JP2014059439A - Method for forming uneven shape on surface of cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor, and method of manufacturing cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor having uneven shape on surface thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of forming an uneven shape on a surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor, in which when forming an uneven shape on the surface of the cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor by mass production, a lead time is shortened, accuracy of processing various conditions are secured, and influence of minute foreign matter is small.SOLUTION: A method of forming uneven shapes on a surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor, includes at least: a step of washing a surface of a surface layer of a cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor; a step of adjusting to a prescribed temperature; a step of adjusting an insertion member to be inserted into the cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor to a prescribed temperature; a step of inserting the insertion member; a step of bringing, while maintaining a prescribed temperature, a mold member having a surface shape corresponding to an uneven shape on a surface thereof into contact with a surface of a surface layer of the cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor so as to transfer the surface shape on the surface of the mold member to a surface of the surface layer of the cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor; a step of taking the insertion member out of the cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor; and a step of lowering the temperature of the taken-out insertion member to a prescribed temperature.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for forming an uneven shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member, and a method for producing a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member having an uneven shape formed on the surface.

  As an electrophotographic photosensitive member, a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter also simply referred to as “electrophotographic photosensitive member”) in which a photosensitive layer is provided on a cylindrical substrate is generally used. Among electrophotographic photoreceptors, organic electrophotographic photoreceptors having a photosensitive layer (organic photosensitive layer) using an organic material as a photoconductive substance (charge generating substance or charge transporting substance) are widely used. . As an organic electrophotographic photoreceptor, a laminated photosensitive layer comprising a charge generation layer containing a charge generation material and a charge transport layer containing a charge transport material, because of the advantages of high sensitivity and diversity of material design The electrophotographic photosensitive member having the above is the mainstream.

The electrophotographic photosensitive member is used in a repeating cycle of charging, exposure, development, transfer, cleaning, and charge removal in the image forming process. In particular, the cleaning process for removing the residual toner present on the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member after the transfer process is an important process for obtaining a clear image. As a cleaning method, a method is generally used in which a rubber cleaning blade is pressed against an electrophotographic photosensitive member and the remaining toner is scraped off.
However, a cleaning blade that exhibits excellent cleaning properties has a large frictional force with the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, so that there are problems of increased driving torque, slipping of toner due to minute vibration of the cleaning blade, and reversal of the cleaning blade. Is likely to occur. In addition, the influence on the cleaning performance due to the smaller particle size and higher functionality of the toner in response to the recent trend toward higher image quality of images has been taken up as a problem.

As a method of solving the above-described problems, there is a method of appropriately roughening the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member. This method is effective in reducing the contact area between the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member and the cleaning blade and reducing the frictional force.
Various methods are known for roughening the surface of such an electrophotographic photosensitive member. As a method for reducing the frictional force particularly effectively, the surface shape of the electrophotographic photosensitive member is made uneven. There is a way to do it.

In general, as described in Patent Document 1, a conventional technique for performing uneven processing on the surface of a resin film or a resin molded product is performed by the following steps, and this method is applied to an electrophotographic photosensitive member. can do.
(1) The resin to be processed is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin (step of softening the resin so that it is easily thermally deformed).
(2) A mold member (mold) is heated to a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin and brought into pressure contact (step of the resin entering the fine shape of the mold member).
(3) After a certain period of time, the resin and the mold member are cooled to below the glass transition temperature (step of fixing the fine shape),
(4) The mold member is separated from the resin.

  According to the above process, it is possible to perform batch transfer of fine shapes corresponding to the area of the surface of the mold member (surface of the surface shape (uneven shape) corresponding to the uneven shape formed on the surface of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member). Yes, various workpieces can be individually processed (batch method) according to the above-described steps. In addition, in a sheet-like workpiece, it is possible to repeatedly perform shape transfer for the area of the surface of the mold member (uneven surface) while moving the workpiece (step-and-repeat method). In the above steps, the heating and cooling steps are important. If the heating temperature is low, sufficient shape transfer cannot be performed, and if the cooling is insufficient, the transferred shape is liable to break down. Therefore, it is preferable that the control conditions in the heating and cooling steps are optimized in detail according to various characteristics of the resin.

  In addition, when pressing the entire surface of the mold member (uneven surface) against the workpiece, it is also important to make the contact pressure uniform within the area of the surface of the mold member (uneven surface). One. The cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member has a curved surface to be processed. A resin layer (surface layer) having a thickness of several μm to several tens of μm formed on a cylindrical substrate having a relatively small amount of elastic deformation and hardness is a processing target. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately contact such a surface with the mold member.

Conventionally, various ideas and improvements have been made. As one of the methods, as shown in FIG. 5, a plate-shaped mold member 5 is attached on a flat support member 12, and a cylindrical shape is formed inside a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member 1 which is a workpiece. This is a method of inserting (inserting) the insert 11. In this method, the surface layer 3 on the cylindrical substrate 2 of the cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor 1 is applied by applying a force (pressure) toward the mold member to the both ends in the axial direction of the insert by some means. The entire axial direction is pressed against the mold member 5 and pressurized.
The outer diameter of the insert inserted into the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member must be smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical substrate of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member that is the workpiece. The length of the portion of the insert that contacts the cylindrical substrate needs to be approximately the length corresponding to the axial length of the cylindrical substrate of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member. The shape of the insert that satisfies such conditions is often elongated. For example, the cylindrical body of a general cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member having an outer diameter of about 30 mm has an inner diameter of about 28.5 mm, and for A3, the total length is about 360 mm.
When a force is applied to both ends of the elongated insert in the axial direction to press the surface (outer peripheral surface) of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member against the mold member, the pressure tends to be biased near both ends. is there. As a result, the depth of the uneven shape formed on the surface of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member is different between, for example, the vicinity of the central portion and the vicinity of the end portion in the axial direction. In order to suppress such a bias to the end of the pressure and generate a uniform pressure in the axial direction of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member, it is preferable to use a very strong member for the insert. And in order to comprise an insertion body firmly, metal materials with high elastic modulus and hardness, such as an iron-type alloy, stainless steel, and tungsten, can be used. Furthermore, the shape of the insert is generally a solid cylindrical shape that is not hollow in order to ensure higher strength.

