JP3376145B2 - Method of manufacturing intermediate transfer member and image forming apparatus having the intermediate transfer member - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method for producing an intermediate transfer member,
And an image forming apparatus using the electrophotographic method having the intermediate transfer member, and in particular, a toner image formed on the first image carrier is temporarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer member and then the second image carrier is transferred. The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer or a fax machine, which is further transferred onto a body to obtain an image formed product.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member is
A color image forming apparatus, a multicolor image forming apparatus, or a color image that sequentially outputs a plurality of component color images of color image information or multicolor image information by layered transfer and outputs an image formed by combining and reproducing the color image or the multicolor image. It is effective as an image forming apparatus having a forming function and a multicolor image forming function, and it is possible to obtain an image with no misregistration (color misregistration) of each component color image.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an example of an image forming apparatus which is a transfer apparatus using an intermediate transfer member having a roller shape.

FIG. 1 shows a color image forming apparatus (copier or laser beam printer) utilizing an electrophotographic process. Medium resistance elastic roller 20 as an intermediate transfer member
Are using.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a rotating drum type electrophotographic photosensitive member (hereinafter referred to as a photosensitive drum) which is repeatedly used as a first image bearing member, and rotates at a predetermined peripheral speed (process speed) in a clockwise direction indicated by an arrow. Driven.

In the course of rotation, the photosensitive drum 1 is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by a primary charger (corona discharger) 2 and then image exposing means (color separation of color original image The first exposure of the target color image by receiving the image exposure 3 by the imaging exposure optical system, the scanning exposure system by the laser scanner which outputs the laser beam modulated corresponding to the time series electric digital pixel signal of the image information). An electrostatic latent image corresponding to the color component image (for example, magenta component image) is formed.

Next, the electrostatic latent image is developed by the first developing device 41 (magenta developing device) with the magenta toner M of the first color. At this time, the second to fourth developing devices 42, 4
3, 44 (cyan, yellow, and black developing units) are in the operation-off state and do not act on the photosensitive drum 1, and the magenta toner image of the first color is the second to fourth developing units 42. Not affected by ~ 44.

The intermediate transfer member 20 is rotationally driven in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the arrow at the same peripheral speed as the photosensitive drum 1.

The intermediate transfer member 20 of this embodiment comprises a pipe-shaped core metal 21 and an elastic layer 22 formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof.

The above-mentioned first formed and carried on the photosensitive drum 1.
The outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer body 20 is formed by an electric field formed by a temporary transfer bias applied to the intermediate transfer body 20 while the color magenta toner image passes through the nip portion between the photosensitive drum 1 and the intermediate elastic body 20. Are sequentially transferred to the intermediate transfer.

The surface of the photosensitive drum 1 on which the transfer of the magenta toner image of the first color corresponding to the intermediate transfer member 20 is completed is cleaned by the cleaning device 14.

Similarly, the second color cyan toner image,
The yellow toner image of the third color and the black toner image of the fourth color are sequentially superimposed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer body 20, and a composite color toner image corresponding to the target color image is formed.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a transfer roller, which is arranged in contact with the lower surface of the intermediate transfer member 20 so as to be supported in parallel with the intermediate transfer member 20.

First from the photosensitive drum 1 to the intermediate transfer body 20
~ The primary transfer bias for the sequential superposition transfer of the toner image of the fourth color is the bias power source 6 with the polarity (+) opposite to that of the toner.
It is applied from 1. The applied voltage is, for example, +2 kV to +
It is in the range of 5 kV.

First from the photosensitive drum 1 to the intermediate transfer body 20
The transfer roller 25 and the intermediate transfer member cleaner 35 may be separated from the intermediate transfer member 20 in the step of sequentially transferring the fourth color toner image.

