, or the charge transport layer 55. However, it goes without saying that it can be used to manufacture other members that form a coating film on the surface of a drum-shaped base other than the photosensitive drum 103 by a dipping method.

Moreover, although the coating-film removal apparatus 1 and 1A are comprised so that the arm member 33 may be raised / lowered by the raising / lowering mechanism 29, in order to contact the lower end part of the base | substrate 25 and the wiping member 27, it is limited to this. It is not a thing. You may make it comprise so that the position of the arm member 33 may be fixed and the wiping apparatus 36 may be raised / lowered. Even in this case, the same effect can be obtained by operating in the same manner as in this embodiment and the modification.
Further, the coating film removing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 3 may have a configuration that rotates the support shaft 31 instead of rotating the wiping member 27.

(Description of photosensitive drum)
Here, the material which comprises the photoreceptor drum 103 (FIG. 1) manufactured using the coating-film removal apparatus 1 mentioned above is demonstrated.

  In the present invention, various conventionally known substrates can be used as the cylindrical substrate 25. For example, a simple metal such as aluminum, copper, zinc, or titanium, an alloy such as an aluminum alloy, or stainless steel can be used. Also, not limited to these metal materials, polymer materials such as polyethylene terephthalate, nylon or polystyrene, those obtained by laminating metal foil on the surface of hard paper or glass, those obtained by vapor deposition of metal materials, or conductive materials A layer obtained by depositing or coating a conductive compound layer such as a conductive polymer, tin oxide, or indium oxide can also be used.

The intermediate layer 52 has a function of preventing charge injection from the substrate 25 to the photosensitive layer 53. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the chargeability of the photosensitive layer 53 from being lowered, to suppress a decrease in surface charge other than the portion to be erased by exposure, and to prevent occurrence of defects such as fogging on the image.
Further, by providing the intermediate layer 52, defects on the surface of the substrate 25 can be covered to obtain a uniform surface, so that the film formability of the photosensitive layer 53 can be improved. Further, peeling of the photosensitive layer 53 from the substrate 25 can be suppressed, and adhesion between the substrate 25 and the photosensitive layer 53 can be improved.

  For the intermediate layer 52, a resin layer or an alumite layer made of various resin materials is used. The resin material constituting the resin layer includes polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polystyrene resin, acrylic resin, vinyl chloride resin, vinyl acetate resin, polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, polyester resin, melamine resin, silicone resin, polyvinyl butyral resin, and polyamide. Examples thereof include resins such as resins, and copolymer resins including two or more of repeating units constituting these resins.

  The intermediate layer 52 is formed, for example, by dissolving or dispersing the resin in an appropriate solvent to prepare an intermediate layer coating solution and applying the coating solution to the surface of the substrate 25. When the intermediate layer 52 contains particles such as the metal oxide particles, for example, these particles are dispersed in a resin solution obtained by dissolving the resin in an appropriate solvent, and the intermediate layer coating is performed. The intermediate layer 52 can be formed by preparing a liquid and applying this coating liquid to the surface of the substrate 25.

  Water, various organic solvents, or a mixed solvent thereof is used as the solvent for the intermediate layer coating solution. For example, water, alcohol, single solvents such as methanol, ethanol or butanol, water and alcohols, two or more alcohols, acetone or dioxolane and alcohols, chlorinated solvents such as dichloroethane, chloroform or trichloroethane and alcohols, etc. A mixed solvent is used. Among these solvents, non-halogen organic solvents are preferably used in consideration of the global environment.

  Examples of the coating method of the intermediate layer coating solution include a spray method, a bar coating method, a roll coating method, a blade method, a ring method, and a dip coating method. Among these, the dip coating method is relatively simple as described above, and is excellent in productivity and cost. Therefore, the dip coating method is often used for forming the intermediate layer 52.

  The thickness of the intermediate layer 52 is preferably 0.01 μm or more and 20 μm or less, more preferably 0.05 μm or more and 10 μm or less.

  The charge generation layer 54 contains, as a main component, a charge generation material that generates charges by absorbing light. Substances effective as charge generating substances include azo pigments such as monoazo pigments, bisazo pigments and trisazo pigments, indigo pigments such as indigo and thioindigo, perylene pigments such as peryleneimide and perylene anhydride, anthraquinone and Organic photoconductive materials such as polycyclic quinone pigments such as pyrenequinone, phthalocyanine pigments such as metal phthalocyanine and metal-free phthalocyanine, squarylium dyes, pyrylium salts and thiopyrylium salts, triphenylmethane dyes, and selenium and amorphous silicon And inorganic photoconductive materials. One of these charge generation materials may be used alone, or two or more of these charge generation materials may be used in combination.

