JP3794284B2 - Intermediate transfer medium in image forming apparatus and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an intermediate transfer medium in an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, or the like by, for example, an electrophotographic method or an electrostatic printing method, and a manufacturing method thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to an intermediate transfer medium in which a toner image formed on a photoreceptor is once transferred onto an intermediate transfer medium and transferred from the intermediate transfer medium to a recording sheet, and a method for manufacturing the intermediate transfer medium.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus forms a toner image on a latent image electrically formed on the surface of a photoreceptor, and performs color superimposition on the toner image on an intermediate transfer medium. This intermediate transfer medium requires both electrical characteristics such as a medium volume resistivity necessary for obtaining good transfer characteristics, and mechanical strength necessary for obtaining good registration.
[0003]
As an intermediate transfer medium, a single-layer belt with such a single material having such electrical resistance and mechanical strength, or a layer having the necessary transfer characteristics on a belt substrate having sufficient mechanical strength can be applied by coating. There are drum-shaped belts in which a layer having necessary transfer characteristics is formed on a formed multilayer belt and a metal drum such as aluminum by coating. Among these, in order to achieve both electrical resistance and mechanical strength, a multilayer belt and drum shape with separated functions are preferable.
[0004]
Further, since the toner adheres to the surface layer of the intermediate transfer medium, it is required to have abrasion resistance that can cope with cleaning and non-contamination to the photoreceptor. For this reason, a paint based on urethane resin is often employed as the surface layer of the intermediate transfer medium. In the resin layer of the surface layer, an electron conductive solid additive or an ion conductive solid additive is added in order to control conductivity. Among them, an electron conductive solid additive such as metal oxide is preferable because it is less dependent on the environment such as moisture. Furthermore, many paints are used as paints in order to reduce the organic solvent as much as possible and improve the smoothness of the surface layer.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above conventional emulsion paint, the electron conductive solid additive is randomly dispersed in the urethane resin as the base resin, and the contact state between the solid additives is unstable. For this reason, the electric resistance varies greatly in the surface layer of the obtained intermediate transfer medium, and the electric resistance greatly fluctuates due to environmental changes such as humidity. As a result, there is a problem in that uneven transfer occurs and good transfer characteristics cannot be obtained.
[0006]
The present invention has been made paying attention to such problems existing in the prior art. An object of the present invention is to provide an intermediate transfer medium in an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing variations in electrical resistance in the surface layer and suppressing fluctuations in electrical resistance with respect to environmental changes and obtaining good transfer characteristics, and a method for manufacturing the same. Is to provide.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the intermediate transfer medium in the image forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is the intermediate transfer medium in the image forming apparatus is a base, a conductive layer formed on the surface of the base, and a conductive layer. A surface layer formed on the surface, and the surface layer is bonded or adhered in advance to a base resin having a particle diameter larger than that of the solid additive or a base resin and a lubricant resin. Then, after the emulsion emulsion coating is applied on the conductive layer, it is obtained by drying, and the electron conductive solid additive constituting the surface layer is transferred from the surface layer to the conductive layer. It is constructed in a chain.
[0008]
An intermediate transfer medium in an image forming apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the intermediate transfer medium according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein an interval between adjacent chains formed by the electron conductive solid additive is 1 of the obtained image. It is configured to be smaller than the dot width.
[0009]
According to the method of manufacturing an intermediate transfer medium in the image forming apparatus of the invention, the intermediate transfer medium in the image forming apparatus forms a surface layer on the surface of the conductive layer after forming the conductive layer on the surface of the substrate. The surface layer is obtained by applying a base resin or an emulsion paint in which an electron conductive solid additive is added to a base resin and a lubricant resin on the conductive layer and then drying it. The emulsion paint is obtained by emulsifying an electron conductive solid additive previously bonded or attached to a base resin or lubricant resin having a particle size larger than that of the electron conductive solid additive. It is characterized by being.
