JP2015129840A - Heat and pressure application device, heat and pressure application method, and manufacturing method of releasable information sheet - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat and pressure application device that can suppress the occurrence of curl when conveying and applying heat and pressure to a releasable information sheet, which has been folded and crimped two or more times, while forming a nip, and can provide a releasable information sheet maintaining good image quality even when being released more than once.SOLUTION: There is provided a heat and pressure application device that applies heat and pressure to a releasable information sheet in which an energy ray curable composition is applied to and cured on a recording medium to which a toner image is fixed and the recording medium is folded two or more times, the device including heat and pressure application means for applying heat and pressure to the releasable information sheet with a nip part that holds the sheet, where the nip part in the heat and pressure application means has a planar shape.

Description

  The present invention relates to a heating and pressing apparatus, a heating and pressing method, and an apparatus for manufacturing a removable information sheet.

Catalogs, covers, DM postcards, and the like are conventionally used for a predetermined purpose in which images and characters are formed by printing.
Depending on these uses, the printing surface may be protected by surface processing or a film for protection from water wetting and dirt, or for glossiness.
Surface processing includes overprinting, vinyl drawing, and press coating, which must be applied after printing. Recently, treatment with an ultraviolet curable composition has become mainstream from the viewpoint of cost and environment.

In addition, DM postcards and the like use means capable of pressure-bonding a printing surface on which information is input, concealing information, and re-peeling when necessary. As the adhesive, latex rubber, an ultraviolet curable pressure sensitive composition, or the like is used, but an ultraviolet curable pressure sensitive composition has become the mainstream, as in surface processing.
Recently, changes in information have become frequent, and there is an increasing number of systems that can output variable information, such as changing information part by part, and speeding up of print output is desired. On-demand printing is used.
As an apparatus used for on-demand printing, there are usually an electrophotographic system and an inkjet system, but an electrophotographic system using toner is mainly used for output including an image.
An image recorded by an electrophotographic method is reproduced by fixing a powder color material called toner to a recording medium with heat or pressure.

  Also, for UV curable compositions, several commercially available UV curable compositions are commonly used in offset printing. However, when these commercially available UV curable compositions are used for images recorded by electrophotography, satisfactory results may not be obtained due to incompatibility between the toner and the UV curable composition. In general, a toner is composed of a resin, a colorant such as a pigment, an additive such as silica, and a wax. The toner after fixing has a colorant, an additive, etc. present as a powder or completely. Since there is toner that is not completely dissolved, a certain amount of gap is generated. In many cases, the ultraviolet curable composition penetrates into the gap and becomes incompatible.

  The varnish composition and the adjustment method disclosed in Patent Document 1 are more suitable for the printed matter to which the fixing oil is applied by using a water-based coating agent that does not contain ammonia and has a low static surface tension. Improved. Moreover, in the resin forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 and an apparatus equipped with the apparatus, a silicon resin layer is formed on the printing surface to provide protection of the printing surface, waterproof treatment, glossing, and the like. Further, the metal container printed on the surface disclosed in Patent Document 3 and the printing method of the metal container can efficiently perform multi-variety and small-volume printing by utilizing electrophotography, and the ultraviolet curable composition. Processing provides toner layer protection and gloss.

Further, a releasable UV-curable pressure-sensitive composition used for DM postcards and the like is disclosed in Patent Document 4. Patent Document 5 discloses an ultraviolet curable pressure-sensitive adhesive composition that matches liquid toner.
In particular, the ultraviolet curable composition disclosed in Patent Document 4 has the presence of a (meth) acrylic copolymer (B) having an average molecular weight of 10,000 to 100,000 and a glass transition point of −35.2 to 20 ° C. Is very important.
The (meth) acrylic copolymer (B) is a linear polymer and has pressure-sensitive adhesiveness. On the other hand, the ultraviolet curable component (a) basically has no pressure-sensitive adhesive property even if it is cured with ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet-cured product of the ultraviolet-curing component (a) is hard and exists so as to surround the (meth) acrylic copolymer (B), and the (meth) acrylic copolymer before pressing and when peeled again. (B) It has the function of preventing the stickiness of the surface and preventing the person from being pressure-bonded again at a pressure given by a person in normal life.
When a very strong pressure is applied to this (compression bonding), the (meth) acrylic copolymers (B) are brought into contact with each other to exhibit adhesiveness. However, since the adhesion between the (meth) acrylic copolymers (B) moves the ultraviolet-cured product of the ultraviolet-curing component (a), the ultraviolet-cured product of the ultraviolet-curing component (a) will be restored. It adheres in a state that leaves the stress to be. Therefore, if it peels off with a strong force, it can be peeled cleanly.

However, even with these techniques, in the combination of the dry toner and the ultraviolet curable composition, even if the ultraviolet curable composition can be applied, the matching between the toner image and the ultraviolet curable composition is poor, and the toner image is Sometimes it peeled off. More specifically, when the toner image is pressure-bonded with the ultraviolet curable composition disclosed in Patent Document 4, the peel strength is insufficient, and it cannot withstand vibration during transportation, or conversely, the peel strength is too high, There were many problems that one image was peeled off when peeling. In addition, even if there is no problem immediately after crimping, the adhesive strength is often insufficient during storage, or conversely, it is very high, and it is not at a practical level for toner images. It was.
In addition, UV curable pressure-sensitive compositions used as re-peelable adhesives used in DM postcards and the like also have poor matching with dry toner images, and the toner images may peel off during re-peeling. there were.

  As described above, in the above-described prior art, the combination of the toner and the ultraviolet curable composition or the ultraviolet curable pressure sensitive composition has poor matching, and the ultraviolet curable composition or the ultraviolet curable pressure sensitive sensor is applied on the toner image. The composition could not be protected by applying and curing, imparting gloss, or releasable pressure bonding.

By the way, conventionally, in an electrophotographic image, silicon oil is used as a fixing release agent, and when an image formed using silicon oil is used, peeling of the image when re-peeling is somewhat reduced (for example, (See Patent Document 6). However, it did not reach the level used for direct mail.
In recent years, so-called oil-less toner in which a wax is contained in the toner has been generally used in order to prevent contamination of the office with silicone oil and deterioration of image quality due to running out of silicone oil. Furthermore, in order to save energy, so-called low-temperature fixing toner using a resin having a low toner softening temperature has been used.

However, when an energy ray curable precursor is provided on a toner image subjected to such oilless fixing, there is a problem that the following problems occur.
(1) The wax on the surface of the toner image repels the energy ray curable precursor and the thickness of the energy ray curable precursor layer becomes very thin at a place where the image area is high, and the energy ray curable pressure sensitive adhesive is used as it is. End up. For this reason, the location which a part does not press-fit arises, and the information sheet peels off by the vibration and handling at the time of transport.
(2) The adhesiveness between the cured energy beam curable pressure sensitive adhesive and the oilless-fixed toner image is poor, and when re-peeled, the energy beam curable pressure sensitive adhesive partially adheres to one side. A problem that the image becomes unsightly because the image quality is significantly reduced due to peeling.

  By the way, the present inventors have described that the recording medium folded in half (or more than three folds) so that the surface on which the energy ray curable composition is applied on the toner image is opposed to the recording medium is passed through a heating and pressing device. It has been found that an energy beam curable composition which is recured and is insufficiently cured is thermally cured. As a result, it has been found that good re-peeling can be achieved by preventing the fixing property between the toners and between the toner and the recording medium from being lowered.

FIG. 1 shows a structure of a releasable information sheet obtained by applying and curing an energy ray curable composition on a paper on which a toner image is fixed, folding it in half and pressing it, and a conventional heating and pressing apparatus. FIG.
Here, in order to enable good re-peeling, as shown in FIG. 1, the surface layer of paper 1 (and a coat layer coated on the surface layer; not shown) pressed in half and energy beam curing It is necessary to heat each of the interface 4a and the interface 4b with the toner image 3 into which the mold composition 2 has permeated. The heating by the heating and pressurizing apparatus heats the two interfaces 4a and 4b from both sides of the folded and pressure-bonded paper 1. That is, since the heating and pressurizing apparatus is heating in a state of being sandwiched between the thicknesses of the paper 1, heat transfer corresponding to the thickness of the paper 1 must be considered.
Accordingly, the heat of the surface of the heating roller 10 which is a conveying member of the heating and pressing apparatus is transferred in the cross-sectional direction of the paper 1 corresponding to 50 to 200 μm, and the interface 4a or the interface 4b is heated while heating the heat capacity of the paper 1. Therefore, the heating efficiency is poor.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a paper on which a toner image is fixed and a configuration of a conventional heating and pressing apparatus.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the conventional toner image heating and fixing method is such that the toner image 3 formed on the paper 1 has a heat on the surface of the heating roller 10 corresponding to several μm at the interface 4 between the toner 3 and the paper 1. Therefore, it is efficient to melt or fix the toner.

  Conventional fixing devices as disclosed in Patent Document 7 and Patent Document 8 are configured to mainly heat the image side (toner side) of toner electrostatically held on paper (recording medium). It was. Even if the heater is provided on both the toner image side and the back side, the temperature control target is a so-called fixing roller provided on the toner image side. The heater provided in the so-called pressure roller on the back side of the paper serves as an auxiliary heating member so that the temperature of the fixing machine is not lowered so that a large amount of heat is taken away by passing paper when securing the productivity of high-speed machines and handling thick paper. It is what is installed.

  For this reason, it has been difficult to heat the two interfaces 4a and 4b of the paper 1 pressed into two folds (or more than three folds) as described above while heating (heat transfer) from both sides. For example, if the surface temperatures of the fixing roller and the pressure roller in the conventional fixing device provided on both sides of the paper 1 are different, a difference due to heat transfer from each roller surface occurs, and the two interfaces 4a and 4b The temperature could not be kept the same, and clean re-peeling across both sides was not possible.

By the way, even when the two interfaces 4a and 4b are heated from both sides of the folded and pressure-bonded paper 1 or when heated from one side, depending on the nip shape of the heating and pressing device, the bending of the paper, There is a problem that the amount of paper curl due to water evaporation of the paper becomes remarkably large. The curl phenomenon occurs when the paper 1 is bent at the nip portion N and heated. In particular, the press-bonded paper 1 may have a thickness of 200 μm or more depending on the thickness of the paper and the number of foldings, and curling due to bending is likely to occur. Further, the water content (absolute amount) of the paper is large, and the amount of input heat is large because the temperature of the two interfaces 4a and 4b of the pressure-bonded paper 1 is increased. Therefore, it has been clarified that curling due to water vapor evaporation is likely to occur when heating from above and below.
This is a problem that is peculiar to the heating and pressurizing apparatus and raises the internal temperature of the paper on which the energy ray curable composition is sandwiched and pressed in at least two folds.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned unique and remarkable problems, and curls are generated when a releasable information sheet that has been crimped in two or more folds is conveyed and heated and pressed while forming a nip. An object of the present invention is to provide a heating and pressurizing apparatus that can be suppressed and can provide a releasable information sheet with good image quality even after re-peeling.

  In order to solve the above problems, the heating and pressing apparatus according to the present invention is such that an energy beam curable composition is applied and cured on a recording medium on which a toner image is fixed, and is folded into two or more folds and pressed. A heating and pressurizing apparatus for heating and pressurizing the releasable information sheet, comprising heating and pressurizing means for heating and pressurizing by applying heat and pressure by a nip portion sandwiching the releasable information sheet. The nip portion in the means is planar.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heating and pressing apparatus capable of suppressing the occurrence of curling and obtaining a releasable information sheet having good image quality even after re-peeling.

Schematic showing a releasable information sheet formed by applying and curing an energy ray curable composition on a paper on which a toner image has been fixed, folded in two, and press-bonded, and the configuration of a conventional heating and pressing apparatus. FIG. It is the schematic which shows the paper with which the toner image was fixed, and the structure of the conventional heat press apparatus. A releasable information sheet in which an energy beam curable composition is applied and cured on a paper on which toner images are fixed on both sides, folded in two and pressed, and a configuration of a conventional heating and pressing apparatus. FIG. It is the schematic which shows the structure in 1st Embodiment of the heating-pressing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure in 2nd Embodiment of the heating-pressing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure in 3rd Embodiment of the heating-pressing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows the structure in 4th Embodiment of the heating-pressing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows an example of a structure of the image forming apparatus in the manufacturing apparatus of the releasable information sheet which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows an example of a structure of the application | coating hardening means used for the manufacturing apparatus of the releasable information sheet which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the model in heat transfer simulation. It is a graph which shows the state of the heat transfer of a releasable information sheet by heat transfer simulation. It is a figure for demonstrating the measuring method of curl amount.

  The heating and pressurizing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a releasable information sheet obtained by applying and curing an energy ray curable composition on a recording medium on which a toner image is fixed, and folding and pressing in two or more folds. A heating and pressurizing apparatus for heating and pressurizing, comprising heating and pressurizing means for heating and pressurizing by applying heat and pressure by a nip portion for sandwiching the removable information sheet, wherein the nip portion in the heating and pressurizing means is a flat surface It is characterized by the shape.

  The nip portion N refers to a contact portion between the paper 1 that is a recording medium and a rotating body that heats and presses the paper 1. According to the configuration of the present invention, the “bending” at the specific nip portion N in the press-bonded paper 1 is not generated. Curling is suppressed even if the paper 1 that has been crimped from both sides is heated and pressed by making the shape of the substantially flat nip portion N (in other words, the cross-sectional shape of the nip portion N in a cross section perpendicular to the nip surface linear). Is done.

Here and further, the second object of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 3 shows a releasable information sheet in which an energy beam curable composition is applied and cured on a paper on which toner images are fixed on both sides, folded in two and pressed, and a conventional heating and pressing apparatus. It is the schematic which shows a structure.
As shown in FIG. 3, a toner image 3 b may be formed on the outer surface of the paper 1 that is pressure-bonded with the surface to which the energy beam curable composition 2 is applied facing each other. This corresponds to a direct mail address or a print for confirming the hidden crimp surface information. Also in this case, the interfaces 4a and 4b between the surface layer of the heated roller paper 1 (and the coating layer coated on the surface layer; not shown) and the toner image 3a in which the energy beam curable composition 2 has penetrated are 50 to 50. It is necessary to heat through the cross section of the paper 1 corresponding to 200 μm.

In the method in which the heat on the surface of the heating roller 10 is heated to the interfaces 4a and 4b by transferring the thickness of the paper 1 as described above, the heat gradient in the transmission is higher when the set temperature on the surface of the heating roller 10 is set higher. The interface 4a and 4b can be heated quickly by increasing. At this time, since the toner image 3b formed on the outer surface of the paper 1 is directly transferred from the surface of the heating roller 10, the toner image 3b is exposed to a higher temperature than the interfaces 4a and 4b.
In such a state, there is a problem that problems such as blistering, hot offset, and blocking occur.

Blistering is a phenomenon in which image defects occur due to the toner image 3b rising or bursting due to expansion of air and gas components in the paper 1 due to rapid temperature rise.
The hot offset is a phenomenon in which the re-melted toner image 3b is fixed again on the surface of the roller 10.
Further, the blocking is a phenomenon in which toner images 3b of adjacent papers 1 are aggregated / fused and adhered when stacked after being discharged.

  In addition to these problems, it is important to obtain an appropriate nip shape that does not cause curling, and as a result of studies by the present inventors, it has been found that a planar shape is desirable.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and both the interface 4a and the interface 4b of the paper 1 press-fitted in a double fold are heated and pressed to an optimum temperature while forming a nip and curled. A second object is to provide a heating and pressurizing device that does not generate the heat and pressure.

Next, the heating and pressing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in more detail.
Although the embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the present invention, various technically preferable limitations are attached thereto, but the scope of the present invention is intended to limit the present invention in the following description. Unless otherwise described, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

<< First Embodiment of Heating and Pressing Apparatus >>
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the first embodiment of the heating and pressing apparatus according to the present invention.
The re-peelable information sheet is obtained by fixing a toner image 3 on paper 1 as a recording medium, and further applying and curing an energy ray curable composition 2 thereon. In the present invention, the removable information sheet is pressure-bonded in a state of being folded into two or more folds.

  In the present embodiment, an upper heating roller 10a and a lower heating roller 10b (a pair of heating rollers), which are heating and pressing means, are provided so as to form a nip portion N, and the removable information sheet passes through the nip portion N. By doing so, it is heated and pressurized from both sides. The upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b not only sandwich and reheat the releasable information sheet, but also have a function of conveying it by rotating in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

In the present invention, the nip portion N is planar. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b are made of the same material and the same shape to form the planar nip portion N.
For example, it is preferable that the nip portion N has a flat shape with a mechanism for fine adjustment according to various conditions such as environmental temperature, humidity, image, curl state of the paper 1 before input.

  Further, a nip portion N formed by the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b is a contact portion with the removable information sheet. The contact location where the upper heating roller 10a is in contact with one surface and the contact location where the lower heating roller 10b is in contact with the other surface are at the same temperature. The upper temperature control circuit 16a and the lower temperature control circuit 16b, which are control means, control the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b, respectively, so that they have the same temperature.

For example, the upper heating roller 10a is provided with an elastic layer 12 such as silicon rubber or silicone sponge having heat resistance and low hardness on a metal core 11 such as aluminum or iron, and a covering layer 13 is provided on the surface thereof. It has a structure provided and is heated by an internal upper heater 14a (heating unit). The covering layer 13 is formed of a resin having high releasability such as PFA (tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer).
The upper heating roller 10a shown in this embodiment has, for example, an elastic layer 12 made of silicon rubber on an aluminum core 11 having a thickness of 3 mm, and a release layer 13 made of PFA on the surface layer, and has a diameter of 50 mm. A material having an on-axis hardness of about 60 (Asker-C) is used.

