JP2014119508A - Image forming apparatus and process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge capable of forming a lubricant coating comprising boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt in a favorable state on an image carrier over a long period, and maintaining good lubricity of the surface of the image carrier over a long period.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus includes a photoreceptor 1, an agent supply device 10 that supplies lubricant to the surface of the photoreceptor 1, and a cleaning blade 6 that rubs the lubricant supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor 1 to form a lubricant coating on the surface of the photoreceptor 1. The lubricant contains at least boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt; and the cleaning blade 6 is formed of an elastic blade 62 that contains at least a UV curable resin in a part including a leading end ridge line part, and a surface layer 63 that covers the surface of the elastic blade 62 including the leading end ridge line part and is harder than the elastic blade 62.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic printer, a facsimile, a copying machine, or a combination of these, and a process cartridge that is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus.

  Conventionally, this type of image forming apparatus is provided with a cleaning device that removes transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier after the toner image is transferred to an image carrier such as a photosensitive member or an intermediate transfer member. ing. As a cleaning member of this cleaning device, one having a strip-shaped cleaning blade is well known because it can generally be simplified in configuration and has excellent cleaning performance.

In addition, as described in Patent Document 1, this type of image forming apparatus includes an agent supply device that supplies a lubricant made of a fatty acid metal salt such as zinc stearate to the surface of the image carrier. It has been. Also, as described in Patent Document 2, there is known a device provided with an agent supply device for supplying a lubricant composed of boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt to the surface of an image carrier. The lubricant supplied onto these image carriers is in powder form and does not exhibit lubricity as it is. Therefore, a powdery lubricant is rubbed against the surface of the image carrier with a cleaning blade to form a lubricant film on the surface of the image carrier. Thus, by forming a lubricant film on the surface of the image carrier, the friction coefficient on the surface of the image carrier can be lowered, and the frictional force acting on the cleaning blade and the surface of the image carrier can be reduced. As a result, the wear of the image carrier can be suppressed and the life of the image carrier can be extended.

  However, as described in Patent Document 2, the lubricant composed only of the fatty acid metal salt changes its characteristics under the influence of the discharge performed in the vicinity of the image carrier, and loses lubricity relatively early. It is said that it is easy. For example, when the image carrier is composed of a photoconductor, a discharge is generated between the charging device and the photoconductor to charge the photoconductor to a predetermined polarity. This discharge is applied to the surface of the photoconductor. The lubricant will deteriorate. Even when the image carrier is composed of an intermediate transfer member, a discharge is generated between the intermediate transfer member and the transfer device, and the toner image on the intermediate transfer member is transferred to the paper. The lubricity of the lubricant applied to the surface of the transfer member is lost. On the other hand, a lubricant composed of boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt is considered to be difficult to deteriorate early due to discharge, and is supposed to prevent the image carrier from being oxidized and evaporated by discharge.

However, even when boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt are used as lubricants, it has been clarified that, over a long period of use, the lubricity of the image carrier is lost and deposits are easily attached to the image carrier. . As a result of extensive studies by the present inventors, it has been found that there is a problem in the behavior of the cleaning blade. That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the cleaning blade 162 made of polyurethane or the like comes into contact with the image carrier 100, it is pulled in the moving direction of the image carrier 100, and the leading edge portion 162c is turned up. . If the lubricant continues to be rubbed against the image carrier 100 in this state, as shown in FIG. 5B, the lubricant is locally located at a location several [μm] away from the tip ridge line portion 162c of the blade tip surface 162a of the cleaning blade 162. Wear occurs. When the cleaning is further continued, this local wear increases, and eventually the leading edge line 162c is lost as shown in FIG. 5C. If the leading edge ridgeline 162c is missing, the powdery lubricant cannot be rubbed against the image carrier 100, the lubricity on the image carrier 100 is lost, and foreign matter is left on the image carrier 100. The problem of being easy to attach arises.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. The purpose is to form a lubricant film composed of boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt in a good state over a long period of time on the image carrier, and to maintain the lubricity of the image carrier surface well over a long period of time. An image forming apparatus and a process cartridge are provided.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of claim 1 rubs the image carrier, an agent supply means for supplying a lubricant to the surface of the image carrier, and the lubricant supplied to the surface of the image carrier. In the image forming apparatus comprising a blade member that forms a lubricant film on the surface of the image carrier, the lubricant contains at least boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt, and the blade member includes a tip ridge line portion. It is characterized by comprising an elastic blade containing at least an ultraviolet curable resin in a portion, and a surface layer that covers the surface of the elastic blade including the tip ridge line portion and is harder than the elastic blade.

  In the present invention, the blade member is composed of an elastic blade containing an ultraviolet curable resin and a surface layer harder than the elastic blade. Therefore, as shown in the experimental results to be described later, the wear resistance of the blade member is improved compared to a blade member consisting only of an elastic blade or a blade member in which the elastic blade does not contain an ultraviolet effect resin even if there is a surface layer. Can be made. Therefore, the blade member can form a lubricant film composed of boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt in a good condition over a long period of time on the image carrier, and maintain the lubricity of the image carrier surface well over a long period of time. There is an excellent effect of being able to.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a main configuration of a printer according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating a configuration of a photoconductor and a charging roller of the printer. (A) is a schematic diagram of a state in which the cleaning blade of the printer is in contact with the surface of the photoreceptor, and (b) is an enlarged schematic diagram of the vicinity of the tip of the cleaning blade. The perspective view of a cleaning blade. (A) Schematic diagram showing a state in which the leading edge of the cleaning blade is turned up, (b) is a schematic diagram for explaining local wear on the tip surface of the cleaning blade, and (c) is a loss of the leading edge of the cleaning blade. The schematic diagram which shows a state.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electrophotographic printer (hereinafter simply referred to as a printer) as an image forming apparatus will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a main configuration of a printer according to the present embodiment. The printer shown here has a photosensitive member 1 as a drum-shaped image carrier disposed in a printer main body (not shown), and this photosensitive member 1 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A in the figure during an image forming operation. The At this time, the photosensitive member 1 is charged to a predetermined polarity by the charging roller 2, and the charged surface is irradiated with the light-modulated laser light L emitted from the exposure device 3, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photosensitive member 1. The When the electrostatic latent image passes through the developing device 4, it is visualized as a toner image with powdered toner.