[0010]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the method for producing an intermediate transfer medium in the image forming apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, wherein the particle diameter of the base resin or lubricant resin is greater than the width of one dot of the obtained image. It is characterized by being small.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an image forming apparatus. As shown in FIG. 1, a charging roller 12 as a charging unit is provided on the outer peripheral surface of a photoconductor 11 constituting an image forming apparatus so that the surface of the photoconductor 11 is uniformly charged. In addition, an exposure unit is provided on the outer periphery of the photoconductor 11, and the surface of the charged photoconductor 11 is selectively irradiated with laser light to form an electrostatic latent image. Further, developing devices 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d as developing means are arranged on the outer periphery of the photoconductor 11, so that four color toners can be supplied. That is, the developing unit 14a supplies yellow (Y), the developing unit 14b supplies cyan (C), the developing unit 14c supplies magenta (M), and the developing unit 14d supplies color toners of black (K). . A toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 11.
[0012]
Further, an intermediate transfer belt 15 as an intermediate transfer medium that constitutes a transfer unit adjacent to the photoreceptor 11 is hung between a plurality of rollers 16. One of the plurality of rollers 16 is a driving roller, and the remaining is a driven roller that rotates according to the rotation of the driving roller. As shown in FIG. 4, the end of the intermediate transfer belt 15 is joined by a backing material 17 and is formed in an endless shape. Then, the toner images of the respective colors on the surface of the photoconductor 11 are transferred in an overlapping manner on the intermediate transfer belt 15.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 5, the electrode roller 33 (shown in FIG. 1) is configured to be in direct contact with a later-described vapor deposition layer 25 of the intermediate transfer belt 15, and when a bias voltage is applied to the electrode roller 33, the intermediate transfer belt 15. A bias voltage is applied to the whole and a potential difference is generated between the photoconductor 11 and the intermediate transfer belt 15, whereby the toner 27 on the photoconductor 11 is transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 15. As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer medium is provided with a secondary transfer roller 18 constituting transfer means at a position different from the photoconductor 11. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, a voltage different from that of the intermediate transfer belt 15 is applied to the secondary transfer roller 18 facing the backup roller 19b (roller 16) that holds the intermediate transfer belt 15, so that The toner 27 moves onto the recording paper 20 as a recording medium. Then, the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 15 is transferred onto the recording paper 20. As this recording medium, in addition to the recording paper 20, an OHP film or the like is also used.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 1, a fixing device 21 as a fixing unit is disposed at the front position of the recording paper 20, and is configured to fix the toner image transferred to the recording paper 20 by heating and pressing. . Further, cleaning blades 22 a and 22 b are provided at the outer peripheral positions of the photoconductor 11 and the intermediate transfer belt 15, and the toner 27 remaining on the surface of the photoconductor 11 or the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 15 can be scraped off. ing.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate transfer belt 15 is provided with a vapor deposition layer 25 of aluminum as a conductive layer on the surface of a polyester film layer 24 sandwiched with a flame retardant layer 23, and a volume on the vapor deposition layer 25. A surface layer 26 made of a medium resistance paint capable of making the specific resistance value moderate (10 ⁷ to 10 ¹⁴ Ω · cm) is provided. The thickness of the polyester film layer 24 forming the surface layer 26 is 100 to 130 μm, the thickness of the vapor deposition layer 25 is about 800 mm, and the thickness of the surface layer 26 is about 20 μm.
[0016]
As shown in FIG. 3, the surface layer 26 of the intermediate transfer belt 15 includes polyurethane particles (base resin particles) 28 and lubricant resin particles 29 in an emulsion paint arranged in a mesh pattern in the surface layer 26. It continues so that it may extend in a line from the surface to the vapor deposition layer 25 of aluminum. The electron conductive solid additive 30 forms a chain (conductive path) 31 along the surfaces of the adjacent polyurethane particles 28 and lubricant resin particles 29, and extends continuously from the surface of the surface layer 26 to the vapor deposition layer 25. . Further, the interval between adjacent chains 31 is configured to be smaller than the width of one dot 32 of the obtained image.
