JP2022080021A - Image forming apparatus and image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image forming apparatus that can have excellent cleaning properties even in a severe environment.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus comprising a member to be cleaned, and a cleaning unit that removes a toner remaining on the member to be cleaned. The cleaning unit includes a cleaning blade having an elastic member that is in contact with a surface of the member to be cleaned to remove a toner attached to the surface of the member to be cleaned. The elastic member has a tip ridge part that is in contact with the member to be cleaned. The elastic member contains domains having an average dispersion diameter of 0.1 μm-5.0 μm and derived from a polysiloxane structure in an area from a surface including the tip ridge part to a depth of 100 μm. The toner includes particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less in an amount of 20% by number or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method.

In an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic method such as a copier, a printer, or a facsimile, transfer remaining on the surface of a member to be cleaned such as a photoconductor drum (image carrier), a photoconductor belt, an intermediate transfer belt, and an intermediate transfer drum. Cleaning blades are used to remove residual toner. The cleaning blade is removed by pressing the contact portion against the peripheral surface of the image carrier and scraping off the toner remaining on the member to be cleaned.

As the cleaning blade, for example, there is a cleaning blade for an image forming apparatus containing an acrylic-modified polyorganosiloxane in the elastomer substrate of the cleaning blade (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, Patent Document 1 does not describe that the cleaning property can be maintained even if the image forming apparatus provided with the cleaning blade for the image forming apparatus is used for a long period of time in a high temperature and high humidity environment. Even if the cleaning blade is used in a state where the image forming apparatus is installed in a high temperature and high humidity environment for a long period of time, it is necessary to be able to remove the toner remaining on the image carrier and maintain the cleaning property.

One aspect of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of having excellent cleaning property even in a harsh environment.

One aspect of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is an image forming apparatus including a member to be cleaned and a cleaning unit for removing toner remaining on the member to be cleaned, wherein the cleaning unit is the member to be cleaned. A cleaning blade having an elastic member that abuts on the surface and removes toner adhering to the surface of the member to be cleaned is provided, and the elastic member has a tip ridge portion that abuts on the member to be cleaned, and the elastic member has an elastic member. A region from the surface including the tip ridge to a depth of 100 μm contains a domain having an average dispersion diameter of 0.1 μm to 5.0 μm and derived from a polysiloxane structure, and the toner has a particle size of 3 μm or less. 20% or more of the particles are contained.

One aspect of the present invention can provide an image forming apparatus capable of having excellent cleaning properties even in a harsh environment.

It is a perspective view which shows the cleaning blade provided in the image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which the cleaning blade provided in the image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment is in contact with the surface of a photoconductor. It is a figure for demonstrating the region from the surface including the tip ridge line part to the depth of 100 μm. It is a figure for demonstrating the region from the surface including the tip ridge line part to the depth of 100 μm. It is a figure for demonstrating the region from the surface including the tip ridge line part to the depth of 100 μm. It is a figure for demonstrating the region from the surface including the tip ridge line part to the depth of 100 μm. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the image formation unit provided in the image forming apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. The embodiment is not limited to the following description, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. Further, in the present specification, "-" indicating a numerical range means that the numerical values described before and after the numerical range are included as the lower limit value and the upper limit value unless otherwise specified.

<Image forming device>
The image forming apparatus according to one embodiment uses an image carrier as a member to be cleaned, an electrostatic latent image forming unit that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier, and an electrostatic latent image using toner. A developing unit that develops to form a visible image, a transfer unit that transfers the visible image to a recording medium, a fixing unit that fixes the transferred image transferred to the recording medium, and toner remaining on the image carrier. A cleaning unit for removing is provided. The image forming apparatus according to the embodiment may have other configurations such as a mechanism for applying a lubricant to the image carrier as a cleaning assisting portion, if necessary.

The member to be cleaned includes a photoconductor belt, an intermediate transfer belt, an intermediate transfer drum, and the like, in addition to the photoconductor drum (image carrier) provided in the image forming apparatus.

Hereinafter, in explaining each configuration of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment, the cleaning unit will be described first.

[Cleaning section]
The cleaning unit removes the toner remaining on the image carrier, and includes a cleaning blade. The cleaning blade will be described.

(Cleaning blade)
The cleaning blade includes an elastic member that comes into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned and removes toner adhering to the surface of the member to be cleaned. , The region from the surface including the tip ridge to a depth of 100 μm contains a domain derived from a polysiloxane structure having an average dispersion diameter of 0.1 μm to 5.0 μm, and the toner has a particle size of 3 μm or less. It contains 20% or more of particles.

When a conventional cleaning blade is left in an environment of high temperature (for example, 40 ° C. or higher) and high humidity (for example, 70 RH or higher) for a long period of time, the elastic member that removes toner deteriorates and the slidability deteriorates, resulting in cleaning. There was a problem that the sex was reduced. The present inventors have determined the size of the average dispersion diameter of the domain derived from the polysiloxane structure in the region from the surface including the tip ridge of the elastic member to a predetermined depth, and the particles contained in the toner having a predetermined size or less. We focused on the content. The elastic member contains a domain derived from a polysiloxane structure having an average dispersion diameter of 0.1 μm to 5.0 μm in a region from the surface including the tip ridge portion in contact with the member to be cleaned to a depth of 100 μm. The toner contains 20% by number of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less. As a result, it has been found that the cleaning blade can improve the resistance even in a harsh environment such as high temperature and high humidity, and can have excellent cleaning property.

1 and 2 show an example of a cleaning blade included in the image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a cleaning blade, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the cleaning blade is in contact with the surface of the photoconductor. As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning blade 1 has an elastic member 2 and a support member 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning blade 1 is arranged so that the contact portion 2d, which is one end on the free end side of the elastic member 2, abuts on the surface of the image carrier 4 along the longitudinal direction of the image carrier 4. Has been done.

The elastic member 2 is formed in a strip shape, has a blade tip surface 2a, a blade lower surface 2b, and a tip ridge line portion 2c, and has a contact portion 2d that abuts on the surface of the image carrier 4. The contact portion 2d is a region including the tip ridge line portion 2c, and may include at least a part of the blade tip surface 2a and the blade lower surface 2b.

The blade tip surface 2a is a tip surface of the elastic member 2 and is a surface located on the upstream side A in the traveling direction (rotational direction in FIG. 2) of the image carrier 4.

The blade lower surface 2b is a main surface located on the downstream side B in the traveling direction (rotational direction in FIG. 2) of the image carrier 4.

The tip ridge line portion 2c is a corner portion between the blade tip surface 2a and the blade lower surface 2b, and abuts on the surface of the image carrier 4. When the tip ridge line portion 2c of the elastic member 2 is turned over, or when the linear pressure is high, a portion other than the corner portion of the blade tip surface 2a can also be the tip ridge line portion.

The blade upper surface 2e is the main surface of the elastic member 2 opposite to the blade lower surface 2b.

The support member 3 is formed in a strip shape and is fixed to the end side of the blade upper surface 2e of the elastic member 2 with an adhesive or the like.

The cleaning blade may have an elastic member and, if necessary, other members such as a support member.

[Elastic member]
The elastic member comes into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned and removes deposits adhering to the surface of the image carrier. The elastic member is arranged so that the abutting portion including the tip ridge line portion, which is one end on the free end side, abuts on the surface of the image carrier along the longitudinal direction.

The elastic member may have a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure (for example, a two-layer structure). When the elastic member has a single-layer structure, the elastic member is composed of a base material. When the elastic member has a multi-layer structure, the elastic member can have a base material and a surface layer.

The elastic member has a tip ridgeline portion.

The elastic member contains a domain in a region from the surface including the tip ridge to a depth of 100 μm. The average dispersion diameter of the domain is 0.1 μm or more and 5.0 μm or less. The domain is derived from a polysiloxane structure. In the elastic member, the domain may be contained in a place other than the tip ridge line portion.

The domain is derived from the polysiloxane structure. The polysiloxane structure is derived from, for example, a siloxane compound. The domain is formed, for example, by aggregating siloxane compounds. At that time, the siloxane-based compound forming the domain may or may not be bound to the matrix component.

The siloxane-based compound indicates a compound having a siloxane bond, and is, for example, silicone. Silicone exists in the form of silicone oil, silicone resin, silicone grease and the like. The siloxane bond has a feature that the bond energy is larger than that of the carbon bond and can exist stably, and the siloxane-based compound has a small surface free energy and is excellent in releasability and lubricity.

The siloxane compound is preferably a compound made of silicone, and silicone described later can be used.

The average dispersion diameter of the domain in the region from the surface including the tip ridge to a depth of 100 μm is 0.1 μm to 5.0 μm, and from the viewpoint of better durability, it may be 0.5 μm to 2.0 μm. preferable.

The method for calculating the average dispersion diameter can be obtained by measuring a plurality of domain dispersion diameters (for example, 100 or more) in a region of 100 μm including an arbitrary tip ridge line portion and using the number average value.

For example, the cleaning blade is cut at an arbitrary point to expose the cross section, a region of 100 μm including the tip ridge line is photographed with a laser microscope or SEM, and the dispersion diameter is measured from the image. For the measurement, the dispersion diameter can be calculated from the binarized image using software such as ImagePro.

At this time, it can be confirmed by using energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS) or the like that the domain of the observation image is derived from the polysiloxane structure.

As shown in FIG. 3, the region from the surface including the tip ridge line portion to a depth of 100 μm is a region Y of the corner portion between the blade tip surface 2a and the blade lower surface 2b of the elastic member 2. The region Y contains a domain derived from the polysiloxane structure.

As shown in FIG. 4, the domain S derived from the polysiloxane structure may be distributed in the entire region Y, or may be distributed only in a part of the region Y as shown in FIG. .. However, as shown in FIG. 5, when the domain S derived from the polysiloxane structure is distributed in a part of the region Y, the domain S derived from the polysiloxane structure is located on the surface side of the elastic member 2 in the region Y. It is preferably distributed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the elastic member 2 may have a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure.

When the elastic member 2 has a multi-layer structure, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the elastic member 2 can have a two-layer structure of a base material 2-1 and a surface layer 2-2. In this case, the region from the surface including the tip ridge line to a depth of 100 μm exists in the surface layer 2-2, and the tip ridge line between the blade tip surface 2-2a of the surface layer 2-2 and the blade lower surface 2-2b. It is a region Y including the part 2-2c.

The Martens hardness HM of the elastic member at a depth of 20 μm from the surface of the tip ridge when the load is 1000 μN is 0.5 N / mm ² or more and less than 1.5 N / mm ² , and 0.8 N / mm. It is preferably ² to 1.2 N / mm ² .

The method for measuring the Martens hardness HM is as follows.

For the measurement, for example, a microhardness meter HM-2000 manufactured by Fisher Instruments Co., Ltd. is used.

A Vickers indenter is pushed into the tip surface of the elastic member with a force of 1.0 mN for 10 seconds, held for 5 seconds, and then pulled out with a force of 1.0 mN for 10 seconds for measurement.

The measurement location is 20 μm from the tip ridge of the lower surface of the elastic member.

As a measuring method, the tip of the elastic member is cut with a width of about 1 cm, fixed to a slide glass or the like with an adhesive or double-sided tape so that the lower surface faces upward, and the position 20 μm from the tip ridge of the lower surface is measured. ..

The elastic member contains, for example, a layer-constituting resin component and a domain component. The elastic member can contain a domain derived from the polysiloxane structure in a dispersed state in the layer-constituting resin component. The elastic member may have a sea-island structure in which the layer-constituting resin component is the sea and the domain formed by the aggregation of the polysiloxane structure is the island. The sea-island structure exists, for example, in a region from the surface including the tip ridge to a depth of 100 μm.

The layer-forming resin component and the domain component may or may not be bonded by a chemical bond.