  On the other hand, a paper P as a transfer medium is fed in the direction of arrow B from a paper feeding device (not shown), and the paper P is transferred between the photoconductor 1 and a transfer roller 5 as a transfer means arranged to face the photoconductor 1. Sent in between. At this time, the toner image on the photoreceptor 1 is transferred onto the paper P by the action of the transfer roller 5. The transfer residual toner remaining on the photoreceptor 1 after the toner image transfer is removed by the cleaning device 7. The cleaning device 7 shown here has a cleaning blade 6 that is a blade member pressed against the photoreceptor 1, and the transfer residual toner on the photoreceptor 1 is scraped off by the cleaning blade 6. Next, the surface of the photosensitive member 1 is irradiated with light from the charge eliminating lamp 8 to initialize the surface potential of the photosensitive member 1.

  The paper P that has left the photoconductor 1 passes through a fixing device (not shown), and at this time, the toner image is fixed on the paper P by the action of heat and pressure. The paper P that has passed through the fixing device is discharged onto a paper discharge tray (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 2, a spacer 9 made of a tape is attached to each end of the charging roller 2 in the longitudinal direction. The spacer 9 is pressed against the photosensitive member 1, and the charging roller 2 and the photosensitive member 1 are in contact with each other. A minute gap G is formed between them. A charging voltage is applied to the charging roller 2 to generate a discharge between the charging roller 2 and the photoconductor 1, whereby the photoconductor 1 is charged to a predetermined polarity. Similarly, a transfer voltage having a polarity opposite to the toner charging polarity of the toner image on the photosensitive member 1 is also applied to the transfer roller 5, thereby generating a discharge between the transfer roller 5 and the photosensitive member 1. The toner image on the body 1 is transferred onto the paper P.

  The printer shown in FIG. 1 has an agent supply device 10 for supplying a lubricant to the surface of the photosensitive member 1 in addition to the photosensitive member 1 on which a toner image is formed as described above. The agent supply device 10 shown here includes a lubricant block 11 formed in a bar shape, a brush roller 12 that is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow C while sliding on the surface of the lubricant block 11 and the photoreceptor 1, and have. As the brush roller 12 rotates, the lubricant in the lubricant block 11 is scraped off little by little, and the powdery lubricant adhering to the brush of the brush roller 12 is supplied to the surface of the rotating photoreceptor 1. By forming the lubricant block 11 into a roller shape and rotationally driving it, the lubricant block 11 and the brush roller 12 can be rubbed.

  The powdery lubricant on the photoreceptor 1 supplied as described above is rubbed against the surface of the photoreceptor 1 by the cleaning blade 6 to form a lubricant film on the surface of the photoreceptor 1. In the printer shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning blade 6 constitutes a film forming means for rubbing the supplied lubricant onto the surface of the photoreceptor 1 to form a lubricant film on the surface of the photoreceptor 1. Thus, by forming a lubricant film on the surface of the photoreceptor 1, the friction coefficient on the surface of the photoreceptor 1 can be lowered, and the frictional force acting on the cleaning blade 6 and the surface of the photoreceptor 1 can be reduced. As a result, the life of the photosensitive member 1 can be extended, and foreign matter can be made difficult to adhere to the photosensitive member 1.

  In the agent supply apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, the lubricant block 11 solidified in a bar shape is used. However, as will be described later, a lubricant in powder form can be used. In order to harden the lubricant into a bar shape, a powdery lubricant is put into a mold and pressure is applied in the mold to form a lubricant block. Alternatively, the powdered lubricant can be heated and melted, poured into a mold, and then cooled to form a lubricant block. In any case, as the lubricant, at least a lubricant composed of boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt is used.

  When boron nitride is used as the lubricant, the lubricant that is supplied onto the photoreceptor 1 and formed into a film is not deteriorated at an early stage by the discharge generated when the charging roller 2 and the transfer roller 5 are operated. Boron nitride does not easily change its characteristics due to electric discharge, and even when it is discharged, its lubricity is not lost compared to other lubricants. In addition, it is possible to prevent the photoconductor from being oxidized and evaporated by discharge.

  However, when a lubricant composed only of boron nitride is used, the lubricant supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor 1 does not reach the entire surface of the photoreceptor 1, and a uniform lubricant film is formed on the entire surface of the photoreceptor 1. There is a risk of disappearing. Therefore, as described above, the lubricant used in the agent supply apparatus 10 of this example contains a fatty acid metal salt in addition to boron nitride. As a result, a lubricant film can be efficiently formed over the entire surface of the photoreceptor 1, and high lubricity can be maintained over a long period of time. By using a lubricant containing a fatty acid metal salt, a film of the lubricant can be formed on the entire surface of the photoreceptor 1.

  By the way, the crystal structure of boron nitride includes a low-pressure phase similar to a hexagonal graphite type structure (h-BN), a cubic zinc blende type structure (c-BN), and a hexagonal wurtzite. A type (w-BN) can be mentioned. Among these boron nitrides, hexagonal low-pressure phase boron nitride crystals similar to the hexagonal graphite type structure have a layered structure. Such boron nitride in the hexagonal low-pressure phase is a substance having a cleavage property in a direction perpendicular to the layer, and therefore, the friction coefficient is maintained at about 0.2 or less up to nearly 400 ° C., and is excellent in lubricity. It can be said that it is a lubricant that is hardly affected by electric discharge. Therefore, it is particularly preferable to use hexagonal low-pressure phase boron nitride as boron nitride. By applying such a lubricant containing boron nitride to the surface of the photoreceptor 1 and forming it into a film, the lubricant deteriorates even when the film is affected by electric discharge when passing through the charging roller 2. This can be effectively suppressed and the lubricity can be maintained.