JP 2004-288784 A

  As described above, the technology for forming an uneven shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member as a workpiece includes the temperature of the workpiece, the temperature of the mold member, and the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member on the mold member. Conditions such as pressure to press the body are important. However, when carrying out production activities that continuously process a large number of cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptors for mass production, it is necessary to ensure that these processing conditions are accurately met with a short lead time. Become. In addition, it is important to minimize capital investment. Furthermore, in order to form a fine and accurate continuous surface shape required for electrophotographic parts such as a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member, it is indispensable to prevent the entry of minute foreign matters and the like. .

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems. The object of the present invention is a method of forming a concave-convex shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member for mass production, shortening the lead time, ensuring the accuracy of processing conditions, and suppressing the capital investment, Another object of the present invention is to provide a method free from the influence of minute foreign matters.
Another object of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member having an uneven shape on the surface, which shortens the lead time, ensures the accuracy of processing conditions, and invests in equipment. An object of the present invention is to provide a method that suppresses and does not have the influence of minute foreign matters.

The present invention is a method of forming an uneven shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member having a cylindrical substrate and a surface layer, the method comprising:
(A) cleaning the surface of the surface layer of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member;
(B) adjusting the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member to a predetermined temperature;
(C) adjusting the insert inserted into the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member to a predetermined temperature;
(D) inserting the insert into the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member;
(E) In a state where a mold member having a surface shape corresponding to the uneven shape is maintained at a predetermined temperature, the mold member is brought into contact with the surface of the surface layer of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member, and the surface of the mold member is Transferring the surface shape to the surface of the surface layer of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member;
(F) extracting the insert from the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member;
(G) The present invention relates to a method for forming an uneven shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member, comprising at least a step of lowering the temperature of the inserted body extracted from the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member to a predetermined temperature. .
The present invention also relates to a method for producing a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member having a concavo-convex shape formed on the surface thereof by forming a concavo-convex shape on the surface of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member by the above method.

  According to the present invention, when forming an uneven shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor for mass production, the lead time is shortened, the accuracy of processing conditions is ensured, the equipment investment is suppressed, and the minute Processing without the influence of foreign matter and the like can be performed.

It is a flowchart of the method of forming uneven shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member. It is a figure for demonstrating the shape of an insertion body, and its effect as an example of the method of forming uneven shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member. It is a figure for demonstrating an elastic member and a support member, and its effect as an example of the method of forming uneven shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member. It is a figure of the surface (surface of unevenness | corrugation shape) of the type | mold member used in the Example. It is a figure for demonstrating a prior art about the method of forming an uneven shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor.

Hereinafter, a method of forming an uneven shape on the surface of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter, also simply referred to as “work”) of the present invention (which means the surface of the surface layer of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member) (hereinafter simply referred to as “uneven”). (It is also referred to as “uneven shape forming method”).
FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an uneven shape forming method.
The workpiece loading process is a process in which, in a previous process (not shown in FIG. 1), a workpiece, that is, a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member is formed, and then the workpiece is loaded into the process shown in FIG. The workpiece cleaning step is a step of removing substances adhering to the surface of the workpiece. The workpiece temperature adjusting step is a step of adjusting the workpiece temperature to a predetermined temperature. The inserted body temperature adjusting step is a step of adjusting the temperature of the inserted body inserted into the workpiece to a predetermined temperature. The insert insertion step is a step of inserting the insert into a workpiece that is a cylindrical body. In the transfer step, a mold member having an uneven shape on the surface (hereinafter also simply referred to as “mold member”) is adjusted to a predetermined temperature, and the mold member is supported by inserting an insert. And pressing the surface of the mold member to transfer the uneven shape of the mold member to the surface of the workpiece. The insertion body detachment process is a process in which the insertion body is removed from the workpiece and removed. The insert cooling process is a process of lowering the temperature of the insert to a predetermined temperature. The workpiece discharging step is a step of discharging the workpiece processed in the step shown in FIG. 1 toward a subsequent step (not shown).

(1) A process of feeding a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member (work feeding process)
The workpiece input in the workpiece input step shown in FIG. 1 is formed as a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member in the previous step as described above. Forms can be applied. In general, a metal material such as aluminum is often used for the cylindrical substrate, and it is also known to use a material such as a resin material or glass imparted with conductivity. Furthermore, as the layer formed on the cylindrical substrate, an oxide film layer, an undercoat layer, a charge generation layer, a charge transport layer, a surface protective layer, and the like are widely known. Any of the layers formed above can be used as a work.