The transfer of the composite color toner image superposedly transferred onto the intermediate transfer member 20 onto the transfer material 24 which is the second image carrier is carried out while the transfer roller 25 is in contact with the intermediate transfer member 20. The transfer material 2 is transferred from the paper cassette 9 to the contact nip between the intermediate transfer body 20 and the transfer roller 25 at a predetermined timing.
4 is fed, and at the same time, the secondary transfer bias is applied from the bias power source 29 to the transfer roller 25. The secondary transfer bias causes the synthetic color toner image to be transferred from the intermediate transfer member 20 to the transfer material 24 which is the second image carrier. The transfer material 24 that has received the toner image transfer is introduced into the fixing device 51 and is heated and fixed.

After the transfer of the image to the transfer material 24 is completed, the transfer residual toner on the intermediate transfer body 20 is cleaned by contact with the intermediate transfer body cleaner 35.

In a color electrophotographic apparatus having an image forming apparatus using the above-mentioned intermediate transfer member, a second image support is attached or adsorbed on a transfer drum which is a conventional technique, and the first image support is attached thereto. A color electrophotographic apparatus having an image forming apparatus for transferring an image from above the body is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
It is superior to the transfer method as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-301960 in the following points. That is, there is little color shift when the toner images of the respective colors are superposed. Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the image can be transferred from the intermediate transfer member without requiring any processing or control (for example, gripping by a gripper, adsorbing, or having a curvature) on the second image support. Therefore, the second image support can be selected in various ways.

For example, it is possible to select from thin paper (40 g / m ² paper) to thick paper (200 g / m ² paper). Transfer is possible regardless of the width and thickness of the second image support. Furthermore, it is possible to handle envelopes, postcards, label paper, and so on.

Further, since the intermediate transfer member is excellent in rigidity, it is unlikely that the dimensional accuracy such as dents, strains, and deformations will be changed by repeated use, so that the frequency of replacement of the intermediate transfer member can be reduced.

As described above, due to the advantage of using the intermediate transfer member, a color copying machine, a color printer and the like using this image forming apparatus have already started to operate in the market.

However, these color electrophotographic apparatuses are
At present, the above-mentioned advantages are not fully utilized, and the device does not function as a device that truly expects and satisfies users. That is, when providing an image forming apparatus using this intermediate transfer member, there are still the following problems to be overcome.

The surface layer of the intermediate transfer member is formed mainly by coating with a paint. Therefore, there are many coating processes as described below, and a large amount of time is spent to make one product.

1. Paint preparation 2. Paint application (10 times or more for spray coating, at least 2 times for dipping coating) 3. Drying (may take several hours) 4. Polishing (If the surface condition is bad, it is necessary to also polish) 5. In the case of a multi-layer structure, these steps, which repeat 1, 2, and 3, increase the cost, and further, in the case of spray coating, the amount of paint adhering to the surface is different from the amount of paint actually discharged. In some cases, it may be several times smaller, which may lead to increased costs due to the large loss.

As a result of these high costs, the price of the final product is pushed up to a high level, and the color electrophotographic apparatus is not yet in widespread use.

As measures against these, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-9
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5517, an intermediate transfer member having a roll fitted with an inflation tube has been proposed. However, when actually fitted into the roll, the film tube floats from the roll, causing color misregistration and transfer unevenness. In some cases, the inflation tube is bent into a flat plate state by folding the tube, so that the folds of the inflation tube are lifted up from other portions and uneven transfer occurs.

[0027]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, that is, to provide a surface layer formation of an intermediate transfer body at low cost, and further, to prevent the film tube from floating from the elastic body. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an intermediate transfer member that does not cause color misregistration or transfer unevenness, and an image forming apparatus including the intermediate transfer member.

[0028]

That is, the present invention provides a method for producing an intermediate transfer member having an elastic layer on a cylindrical conductive substrate and a film layer on the elastic layer. A method for producing an intermediate transfer member, comprising forming an elastic layer on a tubular film, covering the tubular film with heat, and heat-shrinking the tubular film to form the film layer, wherein the film contains resin particles. The method for producing an intermediate transfer member, which further comprises an elastic layer on a cylindrical conductive substrate, and a film layer thereon, wherein the cylindrical conductive material A method for producing an intermediate transfer body, comprising forming an elastic layer on a substrate, then covering the tubular film with the film, and heat-shrinking the tubular film to form the film layer. The intermediate transfer member surface JIS-A hardness in the case of forming the film layer on the layer is, the elastic layer surface JI
The method for producing an intermediate transfer member is characterized in that it is 1.8 times or less of SA hardness.