  Examples of the fatty acid metal salt include a fatty acid metal salt having a lamellar crystal structure such as fluororesin, zinc stearate, calcium stearate, barium stearate, aluminum stearate, magnesium stearate, lauroyl lysine, sodium zinc monocetyl phosphate Substances such as salt and lauroyl taurine calcium can be used. In addition to these fatty acid metal salts and boron nitride, liquid materials such as silicone oil, fluorine oil, and natural wax, and gaseous materials can be added as an external addition method.

  Of the fatty acid metal salts described above, it is particularly preferable to use zinc stearate. This is because zinc stearate has very good extensibility on the photoreceptor 1, low hygroscopicity, and has characteristics that the lubricity is not easily lost even when the humidity changes.

  The content of boron nitride in the lubricant can be appropriately set, but is preferably 10 to 80% by volume. When the content of boron nitride is less than this range, not only the effect of improving the lubricity by boron nitride can be expected, but also the deterioration effect of the lubricant due to discharge cannot be enhanced. On the other hand, if the boron nitride content is more than the above range, it is not preferable because the lubricant film formed on the surface of the photoreceptor cannot be formed efficiently.

  In order to harden the constituent material of the above-described lubricant into a bar shape as described above, a binder is added to the constituent material and molded as necessary.

  Further, in the agent supply apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, an agent application member composed of a brush roller 12 is used. However, a lubricant is applied to the surface of the photoreceptor 1 via an agent application member such as a sponge pad or an elastic roller. It can also be applied. Alternatively, the lubricant can be directly supplied to the surface of the photoconductor 1 by directly bringing the lubricant block or powdery lubricant into contact with the photoconductor 1.

  Further, the agent supply device 10 may be configured to always supply the lubricant to the surface of the photosensitive member 1 when the photosensitive member 1 is rotating, or to supply the lubricant intermittently. It may be configured. When the lubricant is intermittently supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor 1, the agent supply device 10 may be supported so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the surface of the photoreceptor 1 by, for example, a cam, a solenoid, or an actuator. Alternatively, when the lubricant is not supplied to the photoreceptor 1, the rotation of the agent application member including the brush roller 12 and the elastic roller 18 can be stopped. For example, the lubricant is supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor 1 every time the image forming operation is performed 50 to 200 times using the agent supply device 10.

  If the environmental temperature is low, the amount of lubricant supplied from the agent supply device 10 to the photoreceptor 1 increases, and as a result of excessive supply of lubricant, the lubricant adheres to the charging roller 2 and discharge occurs. May become unstable. Therefore, at a low temperature, it is possible to reduce the amount of lubricant supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor 1 by, for example, weakening the pressure contact force of the agent application member such as the brush roller 12 to the surface of the photoreceptor 1.

  Further, when the printer is operated after being stopped for a long time, the photosensitive member 1 is easily oxidized by discharge. Therefore, the agent supply device 10 may be configured to detect the stop time of the printer and increase the amount of lubricant supplied to the photoreceptor 1 when the time is long.

  Further, the agent supply device 10 detects the axial torque of the photosensitive member 1 to detect the amount of lubricant applied to the surface of the photosensitive member 1, and the amount of lubricant supplied to the surface of the photosensitive member 1 according to the amount. May be increased or decreased. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, when the spacer 9 is attached to the charging roller 2, a large amount of lubricant is also supplied to the contact portion between the spacer 9 and the photosensitive member 1, You may comprise so that the frictional force which acts on can be reduced.

  Next, the cleaning blade 6 of the cleaning device 7 will be described in detail. FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing a state where the cleaning blade is in contact with the surface of the photosensitive member, and FIG. 3B is an enlarged schematic diagram showing the vicinity of the tip of the cleaning blade. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cleaning blade.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cleaning blade 6 includes a strip-shaped holder 61 made of a rigid material such as metal or hard plastic, and a strip-shaped elastic blade 62. The elastic blade 62 is fixed to one end side of the holder 61 with an adhesive or the like, and the other end side of the holder 61 is cantilevered by the case of the cleaning device 7.

  As will be described later, the elastic blade 62 of the cleaning blade 6 is formed with a containing portion 62d containing an ultraviolet curable resin at the tip portion including the tip ridge line portion 62c as described later. Further, on the blade tip surface 62a and the blade lower surface 62b including the tip ridge line portion 62c of the elastic blade 62, a surface layer 63 harder than the elastic blade is provided in the blade longitudinal direction.

  The base material of the elastic blade 62 is preferably a rubber having a high rebound resilience so as to be able to follow the eccentricity of the photosensitive member 1 and minute undulations on the surface of the photosensitive member 1, and is a rubber containing a urethane group. Urethane rubber and the like are suitable.

  In particular, it is preferable to use urethane rubber having a hardness at 25 [° C.] of 66 to 88 degrees (JIS A) as the base material of the elastic blade 62. When the hardness of the urethane rubber exceeds 88 degrees, the flexibility becomes poor. For example, when the holder 61 is mounted with a slight inclination, the elastic blade 62 is likely to come into contact with different contact pressures at one end side and the other end side in the axial direction, and a uniform contact pressure in the axial direction is obtained. It becomes difficult to obtain. As a result, the cleaning performance of the cleaning blade 6 may be reduced. On the other hand, when the hardness of the urethane rubber is less than 66 degrees, when the contact pressure is set high, the elastic blade 62 is warped, the tip ridge line portion 62c is lifted, and the blade lower surface 62b is in contact with the photoreceptor 1. A so-called stomach contact phenomenon occurs. When the anti-hit phenomenon occurs, the contact area between the elastic blade 62 and the surface of the photosensitive member 1 increases abruptly. Therefore, even if the elastic blade 62 is pressed with a large force, the contact pressure is reduced and the cleaning performance is lowered. Resulting in. Further, urethane rubbers having different hardnesses may be used in two layers. The hardness of the elastic blade 62 changes due to the modification of the urethane rubber itself by the impregnation treatment described later, and is also affected by the formation of the surface layer 63, so that it is necessary to adjust each effect.