As a method of forming the charge generation layer 54, a method of vacuum-depositing the charge generation material on the surface of the substrate 25, or a charge generation layer coating solution obtained by dispersing the charge generation material in an appropriate solvent is used. A method of applying to the surface of the substrate 25 is used.
Among these, in a binder resin solution obtained by mixing a binder resin as a binder in a solvent, a charge generating material is dispersed by a conventionally known method to prepare a coating solution for a charge generating layer, A method of applying the obtained coating solution to the surface of the substrate 25 is preferably used.
Examples of the method for applying the charge generation layer coating solution include a spray method, a bar coating method, a roll coating method, a blade method, a ring method, and a dip coating method. Among these application methods, an optimum method can be selected in consideration of the physical properties and productivity of the application.

  Among these coating methods, in particular, the dip coating method is a method of forming a layer on the surface of the substrate by immersing the substrate in a coating tank filled with a coating solution and then pulling it up at a constant speed or a speed that changes sequentially. Since it is relatively simple and excellent in terms of productivity and cost, it is widely used in the production of photosensitive drums.

  Examples of the binder resin contained in the charge transport layer 55 include polycarbonate resin, polyarylate resin, polyester resin, polyester carbonate resin, polysulfone resin, phenoxy resin, epoxy resin, silicone resin, polyamide resin, polyether resin, polyurethane resin, Examples thereof include resins such as polyacrylamide resin and phenol resin.

Further, the charge transport materials include enamine derivatives, carbazole derivatives, oxazole derivatives, oxadiazole derivatives, thiazole derivatives, thiadiazole derivatives, triazole derivatives, imidazole derivatives, imidazolone derivatives, imidazolidine derivatives, bisimidazolidine derivatives, styryl compounds, hydrazones. Compound, polycyclic aromatic compound, indole derivative, pyrazoline derivative, oxazolone derivative, benzimidazole derivative, quinazoline derivative, benzofuran derivative, acridine derivative, phenazine derivative, aminostilbene derivative, triarylamine derivative, triarylmethane derivative, phenylenediamine derivative And stilbene derivatives and benzidine derivatives.
Also included are polymers having groups derived from these compounds in the main chain or side chain, such as poly-N-vinylcarbazole, poly-1-vinylpyrene and poly-9-vinylanthracene.

  The charge transport layer 55 is formed in the same manner as when the charge generation layer 54 is formed by coating, for example, in a suitable solvent, a charge transport material, a polyarylate resin, silica fine particles, and, if necessary, the additives described above. Is dissolved or dispersed to prepare a coating solution for a charge transport layer, and the resulting coating solution is applied onto the charge generation layer 54.

  Examples of the solvent for the charge transport layer coating solution include aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylene and monochlorobenzene, halogenated hydrocarbons such as dichloromethane and dichloroethane, ethers such as tetrahydrofuran, dioxane and dimethoxymethyl ether, and Examples include aprotic polar solvents such as N, N-dimethylformamide.

Examples of the coating method for the charge transport layer coating solution include a spray method, a bar coating method, a roll coating method, a blade method, a ring method, and a dip coating method.
Among these coating methods, the dip coating method is particularly excellent in various respects as described above, and is often used when the charge transport layer 55 is formed.

The method for producing the photosensitive drum 103 of the present invention preferably includes a drying and curing step of each layer such as the intermediate layer 52, the charge generation layer 54, the charge transport layer 55, and the like. The drying temperature of the photosensitive drum 103 is suitably about 50 ° C. to about 140 ° C., and particularly preferably about 80 ° C. to about 130 ° C.
When the drying temperature of the photosensitive drum 103 is less than about 50 ° C., the drying time becomes longer, and when the drying temperature exceeds about 140 ° C., the electrical characteristics during repeated use deteriorate and the photosensitive drum 103 is obtained. The resulting image is also degraded.