(Asker C hardness measurement)
Asker C hardness is specified in SRIS0101 (Japan Rubber Association Standard). Measurement is performed using a durometer (spring type hardness tester) for measuring hardness. If it is described as 20 by Asker C in the physical property table, it indicates that the value measured by the Asker C hardness meter is 20, and the larger the number, the harder the material.
<Measurement conditions>
Unit: None Measurement location: Measurement at multiple locations along the roller axis

  On the other hand, the lower heating roller 10b has the same configuration as that of the upper heating roller 10a. In this embodiment, by using common components, the cost of components can be reduced, and the temporal changes of the elastic layer 12 and the coating layer 13 can be kept equal. To be able to. In particular, the contact points where the upper temperature control circuit 16a and the lower temperature control circuit 16b are in contact with the removable information sheet are made of the same material, so that the behavior of heat transfer is made comparable. This is preferable because it is possible. Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b are made of the same material and the same shape so that the shape of the planar nip portion N can be easily obtained.

  Here, in the present invention, it is desirable that the axial hardness of the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b be the same. In order to make the axial hardness the same, the planar nip portion N can be easily formed by setting the same elastic layer material to the same thickness, but it is not necessarily the same. For example, even on different materials, the on-axis hardness can be made the same by adjusting the thickness. The on-axis hardness measurement is defined by, for example, a general Asker C hardness measurement.

  The upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b make a nip portion N having a nip width of about 10 mm between them by applying a pressure of about 1200 N using a well-known and commonly used pressure mechanism. Can do.

  As for the temperatures of the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b, the surface temperature is detected by temperature detection elements 15a and 15b (for example, a thermistor or the like) that are in contact with the respective surfaces. Based on the detected temperature, the upper heating roller temperature control circuit 16a and the lower heating roller temperature control circuit 16b operate the upper heater 14a and the lower heater 14b intermittently (conducting / shut-off operation) by independent control, respectively. Electric power is applied from the commercial power source 17. Thus, the surface temperature of the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b can be controlled to a predetermined temperature.

  In the present embodiment, the heater 14 is provided in both the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b. However, the heater 14 may be provided only in one heating roller 10. In other words, the temperature of the upper and lower heating rollers 10 may be controlled so that the amount of heat generated on one side is transferred to the other side and a desired amount of heat is applied to the paper 1.

  In the heating and pressing apparatus, the paper 1 press-fitted in half as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 is guided to the contact nip portion N between the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b by the inlet guide 18, Heat and pressure are applied at the nip N. The toner 3 is re-cured by heating and pressurization at the nip portion N, and the energy ray curable composition 2 that is insufficiently cured is thermally cured to fix the toner image 3 between the toner particles and to the paper 1. It is possible to prevent a decrease and to secure a sufficient fixing strength. Further, at the time of re-peeling, the toner is peeled off from an appropriate peeling surface, and toner peeling can be eliminated.

The upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b are heated and maintained at the same set temperature by the upper temperature control circuit 16a and the lower temperature control circuit 16b. As a result, the above-mentioned re-curing can be maintained under the same conditions (and at an appropriate temperature) over both sides of the paper 1, and it can be peeled cleanly without peeling at the time of re-peeling.
Moreover, the curl amount in the state before peeling can be reduced by making the shape of the nip portion N flat.

<< Second Embodiment of Heating and Pressing Apparatus >>
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the heating and pressing apparatus according to the present invention.
If the region to which heat is applied by the heating and pressurizing means, that is, the width of the nip portion N (heating width) can be increased, the heating time can be increased in proportion to the width of the nip portion N. The conveyance by the roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b can be speeded up.
Therefore, the present embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is a configuration example of a heating and pressurizing device including a belt conveyance mechanism in which the follower rollers 21a and 21b are added and the conveyance belts 20a and 20b are wound around, as described above. With this configuration, the width of the nip portion N, that is, the heating time can be easily increased.

That is, the heating and pressurizing means in the present embodiment includes a pair of conveying belts 20a and 20b that are provided opposite to each other to form a nip portion N, and heating rollers 10a and 10b each having the pair of conveying belts 20a and 20b wound around. And driven rollers 21a and 21b driven by the heating rollers 20a and 20b.
In the present embodiment, the nip portion N is planar. Moreover, it is preferable that the axial hardness of the driven rollers 21a and 21b arranged in the pair of conveying belts 20a and 20b is the same. It is preferable that the driven rollers 21a and 21b have the same on-axis hardness because a flat nip shape is easily obtained.

<< Third Embodiment of Heating and Pressing Apparatus >>
FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the third embodiment of the heating and pressing apparatus according to the present invention.
According to the heating and pressing apparatus of this embodiment, since the nip portion N is formed by the heating belt 41 that is a sliding member, it is easier to form a nip width than in the first embodiment configured by a roller pair. . Furthermore, since the fixing member 42 is used, the planar nip portion N can be easily formed.
In the present embodiment, the pressure roller 40 that is a pressure rotator and the heating belt 41 that is a thin film rotator are provided, and the heating belt 41 is directly heated by radiant heat from the inner peripheral side by the heater 2 that is a heat source.
At this time, in the heating belt 41, there is a nip forming member 46 that is a fixed sliding member that forms a nip portion N with the pressure roller 40 opposed via the heating belt 41, and directly (or It slides indirectly (through a sliding sheet not shown).

  In FIG. 6, the shape of the nip portion N is flat. The heating belt 41 is preferably an endless belt (or film) using a metal belt such as nickel or SUS or a resin material such as polyimide. The surface layer of the heating belt 41 has a release layer such as a PFA or PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) layer, and has a release property so that toner does not adhere. Between the base material of the heating belt 41 and the PFA or PTFE layer, there is an elastic layer formed of a silicon rubber layer or the like.

  A support member 48 (stay) for supporting the nip portion is provided inside the heating belt 41 to prevent the nip forming member 46 that receives pressure from the pressure roller 40 from being bent and to obtain a uniform nip width in the axial direction. I am trying to do it. The support member 48 is held and fixed to a holding member (flange; not shown) at both ends. In addition, a reflection member 49 is provided between the heater 2 and the support member 48 to suppress wasteful energy consumption due to the support member 48 being heated by radiation heat from the heater 2 or the like. Here, instead of providing the reflecting member 49, it is possible to obtain the same effect even if the surface of the supporting member 48 is heat-insulated or mirror-finished.

  The heater 2 may be the illustrated halogen heater, but may be IH, a resistance heating element, a carbon heater, or the like.

The pressure roller 40 has a pressure roller elastic layer 44 on a pressure roller cored bar 45, and a pressure roller release layer 43 (PFA or PTFE layer) is provided on the surface in order to obtain releasability. The pressure roller 40 is rotated by a driving force transmitted through a gear from a driving source such as a motor provided in the image forming apparatus. The pressure roller 40 is pressed against the heating belt 41 by a spring or the like. The pressure roller elastic layer 44 is crushed and deformed to have a predetermined nip width.
The pressure roller 40 may be a hollow roller, and the pressure roller 40 may have a heating source such as a halogen heater.
The pressure roller elastic layer 44 may be solid rubber, but if there is no heater inside the pressure roller 40, sponge rubber may be used.

The heating belt 41 is rotated by the pressure roller 40. In the case of FIG. 6, the pressure roller 40 is rotated by a driving source (not shown), and the driving force is transmitted to the belt at the nip portion N, whereby the heating belt 41 is rotated. The heating belt 41 is sandwiched and rotated at the nip portion N, and travels by being guided by holding members (flanges) at both ends other than the nip portion N.
In the configuration of the present embodiment, since the heat capacity of the heating and pressing apparatus can be reduced, it is possible to shorten the rise time for raising the heating and pressing apparatus to a desired temperature (for example, 160 ° C.).

<< Fourth Embodiment of Heating and Pressing Apparatus >>
FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the fourth embodiment of the heating and pressing apparatus according to the present invention.
In the present embodiment, a pair of fixed sliding members are provided in addition to the driven rollers 21a and 21b in the second embodiment, and the pair of fixed sliding members constitute the nip portion N instead of the driven rollers 21a and 21b. Is.
As shown in FIG. 7, a pair of fixed sliding members, upper fixed sliding member 30a and lower fixed sliding member 30b, are provided on the conveyance exit side of the paper 1, and heating rollers 20a and 20b and stretching rollers on the conveyance inlet side are provided. The conveyor belts 20a and 20b may be driven by driven rollers 21a and 21b. Even in this configuration, since the heat capacity can be reduced both in the upper and lower directions, the startup time of the heating and pressing apparatus can be shortened and the continuous productivity can be increased.
As shown in FIG. 7, the upper fixed sliding member 30a and the lower fixed sliding member 30b form a planar nip portion N at the conveyance outlet.

  In addition, although the above 1st-4th embodiment described the case of the releasable information sheet folded in half, this invention is the case where it is folded in half even if it is a releasable information sheet of three or more folds. The same effect is produced.

≪Image forming device≫
The image forming apparatus provided in the releasable information sheet manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention includes at least an image carrier, an electrostatic latent image forming unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, and a fixing unit. Preferably, it has a cleaning means, and further has other means appropriately selected as necessary, for example, a static elimination means, a recycling means, etc. (FIG. 8).
The image forming method provided in the method for producing a releasable information sheet according to the present invention includes at least an electrostatic latent image forming step, a developing step, a transfer step, and a fixing step, and preferably includes a cleaning step, Further, it includes other processes appropriately selected as necessary, for example, a static elimination process, a recycling process, and the like.

  The image forming method can be suitably performed by the image forming apparatus, the electrostatic latent image forming step can be performed by the electrostatic latent image forming unit, and the developing step is performed by the developing unit. The transfer step can be performed by the transfer unit, the fixing step can be performed by the fixing unit, and the other steps can be performed by the other unit.

<Electrostatic latent image forming step and electrostatic latent image forming means>
The electrostatic latent image forming step is a step of forming an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier.
-Image carrier-
The image carrier (sometimes referred to as “electrostatic latent image carrier” or “photoreceptor”) is not particularly limited in terms of material, shape, structure, size, etc., and is appropriately selected from known ones. The shape is preferably a drum shape, and examples of the material include inorganic photoconductors such as amorphous silicon and selenium, and organic photoconductors such as polysilane and phthalopolymethine.

  The image carrier (photoreceptor) used in the image forming apparatus of the present invention has a conductive support and at least a photosensitive layer on the conductive support, and further has other layers as necessary. It becomes.

  As the photosensitive layer, a single layer type in which a charge generation material and a charge transport material are mixed, a forward layer type in which a charge transport layer is provided on the charge generation layer, and a charge generation layer is provided on the charge transport layer. There is a reverse layer type. In order to improve the mechanical strength, abrasion resistance, gas resistance, cleaning property, etc. of the photoreceptor, an outermost surface layer can be provided on the photosensitive layer. An undercoat layer may be provided between the photosensitive layer and the conductive support. Moreover, an appropriate amount of a plasticizer, an antioxidant, a leveling agent or the like can be added to each layer as necessary.

The conductive support is not particularly limited as long as it has a volume resistance of 1.0 × 10 ¹⁰ Ω · cm or less, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, aluminum, Metals such as nickel, chromium, nichrome, copper, gold, silver and platinum, metal oxides such as tin oxide and indium oxide, film or cylindrical plastic, paper coated or aluminum by vapor deposition or sputtering A plate made of aluminum alloy, nickel, stainless steel or the like, and a tube processed into a drum shape by a method such as extrusion or drawing, and then subjected to surface treatment such as cutting, superfinishing, or polishing can be used.
The drum-shaped support preferably has a diameter of 20 to 150 mm, more preferably 24 to 100 mm, and still more preferably 28 to 70 mm. When the diameter of the drum-shaped support is less than 20 mm, it may be physically difficult to arrange each step of charging, exposure, development, transfer, and cleaning around the drum. When the diameter exceeds 150 mm, The image forming apparatus may become large. In particular, when the image forming apparatus is a tandem type, since it is necessary to mount a plurality of photoconductors, the diameter is preferably 70 mm or less, and more preferably 60 mm or less.
Further, an endless nickel belt or an endless stainless steel belt as disclosed in JP-A-52-36016 can also be used as the conductive support.

The undercoat layer of the photoconductor may be composed of a single layer or a plurality of layers. For example, (1) the resin is the main component, and (2) the white pigment and the resin are the main components. And (3) a metal oxide film obtained by chemically or electrochemically oxidizing the surface of a conductive substrate. Among these, those containing a white pigment and a resin as main components are preferable.
Examples of the white pigment include metal oxides such as titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, and zinc oxide. Among these, titanium oxide is particularly preferable because it is excellent in preventing injection of charges from the conductive support.
Examples of the resin include thermoplastic resins such as polyamide, polyvinyl alcohol, casein, and methyl cellulose; thermosetting resins such as acrylic, phenol, melamine, alkyd, unsaturated polyester, and epoxy. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the thickness of the said undercoat layer, According to the objective, it can select suitably, 0.1-10 micrometers is preferable and 1-5 micrometers is more preferable.

  Examples of the charge generation material in the photosensitive layer include monoazo pigments, bisazo pigments, trisazo pigments, tetrakisazo pigments and other azo pigments, triarylmethane dyes, thiazine dyes, oxazine dyes, xanthene dyes, Cyanine dyes, styryl dyes, pyrylium dyes, quinacridone pigments, indigo pigments, perylene pigments, polycyclic quinone pigments, bisbenzimidazole pigments, indanthrone pigments, squarylium pigments, phthalocyanine pigments, etc. Organic pigments or dyes; selenium, selenium-arsenic, selenium-tellurium, cadmium sulfide, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, amorphous silicon, and other inorganic materials. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

  Examples of the charge transport material in the photosensitive layer include anthracene derivatives, pyrene derivatives, carbazole derivatives, tetrazole derivatives, metallocene derivatives, phenothiazine derivatives, pyrazoline compounds, hydrazone compounds, styryl compounds, styryl hydrazone compounds, enamine compounds, butadiene compounds, distyryl. Examples thereof include compounds, oxazole compounds, oxadiazole compounds, thiazole compounds, imidazole compounds, triphenylamine derivatives, phenylenediamine derivatives, aminostilbene derivatives, and triphenylmethane derivatives. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

  As the binder resin used to form the photosensitive layer, it is electrically insulating and may be a known thermoplastic resin, thermosetting resin, photocurable resin, photoconductive resin, or the like. it can. Examples of the binder resin include polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate-maleic anhydride copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyvinyl butyral, Polyvinyl acetal, polyester, phenoxy resin, (meth) acrylic resin, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyarylate, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, ABS resin and other thermoplastic resins, phenol resin, epoxy resin, urethane resin, melamine resin, isocyanate resin, Examples thereof include thermosetting resins such as alkyd resins, silicon resins, and thermosetting acrylic resins, polyvinyl carbazole, polyvinyl anthracene, and polyvinyl pyrene. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

Examples of the antioxidant include phenolic compounds, paraphenylenediamines, hydroquinones, organic sulfur compounds, and organic phosphorus compounds.
Examples of the phenol compound include 2,6-di-t-butyl-p-cresol, butylated hydroxyanisole, 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-ethylphenol, stearyl-β- (3, 5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) propionate, 2,2'-methylene-bis- (4-methyl-6-t-butylphenol), 2,2'-methylene-bis- (4-ethyl- 6-t-butylphenol), 4,4′-thiobis- (3-methyl-6-tert-butylphenol), 4,4′-butylidenebis- (3-methyl-6-tert-butylphenol), 1,1,3 -Tris- (2-methyl-4-hydroxy-5-t-butylphenyl) butane, 1,3,5-trimethyl-2,4,6-tris (3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxy Ben ) Benzene, tetrakis- [methylene-3- (3 ′, 5′-di-t-butyl-4′-hydroxyphenyl) propionate] methane, bis [3,3′-bis (4′-hydroxy-3 ′) -T-butylphenyl) butyric acid] cricol ester, tocopherols and the like.
Examples of the paraphenylenediamines include N-phenyl-N′-isopropyl-p-phenylenediamine, N, N′-di-sec-butyl-p-phenylenediamine, N-phenyl-N-sec-butyl- Examples include p-phenylenediamine, N, N′-di-isopropyl-p-phenylenediamine, N, N′-dimethyl-N, N′-di-t-butyl-p-phenylenediamine, and the like.
Examples of the hydroquinones include 2,5-di-t-octyl hydroquinone, 2,6-didodecyl hydroquinone, 2-dodecyl hydroquinone, 2-dodecyl-5-chlorohydroquinone, 2-t-octyl-5-methyl. Examples include hydroquinone and 2- (2-octadecenyl) -5-methylhydroquinone.
Examples of the organic sulfur compounds include dilauryl-3,3′-thiodipropionate, distearyl-3,3′-thiodipropionate, ditetradecyl-3,3′-thiodipropionate, and the like. .
Examples of the organic phosphorus compounds include triphenylphosphine, tri (nonylphenyl) phosphine, tri (dinonylphenyl) phosphine, tricresylphosphine, tri (2,4-dibutylphenoxy) phosphine, and the like.
These compounds are known as antioxidants such as rubbers, plastics and fats and oils, and commercially available products can be easily obtained.
The addition amount of the antioxidant is preferably 0.01 to 10% by mass with respect to the total mass of the layer to be added.

As the plasticizer, those used as plasticizers for general resins such as dibutyl phthalate and dioctyl phthalate can be used as they are, and the amount used is about 0 to 30 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin. Is appropriate.
Further, a leveling agent may be added to the photosensitive layer. Examples of the leveling agent include silicone oils such as dimethyl silicone oil and methylphenyl silicone oil; polymers having a perfluoroalkyl group in the chain measurement, or oligomers. As for the usage-amount of the said leveling agent, 0-1 mass part is preferable with respect to 100 mass parts of said resin.

