JP2019095571A - Conveyance guiding structure and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress electric charging in members as compared when a recording medium moves from a transfer unit to a fixing unit while being rubbed against a conveyance guiding structure.SOLUTION: The conveyance guiding structure comprises: a first guiding unit extending, toward a fixation area of the fixing unit where, by sandwiching in the fixation area a recording medium on the surface of which an unfixed image is carried, the image is fixed to the recording medium, from the revere side to the surface of the recording medium diagonally to the recording medium; and a second guiding unit protruding from the reverse side onto the movement path of the recording medium heading toward the first guiding unit from the transfer unit where the unfixed image is held by transferring the image to the recording medium by electrostatic action, an angle at which it crosses the recording medium being larger than an angle at which the first guiding unit crosses the recording medium.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a conveyance guide structure and an image forming apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known an image forming apparatus having a conveyance guide structure for guiding a recording material (paper) moving from a transfer unit to a fixing unit.

  The recording material to which the image has been transferred by the transfer device is in a state where the image is attached by the charging charge, and the conveyance guide structure is charged by repeatedly rubbing such a recording material from the transfer device to the fixing device. There was a case that I did. Such charge in the transport guide structure may disturb the image on the recording material.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sheet material guiding device in which the sheet material moves while sliding on the surface. In the sheet material guiding device of Patent Document 1, a film of an ultraviolet curable resin containing conductive particles is formed on the surface so that the sheet material is not adversely affected by charging.

JP-A-62-015796

  However, even if a film containing conductive particles is formed, if the recording material moves from the transfer device to the fixing device by rubbing with the transfer guide structure, charging of the transfer guide structure can not be sufficiently avoided. For this reason, while the guiding of the recording material is repeated, the charge may be increased to disturb the image on the recording material.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to suppress charging of members compared to when the recording material moves from the transfer unit to the fixing unit while rubbing against the conveyance guide structure.

The transport guide structure according to claim 1 is
The recording material holding the unfixed image on the surface is sandwiched by the fixing area, and the fixing material is fixed on the recording material toward the fixing area of the fixing device from the back side to the surface of the recording material, A first guide extending obliquely to the recording material;
The recording material protrudes from the back surface side on a movement path of the recording material from the transfer unit for holding the unfixed image by electrostatically transferring the image onto the recording material to the first guide portion, A second guide portion where the angle at which the recording material intersects is larger than the angle at which the first guide portion intersects the recording material;
Equipped with

In the conveyance guide structure according to claim 2, in the conveyance guide structure according to claim 1,
A recessed portion is provided on the back side with respect to the peeling portion in a section from the peeling portion where the recording material separates from the transfer device to the second guide portion.

The conveyance guide structure according to claim 3 is the conveyance guide structure according to claim 1 or 2
The root of the second guide portion is positioned on the back side with respect to the advancing direction of the recording material which goes straight from the transfer device.

The conveyance guide structure according to claim 4 is the conveyance guide structure according to claims 1 to 3;
The second guide portion is fixed so that a thin piece whose thickness in the direction of travel of the recording material is smaller than that of the other portion protrudes from the tip to the recording material side.

The conveyance guide structure according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the conveyance guide structure according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein
The said 2nd guide part consists of material whose electric-resistance is lower than the other part in the tip part.

The conveyance guide structure according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the conveyance guide structure according to the first through fifth aspects, wherein
The leading end of the second guide portion extends in the width direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the recording material, and a part of the leading end in the width direction protrudes toward the recording material more than the other portions.

The conveyance guide structure according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the conveyance guide structure according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein
A third guiding unit is provided between the first guiding unit and the second guiding unit for guiding the recording material to the first guiding unit.