(Description of image forming apparatus)
Here, an image forming apparatus including the photosensitive drum 103 according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the image forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 7, the image forming apparatus 100 includes an image forming unit 60 and a document reading unit 70.
The document reading unit 70 mainly includes an automatic document feeder 80 and a scanning unit 90. The plurality of document sheets placed on the placement table of the automatic document feeder 80 are sequentially supplied to the upper part of the scanning unit 90, and the document is read.

  The image forming unit 60 includes four image forming stations P1 to P4 corresponding to yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (B). The four image forming stations P1 to P4 have basically the same configuration, and the photosensitive drum 103 and the charger 5, the developing device 2, the transfer roller 64, and the cleaner unit 4 disposed around the photosensitive drum 103. Etc. Each of the image forming stations P1 to P4 is individually assigned identification information, and a control unit (not shown) can discriminate the image forming stations P1 to P4 individually.

  An exposure unit 8 is disposed below the image forming stations P1 to P4, and an intermediate transfer belt mechanism 6 is disposed above the image forming stations P1 to P4. The exposure unit 8 exposes the surface of the photosensitive drum 103 charged by the charger 5 according to the image data, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum 103, and the electrostatic latent image. The developing device 2 supplies toner to form a toner image. The toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 103 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 61 wound by the intermediate transfer belt mechanism 6 so that the transfer rollers 64 of the image forming stations P1 to P4 are provided inside. Is superimposed and transferred.

  In the intermediate transfer belt mechanism 6, a transfer device 10 is disposed in front of the intermediate transfer belt 61 in the traveling direction, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 61 is transferred to the paper feed cassette 81 or the manual feed by the transfer device 10. The image is transferred to a sheet (sheet material) fed from the sheet feeding cassette 82. Further, a fixing device 7 is disposed in front of the paper conveyance direction, and the toner image is solidified and fixed on the paper by passing through the fixing device 7, and then discharged onto the paper discharge tray 91. Is done.

  Further, the image forming unit 60 is provided with a toner replenishing device 700 for replenishing toner to each developing device 2 of the four image forming stations P1 to P4. In the configuration of FIG. Four toner supply devices 700 of cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) are provided.

Example 1
The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.
3 parts by weight of titanium oxide (TTO-MI-1: manufactured by Ishihara Sangyo), 3 parts by weight of alcohol-soluble nylon resin CM-8000 (trade name, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.), 60 parts by weight of methanol, and 40 parts by weight of 1,3-dioxolane Dispersion treatment was carried out for 10 hours with a paint shaker to prepare an intermediate layer coating solution. The prepared intermediate layer coating solution is applied by dip coating on an aluminum cylindrical base 25 having a diameter of 30 mm and a length of 357 mm so as to have a film thickness of 1 μm. After 2 minutes, the intermediate layer 52 formed on the inner surface of the lower end of the base 25 was removed using the wiping device 36 having the wiping member 27 having the groove 44. At this time, the rotational speed at which the wiping member 27 by the rotation mechanism 30 slides on the inner surface of the lower end of the base 25 was 40 rpm, and the sliding time was 20 seconds.

The wiping member 27 is made of polyethylene (Fuji Rubber Sangyo Co., Ltd., foamed polyethylene foam, product ID: P0015), and has a groove 44 that is inclined (spiral) with respect to the rotation axis of the wiping member. The diameter of the wiping member was 29.3 mm, 0.3 mm larger than the inner diameter of the substrate 29 mm, and the upper part of the wiping member was chamfered.
As the wiping solvent 40, methanol was used.
Next, 10 parts by weight of butyral resin (ESLEC BM-2: trademark, manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.), 1400 parts by weight of 1,3-dioxolane, and 15 parts by weight of titanyl phthalocyanine having the following formula (Chemical Formula 1) were used for 72 hours by a ball mill. Dispersed to produce a charge generation layer coating solution.

  Using this coating solution, a charge generation layer 54 is formed on the cylindrical aluminum substrate 25 provided with the intermediate layer 52 by a dip coating method so as to have a film thickness of 0.2 μm. Two minutes later, the charge generation layer 54 formed on the inner surface of the lower end of the base 25 was removed using the wiping device 36 having the groove 44 using the wiping device 36 similar to the above. At this time, the speed at which the wiping member 27 by the rotating mechanism 30 slides on the inner surface of the lower end of the base 25 was 40 rpm, and the sliding time was 20 seconds.

