JP3397002B2 - Roll coating layer formation method - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a fixing roll such as a pressure roll or a heating roll in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine. The present invention relates to an improvement in a method for forming a coating layer on a roll in which a coating layer having a desired thickness is formed on a peripheral surface of a roll substrate by contacting a cylindrical roll substrate with a coating solution a plurality of times. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a method of forming a coating layer on a roll of this kind is to contact a part of a cylindrical roll base in a circumferential direction with a coating solution, and then to roll the roll base around a central axis thereof. And the coating layer forming step of separating the roll substrate from the coating solution is repeated a plurality of times to form a coating layer having a desired thickness on the entire peripheral surface of the roll substrate. [0003] In the fixing roll, for example, the upper and lower limits of the outer dimensions of the roll and the upper and lower limits of the thickness of the final coating layer are defined so as to obtain a predetermined roll quality. The coating layer formed in each coating layer forming step must be formed to a predetermined thickness. [0004] The thickness of the coating layer formed on the peripheral surface of the roll base tends to increase in accordance with the length of time during which the roll base is brought into contact with the coating solution. [0005] For this reason, in each coating layer forming step, the roll substrate is not rotated an integer number of times, for example, twice or three times, while a part of the roll substrate is in contact with the coating solution in the circumferential direction. For example, by performing extra rotations for an integer number of revolutions, for example, 2.1 times or 3.1 times, a coating layer having a thickness equal to or more than a predetermined value is reliably formed on the entire peripheral surface of the roll base. Like that. [0006] However, when the coating layer forming step is repeated a plurality of times to bring the roll base into contact with the coating solution a plurality of times, the liquid contact positions of the roll base in each coating layer forming step are the same. There are times when it becomes. Then, at that time, the portion of the roll base that is excessively rotated with respect to the integer rotation and excessively contacted with the coating solution overlaps, and the thickness of the coating layer formed at that portion becomes extremely thick. As a result, the layer thickness becomes non-uniform, and the cylindricity of the roll has been remarkably reduced. Further, when forming a roll that requires a high cylindricity such as an allowable error of cylindricity of several μm or less, the above-described roll cannot be used. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for forming a coating layer on a roll which can form a coating layer of a desired thickness on the entire peripheral surface of a roll base without remarkably reducing the cylindricity of the roll. To provide. [0008] That is, the present invention provides a method of contacting a part of a cylindrical roll base in a circumferential direction with a coating solution, and in this state, the roll base is rotated a plurality of times around a central axis thereof. Rotating, further repeating a coating layer forming step of separating the roll substrate from the coating solution a plurality of times to form a coating layer of a desired thickness on the entire peripheral surface of the roll substrate. This is a method for forming a coating layer of a roll in which a liquid contact position of a roll substrate when a substrate is brought into contact with a coating solution is changed for each coating layer forming step. In the present invention, “contacting a part of the cylindrical roll base in the circumferential direction with the coating solution” means that at least a part of the roll base in the circumferential direction is in contact with the coating solution. May be immersed in the coating solution. Further, the roll base is brought into contact with the center axis thereof slightly inclined with respect to the liquid surface. [0010] The roll substrate has at least a cylindrical shape and can be coated with a coating solution on its peripheral surface. For example, a silicon rubber layer is provided around a cylindrical core made of stainless steel or aluminum. Some have formed. In addition, by applying a primer (aqueous adhesive) to the surface of the silicone rubber layer, the adhesion between the coating solution to be the coating layer and the silicone rubber layer is enhanced, and the coating solution is easily attached. [0011] As the coating solution, but are intended to be changed depending on the surface characteristics required of the roll surface, for example, bound rubber (V _i rubber), methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) or methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) And an organic solvent, carbon and the like are mixed and stirred. [0012] In the above state, rotating the roll base plural times around its central axis means that the