In the elastic member, the area ratio of the domain in the cross section of the region Y can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. The area ratio of the domain in the cross section of the region Y is preferably 0.1% to 40%, more preferably 0.5% to 30%, from the viewpoint that the effect of the elastic member can be more exerted.

The area ratio of the domain in the cross section of the region can be obtained, for example, by the following method. The blade is cut at an arbitrary point to expose the cross section, a region of 100 μm including the tip ridge is photographed with a laser microscope or SEM, and the area ratio occupied by the siloxane compound is calculated from the image. It can be obtained by calculating the area ratio from the binarized image using software such as ImagePro.

The average thickness of the elastic member can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, and is preferably 1.0 mm to 3.0 mm or less, and more preferably 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

The average film thickness of the elastic member of the abutting portion can be obtained by an arithmetic mean value obtained by measuring 10 arbitrary points of the elastic member in the abutting portion.

The method for measuring the thickness of the elastic member of the abutting portion can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, and examples thereof include a method of measuring the cut surface including the elastic member of the abutting portion using a microscope. For example, the thickness of the elastic member is measured by observing with a microscope with the tip surface of the cleaning blade facing upward.

The elastic member can have a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure as described above.

When the elastic member has a single-layer structure, the elastic member can be composed only of a base material, and the base material can be obtained, for example, by curing the following composition for forming an elastic member.

(Composition for forming elastic member)
The composition for forming an elastic member is, for example, a first composition in an emulsified state containing a curing agent made of an active hydrogen compound.

((First composition))
The first composition contains at least one of the following components A and B, and component C.
Component A: NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer Component B: Silicone oil component C: NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer

-Component A: NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer-
The NCO terminal-modified silicone prepolymer is a prepolymer having an isocyanate group at the terminal, which is obtained by reacting a modified silicone having at least one hydroxyl group at the terminal with a first polyisocyanate.

The modified silicone is a silicone having at least one hydroxyl group at the terminal, and a commercially available one can be used.

The modified silicone is selected from those capable of reacting with the first polyisocyanate to form a prepolymer having an NCO group at the terminal. Specifically, a hydroxyl group-modified silicone is more preferable because it has a hydroxyl group and an amino group at the terminal and is stable.

Examples of commercially available products include KF-6000, KF-6001, KF-6002, KF-6003, X-22-176F, X-22-176DX, X-22-176GX-A (Shinetsu Silicone) and the like. Types of terminal denaturation include one-ended, both-ended, side chains, etc., but one-ended denaturation is more desirable from the viewpoint of efficiency of functioning as a surfactant as described later.

The first polyisocyanate is a compound that is bonded to the end of the modified silicone via a urethane bond and has an isocyanate group (NCO) at the end, and the details will be described later.

The NCO terminal-modified silicone prepolymer is a silicone prepolymer having an NCO group at the terminal, which is obtained by reacting the modified silicone with the first polyisocyanate. It can be obtained by mixing a first polyisocyanate having about twice the equivalent of the modified silicone side functional group and heating and stirring.

-Component B: Silicone oil-
The silicone oil is a silicone oil (organopolysiloxane) that is liquid at room temperature, and commercially available silicone oil can be used.

As the silicone oil, general polyorganosiloxane can be used. Since the silicone oil is stably dispersed in the polyurethane / urea matrix, it is more preferable that the silicone oil has poor compatibility with the matrix, and such silicone oil is used in the NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer using, for example, an NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer as a surfactant. It is dispersed in an emulsified state. Most preferred is dimethyl silicone. Dimethyl silicone oil is the most general-purpose silicone oil, and commercially available products of various companies can be used. In the above-mentioned emulsification, if the viscosity is high, higher energy is required, so that about 1 to 10,000 mPa · s / 25 ° C. can be preferably used.

-Component C: NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer-
The NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer is a prepolymer having an isocyanate group at the terminal, which is obtained by reacting a polyol with a second polyisocyanate.

The polyol is, for example, a polyol having a molecular weight of 500 to 4000, and is a so-called long-chain polyol used for producing a polyurethane resin. Polyester polyols, polyether polyols, polycarbonate polyols and the like are preferably used.

The second polyisocyanate is a compound that reacts with the hydroxyl group at the end of the polyol and bonds via a urethane bond to have an isocyanate group (NCO) at the end.

The polyisocyanate compound used as the first polyisocyanate and the second polyisocyanate is, for example, m-phenylenedi isocyanate, p-phenylenedi isocyanate, 2,4-tolylene diisocyanate, 2,6-tolylene diisocyanate, naphthalene-1,4-. Diisocyanate, diphenylmethane-4,4'-diisocyanate, 3,3'-methoxy-4,4'-diphenyldiisocyanate, 3,3'-dimethyldiphenylmethane-4,4'-diisocyanate, xylylene-1,4-diisocyanate, 4 , 4'-diphenylpropane diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, 3-isocyanatemethyl-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexylisocyanate, dicyclohexylmethane 4,4'-diisocyanate, cyclohexylene-1,2-diisocyanate, cyclohexylene-1, 4-Diisocyanate and the like can be mentioned.

Here, the first polyisocyanate and the second polyisocyanate are preferably selected so that the reactivity with the curing agent is higher in the first polyisocyanate than in the second polyisocyanate. The reactivity of the isocyanate group (R-NCO) increases as the electron-withdrawing property of the substituent R increases. Specifically, the reactivity of aromatic polyisocyanate is larger than that of aliphatic polyisocyanate, and the reactivity is lowered by steric hindrance such as the methyl group of the side chain. These can be inferred from the following literature related to urethane.

Hepburn, C.I. : Polyurethane Elastomers, Applied Science Publishers, (1982).
・ Sanders J. H. , Frisch K. C. : Polyurethanes: Chemistry and technology, Part 1. Chemistry, New York: Interscience Publics, 170 (1962)
・ Polyurethane resin handbook, edited by Keiji Iwata, Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun (1987)
-Hardener for polyurethane resin paint, Yoshiaki Takanaka, Japan Society of Color Material, 49 (1976)

As described above, in general, the aromatic polyisocyanate has higher reactivity with the curing agent than the aliphatic or alicyclic polyisocyanate. Therefore, for example, the first polyisocyanate is designated as an aromatic polyisocyanate and the second polyisocyanate is used. The polyisocyanate may be an aliphatic or alicyclic polyisocyanate. Both can be aromatic polyisocyanates, aliphatic polyisocyanates, or alicyclic polyisocyanates.

Specifically, for example, an aromatic polyisocyanate can be used as the first polyisocyanate, and an aliphatic polyisocyanate can be used as the second polyisocyanate. Further, both can be selected from aromatic polyisocyanate or aliphatic polyisocyanate. For example, a combination of xylylene diisocyanate (aliphatic high reactivity) as the first polyisocyanate and dicyclohexylmethane 4,4'-diisocyanate (aliphatic low reactivity) as the second polyisocyanate can be exemplified.

The NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer is a main component that forms a matrix of a cured urethane resin, and can be appropriately selected from synthetic or commercially available products according to the desired physical characteristics. For example, it is obtained by mixing a long-chain polyol such as a polyester polyol, a polyether polyol, or a polycarbonate polyol having a molecular weight of 500 to 4000 with a second polyisocyanate having an equivalent amount of about twice that of the hydroxyl group on the polyol side and heating and stirring. be able to. The NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer can be selected from commercially available products if the requirements for relative reactivity with the first polyisocyanate are met.

The first composition contains at least one of component A and component B and component C, but is preferably in an emulsified state when mixed. That is, the NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer of component A acts as a surfactant, and the silicone oil of component B can be retained in the NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer of component C in an emulsified state. The NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer is coordinated around the fine particles of the silicone oil to form micelles, which form an emulsion dispersed in the NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer.

As described above, the first composition can be an emulsion in which an NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer and a silicone oil are dispersed in an NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer, for example, using a disperser.

As the disperser, a general emulsifying device such as a high-speed stirrer or a homogenizer can be used.

By dispersing the NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer in the NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer and then dispersing the silicone oil, a uniform milky white dispersion can be quickly produced.

((Hardener))
The curing agent is an active hydrogen-containing compound having reactivity with an NCO group, and specifically, a polyvalent hirodoxy compound or a polyamine compound. When a polyvalent hydroxy compound is used as the curing agent, the matrix resin (layer constituent resin) becomes a polyurethane resin, and when polyamine is used as a curing agent, the matrix resin becomes a polyurethane urea resin. Since it is effective to rapidly react the NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer serving as a shell with the curing agent, a curing agent containing a polyamine equal to or more than the NCO equivalent of the silicone prepolymer is more preferably used. The multivalent hydroxy compound may be used together with the polyamine compound as a chain length extender. Further, in order to appropriately proceed with the curing reaction, a known urethane curing catalyst (amines, organic metals) can also be used in combination.

Here, as the polyhydric hydroxy compound, an aliphatic polyhydric alcohol is preferably used, and ethylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol and 1,6-hexane are preferably used. Examples thereof include diol, 1,7-heptanediol, 1,8-octanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, 1,4-bis (hydroxyethoxy) benzene, and 1,3-bis (hydroxyethoxy) benzene. Can be done.

Examples of the polyamine compound include 4,4'-methylenebis (2-chloroaniline), diethyltoluenediamine, dimethylthiotoluenediamine and the like.

The composition for forming an elastic member becomes either one or both of a cured polyurethane resin and a cured urea resin by thermosetting with a predetermined mold or the like.

Since the composition for forming an elastic member contains an NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer, an NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer, and a curing agent which is an active hydrogen-containing compound having reactivity with the NCO group, the NCO group and the curing agent are used. By reacting, it becomes a cured polyurethane resin.

The first polyisocyanate added to the end of the NCO-terminated modified silicone prepolymer and the second polyisocyanate added to the end of the NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer have the same reactivity with the curing agent as the first polyisocyanate. It is preferable to use one having a higher price than the second polyisocyanate. In that case, the NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer forming the micelle first reacts with the curing agent to form a core-shell structure in which the silicone oil becomes the core and the cured product of the NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer becomes the shell. That is, when the NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer forming the micelle first reacts with the curing agent, a pseudocapsule in which the silicone oil is immobilized in the micelle is generated. After that, the NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer serving as a matrix reacts with the curing agent and is cured, so that the urethane resin cured product has a core-shell structure stably dispersed in either one or both of the urethane matrix and the urea matrix. ..

When the elastic member has a multi-layer structure, the elastic member can have a base material and a surface layer.

(Base material)
The base material is not particularly limited in shape, material, size, structure and the like, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose.

Examples of the shape include a flat plate shape, a strip shape, a sheet shape, and the like.

The size is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the size of the member to be cleaned.

The material of the base material can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, and the above-mentioned composition for forming an elastic base material can be used. Further, as the material of the base material, polyurethane rubber, polyurethane elastomer or the like is suitable from the viewpoint that high elasticity can be easily obtained.

Examples of the shape of the base material include a pair of plate surfaces facing each other in the thickness direction of the base material and a pair of end faces orthogonal to the plate surface and facing each other in the in-plane direction of the plate surface.

The structure of the base material can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, a single-layer structure composed of one kind of material, a two-layer structure in which two kinds of different materials are integrally molded, and several kinds of different materials are integrally formed. Examples thereof include a molded multi-layer structure.

When manufacturing a base material in which two or more layers are laminated, raw materials having different mixing ratios are continuously injected into a centrifugal molding die before each layer is completely cured so that delamination does not occur. It is possible to mold integrally with.

The method for producing the base material can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. For example, a polyurethane prepolymer is prepared using a polyol compound and a polyisocyanate compound, and a curing agent and, if necessary, a curing catalyst are added to the polyurethane prepolymer to crosslink the polyurethane prepolymer in a predetermined mold. After cross-linking in a furnace, the product is formed into a sheet by centrifugation, and then left at room temperature to be aged and cut into flat plates to a predetermined size. A base material is manufactured on this.

