JP2979179B2 - Cleaner liquid for liquid developer - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaner liquid for a liquid developing machine, and more particularly, to a method for forming toner particles on an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member or an electrostatic recording member by using an electrophotographic liquid developer. The present invention relates to a cleaner liquid for cleaning a liquid developing mechanism in a process of forming a visible image by electrostatically attaching the liquid developing mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A developing mechanism during a process of electrostatically attaching toner particles to an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photosensitive member or an electrostatic recording member using a liquid developer for electrophotography to visualize the image. Is generally open to the outside air.
In addition, when the developing mechanism is stopped or stopped, the liquid developer is returned to the developing solution container by suction by a pump or the like. However, at this time, a small amount of the developer remains in the developing mechanism, and as the carrier liquid evaporates and dries, the contained components adhere to the developing section and stains on the developing section occur.

[0003] Such dirt is washed by circulating a medium (generally a non-aqueous solvent) of the same type as the carrier liquid used in the liquid developer. It cannot be swollen, dispersed and removed again. Therefore, conventionally, the operation of scraping off the adhered substance with a jig such as a cotton swab has been used in combination.

However, the adhered matter removed in this way is already coarse and granular, and may cause clogging of the circulation mechanism of the liquid developer, or cause streaks due to being mixed into the newly used liquid developer. Caused an abnormal image.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaner liquid for a liquid developing machine which does not cause the above-mentioned problems.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a cleaner for a liquid developing machine in which a nonionic surfactant is dissolved and / or dispersed in a solvent of the same kind as a carrier liquid used in a liquid developer for electrostatography. It is characterized by being confused.

The inventors of the present invention have studied a cleaner liquid for a liquid developing machine from the beginning to achieve the above object. As a result, (1) In general, a liquid developer for electrostatography uses a pigment such as rosin, linseed oil, soybean oil, modified alkyd resin, styrene butadiene resin, acrylic resin, etc. It is obtained by pulverizing and dispersing with an insulating low-permittivity carrier liquid, but the fixed matter from which these liquid developers have dried in a developing machine looks macroscopically very dense. Has a honeycomb structure microscopically,
(2) In order to swell, re-disperse and remove these adhered substances, a nonionic surfactant is added to the cleaner liquid to increase the penetrating power of the cleaner liquid into the adhered substances. It has been confirmed or found that it is effective to improve the dispersing power of the adhered particles themselves by adsorbing the nonionic surfactant molecules in the cleaner liquid to the solvent. The present invention has been made based on these.

The present invention will be described in more detail. Examples of the nonionic surfactant used in the present invention include an ethylene oxide type, a polyhydric alcohol fatty acid ester type, a polyester imine type, and a fatty acid alcohololamide type. From the viewpoints of affinity with the medium and interaction with the adhered substance, those having an HLB value of 6 or less are preferable, and those having an HLB value of 4.5 or less are more preferable.

As described above, a solvent containing an isoparaffinic hydrocarbon as an essential component in a carrier liquid (generally an organic solvent) used for a liquid developer is used as described above. Specific compound names of the isoparaffinic hydrocarbon are as follows. 2-methyl-heptane, 3-methyl-heptane, 2,4-dimethyl-hexane, 3ethyl-
Heptane and the like. The specific product names are as follows. Isopar H, Isopar L, Isopar K, No. 6 Solvesso 100. As the solvent, a solvent selected from normal paraffinic hydrocarbons, halogenated hydrocarbons, and cycloparaffinic hydrocarbons can be used in combination with the isoparaffinic hydrocarbon. In normal paraffin hydrocarbons, n-
Hexane, n-heptane, n-octane, n-nonane and the like can be mentioned. Examples of the halogenated hydrocarbon include carbon tetrachloride and trichlorotrifluoroethane. Cycloparaffinic hydrocarbons include cycloparaffins.

Although the proportion of each component in the cleaner liquid of the present invention cannot be determined because of the difference between the carrier liquid and the nonionic surfactant, 0.1 to 10 parts by weight of the nonionic surfactant per 100 parts by weight of the carrier liquid. Parts by weight, preferably 0.5
About 2 parts by weight is appropriate.