Further, the present invention is an image forming apparatus for transferring an image formed on a first image bearing member onto an intermediate transferring member and then further transferring it onto a second image bearing member. an intermediate transfer member body produced by the above production method
Oh it is an image forming apparatus according to claim Rukoto.

In the present invention, the elastic layer is formed on the conductive substrate.
Is formed, then covered with a film , and then heat-treated to shrink the film, thereby forming an elastic layer on the conductive substrate.
When the folded portion of the film is deformed and recovered by being brought into close contact with the above and further heated, the fold portion can be made smooth without forming a step with other portions.

The resin used for the film is
Low-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene (homo, block copolymer, random copolymer), polyethylene terephthalate, vinyl chloride, polystyrene, methacryl, polyamide, vinylidene chloride, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer,
Thermoplastic resins such as various thermoplastic elastomers are used.

[0032] The film is a tube shape. When the film is not tubular, a seam of the film is formed, and when the seam portion comes into contact with the first image carrier during image formation, the vibration may cause image unevenness.

The heat shrinkage rate of the film is 0.5% or more 5
It is preferably less than 0%. If it is less than 0.5%, the thermal shrinkage is small, so that sufficient adhesion to the substrate cannot be obtained and unevenness may occur. Also, 50
When it is at least%, when contracted, uneven contraction is likely to occur, and as a result, image unevenness may occur.

The film is not inflation-molded.
It is effective . Inflation molding makes it easy to create tubes of various sizes simply by changing the amount of resin discharged and the amount of air, but in so-called tube molding, the size of the mold determines the size of the molded product. However, when making a variety of products, it is necessary to make each mold, and the cost may be high, and since tube molding generally requires high technology, the cost is several times to several tens of times that of inflation molding. This is because most of them become.

Further, the blow-up ratio at the time of molding the blown film is preferably 1.5 or more. When the ratio is less than 1.5, the shrinkage ratio in the roll circumferential direction decreases, and the adhesiveness may not be sufficient, and as a result, image unevenness may occur.

If it is desired to further improve the heat shrinkage,
It is also possible to perform film stretching by the tubular method.

It is also possible to mix a conductive filler in the film in order to achieve proper conductivity.
As the conductive filler, carbon-based filler such as carbon black, metal oxide-based filler such as conductive titanium oxide, conductive tin oxide, conductive zinc oxide, conductive indium oxide or silver, copper, nickel, zinc Metallic filler such as etc. or various fillers coated with conductive material,
and so on.

It is effective to mix resin particles in the film in order to improve anti-blocking property and transfer efficiency. As the resin particles, polytetrafluoroethylene resin, polyvinylidene fluoride, tetrafluoroethylene-6-fluoropropylene copolymer resin, tetrafluoroethylene-
Examples thereof include perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer resin, tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer resin, polytrifluoroethylene chloride resin, and other fluorine resin particles, acrylic resin particles, and silicone resin particles.

The film may have a multi-layered structure in order to control conductivity and improve pressure resistance.
As a method of forming a multilayer structure, there are a method of molding each layer independently and a method of molding each layer simultaneously.

In the case of forming a multi-layer structure, a method of simultaneously molding is desirable. When stacking individually molded items,
This is because the heat shrinking step has to be repeated the number of times the film is covered, but the simultaneous molding product requires only one step and the number of steps is reduced.

The film improves the adhesion to the substrate by heat shrinkage, but if it is desired to further improve the adhesion, a surface treatment layer may be provided on the substrate. Examples of the surface treatment layer include those using a silane compound, those using a titanate compound, those using an isocyanate resin, those using an epoxy resin, and those using a thermoplastic resin.