  As a method of containing the ultraviolet curable resin in the containing portion 62d (including the tip ridge line portion 62c) of the elastic blade 62, an impregnation treatment by brush coating, spray coating, dip coating or the like is suitable as described later. .

  As described above, in the elastic blade 62, by containing the ultraviolet curable resin in the containing portion 62d including the tip ridge line portion 62c, the hardness of the tip ridge line portion 62c is increased, and the tip ridge line portion 2c is moved in the moving direction of the photosensitive member 1. Suppresses deformation. Furthermore, even when the elastic blade 62 is exposed due to wear of the surface layer 63 over time, the deformation can be similarly suppressed by the impregnation action on the containing portion 62d.

  The reason why the reforming effect of increasing the hardness of the tip ridge line portion 62c by causing the elastic blade 62 to include the containing portion 62d containing the ultraviolet effect resin is considered as follows. By forming a network chain of ultraviolet curable resin inside the elastic rubber which is the base material of the elastic blade 62, the crosslink density of the elastic rubber itself increases in a pseudo manner, and there is a modification effect that improves the wear resistance. It is possible. In this case, the point is that the ultraviolet curable resin and the urethane rubber will hardly be bonded chemically. In general, when an attempt is made to reinforce urethane rubber by an impregnation operation, an isocyanate is often used as the impregnation material, but since the isocyanate chemically reacts with the urethane rubber, the crosslink density increases too much. As a result, since it is in a state closer to glass than rubber, the movement of the edge is suppressed too much, and conversely, wear resistance is deteriorated.

  As another modification effect, it is considered that the ultraviolet curable resin of the containing portion 62d of the elastic blade 62 exhibits a so-called "anchor effect" with respect to the ultraviolet curable resin of the surface layer 63 added to the surface. . This is considered to increase the adhesion between the elastic blade 62 and the surface layer 63 and raise the durability of the cleaning blade 6 itself.

  A surface layer 63 is formed on the elastic blade 62 of the cleaning blade 6 so as to cover the tip ridge line portion 62c. The surface layer 63 is obtained by impregnating the elastic blade 62 with an ultraviolet curable resin and air-drying for a predetermined time, and then coating the tip ridge portion 62c of the elastic blade 62 by spray coating, dip coating, screen printing, or the like. It is formed by doing.

  The material of the surface layer 63 is preferably a resin, and more preferably an ultraviolet curable resin. By using the ultraviolet curable resin, the surface layer 63 having a desired hardness can be easily obtained simply by irradiating the resin adhering to the tip of the elastic blade 62 with ultraviolet rays, and the cleaning blade 6 is manufactured at low cost. be able to.

  In particular, as the material of the surface layer 63, it is preferable to use an ultraviolet curable resin having a pencil hardness of 7H to 9H. By making the surface layer 63 a member having a hardness higher than that of the elastic blade 62, the surface layer 63 becomes rigid and hardly deformed, and the turning of the tip ridge line portion 62 c of the elastic blade 62 can be suppressed.

As the hardness here, Martens hardness measured using, for example, a microhardness meter HM-2000 manufactured by Fischer can be used. In the present embodiment, the elastic blade 62 is about 1 [N / mm ² ], but when a material having a pencil hardness of 7 to 9H used for the surface layer 63 is cured on a glass substrate and measured, it is 100 to 300. It was [N / mm ² ], and the hardness was 100 times or more.

  Here, the cleaning blade 6 according to the present embodiment was prepared as follows. For example, the elastic blade 62 made of urethane rubber is impregnated with an ultraviolet curable resin by dip coating, and further, an ultraviolet curable resin to be the surface layer 63 is spray coated, and then the resin is cured by ultraviolet irradiation.

  As a timing of irradiating the ultraviolet ray to cure the impregnated ultraviolet curable resin, the ultraviolet ray may be irradiated after the elastic blade 62 is impregnated with the ultraviolet curable resin and before the surface layer 63 is coated. After impregnating the urethane rubber as a base material of the elastic blade 62 with the ultraviolet curable resin and before irradiating the ultraviolet ray before forming the surface layer 63, the impregnated state of the ultraviolet curable resin is fixed to the urethane rubber. Thereafter, even if an ultraviolet curable resin for forming the surface layer 63 is applied and irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the impregnation state of the elastic blade 62 does not change, so that the elastic blade 62 in a desired impregnation state can be created.

  In the cleaning blade 6 according to the present embodiment, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 3B, the content of the ultraviolet curable resin decreases with respect to the urethane rubber toward the inside of the elastic blade 62 in the containing portion 62d. Specifically, by performing the impregnation operation for a short time or under conditions that are difficult to impregnate, the amount of the ultraviolet curable resin to be impregnated is reduced, and the outside of the elastic blade 62 in the impregnated portion has a large amount of impregnation. The amount of impregnation decreased toward the inside. In the present embodiment, the impregnation operation is performed by a dipping method, the impregnation time is set to 30 [seconds], and the ultraviolet content of the containing portion 62d is inclined.

  If the impregnation operation is carried out under conditions that allow the ultraviolet curable resin to sufficiently penetrate into the elastic blade 62, such as performing the impregnation operation for a long time, a kind of equilibrium state is obtained, and the entire composition has a uniform composition and no inclination. It is also possible to create a state. However, in this embodiment, the content of the ultraviolet curable resin with respect to the urethane rubber in the containing portion 62d of the elastic blade 62 is given a gradient by suppressing the amount of the ultraviolet curable resin impregnated in the impregnation operation.

