JP2652142B2 - Cleaning blade for electrophotographic equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning blade for an electrophotographic apparatus having excellent adhesiveness and durability.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electrophotographic apparatus has a photoconductor provided with a photoconductor layer on a surface thereof. In operation, an outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor is uniformly charged. The electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing the outer peripheral surface of the electrostatic latent image through a copied image, a toner image is formed by attaching toner to the electrostatic latent image, and the toner image is transferred to paper or the like.

In this process, after the transfer, a part of the toner remains on the outer periphery of the photoreceptor, and it is necessary to remove the residual toner. Such removal of the toner is performed by, for example, a cleaning blade as shown in FIGS. In the figure, 1 is a cleaning blade, 2
, A support member; 3, a blade member; and 4, an adhesive layer for attaching the blade member 3 to the support member 2.

In order for the cleaning blade to continue to exhibit stable performance for a long period of time, it is necessary that the tip of the cleaning blade contacts the surface of the photoreceptor constantly at an appropriate pressure to be uniform. In addition to the fact that the smoothness of the leading edge of the cleaning blade is good, the attachment of the blade member to the support member is performed with high accuracy, and there is no displacement due to peeling or the like and no lifting from the support member. Thus, the blade member needs to be firmly fixed.

As a method of fixing the blade member to the support member, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 61-130975 discloses a method using an adhesive tape and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 63-2691.
No. 88 discloses an instant adhesive method, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-54.
JP-A-39-145578 and JP-A-61-145578 disclose a method using a hot-melt adhesive, JP-A-5-2171 discloses a method using a reactive hot-melt adhesive, and JP-A-1-129282 discloses a method using a hot-melt adhesive. A method using a UV adhesive containing a photoinitiator is disclosed.

[0006]

However, the method using an adhesive tape can easily perform high-precision initial fixing, but the adhesion between the supporting member and the blade member is small, and the adhesion at high temperatures is not sufficient. Problem with cleaning properties. The method using an instant adhesive can easily perform high-precision initial fixing similarly to the case of an adhesive tape, but the adhesion between the support member and the blade member is small, and the adhesion at high temperatures is not sufficient, and the cleaning property is not sufficient. In addition, there are drawbacks such as poor impact resistance and durability. The hot-melt adhesive method has a problem in maintaining the adhesive strength at high temperatures due to the inherent temperature-sensitive properties of the adhesive.When using a hot-melt adhesive with excellent heat resistance, the bonding process can be performed at a very high temperature. Therefore, a problem occurs in terms of the dimensional accuracy of the blade member. In the case of the reactive hot-melt adhesive, the problem of the hot-melt adhesive is solved, but the handling of the adhesive itself becomes complicated and there are drawbacks such as a long time required for the final adhesive strength to be exhibited. When a UV adhesive is used, problems such as swelling of the urethane elastomer blade member occur due to radically reactive monomers contained in the adhesive.

When the blade member is formed of a thermosetting urethane elastomer, it is usually obtained by a centrifugal molding method. In this case, since a mold release agent is used on the inner surface of the centrifugal molding machine drum, the blade member is formed on one surface of the molded blade member. The mold release agent remains. Normally, a silicone-based, fluorine-based, or wax-based release agent is used, and it is difficult to remove only this release agent from the blade member. Therefore,
When the surface to which the release agent is attached is used as the bonding surface, the conventional adhesive has a problem that the adhesion is hindered due to the residual release agent and the durability as a cleaning blade is lost. . In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning blade for an electrophotographic apparatus having strong adhesiveness and excellent durability.

[0008]

The gist of the present invention is to provide a cleaning blade for an electrophotographic apparatus comprising a blade member made of a thermosetting urethane elastomer, a support member, and an adhesive layer, which is used when forming the blade member. The release agent between the mold and the blade member is montanic acid ester, and the adhesive surface of the blade member with the adhesive layer is a part of the surface in contact with the mold, and the adhesive layer is , A dimer acid-based compound.

In the present invention, the blade member includes:
It is made of a thermosetting urethane elastomer. The thermosetting urethane elastomer is not particularly limited. For example, a thermosetting urethane elastomer which is composed of an isocyanate compound, a high-molecular-weight polyol, and a cross-linking agent and is subjected to a thermosetting reaction is preferable.

Examples of the isocyanate compound include diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), tolylene diisocyanate (TDI), naphthylene diisocyanate (NDI), and tolidine diisocyanate (TDI).
ODI) and the like.

Examples of the high molecular weight polyol include polyester polyol, polycarbonate polyol, polyether polyol, polycarbonate ether polyol and the like. As the crosslinking agent,
Examples include polyhydric alcohols such as butanediol, ethylene glycol, trimethylolpropane, and glycerin.

The support member is not particularly limited, and includes, for example, those made of a rigid metal or a metal having elasticity, plastics, ceramics, and the like. Alternatively, a steel sheet which has been subjected to a surface treatment such as a chromate treatment, a steel sheet which has been subjected to a plating treatment, or the like may be used.

The adhesive layer comprises a dimer acid-based compound. As the dimer acid-based compound,
For example, (1) a polyamide compound obtained by reacting a dicarboxylic acid containing dimer acid with a diamine; (2) a polyester compound obtained by esterifying a dicarboxylic acid containing dimer acid with glycol; (3) the above (2) And a polyester-based polyurethane compound obtained by reacting a diisocyanate or a diisocyanate and an alcohol with a dimer acid-based polyester polyol obtained by reacting a glycol with both ends.