As the silane-based compound, γ-
(2-Aminoethyl) aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, γ- (2-aminoethyl) aminopropylmethyldimethoxysilane, aminosilane, γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, N-β- (N-vinylbenzylaminoethyl)- γ-Aminopropylmethoxysilane ・ hydrochloride, γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane, methyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriacetoxysilane, γ-anilinopropyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltrimethoxy Silane, hexamethyldisilazane, γ-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane, octadecyldimethyl [3- (trimethoxysilyl) propyl] ammonium chloride, γ-chloropropylmethyldimethoxysilane, γ-mercaptopro Methyl dimethoxy silane, methyl trichlorosilane, dimethyl dichlorosilane, trimethylchlorosilane, vinyltrichlorosilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyl - tris - (beta
-Methoxyethoxy) silane, β- (3,4-epoxycyclohexyl) ethyltrimethoxysilane, γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, N-β- (aminoethyl)-
γ-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, N- (dimethoxymethylsilylpropyl) -ethylenediamine, N-
(Trimethoxysilylpropyl) -ethylenediamine and the like are mainly used as a surface treatment layer on the elastic body between the elastic layer and the surface layer, but not limited thereto.

Examples of the titanate compound include:
Isopropyltriisostearoyl titanate, isopropyl tris (dioctyl pyrophosphate) titanate, isopropyl tri (N-aminoethyl-aminoethyl) titanate, tetraoctyl bis (ditridecyl phosphite) titanate, tetra (2,2-diallyloxymethyl-1) -Butyl) bis (ditridecyl) phosphite titanate, bis (dioctyl pyrophosphate) oxyacetate titanate, bis (dioctyl pyrophosphate) ethylene titanate, isopropyl trioctanoyl titanate, isopropyl dimethacryl isostearoyl titanate, isopropyl tridodecyl benzene sulfonyl titanate, Isopropyl isostearoyl diacrylic titanate, isopropyl tri (dioctylphotate) Fate) titanate, isopropyl tricumyl phenyl titanate, tetraisopropyl bis (dioctyl phosphite) titanate, etc., which are mainly used as a surface treatment layer on an elastic body between the elastic layer and the surface layer, but are not limited thereto. Not a thing.

As the isocyanate-based resin, there are those using triphenylmethane triisocyanate and those using methylene bis-p-phenylene diisocyanate, which are mainly used as a surface treatment layer on an elastic body and an elastic layer. It is used between the surface layer and the surface layer, but is not limited to this.

As the epoxy resin, the epoxy resins include bisphenol A type, bisphenol F type, bisphenol AD type, bisphenol S type, 2,6-xylenol type, phenol novolac type, trifunctional type and tetra type. There are phenylol ethane type, polyethylene glycol type, polypropylene glycol type, neopentyl glycol type, 1,6-hexanediol type, trimethylolpropane type, propylene oxide bisphenol A type, hydrogenated bisphenol A type, etc. Are aliphatic amines such as triethylenetriamine, tetraethylenepentamine, diethylenetriamine, diethylaminopropylamine, metaphenylenediamine, diaminodiphenylmethane,
There are aromatic amines such as methylenedianiline, polyamides, acid anhydrides, boron trifluoride, monoethylamine, etc. This is mainly used as a surface treatment layer on an elastic body and is an interlayer between the elastic layer and the surface layer. It is used for, but is not limited to.

Further, as the thermoplastic resin,
Alkyd, asphalt, chroman-indene resin,
Phenol resin, rosin, terpene resin, wax, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyethylene, polyvinyl acetate, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyvinyl ether, polyamide, polyester, phenoxy resin, poly There is isoprene and the like, which is mainly used as a surface treatment layer on an elastic body between the elastic layer and the surface layer, but is not limited thereto.

The method of treating these surface treatment agents is as follows:
There are a dipping method, a roll coating method, a spray coating method, a brush coating method, and a molding method.