The wiping member 27 is made of polyethylene (Fuji Rubber Sangyo Co., Ltd., foamed polyethylene foam, product ID: P0015), and has an oblique (spiral) groove 44 with respect to the rotation direction of the wiping member. The diameter of the wiping member was 29.3 mm, 0.3 mm larger than the inner diameter of the substrate 29 mm, and the upper part of the wiping member was chamfered.
As the wiping solvent 40, THF was used.

  As a charge transport material, 105 parts by weight of a triphenylamine compound having a structure represented by the following formula (Chemical Formula 2), 115 parts by weight of a polycarbonate resin (Upilon PCZ400: manufactured by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company), 754 parts by weight of tetrahydrofuran Mix and dissolve.

A charge transport layer coating solution is applied onto the charge generation layer 54 by a dip coating method to form a charge transport layer 55. Two minutes after the coating, the coating film removing apparatus 1 similar to the above is used. Using the same wiping device 36 as described above, the charge transport layer 55 formed on the inner surface of the lower end of the substrate 25 was removed using the wiping member 27 having the grooves 44. At this time, the speed at which the wiping member 27 by the rotating mechanism 30 slides on the inner surface of the lower end of the base 25 was 40 rpm, and the sliding time was 20 seconds.
The wiping member 27 is made of polyethylene (Fuji Rubber Sangyo Co., Ltd., foamed polyethylene foam, product ID: P0015), and has an oblique (spiral) groove 44 with respect to the rotation direction of the wiping member. The diameter of the wiping member was 29.3 mm, 0.3 mm larger than the inner diameter 29 mm of the substrate 25, and the upper part of the wiping member was chamfered.

(Example 2)
A photosensitive drum 103 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the shape of the groove 44 of the wiping member 27 was changed from a spiral shape to a vertical shape.

(Example 3)
A photosensitive drum 103 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the diameter of the wiping member 27 was changed to 33 mm, which is 4 mm larger than the inner diameter 29 mm of the substrate 25.

Example 4
Except that the upper part of the wiping member 27 was not chamfered, the photosensitive drum 103 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

(Comparative Example 1)
A photosensitive drum 103 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the wiping member 27 was not provided.

(Comparative Example 2)
A photoconductive drum 103 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the coating film formed on the inner surface of the lower end portion of the substrate 25 was removed by the dipping method as a conventional technique.

(Comparative Example 3)
Except that the coating film formed on the inner surface of the lower end of the substrate 25 is removed by the conventional method of dissolving and removing the coating film using a removal member such as a sponge having no groove, the same method as in Example 1 is used. Thus, a photosensitive drum 103 was produced.

"Evaluation method"
With respect to the photosensitive drums 103 manufactured in Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3 as described above, after the intermediate layer 52 is manufactured, the charge generation layer 54 is manufactured, and the charge transport layer 55 is manufactured, each “ “Visual evaluation of the inner surface of the lower end portion of the substrate 25” and “Evaluation of liquid splashing of the outer surface of the lower end portion of the substrate 25” were performed.
In addition, after the intermediate layer 52 after 50 pallet continuous coating, the charge generation layer 54, and the charge transport layer 55 are prepared, each "visual evaluation of the inner surface of the substrate 25" is performed, and "repetitive usability evaluation" is performed. went.
Further, the photosensitive drum 103 was mounted on a digital copying machine (manufactured by Sharp Corporation: MX4110FN), and “initial halftone image evaluation” was performed. The criteria for each evaluation are as follows.

"Visual evaluation of inner surface of base"
"Repeatability"
VG (very good): No wiping left.
G (good): almost no wiping left.
B (bad): There is a leftover wipe.
VB (very bad): There is much wiping.
“Evaluation of liquid splash on the outer surface of the bottom of the substrate”
VG (very good): No liquid jumping.
G (good): Almost no liquid splash.
B (bad): Liquid jumping is present.
"Evaluation of initial halftone image (HT image)"
VG (very good): No unevenness.
G (good): There is almost no unevenness.
B (bad): There is unevenness.
VB (very bad): There is severe unevenness.
The obtained evaluation results are shown in Table 1 below.