The transport guide structure according to claim 8 is
A rush guide portion for guiding the rush of the recording material to the fixing area of the fixing device for fixing the image on the recording material by sandwiching the recording material holding the unfixed image on the surface in the fixing area;
The recording material protrudes from the back surface side on a moving path of the recording material from the transfer unit for holding the unfixed image by electrostatically transferring the image onto the recording material to the rush guide portion. A non-contacting guide that guides the recording material in a non-contacting manner to any of the members until the leading end of the recording material is hit when the leading end of the recording material moved from the transfer device is hit;
Equipped with

The image forming apparatus according to claim 9 is
A fixing device for fixing the image on the recording material by sandwiching the recording material holding the unfixed image on the surface between the fixing regions;
A transfer unit that holds the unfixed image by electrostatically transferring the image onto the recording material;
A first guide portion obliquely extending with respect to the recording material from a back surface side of the recording material toward the fixing area of the fixing device;
The recording material moves from the transfer unit toward the first guide portion and protrudes from the back side, and the angle at which the recording material intersects is greater than the angle at which the first guide portion intersects the recording material. A large second guide,
Equipped with

According to the conveyance guide structure according to claim 1 and claim 8 and the image forming apparatus according to claim 9, compared with the case where the recording material moves from the transfer unit to the fixing unit while rubbing against the conveyance guide structure, Charging can be suppressed.

According to the transport guide structure of the second aspect, the recording material is likely to be in non-contact with the member after the second guide portion as compared to the case where the concave portion is not provided.

  According to the conveyance guide structure which concerns on Claim 3, the charging in front of a 2nd guide part is suppressed compared with the case where a root is located in the surface side.

  According to the transport guide structure of the fourth aspect, charging is suppressed as compared to the case where the thin film is not provided.

  According to the transport guide structure of the fifth aspect, charging is suppressed as compared to the case where the electrical resistances are equal.

  According to the conveyance guide structure pertaining to the sixth aspect of the invention, charging is suppressed as compared with the case of being uniform in the width direction.

  According to the conveyance guide structure of the seventh aspect, even the recording material in which the down curl occurs can be guided to the fixing device.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus corresponding to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of a guide part periphery. FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which a sheet has reached an introduction unit. FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which the sheet has reached the root of the protrusion. FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which the sheet has reached the leading end of the protrusion. FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the sheet P has reached the downstream side guide 42. It is a figure which shows the state which the paper which produced the down roll reached the succeeding part. It is a figure which shows the state which the paper which produced the down roll reached the downstream guide. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of the guide part periphery in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the 1st modification of a protrusion part. It is a figure which shows the 2nd modification of a protrusion part. It is a figure which shows the 3rd modification of a protrusion part.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an image forming apparatus corresponding to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is a so-called direct transfer type monochrome printer.

  The image forming apparatus 1 includes a photosensitive drum 10. The photosensitive drum 10 is rotatably supported by the drum support frame 10A, and is driven by the photosensitive motor 16 to rotate in the direction of arrow A. Around the photosensitive drum 10, a charging unit 11, an exposure unit 12, and a developing unit 13 are provided. A toner image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 10 through the processes of charging by the charger 11, exposure by the exposing unit 12, and development by the developing unit 13, and the toner image is formed on the photosensitive drum 10. It is held.

  On the other hand, a sheet P (a so-called cut sheet), which is a type of recording material, is conveyed in the direction of arrow X by a sheet conveyance device (not shown), and a transfer area T held between the photosensitive drum 10 and a transfer device 20 described later pass. Then, the toner image on the photosensitive drum 10 is transferred onto the sheet P while passing through the transfer area T. The remaining toner on the photosensitive drum 10 after the toner image is transferred in the transfer area T is removed from the photosensitive drum 10 by the cleaner 14.

  The sheet P which has received the transfer of the toner image in the transfer area T is further conveyed in the direction of the arrow Y and is sent to the fixing device 30. The fixing device 30 includes a heating roller 31 rotating in the direction of arrow D, and a pressure roller 32 rotating in the direction of arrow E. The heating roller 31 and the pressure roller 32 are in contact with each other to form a fixing area S. The sheet P traveling in the direction of arrow Y enters the fixing area S, and while passing through the fixing area S, the sheet P is heated and pressed to fix the toner image on the sheet P on the sheet P. As a result of this fixing, a fixed image composed of a fixed toner image is formed on the sheet P. The fixing device 30 corresponds to an example of the fixing device in the present invention.

  The sheet P on which a fixed image is formed by the fixing device 30 is sent out of the image forming apparatus 1 by a sheet feeding device (not shown).