  Here, a configuration in which the elastic blade 62 is not impregnated with the ultraviolet curable resin and only the surface layer 63 having a hardness higher than that of the elastic blade 62 will be described. Even if the surface layer 63 is provided to reduce the friction coefficient, the surface layer 63 wears and decreases over time. At this time, if the surface layer 63 is made thick so that it can withstand long-term use, there is a possibility that the elastic deformation at the tip ridge line portion 62c of the elastic blade 62 is hindered, resulting in poor cleaning. In addition, the function of rubbing the lubricant is impaired. On the other hand, if the surface layer 63 is made thin so as not to inhibit the elastic deformation at the tip ridge line portion 62c of the elastic blade 62, the surface layer 63 is worn to the extent that the elastic blade 62 is exposed in a short time. When the elastic blade 62 having low hardness is exposed and directly contacts the surface of the photoconductor 1, the friction coefficient between the elastic blade 62 and the surface of the photoconductor 1 increases, and abnormal wear occurs.

  In the cleaning blade 6 according to the present embodiment, an elastic blade 62 having a containing portion 62d containing the ultraviolet curable resin so as to have a gradient exists inside the surface layer 63 having high hardness. As a result, the mechanical strength and rigidity of the elastic rubber (urethane rubber) serving as the base material are moderately strengthened, and good cleaning is achieved by moderately suppressing the behavior of the blade tip ridge line portion 62c when sliding with the surface of the photoreceptor 1. It can be carried out. As a result, it is possible to exert high wear resistance by suppressing the occurrence of abnormal wear and abnormal noise.

  Further, if only the surface layer 63 having a high hardness is provided on the elastic blade 62, the hardness changes suddenly at the boundary between the elastic blade 62 and the surface layer 63, and stress concentrates, and the elastic blade 62 may be damaged. On the other hand, by causing the content of the ultraviolet curable resin in the containing portion of the elastic blade 62 to be inclined, it is possible to suppress a sudden change in hardness at the boundary between the elastic blade 62 and the surface layer 63. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the elastic blade 62 from being damaged due to stress concentration.

  The cleaning blade 6 of the present embodiment covers the surface with a surface layer 63 made of an ultraviolet curable resin having a pencil hardness of 7H to 9H, and the ultraviolet curable resin has a gradient in the containing portion 62d of the elastic blade 62 (urethane rubber). Impregnated while holding. Since the elastic blade 62 contains an ultraviolet curable resin to increase the hardness, durability over time can be ensured even if the thickness of the surface layer 63 is reduced. Since the surface layer 63 has a very thin film thickness and high pencil hardness, it is possible to simultaneously exhibit posture control and durability imparting of the tip ridge line portion 62c. Further, by suppressing the impregnation amount of the ultraviolet curable resin contained in the containing portion 62d of the elastic blade 62, the mechanical strength of the rubber is reduced due to swelling of the elastic rubber serving as a base material, and the network structure is strengthened by infiltration of a hard resin material. Can be achieved.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the hardness of the tip ridge line portion 62c of the elastic blade 62 is increased by the impregnation process, the tip ridge line portion 62c of the elastic blade 62 is difficult to deform. For this reason, when the surface layer 63 having higher hardness than the elastic blade 62 is formed on the entire surface of the blade lower surface 62b of the elastic blade 62, the surface layer 63 formed on the blade lower surface 62b becomes the photosensitive member of the tip ridge line portion 62c of the elastic blade 62. The elastic deformation to 1 surface will be inhibited. Then, the restoring force against the elastic deformation acting in the direction of increasing the contact pressure on the surface of the photosensitive member 1 at the tip ridge line portion 62c is hardly obtained. As a result, the leading edge ridge line portion 62c cannot follow the eccentricity or minute undulation of the photosensitive member 1, and the contact pressure against the photosensitive member 1 varies. When a large pressing force is applied from the toner dammed to the leading edge line 62c, such as during continuous solid image formation, if the contact pressure of the leading edge line 62c decreases, the toner slips out of the cleaning blade 6 and is poorly cleaned. May occur.

  For such a problem, it may be considered that the surface layer 63 is not formed on the blade lower surface 62b of the elastic blade 62. However, when the surface layer 63 is not formed on the blade lower surface 62b, the tip ridge line portion 62c of the elastic blade 62 is greatly elastically deformed in the surface moving direction of the photosensitive member 1, and the tip ridge line portion 62c is turned up. Wear may occur.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the surface layer 63 is formed on both the blade tip surface 62a and the blade lower surface 62b so that the film thickness is 1 [μm] or less at a position of 50 [μm] from the tip ridge line portion 62c. . Thereby, compared with what formed the surface layer 63 only in the braid | blade front end surface 62a, it can suppress inhibiting the elastic deformation in the front-end | tip ridgeline part 62c of the elastic braid | blade 62. FIG. The tip ridge line portion 62c of the elastic blade 62 can be elastically deformed in the direction of movement of the surface of the photoreceptor 1 to such an extent that the tip ridge line portion 62c is not turned. Even when the photosensitive member 1 is eccentric, the leading edge portion 62c can be made to follow the surface of the photosensitive member 1 by the restoring force against the elastic deformation of the leading edge portion 62c of the elastic blade 62. Sex can be maintained. On the other hand, if the layer thickness of the surface layer 63 is greater than 1 [μm], the rigidity of the surface layer 63 becomes too strong, and the behavior of the tip edge line portion 62c of the elastic blade 62 in sliding with the surface of the photoreceptor 1 is small. There is a risk of becoming too much. As a result, the vibration energy concentrates on the tip ridge line portion 62c, so that the wear rate increases, and there is a possibility that it cannot be used at an early stage.

  As the ultraviolet resin used in the present embodiment, it is preferable to use a monomer having a functional group equivalent molecular weight of 350 or less and a pentaerythritol triacrylate having 3 to 6 functional groups as a main skeleton. If the functional group equivalent molecular weight exceeds 350 or a material other than the pentaerythritol triacrylate skeleton is used, the surface layer 63 may become too brittle. When the surface layer 63 becomes brittle, the tip ridge line portion 62c of the elastic blade 62 is turned over, leading to wear of the tip surface as shown in FIG. 5B, and it becomes impossible to maintain the cleaning property for a long time.