roll base is rotated plural times around its central axis at least while the roll base is in contact with the coating solution. This means that the roll substrate can be rotated only from the time it comes into contact with the coating solution until it separates, or it can be rotated before coming into contact with the coating solution, or You may make it rotate after separating. The number of revolutions of the roll base and the number of repetitions of the coating layer forming step during the contact with the coating solution are determined by the thickness of the coating layer to be finally formed on the peripheral surface of the roll base and the number of times of one coating. It is appropriately set according to the thickness of the coating layer that can be formed on the peripheral surface of the roll substrate in the layer forming step. In the present invention, the contact position of the roll base when the roll base is brought into contact with the coating solution may be changed for each coating layer forming step. Specifically, a marking is formed on the roll base, the marking is read by a detecting unit, and the rotation of the roll base is controlled by a driving unit capable of controlling the rotation angle of a stepping motor or the like. The driving unit controls the rotation angle of the roll base based on the signal, so that the liquid contact position of the roll base can be changed for each coating layer forming step. In the method for forming a coating layer of a roll according to the present invention, the contact position of the roll base when the roll base is brought into contact with the coating solution is changed for each coating layer forming step. Even if it is made to rotate excessively with respect to the rotation, it is possible to prevent the portions of the roll base that have been excessively contacted with the coating solution by being excessively rotated from overlapping. Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example 1 FIG. 1 shows a fixing roll 1 formed by a method for forming a coating layer of a roll according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1A, the fixing roll 1 has a diameter 2R = 50 mm and a length l =
It has a cylindrical shape of 333 mm, and D
The rotating shaft 1a having the cut surface protrudes. Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, the fixing roll 1 has a first adhesive layer 3 called a primer and a silicon rubber layer 4 on a peripheral surface of a core 2 made of stainless steel or aluminum.
, A second adhesive layer 5 called a primer, and a coating layer 6 are sequentially laminated. The roll base 100 includes a metal core 2, a first adhesive layer 3,
It comprises a silicon rubber layer 4 and a second adhesive layer 5. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, three coating layer forming apparatuses A, B, and C are prepared, and the roll base 100 is applied once to the coating solution S stored in the tank of each coating layer forming apparatus. The roll substrate 100 was brought into contact with the coating solution S three times in total, so that the coating layer 6 was formed on the peripheral surface of the roll substrate 100. Further, the coating solution S was used V _i rubber, MIBK, MEK, those stirring carbon or the like by stirrer (stirrer). Further, each of the above coating layer forming apparatuses includes:
A tank 8 having two tank chambers 9, 9 for accommodating a coating solution S, as shown in FIG.
, A roll base temporary holding member 10 on which a large number of roll bases 100 are placed, and two roll bases 10
A holder 7 rotatably holding 0, 100 and freely movable in the horizontal and vertical directions, and a roll base presence / absence detection sensor 12 disposed in the vicinity of the movement path of the holder 7
And a roll base marking detection sensor 13 disposed near the movement path of the holder 7 and above the tank 8. As shown in FIG. 4, the coating layer forming apparatus moves the holder 7 holding the roll base 100 to a position opposed to the roll base presence / absence detection sensor 12 and the roll base marking detection sensor 13, and After confirming the presence / absence of the roll base 100 and initially setting the orientation of the roll base 100, the holder 7 is lowered until a part of the roll base 100 is immersed in the coating solution S to a depth of 3 mm. By rotating the roll base 100 around the central axis 2.1 times at a speed of 1 rpm and further separating the roll base 100 from the coating solution S, a coating layer is formed on the entire peripheral surface of the roll base 100 (coating layer forming step). ). As shown in FIG. 5, the holder 7 chucks the rotating shaft of the roll base 100 from both ends by a pair of chucking robots 7a, 7a, and the chucking robots 7a, 7a The roll base 100 is rotatably held by being rotated by a stepping motor. As shown in FIG. 6, the tank 8 has a tank chamber 9 having a depth capable of immersing the roll base 100 to the immersion depth, and one end of the tank chamber 9 is provided with a coating solution. An inlet 8a is opened, an outlet 8b for the coating solution is formed at the other end of the tank chamber 9, and a receiving tank 11 is disposed below the outlet 8b. The coating solution in the tank chamber 9 is supplied to the inflow port 8.
