JP2015069167A - Developing device, blade unit, and method of manufacturing developing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developing device allowing a blade to be firmly fixed to a support member, a blade unit, and a method of manufacturing the developing device.SOLUTION: The developing device includes a developing roller, a blade 41 proximal to the developing roller, and a support member 42 supporting the blade 41. The blade 41 has welding marks 43 and 44 which are connected to the support member 42 and have longer lengths in one direction than in a direction orthogonal to the one direction.

Description

  The present invention relates to a blade unit formed by welding a blade to a support member, a developing device using the blade unit, and a method for manufacturing the developing device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Some conventional electrophotographic image forming apparatuses include a developing device having a developing roller and a blade unit for regulating the thickness of a developer layer carried on the developing roller. A blade unit is known that includes a blade that contacts the developing roller and a support member that overlaps the blade and supports the blade (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In this blade unit, the blade and the support member are welded at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction of the blade, and a plurality of small dot-like welding marks are formed on the blade.

JP 2001-35692 A

  However, if the welded portion of the blade and the support member is a small dot like the above-described technique, the fixing force by each welding is weak and the blade may not be firmly fixed to the support member. there were.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a developing device, a blade unit, and a method for manufacturing the developing device that can firmly fix the blade to a support member.

In order to achieve the above-described object, the developing device of the present invention includes a developer carrier, a blade adjacent to the developer carrier, and a support member that supports the blade.
The blade has a welding mark that is connected to the support member, and has a length in one direction that is longer than a length in a direction orthogonal to the one direction.

  According to the developing device configured as described above, the blade can be firmly fixed to the support member as compared with a case where the blade is provided with a spot-like weld mark.

  In the developing device described above, the length of the welding trace in the one direction may be 1.1 times or more of the length in the direction orthogonal to the one direction.

  The one direction described above may be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the blade.

  Further, the one direction described above may be parallel to the short direction of the blade.

  In the developing device described above, the weld mark has a shape in which the size in the one direction is 0.2 to 250 mm, and the size in the direction orthogonal to the one direction is 0.1 to 6.0 mm. It can be.

  In the developing device described above, the blade and the support member may be welded using a fiber laser.

  In the developing device described above, the blade and the support member may be welded using a YAG laser.

  In the developing device described above, the thickness of the blade may be 0.05 to 2.5 mm.

  In the developing device described above, the blade can be made of a metal material, and the support member can be made of a metal material.

In order to achieve the above-described object, a blade unit of the present invention includes a blade and a support member that supports the blade.
The blade has a welding mark that is connected to the support member, and has a length in one direction that is longer than a length in a direction orthogonal to the one direction.

  According to the blade unit configured as described above, the blade can be firmly fixed to the support member as compared with a case where the blade is provided with a dotted weld mark.

  In the blade unit described above, the length of the welding trace in the one direction may be 1.1 times or more of the length in the direction orthogonal to the one direction.

  The one direction described above may be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the blade.

  Further, the one direction described above may be parallel to the short direction of the blade.

  In the blade unit described above, the weld mark has a shape in which the size in the one direction is 0.2 to 250 mm, and the size in the direction orthogonal to the one direction is 0.1 to 6.0 mm. It can be.

  In the blade unit described above, the blade and the support member may be welded using a fiber laser.

  In the blade unit described above, the blade and the support member may be welded using a YAG laser.

  In the blade unit described above, the thickness of the blade may be 0.05 to 2.5 mm.

  In the blade unit described above, the blade can be made of a metal material, and the support member can be made of a metal material.

In order to achieve the above-described object, a developing device manufacturing method according to the present invention includes a developer carrying member, a blade adjacent to the developer carrying member, and a support member that supports the blade. And the process which overlaps a braid | blade on a supporting member and the welding process are provided.
In the welding process, the laser beam is irradiated to the blade while moving at least one of the laser beam and the blade relative to the other, and the blade is connected to the support member. A welding mark whose length is longer than the length in the direction orthogonal to the one direction is formed.

  According to such a manufacturing method of the developing device, the welding mark having a length in one direction longer than the length in the direction orthogonal to the one direction can be provided on the blade. A fixed developing device can be obtained.

  In the welding process described above, the blade is irradiated with laser light so that the length of the welding trace in the one direction is 1.1 times or more the length in the direction orthogonal to the one direction. Also good.