The polyol compound is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. Examples thereof include high molecular weight polyols and low molecular weight polyols.

Examples of the high molecular weight polyol include polyester polyol which is a condensate of alkylene glycol and aliphatic dibasic acid; ethylene adipate ester polyol, butylene adipate ester polyol, hexylene adipate ester polyol, ethylene propylene adipate ester polyol, and ethylene butylene adipate. Polycaprolactone-based polyols such as alkylene glycols such as ester polyols and ethylene neopentylene adipate ester polyols and polyester polyols with adipic acid; polycaprolactone-based polyols such as polycaprolactone ester polyols obtained by ring-opening polymerization of caprolactone; poly (oxy) Examples thereof include polyether polyols such as tetramethylene) glycol and poly (oxypropylene) glycol. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

Examples of the low molecular weight polyol include 1,4-butanediol, ethylene glycol, neopentyl glycol, hydroquinone-bis (2-hydroxyethyl) ether, 3,3'-dichloro-4,4'-diaminodiphenyllumethane, and the like. Dihydric alcohols such as 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane; 1,1,1-trimethylolpropane, glycerin, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, 1,2,4-butanetriol, trimethylolethane, 1,1 , 1-Tris (hydroxyethoxymethyl) propane, diglycerin, pentaerythritol and other trihydric or higher polyhydric alcohols, and the like. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The polyisocyanate compound can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. For example, methylene diphenyldiisocyanate (MDI), tolylene diisocyanate (TDI), xylylene diisocyanate (XDI), naphthylene 1,5-diisocyanate (NDI), etc. Tetramethylxylylene diisocyanate (TMXDI), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), hydrogenated xylylene diisocyanate (H6XDI), dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate (H12MDI), hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), dimerate diisocyanate (DDI), norbornene diisocyanate (NBDI), Examples thereof include trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate (TMDI). These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The curing catalyst can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, and examples thereof include 2-methylimidazole and 1,2-dimethylimidazole.

The content of the curing catalyst can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, and is preferably 0.01% by mass to 0.5% by mass, preferably 0.05% by mass to 0.3% by mass. More preferred.

The JIS-A hardness of the base material can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, and is preferably 60 degrees or higher, more preferably 65 to 80 degrees. When the JIS-A hardness is 60 degrees or more, the blade linear pressure is easily obtained, and the area of the contact portion with the image carrier is difficult to expand, so that cleaning failure is unlikely to occur.

Here, the JIS-A hardness of the base material can be measured using, for example, a micro rubber hardness tester MD-1 manufactured by Polymer Instruments Co., Ltd.

The elastic modulus of the substrate conforming to the JIS K6255 standard can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. The elastic modulus of the base material conforms to, for example, JIS K6255 standard, and at 23 ° C., No. 1 manufactured by Toyo Seiki Seisakusho Co., Ltd. It can be measured using a 221 resilience tester.

The average thickness of the base material is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, but is preferably 1.0 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less.

((Surface layer))
The surface layer is obtained, for example, by curing the above-mentioned composition for forming an elastic member. When the elastic member has a surface layer and a base material, the surface layer has a tip ridge portion. The surface layer contains a domain derived from a polysiloxane structure having an average dispersion diameter of 0.1 μm to 5.0 μm in a region from the surface including the tip ridge to a depth of 100 μm. Further, the Martens hardness HM of the surface layer at a depth of 20 μm from the surface of the tip ridge line portion at a load of 1000 μN is less than 0.5 N / mm ² to 1.5 N / mm ² .

The average thickness of the surface layer can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, and is preferably 30 μm to 800 μm, more preferably 50 μm to 500 μm. If the average thickness is 50 μm or more, even if it is worn during long-term use, the surface exposed after wear also contains a domain derived from the polysiloxane structure, and even if it is worn, the part that comes into contact with the photoconductor is always polysiloxane. A domain derived from the structure exists and a low coefficient of friction can be maintained. When the average thickness is 500 μm or less, deterioration of dimensional accuracy during processing due to the influence of the surface layer containing the domain derived from the polysiloxane structure can be further suppressed.

<Support member>
The cleaning blade can have a support member. The support member is preferably connected to one end of the elastic member so as to have a free end portion having a predetermined length at the other end.

The support member is not particularly limited in shape, size, material and the like as long as it is a member that supports the elastic member, and can be appropriately selected depending on the purpose.

Examples of the shape of the support member include a flat plate shape, a strip shape, a sheet shape, and the like.

The size of the support member can be appropriately selected according to the size of the member to be cleaned.

Examples of the material of the support member include metal, plastic, and ceramics. Among these, a metal plate is preferable from the viewpoint of strength, and a steel plate such as stainless steel, an aluminum plate, and a phosphor bronze plate are particularly preferable.

[toner]
The toner contains 20% by number of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less. Particles with a particle size of 3 μm or less have a large specific surface area, which greatly affects the adhesive force. By setting the proportion of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less within the above range, the adhesive force between the toners in the cleaning nip becomes high, and the toner and the cleaning blade easily scrape off foreign matter on the member to be cleaned.

The cleaning blade contains a domain of polysiloxane, and the amount of polysiloxane in the vicinity of the contact portion including the tip ridge portion of the elastic member is always large. Therefore, if the proportion of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less in the toner is 20% by number or more, the particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less can aggregate with the polysiloxane in the vicinity of the contact portion to form a strong dam layer. Further, since the cleaning blade has extremely high slidability, the posture of the cleaning blade is always stable, and this dam layer can be maintained for a long time. As a result, it is possible to scrape off the deposits such as toner on the image carrier generated in a harsh situation.

The method for measuring the particle size is not particularly limited, and any measuring method can be appropriately used using a precision particle size distribution measuring device or the like. As the precision particle size distribution measuring device, a Coulter Multisizer III (manufactured by Coulter) or the like can be used. An example of the particle size measuring method is shown below.

First, a small amount of a surfactant is added to the electrolytic solution as a dispersant. The electrolytic solution may be, for example, an aqueous solution prepared into an approximately 1% NaCl aqueous solution using primary sodium chloride. A measurement sample is further added as a solid content to the mixed solution obtained by adding a surfactant to the electrolytic solution to obtain an electrolytic product in which the sample is suspended. The electrolytic solution in which the sample is suspended is dispersed for several minutes with an ultrasonic disperser, and the volume and number of toners are measured using an aperture with a precision particle size distribution measuring device to calculate the volume distribution and number distribution. do. From the obtained distribution, the volume average particle size Dv and the number average particle size Dp of the toner are obtained. The particle size of the toner can be determined based on at least one of the volume average particle size Dv and the number average particle size Dp.

Next, the particles having a particle diameter within a predetermined range (for example, 2.00 μm or more and less than 40.30 μm) calculated based on at least one of the volume average particle diameter Dv and the number average particle diameter Dp are targeted. The proportion of particles having a particle size of 3 μm or less can be determined. The "ratio of particles having a particle size of 3 μm or less" is a number ratio (number%) of particles having a particle size of 3.00 μm or less. The number ratio of particles having a particle diameter of 3.00 μm or less is the ratio of the number of particles having a particle diameter within a predetermined range (for example, 2.00 μm or more and less than 40.30 μm) to the number of particles having a particle diameter of 3.00 μm or less. Is. For example, when targeting particles having a particle diameter of 2.00 μm or more and less than 40.30 μm, the “ratio of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less” is the number of particles having a particle diameter of less than 3.17 μm, which is 2.00 μm. The number ratio (number%) of less than 3.17 μm, which is the ratio to the number of particles of more than 40.30 μm, may be used.

At this time, the channels for distributing the particles are, for example, 2.00 μm or more and less than 2.52 μm; 2.52 μm or more and less than 3.17 μm; 3.17 μm or more and less than 4.00 μm; 4.00 μm or more and less than 5.04 μm; 5.04 μm. More than 6.35 μm; 6.35 μm or more and less than 8.00 μm; 8.00 μm or more and less than 10.08 μm; 10.08 μm or more and less than 12.70 μm; 12.70 μm or more and less than 16.00 μm; 16.00 μm or more and less than 20.20 μm 20.20 μm or more and less than 25.40 μm; 25.40 μm or more and less than 32.00 μm; 32.00 μm or more and less than 40.30 μm 13 channels can be used.

The toner preferably contains 25% to 55% of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less, and more preferably 30% to 50% of the particles. When the number of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less is 55% by number or more, the charge distribution of the toner deteriorates, and quality problems such as scattering occur. When the content ratio of the particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less is within the above-mentioned preferable range, the stronger dam layer can be maintained for a long time, so that the toner on the image carrier can be more reliably scraped off. ..

The toner contains a binder resin as a binder resin, and may contain other components such as a colorant and a mold release agent, if necessary.

(Binder resin)
As the binder resin, a binder resin used as a full-color toner can be used. Examples of the binder resin include polyester resin, (meth) acrylic resin, styrene- (meth) acrylic copolymer resin, epoxy resin, and cyclic olefin resin (COC (for example, TOPAS-COC (manufactured by Ticona)). )) And the like can be used, but it is preferable to use a polyester resin from the viewpoint of stress resistance in the developer.

As the polyester resin preferably used, a polyester resin obtained by polycondensing a polyhydric alcohol component and a polyvalent carboxylic acid component can be used. Among the polyhydric alcohol components, examples of the dihydric alcohol component include polyoxypropylene (2,2) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane and polyoxypropylene (3,3) -2,2. -Bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxypropylene (6) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, polyoxyethylene (2,0) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) Bisphenol A alkylene oxide adduct such as propane, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, neopentyl glycol, 1,4-butenediol , 1,5-Pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, dipropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polytetramethylene glycol, bisphenol A, hydrogenated bisphenol A and the like. Examples of the trihydric or higher alcohol component include sorbitol, 1,2,3,6-hexanetetrol, 1,4-sorbitan, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, tripentaerythritol, 1,2,4-butanetriol. , 1,2,5-pentanetriol, glycerol, 2-methylpropanetriol, 2-methyl-1,2,4-butanetriol, trimethylolethane, trimethylolpropane, 1,3,5-trihydroxymethylbenzene, etc. Can be mentioned.

Among the polyvalent carboxylic acid components, the divalent carboxylic acid components include, for example, maleic acid, fumaric acid, citraconic acid, itaconic acid, glutaconic acid, phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid, and succinic acid. Acid, adipic acid, sebatic acid, azelaic acid, malonic acid, n-dodecenyl succinic acid, isododecenyl succinic acid, n-dodecyl succinic acid, isododecyl succinic acid, n-octenyl succinic acid, isooctenyl succinic acid, n-octyl succinic acid. Acids, isooctylsuccinic acids, anhydrides or lower alkyl esters of these acids can be mentioned.

Examples of the trivalent or higher carboxylic acid component include 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid (trimellitic acid), 1,2,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid, 2,5,7-naphthalenetricarboxylic acid, and 1,2. , 4-Naphthalentricarboxylic acid, 1,2,4-butanetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,5-hexanetricarboxylic acid, 1,3-dicarboxy-2-methyl-2-methylenecarboxypropane, 1,2,4- Examples thereof include cyclohexanetricarboxylic acid, tetra (methylenecarboxyl) methane, 1,2,7,8-octanetetracarboxylic acid, pyromellitic acid, empole trimeric acid, anhydrides of these acids, lower alkyl esters and the like.