a flows toward the outlet 8b at a speed of 100 mm / s. In this embodiment, the roll base 100
A black marking M on one end of the roll base 1
00 is brought into contact with the coating solution S, the contact position of the roll substrate 100 with the coating layer forming apparatus A, B, C
We changed every time. More specifically, in the coating layer forming apparatus A, the marking M is detected by the roll base marking detecting sensor 13a (FIG. 7A), and the roll M is placed in a state where the marking M is positioned vertically downward. Base 1
00 in the coating solution S (FIG. 7)
(B)) The roll base 100 is rotated 2.1 times (two rotations and 36 rotations).
°) rotate the roll substrate 100 to the coating solution S
(FIG. 7 (c)). In the coating layer forming apparatus B, the marking M is detected by the roll base marking detecting sensor 13b (FIG. 7D), and the marking M is tilted 60 degrees downward in the vertical direction. After dipping the roll substrate 100 in the coating solution S (FIG. 7)
(E)), the roll substrate 100 is moved 2.1 times (two rotations and 36 rotations).
°) rotate the roll substrate 100 to the coating solution S
(FIG. 7F). Further, in the coating layer forming apparatus C, the marking M is detected by the roll base marking detection sensor 13c (FIG. 8 (g)), and the marking M is tilted 120 ° downward with respect to the vertical direction. After dipping the roll substrate 100 in the coating solution S (FIG. 8)
(H)) The roll base 100 is rotated 2.1 times (two rotations and 36 rotations).
°) rotate the roll substrate 100 to the coating solution S
(FIG. 8 (i)). When the cylindricity of the coating layer 6 formed on the surface of the fixing roll 1 was measured, the error was ± 5 μm, so that the fixing roll 1 can be used in a fixing roll requiring high cylindricity. Was. Comparative Example 1 Example 1 was repeated except that the coating layer of the roll was formed without particularly controlling the contact position of the roll substrate 100 when the roll substrate 100 was brought into contact with the coating solution S.
It was formed by the same apparatus and method as in Example 1. When the cylindricity of the coating layer formed on the surface of the above-mentioned fixing roll was measured, the error was ± 10 μm, and it was not possible to use the fixing roll which requires a high cylindricity. . As described above, in the method for forming a coating layer of a roll according to the present invention, the contact position of the roll substrate when the roll substrate is brought into contact with the coating solution is changed for each coating layer forming step. Even if the roll substrate is rotated extra for an integer number of revolutions, the roll substrate can be prevented from overlapping because the portion of the roll substrate that has been excessively rotated and brought into extra contact with the coating solution can be prevented from overlapping. No extremely thick coating layer is formed on the substrate, and the cylindricity of the roll is not significantly reduced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fixing roll formed in Example 1 of the present invention ((a) is a perspective view, and (b) is a layer structure explanatory view). FIG. 2 is an overall schematic explanatory view of a coating layer forming method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view ((a) to (c), (d)) of a main part of a coating layer forming apparatus used in Example 1 of the present invention.
(F) and (g) to (i) are each one coating layer forming step). FIG. 4 is an operation flowchart of the coating layer forming apparatus of FIG. 3; FIG. 5 is a front view of a holder of the coating layer forming apparatus of FIG. 3; FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a tank of the coating layer forming apparatus of FIG. 3; FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram (first half) of a method of forming a coating layer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view (second half) of a method of forming a coating layer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Description of Signs] 1: Roll, 100: Roll substrate, 6: Coating layer, S: Coating solution.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims 1] A part of the cylindrical roll base in the circumferential direction is brought into contact with the coating solution, and in this state, the roll base is rotated several times around its central axis, A coating layer forming step of separating a roll substrate from a coating solution a plurality of times to form a coating layer of a desired thickness on the entire peripheral surface of the roll substrate; A method for forming a coating layer on a roll, wherein a liquid contact position of a roll substrate at the time of contact is changed for each coating layer forming step.