(2) Cleaning the surface of the surface layer of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member (work cleaning process)
The workpiece cleaning process is to clean the surface of the workpiece when supplying the workpiece to a subsequent process. The object to be cleaned here is a substance that does not contribute to the electrophotographic function (hereinafter also simply referred to as “adhesive substance”) that adheres mainly to the surface of the workpiece, and removes the adhered substance from the workpiece surface. The purpose is to do. The adhering substance is generally a solid such as fine fibers or powder, or a liquid such as oil. In the state where these adhered substances are adhered to the surface of the workpiece, adverse effects such as contamination occur in each subsequent process. For example, in the work temperature adjustment process, when a heat exchange method is used in which a heat medium is brought into contact with the work as a method of raising the temperature, the attached substance moves or transfers to the heat medium, so that the work to be processed next is processed. May move or transfer. In the transfer step described above, the adhered substance on the workpiece surface may move or transfer to the workpiece to be processed next by moving or transferring to the mold member. If the adhered substance has a certain degree of hardness, the shape of the adhered substance may be transferred and formed on the workpiece surface.

  Next, a workpiece cleaning method in the workpiece cleaning process will be described. For example, there are a method for removing the adhered substance from the work surface by air blow, a method for moving the adhered substance from the work surface to the roll member by causing the adhesive roll member to rotate synchronously with the work and contact each other. It is valid. In addition, a method of scraping the adhering substance using a brush or cloth instead of the roll member is also effective. In addition, the work is rotated while the cloth is in contact with the work surface, the static elimination air is blown onto the surface of the cloth opposite to the surface in contact with the work, and the cloth is pressed against the work with the wind pressure of the static elimination air. Thus, a method of moving the adhered substance from the work surface to the cloth is also effective. This method of using static elimination air has an effect of preventing the adhering substance from becoming difficult to separate from the work surface due to static electricity generated by friction between the cloth and the work surface.

(3) Step of adjusting the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member to a predetermined temperature (work temperature adjustment step)
The workpiece temperature adjusting step is a step of adjusting the workpiece temperature (hereinafter also simply referred to as “transfer workpiece temperature”) immediately before the mold member is pressed against the workpiece surface in the transfer step to a predetermined temperature.
Next, a method for adjusting the workpiece temperature in the workpiece temperature adjustment step will be described. As a method for adjusting the temperature of the workpiece, a method of exchanging heat by bringing a heat medium into contact with or close to the workpiece, a method of blowing a temperature-controlled wind, and the like are effective. In the case of adjusting the temperature in the direction in which the temperature of the workpiece is increased, if the cylindrical substrate is made of metal, a method in which induction heating is performed by installing a coil to which an induction current is applied in the vicinity of the workpiece is also effective.

(4) Step of adjusting the insert to a predetermined temperature (insert body temperature adjustment step)
An insert is a member that supports a workpiece by inserting it into the workpiece when the mold member is pressed against the workpiece surface in the transfer step. The material is not particularly limited, but is preferably a member having a relatively high strength for the purpose of avoiding deformation, for example, a metal using iron or stainless steel, or containing tungsten carbide or cobalt. It is preferable to use a cemented carbide or the like. Furthermore, it is also preferable to form a composite of a plurality of members.
When the insert is inserted into a workpiece, the insert needs to be adjusted to an appropriate temperature for the purpose of setting the workpiece temperature to the transfer workpiece temperature in the transfer step as described above. If the workpiece temperature to be adjusted in the workpiece temperature adjustment process is set in advance in consideration of the change in the ambient temperature until the transfer process with respect to the transfer workpiece temperature, the set temperature in the insertion body temperature adjustment process It is preferable to set a temperature close to the workpiece temperature in the workpiece temperature adjusting step. And each temperature setting in such a workpiece | work temperature adjustment process or an insertion body temperature adjustment process should be suitably set according to the temperature influence which arises with the mechanism and form which handle a workpiece | work or an insertion body.

  Then, the temperature control method of an insert body in an insert body temperature control process is described. As a method for controlling the temperature of the inserted body, a method of exchanging heat by bringing the heat medium into contact with or close to the inserted body, a method of blowing a temperature-controlled wind, and the like are effective. In addition, in the case of adjusting the temperature in the direction of increasing the temperature of the insert, if the insert is a metal, a method of inductively heating by installing a coil to which an induction current is applied in the vicinity of the insert is also effective.

(5) Step of inserting the insert into the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member (insert insert step)
An insertion body insertion process is a process of inserting an insertion body into the workpiece | work which is a cylindrical body. When inserting, the workpiece may be fixed with a fixing member, and the insert may be moved in the cylindrical axis direction of the workpiece, or the insert may be fixed, and the workpiece may be fixed in the cylindrical axis direction of the insert. It may be moved and inserted. Furthermore, both may be moved relative to each other. However, the insert is preferably configured as a high-strength member as described above, and for that purpose, the insert is often set as thick as possible within the range that can be inserted into the workpiece. In this case, the gap distance between the inner diameter portion of the workpiece is shortened, so that scratches due to rubbing between the insert and the inner diameter portion of the workpiece and generation of dust such as facets are likely to occur. And dust generation such as a facet brings about the same harmful effect as the adhering substance. In order to avoid such a situation, it is effective to increase the accuracy of the insertion mechanism or mount a trajectory correction mechanism that detects and corrects the misalignment direction of the workpiece and the insert.