[0017]
Next, the medium resistance paint will be described. The medium resistance paint is obtained by adding an electron conductive solid additive to a base resin or a base resin and a lubricant resin and emulsifying it with water. As the base resin, polyurethane, polyester, acrylic resin, polycarbonate, fluorine resin, polyimide resin and the like are used. As the lubricant resin, a fluororesin such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is used. This lubricant resin can reduce the coefficient of friction on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt, improve the toner releasability, and improve the durability.
[0018]
As the electron conductive solid additive, antimony-doped tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, carbon (carbon black), potassium titanate, or the like is used. Examples of the form include particles, fibers (fibers), whiskers and the like. Specifically, carbon black (MA-100 manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei Co., Ltd.), whisker of potassium titanate (Dentor WK200B manufactured by Otsuka Chemical Co., Ltd.), tin oxide-based composite oxide (Mitsui Metals Co., Ltd.) UF) manufactured by Zinc Co., Ltd., zinc oxide (Pastran Type II manufactured by Mitsui Kinzoku Co., Ltd.) and the like are used.
[0019]
The solid additive is preferably surface-treated with a silane coupling agent in order to facilitate bonding or adhesion of the base resin or lubricant resin to the surface. Examples of the silane coupling agent include methyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, γ- (methacryloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane, and γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane.
[0020]
The base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 are formed to have a particle diameter larger than that of the electron conductive solid additive 30, and the larger the better. That is, when the particle diameter of the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 is increased, the surface area thereof is decreased accordingly, the space where the solid additive 30 can exist is limited, and the solid additives 30 are in good contact with each other. Therefore, stable electronic conductivity can be obtained. The particle diameter of the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 can theoretically be increased up to the thickness of the surface layer 26, but in practice, when the particle diameter of the toner 27 is approached, the surface roughness of the surface layer 26 by film formation is increased. The toner 27 adhering to the surface of the surface layer 26 cannot be sufficiently removed by the cleaning blades 22a and 22b, causing a printing failure. Therefore, the particle diameter of the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 is desirably 1 μm or less, which is sufficiently smaller than the particle diameter of the toner (for example, 7 μm).
[0021]
In other words, if the particle diameter of the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 is R and the particle diameter of the electron conductive solid additive 30 is r, the ratio r / R = a is preferably small. Further, assuming that the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 and the solid additive 30 are substantially spherical, and the solid additive 30 is adhered to the entire surface of the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 without any gaps, The ratio of the volume of the solid additive 30 to the volume of the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 is {π (r + R) ³ −πr ³ } / πr ³ , that is, (1 + a) ³ −1. Actually, the solid additive 30 cannot be applied to the entire surface of the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 without gaps, and only about a half of the filling rate is obtained. 1 + a) ³ −1} / 2. Therefore, in order for the solid additive 30 to sufficiently form an electron conductive net, the particle diameter r of the solid additive 30 is reduced so that the volume ratio is equal to or greater than this volume ratio, and the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 are formed. What is necessary is just to enlarge the particle diameter R.
[0022]
Then, for example, polyurethane as a base resin, fluororesin as a lubricant resin, tin oxide as a solid additive surface-treated with a silane coupling agent, a dispersant and a solvent are mixed and dispersed by a disperser such as a bead mill. As the solvent, acetone, ethyl acetate and the like are used in addition to toluene. The mixing time is around 60 minutes.
[0023]
Polyurethane is obtained by urethanization reaction of polyol and polyisocyanate. In this case, it is desirable to add a carboxyl group by reacting the polyol with a hydrophilic carboxylic acid in advance. Examples of such carboxylic acid include dimethylolpropionic acid and monocarboxylic acid diol. To the obtained polyurethane, a solvent such as diacetone alcohol and tin oxide fine particles doped with antimony are mixed and dispersed by a ball mill or the like. At this stage, antimony-doped tin oxide is bonded to polyurethane or a carboxyl group added to polyurethane or a fluororesin. It is then dispersed in water and forced to emulsify. The viscosity of the obtained emulsion is desirably 50 to 300 cps in order to maintain a network structure (network structure) by the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29. This emulsion is a one-part emulsion paint to which no curing agent is added.