  Next, the formation of the electrostatic latent image can be performed, for example, by uniformly charging the surface of the image carrier and then performing imagewise exposure, and by the electrostatic latent image forming unit. Can do. The electrostatic latent image forming unit includes, for example, at least a charger that uniformly charges the surface of the image carrier and an exposure unit that exposes the surface of the image carrier imagewise.

The charging can be performed, for example, by applying a voltage to the surface of the image carrier using the charger.
The charger is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, a known contact charging device including a conductive or semiconductive roll, brush, film, rubber blade, etc. And non-contact chargers utilizing corona discharge such as corotrons and corotrons.
The charger preferably has voltage applying means for applying a voltage having an AC component.

The exposure can be performed, for example, by exposing the surface of the image carrier imagewise using the exposure device.
The exposure device is not particularly limited as long as it can perform image-like exposure on the surface of the image carrier charged by the charger, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples include various exposure devices such as a copying optical system, a rod lens array system, a laser optical system, and a liquid crystal shutter optical system.
In the present invention, an optical back side system in which imagewise exposure is performed from the back side of the image carrier may be adopted.

<Development process and development means>
The developing step is a step of developing the electrostatic latent image using a toner or a developer to form a visualized toner image.
Formation of the visualized toner image can be performed, for example, by developing the electrostatic latent image using the toner or the developer, and can be performed by the developing unit.
The developing unit is not particularly limited as long as it can be developed using, for example, the toner or the developer, and can be appropriately selected from known ones. For example, the toner or developer is accommodated. Preferred examples include those having at least a developing unit capable of bringing the toner or developer into contact or non-contact with the electrostatic latent image.

-Toner-
The toner preferably has an average circularity of 0.93 to 1.00, which is an average value of the circularity SR represented by the following formula 1, and more preferably 0.95 to 0.99. This average circularity is an index of the degree of unevenness of toner particles, and indicates 1.00 when the toner is a perfect sphere, and the average circularity becomes smaller as the surface shape becomes more complicated.

<Formula 1>
Circularity SR = (perimeter of circle having the same area as the projected area of toner particles) / (perimeter of projected image of toner particles)

  When the average circularity is in the range of 0.93 to 1.00, the surface of the toner particles is smooth, and the toner particles and the contact area between the toner particles and the photosensitive member are small, so that the transferability is excellent. Further, since the toner particles have no corners, the developer agitation torque in the developing device is small, and the agitation drive is stabilized, so that no abnormal image is generated. In addition, since there are no angular toner particles in the toner that forms the dots, the pressure is uniformly applied to the entire toner that forms the dots when pressed against the recording medium during transfer, and the transfer is not easily lost. Further, since the toner particles are not angular, the abrasive power of the toner particles themselves is small, and the surface of the image carrier is not damaged or worn.

The circularity SR can be measured using, for example, a flow particle image analyzer (manufactured by Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., FPIA-1000).
First, 0.1 to 0.5 ml of a surfactant (preferably alkylbenzene sulfonate) is added as a dispersant to 100 to 150 ml of water from which impure solids have been removed in advance. Add ~ 0.5g. The suspension in which the sample is dispersed is subjected to a dispersion treatment with an ultrasonic disperser for about 1 to 3 minutes.

The toner has a mass average particle diameter (D4) of preferably 3 to 10 μm, and more preferably 4 to 8 μm. In this range, since the toner particles have a sufficiently small particle size with respect to the minute latent image dots, the dot reproducibility is excellent. When the mass average particle diameter (D4) is less than 3 μm, phenomena such as a decrease in transfer efficiency and a decrease in blade cleaning properties may occur, and when it exceeds 10 μm, it is difficult to suppress scattering of characters and lines. is there.
The toner has a mass average particle diameter (D4) to number average particle diameter (D1) ratio (D4 / D1) of preferably 1.00 to 1.40, and more preferably 1.00 to 1.30. The closer the ratio (D4 / D1) is to 1, the sharper the particle size distribution of the toner. In the range of (D4 / D1) from 1.00 to 1.40, selective development depending on the toner particle size. Since image quality does not occur, the image quality is excellent. In addition, since the toner particle size distribution is sharp, the triboelectric charge amount distribution is also sharp and the occurrence of fog is suppressed. Further, when the toner particle diameter is uniform, the latent image dots are developed so as to be arranged densely and orderly, so that the dot reproducibility is excellent.

  Here, the mass average particle diameter (D4) and the particle size distribution of the toner are measured by, for example, a Coulter counter method. Examples of the measuring device for the particle size distribution of toner particles by the Coulter counter method include Coulter Counter TA-II and Coulter Multisizer II (both manufactured by Coulter).

  First, 0.1 to 5 ml of a surfactant (preferably alkyl benzene sulfonate) is added as a dispersant to 100 to 150 ml of the electrolytic aqueous solution. Here, the electrolytic solution is a solution prepared by preparing a 1% NaCl aqueous solution using primary sodium chloride. For example, ISOTON-II (manufactured by Coulter) can be used. Here, 2 to 20 mg of a measurement sample is further added. The electrolytic solution in which the sample is suspended is subjected to a dispersion treatment with an ultrasonic disperser for about 1 to 3 minutes, and the measurement device is used to measure the volume and number of toner particles or toner using a 100 μm aperture as the aperture. Volume distribution and number distribution are calculated. From the obtained distribution, the mass average particle diameter (D4) and the number average particle diameter (D1) of the toner can be obtained.

  As channels, 2.00 to less than 2.52 μm; 2.52 to less than 3.17 μm; 3.17 to less than 4.00 μm; 4.00 to less than 5.04 μm; 5.04 to less than 6.35 μm; 6 Less than 35 to 8.00 μm; less than 8.00 to less than 10.08 μm; less than 10.08 to less than 12.70 μm; less than 12.70 to less than 16.00 μm; less than 16.00 to less than 20.20 μm; Uses 13 channels of less than 40 μm; 25.40 to less than 32.00 μm; 32.00 to less than 40.30 μm, and targets particles having a particle size of 2.00 μm to less than 40.30 μm.

  As the toner having such a substantially spherical shape, a toner composition containing a polyester prepolymer having a functional group containing a nitrogen atom, a polyester, a colorant, and a release agent is crosslinked in the presence of resin fine particles in an aqueous medium. It can be prepared by an extension reaction. In the toner produced by this reaction, the occurrence of hot offset can be reduced by curing the toner surface, and it is possible to prevent the fixing device from becoming dirty and appearing on the image.

Examples of the prepolymer made of the modified polyester resin include a polyester prepolymer (A) having an isocyanate group, and examples of the compound that extends or crosslinks with the prepolymer include amines (B).
Examples of the polyester prepolymer (A) having an isocyanate group include a polycondensate of a polyol (1) and a polycarboxylic acid (2) and a polyester having an active hydrogen group, which is further reacted with a polyisocyanate (3). Is mentioned. Examples of active hydrogen groups possessed by the polyester include hydroxyl groups (alcoholic hydroxyl groups and phenolic hydroxyl groups), amino groups, carboxyl groups, mercapto groups, and the like. Among these, alcoholic hydroxyl groups are particularly preferable.

Examples of the polyol (1) include diol (1-1), trivalent or higher polyol (1-2), (1-1) alone or (1-1) and a small amount of (1-2). Mixtures are preferred.
Examples of the diol (1-1) include alkylene glycol (ethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, etc.); alkylene ether glycol (Diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, polytetramethylene ether glycol, etc.); Alicyclic diols (1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, hydrogenated bisphenol A, etc.); Bisphenols (bisphenol A) Bisphenol F, bisphenol S, etc.); alkylene oxide (ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide, etc.) adduct of the above alicyclic diol Alkylene oxide of the bisphenols (ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide, etc.), etc. adducts. Among these, alkylene glycols having 2 to 12 carbon atoms and alkylene oxide adducts of bisphenols are preferable, and combined use of alkylene oxide adducts of bisphenols and alkylene glycols having 2 to 12 carbon atoms is particularly preferable.

  Examples of the trivalent or higher polyol (1-2) include 3 to 8 or higher polyhydric aliphatic alcohols (glycerin, trimethylolethane, trimethylolpropane, pentaerythritol, sorbitol, etc.); (Trisphenol PA, phenol novolak, cresol novolak, etc.); alkylene oxide adducts of the above trivalent or higher polyphenols.

Examples of the polycarboxylic acid (2) include dicarboxylic acid (2-1) and trivalent or higher polycarboxylic acid (2-2). Among these, (2-1) alone and (2-1) ) And a small amount of (2-2).
Examples of the dicarboxylic acid (2-1) include alkylene dicarboxylic acids (succinic acid, adipic acid, sebacic acid, etc.); alkenylene dicarboxylic acids (maleic acid, fumaric acid, etc.); aromatic dicarboxylic acids (phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, Terephthalic acid, naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, etc.). Among these, alkenylene dicarboxylic acid having 4 to 20 carbon atoms and aromatic dicarboxylic acid having 8 to 20 carbon atoms are particularly preferable.
Examples of the trivalent or higher polycarboxylic acid (2-2) include aromatic polycarboxylic acids having 9 to 20 carbon atoms (such as trimellitic acid and pyromellitic acid). In addition, as polycarboxylic acid (2), you may make it react with polyol (1) using the acid anhydride or lower alkyl ester (methyl ester, ethyl ester, isopropyl ester, etc.) of the above-mentioned thing.

  As for the ratio of the polyol (1) and the polycarboxylic acid (2), the equivalent ratio [OH] / [COOH] of the hydroxyl group [OH] and the carboxyl group [COOH] is preferably 2/1 to 1/1. 5/1 to 1/1 is more preferable, and 1.3 / 1 to 1.02 / 1 is still more preferable.

  Examples of the polyisocyanate (3) include aliphatic polyisocyanates (tetramethylene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, 2,6-diisocyanatomethylcaproate, etc.); alicyclic polyisocyanates (isophorone diisocyanate, cyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, etc.) Aromatic diisocyanates (tolylene diisocyanate, diphenylmethane diisocyanate, etc.); araliphatic diisocyanates (α, α, α ′, α′-tetramethylxylylene diisocyanate, etc.); isocyanurates; Those blocked with caprolactam, etc. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

  As for the ratio of the polyisocyanate (3), the equivalent ratio [NCO] / [OH] of the isocyanate group [NCO] and the hydroxyl group [OH] of the polyester having a hydroxyl group is preferably 5/1 to 1/1. 1 to 1.2 / 1 is more preferable, and 2.5 / 1 to 1.5 / 1 is still more preferable. If the [NCO] / [OH] exceeds 5, the low-temperature fixability may be deteriorated. If the molar ratio of [NCO] is less than 1, the urea content in the modified polyester becomes low, and hot offset resistance Sex worsens.

  The content of the polyisocyanate (3) component in the prepolymer (A) having an isocyanate group at the terminal is preferably 0.5 to 40% by mass, more preferably 1 to 30% by mass, and 2 to 20% by mass. Is more preferable. When the content is less than 0.5% by mass, the hot offset resistance deteriorates, and it is disadvantageous in terms of both heat-resistant storage stability and low-temperature fixability. When the content exceeds 40% by mass, low-temperature fixability is obtained. May worsen.

The number of isocyanate groups contained per molecule in the prepolymer (A) having the isocyanate group is preferably 1 or more on average, more preferably 1.5 to 3 on average, and 1.8 to 2.5 on average. Further preferred. When the number is less than 1 per molecule, the molecular weight of the urea-modified polyester is lowered, and the hot offset resistance may be deteriorated.

  As the amines (B), the diamine (B1), trivalent or higher polyamine (B2), amino alcohol (B3), amino mercaptan (B4), amino acid (B5), and amino groups of B1 to B5 were blocked. (B6) etc. are mentioned. Examples of the diamine (B1) include aromatic diamines (phenylenediamine, diethyltoluenediamine, 4,4′diaminodiphenylmethane, etc.); alicyclic diamines (4,4′-diamino-3,3′dimethyldicyclohexylmethane, diaminecyclohexane, Isophorone diamine etc.); and aliphatic diamines (ethylene diamine, tetramethylene diamine, hexamethylene diamine etc.) and the like. Examples of the trivalent or higher polyamine (B2) include diethylenetriamine and triethylenetetramine. Examples of amino alcohol (B3) include ethanolamine and hydroxyethylaniline. Examples of amino mercaptan (B4) include aminoethyl mercaptan and aminopropyl mercaptan. Examples of the amino acid (B5) include aminopropionic acid and aminocaproic acid. Examples of the B1-B5 amino group blocked (B6) include ketimine compounds and oxazoline compounds obtained from the B1-B5 amines and ketones (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, etc.). Among these amines (B), preferred are B1 and a mixture of B1 and a small amount of B2.

  Furthermore, if necessary, the molecular weight of the urea-modified polyester can be adjusted using an elongation terminator. Examples of the elongation terminator include monoamines (diethylamine, dibutylamine, butylamine, laurylamine, etc.), or those obtained by blocking them (ketimine compounds).

  The ratio of the amines (B) is the equivalent ratio [NCO] / [NHx] of the isocyanate group [NCO] in the prepolymer (A) having an isocyanate group and the amino group [NHx] in the amine (B). Is preferably 1/2 to 2/1, more preferably 1.5 / 1 to 1 / 1.5, and still more preferably 1.2 / 1 to 1 / 1.2. When the [NCO] / [NHx] exceeds 2 or less than 1/2, the molecular weight of the urea-modified polyester (i) becomes low and the hot offset resistance deteriorates.

  In the present invention, the polyester (i) modified with a urea bond may contain a urethane bond together with a urea bond. The molar ratio between the urea bond content and the urethane bond content is preferably 100/0 to 10/90, more preferably 80/20 to 20/80, and still more preferably 60/40 to 30/70. When the molar ratio of the urea bond is less than 10%, the hot offset resistance may be deteriorated.

  By these reactions, the modified polyester used in the toner, especially the urea-modified polyester (i) can be produced. These urea-modified polyesters (i) are produced by a one-shot method or a prepolymer method. The mass average molecular weight of the urea-modified polyester (i) is preferably 10,000 or more, more preferably 20,000 to 10,000,000, and still more preferably 30,000 to 1,000,000. When the mass average molecular weight is less than 10,000, the hot offset resistance may be deteriorated.

  The number average molecular weight of the urea-modified polyester is not particularly limited when the unmodified polyester (ii) described later is used, and may be a number average molecular weight that can be easily obtained to obtain the mass average molecular weight. (I) When used alone, the number average molecular weight is preferably 20,000 or less, more preferably 1,000 to 10,000, and still more preferably 2,000 to 8,000. When the number average molecular weight exceeds 20,000, low temperature fixability and glossiness when used in a full color image forming apparatus may be deteriorated.

  In the present invention, not only the polyester (i) modified with a urea bond but also the polyester (ii) not modified can be included as a binder resin component together with the (i). By using (ii) in combination, the low-temperature fixability and the gloss when used in a full-color apparatus are improved, so that it is preferable to use alone. Examples of (ii) include the same polycondensates of polyol (1) and polycarboxylic acid (2) as in the polyester component (i), and preferred ones are also the same as (i). Further, (ii) is not limited to unmodified polyester, but may be modified with a chemical bond other than a urea bond, for example, may be modified with a urethane bond. It is preferable that (i) and (ii) are at least partially compatible with each other in terms of low-temperature fixability and hot offset resistance.

  Therefore, the polyester component (i) and (ii) preferably have similar compositions. When (ii) is contained, the mass ratio of (i) and (ii) is preferably 5/95 to 80/20, more preferably 5/95 to 30/70, and further preferably 5/95 to 25/75. 7/93 to 20/80 is particularly preferable. When the mass ratio of (i) is less than 5% by mass, the hot offset resistance may be deteriorated, and it may be disadvantageous in terms of both heat-resistant storage stability and low-temperature fixability.

  The peak molecular weight of (ii) is preferably 1,000 to 30,000, more preferably 1,500 to 10,000, and still more preferably 2,000 to 8,000. When the peak molecular weight is less than 1,000, the heat resistant storage stability may be deteriorated, and when it exceeds 10,000, the low temperature fixability may be deteriorated. The hydroxyl value of (ii) is preferably 5 or more, more preferably 10 to 120, and still more preferably 20 to 80. If the hydroxyl value is less than 5, it may be disadvantageous in terms of both heat-resistant storage stability and low-temperature fixability. 1-30 are preferable and, as for the acid value of said (ii), 5-20 are more preferable. By having an acid value, it tends to be negatively charged.

  The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the binder resin is preferably 50 to 70 ° C, and more preferably 55 to 65 ° C. When the glass transition temperature is less than 50 ° C., blocking of the toner during high-temperature storage may deteriorate, and when it exceeds 70 ° C., the low-temperature fixability becomes insufficient. Due to the coexistence of the urea-modified polyester resin, the toner used in the present invention tends to have good heat storage stability even when the glass transition point is low, as compared with known polyester-based toners.

As the storage elastic modulus of the binder resin, the temperature (TG ′) at which the measurement frequency is 20 Hz is 10,000 dyne / cm ² is preferably 100 ° C. or more, and more preferably 110 to 200 ° C. When the temperature (TG ′) is less than 100 ° C., the hot offset resistance may be deteriorated.

  As the viscosity of the binder resin, the temperature (Tη) at 1000 poise at a measurement frequency of 20 Hz is preferably 180 ° C. or less, and more preferably 90 to 160 ° C. When the temperature (Tη) exceeds 180 ° C., the low-temperature fixability deteriorates. That is, TG ′ is preferably higher than Tη from the viewpoint of achieving both low-temperature fixability and hot offset resistance. In other words, the difference between TG ′ and Tη (TG′−Tη) is preferably greater than 0 ° C., more preferably 10 ° C. or more, and even more preferably 20 ° C. or more. The upper limit of the difference is not particularly limited. Further, from the viewpoint of achieving both heat-resistant storage stability and low-temperature fixability, the difference between Tη and Tg is preferably 0 to 100 ° C, more preferably 10 to 90 ° C, and still more preferably 20 to 80 ° C.