(6) Step of transferring the surface shape of the surface of the mold member to the surface of the surface layer of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member (transfer step)
In the transfer process, with the temperature of the mold member adjusted to a predetermined temperature, the mold member is pressed against the surface of the workpiece supported by the insertion body, and the uneven shape of the mold member is transferred to the surface of the workpiece. It is a process to do.
Here, when the workpiece and the mold member are pressed against each other in the transfer step, an example of a preferable configuration of the insertion body and the method of applying the pressing force will be described and its operation will be described.

(6-1) Insert In FIG. 2, the insert 4 is a member (tool) that is used by being inserted into the cylindrical base 2 of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member (work) 1. The insert 4 is positioned on the outer side in the radial direction of the shaft 7 and has an outer peripheral surface that comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical base 2 when the insert 4 is inserted into the cylindrical base 2. It has the contact part 6, and the connection part 8 which connects the axial part 7 and the contact part 6. FIG. The abutting portion 6 has an inner peripheral surface facing the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 7 with a gap 10 at both ends in the axial direction. Further, the connecting portion 8 is located at the approximate center in the axial direction of the contact portion 6 and the shaft portion 7. Further, the shaft portion 7 has outer peripheral surfaces opposed to the inner peripheral surface of the contact portion 6 through the gap 10 at both axial ends.

(6-2) Mold Member The mold member 5 is disposed such that the surface (uneven surface) faces the surface (work surface) of the workpiece 1. The mold member 5 is preferably a strong member that has a sufficient thickness and is difficult to deform. Alternatively, if the mold member 5 is a sheet-like member that is relatively easily deformed, the back surface of the mold member 5 (the surface that is not the uneven surface) is supported by a flat support member (not shown). Also good. The flat support member is preferably a strong member that is difficult to deform, such as metal. Further, the mold member 5 may be heated with a heater.
In the transfer step, the outer peripheral surface of the abutting portion 6 and the cylindrical base body 2 are placed on at least one of the axial end portions of the shaft portion 7 and the mold member 5 so that the shaft portion 7 and the mold member 5 approach each other. A force (pressure) is pressed against the inner peripheral surface. This force presses the surface (surface to be processed) of the surface layer 3 of the workpiece 1 and the surface of the mold member 5 (surfaces with concaves and convexes) against each other (pressure contact) to form the surface shape of the mold member 5 (concave and convex shapes). Is a force intended to transfer to the surface (surface to be processed) of the surface layer 3 of the workpiece 1. Therefore, for example, this force may be applied to both axial ends of the shaft portion 7 in a state where the mold member 5 is supported and fixed on the flat support member. Conversely, this force may be applied to the mold member (via the support member) while the shaft portion 7 is fixed and the mold member 5 is supported on the support member. Further, a force may be applied to both the shaft portion 7 and the mold member 5. Whether the force is applied to both ends of the shaft portion 7 in the axial direction or the mold member 5 does not affect the effect of the present invention. A case where force is applied to both axial ends of the shaft portion 7 while the member 5 is fixed will be described as an example.

(6-3) Abutting portion The abutting portion 6 includes a shaft from the position corresponding to the end of the connecting portion 8 in the axial direction to the end of the abutting portion 6 as described above. There is a portion that does not contact the shaft portion 7 even when a force is applied to both ends in the direction. This part is a part of the contact part 6 and is a part whose position is specified by the position and length of the connecting part 8. Hereinafter, the portion from the position corresponding to the end portion of the connecting portion 8 in the axial direction of the contact portion 6 to the end portion of the contact portion 6 is also referred to as a portion 9 for convenience of explanation.
First, in the insert 4, the shaft portion 7 to which the force is applied to both ends in the axial direction transmits the force to the connecting portion 8. Next, the force transmitted to the connecting portion 8 is distributed and transmitted to the portion 9 of the contact portion 6. Thereby, the force applied to both axial ends of the shaft portion 7 is uniformly transmitted to the entire contact portion 6. Further, when a force is applied to both axial ends of the shaft portion 7, the portion 9 does not come into contact with the shaft portion 7. Therefore, while the force is applied to both axial ends of the shaft portion 7, the portion 9 and the shaft A gap 10 is maintained between the portion 7. Here, the outer diameter of the shaft portion 7 is such that the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 7 does not contact the inner peripheral surface of the portion 9 of the contact portion 6 when a force is applied to both axial end portions of the shaft portion 7. Is set as follows.

  When machining a large number of workpieces continuously, the following two points are required to prevent the variation in the thickness of the cylindrical base of each workpiece from affecting the machining results. The first requirement is that the insert transmits pressure applied to the workpiece while absorbing variations in the thickness of individual cylindrical substrates, and the insert needs to have a certain degree of flexibility. . The second requirement is to keep the applied pressure uniform in the axial direction of the workpiece.

  First, the first requirement will be described. In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, since the gap 10 is provided in the insert 4, the shaft portion 7 can be bent elastically. When the shaft portion 7 is elastically bent, the insert 4 can apply pressure to the workpiece 1 in a state where variation in the thickness of the cylindrical base 2 of each workpiece 1 is allowed. For example, when machining a large number of workpieces, when machining a workpiece having a cylindrical substrate thickness greater than a predetermined thickness, the shaft portion 7 bends accordingly, thereby increasing the pressure. Suppress it.