  The transfer device 20 corresponds to an example of a transfer device according to the present invention, and includes a transfer roller 21, a pressure roller 22, a peeling roller 23, and an endless transfer belt 24 wound around those rollers. . The transfer roller 21, the pressure roller 22, and the peeling roller 23 are rotatably supported by the transfer device support frame 20 </ b> A.

  The transfer roller 21 is driven by a transfer motor (not shown) and rotates in the direction of arrow B to drive the transfer belt 24. The transfer belt 24 is a small stretchable resin belt, and receives a driving force from the transfer roller 21 and circulates in the direction of arrow C.

  The transfer roller 21 is located on the upstream side in the sheet traveling direction with respect to the central axis of rotation of the photosensitive drum 10, and presses the transfer belt 24 against the photosensitive drum 10 from the inside of the transfer belt 24. The upstream edge of the transfer area T where the photosensitive drum 10 and the transfer belt 24 are in contact with each other is determined by the transfer roller 21.

  The pressure roller 22 is located downstream of the central axis of rotation of the photosensitive drum 10 in the sheet traveling direction, and pushes the transfer belt 24 from the inside of the transfer belt 24 to the photosensitive drum 10 side. Then, the downstream edge of the transfer region T is defined by the pressure roller 22.

  Further, the peeling roller 23 is a roller having a diameter smaller than that of the transfer roller 21, and the sheet in a state of being placed on the transfer belt 24 by sharply bending the traveling direction of the transfer belt 24 by the peeling roller 23. The tip of P is peeled off from the transfer belt 24. Therefore, the peeling position at which the sheet P is peeled from the transfer belt 24 is in the vicinity of the top of the peeling roller 23.

  The image forming apparatus 1 is provided with a guide portion 40 for guiding the sheet P separated from the transfer belt 24 to the fixing device 30 in the arrow Y direction. The guide portion 40 corresponds to the first embodiment of the transport guide structure of the present invention. In the guide portion 40, an upstream guide 41 located on the upstream side (that is, the transfer device 20 side) of sheet P conveyance and a downstream guide 42 located on the downstream side of the sheet P conveyance (that is, the fixing device 30 side). It is provided.

  Hereinafter, the details of the guide unit 40 will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing a detailed structure around the guide portion 40. As shown in FIG.

  The sheet P guided to the guide unit 40 is guided to the fixing device 30 in a state where the back side of the surface holding the unfixed toner image is directed to the guide unit 40. In the following description, for convenience, the lower side of FIG. 2 is referred to as “lower” regardless of the gravity direction, and the upper side of FIG. 2 is referred to as “upper”.

  The downstream side guide 42 provided in the guide portion 40 has the downstream side (right side in FIG. 2) of the conveyance of the sheet P above the upstream side, and fixes in a state of being inclined with respect to the sheet P being conveyed. It extends towards the fixing area S of the device 30. Then, the downstream side guide 42 contacts the sheet P from the back side of the sheet P to guide the sheet P. The downstream side guide 42 corresponds to an example of the first guiding portion according to the present invention, and also corresponds to an example of the rush guiding portion according to the present invention.

  The upstream guide 41 provided in the guide unit 40 includes, in order from the upstream side of conveyance of the sheet P, an introduction unit 43, a protrusion 44, and a successor 45.

  The introduction portion 43 has a structure in which the paper P travels straight from the peeling position 25 of the transfer device 20 and is recessed on the back side of the paper P, and corresponds to an example of the concave portion according to the present invention. Do.

  The projecting portion 44 has a rib-like structure linearly extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The protrusion 44 protrudes from the back side of the sheet P on the straight traveling path R1, and the root of the protrusion 44 is located on the back side of the sheet P relative to the first path R1. The projecting portion 44 protrudes in a state of being inclined with respect to the sheet P being conveyed, and the inclination with respect to the sheet P is larger than the inclination of the upstream side guide 41. An extension of the second path R2 from the peeling position 25 toward the tip of the protrusion 44 reaches the downstream guide 42. On the other hand, the tip end of the protrusion 44 is located below the third path R3 from the peeling position 25 toward the fixing area S. The projecting portion 44 corresponds to an example of the second guiding portion according to the present invention, and also corresponds to an example of the non-contact guiding portion according to the present invention.