  Further, in the above-described welding process, while irradiating the laser beam with a pulse laser, at least one of the laser beam and the blade is relatively moved in the one direction at a speed at which the welds overlap each other. Also good.

  According to such a developing device manufacturing method, it is possible to form a welding mark having a length in one direction longer than a length in a direction perpendicular to the one direction on the blade.

  In the welding process described above, at least one of the laser beam and the blade may be moved relative to the other in the one direction while irradiating the laser with a continuous wave laser.

  According to such a developing device manufacturing method, it is possible to form a welding mark having a length in one direction longer than a length in a direction perpendicular to the one direction on the blade.

  In the welding process described above, the blade and the support member may be welded using a YAG laser.

  In the welding process described above, the blade and the support member may be welded using a fiber laser.

  In the developing device manufacturing method, the one direction may be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the blade.

  In the developing device manufacturing method, the one direction may be parallel to the short direction of the blade.

  And in the above-mentioned welding process, the magnitude | size of the said one direction of a welding trace is 0.2-250 mm, and the magnitude | size of the direction orthogonal to the said one direction of a welding trace is 0.1-6.0 mm. The blade may be irradiated with laser light so that

  According to the present invention, it is possible to firmly fix the blade to the support member as compared with the case where the spot-like welding marks are provided.

1 is a perspective view showing a developing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of a developing device. It is the figure (a) which shows a blade unit, and the enlarged view (b) of a welding trace. It is a figure explaining the manufacturing method of a developing device, Comprising: The figure (a) explaining a preparatory process, and the figure (b) explaining a welding process. It is a laser microscope image of the welding trace of the braid | blade formed by the welding process. It is the figure (a) which shows the blade unit in a 1st modification, and the enlarged view (b) of one large welding trace. It is a laser microscope image of the welding trace of the braid | blade formed by the welding process in a 1st modification. It is a 3D measurement microscope image of the welding trace of the braid | blade formed by the welding process in another modification. It is the figure (a) which shows the blade unit in a 2nd modification, and the enlarged view (b) of a welding trace. It is a figure which shows the blade unit in a 3rd modification. It is a perspective view which shows the blade unit in a 4th modification. It is sectional drawing of the developing device which concerns on a 5th modification.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
As shown in FIG. 1, the developing device 1 mainly includes a developing roller 2 as an example of a developer carrying member, a supply roller 3, a blade unit 4, and a developing case 5 that holds these members. ing.

  The developing case 5 is a container having a toner storage chamber 53 that can store toner therein, and has an opening 51 on one side surface. The developing case 5 constitutes an edge of the opening 51 and has a blade fixing surface 52 to which the blade unit 4 is fixed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the toner storage chamber 53 is provided with a conveying member 7 for conveying the toner toward the supply roller 3. The transport member 7 includes a shaft portion 71 that is rotatably supported by the developing case 5 and a film 72 that rotates around the shaft portion 71 when the shaft portion 71 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the developing roller 2 has a cylindrical roller main body 2A and a shaft 2B that is inserted into the roller main body 2A and is rotatable together with the roller main body 2A. The roller main body 2A has elasticity and can carry toner on its peripheral surface. The developing roller 2 is disposed so as to close the opening 51 of the developing case 5, and a shaft 2 </ b> B protruding in the axial direction from the roller body 2 </ b> A is rotatably supported by the developing case 5.

  The supply roller 3 is disposed inside the developing case 5 so as to contact the developing roller 2 and is rotatably supported by the developing case 5. The supply roller 3 is configured to rotate so as to supply the toner in the developing case 5 to the developing roller 2.

  The blade unit 4 includes a blade 41 that is close to the developing roller 2 so that the tip is placed on the developing roller 2, and a support member 42 that supports the blade 41.

  The blade 41 is a thin sheet metal formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the direction in which the axis of the developing roller 2 extends. That is, the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 is parallel to the axial direction of the developing roller 2, and the short direction of the blade 41 is a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the developing roller 2. The blade 41 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel. The blade 41 may be a sheet metal having a coating film containing press oil on the surface.

  The thickness of the blade 41 may be, for example, 0.05 to 2.5 mm, 0.05 to 0.12 mm, or 0.05 to 1.00 mm. And 0.07 to 0.15 mm or 0.08 to 0.12 mm. Further, the dimension in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 is larger than the dimension in the axial direction of the roller body 2A of the developing roller 2, and may be 218 to 270 mm, 220 to 260 mm, or 222 to 250 mm. It may be.