[0024]
Next, the emulsion paint is applied on the aluminum vapor deposition layer 25 formed on the surface of the polyester film layer 24 by a die coater. Coating may be performed with a dip coater, a spray coater, or the like. The film thickness of the coating is about 20 μm. After coating, after drying for a short time at a temperature of about 120 ° C., it is sufficiently dehydrated and desolvated to solidify. In this manner, the surface layer 26 is formed on the aluminum deposition layer 25.
[0025]
Subsequently, the intermediate transfer belt 15 is manufactured by processing the obtained sheet into an endless state as described above. The surface of the intermediate transfer belt 15 has a substantially uniform electric resistance distribution.
[0026]
Next, the operation of the image forming apparatus configured as described above will be described.
When a print command signal (image forming signal) is input from a computer (not shown) to the control unit of the image forming apparatus, the photoconductor 11, the intermediate transfer belt 15, and the like are driven to rotate. Then, the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 11 is uniformly charged by the charging unit 13 (corona discharge), and laser light is irradiated from the exposure unit, so that an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the color component is selectively formed. Next, the electrostatic latent images are developed with the respective color toners by the developing devices 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d to form toner images (visible images). That is, toner images are sequentially formed for each rotation of the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoconductor 11 with toners of four colors of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (B). The
[0027]
These toner images are transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 15 in order from the surface of the photoreceptor 11 as shown in FIG. The toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 15 is transferred from the intermediate transfer belt 15 to the recording paper 20 by the secondary transfer roller 18 as shown in FIG. Is done. Further, the recording paper 20 onto which the toner image has been transferred passes through the fixing device 21 and is fixed by being heated and pressurized.
[0028]
As shown in FIG. 3, the surface layer 26 of the intermediate transfer belt 15 is an emulsion paint obtained by emulsifying the polyurethane particles 28 and the lubricant resin particles 29 in advance after mixing the electron conductive solid additive 30. Therefore, the solid additive 30 is closely bonded to the surfaces of the polyurethane particles 28 and the lubricant resin particles 29. In addition, since the polyurethane particles 28 and the lubricant resin particles 29 in the emulsion paint are much larger than the solid additive 30, the polyurethane particles 28 and the lubricant resin particles 29 are densely arranged in the surface layer 26 (network-like). ), Extending from the surface of the surface layer 26 to the vapor deposition layer 25 in a row.
[0029]
Therefore, the solid additive 30 densely present on the surfaces (peripheral surfaces) of the polyurethane particles 28 and the lubricant resin particles 29 forms a chain 31 along the surfaces of the adjacent polyurethane particles 28 and the lubricant resin particles 29 to form a surface layer. 26 to the vapor deposition layer 25 from the surface. The interval between adjacent chains 31 is smaller than the width of one dot 32 of the obtained image. As a result, the electrical resistance between the surface of the surface layer 26 and the vapor deposition layer 25 can be reduced, and the electrical resistance can be made substantially uniform. In addition, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in electrical resistance against environmental changes such as changes in moisture in the air.
[0030]
The effect exhibited by the above embodiment is described collectively below.
According to the intermediate transfer medium described in the embodiment, a network structure is formed by the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 in the surface layer 26, and on the surface of the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29. A solid additive 30 is continuously bonded or attached. For this reason, the solid additive 30 is configured to be connected by the chain 31 from the surface of the surface layer 26 to the vapor deposition layer 25, and variation in electric resistance in the surface layer 26 can be suppressed. In addition, it is possible to suppress a change in electrical resistance with respect to an environmental change such as a change in moisture in the air and maintain a stable state. Therefore, good transfer characteristics can be obtained.