  Next, the second requirement will be described. In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, the insert 4 has a gap 10 between the abutting portion 6 and the shaft portion 7, so that the force applied to both axial ends of the shaft portion 7 is applied to the abutting portion 6. It is not the end of the contact part 6 but the position of the connecting part 8 that is transmitted to. More specifically, the position of the connecting portion 8 is closest to the end of the contact portion 6 in the axial direction. And the part 9 exists from the position corresponding to the edge part of the application | coating area | region of the surface layer 3 in the axial direction of the workpiece | work 1 from the position where this force is transmitted. Since the portion 9 does not directly receive the transmission of force from the shaft portion 7 by the gap 10, it is transmitted to the above position (the position of the connecting portion 8 closest to the end portion of the contact portion 6 in the axial direction). The force from the shaft portion 7 can be effectively dispersed. Thereby, the contact part 6 can relieve | moderate the concentration to the specific site | part of the pressure applied to the workpiece | work 1. FIG.

  Further, the gap 10 is intended to enable elastic bending of the shaft portion 7, and therefore does not necessarily have to be a space. For example, even if a member such as resin, rubber, or sponge, whose elastic coefficient or hardness is sufficiently smaller than the material of the shaft portion 7 and the contact portion 6 is disposed in the gap 10, the shaft portion 7 can be elastically bent. If it exists, the effect of this invention can be acquired. Arranging a member having a sufficiently smaller elastic coefficient and hardness than the material of the shaft portion 7 and the contact portion 6 in the gap 10 can be expected to have an effect of suppressing the entry of unnecessary dust and the like. Furthermore, for the purpose of enabling elastic bending of the shaft portion 7, the axial distance and the radial dimension of the gap 10 are appropriately set within a range in which the effect can be maintained due to the strength of the force. .

(6-4) Support of mold member Next, support of the mold member will be described. The form of the mold member may be a planar shape or a roll shape.
An example of a preferable configuration for supporting when a planar mold member is used in the transfer step will be given and its operation will be described. In FIG. 3, a base member 15 is provided, and an elastic member 14 is disposed thereon. The support member 13 is disposed on the elastic member 14, and the mold member 5 is disposed thereon. The purpose of disposing the elastic member 14 is to more uniformly disperse the pressing force in the longitudinal direction of the work 1 from the central portion to the end portion. As a material of the elastic member 14, a metal, rubber, sponge, or the like having low hardness is preferable. The purpose of disposing the support member 13 is to dispose only the mold member 5 and the elastic member 14, and the pressure due to pressing is concentrated on the line where the surface of the workpiece 1 and the mold member 5 come into contact with each other. The elastic member 14 is prevented from being greatly deformed. The material of the support member 13 is preferably a relatively hard member such as a metal or a high-strength resin material.
Then, in a state where the mold member 5 is supported and the work 1 and the mold member 5 that are rotatably supported are pressed against each other, at least one of the base member 15 and the work 1 is set in a direction perpendicular to the cylindrical axis of the work 1. Move. In this way, the concavo-convex shape on the surface of the mold member 5 can be transferred over the entire surface of the workpiece 1.

(6-5) Temperature Adjustment As a method for adjusting the temperature of the mold member, a method of embedding a rod-shaped or planar heater or a temperature control fluid circulation system in the base member 15 shown in FIG. it can.
Here, points necessary for the temperature of the workpiece and the mold member will be described. An important temperature when the uneven shape of the mold member is pressed against the workpiece and transferred is the temperature of the layer that causes deformation in accordance with the uneven shape of the mold member among the layers formed on the surface of the workpiece. The layer is not particularly limited as long as it satisfies the electrophotographic function, but for convenience of explanation, it is referred to as a deformation layer here. In addition, the temperature of the deformation layer at the time when the uneven shape of the mold member is pressed against the surface of the workpiece is referred to as a deformation reaching temperature. And it is preferable to process so that the deformation | transformation ultimate temperature of this deformation layer may become more than the glass transition point of a deformation layer, and less than melting | fusing point. If the temperature at which the deformed layer reaches the deformation temperature is higher than the glass transition point of the deformed layer in the transfer process, the pressing pressure can be relieved, and unnecessary stress is applied to each layer formed on the workpiece and its joint surface. Can be relaxed. When stress is generated on each layer and each joint surface, peeling between layers or potential influence on charging may be caused. Furthermore, if the deformation attainment temperature of the deformable layer is lower than the melting point of the deformable layer, it is possible to prevent the uneven shape transferred and formed on the deformable layer from disappearing when the mold member is detached from the workpiece surface. Furthermore, the temperature of the deformed layer needs to drop below the glass transition point after the transfer process is completed. The reason is that when the temperature of the deformable layer is at or above the glass transition point, the shape maintainability of the deformable layer is low and may gradually return to the state before forming the irregular shape.

For these reasons, the workpiece transfer temperature is lower than the glass transition point of the deformation layer, and the temperature of the mold member is temporarily above the glass transition point of the deformation layer and below the melting point at the time of transfer. It is necessary to adjust the temperature to a temperature sufficient to raise the temperature.
Note that the workpiece temperature adjusted in the workpiece temperature adjustment step as described above is adjusted so that the transfer workpiece temperature immediately before the mold member is pressed against the workpiece surface in the transfer step as described above becomes a predetermined temperature. Should. Therefore, if the atmospheric temperature in the process is lower than the predetermined transfer work temperature, the temperature adjusted in the work temperature adjustment process should be set in advance by adding the temperature lost during movement of the work between processes. is there. Also, the workpiece temperature and the temperature of the insert may cause heat transfer from the mold member due to the contact between the mold member and the workpiece at the time of transfer, and may be slightly higher than before the transfer. In this case, the transfer work temperature of the work is considered in consideration of the heat transfer so that the deformed layer temperature after the transfer is not lower than the glass transition point as described above, so as not to cause a low shape maintainability state. Therefore, it is necessary to set it low.