Further, as the polyester resin, a condensation polymerization reaction for obtaining a polyester resin in the same container using a mixture of a raw material monomer of the polyester resin, a raw material monomer of the vinyl resin, and a monomer that reacts with the raw material monomers of both resins is used. A resin obtained by carrying out a radical polymerization reaction for obtaining a vinyl-based resin in parallel (hereinafter, simply referred to as “vinyl-based polyester resin”) can also be preferably used. The monomer that reacts with the raw material monomers of both resins is, in other words, a monomer that can be used in both the polypolymerization reaction and the radical polymerization reaction. That is, it is a monomer having a carboxy group capable of a depolymerization reaction and a vinyl group capable of a radical polymerization reaction, and examples thereof include fumaric acid, maleic acid, acrylic acid, and methacrylic acid.

Examples of the raw material monomer of the polyester resin include the above-mentioned polyhydric alcohol component and polyvalent carboxylic acid component. Examples of raw material monomers for vinyl-based resins include styrene, o-methylstyrene, m-methylstyrene, p-methylstyrene, α-methylstyrene, p-ethylstyrene, 2,4-dimethylstyrene, and p-tert-. Steryl or styrene derivatives such as butylstyrene, p-chlorstyrene; ethylene-based unsaturated monoolefins such as ethylene, propylene, butylene, and isobutylene; methyl methacrylate, n-propyl methacrylate, isopropyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate , Isobutyl methacrylate, t-butyl methacrylate, n-pentyl methacrylate, isopentyl methacrylate, neopentyl methacrylate, 3- (methyl) butyl methacrylate, hexyl methacrylate, octyl methacrylate, nonyl methacrylate, decyl methacrylate, Alkyl methacrylates such as undecyl methacrylate and dodecyl methacrylate; methyl acrylate, n-propyl acrylate, isopropyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, t-butyl acrylate, n-pentyl acrylate. , Acrylic acid alkyl esters such as isopentyl acrylate, neopentyl acrylate, 3- (methyl) butyl acrylate, hexyl acrylate, octyl acrylate, nonyl acrylate, decyl acrylate, undecyl acrylate, dodecyl acrylate; acrylic; Unsaturated carboxylic acids such as acids, methacrylic acid, itaconic acid, maleic acid; acrylic acid, maleic acid ester, itaconic acid ester, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, vinyl benzoate, vinyl methyl ethyl ketone, vinyl hexyl ketone, vinyl methyl ether, vinyl ethyl Examples thereof include ether and vinyl isobutyl ether. Examples of the polymerization initiator for polymerizing the raw material monomer of the vinyl resin include 2,2'-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile, and 1,1. Azo-based or diazo-based polymerization initiators such as'-azobis (cyclohexane-1-carbonitrile), 2,2'-azobis-4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile, benzoyl peroxide, dicumyl peroxide, etc. Examples thereof include peroxide-based polymerization initiators such as methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, isopropyl peroxy carbonate, and lauroyl peroxide.

As the binder resin, various polyester resins as described above are preferably used. Among them, the first binder resin and the following first binder resin are shown below from the viewpoint of further improving the separability and offset resistance as the oilless fixing toner. It is more preferable to use a second binder resin.

The first binder resin is a polyester resin obtained by polycondensing the above-mentioned polyhydric alcohol component and the polyvalent carboxylic acid component, particularly using a bisphenol A alkylene oxide adduct as the polyhydric alcohol component as the polyvalent carboxylic acid component. It is a polyester resin obtained by using terephthalic acid and fumaric acid.

As the second binder resin, bisphenol A alkylene oxide adduct, terephthalic acid, trimellitic acid and succinic acid are used as the raw material monomers of the vinyl polyester resin, especially the polyester resin, and styrene and butyl acrylate are used as the raw material monomers of the vinyl resin. , A vinyl-based polyester resin obtained by using fumaric acid as both reactive monomers.

A hydrocarbon wax may be added at the time of synthesizing the first binder resin. In order to preliminarily add a hydrocarbon-based wax to the first binder resin, when the first binder resin is synthesized, the first is in a state where the hydrocarbon-based wax is added to the monomer for synthesizing the first binder resin. The binder resin may be synthesized. For example, the shrink polymerization reaction may be carried out in a state where the hydrocarbon wax is added to the acid monomer and the alcohol monomer constituting the polyester resin as the first binder resin. When the first binder resin is a vinyl-based polyester resin, the raw material monomer of the vinyl-based resin is dropped onto the raw material monomer of the vinyl-based resin while stirring and heating the monomer in a state where the hydrocarbon-based wax is added to the raw material monomer of the polyester resin. The polycondensation reaction and the radical polymerization reaction may be carried out.

(wax)
Generally, the lower the polarity of the wax, the better the releasability from the fixing member roller. The wax used in this embodiment is a hydrocarbon-based wax having a low polarity and is soluble in hexane. The amount added is preferably 3.0% to 10.0%, preferably 4.0% to 8.0%, based on 100% by mass of the toner.

(Wax dispersant)
The toner of the present invention may contain a wax dispersant that helps disperse the wax.

The wax dispersant is not particularly limited, and known wax dispersants can be used. Examples of the wax dispersant include polymers and oligomers in which a unit having high compatibility with wax and a unit having high compatibility with resin exists as a block body, and a unit having high compatibility with wax and resin. Polymers or oligomers grafted on one of the higher units, unsaturated hydrocarbons such as ethylene, propylene, butene, styrene, α-styrene, and acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, itaconic acid. , Α, β-unsaturated carboxylic acid such as itaconic acid anhydride or a copolymer with an ester thereof or an anhydride thereof, a block or a graft of a vinyl resin and polyester, and the like.

Units having high compatibility with the above wax include long-chain alkyl groups having 12 or more carbon atoms, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, polybutadiene, and copolymers thereof.

Examples of the unit having high compatibility with the above resin include polyester, vinyl resin and the like.

(Colorant)
As the colorant, pigments and dyes used as colorants for full-color toner can be used. Examples of the colorant include carbon black, aniline blue, calcoyl blue, chrome yellow, ultramarine blue, dupon oil red, quinoline yellow, methylene blue chloride, copper phthalocyanine, malachite green oxalate, lamp black, rose bengal, and C.I. I. Pigment Red 48: 1, C.I. I. Pigment Red 122, C.I. I. Pigment Red 57: 1, C.I. I. Pigment Red 184, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 97, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 12, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 17, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 74, C.I. I. Solvent Yellow 162, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 180, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 185, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15: 1, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15: 3 etc. can be mentioned.

The content of the colorant in the toner particles is preferably in the range of 2 parts by mass to 15 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the total binder resin. The colorant is preferably used in the form of a masterbatch dispersed in a mixed binder resin of the first binder resin and the second binder resin to be used, from the viewpoint of dispersibility. The amount of the masterbatch added may be such that the amount of the colorant contained is within the above range. The colorant content in the masterbatch is preferably 20% by mass to 40% by mass.

(Charge control agent)
As the charge control agent, a general charge control agent used in full-color toner can be used.

Examples of the charge control agent include niglocin-based dyes, triphenylmethane-based dyes, chromium-containing metal complex dyes, molybdenum acid chelate pigments, rhodamine-based dyes, alkoxy-based amines, and quaternary ammonium salts (including fluorine-modified quaternary ammonium salts). ), Alkylamide, a simple substance or compound of phosphorus, a simple substance or compound of tungsten, a fluoroactive agent, a metal salt of salicylic acid, a metal salt of a salicylic acid derivative, and the like. Specifically, bontron 03 of niglocin-based dye, bontron P-51 of quaternary ammonium salt, bontron S-34 of metal-containing azo dye, E-82 of oxynaphthoic acid-based metal complex, E- of salicylic acid-based metal complex. 84, E-89 of phenolic condensate (above, manufactured by Orient Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), TP-302, TP-415 of quaternary ammonium salt molybdenum complex (above, manufactured by Hodoya Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) Copy charge PSY VP2038, copy blue PR of triphenylmethane derivative, copy charge NEG VP2036 of quaternary ammonium salt, copy charge NX VP434 (above, manufactured by Hext), LRA-901, LR-147 (Nippon Carlit) which is a boron complex. , Copper phthalocyanine, perylene, quinacridone, azo pigments, and other high molecular weight compounds having functional groups such as sulfonic acid groups, carboxyl groups, and quaternary ammonium salts. Of these, a substance that controls the toner to be negative is particularly preferably used.

The amount of the charge control agent used is determined by the type of binder resin, the presence or absence of additives used as needed, and the toner manufacturing method including the dispersion method, and is not uniquely limited. However, it is preferably used in the range of 0.1 part by mass to 10 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin. The range of 0.2 parts by mass to 5 parts by mass is preferable.

(External agent)
In the present invention, inorganic fine particles can be used as an external additive for assisting fluidity and developability.

Specific examples of the inorganic fine particles include silicon oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, silica sand, titanium oxide, clay, mica, silica ash stone, calcium oxide soil, chromium oxide, cerium oxide, red iron oxide, antimony trioxide, magnesium oxide, and the like. Examples thereof include zirconium oxide, barium sulfate, barium carbonate, calcium carbonate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride and the like.

The toner can be produced by various methods such as a polymerization method and a pulverization method.

Next, each configuration other than the cleaning unit that constitutes the image forming apparatus will be described.

[Image carrier]
The material, shape, structure, size, etc. of the image carrier (sometimes referred to as an electrostatic latent image carrier, an electrophotographic photosensitive member, or a photosensitive member) are not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected from known ones. be able to. Examples of the material of the image carrier include inorganic photoconductors such as amorphous silicon and selenium, and organic photoconductors (OPC) such as polysilane and phthalopolymethine. Among these, amorphous silicon is preferable in terms of long life.

As the amorphous silicon photoconductor, for example, the support is heated to 50 ° C. to 400 ° C., and a vacuum vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, an ion plating method, and a thermal CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method are applied on the support. A photoconductor having a photoconductive layer made of a-Si can be used by a film forming method such as an optical CVD method or a plasma CVD method. Among these, the plasma CVD method, that is, a method of decomposing the raw material gas by direct current, high frequency, or microwave glow discharge to form an a—Si deposited film on the support is preferable.

The shape of the image carrier is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, but a cylindrical shape is preferable. The outer diameter of the cylindrical image carrier is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, but is preferably 3 mm to 100 mm, more preferably 5 mm to 50 mm, and particularly preferably 10 mm to 30 mm.

[Electrostatic latent image forming part]
The electrostatic latent image forming unit is not particularly limited as long as it is a means for forming an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier, and can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. The electrostatic latent image forming unit includes, for example, a charging device (charger) that uniformly charges the surface of the image carrier and an exposure device (exposure device) that exposes the surface of the image carrier in an image manner. Be prepared.

The charger is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. For example, a contact charger provided with a conductive or semi-conductive roll, a brush, a film, a rubber blade, or the like, a corotron, or a scorotron. A non-contact charger or the like using a corona discharge such as the above can be mentioned.

The shape of the charger may be any form such as a magnetic brush or a fur brush in addition to the roller, and can be selected according to the specifications and form of the image forming apparatus.

The charger is preferably arranged in a contacting or non-contacting state with the image carrier and charges the surface of the image carrier by superimposing and applying direct current and AC voltage. Further, it is preferable that the charger is a charging roller that is non-contactly arranged close to the image carrier via a gap tape, and charges the surface of the image carrier by superimposing and applying direct current and AC voltage to the charging roller. ..

The charger is not limited to the contact type charger, but it is preferable to use the contact type charger from the viewpoint that an image forming apparatus in which ozone generated from the charger is reduced can be obtained.

The exposure device is not particularly limited as long as it can expose the surface of the image carrier charged by the charger to the image to be formed, and can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, for example. Examples thereof 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.

The light source used in the exposure device is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. For example, fluorescent lamps, tungsten lamps, halogen lamps, mercury lamps, sodium lamps, light emitting diodes (LEDs), semiconductor lasers ( Examples thereof include general light-emitting substances such as LD) and electroluminescence (EL).