[0031]
Since the carboxyl group is added to the base resin particles 28 in the emulsion paint by the reaction of carboxylic acid, and the solid additive 30 is surface-treated with a silane coupling agent, an electron conductive solid additive is added. The agent 30 can be easily bonded to the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29.
[0032]
By configuring the interval between adjacent chains 31 of the solid additive 30 to be smaller than the width of one dot 32 of the obtained image, a one-dot shift when printing on the recording paper 20 with the image forming apparatus Can be prevented.
[0033]
In addition, the solid additive 30 is converted into the base material by mixing the base resin particles 28 or the base resin particles 28 and the lubricant resin particles 29 in the emulsion paint in advance with the electron conductive solid additive 30 and then emulsifying. An emulsion bonded or attached to the resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 can be easily obtained.
[0034]
【Example】
The embodiment will be described more specifically with reference to examples.
(Example 1)
An intermediate transfer belt was used as an intermediate transfer medium. This intermediate belt has a configuration as shown in FIGS. The medium resistance paint applied to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 15 uses polyurethane as a base resin, an oxidation doped with fluororesin (tetrafluoroethylene) as a lubricant resin and antimony as an electron conductive solid additive. Tin is added and it is emulsified with water. The solid additive has been previously surface-treated with a silane coupling agent (methyltrimethoxysilane). Then, 50 parts by weight of polyurethane prepolymer, 40 parts by weight of tin oxide and 100 parts by weight of toluene were mixed and dispersed in a bead mill for 60 minutes.
[0035]
Polyurethane was obtained by urethanization reaction of polyol (ethylene glycol) and polyisocyanate (trimethylene diisocyanate). Thereafter, a hydrophilic carboxyl group was added in advance by reacting with dimethylolpropionic acid. To the obtained polyurethane, fine particles of tin oxide doped with diacetone alcohol, 0.2 μm of antimony, and □□ parts by weight of a dispersant were mixed and dispersed for 60 minutes using a ball mill or the like. At this stage, antimony-doped tin oxide is bonded to the polyurethane or fluororesin. Next, it was dispersed in water to be emulsified to obtain a one-component emulsion paint.
[0036]
Next, this emulsion paint was applied by a die coater onto an aluminum vapor deposition layer 25 (having a thickness of 800 mm) formed on the surface of the polyester film layer 24 (having a thickness of 100 μm). The film thickness of the coating was 20 μm. After coating, the coating was dried at a temperature of 130 ° C. for 15 minutes, and then sufficiently dehydrated and desolvated to solidify. Thus, the surface layer 26 was formed on the aluminum vapor deposition layer 25.
[0037]
Subsequently, the intermediate transfer belt 15 was manufactured by processing the obtained sheet into an endless state. The surface of the intermediate transfer belt 15 had a substantially uniform distribution in a volume resistivity range of 10 ⁷ to 10 ¹⁴ Ω · cm, and there was little environmental change due to moisture or the like. Therefore, the image obtained by printing was not uneven, and printing under low temperature and low humidity or high temperature and high humidity was also good. Further, the surface roughness of the surface layer 26 was Rmax of 0.6 or less, almost in a mirror state, and there was no deviation of one dot in printing, and a good image was obtained.
[0038]
The configuration of the above embodiment may be modified and embodied as follows.
As shown in FIG. 7, the polyurethane particles 28 and the lubricant resin particles 29 may be arranged so as to be irregularly arranged from the surface of the surface layer 26 to the vapor deposition layer 25, that is, alternately extending every other row. Good. This is obtained by applying an emulsion paint on the vapor deposition layer 25 and drying it, followed by heating (annealing) to cure the polyurethane. When configured in this manner, the internal structure of the surface layer 26 can be fixed and held. Further, the polyurethane particles 28 and the lubricant resin particles 29 may be arranged at random.
[0039]
In the embodiment or another example shown in FIG. 7, the lubricant resin particles 29 may be omitted. In this case, the solid additive 30 exists only on the surface of the polyurethane particles 28 to form the chains 31.