The surface treatment agent used for these is
Conductivity may be imparted to the surface treatment agent used between the elastic layer and the surface layer if a surface layer material that does not cause leakage is used or if it is an intermediate transfer member that applies a low voltage. There is no problem doing it.

Examples of the method for imparting conductivity to the surface treatment agent include conductive fillers and additives. Specifically, examples of the conductive filler include carbon, conductive titanium oxide, aluminum, nickel, and the like, and examples of the additive include a surfactant, a perchlorate, and the like.

The conductive agent used for these is not limited to the above.

The intermediate transfer member used in the present invention is in the form of a roller having an elastic layer of at least a rubber, an elastomer and a resin on a cylindrical conductive support and having one or more films as an upper layer . Further, containing the 2 present invention
Rarely not but a belt shape with one or more layers of film on the substrate of the belt, 104 is an intermediate transfer belt.

[0052] superposition of color shift of the image, taking into account the durability against repeated use, as an aspect of the present invention is roller-shaped.

As the cylindrical conductive support, a metal or alloy such as aluminum, iron, copper and stainless, a conductive resin in which carbon or metal particles are dispersed, or the like can be used, and the shape thereof is as described above. Like a cylinder,
Examples include a cylinder that penetrates the center of the cylinder and a cylinder that is reinforced inside.

The rubber, elastomer, and resin used in the elastic layer of the intermediate transfer member used in the present invention, for example, styrene-butadiene rubber as the elastomer or rubber,
High styrene rubber, butadiene rubber, isoprene rubber,
Ethylene-propylene copolymer, nitrile butadiene rubber, chloroprene rubber, butyl rubber, silicone rubber,
Examples thereof include fluororubber, nitrile rubber, urethane rubber, acrylic rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber and norbornene rubber. Further, as the resins, polystyrene, chloropolystyrene, poly-α-methylstyrene, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-vinyl chloride copolymer, styrene-vinyl acetate copolymer, styrene-maleic acid copolymer, styrene -Acrylic ester copolymer (styrene-methyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-butyl acrylate copolymer, styrene-octyl acrylate copolymer and styrene-phenyl acrylate copolymer) Polymers, etc.), styrene-methacrylic acid ester copolymers (styrene-methyl methacrylate copolymers, styrene-ethyl methacrylate copolymers, styrene-phenyl methacrylate copolymers, etc.), styrene-α-chloroacrylic acid Methyl copolymer, styrene-acrylonitrile-a Styrene resins such as acrylic acid ester copolymers (homopolymers or copolymers containing styrene or styrene substitution products), vinyl chloride resins, styrene-vinyl acetate copolymers, rosin-modified maleic acid resins, phenol resins, epoxies Resin, polyester resin, low molecular weight polyethylene, low molecular weight polypropylene, ionomer resin, polyurethane resin, silicone resin, ketone resin, ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, xylene resin, polyvinyl butyral resin and the like can be mentioned.

The thickness of the elastic layer is 0.5 mm or more, and further 1
It is preferably at least mm, particularly preferably 1 mm to 10 mm. The thickness of the coating layer is preferably a thin layer for transmitting the flexibility of the lower elastic layer to the upper layer thereabove or the surface of the photoreceptor, specifically, 3 mm or less, further 2 mm or less, It is particularly preferably 20 μm to 1 mm.

The volume resistivity of the intermediate transfer member used in the present invention is preferably 10 ¹ to 10 ¹³ Ω · cm, and particularly preferably 10 ² to 10 ¹⁰ Ω · cm.
Furthermore, at least the volume resistivity of the surface layer is preferably within these ranges.

The surface JIS-A hardness of the intermediate transfer member when the film is formed on the elastic layer used in the present invention is preferably 1.8 times or less the JIS-A hardness of the elastic layer surface. When it exceeds 1.8 times , the hardness difference with the elastic body is large, so that the surface layer cannot follow the deformation of the elastic layer when contacting with the photosensitive drum, and the surface layer floats, resulting in uneven transfer. It may end up.