Further, in order to irradiate only light in a desired wavelength range, various filters such as a sharp cut filter, a bandpass filter, a near infrared cut filter, a dichroic filter, an interference filter, and a color temperature conversion filter can also be used.

An optical back surface method may be adopted in which the image is exposed from the back surface side of the image carrier.

[Development unit]
The developing unit is not particularly limited as long as it can develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the image carrier to form a toner image, and can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. As the developing unit, for example, one capable of accommodating toner and having a developer capable of contacting or non-contacting toner to an electrostatic latent image can be preferably used, and a developing unit provided with a container containing toner can be used. preferable.

The developer may be a monochromatic developer or a multicolor developer. As the developing device, for example, a developer carrier having a stirrer for frictionally stirring and charging toner and a magnetic field generating portion fixed inside, and carrying a developer containing toner on the surface and rotating is provided. A developing device having is preferable.

Five developing units can be provided. The developing unit includes black, cyan, magenta, and yellow color toners, and the toner according to the embodiment. The toner according to one embodiment may be of any color, but is preferably colorless or white. Further, the developing unit may use a part or all of the black, cyan, magenta and yellow color toners as the toner according to the embodiment.

[Transfer part]
The transfer unit preferably has a primary transfer unit that transfers a toner image onto an intermediate transfer body to form a composite transfer image, and a secondary transfer unit that transfers the composite transfer image onto a recording medium. .. The intermediate transfer body is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected from known transfer bodies according to the purpose. For example, a transfer belt or the like is preferably used.

It is preferable that the transfer unit (primary transfer means and secondary transfer unit) has at least a transfer device for peeling and charging the toner image formed on the image carrier (photoreceptor) toward the recording medium side. The number of transfer portions may be one or two or more.

Examples of the transfer device include a corona transfer device by corona discharge, a transfer belt, a transfer roller, a pressure transfer roller, an adhesive transfer device, and the like.

The recording medium is typically plain paper, but there is no particular limitation as long as the unfixed image after development can be transferred, and it can be appropriately selected according to the purpose, and PET for OHP. A base or the like can also be used.

[Fixing part]
The fixing portion is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, but a known heating and pressurizing portion is preferable. Examples of the heating and pressurizing unit include a combination of a heating roller and a pressurizing roller, a combination of a heating roller, a pressurizing roller, and an endless belt.

The fixing portion has a heating body provided with a heating element, a film in contact with the heating body, and a pressure member that is in pressure contact with the heating body via the film, and an unfixed image is formed between the film and the pressure member. It is preferable that the heat-pressurized portion can be heated and fixed by passing through the formed recording medium.

The heating in the heating and pressurizing section is usually preferably 80 ° C. to 200 ° C.

The surface pressure in the heating and pressurizing portion is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, but is preferably 10 N / cm ² to 80 N / cm ² .

In this embodiment, for example, a known optical fixing device may be used together with or in place of the fixing unit, depending on the purpose.

[others]
The image forming apparatus according to one embodiment may also include, for example, a static elimination unit, a recycling unit, a control unit, and the like.

(Static elimination unit)
The static elimination unit is not particularly limited as long as it can apply a static elimination bias to the image carrier, and can be appropriately selected from known static elimination devices. For example, a static elimination lamp and the like are preferable.

(Recycling Department)
The recycling unit is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include known transportation means.

(Control unit)
The control unit can control the movement of each of the above units. The control unit is not particularly limited as long as it can control the movement of each of the above units, and can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. Examples thereof include control devices such as sequencers and computers.

As described above, the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment has a cleaning unit including a cleaning blade. The cleaning blade includes an elastic member that removes toner adhering to the surface of the member to be cleaned. The elastic member has a tip ridge portion that abuts on the member to be cleaned, and is derived from a polysiloxane structure having an average dispersion diameter of 0.1 μm to 5.0 μm in a region from the surface including the tip ridge portion to a depth of 100 μm. Contains the domain to be. The elastic member has a large amount of polysiloxane in the vicinity of the contact portion including the tip ridge line portion, and the toner contains 20% or more of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less, so that the particles contained in the toner are contained. Can aggregate with the polysiloxane in the vicinity of the contact portion to form a strong sedimentary layer (dam layer). Further, since the elastic member has very high slidability, the posture of the elastic member can always be stable. Therefore, the dam layer formed on the elastic member can be maintained for a long time.

Therefore, by combining the elastic member having the above structure and the toner containing 20% by number or more of the particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less, the cleaning blade easily aggregates with the polysiloxane in the vicinity of the contact portion of the elastic member. A stronger dam layer can be formed. Therefore, the cleaning blade according to the embodiment can improve the resistance in a high temperature (for example, 40 ° C. or higher) and high humidity (for example, 70 RH or higher) environment, and thus is excellent in cleaning even in a harsh environment. Can have sex.

Therefore, in the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment, by using the cleaning blade having the above configuration in the cleaning apparatus, it is possible to remove the deposits such as toner generated on the member to be cleaned under a harsh usage environment. .. Therefore, the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment can have excellent cleaning property even in a harsh environment, so that a high-quality image can be stably provided.

In the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment, the cleaning blade can set the Martens hardness HM of the elastic member at a depth of 20 μm from the surface of the tip ridge portion to 0.5 N / mm ² or more and less than 1.5 N / mm ² . .. Thereby, the cleaning blade can have high hardness even in an environment of high temperature (for example, 40 ° C. or higher) and high humidity (for example, 70 RH or higher).

In the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment, the cleaning blade can have an average dispersion diameter of domains derived from the polysiloxane structure of 0.5 μm to 2.0 μm. As a result, the cleaning blade can be made more durable. Therefore, the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment can have higher cleaning property even in a harsh environment.

In the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment, the cleaning blade may have an elastic member having a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure. Thereby, depending on the type of the member to be cleaned, the cleaning blade can use an elastic member having arbitrary rigidity. Therefore, the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment can surely exhibit the cleaning property.

In the present embodiment, in the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment, the deposits to be removed by the cleaning blade include, in addition to the toner, a lubricant, dust, dust, etc., which adhere to the surface of the member to be cleaned. It's fine.

<Image formation method>
An image forming method according to an embodiment will be described. The image forming method according to one embodiment is performed by using the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment.

The image forming method according to one embodiment includes an electrostatic latent image forming step of forming an electrostatic latent image on a carrier which is a member to be cleaned, and a visible image developed by developing the electrostatic latent image with toner. A developing step for forming a visible image, a transfer step for transferring a visible image to a recording medium, a fixing step for fixing the transferred image transferred to the recording medium, and cleaning for removing toner remaining on the image carrier with a cleaning blade. Including the process. In the image forming method according to one embodiment, a cleaning blade having the above-described configuration is used as the cleaning blade. The toner used is one containing 20% by number of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less. The image forming method according to one embodiment may include, if necessary, other steps such as a cleaning assisting step of applying a lubricant to the image carrier.

As described above, the image forming method according to one embodiment can be performed by the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment. The electrostatic latent image forming step can be preferably performed by the electrostatic latent image forming unit, the developing step can be preferably performed by the developing unit, the transfer step can be performed by the transfer unit, and the fixing step can be performed by the fixing unit. The cleaning step can be performed by the cleaning unit, and the other steps can be more preferably performed by the other unit.

The electrostatic latent image forming step is a step of forming an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier, a charging step of charging the surface of the image carrier and an electrostatic latent image by exposing the surface of the charged image carrier. Includes an exposure step to form. Charging can be performed, for example, by applying a voltage to the surface of the image carrier using a charger. The exposure can be performed, for example, by exposing the surface of the image carrier in an image manner using the exposure device. The formation of the electrostatic latent image can be performed, for example, by uniformly charging the surface of the image carrier and then exposing the image to the image, or by the electrostatic latent image forming portion.

The developing step is a step of sequentially developing an electrostatic latent image with toners of a plurality of colors to form a toner image. The formation of the toner image can be performed, for example, by developing the electrostatic latent image with the toner, and can be performed by a developing device.

In the developer, for example, the toner and the carrier are mixed and agitated, the toner is charged by the friction at that time, and the toner is held in a spiked state on the surface of the rotating magnet roller to form a magnetic brush. Since the magnet roller is arranged near the image carrier (photoreceptor), a part of the toner constituting the magnetic brush formed on the surface of the magnet roller is generated by the image carrier (photoreceptor) due to the electric attraction. ) Move to the surface. As a result, the electrostatic latent image is developed by the toner, and the toner image by the toner is formed on the surface of the image carrier (photoreceptor).

The transfer step is a step of transferring the toner image to a recording medium. In the transfer step, it is preferable to use an intermediate transfer body, first transfer the toner image onto the intermediate transfer body, and then secondarily transfer the toner image onto the recording medium. The transfer step is a primary transfer step of transferring a toner image onto an intermediate transfer body to form a composite transfer image using two or more colors of toner, preferably a full-color toner, and a transfer of the composite transfer image onto a recording medium. A mode including a secondary transfer step is more preferable. The transfer can be performed, for example, by charging the toner image with the image carrier (photoreceptor) using a transfer charger, and can be performed by the transfer unit.

The fixing step is a step of fixing the toner image transferred to the recording medium by using a fixing device, and may be performed every time the toner image transferred to the recording medium is transferred to the developer of each color, or the developer of each color may be fixed. May be carried out at the same time in a state where the above are laminated.

The cleaning step is a step of removing the toner remaining on the image carrier, and can be more preferably performed by the cleaning unit.

The image forming method according to one embodiment can further include other steps appropriately selected as necessary, such as a static elimination step, a recycling step, and the like.

The static elimination step is a step of applying a static elimination bias to the image carrier to perform static elimination, and can be preferably performed by the static elimination unit.

The recycling step is a step of recycling the toner removed by the cleaning step to the developing unit, which can be more preferably performed by the recycling unit.

The image forming method according to one embodiment uses the image forming apparatus according to one embodiment to form an image while removing the toner remaining on the image carrier by using a cleaning blade and toner having the above-described configuration. It can be performed. Therefore, according to the image forming method according to the embodiment, it is possible to have excellent cleaning property even in a harsh environment, so that a high-quality image can be stably provided.

[One aspect of the image forming apparatus]
Next, one aspect of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an example of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, and the like, and FIG. 7 describes a case where the printer is used.

As shown in FIG. 7, the electrophotographic image forming apparatus (printer) 100 includes four image forming units 10Y for yellow, magenta, cyan, and black (hereinafter referred to as Y, C, M, and K, respectively). 10,C, 10M and 10K, a transfer unit 20 which is a transfer unit, an optical writing unit 30 which is a latent image forming unit, a paper feed unit 40, a resist roller pair 50, and a fixing unit 60 which is a fixing unit. , 70Y, 70C, 70M and 70K, and a secondary transfer roller 80. It should be noted that these use Y, C, M and K toners having different colors as the image forming substance for forming an image, but have the same configuration except for the above.

The image forming units 10Y, 10C, 10M and 10K include drum-shaped photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of four image forming units 10Y, 10C, 10M and 10K. Since the image forming units 10Y, 10C, 10M and 10K are the same except that the types of toners are different, the configuration of the image forming unit 10Y will be described with reference to FIG. The description of the 10K configuration will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 8, the image forming unit 10Y includes a photoconductor 11Y, a charging device 12Y, a developing device 13Y, a cleaning device 15Y, a lubricant applying device 16Y, a cleaning roller 17Y, a static elimination lamp, and the like in the frame body 18. A charging device 12Y, a developing device 13Y, a cleaning device 15Y, a lubricant coating device 16Y, a static elimination lamp, and the like are arranged around the photoconductor 11Y.

Although the photoconductor 11Y has a drum-like shape, it may have a sheet-like shape or an endless belt-like shape.