(7) Step of removing the insert (insert removal step)
The insertion body detachment process is a process of detaching the insertion body from the workpiece, that is, extracting the insertion body. At the time of detachment, the workpiece may be fixed with a fixing member and the insert may be moved in the direction of the cylindrical axis of the workpiece, or the insert may be fixed and the workpiece may be fixed in the direction of the cylindrical axis of the insert. It may be moved away. Furthermore, both may be moved relative to each other. However, the insert is preferably configured as a high-strength member as described above, and for that purpose, the insert is often set as thick as possible within the range that can be inserted into the workpiece. In this case, the gap distance between the inner diameter portion of the workpiece is shortened, so that scratches due to rubbing between the insert and the inner diameter portion of the workpiece and generation of dust such as facets are likely to occur. And dust generation such as a facet brings about the same harmful effect as the adhering substance. In order to avoid such a situation, it is effective to increase the accuracy of the insertion mechanism or mount a trajectory correction mechanism that detects and corrects the misalignment direction of the workpiece and the insert.
The workpiece is discharged from the workpiece discharge step shown in FIG. 1 after being separated from the insert in the insert removal step. On the other hand, the insert moves to the insert cooling process shown in FIG.

(8) Step of lowering the temperature of the insert to a predetermined temperature (insert cooling step)
In the insert cooling process, as described above, the temperature of the work and the insert rises due to heat transfer from the mold member during transfer, and the temperature rise of the insert is cooled. As a method for cooling the insert, a method of exchanging heat by bringing a cooling medium into contact with or close to the insert and a method of blowing a temperature-controlled wind are effective. The inserted body cooled in the inserted body cooling process moves to the inserted body temperature adjusting process shown in FIG.

(9) A step of discharging the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member having an uneven surface formed thereon (work discharge step)
The work discharging process is a process of discharging the work detached from the insert in the insert removing process as described above to a subsequent process.
(10) Atmospheric Environment Next, the atmospheric environment of each process shown in FIG. 1 described so far will be described. If airborne particles such as fine fibers or powder exist in the atmosphere, especially in the transfer process, if the airborne particles have a certain degree of hardness, the shape of the airborne particles is transferred and formed on the workpiece surface. May end up. For these reasons, it is preferable that the steps of the method for forming the uneven shape be performed in an atmospheric environment in which the concentration of suspended particles is limited. In order to maintain an environment where the concentration of suspended particles is limited, a method can be used in which the entire process is boothed and air is introduced through a filter having a dust removing function such as a HEPA filter.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific examples. In the examples, “part” means “part by mass”.
(Manufacture of cylindrical electrophotographic photoreceptor)
A cylinder made of an aluminum alloy (A3003) having an outer diameter of 30 mm, a length of 357.5 mm, and a thickness of 0.7 mm was used as a cylindrical substrate.
Next, the materials shown in Table 1 were placed in a ball mill and dispersed for 20 hours to prepare a coating solution for a conductive layer.

The conductive layer coating solution was dip-coated on a cylindrical substrate, and the resulting coating film was thermally cured at a temperature of 140 ° C. for 1 hour to form a conductive layer having a thickness of 15 μm.
Next, 10 parts of copolymer nylon (trade name: Amilan CM8000, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) and 30 parts of methoxymethylated 6 nylon (trade name: Toresin EF-30T, manufactured by Teikoku Chemical Co., Ltd.) are mixed with methanol. A coating solution for an undercoat layer (intermediate layer) was prepared by dissolving in 400 parts of a mixed solvent of 200 parts and n-butanol. The undercoat layer coating solution was dip-coated on the conductive layer, and the resulting coating film was dried at a temperature of 100 ° C. for 30 minutes to form an undercoat layer (intermediate layer) having a thickness of 0.45 μm. .

  Next, 20 parts of a crystalline hydroxygallium phthalocyanine crystal (charge generation material) having strong peaks at 7.3 ° and 28.1 ° of black angle 2θ ± 0.2 ° of CuKα characteristic X-ray diffraction, the following structural formula A sand mill using glass beads having a diameter of 1 mm, 0.2 part of the calixarene compound represented by (1), 10 parts of polyvinyl butyral (trade name: ESREC BX-1, manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.) and 600 parts of cyclohexanone. The dispersion was treated for 4 hours and then 700 parts of ethyl acetate was added thereto to prepare a coating solution for charge generation layer.

This charge generation layer coating solution was dip-coated on the undercoat layer, and the resulting coating film was dried at a temperature of 80 ° C. for 15 minutes to form a charge generation layer having a thickness of 0.17 μm.
Next, 70 parts of a compound represented by the following structural formula (2) (charge transporting substance (hole transporting compound)) and 100 parts of a polycarbonate resin (trade name: Iupilon Z400, manufactured by Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics Co., Ltd.) Was dissolved in a mixed solvent of 600 parts of monochlorobenzene and 200 parts of methylal to prepare a coating solution for charge transport layer.

  This charge transport layer coating solution was dip-coated on the charge generation layer, and the resulting coating film was dried at a temperature of 100 ° C. for 30 minutes to form a charge transport layer having a thickness of 15 μm. In this dip coating, the uncoated width at the upper end of the coating on the cylindrical substrate was 1.5 mm. Further, after the dip coating, the lower end of the coating was peeled off from the end of the cylindrical substrate with a width of 1.5 mm with a fluoro rubber blade before the coating film was dried.