The photosensitive drum which is the first image bearing member used in the present invention has, for example, an organic photosensitive layer provided on a conductive support, and if necessary, a barrier function and an adhesive are provided between the two. Some have an undercoat layer having a function.

As a characteristic of such an organic photoreceptor, it is often used as the first image carrier because of its high safety, good chargeability, good productivity, and low cost.

As the first electroconductive support for image carrier used in the present invention, for example, the following ones can be used. (1) Aluminum, aluminum alloy, stainless steel,
Metals such as copper. (2) A thin film is formed by vapor-depositing or laminating a metal such as aluminum, palladium, rhodium, gold or platinum on the surface of the non-conductive support such as glass, resin or paper or the conductive support of (1) above. What I did. (3) A layer of a conductive compound such as a conductive polymer, tin oxide or indium oxide is vapor-deposited or applied on the surface of a non-conductive support such as glass, resin or paper or the conductive support of the above (1). Formed by

As the material for forming the undercoat layer, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide, ethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, casein, polyamide, glue, gelatin, etc. are usually used.

The organic photosensitive layer comprises a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer, and a protective layer may be provided on the photosensitive layer for controlling charge injection, for example.

The charge-generating layer can be formed by dispersing the charge-generating substance in a suitable binder and coating this on a conductive support. Alternatively, the thin film can be formed on the conductive support by a dry method such as vapor deposition, sputtering, or CVD. Examples of the charge generating substance include the following substances. These charge generating substances may be used alone or in combination of two or more. (1) Azo pigments such as monoazo, bisazo and trisazo (2) Indigo pigments such as indigo and thioindigo (3) Phthalocyanine pigments such as metal phthalocyanine and non-metal phthalocyanine (4) Perylene anhydride, perylene imide, etc. Perylene pigment. (5) Polycyclic quinone pigments such as anthraquinone and hydroquinone. (6) squarylium dye (7) pyrylium salt, thiopyrylium salt (8) triphenylmethane dye

The binder can be selected from a wide range of binder resins such as polycarbonate resin, polyester resin, polyacrylate resin, butyral resin, polystyrene resin, polyvinyl acetal resin, diallyl phthalate resin, acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, acetic acid. Examples thereof include vinyl resins, phenol resins, silicone resins, polysulfone resins, styrene-butadiene copolymer resins, alkyd resins, epoxy resins, urea resins, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer resins, but are not limited thereto. Absent.

These may be used alone or as a copolymer polymer, or one or more of them may be mixed.

The resin contained in the charge generation layer is 80% by weight or less, preferably 40% by weight or less. Also,
The thickness of the charge generation layer is 5 μm or less, particularly 0.01 μm to 2
It is preferable that the thin film layer has a thickness of μm. Various sensitizers may be further added to the charge generation layer.

The charge generation layer is formed by coating and drying a paint in which a charge transport substance and a binder resin are dissolved in a solvent. Examples of the charge transport material include various triarylamine compounds, hydrazone compounds, stilbene compounds, pyrazoline compounds, oxazole compounds, thiazole compounds, triarylmethane compounds, and the like.
Further, as the binder resin, those mentioned above can be used. For coating the organic photosensitive layer, any conventionally known method such as dipping method, spray coating method, spinner coating method, bead coating method, blade coating method, beam coating method, and roll coating method can be used.

[0068]

【Example】

Examples will be described below. [Example 1] (Production of film) 100 parts by weight of low-density polyethylene,
A premixed mixture of 5 parts by weight of conductive carbon black and 50 parts by weight of polytetrafluoroethylene resin particles was kneaded using a twin-screw extruder to prepare a conductive compound. This compound was blown up to 2.0 times with a blow-up ratio of 287 mm x 3 using an inflation device.
A 60 mm blown film was obtained.