At the time of molding the blade member, montanic acid ester is used as a release agent in order to release the blade member from a mold to be used. Examples of the above-mentioned montanic acid esters include ester compounds of montanic acid and polyhydric alcohols such as ethylene glycol and glycerin. When the blade member and the support member are bonded via an adhesive layer, the bonding surface of the blade member is part of the surface in contact with the mold, that is, one of the surfaces where the montanic acid ester remains. Need to be a department. In the present invention, the remaining montanic acid ester is
It utilizes the fact that it contributes to the adhesion between the blade member and the adhesive layer.

The blade member can be obtained by, for example, a centrifugal molding machine. Montanic acid ester is sprinkled on the inner surface of a rotating drum (mold) heated to 120 to 150 ° C., melted, applied to the inner surface with a roller, a rag, etc., spread evenly, and then liquid urethane is injected into the inner surface of the drum and cured. Thereby, a thermosetting urethane elastomer sheet having a predetermined thickness can be obtained. The blade member can be obtained by cutting this thermosetting urethane elastomer sheet to a predetermined size after aging. That is, a part of the surface in contact with the mold coated with the montanic acid ester forms one surface of the blade member.

Thereafter, the surface of the release member remaining surface (drum side surface) of the blade member and the support member are bonded together via a dimer acid-based compound, and if necessary, heated and pressurized. A cleaning blade for a photographic device can be obtained.

The method of bonding is not particularly limited. For example, a method of using a dimer acid-based compound in the form of a film or a beet in advance, or a method of heating the dimer acid-based compound to a softening point of about 230 ° C. A method of dissolving and applying the support member or the blade member or an adhesive surface of both members with an applicator or a roll coater or the like, and dissolving a dimer acid-based compound into a solution with a solvent or the like to form the support member or the blade member Alternatively, a method of applying the adhesive to the bonding surface of both members may be used.

[0018]

According to the cleaning blade for an electrophotographic apparatus of the present invention, the aliphatic chain of the montanic acid ester remaining on the blade member is compatible with the aliphatic chain of the dimer acid-based compound as the adhesive layer. Thereby, a strong adhesive force can be obtained.

[0019]

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

EXAMPLE 1 After a montanic acid ester was applied to the inner surface of a drum by setting the temperature of a rotating drum-shaped mold of a centrifugal molding machine to 150 ° C., polybutylene adipate ester polyol was used as a high molecular weight polyol, and MDI was used as an isocyanate compound.
By injecting and curing liquid urethane using 1,4-butanediol as a cross-linking agent to a hardness of 65 (J
The thermosetting urethane elastomer sheet of IS-A) was obtained. The sheet was cut into predetermined dimensions to form a blade member. After washing the supporting bracket made of a phosphoric acid-treated steel plate with methylene chloride, a dimer acid-based polyamide resin (macromelt 6238, manufactured by Henkel Hakusui Co., Ltd.) is melted at 160 to 190 ° C. as an adhesive layer, and the roll coater is used. It was applied to a thickness of 80 μm on the metal bonding surface and was solidified. Next, the metal coating surface and the release agent-adhering surface of the blade member were bonded together, and the temperature was 160 ° C.
The cleaning blade was obtained by heating at a pressure of 3 kg / cm ² for 2 minutes and cooling.

Example 2 A cleaning blade was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a dimer acid-based polyester resin ((dimer acid + isophthalic acid) / (ethylene glycol + butylene glycol) ester compound) was used as the adhesive layer. I got

Example 3 A cleaning blade was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a dimer acid-based polyurethane resin ((dimer acid + adipic acid) / ethylene glycol ester-MDI polyurethane) was used as the adhesive layer. Was.

Comparative Example 1 A cleaning blade was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1, except that an ethylene adipate-based polyurethane resin was used for the adhesive layer.

Comparative Example 2 The procedure of Example 1 was repeated, except that silicon oil (dimethylsiloxane) was used instead of the montanic acid ester.
A cleaning blade was obtained.

Comparative Example 3 The same procedure as in Example 2 was carried out except that silicon oil (dimethylsiloxane) was used instead of montanic acid ester.
A cleaning blade was obtained.

Comparative Example 4 The procedure of Example 3 was repeated except that silicone oil (dimethylsiloxane) was used instead of the montanic acid ester.
A cleaning blade was obtained.

Evaluation The adhesive strength of the obtained cleaning blade was measured as a 90 ° peeling force as shown in FIG. Table 1 shows the results.
It was shown to.

[0028]

[Table 1]

[0029]

According to the present invention, there is provided a cleaning blade for an electrophotographic apparatus, comprising a blade member made of a curable urethane elastomer, a support member, and an adhesive layer. An acid ester is used to bond a part of the surface of the blade member where the montanic acid ester remains to an adhesive layer made of a dimer acid-based compound. An excellent cleaning blade for an electrophotographic apparatus can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a cleaning blade for an electrophotographic apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a method for evaluating the adhesive force of a cleaning blade for an electrophotographic apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cleaning blade 2 Support member 3 Blade member 4 Adhesive layer

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cleaning blade for an electrophotographic apparatus comprising a blade member made of a thermosetting urethane elastomer, a support member, and an adhesive layer, wherein a mold used for molding the blade member and a blade member are separated. The agent is a montanic acid ester, the surface of the blade member that is bonded to the adhesive layer is a part of the surface in contact with the mold, and the adhesive layer is made of a dimer acid-based compound. A cleaning blade for an electrophotographic apparatus. 2. The cleaning blade for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dimer acid-based compound is a polyamide-based compound. 3. The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the dimer acid-based compound is a polyester-based compound. 4. The cleaning blade for an electrophotographic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the dimer acid-based compound is a polyester-based polyurethane.