Next, 0.5 part of fluorine atom-containing resin (trade name: GF-300, manufactured by Toagosei Co., Ltd.) as a dispersant for the lubricant is added to 1,1,2,2,3,3,4- After being dissolved in a mixed solvent of 30 parts of heptafluorocyclopentane (trade name: Zeolora H, manufactured by Nippon Zeon Co., Ltd.) and 30 parts of 1-propanol, polytetrafluoroethylene particles (trade name) as a lubricant are added thereto. : Lubron L-2, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) 10 parts, these were put into a high-pressure disperser (trade name: Microfluidizer M-110EH, manufactured by Microfluidics, USA), and 4 at a pressure of 600 kgf / cm ^2. The dispersion process was performed once. This was filtered through a polyflon filter (trade name: PF-040, manufactured by Advantech Toyo Co., Ltd.) to obtain a lubricant dispersion. Thereafter, 90 parts of a compound represented by the following structural formula (3) (hole transporting compound) and 60 parts of 1,1,2,2,3,3,4-heptafluorocyclopentane are obtained in the obtained lubricant dispersion. Then, 60 parts of 1-propanol was added, and this was filtered with a polyflon filter (trade name: PF-020, manufactured by Advantech Toyo Co., Ltd.) to prepare a coating solution for a protective layer.

This protective layer coating solution was dip coated on the charge transport layer. In this dip coating, the uncoated width at the upper end of the coating on the cylindrical substrate was 1.5 mm. Further, after the dip coating, the lower end of the coating was peeled off from the end of the cylindrical substrate with a width of 1.5 mm with a fluoro rubber blade before the coating film was dried.
Thereafter, the obtained coating film was dried in the air at a temperature of 50 ° C. for 10 minutes. Thereafter, the coating film was irradiated with an electron beam for 1.6 seconds in nitrogen while rotating the cylindrical substrate at 200 rpm under the conditions of an acceleration voltage of 150 kV and a beam current of 3.0 mA. Subsequently, the coating film was cured in nitrogen while the temperature of the coating film was raised from 25 ° C. to 125 ° C. over 30 seconds. In addition, when the absorbed dose of the electron beam at this time was measured, it was 15 kGy. The oxygen concentration in the electron beam irradiation and heat curing reaction atmosphere was 15 ppm or less. Thereafter, in the air, it was naturally cooled until the temperature of the coating film reached 25 ° C. Thereafter, the protective film having a thickness of 5 μm was formed by heat-treating the coating film at a temperature of 100 ° C. for 30 minutes in the air.
In this way, a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member (cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member before an uneven shape was formed on the surface of the surface layer (protective layer)) having a protective layer as a surface layer was produced.
A total of 1000 cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive members, that is, workpieces were manufactured by the above method.

Example 1
The workpiece thus obtained was sequentially processed according to the steps shown in FIG. Hereinafter, processing in each step will be described.
<Washing process>
First, in the cleaning process, with the workpiece rotated, a Toray-made Toraysee was pressed against the surface of the workpiece to wipe off the adhered substances on the workpiece surface. When pressing, it was made to press by the wind pressure by spraying static elimination air in the direction of a workpiece | work using the ionized air blower made from 3M from the opposite side to the surface which touches the workpiece | work of Toraysee.

<Work temperature control process>
Next, in the workpiece temperature adjusting step, a coil to which an induction current is applied is installed in the vicinity of the workpiece while the workpiece is rotated, and induction heating is performed. The temperature of the workpiece was about 23 ° C. before the processing in the workpiece temperature adjustment step, and about 55 ° C. immediately after induction heating.

<Insertion body temperature adjustment process>
Next, a cemented carbide having a sectional shape as shown in FIG. 2 having an outer diameter of 38 mm was prepared as an insert. In the inserted body temperature adjusting step, a method of exchanging heat by bringing the heat medium into contact with the inserted body was used. A silicon rubber block was used as the heat medium, and the temperature of the silicon rubber block was maintained at about 90 ° C. by circulating hot water through the silicon rubber block. The silicon rubber block was brought into contact with the insert, and when the temperature of the insert reached approximately 57 ° C., the silicon rubber block was separated from the insert.

<Insert body insertion process>
Next, in the insert insertion process, the insert was fixed in the vertical direction in the cylindrical axis direction, and the workpiece was moved in the cylindrical axis direction toward the insert to insert the insert into the workpiece. At this time, in order to ensure the insertion accuracy for the purpose of avoiding rubbing of the insertion, a trajectory correction mechanism that detects and corrects the misalignment direction of the workpiece and the insert was used. This mechanism uses a laser displacement sensor to detect the amount of displacement in the horizontal position of the workpiece relative to the insert immediately before the insert is inserted into the workpiece, and the insert is moved by the same amount as this displacement. A mechanism that moves in the horizontal direction was used.