(Preparation of intermediate transfer member base layer) Φ182 mm ×
First, 100 parts by weight of EPDM, 5 parts by weight of zinc oxide, 1 part by weight of higher fatty acid, 5 parts by weight of conductive carbon black, 10 parts by weight of paraffin oil, 2 parts by weight of sulfur, on a surface of an aluminum cylindrical roller having a thickness of 320 mm and a thickness of 5 mm, 1 part by weight of vulcanization accelerator MBT, 1.5 parts by weight of vulcanization accelerator TMTD, and 1.5 parts by weight of vulcanization accelerator ZnMDC were mixed for 20 minutes while cooling with a two-roll mill to prepare a compound, and an elastic layer thereof. A rubber roller having an elastic layer was obtained by transfer molding and vulcanizing the compound for molding using a mold. The JIS-A hardness of this elastic layer is 3
It was 5.

(Preparation of Intermediate Transfer Member) The rubber roller was covered with the inflation film. At this time, since the polytetrafluoroethylene resin particles as the anti-blocking agent were kneaded, it was easy to open the folded film and the workability was good. Then, the film was heat-treated at 135 ° C. to heat-shrink the film, thereby bringing the film into close contact with the rubber roller.
As a result, the folds in the blown film were eliminated, and the rubber and the film were sufficiently adhered by heat shrinkage, and the floating portion of the rubber and the film was not seen. Furthermore, by using an inflation film having a good surface property, an intermediate transfer member having a surface roughness Rmax of 4 μm and a good surface property and having a JIS-A hardness of 48 and less than 1.8 times that of the elastic layer is obtained. It was

(Evaluation) Among the steps described above, the parts for forming the surface layer are: 1. Create compound 2. Inflation film creation 3. Heat shrinkage resulted in less man-hours and the cost was reduced by using the blown film.

This intermediate transfer member was mounted on the full-color electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and a full-color image print test was conducted. The full-color printed image was a solid image with uniform image quality.

[ Reference Example 1] (Preparation of coating material for surface layer) 50 parts by weight of polyurethane prepolymer, 40 parts by weight of conductive titanium oxide, 5 parts by weight of dispersion aid, 100 parts by weight of toluene, and 50 parts by weight of curing agent were mixed. Then, the mixture was dispersed for 30 minutes by a bead mill to prepare a coating material for the surface layer.

(Preparation of intermediate transfer member base layer) The same as in Example 1.

(Preparation of Intermediate Transfer Member) When the above-mentioned coating material for the surface layer was spray-coated on the rubber roller,
The paint loss was 70%. After this coating, the paint was dried at 80 ° C., but the surface condition was poor at Rmax 45 μm, so the surface was 5 minutes with # 600 sandpaper, 5 minutes with # 1000 sandpaper, and 10 minutes with # 3000 sandpaper. After minute polishing, Rmax was 4 μm, which was equivalent to that of an inflation film. As a result, an intermediate transfer member having a surface layer formed of a coating material was obtained.

(Evaluation) Among the steps described above, the parts for forming the surface layer are: 1. Paint preparation 2. Coating 3. Dry 4. Since polishing was performed (three times), the number of steps was long, it took a long time, and the loss of the paint was large, so that the cost was higher than that of heat shrinking using a film.

This intermediate transfer member was mounted on the full-color electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and a full-color image print test was conducted. The full-color printed image was a solid image with uniform image quality.

Comparative Example 1 (Production of Film) Same as Example 1 except that 50 parts by weight of polytetrafluoroethylene resin particles were not mixed.

(Preparation of intermediate transfer member base layer) Same as in Example 1.

(Preparation of Intermediate Transfer Member) The rubber roller was covered with the inflation film. At this time, since the polytetrafluoroethylene resin particles as the antiblocking agent were not kneaded, it was difficult to open the folded film, and the workability was poor. In this intermediate transfer member, the folds of inflation floated up from the rubber roller, and in some places, the film floated up from the rubber.