As the charging device 12Y, known configurations such as a corotron, a scorotron, and a solid state charger can be used. Among these charging methods, the contact charging method and the non-contact close placement method are more desirable, and have merits such as high charging efficiency, reduction of ozone generation amount, and miniaturization of the device. Have.

In the present embodiment, the charging device 12Y includes a charging roller 121Y which is a charging member. The charging device 12Y uses a non-contact proximity arrangement method in which the charging roller 121Y is placed close to the photoconductor 11Y.

The charging roller 121Y is non-contactly arranged on the photoconductor 11Y at a predetermined distance, and charges the photoconductor 11Y to a predetermined polarity and a predetermined potential. The surface of the photoconductor 11Y uniformly charged by the charging roller 121Y is irradiated with laser light L from the optical writing unit 30 which is a latent image forming means based on the image information, and an electrostatic latent image is formed.

The developing apparatus 13Y converts a latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 11Y into a toner image. The developing device 13Y has a developing roller 131Y, a supply screw 132Y, a stirring screw 133Y, and a doctor 134Y as a developer carrier.

A development bias is applied to the developing roller 131Y from the power supply.

The supply screw 132Y and the stirring screw 133Y are provided in the casing of the developing device 13Y, and the developer contained in the casing is stirred while being conveyed in opposite directions to each other.

The doctor 134Y regulates the developer carried on the developing roller 131Y.

In the developing apparatus 13Y, the toner in the developer, which is stirred and conveyed by the two screws of the supply screw 132Y and the stirring screw 133Y, is charged to a predetermined polarity. Then, the developer is pumped onto the surface of the developing roller 131Y, the pumped developer is regulated by the doctor 134Y, and the toner adheres to the latent image on the photoconductor 11Y in the developing region facing the photoconductor 11Y. ..

The cleaning device 15Y cleans the toner remaining on the photoconductor 11Y after the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 21 included in the transfer unit 20. The cleaning device 15Y has a fur brush 151Y, a cleaning blade 152Y, and the like.

The fur brush 151Y rotates in a rotating direction with respect to the rotation direction of the photoconductor 11Y, scrapes the solid lubricant 161 included in the lubricant coating device 16Y, and applies the solid lubricant 161 on the photoconductor 11Y.

The cleaning blade 152Y is in contact with the photoconductor 11Y in the counter direction with respect to the surface movement direction of the photoconductor 11Y. The cleaning blade 152Y is a cleaning blade provided in the image forming apparatus according to the above-described embodiment.

The lubricant application device 16Y is a lubricant application means for applying a lubricant on the surface of the photoconductor 11Y after cleaning by the cleaning device 15Y. The lubricant application device 16Y includes a solid lubricant 161, a bracket 162, a lubricant pressure spring 163, and the like.

The solid lubricant 161 is applied onto the photoconductor 11Y using a fur brush 151Y. The bracket 162 holds the solid lubricant 161. The lubricant pressurizing spring 163 pressurizes the solid lubricant 161 held by the bracket 162 toward the fur brush 151Y.

In the lubricant application device 16Y, the solid lubricant 161 is scraped by the fur brush 151Y, and the solid lubricant 161 is applied onto the photoconductor 11Y. By applying the solid lubricant 161 to the photoconductor 11Y, the coefficient of static friction on the surface of the photoconductor 11Y is preferably maintained at 0.2 or less during non-image formation.

The cleaning roller 17Y cleans the charging roller 121Y.

The static elimination lamp (not shown) eliminates the surface potential of the photoconductor 11Y after cleaning.

As shown in FIG. 7, the transfer unit 20 is arranged above the four image forming units 1Y, 1C, 1M and 1K. The transfer unit 20 includes an intermediate transfer belt 21, a belt cleaning unit 22, a first bracket 23, a second bracket 24, a primary transfer roller 25Y, 25C, 25M and 25K, a secondary transfer backup roller 26, and a drive roller. It includes 27, an auxiliary roller 28, a tension roller 29, and the like. The transfer unit 20 superimposes and transfers the toner images of each color formed on the surfaces of the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21.

The intermediate transfer belt 21 is an endless belt stretched by eight rollers arranged inside, and is designed to be endlessly movable in the arrow direction by the rotational drive of the drive roller 27.

The first bracket 23 houses the primary transfer rollers 25Y, 25C and 25M inside, and swings at a predetermined rotation angle around the rotation axis of the auxiliary roller 28 as the solenoid drive is turned on and off. It has become like.

The second bracket 24 houses the primary transfer roller 25K inside.

The primary transfer rollers 25Y, 25C, 25M and 25K are primary transfer members provided in the primary transfer device as a primary transfer means for transferring the toner image on the surface of the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K to the intermediate transfer belt 21. .. The primary transfer rollers 25Y, 25C, 25M and 25K sandwich the intermediate transfer belt 21 between the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K to form a primary transfer nip, respectively. Then, the primary transfer rollers 25Y, 25C, 25M and 25K apply a transfer bias having the opposite polarity (for example, plus) to the toner on the back surface (loop inner peripheral surface) of the intermediate transfer belt 21. On the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 on the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K in the process of sequentially passing through the primary transfer nips for Y, C, M and K with the endless movement of the intermediate transfer belt 21. , Y, C, M and K toner images are superposed and primary transferred. As a result, a four-color superposition toner image (hereinafter referred to as a four-color toner image) is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 21.

The secondary transfer backup roller 26 sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 21 with the secondary transfer roller 80 arranged on the outer side of the loop of the intermediate transfer belt 21 to form a secondary transfer nip.

The drive roller 27 is a roller that rotationally drives the intermediate transfer belt 21.

The auxiliary roller 28 and the tension roller 29 are arranged inside the intermediate transfer belt 21 and are rollers for endlessly moving the intermediate transfer belt 21.

The optical writing unit 30 is arranged below the four image forming units 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K. The optical writing unit 30 irradiates the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K with the laser beam L emitted based on the image information. As a result, electrostatic latent images for Y, C, M and K are formed on the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K.

The optical writing unit 30 includes a polygon mirror 31 in which the laser beam L emitted from the light source is rotationally driven by a motor. The optical writing unit 30 irradiates the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K through a plurality of optical lenses and mirrors while deflecting the laser beam L by the polygon mirror 31. The optical writing unit 30 may include a unit that performs optical scanning by an LED array instead of the one having such a configuration.

The light source of the laser beam L of the optical writing unit 30 and the light source such as the static elimination lamp include a fluorescent lamp, a tungsten lamp, a halogen lamp, a mercury lamp, a sodium lamp, a light emitting diode (LED), a semiconductor laser (LD), and an electroluminescence (EL). ) And other light-emitting materials can be used in general.

Further, in order to irradiate only light in a desired wavelength range, various filters such as a sharp cut filter, a bandpass filter, a near infrared cut filter, a dichroic filter, an interference filter, and a color temperature conversion filter can also be used.

Of these light sources, light emitting diodes and semiconductor lasers are well used because they have high irradiation energy and long wavelength light of 600 to 800 nm.

The paper feed unit 40 includes a first paper feed cassette 41A and a second paper feed cassette 41B, a first paper feed roller 42A and a second paper feed roller 42B, a paper feed path 43, and a plurality of transport roller pairs 44. Have.

The first paper cassette 41A and the second paper cassette 41B are arranged below the optical writing unit 30 so that the first paper cassette 41A and the second paper cassette 41B overlap each other in the vertical direction. In each of these paper cassettes, a plurality of transfer papers P, which are recording media, are housed in a stack of paper bundles.

The first paper feed roller 42A and the second paper feed roller 42B are arranged so as to come into contact with the top transfer paper P in the first paper feed cassette 41A and the second paper feed cassette 41B, respectively.

The paper feed path 43 is a path through which the transfer paper P in the first paper feed cassette 41A and the second paper feed cassette 41B is discharged.

Each of the plurality of transfer roller pairs 44 is arranged so as to sandwich the transfer paper P via the paper feed path 43, and conveys the transfer paper P from the lower side in FIG. 7 to the upper side.

In the paper feed unit 40, when the first paper feed roller 42A is rotationally driven counterclockwise in the drawing by the drive means, the top transfer paper P in the first paper feed cassette 41A is first fed. The cassette 41A is discharged toward the paper feed path 43 arranged so as to extend in the vertical direction on the right side of FIG. 7. Further, when the second paper feed roller 42B is rotationally driven counterclockwise in FIG. 7 by the drive means, the top transfer paper P in the second paper feed cassette 41B is directed toward the paper feed path 43. It is discharged.

A plurality of transport roller pairs 44 are arranged in the paper feed path 43. The transfer paper P fed to the paper feed path 43 is conveyed from the lower side in FIG. 7 to the upper side in the paper feed path 43 while being sandwiched between the rollers of the transfer rollers vs. 44.

The resist roller pair 50 is arranged at the downstream end of the paper feed path 43 in the transport direction. The resist roller pair 50 temporarily stops the rotation of both rollers as soon as the transfer paper P sent from the transport roller pair 44 is sandwiched between the rollers. Then, the resist roller pair 50 sends out the transfer paper P sandwiched between the rollers toward the secondary transfer nip at a timing that can be synchronized with the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21.

The fixing unit 60 is arranged at the upper part in the drawing of the secondary transfer nip. The fixing unit 60 includes a pressure heating roller 61 and a fixing belt unit 62 including a heat generating source such as a halogen lamp.

The fixing belt unit 62 includes a fixing belt 621 which is a fixing member, a heating roller 622 including a heat generating source such as a halogen lamp, a tension roller 623, a drive roller 624, a temperature sensor, and the like. In the fixing belt unit 62, the endless fixing belt 621 is endlessly moved in the counterclockwise direction in the figure while being stretched by the heating roller 622, the tension roller 623, and the drive roller 624. In the process of this endless movement, the fixing belt 621 is heated from the back surface side by the heating roller 622. The pressure heating roller 61, which is rotationally driven in the clockwise direction in the drawing, is in contact with the portion where the fixing belt 621 heated in this manner is hung on the heating roller 622 from the surface side. As a result, a fixing nip is formed in which the pressure heating roller 61 and the fixing belt 621 come into contact with each other.

A temperature sensor is arranged on the outside of the loop of the fixing belt 621 so as to face the surface of the fixing belt 621 via a predetermined gap, and detects the surface temperature of the fixing belt 621 immediately before entering the fixing nip. .. This detection result is sent to a fixed power supply circuit (not shown). The fixing power supply circuit controls on / off of power supply to the heat generation source contained in the heating roller 622 and the heat generation source contained in the pressure heating roller 61 based on the detection result by the temperature sensor.

The transfer paper P that has passed through the secondary transfer nip described above is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 21 and then sent into the fixing unit 60. Then, in the process of being conveyed from the lower side to the upper side in the drawing while being sandwiched by the fixing nip in the fixing unit 60, the full-color toner image is fixed to the transfer paper P by being heated and pressed by the fixing belt 621. Toner.

The transfer paper P thus fixed is discharged to the outside of the machine after passing between the rollers of the paper ejection rollers and the rollers 91. A stack portion 92 is formed on the upper surface of the housing of the printer 100 main body, and the transfer paper P discharged to the outside of the machine by the paper discharge roller pair 91 is sequentially stacked on the stack portion 92.

The toner cartridges 70Y, 70C, 70M and 70K are provided above the transfer unit 20 and contain Y, C, M and K toners, respectively. The Y, C, M and K toners in the toner cartridges 70Y, 70C, 70M and 70K are appropriately supplied to the developing devices of the image forming units 10Y, 10C, 10M and 10K. These toner cartridges 70Y, 70C, 70M and 70K can be attached to and detached from the printer body independently of the image forming units 10Y, 10C, 10M and 10K.