The binder resin can be produced by the following method.
First, the polyol (1) and the polycarboxylic acid (2) are produced at 150 to 280 ° C. in the presence of a known esterification catalyst such as tetrabutoxytitanate or dibutyltin oxide, and reduced pressure as necessary. Water is distilled off to obtain a polyester having a hydroxyl group. Subsequently, this is made to react with polyisocyanate (3) at 40-140 degreeC, and the prepolymer (A) which has an isocyanate group is obtained. Further, (A) is reacted with amines (B) at 0 to 140 ° C. to obtain a polyester modified with a urea bond. When reacting (3) and reacting (A) and (B), a solvent may be used as necessary.
Usable solvents include, for example, aromatic solvents (toluene, xylene, etc.); ketones (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, etc.); esters (ethyl acetate, etc.); amides (dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, etc.), Inactive to isocyanate (3) such as ethers (tetrahydrofuran, etc.).
When using polyester (ii) not modified with urea bond, (ii) is produced in the same manner as polyester having a hydroxyl group, and this is dissolved in the solution after completion of the reaction of (i). , Mix.

  The binder resin other than the polyester resin is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, styrene such as polystyrene, poly-p-styrene, polyvinyltoluene, or a homopolymer of a substitution product thereof, styrene -P-chlorostyrene copolymer, styrene-propylene copolymer, styrene-vinyltoluene copolymer, styrene-methyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-methacrylic acid copolymer , Styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-butyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-α-chloromethyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer Styrene-vinyl methyl ether copolymer, styrene-vinyl methyl ketone Copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-isopropyl copolymer, styrene copolymer such as styrene-maleic acid ester copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate resin, polybutyl methacrylate resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, Polyvinyl acetate resin, polyethylene resin, polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, polyvinyl butyral resin, polyacrylic acid resin, rosin resin, modified rosin resin, terpene resin, phenol resin, aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon resin, aromatic petroleum resin Etc. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together. Among these, it is particularly preferable to use a polyester resin because of its affinity with the recording medium to be fixed.

In addition, the toner used in the present invention can be produced by the following method, but is not limited thereto.
The toner may be formed by reacting a dispersion made of a prepolymer (A) having an isocyanate group in an aqueous medium with (B), or using a urea-modified polyester (i) produced in advance. Good. As a method for stably forming a dispersion comprising urea-modified polyester (i) or prepolymer (A) in an aqueous medium, a toner raw material comprising urea-modified polyester (i) or prepolymer (A) in an aqueous medium is used. And a method of dispersing by shearing force.
The prepolymer (A) and other toner compositions (hereinafter sometimes referred to as toner raw materials), colorants, colorant master batches, release agents, charge control agents, unmodified polyester resins, Mixing may be performed when the dispersion is formed in the medium, but it is more preferable to mix the toner raw materials in advance and then add and disperse the mixture in the aqueous medium. In the present invention, other toner raw materials such as a colorant, a release agent, and a charge control agent do not necessarily have to be mixed when forming particles in an aqueous medium. It may be added later. For example, after forming particles not containing a colorant, the colorant can be added by a known dyeing method.

  As the aqueous medium, water alone may be used, but a solvent miscible with water may be used in combination. Examples of miscible solvents include alcohol (methanol, isopropanol, ethylene glycol, etc.), dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, cellosolves (methyl cellosolve, etc.), lower ketones (acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, etc.) and the like.

  The amount of the aqueous medium used relative to 100 parts by mass of the toner composition containing the urea-modified polyester (i) and the prepolymer (A) is preferably 50 to 2000 parts by mass, and more preferably 100 to 1000 parts by mass. When the amount used is less than 50 parts by mass, the toner composition is not well dispersed, and toner particles having a predetermined particle size may not be obtained. When the amount used exceeds 2000 parts by mass, it is not economical.

Moreover, a dispersing agent can also be used as needed. It is preferable to use a dispersant because the particle size distribution becomes sharp and the dispersion is stable.
The dispersion method is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. For example, known equipment such as a low-speed shear method, a high-speed shear method, a friction method, a high-pressure jet method, and an ultrasonic wave can be applied. . In order to make the particle diameter of the dispersion 2 to 20 μm, a high-speed shearing method is preferable. When a high-speed shearing disperser is used, the number of rotations is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1000 to 30000 rpm, more preferably 5000 to 20000 rpm. The dispersion time is not particularly limited, but in the case of a batch method, it is usually 0.1 to 5 minutes. As temperature at the time of dispersion | distribution, 0-150 degreeC is preferable normally and 40-98 degreeC is more preferable. Higher temperatures are preferred in that the dispersion made of urea-modified polyester (i) or prepolymer (A) has a low viscosity and is easy to disperse.

  In the step of synthesizing the urea-modified polyester (i) from the prepolymer (A), the amine (B) may be added and reacted before the toner composition is dispersed in the aqueous medium, or may be dispersed in the aqueous medium. An amine (B) may be added later to cause a reaction from the particle interface. In this case, urea-modified polyester is preferentially produced on the surface of the manufactured toner, and a concentration gradient can be provided inside the particles.

In the reaction, it is preferable to use a dispersant as necessary.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said dispersing agent, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, surfactant, a slightly water-soluble inorganic compound dispersing agent, a polymeric protective colloid, etc. are mentioned. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together. Among these, surfactants are preferable.

Examples of the surfactant include an anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, a nonionic surfactant, and an amphoteric surfactant.
Examples of the anionic surfactant include alkylbenzene sulfonates, α-olefin sulfonates, phosphate esters, and the like. Among these, those having a fluoroalkyl group are preferable. Examples of the anionic surfactant having a fluoroalkyl group include a fluoroalkylcarboxylic acid having 2 to 10 carbon atoms or a metal salt thereof, disodium perfluorooctanesulfonylglutamate, 3- [omega-fluoroalkyl (6 carbon atoms). -11) Oxy] -1-alkyl (carbon number 3-4) sodium sulfonate, 3- [omega-fluoroalkanoyl (carbon number 6-8) -N-ethylamino] -1-propanesulfonic acid sodium, fluoroalkyl (Carbon number 11-20) carboxylic acid or its metal salt, perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acid (carbon number 7-13) or its metal salt, perfluoroalkyl (carbon number 4-12) sulfonic acid or its metal salt, perfluoro Octanesulfonic acid diethanolamide, N-propyl-N- (2-hydroxy Ethyl) perfluorooctanesulfonamide, perfluoroalkyl (carbon number 6-10) sulfonamidopropyltrimethylammonium salt, perfluoroalkyl (carbon number 6-10) -N-ethylsulfonylglycine salt, monoperfluoroalkyl (carbon number) 6-16) Ethyl phosphate and the like. Examples of commercially available surfactants having a fluoroalkyl group include Surflon S-111, S-112, S-113 (Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.); Fluorard FC-93, FC-95, FC-98, FC- 129 (manufactured by Sumitomo 3M); Unidyne DS-101, DS-102 (manufactured by Daikin Industries); Megafac F-110, F-120, F-113, F-191, F-812, F-833 (large) Nippon Ink Chemical Co., Ltd.); Xtop EF-102, 103, 104, 105, 112, 123A, 123B, 306A, 501, 201, 204 (manufactured by Tochem Products); Neos) and the like.

  Examples of the cationic surfactant include amine salt type surfactants and quaternary ammonium salt type cationic surfactants. Examples of the amine salt type surfactant include alkylamine salts, aminoalcohol fatty acid derivatives, polyamine fatty acid derivatives, imidazolines, and the like. Examples of the quaternary ammonium salt type cationic surfactant include alkyltrimethylammonium salts, dialkyldimethylammonium salts, alkyldimethylbenzylammonium salts, pyridinium salts, alkylisoquinolinium salts, benzethonium chloride, and the like. . Among the cationic surfactants, aliphatic quaternary ammonium such as aliphatic primary, secondary or tertiary amine acids having a fluoroalkyl group, perfluoroalkyl (6 to 10 carbon atoms) sulfonamidopropyltrimethylammonium salt, etc. Salts, benzalkonium salts, benzethonium chloride, pyridinium salts, imidazolinium salts, and the like. Commercially available products of the cationic surfactant include, for example, Surflon S-121 (manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.); Florard FC-135 (manufactured by Sumitomo 3M); F-824 (manufactured by Dainippon Ink & Chemicals, Inc.); Xtop EF-132 (manufactured by Tochem Products);

Examples of the nonionic surfactant include fatty acid amide derivatives and polyhydric alcohol derivatives.
Examples of the amphoteric surfactant include alanine, dodecyldi (aminoethyl) glycine, di (octylaminoethyl) glycine, N-alkyl-N, N-dimethylammonium betaine, and the like.

Examples of the poorly water-soluble inorganic compound dispersant include tricalcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, titanium oxide, colloidal silica, and hydroxyapatite.
Examples of the polymeric protective colloid include acids, (meth) acrylic monomers containing a hydroxyl group, vinyl alcohol or ethers of vinyl alcohol, esters of vinyl alcohol and a compound containing a carboxyl group, amides Examples thereof include homopolymers or copolymers such as compounds or their methylol compounds, chlorides, those having a nitrogen atom or a heterocyclic ring thereof, polyoxyethylenes, and celluloses.
Examples of the acids include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, α-cyanoacrylic acid, α-cyanomethacrylic acid, itaconic acid, crotonic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, and the like. Examples of the (meth) acrylic monomer containing a hydroxyl group include β-hydroxyethyl acrylate, β-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, β-hydroxypropyl acrylate, β-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, and γ-acrylate. -Hydroxypropyl, γ-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl acrylate, 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, diethylene glycol monoacrylate, diethylene glycol monomethacrylate, glycerol monoacrylate Glycerin monomethacrylate, N-methylol acrylamide, N-methylol methacrylamide and the like. Examples of the vinyl alcohol or ethers with vinyl alcohol include vinyl methyl ether, vinyl ethyl ether, vinyl propyl ether, and the like. Examples of the esters of vinyl alcohol and a compound containing a carboxyl group include vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, and vinyl butyrate. Examples of the amide compound or these methylol compounds include acrylamide, methacrylamide, diacetone acrylamide acid, or these methylol compounds. Examples of the chlorides include acrylic acid chloride and methacrylic acid chloride. Examples of the homopolymer or copolymer such as those having a nitrogen atom or a heterocyclic ring thereof include vinyl pyridine, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl imidazole, and ethylene imine. Examples of the polyoxyethylene are polyoxyethylene, polyoxypropylene, polyoxyethylene alkylamine, polyoxypropylene alkylamine, polyoxyethylene alkylamide, polyoxypropylene alkylamide, polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether, polyoxyethylene Examples thereof include oxyethylene lauryl phenyl ether, polyoxyethylene stearyl phenyl ester, and polyoxyethylene nonyl phenyl ester. Examples of the celluloses include methyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and hydroxypropyl cellulose.

In the preparation of the dispersion, a dispersion stabilizer can be used as necessary. Examples of the dispersion stabilizer include acids that are soluble in acids and alkalis such as calcium phosphate salts.
When the dispersion stabilizer is used, the calcium phosphate salt can be removed from the fine particles by a method of dissolving the calcium phosphate salt with an acid such as hydrochloric acid and then washing with water or a method of decomposing with an enzyme.

  In the preparation of the dispersion, a catalyst for the extension reaction or the crosslinking reaction can be used. Examples of the catalyst include dibutyltin laurate and dioctyltin laurate.

Furthermore, in order to lower the viscosity of the toner composition, a solvent in which the urea-modified polyester (i) or the prepolymer (A) is soluble can be used. The use of a solvent is preferable in that the particle size distribution becomes sharp. The solvent is preferably volatile from the viewpoint of easy removal.
Examples of the solvent include toluene, xylene, benzene, carbon tetrachloride, methylene chloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, chloroform, monochlorobenzene, dichloroethylidene, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, Examples thereof include methyl ethyl ketone and methyl isobutyl ketone. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together. Among these, aromatic solvents such as toluene and xylene; halogenated hydrocarbons such as methylene chloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride are preferable, and aromatic solvents such as toluene and xylene are more preferable.
0-300 mass parts is preferable, as for the usage-amount of the solvent with respect to 100 mass parts of said prepolymers (A), 0-100 mass parts is more preferable, and 25-70 mass parts is still more preferable. When a solvent is used, it is removed by heating under normal pressure or reduced pressure after the elongation and / or crosslinking reaction.

  The elongation and / or crosslinking reaction time is selected depending on the reactivity of the isocyanate group structure of the prepolymer (A) and the amines (B), but is usually preferably 10 minutes to 40 hours, and preferably 2 to 24 hours. More preferred. The reaction temperature is preferably 0 to 150 ° C, more preferably 40 to 98 ° C. Furthermore, a known catalyst can be used as necessary. Specific examples include dibutyltin laurate and dioctyltin laurate.

  In order to remove the organic solvent from the obtained emulsified dispersion, a method in which the temperature of the entire system is gradually raised to completely evaporate and remove the organic solvent in the droplets can be employed. It is also possible to spray the emulsified dispersion in a dry atmosphere to completely remove the water-insoluble organic solvent in the droplets to form toner fine particles, and also remove the aqueous dispersant by evaporating it. is there. As a dry atmosphere in which the emulsified dispersion is sprayed, a gas obtained by heating air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide gas, combustion gas, or the like, in particular, various air currents heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the boiling point of the highest boiling solvent used is generally used. Sufficient quality can be obtained with a short treatment such as spray dryer, belt dryer or rotary kiln.

When the particle size distribution at the time of emulsification dispersion is wide and washing and drying processes are performed while maintaining the particle size distribution, the particle size distribution can be adjusted by classifying into a desired particle size distribution.
In the classification operation, the fine particle portion can be removed in the liquid by a cyclone, a decanter, centrifugation, or the like. Although classification operation may be performed after obtaining as powder after drying, it is preferable in terms of efficiency to be performed in a liquid. The unnecessary fine particles or coarse particles obtained can be returned to the kneading step and used for the formation of particles. At that time, unnecessary fine particles or coarse particles may be wet.
The dispersant used is preferably removed from the obtained dispersion as much as possible, but it is preferable to carry out it simultaneously with the classification operation described above.

  The resulting dried toner powder is mixed with dissimilar particles such as release agent fine particles, charge control fine particles, fluidizing agent fine particles, and colorant fine particles, or mechanical impact force is applied to the mixed powder. As a result, it is possible to prevent the dissociation of the foreign particles from the surface of the composite particle obtained by immobilizing and fusing on the surface.

  As specific means, (1) a method of applying an impact force to the mixture by blades rotating at high speed, (2) the mixture is injected into a high-speed air stream, accelerated, and particles or composite particles are mixed with an appropriate collision plate. There is a method of making it collide. As equipment, Ong mill (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation), I-type mill (manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Co., Ltd.), with reduced pulverization air pressure, hybridization system (manufactured by Nara Machinery Co., Ltd.), kryptron system ( Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.) and automatic mortar.

Further, as the colorant used in the toner, pigments and dyes that have been conventionally used as toner colorants can be used, and as colors, those exhibiting colors such as black, yellow, magenta, and cyan are used. be able to. Note that it is preferable to form a full-color image using at least four colors of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan.
The colorant is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected from known dyes and pigments according to the purpose. Specifically, carbon black, lamp black, iron black, ultramarine, nigrosine dye, aniline blue, phthalocyanine Blue, phthalocyanine green, Hansa yellow G, rhodamine 6C lake, calco oil blue, chrome yellow, quinacridone red, benzidine yellow, rose bengal and the like can be used alone or in combination.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of the said coloring agent, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 1 mass part-15 mass parts are preferable with respect to 100 mass parts of said toners, and 3 mass parts-10 parts. Part by mass is more preferable.

  The colorant may be used as a master batch combined with a resin. The resin is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected from known ones according to the purpose. For example, styrene or a substituted polymer thereof, styrene copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate resin, polybutyl Methacrylate resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, polyvinyl acetate resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polyester resin, epoxy resin, epoxy polyol resin, polyurethane resin, polyamide resin, polyvinyl butyral resin, polyacrylic acid resin, rosin, modified rosin, terpene Examples thereof include resins, aliphatic hydrocarbon resins, alicyclic hydrocarbon resins, aromatic petroleum resins, chlorinated paraffins, and paraffins. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

Further, if necessary, in order to give the toner particles magnetic properties, for example, iron oxides such as ferrite, magnetite and maghemite; metals such as iron, cobalt and nickel, or alloys of these with other metals, etc. What is necessary is just to mix well-known things, such as a magnetic component, into a toner particle individually or in mixture. These components can also be used as a colorant component.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of the said magnetic body, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 10 mass parts-200 mass parts are preferable with respect to 100 mass parts of said binder resins, 20 mass parts -150 mass parts is more preferable.

  Further, the number average particle diameter of the colorant in the toner used in the present invention is preferably 0.5 μm or less, more preferably 0.4 μm or less, and further preferably 0.3 μm or less. When the number average particle diameter exceeds 0.5 μm, the dispersibility of the pigment does not reach a sufficient level, and preferable transparency may not be obtained. On the other hand, the colorant having a fine particle diameter of less than 0.1 μm is sufficiently smaller than a half wavelength of visible light, and thus is considered not to adversely affect the light reflection and absorption characteristics. Therefore, the colorant particles having a number average particle size of less than 0.1 μm contribute to good color reproducibility and transparency of the OHP sheet having a fixed image. On the other hand, when there are many colorants having a particle size larger than 0.5 μm, the transmission of incident light is hindered or scattered, and the brightness of the projected image of the OHP sheet is reduced. There is a tendency to decrease the color. Further, when a large amount of colorant having a particle size larger than 0.5 μm is present, the colorant is detached from the surface of the toner particles, which may cause various problems such as fogging, drum contamination, and poor cleaning. The colorant having a particle size larger than 0.7 μm is preferably 10% by number or less, more preferably 5% by number or less of the total colorant.