  The succeeding part 45 is located between the projecting part 44 and the downstream guide 42, the height of the succeeding part 45 is lower than the second route R2, and the succeeding part 45 is a part of which will be described later. The sheet P is guided to the downstream guide 42. The successor portion 45 corresponds to an example of the third guiding portion in the present invention.

  Hereinafter, conveyance of the sheet P by the guide unit 40 will be described in more detail.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which the sheet P has reached the introduction portion 43. As shown in FIG.

  The sheet P is in a charged state in order to hold an unfixed toner image on the surface. Therefore, the sheet P is electrostatically drawn toward the transfer device 20 even after peeling at the peeling position 25, and the actual path of the sheet P is lower than the first path R1 shown in FIG. Become. As a result, the sheet P reaches the introduction portion 43 and is guided to the projecting portion 44. Since the sheet P has stiffness, only the leading end of the sheet P contacts the introduction portion 43.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing a state in which the sheet P has reached the root of the protrusion 44, and FIG. 5 is a view showing a state in which the sheet P has reached the tip of the protrusion 44.

  The sheet P guided to the projecting portion 44 by the introducing portion 43 travels upward so as to ride on the projecting portion 44. The lead-in portion 43 after the leading end passes does not contact the sheet P due to the stiffness of the sheet P. The presence of the introductory portion 43 recessed on the back side of the sheet P causes the leading end of the sheet P to move to one end on the back side and then ride on the protrusion 44. As a result, compared with the case where the introduction portion 43 does not exist, the force of the leading end of the sheet P riding on the protruding portion 44 is increased. Further, since the root of the projecting portion 44 is positioned lower than the first path R1 shown in FIG. 2, the distance by which the leading end of the sheet P moves upward while riding on the projecting portion 44 increases. The momentum of the sheet P when it reaches is also increased.

  FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the sheet P has reached the downstream side guide 42. As shown in FIG.

  The inclination of the protrusion 44 with respect to the sheet P is larger than the inclination of the downstream guide 42, and is, for example, an inclination of 20 ° to 40 ° with respect to the horizontal. For this reason, the sheet P having reached the tip of the protrusion 44 reaches the downstream guide 42 substantially along the second path R2 shown in FIG. At this time, the transport speed of the sheet P is, for example, 460 mm / sec.

  At this time, the succeeding portion 45 does not contact the sheet P because it is lower than the second path R2. That is, the sheet P separated from the peeling position 25 is guided to the downstream side guide 42 in a non-contact manner except for the tip of the protrusion 44. Since the leading end of the protrusion 44 is lower than the third path R3 shown in FIG. 2, the sheet P running on the protrusion 44 is prevented from directly reaching the fixing device 30 beyond the downstream guide 42.

  Since the sheet P contacts only the front end of the projecting portion 44 and is guided to the downstream guide 42, the charge of the sheet P is hardly transmitted to the guide portion 40 side, and the guide portion 40 (in particular, the upstream guide 41) is charged. Is suppressed.

  The sheet P having reached the downstream side guide 42 is guided to the fixing area S while sliding on the downstream side guide 42 having a small inclination with respect to the sheet P.

  By the way, in the paper P, there may be a case where a sheet with a curl (so-called down roll) attached to the back side is attached. In the present embodiment, the succeeding portion 45 is provided between the projecting portion 44 and the downstream guide 42 so that such a sheet can be reliably guided to the fixing area S.

  FIGS. 7 and 8 are views showing how the sheet having the down roll is guided, and FIG. 7 shows the sheet reaching the succeeding portion 45, and FIG. 8 shows the sheet on the downstream side. The state where the guide 42 has been reached is shown.

  When the sheet P, which has become a down roll, passes over the protrusion 44, the sheet P faces downward and contacts the succeeding portion 45. Then, the sheet P is guided to slide on the surface of the succeeding portion 45 and travels to the downstream guide 42.