A secondary transfer bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 80. The secondary transfer roller 80 is a secondary transfer member that collectively transfers the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 to the transfer paper P. The four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is transferred in the secondary transfer nip due to the influence of the secondary transfer electric field and the nip pressure formed between the secondary transfer roller 80 and the secondary transfer backup roller 26. It is secondarily transferred to paper P all at once. Then, in combination with the white color of the transfer paper P, a full-color toner image is obtained.

The transfer residual toner that has not been transferred to the transfer paper P adheres to the intermediate transfer belt 21 after passing through the secondary transfer nip. The transfer residual toner is cleaned by the belt cleaning unit 22. The belt cleaning unit 22 includes a belt cleaning blade 221. By bringing the belt cleaning blade 221 into contact with the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21, the transfer residual toner on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is scraped off and removed. As the belt cleaning blade 221, the cleaning blade according to the embodiment can be used.

When forming a monochrome image, the printer 100 slightly rotates the first bracket 23 counterclockwise in the figure by driving the above-mentioned solenoid. By this rotation, the primary transfer rollers 25Y, 25C and 25M for Y, C and M are revolved counterclockwise in the figure around the rotation axis of the auxiliary roller 28, so that the intermediate transfer belt 21 is rotated Y, C. And the photoconductors 11Y, 11C and 11M for M. Then, of the four image forming units 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K, only the image forming unit 10K for K is driven to form a monochrome image. As a result, it is possible to avoid consumption of each member constituting the image forming unit due to unnecessary driving of the image forming units for Y, C and M at the time of forming a monochrome image.

Next, the image forming operation in the printer 100 will be described.

When the print execution signal is received from the operation unit or the like, a predetermined voltage or current is sequentially applied to the charging rollers 121Y, 121C, 121M and 121K and the developing rollers 131Y, 131C, 131M and 131K at predetermined timings, respectively. Similarly, a predetermined voltage or current is sequentially applied to each of the light sources such as the optical writing unit 30 and the static elimination lamp at predetermined timings. Further, in synchronization with this, the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K are rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in the figure by a photoconductor drive motor (not shown) which is a driving means.

When the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure, the surfaces of the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K are first uniformly charged to a predetermined potential by the charging rollers 121Y, 121C, 121M and 121K. The arrow. Then, the laser beam L corresponding to the image information is irradiated on the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K from the optical writing unit 30, and the laser beam L on the surface of the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K is irradiated. The static light is removed and an electrostatic latent image is formed.

The surfaces of the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K on which the electrostatic latent image was formed are rubbed by a magnetic brush of the developer formed on the developing roller 131Y at the facing portion with the developing devices 13Y, 13C, 13M and 13K. Be rubbed. At this time, the negatively charged toner on the developing rollers 131Y, 131C, 131M and 131K moves to the electrostatic latent image side due to the predetermined development bias applied to the developing rollers 131Y, 131C, 131M and 131K to form a toner image. (Developed). A similar image-forming process is performed on each image-forming unit 10Y, 10C, 10M and 10K, and each color on the surface of each photoconductor 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K of each image-forming unit 10Y, 10C, 10M and 10K. A toner image is formed.

As described above, in the printer 100, the electrostatic latent image formed on the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K is reverse-developed by the developing devices 13Y, 13C, 13M and 13K with the toner charged in the negative electrode property. Toner. In this embodiment, an example using a non-contact electrified roller method of N / P (negative / positive: toner adheres to a place where the potential is low) has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

The toner images of each color formed on the surfaces of the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K are sequentially primary-transferred so as to overlap on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21. As a result, a four-color toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 21.

The four-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 21 is fed from the first paper cassette 41A or the second paper cassette 41B, passes between the rollers of the resist roller vs. 50, and is fed to the secondary transfer nip. It is transferred to the transfer paper P to be transferred. At this time, the transfer paper P is temporarily stopped in a state of being sandwiched between the resist roller pairs 50, and is supplied to the secondary transfer nip in synchronization with the image tip on the intermediate transfer belt 21. The transfer paper P on which the toner image is transferred is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 21 and conveyed to the fixing unit 60. Then, when the transfer paper P on which the toner image is transferred passes through the fixing unit 60, the toner image is fixed on the transfer paper P by the action of heat and pressure, and the transfer paper P on which the toner image is fixed is a printer. 100 Discharged to the outside of the device and stacked on the stack unit 92.

On the other hand, on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 21 on which the toner image is transferred to the transfer paper P by the secondary transfer nip, the transfer residual toner on the surface is removed by the belt cleaning unit 22.

Further, on the surfaces of the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K in which the toner images of each color are transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 21 by the primary transfer nip, the residual toner after the transfer is removed by the cleaning devices 15Y, 15C, 15M and 15K. After the lubricant is applied by the lubricant application device 16Y, the static electricity is removed by the static elimination lamp.

The image forming units 10Y, 10C, 10M, and 10K of the printer 100 are integrally removable from the printer 100 main body as process cartridges. In the printer 100, the image forming units 10Y, 10C, 10M and 10K integrally replace the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K as process cartridges with the process means. The image forming units 10Y, 10C, 10M and 10K may be replaced with each member constituting the image forming units 10Y, 10C, 10M and 10K such as the photoconductors 11Y, 11C, 11M and 11K.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples, but the embodiments are not limited to these Examples and Comparative Examples.

<Making a cleaning blade>
[Molding of base material]
The base material constituting the elastic member was produced by centrifuging a polyurethane elastomer sheet having the following film thickness, JIS-A hardness, elastic modulus, and Martens hardness (HM).
・ Film thickness: 1.5 mm
-JIS-A hardness: 70 °
・ Repulsive modulus: 50%
-Martens hardness (HM): 1.0 N / mm ²

The method for measuring the film thickness, JIS-A hardness, elastic modulus, and Martens hardness (HM) of the base material is shown below.

(Film thickness)
The substrate was cut and the thickness of the cut surface was measured with a microscope to determine the film thickness of the substrate.

(JIS-A hardness of the base material)
The JIS-A hardness of the base material was measured at 23 ° C. ± 2 ° C. using a micro rubber hardness tester MD-1 manufactured by Polymer Meter Co., Ltd. according to JIS K6253.

(Repulsive modulus)
The elastic modulus of the base material is 23 ° C, and No. 1 manufactured by Toyo Seiki Seisakusho Co., Ltd. Measurements were made according to JIS K6255 using a 221 resilience tester. The sample used was a stack of two sheets having a thickness of 2 mm so as to have a thickness of 4 mm or more.

(Martens hardness)
The Martens hardness (HM) of the substrate is based on ISO14577, and the Berkovich indenter is pushed in for 10 seconds with a load of 1000 μN using Elionix Nano Indenter ENT-3100, held for 5 seconds, and held at the same load rate for 10 seconds. It was pulled out and measured. The measurement location was 20 μm from the tip ridgeline where the molded sheet was bladed. The Martens hardness (HM) of the substrate was 1.0 N / mm ² .

<Formation of elastic member>
The materials used for the elastic member forming composition for forming the base material which is an elastic member are shown below.

-Isocyanate-
4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate) (MDI): "Millionate MT", manufactured by Tosoh Corporation,
・ HMDI (dicyclohexylmethane 4,4'-diisocyanate (hydrogenated MDI)): manufactured by Tokyo Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. ・ 2,4-Toluene diisocyanate (TDI): "Coronate T-100", manufactured by Tosoh Corporation

-Polyol-
-Polytetramethylene ether glycol (PTMG): "PTMG1000", manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation-Polycaprolactone diol (PCL): "Plaxel 205" manufactured by Daicel

-Hardener-
・ DETDA (EtaCure 100): Mitsui Chemical Fine Co., Ltd. ・ 1,4-Butanediol (BD): Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation ・ Trimethylolpropane (TMP): Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Ltd.

-Siloxane compound-
・ One-ended carbinol-modified silicone oil: X-22-176DX, manufactured by Shinetsu Silicone Co., Ltd. ・ Dimethyl silicone oil: KF96-3000cs, manufactured by Shinetsu Silicone Co., Ltd.

-Synthesis of NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer (prepolymer A1)-
As shown in Table 1 below, by reacting 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI, manufactured by Tosoh) with one-terminal carbinol-modified silicone oil (X-22-176DX, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) at 60 ° C. for 90 minutes. , An NCO-terminated silicone prepolymer (prepolymer A1) having an isocyanate (NCO) content of 3.2% was obtained.

-Synthesis of NCO-terminated urethane prepolymer (prepolymer B)-
As shown in Table 2 below, isocyanate and polyol are mixed so as to have a desired NCO%, and reacted with 0.01 g of tin-catalyzed dibutyltin dilaurylate at 80 ° C. for 90 minutes to obtain NCO-terminated urethane prepolymers B1 and B2. Was prepared.

-Preparation of curing agent-
As shown in Table 3 below, curing agents 1 and 2 were prepared.

[Manufacturing of cleaning blade 1]
Prepolymers A1 and B2 and silicone oil (KF96, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) were mixed in the formulations shown in Table 4 and stirred with a homogenizer (15000 rpm) to obtain the first composition.

After adding the curing agent 2 to the first composition heated to 80 ° C. and emulsified with silicone oil, it is injected into a centrifugal drum heated to 165 ° C. and reacted for 30 minutes to react with a 1.8 mm thick elastic member. I got a rubber sheet. The first composition and the curing agent 2 were mixed so that the R value (NCO group / OH group molar ratio) was 0.925.

This rubber sheet was cut out into a strip shape so that it could be mounted on a color multifunction device (imagio MP C4500, manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd.) to obtain an elastic member. The elastic member was fixed to the sheet metal holder (support member) with an adhesive. As a result, the cleaning blade 1 was obtained.

[Average dispersion diameter of domains derived from polysiloxane structure]
The obtained elastic member was sliced in a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and the cross section was turned upward, and a region of 100 μm including the tip ridge line portion was observed with a laser microscope (OLS4100, manufactured by Olympus Corporation).

As a method of cutting the elastic member into round slices, the elastic member was cut using a vertical slicer and a razor perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the elastic member so that the thickness of the elastic member in the longitudinal direction was 3 mm.

For the observed image, the dispersion diameter of the domain was measured using ImagePro ver5.1. The length of the line segment connecting two points on the outer circumference of the domain observed in the cross section and passing through the center of gravity of the domain was measured in 2 degree increments. The average value of the measured line segment lengths was taken as the dispersion diameter of the domain. The dispersion diameters of 100 to 200 domains were measured, the number average value was calculated, and this was used as the average dispersion diameter.

[Domain area ratio]
The elastic member was cut at the site to expose the cross section, and a 100 μm region including the tip ridge line was photographed with a laser microscope (OLS4100, manufactured by Olympus Corporation). The obtained image is binarized using ImagePro, and the area ratio (unit:%) occupied by the siloxane compound is calculated to obtain the area ratio of the domain in the cross section of the region of 100 μm including the tip ridge. rice field.

[Average thickness of elastic member]
With the tip surface of the cleaning blade 1 facing upward, 10 points were observed with a digital microscope (VHX-2000, manufactured by KEYENCE CORPORATION), and the arithmetic average value was taken as the average thickness.

[Martens hardness of cleaning blade]
The Martens hardness of the cleaning blade 1 was the same as the Martens hardness of the above-mentioned base material.

[Making cleaning blades 2 to 6]
In the cleaning blade 1, the same procedure as in the preparation of the cleaning blade 1 was performed except that the types of the first composition and the curing agent, the homogenizer time, and the curing temperature were changed as shown in Table 4, and the cleaning blades 2 to 2 to 6 was prepared. The first composition and the curing agent 1 or 2 were mixed so that the R value (NCO group / OH group molar ratio) was 0.925.

Table 4 shows the compositions of the cleaning blades 1 to 6, the thickness of the rubber sheet, and the manufacturing conditions.