  In addition, by mixing the colorant together with a part or all of the binder resin in advance after adding a wetting liquid, the binder resin and the colorant are initially sufficiently attached, In the subsequent toner production process, the colorant is dispersed more effectively in the toner particles, the dispersed particle diameter of the colorant is reduced, and better transparency can be obtained.

  As the binder resin used for kneading in advance, the resins exemplified as the binder resin for toner can be used as they are, but are not limited thereto.

  As a specific method for kneading the mixture of the binder resin and the colorant with the wetting liquid in advance, for example, the binder resin, the colorant and the wetting liquid are obtained after mixing with a blender such as a Henschel mixer. The obtained mixture is kneaded at a temperature lower than the softening temperature of the binder resin using a kneader such as a two-roll or three-roll roll to obtain a sample.

Further, as the wetting liquid, a general one can be used in consideration of the solubility of the binder resin and the paintability with the colorant, but an organic solvent such as acetone, toluene, butanone, and water are used as the colorant. It is preferable from the viewpoint of dispersibility. Among these, the use of water is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of environmental considerations and maintaining the dispersion stability of the colorant in the subsequent toner production process.
According to this manufacturing method, not only the particle diameter of the colorant particles contained in the obtained toner is reduced, but also the uniformity of the dispersion state of the particles is increased, so that the color reproducibility of the projected image by OHP is further improved. Get better.

The toner contains a wax (release agent) in the toner in order to give release properties together with the binder resin and the colorant. The wax preferably has a melting point of 40 to 160 ° C, more preferably 50 to 120 ° C. If the melting point is less than 40 ° C., the heat resistant storage stability may be adversely affected, and if it exceeds 160 ° C., cold offset may easily occur during fixing at a low temperature.
The melt viscosity of the wax is preferably 5 to 1000 cps, more preferably 10 to 100 cps at a temperature 20 ° C. higher than the melting point. When the melt viscosity exceeds 1000 cps, the effect of improving hot offset resistance and low-temperature fixability may be poor.
The content of the wax in the toner is preferably 0 to 40% by mass, and more preferably 3 to 30% by mass. When the wax content exceeds 40% by mass, the amount of wax deposited on the surface of the image after the fixing process becomes too large, and repels the energy ray curable composition described later, or the interface between the toner and the energy ray curable composition. In some cases, it may interfere with the adhesion.
In the present invention, even a toner containing wax can be satisfactorily removed.

  Examples of the wax include animal-derived waxes (such as beeswax, whale wax, shellac wax), plant-derived waxes (such as carnauba wax, wood wax, rice bran wax, and candelilla wax), and mineral-derived waxes (such as montan wax and ozokerite). Petroleum-derived waxes (paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, etc.) can be exemplified, but petroleum-derived waxes are preferred because of their high mold release capability. Examples of the petroleum-derived wax include paraffin wax and microcrystalline wax, and two or more kinds of waxes may be mixed and used. In particular, when waxes having different melting points are mixed, the melting point of the wax as a whole is lowered. Since microcrystalline wax contains components of isoparaffin and cycloparaffin, crystals are relatively small. Therefore, the wax on the oilless fixed image is not uniformly present but tends to be dispersed.

  The wax preferably contains 10% by mass or more of isoparaffin as a hydrocarbon component from the viewpoint of adhesion with an energy ray curable precursor for electrophotography (ultraviolet curable composition precursor).

The molecular weight of the wax is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected according to the purpose.However, the molecular weight of the component contributing to the adhesion of the energy beam curable precursor for electrophotography is high, and the closer the molecular weight is, preferable. Specifically, an average molecular weight of 500 or more is preferable from the viewpoint of adhesion with the energy beam curable precursor for electrophotography.
The mass% of isoparaffin in the wax and the average molecular weight of the wax can be measured by, for example, FD (Field Desorption) method using JMS-T100GC “AccuTOF GC”.

Further, in order to accelerate the toner charge amount and its rise, a charge control agent may be contained in the toner as necessary. Since a color change occurs when a colored material is used as the charge control agent, a colorless or nearly white material is preferable.
The charge control agent is not particularly limited and may be any one that imparts positive or negative chargeability, and can be appropriately selected from known ones according to the purpose. Phenylmethane dyes, molybdate chelate pigments, rhodamine dyes, alkoxy amines, quaternary ammonium salts (including fluorine-modified quaternary ammonium salts), alkylamides, phosphorus simple substances or compounds, tungsten simple substances or compounds, fluorine based Examples include activators, metal salts of salicylic acid, and metal salts of salicylic acid derivatives.
As the charge control agent, a commercially available product can be used. Examples of the commercially available product include quaternary ammonium salt Bontron P-51, oxynaphthoic acid metal complex E-82, and salicylic acid metal complex. E-84, E-89 of a phenol-based condensate (both manufactured by Orient Chemical Industries); TP-302, TP-415 of a quaternary ammonium salt molybdenum complex (both manufactured by Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.); Quaternary ammonium salt copy charge PSY VP2038, triphenylmethane derivative copy blue PR, quaternary ammonium salt copy charge NEG VP2036, copy charge NX VP434 (both manufactured by Hoechst); LRA-901, boron complex LR-147 (all manufactured by Nippon Carlit Co., Ltd.), quinacridone, azo face , Sulfonate group, carboxyl group, and polymer compounds having a functional group such as a quaternary ammonium salt.

  The amount of the charge control agent added varies depending on the type of the binder resin, the presence or absence of the additive, the toner production method including the dispersion method, and the like, and cannot be uniquely defined. 0.1-10 mass parts is preferable with respect to it, and 0.2-5 mass parts is more preferable. When the addition amount exceeds 10 parts by mass, the chargeability of the toner is too high, the effect of the charge control agent is reduced, the electrostatic attraction force with the developing roller is increased, the flowability of the developer is reduced, and the image The concentration may decrease. These charge control agents can be melted and kneaded together with a masterbatch and resin and then dissolved and dispersed, or they can be added directly when dissolved and dispersed in an organic solvent, or fixed after the toner particles are prepared on the toner surface. You may let them.

  Further, when the toner composition is dispersed in the aqueous medium during the toner production process, resin fine particles mainly for stabilizing the dispersion may be added.

The resin fine particles may be any resin as long as it can form an aqueous dispersion, and may be a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin. For example, vinyl resins, polyurethane resins, epoxy resins, polyester resins , Polyamide resin, polyimide resin, silicon resin, phenol resin, melamine resin, urea resin, aniline resin, ionomer resin, polycarbonate resin and the like. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together. Among these, a vinyl resin, a polyurethane resin, an epoxy resin, a polyester resin, or a combination thereof is preferable because an aqueous dispersion of fine spherical resin particles can be easily obtained.
As the vinyl resin, a polymer obtained by homopolymerization or copolymerization of a vinyl monomer is used. For example, a styrene- (meth) acrylate resin, a styrene-butadiene copolymer, a (meth) acrylic acid-acrylate ester. Examples thereof include a polymer, a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, a styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer, and a styrene- (meth) acrylic acid copolymer.

As an external additive for assisting the fluidity, developability and chargeability of the toner particles, inorganic fine particles are suitable.
Examples of the inorganic fine particles include silica, alumina, titanium oxide, barium titanate, magnesium titanate, calcium titanate, strontium titanate, zinc oxide, tin oxide, silica sand, clay, mica, wollastonite, and diatomaceous earth. , Chromium oxide, cerium oxide, bengara, antimony trioxide, magnesium oxide, zirconium oxide, barium sulfate, barium carbonate, calcium carbonate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride and the like.
The primary particle diameter of the inorganic fine particles is preferably 5 nm to 2 μm, and more preferably 5 nm to 500 nm. The specific surface area of the inorganic fine particles by BET method is preferably 20 to 500 m ² / g. The addition amount of the inorganic fine particles in the toner is preferably 0.01 to 5% by mass, and more preferably 0.01 to 2.0% by mass.

  Other polymer fine particles such as polystyrene, methacrylic acid ester and acrylic acid ester copolymer obtained by soap-free emulsion polymerization, suspension polymerization and dispersion polymerization, polycondensation system such as silicon, benzoguanamine and nylon, thermosetting resin And polymer particles.

  A fluidizing agent can also be added to the toner. The fluidizing agent performs surface treatment to increase hydrophobicity, and can prevent deterioration of flow characteristics and charging characteristics even under high humidity. Examples of the fluidizing agent include a silane coupling agent, a silylating agent, a silane coupling agent having a fluorinated alkyl group, an organic titanate coupling agent, an aluminum coupling agent, silicone oil, and modified silicone oil. Can be mentioned.

  Examples of the cleaning property improver for removing the developer after transfer remaining on the photosensitive member or the intermediate transfer member include fatty acid metal salts such as zinc stearate, calcium stearate and stearic acid; polymethyl methacrylate fine particles, polystyrene Examples thereof include polymer fine particles produced by soap-free emulsion polymerization of fine particles and the like. The polymer fine particles preferably have a relatively narrow particle size distribution and a volume average particle size of 0.01 to 1 μm.

  By using such a toner, as described above, it is possible to form a high-quality toner image having excellent development stability.

  In addition, the image forming apparatus used in the present invention is not only used in combination with the above-described polymerization toner having a configuration suitable for obtaining a high-quality image, but also applied to an irregular shaped toner by a pulverization method. In this case as well, the life of the apparatus can be greatly extended. As a material constituting such a pulverized toner, those usually used as an electrophotographic toner can be applied without particular limitation.

  As the binder resin used in the pulverized toner, for example, styrene such as polystyrene, poly p-chlorostyrene, polyvinyltoluene, or the like, or a substituted polymer thereof; styrene / p-chlorostyrene copolymer, styrene / propylene Copolymer, styrene / vinyl toluene copolymer, styrene / vinyl naphthalene copolymer, styrene / methyl acrylate copolymer, styrene / ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene / butyl acrylate copolymer, styrene / acrylic Octyl acid copolymer, styrene / methyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene / ethyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene / butyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene / α-chloromethyl methacrylate copolymer, styrene / acrylonitrile copolymer Styrene / vinyl methyl ketone copolymer, Styrene copolymers such as tylene / butadiene copolymers, styrene / isoprene copolymers, styrene / maleic acid copolymers; polymethyl acrylate, polybutyl acrylate, polymethyl methacrylate, polybutyl methacrylate, etc. Acrylic ester-based homopolymers or copolymers thereof; polyvinyl derivatives such as polyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl acetate; polyester-based polymers, polyurethane-based polymers, polyamide-based polymers, polyimide-based polymers, polyol-based polymers, Examples thereof include epoxy polymers, terpene polymers, aliphatic or alicyclic hydrocarbon resins, and aromatic petroleum resins. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together. Among these, a styrene-acrylic copolymer resin, a polyester resin, and a polyol resin are preferable from the viewpoint of electrical characteristics, cost, and the like, and further, polyester resins and polyol resins are preferable as those having good fixing characteristics. Particularly preferred.

  In the pulverized toner, together with these resin components, the colorant component, wax component, charge control component, and the like as described above are premixed as necessary, and then kneaded at a temperature close to the softening temperature of the resin component, and then cooled. Thereafter, a toner may be prepared through a pulverizing and classifying step, and the external additive component may be appropriately added and mixed as necessary.

  Examples of the melt kneader include a uniaxial continuous kneader, a biaxial continuous kneader, and a batch kneader using a roll mill. For example, KTK type twin screw extruder manufactured by Kobe Steel Co., Ltd., TEM type extruder manufactured by Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd., twin screw extruder manufactured by Casey Kay Co., Ltd., PCM type twin screw extruder manufactured by Ikegai Iron Works, Inc. A manufactured kneader or the like is preferably used. This melt-kneading is preferably performed under appropriate conditions so as not to cause the molecular chains of the binder resin to be broken. Specifically, the melt-kneading temperature is determined with reference to the softening point of the binder resin. If the temperature is higher than the softening point, cutting is severe, and if the temperature is too low, dispersion may not proceed.

  In the pulverization, the kneaded product obtained by the kneading is pulverized. In this pulverization, it is preferable that the kneaded material is first coarsely pulverized and then finely pulverized. In this case, a method of pulverizing by colliding with a collision plate in a jet stream, pulverizing particles by colliding with each other in a jet stream, or pulverizing in a narrow gap between a mechanically rotating rotor and a stator is preferably used. .

  In the classification, the pulverized product obtained by the pulverization is classified and adjusted to particles having a predetermined particle diameter. The classification can be performed, for example, by removing the fine particle portion by a cyclone, a decanter, centrifugation, or the like.

  After the pulverization and classification are completed, the pulverized product is classified into an air stream by centrifugal force or the like to produce a toner having a predetermined particle size.

In addition, the toner can be produced by a suspension polymerization method or an emulsion polymerization method.
--Suspension polymerization method--
The suspension polymerization method is an oil-soluble polymerization initiator, an emulsification method which will be described later in an aqueous medium in which a colorant, a wax or the like is dispersed in a polymerizable monomer and a surfactant or other solid dispersant is contained. To emulsify and disperse. Thereafter, a polymerization reaction is performed to form particles, thereby obtaining the toner.
Examples of the polymerizable monomer include acrylic acids, methacrylic acid, α-cyanoacrylic acid, α-cyanomethacrylic acid, itaconic acid, crotonic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, and other acids, acrylamide, methacrylic acid, and the like. Functional groups on the surface of toner particles by partially using amide, diacetone acrylamide or their methylol compounds, vinyl pyridine, vinyl pyrrolidone, vinyl imidazole, ethyleneimine, acrylates with methacrylates such as dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, methacrylates, etc. Can be introduced.
Further, by selecting a dispersant having an acid group or a basic group as the dispersant to be used, the dispersant can be adsorbed and left on the toner surface to introduce a functional group.

--Emulsion polymerization method--
As the emulsion polymerization method, a water-soluble polymerization initiator and a polymerizable monomer are emulsified in water using a surfactant, and a latex is synthesized by a usual emulsion polymerization method. Separately, a dispersion in which a colorant, wax and the like are dispersed in an aqueous medium is prepared, and after mixing, the toner is aggregated to a toner size and heat-fused to obtain a toner. A functional group can be introduced into the toner surface by using a latex similar to the monomer used in the suspension polymerization method.

  The developing unit may be a dry developing type, a wet developing type, a single color developing unit, or a multi-color developing unit. For example, a toner having a stirrer for charging the toner or the developer by frictional stirring and a rotatable magnet roller is preferable.

In the developing device, for example, the toner and the carrier are mixed and agitated, and the toner is charged by friction at that time, and held on the surface of the rotating magnet roller in a raised state to form a magnetic brush. . Since the magnet roller is disposed in the vicinity of the image carrier (photosensitive member), a part of the toner constituting the magnetic brush formed on the surface of the magnet roller is caused by the electric attractive force. It moves to the surface of the image carrier (photoreceptor). As a result, the electrostatic latent image is developed with the toner to form a visible image (toner image) with the toner on the surface of the image carrier (photosensitive member).
The developer accommodated in the developing device is a developer containing the toner, but the developer may be a one-component developer or a two-component developer.

<Transfer process and transfer means>
The transfer step is a step of transferring the toner image to a recording medium. An intermediate transfer member is used, and after the toner image is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member, the toner image is secondarily transferred onto the recording medium. A transfer mode is preferable, and a primary transfer step of forming a composite transfer image by transferring a toner image onto an intermediate transfer body using two or more colors, preferably full color toner as the toner, and recording the composite transfer image An embodiment including a secondary transfer step of transferring onto a medium is more preferable.
The transfer can be performed, for example, by charging the image carrier (photosensitive member) using a transfer charger, and can be performed by the transfer unit. The transfer means includes a primary transfer means for transferring a visible image onto an intermediate transfer member to form a composite transfer image, and a secondary transfer means for transferring the composite transfer image onto a recording medium. Embodiments are preferred.
The intermediate transfer member is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected from known transfer members according to the purpose. For example, a transfer belt and the like are preferable.

-Intermediate transfer member-
As the intermediate transfer member, a material exhibiting conductivity of a volume resistance of 1.0 × 10 ^{5 to} 1.0 × 10 ¹¹ Ω · cm is preferable. When the volume resistance is less than 1.0 × 10 ⁵ Ω · cm, so-called transfer dust is generated in which the toner image is disturbed due to discharge when the toner image is transferred from the photosensitive member to the intermediate transfer member. If the toner image exceeds 1.0 × 10 ¹¹ Ω · cm, the counter charge of the toner image is transferred onto the intermediate transfer member after the toner image is transferred from the intermediate transfer member to a recording medium such as paper. It may remain and appear as an afterimage on the next image.

As the intermediate transfer member, for example, a metal oxide such as tin oxide or indium oxide, a conductive particle such as carbon black, or a conductive polymer, alone or in combination, kneaded with a thermoplastic resin, and then an extrusion molded belt A cylindrical or cylindrical plastic can be used. In addition to this, the above-mentioned conductive particles and conductive polymer are added to a resin solution containing a thermally crosslinkable monomer or oligomer, if necessary, and subjected to centrifugal molding while heating to obtain an intermediate transfer member on an endless belt. You can also
A surface layer may be provided on the intermediate transfer member, and it is preferable that resistance adjustment is appropriately performed using a conductive substance.

The transfer means (the primary transfer means and the secondary transfer means) includes at least a transfer device that peels and charges the visible image formed on the image carrier (photoconductor) to the recording medium side. It is preferable to have. There may be one transfer means or two or more transfer means. Examples of the transfer device include a corona transfer device using corona discharge, a transfer belt, a transfer roller, a pressure transfer roller, and an adhesive transfer device.
The recording medium is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected from known recording media (recording paper). However, in consideration of use as direct mail, the recording medium itself may be white. Preferably, the recording medium surface has a coating layer of a white pigment such as calcium carbonate, talc, or kaolin. The size of the white pigment is an average particle diameter of 0.1 μm or more, preferably 0.5 to 5 μm. When the average particle size of the white pigment is less than 0.1 μm, the strength of the white pigment layer is extremely weak, the white pigment powder is crushed, and the white pigment layer is severely cracked. It becomes easy.
The thickness of the white pigment layer is preferably 1 μm or more, preferably 1.5 to 3 μm or more in order to maintain the appearance of the information sheet.