  Further, as the material of the surface layer 63, it is preferable to appropriately mix an acrylate material having a functional group equivalent molecular weight of 100 to 1000 and a functional group number of 1 to 2 in addition to the pentaerythritol / triacrylate skeleton material. As a result, flexibility can be imparted to the surface layer 63, and the properties of the surface layer 63 can be customized in accordance with the characteristics of the machine on which the cleaning blade 6 is mounted.

  Next, a verification experiment conducted by the present inventors will be described. This verification experiment was conducted by changing the material of the elastic blade 62, the material of the surface layer 63, the impregnation treatment method, and the formation of the surface layer 63 on the blade lower surface 62b, as will be described later.

[Elastic blade]
As the elastic blade 62, urethane rubber 1 having the following physical properties at 25 [° C.] was prepared.
Urethane rubber 1: Hardness 72 degrees, rebound resilience 31 [%] (manufactured by Toyo Tire & Rubber)
The hardness of urethane rubber was measured according to JIS K6253 using a durometer manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation. The sample was a stack of about 2 [mm] sheets so that the thickness was 12 [mm] or more. The resilience of urethane rubber is No. manufactured by Toyo Seiki Seisakusho. The measurement was performed according to JIS K6255 using a 221 regilynester. The sample was a stack of about 2 [mm] sheets so that the thickness was 4 [mm] or more.

[Curing material]
As the curable material used for the impregnation treatment and the surface layer 63 formation treatment, the following curable materials 1 to 9 were used.

<Curing material 1>
UV curable resin: Daicel-Cytec Corp. PETIA 10 parts Polymerization initiator: Ciba Specialty Chemicals Inc. Irgacure 184 1 part Solvent: 2-butanone 89 parts

<Curing material 2>
UV curable resin 1: Daicel Cytec Co., Ltd. PETIA 9 parts UV curable resin 2: Daicel Cytec Co., Ltd. HDDA 1 part Polymerization initiator: Ciba Specialty Chemicals Irgacure 184 1 part Solvent: 2-butanone 89 parts

<Curing material 3>
UV curable resin 1: Daicel Cytec Co., Ltd. PETIA 7 parts UV curable resin 2: Daicel Cytec Co., Ltd. ODA-N 3 parts Polymerization initiator: Ciba Specialty Chemicals Irgacure 184 1 part Solvent: 2-butanone 89 parts

<Curing material 4>
UV curable resin 1: Daicel Cytec Co., Ltd. PETIA 2 parts UV curable resin 2: Negami Kogyo UN-2700 8 parts Polymerization initiator: Ciba Specialty Chemicals Inc. Irgacure 184 1 part Solvent: 2-butanone 89 parts

<Curing material 5>
UV curable resin: Daicel Cytec Corporation DPHA 10 parts Polymerization initiator: Ciba Specialty Chemicals Irgacure 184 1 part Solvent: 2-butanone 89 parts

<Curing material 6>
UV curable resin: Nippon Kayaku DPCA-120 10 parts Polymerization initiator: Ciba Specialty Chemicals Irgacure 184 1 part Solvent: 2-butanone 89 parts

<Curing material 7>
UV curable resin 1: Negami Kogyo UN-904 3 parts UV curable resin 2: Negami Kogyo UN-2700 7 parts Polymerization initiator: Ciba Specialty Chemicals Irgacure 184 1 part Solvent: 2-butanone 89 parts

<Curing material 8>
UV curable resin 1: Negami Kogyo UN-904 10 parts Polymerization initiator: Ciba Specialty Chemicals Irgacure 184 1 part Solvent: 2-butanone 89 parts

<Curing material 9>
UV curable resin 1: Daicel Cytec Co., Ltd. PETIA 1 part UV curable resin 2: Negami Kogyo UN-2700 9 parts Polymerization initiator: Ciba Specialty Chemicals Co., Ltd. Irgacure 184 1 part Solvent: 2-butanone 89 parts

Table 1 shows the acrylic material, the main skeleton, the number of functional groups, and the functional group equivalent of the ultraviolet curable resin used for the curable material.

The structural formula of the ultraviolet curable resin PETIA is shown in the following chemical formula 1. As shown in Chemical Formula 1, PETIA has 3 functional groups (CH ₂ CHO groups).

The structural formula of DPHA is shown in the following chemical formula 2. As shown in Chemical Formula 2, DPHA has six functional groups (CH ₂ CHOO groups) and the basic skeleton is a dimer (dehydration condensation) of pentaerythritol triacrylate.

Next, the configuration of the image forming apparatus for which the verification experiment was performed will be described.
Using the urethane rubber 1, a strip-shaped elastic blade 62 having a thickness of 1.8 [mm] is formed, and the elastic blade 62 is used as an impregnation material for any one of the cured materials 1 to 9 for a predetermined time (30 [seconds]. ]) After soaking, air dry for 3 minutes. Further, a surface layer 63 made of any one of the above-mentioned curable materials 1 to 9 was formed by spray coating. Specifically, with respect to the elastic blade 62 made of urethane rubber appropriately impregnated, first, a predetermined layer thickness is obtained by spray coating at a spray gun moving speed of 10 [mm / s] from the blade tip surface. The overcoat was applied over the entire tip surface 62a. After touch-drying for 3 minutes, the blade lower surface 62b was applied by spray coating. Thereafter, finger touch drying was further performed for 3 minutes, and ultraviolet exposure (140 [W / cm] × 5 [m / min] × 5 passes) was performed.

  The elastic blade 62 on which the surface layer 63 was formed was fixed with an adhesive to a holder 61 that can be mounted on the Ricoh color composite machine imagi MP C4500. This was similarly attached to the Ricoh color composite machine imagio MP C4500, and image forming apparatuses of Examples 1 to 14 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 were produced. The cleaning blade 6 was attached so that the linear pressure was 20 [g / cm] and the cleaning angle was 79 [°]. In addition, the apparatus used in this experiment is provided with a lubricant application device 10 on the surface of the photoreceptor 1, and as the type of lubricant, only zinc stearate or a mixture of zinc stearate and boron nitride is used. Using.