<Transfer process>
Next, the structure shown in FIG. 3 was used in the transfer process. The base member 15 is made of SUS304, and a heater for heating is installed inside the base member 15 so that the upper surface is substantially horizontal. On the base member 15, a silicon rubber plate having a thickness of 6 mm was placed as the elastic member 14. A plate made of SUS304 having a thickness of 1 mm was placed on the elastic member 14 as the support member 13. The mold member 5 uses a 300 μm-thick nickel mold having a cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C, and the diameter Y of the cylinder is 50 μm and the height Z Was 6 μm, and the pitch X was 50 μm. This mold member was fixed to the upper surface of the support member 13. In this state, the temperature of the heater was raised so that the surface of the mold member 5 became 150 ° C. In this way, the mold member 5 is supported, the insert 4 is rotatably supported, and the base member 15 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the cylindrical axis of the work 1 while the work 1 and the mold member 5 are pressed against each other. Thus, the uneven shape on the surface of the mold member 5 was transferred over the entire surface of the workpiece 1. At this time, the force for pressing the insert 4 toward the mold member 5 was maintained at 6 kN, and the speed for moving the base member 15 in the direction perpendicular to the cylindrical axis of the workpiece 1 was 10 mm / sec.

<Insert body removal process>
Next, in the insertion body detachment step, the insertion body was fixed in the vertical direction in the cylindrical axis direction, and the workpiece was moved away in the direction away from the insertion body and in the cylindrical axis direction.
In this way, an uneven shape was formed on the surface of the workpiece, that is, the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member.
In addition, the workpiece | work temperature 5 seconds after finishing the insertion body detachment | leave process was about 60 degreeC, and the temperature of the insertion body was about 64 degreeC.

<Insert body cooling process>
In the insert cooling process, a method of exchanging heat by bringing the cooling medium into contact with the insert was used. A silicon rubber block was used as the cooling medium, and the temperature of the silicon rubber block was maintained at about 13 ° C. by circulating water through the silicon rubber block. The silicone rubber lock was brought into contact with the insert, and when the temperature of the insert reached approximately 55 ° C., the silicone rubber block was separated from the insert. Thereafter, the insert was moved to the insert temperature control step.

Thereafter, a total of 1000 workpieces, that is, a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member, was formed with uneven shapes in the same manner.
Note that the time required for forming the uneven shape on the surface of 1000 cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive members using the process shown in FIG. 1 was 660 minutes. Further, the surface of the processed cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member was observed, and the number of cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive members having a portion to which a shape different from the surface shape of the mold member used for transfer was transferred was counted. Transfer traces other than the shape of the mold member were observed on the surface of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member.

(Example 2)
Among the steps shown in FIG. 1, the transfer step is surrounded by a booth. The booth was structured so that the side of the transfer process and the ceiling were surrounded by transparent vinyl chloride panels. In addition, a HEPA filter and a fan unit were installed in a portion of the booth ceiling surface located almost directly above the position where the mold member was installed, and the wind that passed through the HEPA filter was allowed to flow into the booth. And the clearance gap was provided in the floor vicinity of the lower part of the said panel of the booth side surface, and the inflowed wind was discharged | emitted out of the booth. Thus, when the atmosphere in a booth was measured with the particle counter (apparatus which measures a suspended particle density | concentration), the suspended particle density | concentration was 10,000 per cubic meter.

As described above, except that the transfer step was maintained in an environment where the suspended particle concentration was limited, the uneven shape was formed on the surface of 1000 cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive members in the same manner as in Example 1.
In Example 2, it took 660 minutes to apply the uneven shape to the surface of 1000 cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive members using the process shown in FIG. Further, the surface of the processed cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member was observed, and the number of cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive members having a portion to which a shape different from the surface shape of the mold member used for transfer was transferred was counted. Transfer traces other than the shape of the mold member were observed on the surface of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member.

(Example 3)
Of the steps shown in FIG. 1, all steps other than the workpiece input step and the workpiece discharge step are surrounded by the same booth as in the second embodiment. Except for this, an uneven shape was formed on the surface of 1000 cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive members in the same manner as in Example 2.
In Example 3, it took 660 minutes to apply the uneven shape to the surface of 1000 cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive members using the process shown in FIG. In addition, the surface of the processed cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member was observed, and when the number of cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive members having a portion transferred with a shape different from the surface shape of the mold member used for transfer was counted, No trace of transfer other than the shape of the mold member was observed on the surface of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member.

1 Cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member (work)
2 Cylindrical base body 3 Surface layer 4 Insert 5 Mold member 6 Abutting portion 7 Shaft portion 8 Connecting portion 9 The end of the abutting portion 6 from the position facing the end portion of the connecting portion 8 in the axial direction of the abutting portion 6 Part to part 10 Gap 11 Insert body in conventional method 12 Support member in conventional method 13 Support member 14 Elastic member 15 Base member

Claims (3)

A method of forming an uneven shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member having a cylindrical substrate and a surface layer,
The method is
(A) cleaning the surface of the surface layer of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member;
(B) adjusting the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member to a predetermined temperature;
(C) adjusting the insert inserted into the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member to a predetermined temperature;
(D) inserting the insert into the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member;
(E) In a state where a mold member having a surface shape corresponding to the uneven shape is maintained at a predetermined temperature, the mold member is brought into contact with the surface of the surface layer of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member, and the surface of the mold member is Transferring the surface shape to the surface of the surface layer of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member;
(F) extracting the insert from the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member;
(G) A method for forming an uneven shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member, comprising at least a step of lowering the temperature of the inserted body extracted from the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member to a predetermined temperature.   2. The method for forming an uneven shape on the surface of a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 1, wherein at least the step (E) is performed in an atmosphere environment in which the suspended particle concentration is limited. A method for producing a cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member having an uneven surface formed thereon, wherein the surface of the cylindrical electrophotographic photosensitive member is formed with an uneven shape by the method according to claim 1.

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