  The blade 41 has a contact portion 411 that protrudes toward the developing roller 2 and directly contacts the roller body 2A of the developing roller 2 on a surface 41F of the tip 41E facing the developing roller 2 (see FIG. 2). The contact portion 411 is made of rubber or the like extending along the longitudinal direction of the blade 41.

  The support member 42 is a member for supporting the blade 41 and defining a fixed end of the blade 41.

  The support member 42 is made of a metal material, for example, an electrogalvanized steel sheet. The support member 42 is thicker than the blade 41, is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that is long in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41, and extends outward from both longitudinal end surfaces 413 of the blade 41.

  The support member 42 overlaps the surface of the blade 41 opposite to the surface 41F on which the contact portion 411 is provided, and sandwiches the blade 41 with the blade fixing surface 52 of the developing case 5. More specifically, the blade 41 is sandwiched between an edge 42E on the tip 41E side of the blade 41 of the support member 42 and an edge 52E on the tip 41E side of the blade 41 of the blade fixing surface 52. A portion of the blade 42 that contacts the edge 42E and the edge 52E of the blade fixing surface 52 serves as a fulcrum when the blade 41 is bent.

  The blade unit 4 configured as described above is fixed to the developing case 5 by a screw 6 inserted through a hole H formed in the blade 41 and the support member 42. The blade unit 4 is configured to regulate the thickness of the toner layer carried on the developing roller 2 by contacting the developing roller 2 with the contact portion 411 rotating.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the support member 42 has positioning protrusions 421 that engage with the blade 41 on the surfaces facing the blade 41 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The blade 41 has a pair of openings 412 that engage with the pair of positioning protrusions 421. One of the pair of openings 412 is a round hole, and the other is for absorbing a dimensional error between the two openings 412 and absorbing linear expansion in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 and the support member 42. It is a long hole. The blade 41 is positioned with respect to the support member 42 by the pair of openings 412 engaging with the corresponding positioning protrusions 421.

  The blade 41 is welded to the support member 42 at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the blade 41 is laser-welded to the support member 42 at a portion outside the pair of positioning projections 421 in the longitudinal direction and a portion between the pair of positioning projections 421.

  The blade 41 has a first welding mark 43 as an example of a welding mark that connects the blade 41 and the support member 42 at a position between the pair of positioning protrusions 421, and is located at a position outside the pair of positioning protrusions 421 in the longitudinal direction. A second welding mark 44 as an example of a welding mark connecting the blade 41 and the support member 42 is provided.

  The first welding marks 43 continuously extend along the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 from a position near one opening 412 to a position near the other opening 412.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the first welding mark 43 has a length W1 in the longitudinal direction (one direction) of the blade 41 in the short direction (direction orthogonal to the one direction) of the blade 41. It is longer than the length W2. The length W1 of the first welding mark 43 in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 is 1.1 times or more, preferably 1.5 times or more, more preferably 2.0 times or more of the length W2 of the blade 41 in the short direction. It is. In the present embodiment, the length W1 of the first welding mark 43 in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 is sufficiently longer than the length W2 of the blade 41 in the lateral direction.

  The length W1 of the first welding mark 43 in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 may be 1.1 to 3.0 times the length W2 of the blade 41 in the short direction, or 1.1 to 3 times. It may be .0 times, 1.1 to 2.1 times, or 1.5 to 3.5 times.

  For example, the first welding marks 43 can have a size in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 of 210 to 250 mm and a size in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 of 0.1 to 0.6 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the second welding mark 44 continuously extends along the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 from a position near each opening 412 to near the end surface 413 in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41. ing.

  In each second welding mark 44, the length in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 is longer than the length in the short direction of the blade 41, similarly to the first welding mark 43.

  The first welding marks 43 and the second welding marks 44 have a length in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 of 0.2 to 250 mm, and a size in the short direction of the blade 41 of 0.1 to 6.0 mm. There may be. Moreover, 0.1 to 0.4 mm may be sufficient as the magnitude | size of the transversal direction of the blade 41 of the 1st welding trace 43 or the 2nd welding trace, and 0.1 to 0.3 mm may be sufficient as it.

The effect of the blade unit 4 configured as described above will be described.
Since the first welding mark 43 and the second welding mark 44 formed on the blade 41 are formed such that the length in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 is longer than the length in the short direction of the blade 41 of the blade 41. The blade 41 can be firmly fixed to the support member 42 as compared with the case where the dot-like weld trace is formed on the blade 41.