[Examples] Examples and Comparative Examples Parts here are on a weight basis.

[Example 1] Sorbitan sesquiolate (HLB value = 3.7) 1 for 90 parts of Isopar G
0 parts were added, dispersed and dissolved by an ultrasonic disperser, and further diluted with 900 parts of Isopar G to prepare a cleaner solution. By circulating 2 l of the cleaner liquid thus obtained, about 0.5 g of adhered matter is obtained by drying the liquid developer.
Attached developing mechanism (Versatech, electrostatic printer /
When the inside of the plotter: V-80) was washed, the adhered matter in the developing mechanism was almost completely removed by circulating the liquid for about 1 minute. At this time, no coarse particles were found in the waste cleaner liquid. Further, after cleaning the developing mechanism, when drawing was performed using a separately prepared liquid developer, no abnormality was observed in the image.

Example 2 Nonionic surfactant to be added was sorbitan trioleate (HLB value = 1.7)
When the inside of the developing mechanism was washed in the same manner as in Example 1 except for the above, the adhered matter in the developing mechanism was almost completely removed by the liquid circulation for about 1 minute. At this time, no coarse particles were found in the waste cleaner liquid. Also,
After cleaning of the developing mechanism, the drawing was performed using a separately prepared liquid developer, and no abnormality was found in the image.

Example 3 Nonionic surfactant to be added was sorbitan trioleate (HLB value = 5.0)
When the inside of the developing mechanism was washed in the same manner as in Example 1 except for the above, the adhered matter in the developing mechanism was almost completely removed by the liquid circulation for about 2 minutes. At this time, no coarse particles were found in the waste cleaner liquid. Also,
After cleaning of the developing mechanism, the drawing was performed using a separately prepared liquid developer, and no abnormality was found in the image.

Example 4 When the inside of the developing mechanism was washed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that Isopar H was used as the medium, the liquid adhering to the developing mechanism was removed for about 1 minute. , Almost completely removed. At this time, no coarse particles were found in the waste cleaner liquid. Further, after cleaning the developing mechanism, when drawing was performed using a separately prepared liquid developer, no abnormality was observed in the image.

Comparative Example 1 The inside of the developing mechanism was washed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that Isopar G was used alone as the cleaner liquid. Had remained. Thus, the inside of the developing mechanism was cleaned by scraping off the remaining fixed matter with a cotton swab and circulating the same cleaner liquid again. At this time, 0.5 to 2 mm
A large number of coarse particles having a particle size of the order were observed.

[Comparative Example 2] The inside of the developing mechanism was washed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that Isopar H was used alone as a cleaner liquid. Had remained. Thus, the inside of the developing mechanism was cleaned by scraping off the remaining fixed matter with a cotton swab and circulating the same cleaner liquid again. At this time, 0.5 to 2 mm
A large number of coarse particles having a particle size of the order were observed.

[0018]

As is clear from the comparison between the examples and the comparative examples, the use of the cleaner liquid for a liquid developing machine of the present invention significantly improves the redispersibility of the adhered substance.
The inside of the liquid developing machine is efficiently cleaned.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-1-254799 (JP, A) JP-A-58-11600 (JP, A) JP-A-2-204468 (JP, A) (58) Field (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) C11D 3/43 C11D 3/34 C11D 3/18 C11D 7/24 C11D 7/50 C11D 1/66-1/82 G03G 13/10 CA (STN) WPI / L (QUESTEL)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A nonionic surfactant is dissolved and / or dispersed in a solvent solution and a solvent used for a liquid developer for electrostatography, and at least isoparaffin-based carbon is added to the solvent.
Hydrogen-containing and nonionic surfactant
0.5 to 2 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the solvent.
A cleaner liquid for an electrophotographic liquid developing machine, characterized in that the cleaner liquid is contained in the liquid developer. 2. The cleaner liquid for an electrophotographic liquid developing machine according to claim 1, wherein the nonionic surfactant has an HLB value of 6 or less.