  When the sheet P reaches the downstream side guide 42, the sheet P is guided to slide on the surface of the downstream side guide 42 and travels to the fixing area S of the fixing device 30. In addition, after the leading edge of the sheet P reaches the downstream guide 42, the sheet P is not in contact with the succeeding part 45 by the stiffness of the sheet P or by the momentum of conveyance, and the projecting portion 44 to the downstream guide 42 It will be guided. Although the down roll does not occur very often, even when the down roll occurs, the sheet P is guided in a non-contact state, so the charging of the guide portion 40 is suppressed.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This second embodiment is an embodiment similar to the first embodiment except that the structure of the projecting portion 44 is different, and therefore, the elements equivalent to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, Is omitted.

  FIG. 9 is a view showing a detailed structure around the guide portion 40 in the second embodiment.

  The upstream guide 41 in the second embodiment is provided with a projecting portion 47 in which a sheet 46 of, for example, polyimide or polyamide imide forms a tip. The thickness of the sheet 46 is, for example, 0.1 mm, and the projection 47 contacts the sheet P with the sheet 46 and guides it to the downstream side guide 42. The sheet 46 corresponds to an example of the thin sheet according to the present invention.

  In the second embodiment, the contact area with the sheet P is further smaller than in the first embodiment, and the movement of the charged charge from the sheet P to the projecting portion 47 (and thus to the upstream guide 41) is suppressed. . Further, since the electric resistance value of the sheet 46 is lower than, for example, 1010 Ω or more and 1015 Ω or less than that of the other portion in the guide portion 40, the accumulation of the charge in the sheet 46 in contact with the sheet P is suppressed.

  In the embodiment described above, a shape extending linearly in the width direction of the sheet P is adopted as the shape of the protruding portions 44 and 47, but in the following, a modified example which is not a linear shape will be described.

  FIG. 10 is a view showing a first modified example of the protrusion.

  FIG. 10 shows the shape of the projecting portion 71 as viewed from the sheet traveling direction. The lateral direction in FIG. 10 is the width direction of the sheet, and the upper direction in FIG. 10 is the direction toward the sheet.

  The central portion 72a of the edge 72 corresponding to the leading edge toward the sheet protrudes to the sheet side, and the end 72b of the edge 72 is lowered to the side opposite to the sheet. Therefore, when guiding the sheet, the projecting portion 71 contacts the sheet at the central portion 72a, and the end portion 72b is separated from the sheet. Therefore, compared with the linearly extending projecting portion, the projecting portion 71 of the first modified example has a smaller contact area with the sheet, and the electric field movement from the sheet to the projecting portion 71 is suppressed.

  FIG. 11 is a view showing a second modified example of the protrusion.

  FIG. 11 also shows the shape of the projecting portion 73 as viewed from the sheet traveling direction. The lateral direction of FIG. 11 is the width direction of the sheet, and the upper direction of FIG. 11 is the direction toward the sheet.

  In the protrusion 73 of the second modified example, an end 74 b of an edge 74 corresponding to the leading edge toward the sheet protrudes to the sheet side, and a central portion 74 a of the edge 74 is lowered to the opposite side to the sheet. Therefore, when guiding the sheet, the projecting portion 73 contacts the sheet at the end 74 b and the central portion 74 a is separated from the sheet. Therefore, compared with the linearly extending projecting portion, the projecting portion 73 of the second modification also has a smaller contact area with the sheet, and the electric field movement from the sheet to the projecting portion 73 is suppressed.

  FIG. 12 is a view showing a third modification of the protrusion.

  FIG. 12 also shows the shape of the projecting portion 75 as viewed from the sheet traveling direction. The lateral direction of FIG. 12 is the width direction of the sheet, and the upper direction of FIG. 12 is the direction toward the sheet.

  In the projecting portion 75 of the third modification, a plurality of points 76a of the edge 76 corresponding to the leading edge toward the sheet protrude to the sheet side, and a point 76b between the plurality of points 76a is lowered to the opposite side to the sheet . For this reason, when guiding the sheet, the projecting portions 75 contact the sheet at the respective portions 76 a that protrude to the sheet side, and the portions 76 b lowered from the sheet are separated from the sheet. Therefore, compared with the linearly extending projecting portion, the projecting portion 75 of the third modification also has a smaller contact area with the sheet, and the electric field movement from the sheet to the projecting portion 75 is suppressed.

  In the above description, an example in which a transfer device of a transfer belt type is used as a transfer device according to the present invention is shown, but the transfer device according to the present invention may be a transfer device of transfer roll type.