[0040]
A structure in which the entire surface of the base resin particles 28 or the lubricant resin particles 29 is coated with the solid additive 30 to provide a coating film may be used. When configured in this manner, reliable conductivity can be obtained with a thin coating film, so that the amount of solid additive 30 used can be reduced.
[0041]
The intermediate transfer medium may be drum-shaped or roller-shaped.
-The medium resistance paint may be colored by adding a pigment, or the conductivity may be changed by adding a conductivity modifier.
[0042]
The technical idea grasped from the embodiment will be described below.
5. The method for producing an intermediate transfer medium in an image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the particle diameter of the base resin or lubricant resin is smaller than the particle diameter of the toner. According to this manufacturing method, the surface roughness on the surface of the surface layer can be prevented from increasing, and the performance of removing the toner adhering to the surface of the intermediate transfer medium can be maintained.
[0043]
The intermediate transfer medium in the image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a carboxyl group is bonded to the base resin in the emulsion paint. When comprised in this way, an electronically conductive solid additive can be easily made to react with base resin.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, the present invention has the following excellent effects.
According to the intermediate transfer medium in the image forming apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to suppress variations in electrical resistance in the surface layer, and to suppress fluctuations in electrical resistance with respect to environmental changes, thereby obtaining good transfer characteristics. it can.
[0045]
According to the intermediate transfer medium in the image forming apparatus of the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, it is possible to prevent the deviation of one dot when printing is performed.
[0046]
According to the method for producing an intermediate transfer medium in the image forming apparatus of the third aspect, an intermediate transfer medium capable of exhibiting the effect of the first aspect can be easily obtained.
[0047]
According to the method for producing an intermediate transfer medium in the image forming apparatus of the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 3, it is possible to prevent the deviation of one dot when printing is performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an outline of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing an intermediate transfer belt.
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing a surface layer of an intermediate transfer belt.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing joints at both ends of an intermediate transfer belt.
FIG. 5 is an operation diagram illustrating a toner transfer state from a photosensitive member to an intermediate transfer belt.
FIG. 6 is an operation diagram illustrating a toner transfer state from an intermediate transfer belt to a sheet.
FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing a surface layer of an intermediate transfer belt as another example.
[Explanation of symbols]
15 Intermediate transfer belt 24 as an intermediate transfer medium Polyester film layer 25 as a substrate 25 Aluminum vapor deposition layer 26 as a conductive layer Surface layer 28 Polyurethane particles 29 as base resin particles Lubricant resin particles 30 Electroconductive solid additive 31 Chain 32 1 dot of image

Claims (4)

The intermediate transfer medium in the image forming apparatus includes a substrate, a conductive layer formed on the surface of the substrate, and a surface layer formed on the surface of the conductive layer.
The surface layer is formed by preliminarily bonding or adhering an electron conductive solid additive to a base resin having a particle size larger than the solid additive or a base resin and a lubricant resin, and then the emulsified emulsion paint is electrically conductive. An image formation obtained by drying after being applied onto a layer, wherein the electron conductive solid additive constituting the surface layer is connected in a chain from the surface layer to the conductive layer Intermediate transfer medium in the apparatus. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an interval between adjacent chains formed by the electron conductive solid additive is configured to be smaller than a width of one dot of an image to be obtained. Intermediate transfer medium in. The intermediate transfer medium in the image forming apparatus is manufactured by forming a conductive layer on the surface of the substrate and then forming a surface layer on the surface of the conductive layer.
The surface layer is obtained by applying an emulsion paint in which an electron conductive solid additive is added to a base resin or a base resin and a lubricant resin on the conductive layer and then drying the emulsion. The paint is characterized in that an electron conductive solid additive is previously bonded or attached to a base resin or lubricant resin having a particle size larger than that of the electron conductive solid additive, and then emulsified. A method for producing an intermediate transfer medium in an image forming apparatus. 4. The method for producing an intermediate transfer medium in an image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the particle diameter of the base resin or lubricant resin is smaller than the width of one dot of the obtained image.

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