  And since the 1st welding trace 43 and the 2nd welding trace 44 are extended long along the longitudinal direction of the braid | blade 41, when the braid | blade 41 contact | connects the developing roller 2, strong force is applied to a part of braid | blade 41. In addition, the blade 41 can be prevented from separating from the developing roller 2.

Next, a method for manufacturing the developing device 1 will be described.
In manufacturing the developing device 1, when manufacturing the blade unit 4, first, as shown in FIG. 4A, the blade 41 is overlaid on the support member 42 (preparation step). At this time, each opening 412 of the blade 41 is engaged with the corresponding positioning protrusion 421 of the support member 42.

  Next, after fixing the blade 41 and the support member 42 on the work table, the laser beam 81 emitted from the welding machine 8 is moved relative to the blade 41 as shown in FIG. 41 is irradiated with a laser beam 81 to weld the blade 41 and the support member 42 (welding process).

  In the present embodiment, the welding machine 8 is configured to irradiate a laser beam 81 to a portion facing the welding machine 8 by a continuous wave laser. Note that the welding machine may be configured to move the laser beam relative to the blade 41 without moving the welding machine itself by moving a reflecting mirror provided inside. For example, a fiber laser can be employed as the continuous wave laser.

  In the welding process, by moving the welding machine 8 while continuously irradiating the laser beam 81 on the blade 41, the length of the blade 41 in the longitudinal direction is longer than the length of the blade 41 in the short direction. Long welding marks (first welding marks 43 and second welding marks 44) are formed.

  At this time, the laser beam 81 moves along the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 from the end where the round hole opening 412 of the blade 41 is provided toward the end where the long hole opening 412 is provided. Let Then, the laser beam 81 is irradiated to a range away from the end of the blade 41 and the edge of the opening 412.

  By welding from the round hole side in this way, even when the blade 41 expands due to heat during welding, this expansion can be absorbed by the opening 412 of the long hole.

  As an example, a blade made of stainless steel (thickness 0.1 mm) as the blade 41, a support member (thickness 1.2 mm) made of an electrogalvanized steel plate as the support member 42, and a fiber laser welder ML-6700A ( FIG. 5 shows weld marks formed when the above-described welding process is performed using Miyachi Technos Co., Ltd. In this welding process, a continuous wave laser was used, the spot diameter of the laser light was 0.2 mm, the power was 300 W, and the laser light was moved at 200 mm / sec with respect to the blade. In addition, the welding trace was observed using the laser microscope VK-X200 series (made by Keyence Corporation).

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. About a concrete structure, it can change suitably in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. In the following description, components that are substantially the same as those in the above-described embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

  In the embodiment, the blade 41 and the support member 42 are welded by moving the laser beam 81 relative to the blade 41 while continuously irradiating the laser beam 81. However, the blade 41 and the support member 42 are welded. The method is not limited to this. For example, the blade 41 and the support member 42 may be welded by moving the laser beam 81 relative to the blade 41 while intermittently irradiating the laser beam 81.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the blade 41 has large welding marks 45 formed of a plurality of welding marks 45A arranged in the longitudinal direction at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction. . Here, the welding mark 45 </ b> A is a welded mark formed when the laser is irradiated once.

  Each welding mark 45 </ b> A is formed in a circular shape, and adjacent welding marks 45 </ b> A overlap each other in the large welding mark 45. As a result, in the large welding mark 45, the length W3 in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 is longer than the length W4 in the short direction of the blade 41.

  When such a large welding mark 45 is formed on the blade unit 4, the laser beam 81 is irradiated to the blade 41 with the laser beam 81 while irradiating the laser beam 81 with a pulse laser or a continuous wave laser in the welding process. Move at a speed that overlaps. As the pulse laser, a fiber laser or a YAG (yttrium aluminum garnet) laser can be employed.

  As an example, when a continuous wave laser is used, the laser beam spot diameter is 0.2 mm, the pulse width is 1.0 msec, the power is 400 W, and the laser beam is moved at 200 mm / sec with respect to the blade. FIG. 7 shows the weld marks to be formed. In addition, the same thing as the example shown in FIG. 5 was used for the welding machine, the braid | blade, and the supporting member. Moreover, the welding trace was observed using laser microscope VK-X200 series (made by Keyence Corporation).