  In the above description, the upstream guide 41 and the downstream guide 42 are separated as separate members, but the first guide and the second guide according to the present invention are a series of connected members In the present invention, the rush guide portion and the non-contact guide portion may be portions of a series of members connected to each other.

  Further, in the above description, an example in which the projecting portion 44 and the succeeding portion 45 are provided as each portion of the upstream guide 41 is shown, but the third guiding portion in the present invention is the first guiding portion. It may be an independent member.

  In the above description, a direct transfer type printer which directly transfers the photosensitive material from the photosensitive material roll to the recording material is exemplified as an embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. For example, an indirect transfer type apparatus may be used in which an intermediate transfer member passes between the roll and the recording material.

  Further, in the above description, a monochrome printer is exemplified as an embodiment of the image forming apparatus of the present invention, but the image forming apparatus of the present invention may be a color printer, and may be a copier, a facsimile or a multifunction machine. It may be.

  In addition, the present invention was invented for the purpose of solving the problems described in the section “Problems to be solved by the invention”, but the configuration of the present invention is another in the form not to solve the problems. The diversion to the purpose is not prevented, and the form in which the configuration of the present invention is diverted as such is also an embodiment of the present invention.

1 ... image forming apparatus, 10 ... photosensitive drum, 11 ... charger, 12 ... exposure unit,
13: developing unit, 20: transfer device, 30: fixing device, 40: guide portion,
41: upstream guide, 42: downstream guide, 43: introduction portion,
44, 47, 71, 73, 75 ...... Protrusion, 45: Successor, 46: Sheet

Claims (9)

From the back side to the front surface of the recording material, the recording material having the unfixed image held on the surface is sandwiched between the fixing regions, toward the fixing region of the fixing device for fixing the image on the recording material A first guide portion obliquely extending with respect to the recording material;
The recording material protrudes from the back surface side on a movement path of the recording material from the transfer unit for holding the unfixed image by electrostatically transferring the image onto the recording material to the first guide portion, A second guide portion in which an angle at which the recording material intersects is larger than an angle at which the first guide portion intersects the recording material;
A transport guide structure characterized in that   The conveyance guide according to claim 1, further comprising a recessed portion recessed on the back side with respect to the peeling portion in a section from the peeling portion where the recording material separates from the transfer device to the second guide portion. Construction.   The conveyance guide structure according to claim 1, wherein a root of the second guide portion is positioned on the back side with respect to the advancing direction of the recording material going straight from the transfer device.   2. The recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the second guide portion is fixed in such a manner that a thin piece whose thickness in the direction of travel of the recording material is smaller than that of the other portion protrudes from the tip to the recording material side. The conveyance guidance structure of any one of 3.   The transport guide structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second guide portion is made of a material whose tip portion is lower in electric resistance than other portions.   The second guide portion has a tip extending in a width direction intersecting the conveyance direction of the recording material, and a portion of the tip in the width direction protrudes toward the recording material more than the other portions. The conveyance guide structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein   The third guide portion for guiding the recording material to the first guide portion is provided between the first guide portion and the second guide portion. The conveyance guidance structure described in the item. A rush guide portion for guiding the rush of the recording material to the fixing area of the fixing device for fixing the image on the recording material by sandwiching the recording material holding the unfixed image on the surface in the fixing area;
The recording material is projected from the back side on a movement path of the recording material from the transfer unit for holding the unfixed image by electrostatically transferring the image onto the recording material to the rush guide portion. A non-contacting guide for guiding the recording material in a non-contacting manner to any of the members up to the entry guide by contact of the leading end of the recording material moved from the transfer device;
A transport guide structure characterized in that A fixing device for fixing the image on the recording material by sandwiching the recording material having the unfixed image on the surface between the fixing regions;
A transfer unit for holding the unfixed image by electrostatically transferring the image onto the recording material;
A first guide portion obliquely extending with respect to the recording material from the back surface side of the recording material toward the fixing region of the fixing device;
It projects from the back side on the moving path of the recording material from the transfer device to the first guide portion, and the angle at which the recording material intersects is greater than the angle at which the first guide portion intersects the recording material A large second guide,
An image forming apparatus comprising:

Images