<Example 1>
[Making toner]
(Preparation of the first binder resin)
As a vinyl-based monomer, 600 g of styrene, 110 g of butyl acrylate, 30 g of acrylic acid, and 30 g of dicumyl peroxide as a polymerization initiator were placed in a dropping funnel. As polyols, 1230 g of polyoxypropylene (2.2) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, 290 g of polyoxyethylene (2.2) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane, and isododecenyl. 250 g of succinic anhydride, 310 g of terephthalic acid, 180 g of anhydrous 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid and 7 g of dibutyltin oxide as an esterification catalyst, 5 liters equipped with a thermometer, a stainless steel stirrer, a flow-down condenser and a nitrogen introduction tube. Placed in a four-necked flask. Put the four-necked flask in the mantle heater, and stir the mixed solution in the four-necked flask at 160 ° C. under a nitrogen atmosphere, and add four mixed solutions of the vinyl-based monomer and the polymerization initiator from the dropping funnel. It was added dropwise to the mixed solution in the mouth flask over 1 hour. After aging the addition polymerization reaction for 2 hours while keeping the temperature at 160 ° C., the temperature of the mixed solution contained in the four-necked flask was raised to 230 ° C. to carry out the polycondensation reaction. The degree of polymerization was tracked by the softening point measured using a constant load extruded capillary tube rheometer, and the reaction was terminated when the desired softening point was reached. As a result, the first binder resin was obtained.

(Preparation of second binder resin)
As a polyol, polyoxypropylene (2.2) -2,2-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane 2210 g, terephthalic acid 850 g, anhydrous 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid 120 g, and dibutyltin oxide 0 as an esterification catalyst. .5 g was placed in a 5 liter four-necked flask equipped with a thermometer, a stainless stirrer, a flow-down condenser and a nitrogen inlet tube. The four-necked flask was placed in a mantle heater, and the mixed solution in the four-necked flask was heated to 230 ° C. under a nitrogen atmosphere to carry out a polycondensation reaction. The degree of polymerization was tracked by the softening point measured using a constant load extruded capillary tube rheometer, and the reaction was terminated when the desired softening point was reached. As a result, a second binder resin was obtained.

With respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin containing the first binder resin and the second binder resin, C.I. I. A masterbatch equivalent to 4 parts by mass of Pigment Red 57-1, a desired amount of paraffin wax and a boron-based charge control agent were sufficiently mixed with a Henschel mixer. Then, the mixture was melt-kneaded using a twin-screw extrusion kneader (PCM-30: manufactured by Ikegai Iron Works Co., Ltd.). The obtained kneaded product was rolled to a thickness of 2 mm with a cooling press roller, cooled with a cooling belt, and then roughly pulverized with a feather mill. After that, it is crushed to a volume average particle size of 10 μm to 12 μm with a mechanical crusher (KTM: manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.), and further crushed with a jet crusher (IDS: manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Ming Co., Ltd.). 22% by number of particles having a diameter of 3 μm or less were obtained as colored resin particles. 0.8 parts by mass of H20TM (primary particle diameter 12 nm, manufactured by Clariant) was mixed with 100 parts by mass of the colored resin particles for 5 min at a peripheral speed of 40 m / s using a Henschel mixer. As a result, toner was obtained.

[Ratio of toner particles with a particle size of 3 μm or less]
First, the particle size of the toner was determined. The particle size of the toner was measured with a Coulter Multisizer III (manufactured by Coulter). The toner particle size was measured as follows.

First, 2 mL of a surfactant (sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, manufactured by Tokyo Kasei Co., Ltd.) was added as a dispersant to 100 mL of the electrolytic solution. As the electrolytic solution, about 1% NaCl aqueous solution was prepared using primary sodium chloride, and ISOTON-II (manufactured by Coulter) was used. To the mixed solution obtained by adding the surfactant to the electrolytic solution, 10 mg of the measurement sample was further added as a solid content to obtain an electrolytic volume in which the sample was suspended. The electrolytic solution in which the sample is suspended is dispersed with an ultrasonic disperser for about 1 to 3 minutes, and the volume and number of toners are measured with a Coulter Multisizer III using a 100 μm aperture as an aperture to measure the volume distribution. And the number distribution was calculated. From the obtained distribution, the volume average particle size (Dv) and the number average particle size (Dp) of the toner were determined.

Next, the proportion of the toner particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less was determined. In this example, particles having a particle diameter of 2.00 μm or more and less than 40.30 μm were targeted. The "ratio of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less" is the ratio of the number of particles having a particle diameter of less than 3.17 μm to the number of particles having a particle diameter of 2.00 μm or more and less than 40.30 μm. The ratio (number%) is shown.

The channels for distributing the particles include, for example, 2.00 μm or more and less than 2.52 μm; 2.52 μm or more and less than 3.17 μm; 3.17 μm or more and less than 4.00 μm; 4.00 μm or more and less than 5.04 μm; 5.04 μm or more and 6. Less than 35 μm; 6.35 μm or more and less than 8.00 μm; 8.00 μm or more and less than 10.08 μm; 10.08 μm or more and less than 12.70 μm; 12.70 μm or more and less than 16.00 μm; 16.00 μm or more and less than 20.20 μm; 20. 13 channels of 20 μm or more and less than 25.40 μm; 25.40 μm or more and less than 32.00 μm; 32.00 μm or more and less than 40.30 μm were used.

<Manufacturing of image forming apparatus>
The produced cleaning blade 1 was attached to a process cartridge of a color multifunction device (imagio MP C4500, manufactured by Ricoh) to assemble an image forming apparatus. The cleaning blade 1 was attached to the color multifunction device so that the linear pressure was 20 g / cm and the cleaning angle was 78 °.

<Evaluation>
The cleanability of the image forming apparatus and the degree of toner scattering were evaluated.

[Cleanability]
Using the above image forming apparatus, 1000 sheets (A4 size horizontal) were output at 23 ° C./50% RH, paper passing conditions: 5% image area ratio chart with 3 prints / job. This image forming apparatus was stored at 40 ° C. and 70% for 30 days.

(Evaluation item 1)
Using the image forming apparatus stored as described above, a vertical band image was output under the conditions of 27 ° C. and 80% RH. The output image and the surface of the photoconductor were visually observed and observed with a laser microscope, and evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria. In addition, "◎" and "○" are acceptable, and "×" is unacceptable.
((Evaluation criteria))
⊚: The toner that has slipped through due to poor cleaning cannot be visually confirmed on the printing paper or the photoconductor, and even if the photoconductor is observed with a microscope in the longitudinal direction, the toner streaks cannot be confirmed.
◯: Toner that has slipped out due to poor cleaning cannot be visually confirmed on the printing paper or the photoconductor.
X: Toner that has slipped out due to poor cleaning can be visually confirmed on the printing paper and the photoconductor.

(Evaluation item 2)
Using the image forming apparatus stored as described above, all solid images were output under the conditions of 27 ° C. and 80% RH. The output image was visually observed and evaluated according to the following evaluation criteria. In addition, "◎", "○" and "△" were allowed, and "×" was not allowed.
((Evaluation criteria))
◎: No horizontal streaks can be seen from the first sheet.
◯: White horizontal streaks appeared in the image, but disappeared by the fifth image.
Δ: White horizontal streaks appeared in the image, but disappeared in the 6th to 10th images.
×: White horizontal streaks appeared in the image and did not disappear until the 10th image.

[Toner scattering condition]
Using the image forming apparatus, 50,000 sheets (A4 size horizontal) of 27 ° C./80% RH, paper passing conditions: 15% image area ratio chart were output at 20 prints / job. After that, 10 blank sheets were output, and the contaminated state of the image and the process cartridge was confirmed.
⊚: No toner scattering is seen in the image and the process cartridge.
◯: There is no toner scattering in the image, but traces of toner scattering can be confirmed on the process cartridge.
X: Toner scattering is seen in the image.

<Examples 2 to 5>
In Example 1, as shown in Table 5, the same procedure as in Example 1 was carried out except that the conditions in the toner pulverization step were changed and the percentage of the toner of 3 μm or less was changed.

<Example 6 to Example 10, Comparative Example 1 to Comparative Example 3>
In Example 1, as shown in Table 5, the cleaning blade 1 was changed to cleaning blades 2 to 8, the conditions in the toner crushing step were changed, and the percentage of toner of 3 μm or less was changed. The procedure was the same as in Example 1.

Table 5 shows the types of cleaning blades used in each Example and Comparative Example, the average dispersion diameter and Martens hardness of the polysiloxane domain, the number% of the toner of 3 μm or less, and the evaluation results.

From Table 5, it was confirmed that the image forming apparatus of Examples 1 to 8 satisfied the conditions for use in terms of cleanability and toner scattering. On the other hand, it was confirmed that the image forming apparatus of Comparative Examples 1 to 3 had a problem in practical use because the cleaning property did not satisfy the conditions for use.

Therefore, in the image forming apparatus of Examples 1 to 8, unlike the image forming apparatus of Comparative Examples 1 to 3, the cleaning blade is averagely dispersed in the region of the elastic member from the surface including the tip ridge to a depth of 100 μm. The diameter is 0. It contains a domain derived from a polysiloxane structure of μm to 5.0 μm. The toner has a proportion of particles of 3 μm or less of 20% by number or more. Thereby, it can be said that the image forming apparatus of Examples 1 to 8 can have excellent cleaning property even in a harsh environment. Therefore, it can be said that the image forming apparatus of Examples 1 to 8 can be effectively used as an electrophotographic image forming apparatus.

As described above, the embodiments have been described, but the above embodiments are presented as examples, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The above embodiment can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various combinations, omissions, replacements, changes, etc. can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1 Cleaning blade 2 Elastic member 4 Image carrier 100 Image forming device (printer)

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-279591

Claims (8)

An image forming apparatus including a member to be cleaned and a cleaning unit for removing toner remaining on the member to be cleaned.
The cleaning unit includes a cleaning blade having an elastic member that comes into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned and removes toner adhering to the surface of the member to be cleaned.
The elastic member has a tip ridge line portion that abuts on the member to be cleaned.
The elastic member contains a domain derived from a polysiloxane structure having an average dispersion diameter of 0.1 μm to 5.0 μm in a region from the surface including the tip ridge to a depth of 100 μm.
The toner is an image forming apparatus containing 20% by number of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the Martens hardness HM of the elastic member at a depth of 20 μm from the surface of the tip ridge line portion is 0.5 N / mm ² or more and less than 1.5 N / mm ² . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the average dispersion diameter of the domain derived from the polysiloxane structure is 0.5 μm to 2.0 μm. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the elastic member has a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the toner contains 25% to 55% of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less. With the image carrier,
An electrostatic latent image forming portion that forms an electrostatic latent image on the image carrier,
A developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image with the toner to form a visible image,
A transfer unit that transfers the visible image to a recording medium,
A fixing portion for fixing the transferred image transferred to the recording medium, and a fixing portion.
Equipped with
The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the member to be cleaned includes the image carrier. Includes a cleaning step in which the toner remaining on the surface of the member to be cleaned is removed by a cleaning blade.
The cleaning blade has an elastic member that comes into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned and removes toner adhering to the surface of the member to be cleaned.
The elastic member has a tip ridge line portion that abuts on the member to be cleaned.
The elastic member contains a domain derived from a polysiloxane structure having an average dispersion diameter of 0.1 μm to 5.0 μm in a region from the surface including the tip ridge to a depth of 100 μm.
The toner is an image forming method containing 20% by number of particles having a particle diameter of 3 μm or less. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the image carrier, the electrostatic latent image is developed with the toner to form a visible image, the visible image is transferred to a recording medium, and the visible image is transferred to the recording medium. Fix the transferred image and fix it.
The image forming method according to claim 7, wherein the member to be cleaned includes the image carrier.

Images