(Evaluation) Among the steps described above, the parts for forming the surface layer are: 1. Create compound 2. Since it is an inflation film, the number of steps is small, and the cost is low by using the inflation film.

However, this intermediate transfer member was mounted on the full-color electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and a full-color image print test was carried out. However, since heat treatment was not carried out, the adhesion to the elastic body was insufficient. As a result, the full-color print image had unevenness in the solid image due to film floating.

Comparative Example 2 (Preparation of Film) Same as Example 1 except that 50 parts by weight of polytetrafluoroethylene resin particles were not mixed and the resin was changed to polycarbonate.

(Preparation of base layer for intermediate transfer member) Same as in Example 1.

(Preparation of Intermediate Transfer Body) The rubber roller was covered with the inflation film. At this time, since the polytetrafluoroethylene resin particles as the antiblocking agent were not kneaded, it was difficult to open the folded film, and the workability was poor. In this intermediate transfer member, the folds of inflation floated up from the rubber roller, and in some places, the film floated up from the rubber. Further, an intermediate transfer member having a JIS-A hardness of 70, which is 1.8 times or more that of the elastic layer, was obtained.

(Evaluation) Among the above steps, the parts for forming the surface layer are: 1. Create compound 2. Since it is an inflation film, the number of steps is small, and the cost is low by using the inflation film.

However, when this intermediate transfer member was mounted on the full-color electrophotographic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and a full-color image print test was carried out, the followability of the surface layer to the elastic body layer was poor, and the surface layer did not float. For that reason, the full-color print image has an uneven image quality in a solid image.

[0088]

As described above, according to the present invention, the elastic layer is formed on the conductive substrate of the intermediate transfer member , the film is covered with the elastic layer, and then the film is heat-shrinked to form the film layer. As a result, it is possible to obtain an intermediate transfer member that is low in cost and has no image unevenness when transferred.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a color image output device using a roller-shaped intermediate transfer member.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a color image output device using an intermediate transfer belt.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Atsushi Tanaka 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Hiroyuki Kobayashi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. Within the corporation (56) Reference JP-A-8-160753 (JP, A) JP-A-7-261574 (JP, A) JP-A-6-274048 (JP, A) JP-A-2-162379 (JP, A) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 15/16 G03G 15/02

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method for producing an intermediate transfer member, comprising: an elastic layer on a cylindrical conductive substrate; and a film layer on the elastic layer. After forming the elastic layer on the cylindrical conductive substrate, A method for producing an intermediate transfer member, which comprises covering a film and heat-shrinking the tubular film to form the film layer by heat treatment, wherein the film contains resin particles. Production method. Wherein the intermediate transfer member surface JIS-A hardness in the case of forming the film layer on the elastic layer, an intermediate according to claim 1 or less 1.8 times the elastic layer surface JIS-A hardness Method for manufacturing transfer member. 3. A method for manufacturing an intermediate transfer member, comprising an elastic layer on a cylindrical conductive substrate, and a film layer thereon, wherein a tubular shape is formed after forming the elastic layer on the cylindrical conductive substrate. A method for manufacturing an intermediate transfer body, comprising: covering a film; and heat-shrinking the tubular film to form the film layer, wherein the intermediate transfer body surface JIS when the film layer is formed on the elastic layer. -A hardness is 1.8 times or less the elastic layer surface JIS-A hardness, and a method for producing an intermediate transfer member. 4. The film is produced by an inflation method.
4. The resin composition is obtained by extrusion molding.
The method for producing an intermediate transfer member according to any one of 1. 5. Blow of the blown film
The intermediate transfer according to claim 4, wherein the up ratio is 1.5 or more.
Body manufacturing method. 6. The method for producing an intermediate transfer member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the film contains a conductive filler. 7. An image forming apparatus for transferring an image formed on a first image bearing member onto an intermediate transferring member and then further transferring it onto a second image bearing member, wherein the intermediate transferring member is formed. An image forming apparatus, which is an intermediate transfer member manufactured by the manufacturing method according to any one of 1 to 6 .