The following toner was used for the verification experiment. The physical properties of the toner are as follows.
Toner base: circularity 0.98, average particle size 4.9 [μm]
External additive: 1.5 parts of small particle size silica (Clariant H2000)
0.5 parts small particle size titanium oxide (Taika MT-150AI)
1.0 parts of large particle size silica (UFP-30H manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo)

  The verification experiment was performed in a laboratory environment: 21 [° C.] · 65 [% RH], paper feeding condition: image area ratio 5% chart with 3 prints / job at 50,000 sheets (A4 landscape). And the presence or absence of the foreign material adhesion on a photoconductor was evaluated.

<Example 1>
Impregnating material: Curing material 1
Surface layer material: Curing material 1
Surface layer pencil hardness: 9H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 2>
Impregnating material: Curing material 2
Surface layer material: Curing material 2
Surface layer pencil hardness: 9H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 3>
Impregnating material: Curing material 3
Surface layer material: Curing material 3
Surface layer pencil hardness: 8H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 4>
Impregnating material: Curing material 4
Surface layer material: Curing material 4
Surface layer pencil hardness: 7H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 5>
Impregnating material: Curing material 5
Surface layer material: Curing material 5
Surface layer pencil hardness: 9H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 6>
Impregnating material: Curing material 6
Surface layer material: Curing material 6
Surface layer pencil hardness: 9H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 7>
Impregnating material: Curing material 1
Surface layer material: Curing material 2
Surface layer pencil hardness: 9H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 8>
Impregnating material: Curing material 2
Surface layer material: Curing material 3
Surface layer pencil hardness: 8H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 9>
Impregnating material: Curing material 1
Surface layer material: Curing material 5
Surface layer pencil hardness: 9H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 10>
Impregnating material: Curing material 2
Surface layer material: Curing material 1
Surface layer pencil hardness: 9H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 11>
Impregnating material: Curing material 2
Surface layer material: Curing material 8
Surface layer pencil hardness: 9H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 12>
Impregnating material: Curing material 2
Surface layer material: cured material 9
Surface layer pencil hardness: 6H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 13>
Impregnating material: Curing material 7
Surface layer material: Curing material 7
Surface layer pencil hardness: 6H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Example 14>
Impregnating material: Curing material 2
Surface layer material: Curing material 2
Surface layer pencil hardness: 6H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from edge: 5 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Comparative Example 1>
Impregnated material: None Surface layer material: None Lubricant type: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Comparative example 2>
Impregnation material: None Surface layer material: Curing material 1
Surface layer pencil hardness: 9H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Comparative Example 3>
Impregnating material: Curing material 1
Surface layer material: None Surface layer pencil hardness: 9H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant types: Zinc stearate and boron nitride

<Comparative example 4>
Impregnating material: Curing material 2
Surface layer material: Curing material 2
Surface layer pencil hardness: 9H
Surface layer thickness at 50 [μm] from the edge: 1 [μm]
Lubricant type: Zinc stearate

The results of verification experiments of Examples 1 to 14 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 are summarized in Table 2 below.

  In each of Examples 1 to 14, it was possible to suppress adhesion of foreign matter on the photoreceptor over time, and good results were obtained. In Examples 1 to 14, the hardness is increased by the impregnation treatment with the ultraviolet curable resin, and the tip edge line portion 62c is modified. Furthermore, since boron nitride and zinc stearate are applied by the lubricant application device 10, the lubricant film is not deteriorated at an early stage by discharge, and a lubricant film can be formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 1. Further, in the example in which the pencil hardness of the ultraviolet curable resin forming the surface layer 63 is 7H to 9H, the adhesion of foreign matter on the photoreceptor 1 can be suppressed over time, and particularly good results were obtained. Even in an example using a UV curable resin having a functional group equivalent molecular weight of 350 or less and a pentaerythritol triacrylate having a functional group number of 3 to 6 as a main skeleton, the adhesion of foreign matter on the photoreceptor 1 is suppressed over time. Especially good results were obtained. Even in the example in which the UV curable resin of the surface layer 63 is mixed with an acrylate material having a functional group equivalent molecular weight of 100 to 1000 and a functional group of 1 to 2, it is possible to suppress foreign matter adhesion on the photoreceptor 1 over time. Especially good results were obtained.

  On the other hand, in Comparative Examples 1 to 3, foreign matter adhesion was observed on the photoreceptor 1. This is considered to be due to the fact that the toner is attached to the external additive, and the cleaning blade is worn out, so that the lubricant cannot be applied sufficiently and the surface protection effect of the photoreceptor is impaired. . Further, in Comparative Example 4, since only zinc stearate is used as the lubricant, the protective effect on the surface of the photoreceptor is not sufficient, and it is considered that foreign matter adhesion has occurred.

  In the printer according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the elastic blade 62 of the cleaning blade 6 is pressed against the counter, but the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, the blade member may be pressed in the trailing direction.

  In the printer according to the present embodiment, a monochrome printer having one photoconductor 1 and one developing device 4 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention may be applied to a color printer in which toner images of each color are sequentially formed on one photoconductor, and each color toner image on the photoconductor is sequentially transferred onto an intermediate transfer body or paper. A tandem type in which a plurality of image forming units are arranged side by side, toner images of different colors are formed on the photoconductors of the respective image forming units, and the toner images on the photoconductors are transferred onto an intermediate transfer member or paper. The present invention may be applied to other color printers. When an intermediate transfer member as an image carrier is used, a blade member that forms a lubricant film on the surface of the intermediate transfer member by rubbing the lubricant supplied to the intermediate transfer member may be provided.