<Fixing process and fixing means>
The fixing step is a step of forming a toner image by fixing the toner image transferred to the recording medium using the fixing unit, and may be performed each time the toner of each color is transferred to the recording medium. Alternatively, the toners of the respective colors may be simultaneously formed in a state where they are laminated.
The fixing unit is not particularly limited, and a known unit can be used. Examples of the heating and pressing means include a combination of a heating roller and a pressing roller, a combination of a heating roller, a pressing roller, and an endless belt.
The toner particles are preferably in the range of 10 ³ Pa · s to 10 ⁴ Pa · s by heating and pressing in the fixing unit.

The neutralization step is a step of performing neutralization by applying a neutralization bias to the image carrier, and can be suitably performed by a neutralization unit.
The neutralization means is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected from known neutralizers as long as it can apply a neutralization bias to the image carrier. It is done.

The cleaning step is a step of removing the electrophotographic toner remaining on the image carrier and can be suitably performed by a cleaning unit.
The cleaning unit is preferably provided downstream of the transfer unit and upstream of the charger.
The cleaning means is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected from known cleaners as long as the toner remaining on the image carrier can be removed. For example, a magnetic brush cleaner or an electrostatic brush A cleaner, a magnetic roller cleaner, a blade cleaner, a brush cleaner, a web cleaner and the like are preferable.

The recycling step is a step of recycling the toner removed by the cleaning step to the developing unit, and can be suitably performed by the recycling unit.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said recycling means, A well-known conveyance means etc. are mentioned.

<Energy beam curable composition coating curing step (coating curing step) and energy beam curable composition coating curing unit (coating curing unit)>
The energy ray curable composition can be applied onto a recording medium carrying a toner image at any appropriate time after the fixing step. For example, an energy beam curable composition can be applied off-line immediately after forming a toner image, or on a printing device where the printing and overcoating are different, such as an in-line coating device where the printing and overcoating are performed on the same printing device. Like a coating device, it can be applied to a recording medium carrying a toner image after a short or long delay time after printing. Furthermore, the energy ray curable composition can be applied to cover the entire recording medium, the entire toner image, a part of the recording medium, or a part of the toner image. Depending on the application, printing surface protection or glossing can be provided. When performing the bending described later, it is preferable not to apply the energy ray curable composition precursor to the bent portion in order to reduce the burden on the bent portion.

To apply the energy ray curable composition, roll coater, flexo coater, rod coater, blade, wire bar, air knife, curtain coater, slide coater, doctor knife, screen coater, gravure coater (for example, offset gravure coater), Liquid film coating equipment can be used, including slot coaters, extrusion coaters, and ink jet coaters. Such devices can be used in well-known manners such as forward and reverse roll coating, offset gravure, curtain coating, lithographic coating, screen coating, gravure coating, and inkjet coating.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as application | coating thickness of the said energy-beam curable composition, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 1 micrometer-15 micrometers are preferable. When the coating thickness is less than 1 μm, repelling or gloss may be insufficient, and when it exceeds 15 μm, the texture of the image may be deteriorated.

After the application step, it is preferable to cure the applied energy ray curable composition.
The energy beam curable composition can be cured by irradiating light (mainly ultraviolet rays) from a light source.

  The light source is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, a low pressure mercury lamp, a medium pressure mercury lamp, a high pressure mercury lamp, an ultrahigh pressure mercury lamp, a xenon lamp, a carbon arc lamp, a metal halide lamp, a fluorescent lamp, Tungsten lamp, argon ion laser, helium cadmium laser, helium neon laser, krypton ion laser, various semiconductor lasers, YAG laser, light emitting diode, CRT light source, plasma light source, electron beam, gamma ray, ArF excimer laser, KrF excimer laser, F2 A laser etc. are mentioned.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of the coating and curing means. 9 includes a coating roller 102, a metal roller 103, a pressing roller 105, a coating belt 106 for coating and curing means, a tray 107, a light source 108, and a scraper 109. The energy beam curable composition 2 is stored between the application roller 102 and the metal roller 103.

The paper 1 on which the toner image is formed passes between the application roller 102 and the pressure roller 105 while being in contact with the rotating application roller 102 and the pressure roller 105. At that time, the energy beam curable composition 2 on the surface of the application roller 102 is transferred to the paper 1, whereby the energy beam curable composition 2 is applied to the paper 1.
The paper 1 on which the energy beam curable composition 2 is applied is conveyed by the coating and curing means conveying belt 106 and passes under the light source 108. At that time, the energy ray curable composition 2 applied to the paper 1 is cured by ultraviolet rays from the light source 108. Thereafter, the paper 1 (removable information sheet) moves onto the tray 107.
Unnecessary energy beam curable composition 2 attached to the pressure roller 105 is removed by the scraper 109.

-Energy ray curable composition-
Examples of the energy beam curable composition used in the present invention include a polymerizable oligomer, a polymerizable unsaturated compound, a photopolymerization initiator, a sensitizer, a polymerization inhibitor, and a surfactant.

-Polymerizable oligomer-
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said polymerizable oligomer, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, urethane acrylate etc. are mentioned.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said polyester acrylate, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, the acrylic ester of the polyester polyol obtained from a polyhydric alcohol and a polybasic acid is mentioned. The polyester acrylate exhibits excellent reactivity.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said epoxy acrylate, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, the epoxy acrylate obtained by reaction of bisphenol-type epoxy, novolak-type epoxy, alicyclic epoxy, etc. and acrylic acid is mentioned. It is done. The epoxy acrylate is excellent in hardness, flexibility, and curability.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said urethane acrylate, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, the urethane acrylate obtained by reacting polyester polyol, polyether polyol, etc., acrylic acid ester with a diisocyanate and a hydroxyl group Is mentioned. When the urethane acrylate is used, a flexible and strong film can be obtained.
The said polymerizable oligomer may be used individually by 1 type, and may use 2 or more types together.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of the said polymerizable oligomer in the said energy-beam curable composition, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 5 mass%-60 mass% are preferable, and 10 mass%-50 More preferably, it is 20% by mass to 45% by mass. When the content is less than 5% by mass, poor curing may occur, the viscosity may be too low, or the flexibility after curing may be impaired. When the content exceeds 60% by mass, the adhesion is deteriorated. Or the viscosity becomes too high. When the content is within the particularly preferable range, it is advantageous in terms of viscosity optimization, curability, flexibility of the coating layer of the energy beam curable composition after curing, and strength.

-Polymerizable unsaturated compound-
The polymerizable unsaturated compound is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. For example, a monofunctional polymerizable unsaturated compound, a bifunctional polymerizable unsaturated compound, and a trifunctional polymerizable compound. Examples thereof include unsaturated compounds and tetrafunctional or higher polymerizable unsaturated compounds.
Examples of the monofunctional polymerizable unsaturated compound include 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, 2-hydroxylethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl acrylate, benzyl acrylate, phenyl glycol monoacrylate, and cyclohexyl acrylate. It is done.
Examples of the bifunctional polymerizable unsaturated compound include 1,4-butanediol diacrylate, 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate, 1,9-nonanediol diacrylate, tripropylene glycol diacrylate, and tetraethylene glycol. Examples include diacrylate.
Examples of the trifunctional polymerizable unsaturated compound include trimethylolpropane triacrylate, pentaerythritol triacrylate, tris (2-hydroxyethyl) isocyanurate triacrylate, and the like.
Examples of the tetrafunctional or higher polymerizable unsaturated compound include pentaerythritol tetraacrylate, ditrimethylolpropane tetraacrylate, dipentaerythritol hydroxypentaacrylate, and dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate.

Examples of the material having a high melting ability include 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate, ethyl carbitol acrylate, acryloylmorpholine, and the like. Since the melting ability varies depending on each material, the addition amount must be tuned individually. However, if the amount is too small, poor adhesion may occur, and if the amount is too large, image distortion may occur.
The said polymerizable unsaturated compound may be used individually by 1 type, and may use 2 or more types together.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of the said polymerizable unsaturated compound in the said energy-beam curable composition, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 35 mass%-90 mass% are preferable, and 40 mass% -85 mass% is more preferable, and 45 mass%-75 mass% is especially preferable. When the content is less than 35% by mass, the viscosity may be too high, and when it exceeds 90% by mass, the curing may be poor, the viscosity may be too low, or the flexibility after curing may be increased. It may be damaged. When the content is within the particularly preferable range, it is advantageous in terms of viscosity optimization, curability, and the coating layer of the energy beam curable composition after curing.

A polyfunctional one is faster than a monofunctional one and has a faster curing speed and is suitable for high-speed fixing, but has a large volume shrinkage. In the case of a polymerizable unsaturated compound that greatly shrinks due to a curing reaction, curling is likely to occur. Therefore, it is desirable to use a polymerizable unsaturated compound having a volumetric shrinkage as low as possible and its polymer.
The polymerizable unsaturated compound preferably has a volume shrinkage of 15% or less.

P. of the polymerizable unsaturated compound and the polymerizable oligomer. I. I. There is no restriction | limiting in particular as (skin irritation), Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 1.0 or less is preferable. P. I. I. If it is 5.0 or more, irritation to the skin is too strong, which may cause safety problems.
Further, the hue of the polymerizable unsaturated compound and the polymerizable oligomer is preferably as colorless and transparent as possible, and preferably 2 or less in the Gardner gray scale. When the Gardner gray scale exceeds 2, the color of the image portion may change, and the discoloration of the background portion may become conspicuous.

-Photopolymerization initiator-
The photopolymerization initiator is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. Examples thereof include benzophenone, benzoin ethyl ether, benzoin isopropyl ether, and benzyl. A commercial item can be used as said photoinitiator. Examples of the commercially available photopolymerization initiator include Irgacure 1300, Irgacure 369, Irgacure 907 manufactured by Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Inc., and Lucirin TPO manufactured by BASF.

  When the mixture of the polymerizable oligomer or the polymerizable unsaturated compound and the photopolymerization initiator is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the photopolymerization initiator is represented by the following formulas (I) and (II): Generate radicals. The radical causes an addition reaction of the polymerizable oligomer or the polymerizable unsaturated compound to the polymerizable double bond. Further radicals are generated by the addition reaction, and by repeating the addition reaction to the polymerizable double bond of the other polymerizable oligomer or the polymerizable unsaturated compound, the polymerization reaction is performed as shown in the following formula (III). proceed.

(I) Hydrogen drawing type

(II) Photocleavage type

(III) Polymerization

  The photopolymerization initiator includes (i) high ultraviolet absorption efficiency, (ii) high solubility in the polymerizable oligomer or polymerizable unsaturated compound, (iii) odor, yellowing, and toxicity. Those having good characteristics such as low and (iv) no dark reaction are preferred.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of the said photoinitiator in the said energy-beam curable composition, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 1 mass%-10 mass% are preferable, and 2 mass%- 5 mass% is more preferable.

-Sensitizer-
In the case of using the hydrogen abstraction type benzophenone photopolymerization initiator of the formula (I), the reaction may be slowed only by the photopolymerization initiator. Therefore, the reaction can be achieved by using an amine sensitizer together. It is preferable to improve the property. By containing an amine-based sensitizer, there is an effect of supplying hydrogen to the photopolymerization initiator by a hydrogen abstraction action and an effect of preventing reaction inhibition due to oxygen in the air.
The amine-based sensitizer is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. Examples thereof include triethanolamine, triisopropanolamine, 4,4-diethylaminobenzophenone, 2-dimethylaminoethylbenzoic acid. , Ethyl 4-dimethylaminobenzoate, isoacyl 4-dimethylaminobenzoate and the like.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of the said sensitizer in the said energy-beam curable composition, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 1 mass%-15 mass% are preferable, and 3 mass%-8 The mass% is more preferable.

-Polymerization inhibitor-
The polymerization inhibitor is used to increase the storage stability of the energy beam curable composition.
The polymerization inhibitor is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. Examples thereof include 2,6-ditert-butyl-p-cresol (BHT), 2,3-dimethyl-6-tert. -Butylphenol (IA), anthraquinone, hydroquinone (HQ), hydroquinone monomethyl ether (MEHQ) and the like.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of the said polymerization inhibitor in the said energy-beam curable composition, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 0.5-3 mass% is preferable.

-Surfactant-
By including the surfactant in the energy beam curable composition, the interface between the toner and the energy beam curable composition is imparted with adsorptivity, or the surface tension of the energy beam curable composition is lowered and wettability is achieved. Improve the performance.

There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said surfactant, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, anionic surfactant, nonionic surfactant, silicon surfactant, fluorosurfactant etc. are mentioned.
Examples of the anionic surfactant include sulfosuccinate, disulfonate, phosphate ester, sulfate, sulfonate, and mixtures thereof.
Examples of the nonionic surfactant include polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid, isopropyl alcohol, acetylenic diol, ethoxylated octylphenol, ethoxylated branched secondary alcohol, bellfluorobutane sulfonate, alkoxylated alcohol, and the like. .
Examples of the silicon surfactant include polyether-modified polydimethyldimethylsiloxane.
Examples of the fluorosurfactant include ethoxylated nonylphenol.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of the said surfactant in the said energy-beam curable composition, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 0.1 mass%-5 mass% are preferable, 0.5 A mass% to 3 mass% is more preferable. When the content is less than 0.1% by mass, wettability may not be obtained, and when it exceeds 5% by mass, curability may be inhibited. When the content is within the more preferable range, it is advantageous in terms of improving wettability.

  The other components further include leveling agents, matting agents, waxes for adjusting film physical properties, tackifiers (adhesives that do not inhibit polymerization) to improve adhesion to recording media such as polyolefin and PET. Property-imparting agent).

Further, it is preferable to contain a polymer that is compatible with the polymerizable oligomer and the polymerizable unsaturated compound. Due to the presence of the polymer, the energy ray curable composition layer is not destroyed or moved with respect to the pressure bonding during the production of the protective agent sheet, and the pressure bonding can be reliably performed. As a preferable polymer, a (meth) acrylic copolymer having a weight average molecular weight of 10,000 to 100,000 and a glass transition temperature of −60 ° C. to 20 ° C. is the polymerizable oligomer and the polymerizable unsaturated. The compatibility with the compound is high, the pressure-bonding property is good, and the removability is also most preferable.
The (meth) acrylic copolymer in the present invention is obtained by polymerizing a monomer component composed of an acrylic acid alkyl ester or a methacrylic acid alkyl ester using an organic solvent as a polymerization solvent.

  Examples of the acrylic acid alkyl ester or methacrylic acid alkyl ester include methyl (meth) acrylate, ethyl (meth) acrylate, n-butyl (meth) acrylate, i-butyl (meth) acrylate, t-butyl (meth) acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate, lauryl (meth) acrylate, stearyl (meth) acrylate, cyclohexyl (meth) acrylate, n-decyl (meth) acrylate and glycol di (meth) acrylate, such as ethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, Examples include butylene glycol di (meth) acrylate and 1,6-hexanediol di (meth) acrylate.

  When producing a (meth) acrylic copolymer, if necessary, an ethylenically unsaturated monomer copolymerizable with a (meth) acrylic acid ester, for example, a carboxylic acid-containing ethylene such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, and itaconic acid Unsaturated monomers, and hydroxyalkyl (meth) acrylates such as 2-hydroxymethyl (meth) acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl (meth) acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl (meth) acrylate, and alkylamino (meth) acrylates such as Dimethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate, diethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate, methoxyethyl (meth) acrylate, ethoxyethyl (meth) acrylate and glycidyl (meth) acrylate, (meth) acrylonitrile, (meth) acrylate Ethylenically unsaturated monomer having a functional group as such Ruamido, vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, styrene, can be copolymerized α- methyl styrene.

As the polymerization solvent for the (meth) acrylic copolymer, each organic solvent can be used, for example, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, i-propyl alcohol, n-butyl alcohol, i-butyl alcohol. Alcohols such as cellosolve acetate, methyl cellosolve, ethyl cellosolve, n-butyl cellosolve, i-butyl cellosolve, n-propyl cellosolve, etc., propylene glycol-n-butyl ether, propylene glycol methyl ether, propylene glycol phenyl ether, dipropylene Propylene glycol ethers such as glycol methyl ether and propylene glycol methyl ether acetate, toluene, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone Aromatic (petroleum fractions) solvents, phthalate ester plasticizers, such as alkyl phosphates.
In preparing the varnish composition (energy ray curable composition), the (meth) acrylic copolymer (B) solution dissolved in the solvent may be blended as it is, and in that case, from the composition Finally, the solvent may be removed.

  The (meth) acrylic copolymer synthesized as described above can find particularly effective use in a specific molecular weight range and a specific glass transition temperature range.

The weight average molecular weight of the (meth) acrylic copolymer is required to be 10,000 to 100,000, preferably 20,000 to 50,000.
When this component has a weight average molecular weight of less than 10,000, the cohesive force is insufficient, the adhesiveness is low, and an appropriate removable adhesiveness is not exhibited.
Further, when the weight average molecular weight of this component exceeds 100,000, the compatibility with the polymerizable oligomer and the polymerizable unsaturated compound is lowered.
In such a case, it is necessary to use a large amount of a diluent for blending the component into the polymerizable oligomer and the polymerizable unsaturated compound, which causes a decrease in curing speed and a decrease in surface gloss due to ultraviolet rays, Sanitary problems due to the deterioration of the working environment due to solvents and fire-fighting law problems will increase.