  FIG. 8 shows another example in which a plurality of welding marks long in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 are arranged in the longitudinal direction. The welding mark shown in FIG. 8 uses a continuous wave laser, the spot diameter of the laser beam is 0.1 mm, the pulse width is 14 msec, the power is 200 W, and the laser beam is moved at 200 mm / sec with respect to the blade. It is formed. In addition, the same thing as the example shown in FIG. 5 was used for the welding machine, the braid | blade, and the supporting member. Moreover, the welding trace was observed using the one-shot 3D measurement microscope VR-3000 series (made by Keyence Corporation).

  In the said embodiment, although each welding trace 43,44 was formed in the elongate shape long in the longitudinal direction (one direction) of the braid | blade 41, the shape of a welding trace is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the welding mark 46 may have a long shape that is long in the short direction (one direction) of the blade 41.

  In this welding mark 46, the length W5 in the short direction of the blade 41 is longer than the length W6 in the long direction of the blade 41. The welding marks 46 are formed at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41.

  Note that the end portions on the contact portion 411 side of the plurality of welding marks 46 are arranged on a straight line parallel to the extending direction of the contact portion 411 so that an equal force is applied to the contact portion between the contact portion 411 and the developing roller 2. It is desirable that

  As shown in FIG. 10, the welding mark 47 may have a long shape that is long in a direction (one direction) intersecting the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 or the short direction of the blade 41.

  In the embodiment, the welding marks (the first welding marks 43 and the second welding marks 44) are formed at only one place in the short direction of the blade 41, but the method of providing the welding marks is limited to this. It is not something. For example, a plurality of weld marks may be formed side by side in the short direction of the blade 41.

  In the embodiment, all the welding marks (the first welding marks 43 and the second welding marks 44) are formed so that the length in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 is longer in the short direction of the blade 41. The shape of the weld mark formed on the blade 41 is not limited to this. For example, the second welding mark 44 may be formed in a dot shape, and the length in the longitudinal direction of the blade 41 may be substantially equal to the length in the short direction of the blade 41. That is, only one of the welding marks formed on the blade 41 may be a welding mark whose length in one direction is longer than the length in a direction orthogonal to the one direction.

  In the said embodiment, although the braid | blade 41 was welded to the support member 42 in multiple places, the welding method of the braid | blade 41 is not limited to this. For example, only the first welding mark 43 may be formed on the blade 41, and only one place may be welded to the support member 42.

  In the above embodiment, the laser beam 81 is moved with respect to the blade 41 in the welding process, but the method of moving the laser beam 81 relative to the blade 41 is not limited to this. For example, the laser beam 81 may be moved relative to the blade 41 (the blade 41 relative to the laser beam 81) by moving the blade 41 and the support member 42 with respect to the laser beam 81.

  Further, the laser beam 81 and both the blade 41 and the support member 42 may be moved simultaneously.

  In the above embodiment, the blade 41 has the contact portion 411 protruding from the blade 41, but the configuration of the blade 41 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the blade 41A does not have a contact portion formed of rubber or the like, and has a bent portion 411A that is bent so that the tip faces the support member 42 side (the side opposite to the developing roller 2). The bent portion 411A (the tip of the blade 41) may be in direct contact with the roller body 2A of the developing roller 2.

  In the above embodiment, the tip of the blade 41 is provided so as to be placed on the developing roller 2, and the blade 41 is sandwiched between the support member 42 and the main body casing 5, but the configuration of the blade unit 4 is not limited to this. . For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the support member 42 to which the blade 41 is welded may be directly fixed to the main body casing 5 and sandwiched between the blade 41 and the main body casing 5. In the blade unit 4, the tip (contact portion 411) of the blade 41 is in contact with the developing roller 2 from the conveying member 7 side, and the blade 41 is supported from the side opposite to the surface 41 </ b> F on which the contact portion 411 is provided. Is supported by.

  In the embodiment, the developing roller 2 having the roller main body 2A and the shaft 2B is exemplified as the developer carrying member, but the developer carrying member is not limited to this. For example, a brush roller, a developing sleeve, or a belt-like developer carrier may be employed as the developer carrier.

  In the embodiment, the contact portion 411 (tip) of the blade 41 is in direct contact with the roller main body 2A of the developing roller 2 (developer carrier). However, the configuration of the blade is not limited to this, The tip may be close to the roller body 2A by about 0.1 to 1.0 mm.