What has been described above is merely an example, and the present invention has a specific effect for each of the following modes.
(Aspect A)
An image carrier such as the photoreceptor 1, an agent supply unit such as an agent supply device 10 that supplies a lubricant to the surface of the image carrier, and a lubricant supplied to the surface of the image carrier are rubbed against each other to rub the image carrier In the image forming apparatus including a blade member such as a cleaning blade 6 that forms a lubricant film on the surface, the lubricant contains at least boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt, and the blade member has a tip ridge line portion. An elastic blade such as an elastic blade 62 containing at least an ultraviolet curable resin in a portion including the surface, and a surface layer such as a surface layer 63 that covers the surface of the elastic blade including the tip ridge line portion and is harder than the elastic blade. Has been.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, a lubricant film made of boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt can be formed on the image carrier in a good state over a long period of time, and the surface of the image carrier can be lubricated. Property can be maintained well over a long period of time.
(Aspect B)
In the image forming apparatus of (Aspect A), the blade member is a cleaning blade such as a cleaning blade 6 that removes transfer residual toner remaining on the image carrier.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the cleaning blade forms a lubricant film on the surface of the image carrier, and the frictional force acting on the cleaning blade and the surface of the image carrier can be reduced. Therefore, the life of the image carrier can be extended, and good cleaning properties can be maintained over a long period of time.
(Aspect C)
In the image forming apparatus according to (Aspect A) or (Aspect B), when the image carrier is moving on the surface, the agent supply unit always supplies a lubricant to the surface of the image carrier, or intermittently. It is comprised so that it may supply.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, the agent supply means can adjust the amount of lubricant supplied to the surface of the image carrier.
(Aspect D)
(Aspect A) In the image forming apparatus according to (Aspect B) or (Aspect C), the blade member has the surface layer made of an ultraviolet curable resin.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, it is only necessary to irradiate the ultraviolet curable resin attached to the tip of the elastic blade with ultraviolet rays, so that a surface layer having a desired hardness can be easily obtained, and the blade member Can be manufactured at low cost.
(Aspect E)
In the image forming apparatus of (Aspect D), the blade member has a pencil hardness of 7H or more and 9H or less of the ultraviolet curable resin forming the surface layer.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, by using an ultraviolet curable resin having a pencil hardness of 7H to 9H for the surface layer, durability over time can be achieved even with a thin film thickness without hindering elastic deformation of the elastic blade. Can be secured.
(Aspect F)
(Aspect A) (Aspect B) (Aspect C) In the image forming apparatus of (Aspect D) or (Aspect E), the ultraviolet curable resin is a pentaerythritol having a functional group equivalent molecular weight of 350 or less and a functional group number of 3 to 6. This material has triacrylate as the main skeleton.
According to this, as explained about the above-mentioned embodiment, the hardness of the surface layer can be made a predetermined level or more, and the deformation of the tip ridge line portion can be suppressed.
(Aspect G)
(Aspect A) (Aspect B) (Aspect C) (Aspect D) In the image forming apparatus of (Aspect E) or (Aspect F), the UV curable resin has a functional group equivalent molecular weight of 100 to 1000 and a functional group number of 1 to 2. Mix acrylate material.
According to this, as described in the above embodiment, it is possible to impart a predetermined flexibility to the surface layer.
(Aspect H)
An image carrier, and at least an agent supply means for supplying a lubricant comprising a mixture of at least boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt on the surface of the image carrier in contact with the surface of the image carrier; In a process cartridge that integrally supports a blade member that rubs a lubricant supplied to the surface of the body and forms a lubricant film on the surface of the image carrier, and is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus. The member includes an elastic blade containing at least an ultraviolet curable resin in a portion including the tip ridge line portion, and a surface layer that covers the surface of the elastic blade including the tip ridge line portion and is harder than the elastic blade.
According to this, the image carrier, the agent supply unit, and the blade member are integrally supported, and the process cartridge is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus, so that these members can be easily replaced. It is possible to improve the maintainability.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photoconductor 2 Charging roller 3 Exposure apparatus 4 Developing apparatus 5 Transfer roller 6 Cleaning blade 7 Cleaning apparatus 8 Static elimination lamp 9 Spacer 10 Agent supply apparatus 11 Lubricant block 12 Brush roller 61 Holder 62 Elastic blade 63 Surface layer

JP 2002-91232 A JP 2006-350240 A

Claims (8)

An image carrier, agent supply means for supplying a lubricant to the surface of the image carrier, and a blade member for rubbing the lubricant supplied to the surface of the image carrier to form a lubricant film on the surface of the image carrier. In an image forming apparatus comprising:
The lubricant contains at least boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt,
The blade member includes an elastic blade containing at least an ultraviolet curable resin in a portion including a tip ridge line portion, and a surface layer that covers the surface of the elastic blade including the tip ridge line portion and is harder than the elastic blade. An image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1.
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blade member is a cleaning blade that removes transfer residual toner remaining on the image carrier. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The agent supplying means is configured to supply the lubricant to the surface of the image carrier at all times or intermittently when the surface of the image carrier is moving. Forming equipment. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3.
The image forming apparatus, wherein the blade member has the surface layer made of an ultraviolet curable resin. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4.
In the image forming apparatus, the blade member has a pencil hardness of 7H or more and 9H or less of the ultraviolet curable resin forming the surface layer. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.
An image forming apparatus, wherein the ultraviolet curable resin is a material having a main skeleton of pentaerythritol triacrylate having a functional group equivalent molecular weight of 350 or less and a functional group number of 3 or more and 6 or less. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.
An image forming apparatus, wherein an acrylate material having a functional group equivalent molecular weight of 100 or more and 1000 or less and having 1 or 2 functional groups is mixed with the ultraviolet curable resin. An image carrier, an agent supply means for contacting the surface of the image carrier and supplying a lubricant composed of at least boron nitride and a fatty acid metal salt on the surface of the image carrier, and the surface of the image carrier A process cartridge that is detachably attached to an image forming apparatus that includes a blade member that rubs the supplied lubricant to form a lubricant film on the surface of the image carrier.
The blade member includes an elastic blade containing at least an ultraviolet curable resin in a portion including a tip ridge line portion, and a surface layer that covers the surface of the elastic blade including the tip ridge line portion and is harder than the elastic blade. A process cartridge characterized by comprising:

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