Next, the glass transition temperature of the (meth) acrylic copolymer needs to be in the range of −60 to 20 ° C., preferably −50 to 10 ° C.
When this component has a glass transition temperature lower than −60 ° C., the sticky feeling is strong and the adhesive strength is not sufficiently obtained.
Moreover, if this component (B) has a glass transition temperature higher than 20 degreeC, re-peeling adhesiveness will not be obtained.

  The glass transition temperature referred to in the present invention is a general polymer as described in, for example, Eizo Omori, “Acrylic acid ester and its polymer (II)”, pages 110-115 issued by Shojido Co., Ltd. In the case of a copolymer, it is the calculated glass transition temperature described on page 120 of the same document.

  The above (meth) acrylic copolymer has good compatibility with the polymerizable oligomer and the polymerizable unsaturated compound, and the energy beam curable varnish composition in which the component (B) is uniformly dissolved. You can get things.

The blending ratio of the (meth) acrylic copolymer to the polymerizable oligomer and the polymerizable unsaturated compound is not particularly limited, but a particularly preferable range is the total of the polymerizable oligomer and the polymerizable unsaturated compound. It is 5 to 80 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight.
If the blending ratio is less than 5 parts by weight, the varnish composition may not be provided with sufficient removable adhesiveness or may have poor adhesiveness.
On the other hand, when the amount exceeds 80 parts by weight, the resulting varnish composition has a strong stickiness and lowers the original gloss of the varnish. There is also a possibility that the blocking resistance of the paper is insufficient.
In addition, the said mixture ratio (weight part) of this component says the quantity of only a copolymer component, and does not contain the solvent etc. which were used for superposition | polymerization.

Since the (meth) acrylic copolymer in the present invention is uniformly mixed with other components in the composition to form a solution state, the coating surface has excellent gloss, and in an atmosphere under a normal living environment. , Blocking resistance will be imparted.
As physical conditions at the time of bonding, the varnish composition surfaces coated and cured on the paper surface are combined with each other, for example, a linear pressure of about 10 to 50 kg / cm, or about 0.1 to 10 kg / cm When a combination of pressurization by linear pressure and heating at a temperature of 50 to 150 ° C. is used, the components ooze out to the surface, an adhesive layer is formed on the surface of the varnish coating layer, and the varnish composition surfaces are peeled again. Adhesive bonding becomes possible.
Adhesive strength can be adjusted as appropriate by selecting the physical conditions and mixing ratio of the components, glass transition temperature and average molecular weight, and is weaker than the adhesive strength between the printed and varnished surfaces. Appropriate peelability can be imparted without imparting.

There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a viscosity of the said energy-beam curable composition, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, The viscosity in 25 degreeC is 10 mPa * s-800 mPa * s. If the viscosity is less than 10 mPa · s or exceeds 800 mPa · s, it may be difficult to control the coating thickness.
The viscosity can be measured by, for example, a B-type viscometer (manufactured by Toyo Seiki Seisakusho).

  The energy ray curable composition can be prepared by an oily type using a solvent, but in the case of an energy ray curable type (photocuring type) using UV, safety ensuring, environmental protection, energy saving and high It is preferable from the viewpoint of productivity.

<Folding process, crimping process and folding means, crimping means>
After the coating and curing process, if necessary, it is cut into a desired size and, for example, a folding process for folding in two or more, such as bi-folding (V-folding), tri-folding (Z-folding), is performed. Match the processed surfaces of the composition. An adhesive having removability can be obtained by laminating the surfaces of the energy beam curable composition by roller pressure bonding. The amount of pressure applied when crimping is generally in the range of 50 to 1000 N / cm ² .
In this way, productivity is increased by bending and pressing one sheet.
In addition, it is preferable not to apply the energy beam curable composition to the bent portion, because the bent portion is not damaged when it is peeled again.

<Heating and pressing step and heating and pressing means>
The heating and pressurizing step in the present invention is performed in a step subsequent to the folding step and the crimping step. In the next step of the folding step, the component of the heating and pressurizing step does not come into contact with the energy ray curable composition processed surface, so that the processed surface is not damaged or stained. In addition, when the energy ray curable composition processed surface has tackiness, there is a possibility that the conveyance performance may be lowered, but this can be prevented. In the next process of the crimping process, the processed surface of the energy beam curable composition is in a bonded state, so that it can be transported in any direction of the removable information sheet, and the transport design is further facilitated.
In the present invention, this heating and pressing step is performed by the heating and pressing method described above, and the heating and pressing means uses the aforementioned heating and pressing apparatus.

<Image formation>
Next, a basic configuration of the copying machine 100B using each of the above means will be described.
FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of the copying machine 100B. The copying machine 100B is a tandem color image forming apparatus, and includes a printer unit 150, which is a main body of the image forming apparatus, a paper feeding device 200, a scanner 300, and an automatic document feeder (ADF) 400.

The printer unit 150 is provided with an endless belt-shaped intermediate transfer belt 50 at the center. The intermediate transfer belt 50 is stretched around three support rollers including a belt driving roller 14, a cleaning counter roller 15, and a secondary transfer counter roller 16, and can rotate clockwise in FIG. In the vicinity of the cleaning counter roller 15, an intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 17 that is an intermediate transfer belt cleaning unit for removing residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 50 is disposed.
The printer unit 150 also includes four yellow, cyan, magenta, and black colors along the transport direction so as to face the stretched surface between the belt driving roller 14 and the cleaning facing roller 15 in the intermediate transfer belt 50. A tandem-type image forming unit 120 in which two image forming units 18 are arranged to face each other is disposed.

  An exposure device 21 is disposed above the tandem type image forming unit 120. The secondary transfer device 22 is disposed on the opposite side (below the intermediate transfer belt 50) to the side where the tandem image forming unit 120 is disposed with the intermediate transfer belt 50 interposed therebetween. In the secondary transfer device 22, a transfer conveyance belt 24 that is an endless belt is stretched around a pair of transfer conveyance support rollers 23, and one of the pair of transfer conveyance support rollers 23 is rotationally driven as a drive roller. The transfer conveyance belt 24 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. Also, the transfer conveyance support roller 23 on the right side in FIG. 8 and the secondary transfer counter roller 16 are in contact with each other with the intermediate transfer belt 50 and the transfer conveyance belt 24 sandwiched therebetween. A contact portion with the conveyance belt 24 becomes a secondary transfer nip.

A fixing device 25 that fixes the toner image on the recording medium S is disposed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording medium S of the secondary transfer device 22 in the printer unit 150 (left side in FIG. 8). The fixing device 25 includes a heating unit 26 provided with a heater (not shown) therein, and a pressure roller 27 that is pressed by a spring (not shown) and presses against the heating unit 26 to form a nip portion as a press-contact portion. ing.
Below the secondary transfer device 22 and the fixing device 25 in the printer unit 150, a reversing device 28 for reversing the recording medium S when an image is formed on both sides of the recording medium S is disposed.

  Next, formation of a full color image (color copy) using the copying machine 100B will be described. First, a document is set on the document table 130 of the automatic document feeder (ADF) 400, or the automatic document feeder 400 is opened and a document is set on the contact glass 32 of the scanner 300. close up.

  When the user presses a start switch on an operation panel (not shown), when a document is set on the automatic document feeder 400, the document is transported and moved onto the contact glass 32. As soon as the document is set on the scanner 300, the scanner 300 is driven, and the first traveling body 33 and the second traveling body 34 travel. At this time, the light from the light source is irradiated by the first traveling body 33 so that the light is reflected by the document surface, and the reflected light is reflected by the mirrors in the first traveling body 33 and the second traveling body 34, Light is received by the reading sensor 36 through the imaging lens 35. As a result, a color original (color image) is read and used as black, yellow, magenta, and cyan image information.

  Each image information of black, yellow, magenta, and cyan is transmitted to the exposure device 21, and exposure light corresponding to each image information is directed to each photoreceptor 10 of each image forming unit 18 in the tandem type image forming unit 120. Each is irradiated. As a result, black, yellow, magenta, and cyan toner images are formed in each image forming unit 18.

  The four image forming units 18 (Y, C, M, and K) have substantially the same configuration except that the colors of the toners to be used are different. Therefore, in FIG. , M, and K are omitted. The image forming unit 18 includes a drum-shaped photoconductor 10, and around the photoconductor 10, a charging device as a charging unit, a developing device, a primary transfer roller 62 as a primary transfer unit, a photoconductor cleaning device, and a charge eliminating device. Etc.

  Each image forming unit 18 (black image forming unit, yellow image forming unit, magenta image forming unit, and cyan image forming unit) in the printer unit 150 is based on the image information of each corresponding color. Images (black image, yellow image, magenta image, and cyan image) can be formed on the surface of each photoconductor 10.

  The black image, yellow image, magenta image, and cyan image formed by each image forming unit 18 are respectively transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 50 that is rotationally moved by the belt driving roller 14, the cleaning facing roller 15, and the secondary transfer facing roller 16. A black image formed on the black photoconductor 10K, a yellow image formed on the yellow photoconductor 10Y, a magenta image formed on the magenta photoconductor 10M, and a cyan photoconductor 10C. Cyan images are sequentially transferred (primary transfer).

  Then, a black image, a yellow image, a magenta image, and a cyan image are superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 50 to form a composite color image (color transfer image).

On the other hand, in the paper feeding device 200, one of the paper feeding rollers 142 is selectively rotated to feed out the recording medium S from one of the paper feeding cassettes 144 provided in multiple stages in the paper bank 143, and one sheet is separated by the separation roller 145. The paper is separated and sent to the paper feed path 146, transported by the transport roller 147, guided to the main body side paper feed path 148 in the printer unit 150, and abutted against the registration roller 49 and stopped. Alternatively, the manual feed roller 51 is rotated to feed out the recording medium S on the manual tray 54, separated one by one by the manual separation roller 52, and put into the manual feed path 53, and abutted against the registration roller 49 as described above. Stop.
The registration roller 49 is generally used while being grounded, but may be used in a state where a bias is applied to remove paper dust from the recording medium S.

  After abutting against the registration roller 49 and stopping, the registration roller 49 is rotated in time with the synthesized color image (color transfer image) synthesized on the intermediate transfer belt 50, and the recording medium is directed toward the secondary transfer nip. S is sent out. A composite color image (color transfer image) on the intermediate transfer belt 50 is recorded by a transfer electric field formed between the transfer conveyance support roller 23 on the secondary transfer device 22 side and the secondary transfer counter roller 16 in the secondary transfer nip. Transfer (secondary transfer) is performed on the medium S, and a color image is formed on the recording medium S. The transfer residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 50 after passing through the secondary transfer nip is cleaned by the intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 17.

  The recording medium S on which the color image is transferred is conveyed by the secondary transfer device 22 and sent to the fixing device 25. In the fixing device 25, the composite color image (color transfer image) is fixed on the recording medium S by applying heat and pressure at a nip formed by the heating unit 26 and the pressure roller 27. The

  The recording medium S that has passed through the fixing device 25 is given conveyance force by the conveyance roller pair 56 after fixing and reaches the position of the switching claw 55. The recording medium S is discharged by the discharge roller pair 156 by being switched in the transport direction by the switching claw 55 and stacked on the discharge tray 57. Alternatively, the conveying direction is switched by the switching claw 55 to reach the reversing device 28, where the reversing device 28 is reversed and guided to a position where it again hits the registration roller 49, and an image is also formed on the back surface at the secondary transfer nip. After fixing at 25, the paper is discharged by the discharge roller pair 156 and stacked on the paper discharge tray 57.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

-Developer-
(toner)
A specific example of toner production will be described.
The toner used in the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[Dissolution of toner material or preparation of dispersion]
~ Synthesis of unmodified polyester (low molecular weight polyester) ~
In a reaction vessel equipped with a cooling tube, a stirrer and a nitrogen introduction tube, 67 parts by mass of bisphenol A ethylene oxide 2 mol adduct, 84 parts by mass of bisphenol A propion oxide 3 mol adduct, 274 parts by mass of terephthalic acid, and dibutyltin oxide 2 parts by mass were added and reacted at 230 ° C. under normal pressure for 8 hours.
Next, the reaction solution was reacted under reduced pressure of 10 to 15 mmHg for 5 hours to synthesize an unmodified polyester.
The obtained unmodified polyester had a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 2,100, a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 5,600, and a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 55 ° C.

-Preparation of masterbatch (MB)-
1000 parts by weight of water, carbon black “Printex35”; Degussa, DBP oil absorption = 42 ml / 100 g, pH = 9.5), 540 parts by weight, and 1200 parts by weight of the unmodified polyester were mixed with a Henschel mixer (Mitsui Mining Co., Ltd.). And mixed).
The mixture was kneaded for 30 minutes at 150 ° C. with two rolls, rolled and cooled, and pulverized with a pulverizer (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron) to prepare a master batch.

~ Synthesis of prepolymer ~
In a reaction vessel equipped with a cooling tube, a stirrer and a nitrogen introduction tube, 682 parts by mass of bisphenol A ethylene oxide 2 mol adduct, 81 parts by mass of bisphenol A propylene oxide 2 mol adduct, 283 parts by mass of terephthalic acid, trimellitic anhydride 22 parts by mass of acid and 2 parts by mass of dibutyltin oxide were charged and reacted at 230 ° C. for 8 hours under normal pressure.
Subsequently, it was made to react under reduced pressure of 10-15mHg for 5 hours, and the intermediate polyester was synthesize | combined.
The obtained intermediate polyester has a number average molecular weight (Mn) of 2,100, a weight average molecular weight (Mw) of 9,600, a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 55 ° C., an acid value of 0.5, and a hydroxyl value of 49.

Next, 411 parts by mass of the intermediate polyester, 89 parts by mass of isophorone diisocyanate, and 500 parts by mass of ethyl acetate are charged in a reaction vessel equipped with a cooling tube, a stirrer, and a nitrogen introduction tube, and reacted at 100 ° C. for 5 hours. Thus, a prepolymer (polymer capable of reacting with the active hydrogen group-containing compound) was synthesized.
The free isocyanate content of the obtained prepolymer was 1.60% by mass, and the solid content concentration of the prepolymer (after standing at 150 ° C. for 45 minutes) was 50% by mass.

-Synthesis of ketimine (the active hydrogen group-containing compound)-
In a reaction vessel equipped with a stir bar and a thermometer, 30 parts by mass of isophoronediamine and 70 parts by mass of methyl ethyl ketone were charged and reacted at 50 ° C. for 5 hours to synthesize a ketimine compound (the active hydrogen group-containing compound).
The amine value of the obtained ketimine compound (the active hydrogen machine-containing compound) was 423.

~ Synthesis of styrene-acrylic copolymer resin ~
Into a reaction vessel equipped with a cooling pipe, a stirrer and a nitrogen introduction pipe, 300 parts by mass of ethyl acetate was charged, and a styrene-acrylic monomer mixture (styrene / 2-ethylhexyl acrylate / acrylic acid / hydroxylethyl acrylate = 75/15 / 5/5) 300 parts by mass and 10 g of azobisisobutylnitrile were added and reacted at 60 ° C. for 15 hours under a normal pressure nitrogen atmosphere.
Next, 200 parts by mass of methanol was added to the reaction solution, and after stirring for 1 hour, the supernatant was removed and dried under reduced pressure to synthesize the styrene-acrylic copolymer resin.

In a beaker, 10 parts by mass of the prepolymer, 60 parts by mass of the unmodified polyester, 130 parts by mass of ethyl acetate, and 30 parts by mass of a styrene-acrylic copolymer were stirred and dissolved.
Next, 10 parts by mass of petroleum-based wax (cycloparaffin 15% mass, average molecular weight = 650) and 10 parts by mass of the master batch were charged, and the liquid feeding speed was measured using a bead mill (“Ultra Visco Mill”; manufactured by Imex Corporation). A raw material solution is prepared by three passes under conditions of 1 kg / hr, disk peripheral speed 6 m / s, and 80% by volume of 0.5 mm zirconia beads, and 2.7 parts by mass of the ketimine is added and dissolved. A material dissolution or dispersion was prepared.

[Preparation of aqueous medium phase]
An aqueous medium phase was prepared by mixing and stirring 306 parts by mass of ion-exchanged water, 265 parts by mass of a 10% by mass tricalcium phosphate suspension, and 0.2 parts by mass of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, and dissolving them uniformly.

[Preparation of emulsion or dispersion]
150 parts by mass of the aqueous medium phase is placed in a container, and stirred at a rotational speed of 12,000 rpm using a TK homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.), and 100 parts by mass of the solution or dispersion of the toner material is added thereto. The mixture was added and mixed for 10 minutes to prepare an emulsified dispersion (emulsified slurry).

[Removal of organic solvent]
100 parts by mass of the emulsified slurry was charged into a Kolben equipped with a stirrer and a thermometer, and the solvent was removed at 30 ° C. for 12 hours while stirring at a stirring peripheral speed of 20 m / min.

[Washing and drying]
After 100 parts by mass of the dispersion slurry was filtered under reduced pressure, 100 parts by mass of ion-exchanged water was added to the filter cake, mixed with a TK homomixer (10 minutes at 12,000 rpm), and then filtered.
To the obtained filter cake, 300 parts by mass of ion-exchanged water was added, mixed with a TK homomixer (10 minutes at 12,000 rpm), and then filtered twice.
To the obtained filter cake, 20 parts by mass of a 10% by mass aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added, mixed with a TK homomixer (30 minutes at 12,000 rpm), and then filtered under reduced pressure.
To the obtained filter cake, 300 parts by mass of ion-exchanged water was added, mixed with a TK homomixer (at 12,000 rpm for 10 minutes), and then filtered.
To the obtained filter cake, 300 parts by mass of ion-exchanged water was added, mixed with a TK homomixer (10 minutes at 12,000 rpm), and then filtered twice.
Furthermore, 20 mass parts of 10 mass% hydrochloric acid was added to the obtained filter cake, mixed with a TK homomixer (at a rotation speed of 12,000 rpm for 10 minutes) and then filtered.
To the obtained filter cake, 300 parts by mass of ion-exchanged water was added, mixed with a TK homomixer (10 minutes at a rotation speed of 12,000 rpm), and then filtered twice to obtain a final filter cake.
The obtained final filter cake was dried with a circulating dryer at 45 ° C. for 48 hours, and sieved with an opening of 75 μm mesh to obtain toner base particles.