  In the said embodiment, although stainless steel was illustrated as a metal member which comprises the blade 41, the structure of the blade 41 is not limited to this. For example, the blade 41 may be formed of spring steel, phosphor bronze, beryllium steel, carbon tool steel, or the like. When spring steel or carbon tool steel is employed, nickel, chromium, zinc, or the like may be plated on the surface in order to prevent rust.

  In the said embodiment, although it formed from the electrogalvanized steel plate as a metal member which comprises the supporting member 42, the structure of the supporting member 42 is not limited to this. For example, the support member 42 may be formed from a cold-rolled steel plate or tinplate, or a surface of a plate formed from these materials may be subjected to Parker treatment, chromate treatment, nickel plating treatment, or the like. The support member 42 may have a coating film containing press oil on the surface.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Developing apparatus 2 Developing roller 4 Blade unit 41 Blade 42 Support member 43 1st welding trace 44 2nd welding trace 81 Laser beam 411 Contact part

Claims (27)

A developer carrier;
A blade adjacent to the developer carrier;
A support member for supporting the blade,
The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the blade has a welding mark connected to the support member, and has a length in one direction longer than a length in a direction orthogonal to the one direction.   The developing device according to claim 1, wherein a length of the welding mark in the one direction is 1.1 times or more of a length in a direction orthogonal to the one direction.   The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the one direction is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the blade.   The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the one direction is parallel to a short direction of the blade.   2. The weld mark has a size in the one direction of 0.2 to 250 mm and a size in a direction orthogonal to the one direction of 0.1 to 6.0 mm. The developing device according to claim 4.   The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the blade and the support member are welded using a fiber laser.   The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the blade and the support member are welded using a YAG laser.   The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the blade has a thickness of 0.05 to 2.5 mm. The blade is made of a metal material,
The developing device according to claim 1, wherein the support member is made of a metal material. The blade,
A support member for supporting the blade,
The blade is a blade unit, which is a welding mark connected to the support member and has a welding mark whose length in one direction is longer than a length in a direction perpendicular to the one direction.   11. The blade unit according to claim 10, wherein a length of the welding mark in the one direction is 1.1 times or more of a length in a direction orthogonal to the one direction.   The blade unit according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the one direction is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the blade.   The blade unit according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the one direction is parallel to a short direction of the blade.   11. The welding mark has a size in the one direction of 0.2 to 250 mm and a size in a direction perpendicular to the one direction of 0.1 to 6.0 mm. The blade unit according to claim 13.   The blade unit according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the blade and the support member are welded using a fiber laser.   The blade unit according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the blade and the support member are welded using a YAG laser.   The blade unit according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the blade has a thickness of 0.05 to 2.5 mm. The blade is made of a metal material,
The blade unit according to any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein the support member is made of a metal material. A developing device manufacturing method comprising: a developer carrying member; a blade adjacent to the developer carrying member; and a support member that supports the blade,
Stacking the blade on the support member;
A laser beam is irradiated to the blade while moving at least one of the laser beam and the blade relative to the other, and the blade is connected to the support member, and has a length in one direction. And a welding step for forming a welding mark longer than a length in a direction orthogonal to the one direction.   In the welding step, the blade is irradiated with laser light so that the length in the one direction of the welding mark is 1.1 times or more the length in the direction orthogonal to the one direction. 20. The method of manufacturing a developing device according to claim 19,   In the welding process, while irradiating the laser beam with a pulse laser, at least one of the laser beam and the blade is relatively moved in the one direction at a speed at which the welds overlap with each other. 21. A method of manufacturing a developing device according to claim 19 or 20.   21. In the welding step, at least one of a laser beam and the blade is relatively moved in the one direction with respect to the other while irradiating the laser with a continuous wave laser. 2. A method for producing the developing device according to 1.   The method for manufacturing a developing device according to any one of claims 19 to 21, wherein in the welding step, the blade and the support member are welded using a YAG laser.   23. The developing device manufacturing method according to claim 19, wherein, in the welding step, the blade and the support member are welded using a fiber laser.   25. The developing device manufacturing method according to claim 19, wherein the one direction is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the blade.   25. The method of manufacturing a developing device according to claim 19, wherein the one direction is parallel to a short direction of the blade.   In the welding process, the size of the one direction of the welding mark is 0.2 to 250 mm, and the size of the welding mark in a direction perpendicular to the one direction is 0.1 to 6.0 mm. The method of manufacturing a developing device according to claim 11, wherein the blade is irradiated with a laser beam so as to satisfy the above condition.

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