  From the above results, the coating film removing apparatus 1 according to the present invention immerses the lower end in the solvent in the solvent tank 37 by lowering the base body 25 without immersing the lower end portion 25a of the base body 25 on which the coating film is formed in the solvent. When the wiping member 27 having the groove 44 comes into contact with the inner surface of the lower end portion of the base 25 and the wiping member 27 is rotated, the coating film removing solvent is guided to the groove 44 and sufficiently contains the solvent, The coating film formed on the inner surface of the lower end portion of the substrate 25 is removed. For this reason, the coating film formed on the inner surface of the lower end part is not left unwiped, and the coating film unevenness and sagging of the outer surface of the lower end part can be suppressed. The image forming apparatus including the photosensitive drum 103 thus manufactured can obtain a high-resolution image.

  Further, since the wiping member 27 containing the wiping solvent 40 is effectively in contact with the inner surface of the lower end portion of the base body 25 by only simple operations such as raising and lowering the base body 25 and rotating the wiping member 27, it is easy. The coating film formed on the inner surface of the lower end portion of the base body 25 can be removed with high accuracy and reproducibility.

  Further, the shape of the groove 44 of the wiping member 27 of the wiping device is processed obliquely (spiral) with respect to the rotation direction of the wiping member. For this reason, when the inner surface of the lower end portion of the base body 25 and the wiping member 27 slide against each other, the solvent 40 soaks into the inner surface of the lower end portion of the base body 25, and the wiping member contains more solvent. In this state, the unnecessary coating film formed on the inner surface of the lower end portion of the base body 25 can be reliably removed.

The outer diameter of the wiping member 27 is 0 to 3 mm larger than the inner diameter of the base body 25. For this reason, since the wiping member 27 can be brought into close contact with the inner surface of the base body 25, the wiping effect can be improved.
The upper part of the wiping member 27 is chamfered. Therefore, the wiping member 27 can be smoothly inserted into the base 25, and the solvent 40 contained in the wiping member 27 is scattered by repelling the wiping member 27 by the end of the base 25 during the insertion. In addition, adhesion of the solvent to the outer surface of the base body 25 can be prevented.

  As described above, the coating film formed on the inner surface of the lower end portion of the substrate 25 is accurately removed by the coating film removing apparatus 1 and the photosensitive drum manufacturing method of the present invention. It is possible to manufacture the photosensitive drum 103 with a small amount. Further, the image forming apparatus provided with such a photosensitive drum 103 can obtain a high-resolution and good image.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. That is, embodiments obtained by combining technical means appropriately modified within the scope of the claims are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1A Coating film removal apparatus 25 Base body 26 Chuck apparatus 27 Wiping member 29 Elevating mechanism 30 Rotating mechanism 31 Support shaft 32a, 32b Balloon body 33 Arm member 34 Elevating motor 36 Wiping apparatus 37 Solvent tank 40 Solvent 41 Rotating motor 42 Rotation Motor 44 Groove 50 Rotating mechanism 103 Photosensitive drum 200 Flange

Claims (7)

  An elevating mechanism that lifts and lowers a cylindrical substrate on which a coating film is formed by an immersion method so that the axis is vertical, and a solvent tank that is installed below the substrate and stores a solvent for removing the coating film A cylindrical wiping member provided in the solvent tank so as to be rotatable coaxially with the base and having a lower end immersed in the solvent tank and an upper end fitted into the tip of the base, and the base and the wiping member relatively The cylindrical wiping member has a groove formed on a circumferential surface, and the substrate is not immersed in the solvent tank when the substrate is lowered by the lifting mechanism. A wiping member is inserted inside, and the base and the wiping member are rotated relative to each other, whereby the solvent is guided to the groove and rises to the inside of the base to remove the coating. apparatus.   The said groove | channel is a coating-film removal apparatus of Claim 1 formed in the outer peripheral surface of a column-shaped wiping member helically centering on an axial center.   The coating film removing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an upper end of the wiping member is chamfered.   The coating film removing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotating mechanism rotates the base and the wiping member in opposite directions. A film forming step in which an intermediate layer is formed on a cylindrical substrate, a charge generation layer is formed on the intermediate layer, and a charge transport layer is formed on the charge generation layer by an immersion method;
A removal step of removing at least one of the intermediate layer, the charge generation layer, and the charge transport layer formed on the inner surface of the end portion of the base body, and the removal step according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A method for producing a photosensitive drum, comprising using the coating film removing apparatus described above.   A photosensitive drum manufactured using the manufacturing method according to claim 5.   An image forming apparatus comprising a photosensitive drum manufactured using the manufacturing method according to claim 5.