[External processing]
Further, with respect to 100 parts by weight of the toner base particles, 0.6 part by weight of hydrophobic silica having an average particle diameter of 100 nm, 1.0 part by weight of titanium oxide having an average particle diameter of 20 nm, and hydrophobic silica having an average particle diameter of 15 nm 0.8 parts of the fine powder was mixed with a Henschel mixer to obtain a toner.
The weight average particle diameter was 5.7 μm and the average circularity was 0.940.

<Career>
Next, a specific example of manufacturing the carrier used for evaluation will be described.
The carrier used in the present invention is not limited to these examples.

-Production of carrier-
[Carrier coating film forming solution formulation]
Acrylic resin solution (solid content 50 wt%) 21.0 parts by mass Guanamine solution (solid content 70 wt%) 6.4 parts by mass Alumina particles 7.6 parts by mass [0.3 μm, specific resistance 10 ¹⁴ (Ω · cm ]]
・ Silicon resin solution 65.0 parts by mass [solid content 23 wt% (SR2410: manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Silicone)]
Aminosilane 1.0 part by mass [solid content 100 wt% (SH6020: manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Silicone)]
・ Toluene 60 parts by mass ・ Butyl cellosolve 60 parts by mass

The said formulation was disperse | distributed for 10 minutes with the homomixer, and the blend coating film formation solution of the acrylic resin and silicon resin containing an alumina particle was obtained.
A fired ferrite powder [(MgO) _1.8 (MnO) _49.5 (Fe ₂ O ₃ ) _48.0 : average particle size; 35 μm] was used as the core material, and the coating film forming solution was applied to the surface of the core material. It was applied with a Spira coater (manufactured by Okada Seiko Co., Ltd.) to a thickness of 0.15 μm and dried.
The obtained carrier was baked by standing in an electric furnace at 150 ° C. for 1 hour.
After cooling, the ferrite powder bulk was pulverized using a sieve having an aperture of 106 μm to obtain a carrier having a weight average particle diameter of 35 μm.

  The developer was prepared by uniformly mixing and charging the toner 2 at a ratio of 7 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the carrier using a type of tumbler mixer in which the container was rolled and stirred.

-UV curable composition (energy ray curable composition)-
(UV curable composition 1)
30 parts by mass of pentaerythritol tetraacrylate, 66 parts by mass of trimethylolpropane triacrylate, and 0.3 parts by mass of a polymerization inhibitor hydroquinone were placed in a beaker and heated to 120 ° C. with stirring to dissolve the diallyl phthalate prepolymer. Further, 2 parts by mass of aluminum isopropylate dispersed in 2 parts by mass of toluene was gradually added and stirred at 110 ° C. for 20 minutes. During this time, toluene added as a solvent was removed from the system to obtain a desired photocurable varnish base agent.

  Furthermore, 75 parts by mass of a photocurable varnish base agent, 10 parts by mass of benzophenone as a sensitizer, 5 parts by mass of P-dimethylaminoacetophenone, and 10 parts by mass of phenyl glycol monoacrylate as an ink viscosity modifier were mixed. The mixture was sufficiently kneaded to obtain an ultraviolet curable composition 1.

(Heating and pressing equipment)
In the heating and pressing apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the upper heating roller 10a has an Asker C hardness of 40, the lower heating roller 10b has an Asker C hardness of 40, and the nip portion N has a planar shape. The contact pressure at the contact surface of the pair of heating rollers (upper heating roller 10a and lower heating roller 10b) is 41 N / cm ² , heating roller 10 surface set temperature 200 ° C., heating roller conveyance speed 110 mm / sec, and heating roller nip width 10 mm. Set.

Example 1
The developer is mounted on a Ricoh color MFP RICOH Pro C751, and an image with an image area ratio of 20% is printed on an A4 plate of OK top coat 110 kg paper.
Using a UV varnish coater (SAC-18E) manufactured by Hirose Tekko Co., Ltd., the ultraviolet curable composition 1 was coated on one side with a film thickness of 5 to 6 g / cm ² . The ultraviolet curable composition 1 is cured with a coater.
Next, after the ultraviolet curable composition 1 was cured, a sample cut to a width of 150 mm and a length of 150 mm was prepared, and the surface processed surfaces of the ultraviolet curable composition 1 of the sample were combined.
Furthermore, a Yuri roll desktop super calender, a pressure of 100 N / cm ² , was applied for pressure bonding.
Then, the obtained pressure-bonded paper was passed through the heating and pressurizing apparatus 1, and a peel load test and a peelability test during peeling were performed.
A tensile load was measured when a 150 mm wide pressure-bonded paper (removable information sheet) was peeled at 6 cm / sec, and a peel load test was performed. In addition, the printed surface after peeling was observed and evaluated according to the following criteria, and a fixability test at peeling was performed.

<Feeling fixability test criteria>
○: No toner peeling Δ: Toner image peels in fine dots.
X: The toner image is largely peeled off.

  In the peel load test of Example 1 described above, the peel load is 188 (g), the evaluation result of the peelability test at the time of peel is ○, and both are good results and a removability information sheet having no quality problems is obtained. It was. Further, as will be described in detail later, it has been confirmed that the curl amount is 5 mm or less.

  Next, the set temperature of the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b at the time of heating and pressurization and the state of heat transfer at the set temperature will be described below using heat transfer simulation results.

As a result of producing a releasable information sheet according to the heating and pressurizing apparatus described in Example 1 and the following heating conditions and various conditions, a good re-peeling result was obtained as described above.
<Heating conditions>
Heating roller surface temperature: about 200 ° C
Heating roller conveyance speed: 110 mm / sec
Heating roller nip width: about 10mm

The temperature at the interface between the paper 1 and the toner image 3 under such conditions was estimated using a primary heat transfer simulator.
Moreover, the model figure in this simulation is shown in FIG. In addition, about the density of each material, specific heat, thermal conductivity, thickness, and preset temperature, it carried out on the conditions of following Table 1.

The pressure-bonded paper 1 is a type in which a toner image 3b is also formed on the outside of the pressure-bonding surface as shown in FIG. This is a model in a state where the toner image 3a provided on the inner surface that is heat-bonded in the direction is pressed and heated. At this time, the press-bonded paper 1 is configured vertically symmetrically with respect to the layer of the energy beam curable composition 2 in FIG. Further, if the set temperatures of the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b are set to the same temperature, the heat transfer from the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b to the interfaces 4a and 4b between the toner 3a and the paper 1 has the same behavior. Thus, both interfaces can be heated and maintained at the same temperature, and as a result, the same cured state can be obtained.
From the above, only the heat transfer results on one side will be described for the sake of simplicity.

Table 1 shows the thermophysical properties of each layer shown in FIG. In the first embodiment, since the nip width is about 10 mm with respect to the conveyance speed of 110 mm / sec, the heating time is equivalent to (= 10/110 × 1000 =) 91 msec. Since the heating roller set temperature is 200 ° C., the simulation was performed with the heating condition 1 as follows.
Heating condition 1: Set temperature 200 ° C Heating time length 91msec

The temperature of each layer after the heating time of 91 msec in the heating condition 1 was calculated using the primary heat transfer simulator with the temperature of the paper 1 and the toners 3a and 3b being 23 ° C. of the ambient temperature.
Each boundary surface temperature (temperature at a position in contact with an adjacent layer) in which heat roller 10 (elastic layer 12 made of silicon rubber + covering layer 13 made of PFA film), toner image 3b, paper 1 and toner 3 are transferred in this order is: The result of the graph shown in FIG. 11 was obtained. In FIG. 11, “: outer” indicates an outer boundary surface (boundary surface near the heating roller 10), and “: inner” indicates an inner boundary surface (boundary surface far from the heating roller 10).
In the simulation, the temperature is derived by dividing each material layer into a plurality of layers for calculation. More specifically, since the layers of each material are divided for each predetermined thickness and the average temperature of the divided layers is derived, the predetermined distance (thickness) is also obtained with respect to adjacent (for example, inside of Si rubber and outside of PFA) temperatures. Therefore, the temperatures of both are not the same.

  From the calculation result (FIG. 11), the toner image 3b outside the crimping surface is heated to about 140 ° C., but the interface 4a between the toner 3a and the paper 1 inside the crimping surface is absorbed by the thickness of the paper 1. From the delay in heat transfer, it can be seen that the heating is limited to 80 ° C. (in the pressure nip by the heating roller 10). Also, from Example 1 above, good peeling conditions are obtained under these conditions. This indicates that, if the temperature of the interface 4a reaches 80 ° C. under the pressure applied by the heating roller 10, it is sufficient to obtain good curing (peeling).

  Further, the fixing temperature of the image forming apparatus used in Example 1 is set to 165 ° C. On the other hand, since the set temperature of the heating roller used in the heating and pressing apparatus is 200 ° C., the toner image 3b outside the press contact surface is caused by excessive heat, such as the above blister, hot offset, and blocking. Is likely to occur.

In view of the above problems, a similar calculation was attempted under the following heating condition 2 in which the heating temperature was lowered to increase the heating time.
Heating condition 2: Set temperature 150 ° C Heating time length 150msec

  The calculation results are plotted together with FIG. Under the heating condition 2, even when the set temperature is as low as 150 ° C., the temperature of the interface 4a between the toner 3a and the paper 1 reaches 80 ° C., which is the same as the heating condition 1. This is because the heat transfer in the cross section of the paper 1 having a large heat capacity can be increased by increasing the heating time, and thus the interface 4a is considered to be slowly heated to 80 ° C. Under these conditions, the temperature of the toner image 3b outside the pressure-bonding surface is heated only to about 110 ° C., and can be maintained at a temperature lower by about 30 ° C. than the heating condition 1, so that there are problems such as blistering, hot offset, and blocking. Can be avoided.

In the heating conveyance by the heating roller 10, the heating time is determined by the conveyance speed and the length of the nip portion N. The heating time shown in the heating condition 2 can be obtained by changing the configuration of the heating rollers 10a and 10b so that the nip width is increased to about 16.5 mm with respect to the conveyance speed of 110 mm / sec in the heating condition 1 (16.5 / 110 × 1000 = 150 msec). According to the heating condition 2, even at a low temperature of 150 ° C., the temperature at the interface between the paper 1 and the toner 3 can be raised to a necessary temperature, and good heating without causing problems such as blistering, hot offset, and blocking can be performed.
Similarly, even if the nip width condition of heating condition 1 is 10 mm, the heating time shown in heating condition 2 can be obtained by reducing the conveyance speed to about 67 mm / sec (10/67 × 1000 = 150 msec). Has an effect.

From the above, it has been found that the above optimum values are set for the conveyance speed, the nip width, and the set temperature of the pressure member surface.
If the heating width = the width of the nip portion N can be increased as described above, the heating time can be increased in proportion to the nip width, so that the conveyance by the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b in FIG. it can.

By the way, as a configuration of a conventional heating and pressing apparatus, for example, when the Asker C hardness of the upper heating roller 10a is set to 40 and the Asker C hardness of the lower heating roller 10b is set to 80, the postcard size paper 1 is pressed and heated. The pressed releasable information sheet had a curl amount of 10 mm or more. As shown in FIG. 12, the curl amount is a value obtained by placing the paper 1 (removable information sheet) on the flat plate 100 immediately after being heated by the heating and pressurizing apparatus, and measuring the maximum warp amount of the end portion. is there.
By applying the first to fourth embodiments described above, the curl amount could be reduced to 5 mm or less. Also in Example 1, it was confirmed that the curl amount was 5 mm or less.

In the above description, the pressure-bonded paper 1 has been described as a type in which the toner image 3b is also formed on the outside of the pressure-bonding surface as shown in FIG. 3, but the pressure-bonded paper 1 as shown in FIG. However, the type in which the toner image 3b is not formed on the outside is not limited to this.
In this case, since problems such as the blister, hot offset, and blocking do not occur, the temperature of the upper heating roller 10a and the lower heating roller 10b can be set to a high temperature such as 200 ° C. and can be conveyed at a higher speed.
When it is detected by an optical sensor (not shown) that the toner image 3b is not formed on the outer side of the pressure-bonding surface, or when the condition of the pressure-bonded paper is input by an operator via an input device (not shown), It can be transported at high speed by changing the preset temperature.
In the above system, high productivity can be easily ensured simply by changing the control temperature using the same apparatus.

(About FIGS. 1-7 and FIG. 9)
1 paper (recording medium)
2 Energy ray curable composition 3, 3a, 3b Toner 4, 4a, 4b Interface 10 Heating roller 10a Upper heating roller 10b Lower heating roller 11 Core metal 12 Elastic layer 13 Coating layer 14a Upper heater 14b Lower heater 14c Upper radiation heater 14d Lower radiation heater 15a, 15b Temperature detection element 16a Upper heating roller temperature control circuit 16b Lower heating roller temperature control circuit 17 Commercial power supply 18 Entrance guide 19 Cooling device 19a Upper cooling device 19b Lower cooling device 21a, 21b Follower roller 20a , 20b Belt 30a Upper fixed sliding member 30b Lower fixed sliding member 40 Pressure roller 41 Heating belt 42 Fixed member 43 Pressure roller release layer 44 Pressure roller elastic layer 45 Pressure roller mandrel 46 Nip forming member 48 Support Member 49 Reflective member DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 Application | coating roller 103 Metal roller 105 Pressure contact roller 106 Conveyor belt for application | coating hardening means 107 Tray 108 Light source 109 Scraper N Nip part (about FIG. 8)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Photosensitive drum 10K Black photoconductor 10Y Yellow photoconductor 10M Magenta photoconductor 10C Cyan photoconductor 14, 15, 16 Support roller 17 Intermediate transfer belt cleaning device 18 Image forming means 21 Exposure device 22 Secondary transfer device 23 Transfer conveying support roller 24 Transfer conveying belt 25 Fixing device 26 Heating means (fixing belt)
27 pressure roller 28 reversing device 32 contact glass 33 first traveling body 34 second traveling body 35 imaging lens 36 reading sensor 49 registration roller 50 intermediate transfer belt 51 sheet feeding roller 52 manual separation roller 53 manual sheet feeding path 54 manual tray 55 switching claw 57 paper discharge tray 62 primary transfer roller 100B image forming apparatus 120 tandem developing device 130 document table 142 paper feed roller 143 paper bank 144 paper feed cassette 145 separation roller 146 paper feed path 147 transport roller 148 main body side paper feed path 150 Printer unit 156 Discharge roller pair 200 Paper feed table 300 Scanner 400 Automatic document feeder L Exposure light

JP 2007-277547 A Japanese Patent No. 3708853 Japanese Patent No. 2522333 Japanese Patent No. 3827124 Japanese Patent No. 4471334 JP 2009-169337 A JP 07-219383 A JP 2004-205988 A

Claims (8)

An apparatus for heating and pressurizing a releasable information sheet obtained by applying and curing an energy beam curable composition on a recording medium on which a toner image is fixed, and folding and compressing in two or more folds. ,
A heating / pressurizing unit that heats and pressurizes by applying heat and pressure by a nip portion sandwiching the removable information sheet;
The heating and pressurizing apparatus characterized in that a nip portion in the heating and pressurizing means is planar. The heating and pressing means has a heating roller pair,
The reheating and pressing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the on-axis hardness of the nip portion of the heating roller pair is the same.   The heating and pressurizing means includes a thin film rotating body, a pressing rotating body provided to face the thin film rotating body, and a fixed slide that forms the nip portion with the pressing rotating body via the thin film rotating body. The heating and pressing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving member. The heating and pressing unit includes a pair of conveying belts that are provided opposite to each other to form a nip portion, a heating roller around which the pair of conveying belts are wound, and a driven roller that is driven by the heating roller. ,
2. The reheating and pressing device according to claim 1, wherein driven rollers provided inside each of the pair of conveying belts form the nip portion and have the same on-axis hardness. The heating and pressurizing means includes a pair of conveying belts provided opposite to each other to form a nip portion, and a fixed sliding member provided inside each of the pair of conveying belts,
The reheating and pressing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a fixed sliding member provided inside each of the pair of transport belts forms the nip portion.   The reheating and pressing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the heating and pressing unit has the same temperature at the nip portion on both sides of the removable information sheet. An image bearing member; an electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image bearing member; a developing unit that visualizes the electrostatic latent image with toner to form a toner image; and An image forming apparatus comprising: transfer means for transferring from the image carrier onto a recording medium; and fixing means for fixing the toner image transferred onto the recording medium to the recording medium to form a toner image;
Coating and curing means for coating an energy beam curable composition by coating an energy beam curable composition precursor on the recording medium on which the toner image is fixed;
Folding means for folding the recording medium into two or more folds;
A crimping means for crimping the recording medium folded by the folding means;
Heating and pressurizing means for heating and pressurizing the recording medium coated with the energy beam curable composition,
The apparatus for producing a releasable information sheet, wherein the heating and pressing means is the heating and pressing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A heating and pressing method in which an energy beam curable composition is applied and cured on a recording medium on which a toner image is fixed, and a releasable information sheet formed by being folded into two or more folds and press-bonded is heated and pressed. ,
A heating and pressurizing step of applying heat and pressure by a heating and pressurizing means by applying heat and pressure by a nip portion sandwiching the removable information sheet,
The heating and pressing method according to claim 1, wherein a nip portion of the heating and pressing means in the heating and pressing step is flat.