JP3902956B2 - Image forming method, non-magnetic one-component toner and process cartridge - Google Patents

Description

【０１１６】
評価結果を表１に示す。
【０１１７】
【表１】

【０１１８】
【発明の効果】
以上説明したように、本発明によって、現像動作をまったく行わない状態で高温環境に長期間放置された場合でも、画像欠陥の無い良好な画像が得られる画像形成方法、非磁性一成分トナーおよびプロセスカートリッジが得られる。
【図面の簡単な説明】
【図１】本発明を適用した画像形成装置と現像装置の一例を示す概略断面図である。
【図２】図１の現像装置の概略断面図である。
【符号の説明】
１０ 画像形成装置
１１ 感光ドラム
１２ 帯電装置
１３ レーザ光
１４ 現像装置
１５ 転写ローラ
１６ 記録メディア
１７ クリーニングブレード
１８ 廃トナー
１９ 定着装置
２１ 現像容器
２２ 非磁性一成分トナー
２３ トナー担持体
２４ 弾性ローラ
２５ トナー規制部材
２６ 金属薄板
２７ 弾性体
２８ 支持板金[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming method, a non-magnetic one-component toner, and a process cartridge that are used in a recording method using an electrophotographic method, an electrostatic recording method, a toner jet recording method, or the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to an image forming method used in a copying machine, a printer, a fax machine, a non-magnetic one-component toner, and a process cartridge that form a toner image on an electrostatic latent image carrier beforehand and then transfer the image onto a transfer material to form an image. .
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, equipment using electrophotography has been applied to devices such as printers and fax machines in addition to conventional copying machines. Especially for printers and fax machines, it is necessary to reduce the size of the copying apparatus, so image forming methods using one-component toner are often used. Especially for full-color printers, non-magnetic toner that does not contain a magnetic material is used. A magnetic one-component development method is used.
[0003]
Non-magnetic one-component development is a development in which a toner regulating member in contact with a toner carrier gives a charge due to friction to the toner particles, and at the same time, the toner carrier and the latent image carrier face each other. In this method, the electrostatic latent image on the latent image carrier is developed and visualized as a toner image.
[0004]
In non-magnetic one-component development, toner is imparted with a charge necessary for development by friction with the toner regulating member, so that the toner regulating member is applied to the toner carrier with a certain amount of pressure in order to uniformly impart sufficient charge. However, when the developing operation is continuously performed, there is a problem that the toner is fused to the surface of the toner carrying member.
[0005]
In order to solve this problem, JP-A-9-50185, JP-A-9-319213, and the like can be improved by providing a coat layer on the surface of the toner carrier and optimizing the material and physical properties thereof. It is disclosed.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the case of the prior art as described above, when left in a high temperature environment for a long time without performing any development operation (for example, during transportation or storage in the distribution process in the market), the toner carrier and In some cases, the toner is fused to the surface of the toner regulating member corresponding to the contacted portion, and fogging of the white background portion is generated. It was also found that when the degree of fusing is heavy, toner fusing also occurs on some toner carriers, and black lines appear on the halftone image at locations corresponding to fusing.
[0007]
This is because the toner in the region sandwiched between the toner carrier and the toner regulating member is replaced at any time when an appropriate developing operation is performed, whereas force and heat are always applied to the same toner when the developing operation is not performed. It is thought that it becomes a more severe state because it joins. Therefore, when the moderate development operation is performed and when it is not performed at all, the image defect appears more prominently in the latter when exposed to a high temperature state for the same time.
[0008]
Further, it has been confirmed that when the toner contains a wax mainly for improving the fixability, the toner fusion is further deteriorated.
[0009]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to obtain a good image free from image defects even when left in a high temperature environment for a long time without performing any development operation. Image forming method, non-magnetic one-component toner, and process cartridge.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
  The above object is to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the latent image carrier with a non-magnetic one-component toner that is thinly coated on the toner carrier by a toner regulating member that is in contact with the toner carrier. In the image forming method,
  The toner regulating member is in the form of a thin plate having spring elasticity, and has an elastic body at least in contact with the toner carrier, and the plastic energy Wr of the toner regulating member measured at the contact is 80 nJ or more. 160 nJ or less,
  The elastic body has a thickness of 35 μm or more and 80 μm or less,
  The non-magnetic one-component toner contains at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a wax, the wax content is 0.5 mass% to 25 mass%, the toner melt index is 8 to 25, and the weight average of the toner This is solved by an image forming method characterized in that the average circularity of a toner having a diameter of 4 μm or more and 10 μm or less and a particle diameter of 10 μm or more by a flow particle image analyzer is 0.970 or more and 0.990 or less.
[0011]
  The above object is also achieved by using a non-magnetic one-component toner in which an electrostatic latent image formed on a latent image carrier is thinly coated on the toner carrier by a toner regulating member in contact with the toner carrier. The toner regulating member is formed into a thin plate shape having spring elasticity, and is provided with an elastic body at least at a contact portion with the toner carrier, and the plastic energy Wr of the toner regulating member measured at the contact portion. Is a non-magnetic one-component toner used in an image forming method having a viscosity of 80 nJ to 160 nJ,
  The elastic body has a thickness of 35 μm or more and 80 μm or less,
  The non-magnetic one-component toner contains at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a wax, the wax content is 0.5% by mass or more and 25% by mass or less, the toner melt index is 8 or more and 25 or less, and the weight average of the toner This is solved by a non-magnetic one-component toner having a diameter of 4 μm or more and 10 μm or less, and an average circularity of a toner having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more by a flow type particle image analyzer being 0.970 or more and 0.990 or less. .
[0012]
  Further, the above object is to provide a process cartridge that is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body.
  At least a non-magnetic one-component toner, a toner carrier, a toner regulating member,
  The toner regulating member is in the form of a thin plate having spring elasticity, and has an elastic body at least in contact with the toner carrier, and the plastic energy Wr of the toner regulating member measured at the contact is 80 nJ or more. 160 nJ or less,
  The elastic body has a thickness of 35 μm or more and 80 μm or less,
  The non-magnetic one-component toner contains at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a wax, the wax content is 0.5 mass% to 25 mass%, the toner melt index is 8 to 25, and the weight average of the toner To be solved by a process cartridge characterized by having an average circularity of 0.970 or more and 0.990 or less for a toner having a diameter of 4 μm or more and 10 μm or less and a toner having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more by a flow type particle image analyzer. .
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of an image forming apparatus 10 to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a developing device.
[0014]
First, an image forming operation by the image forming unit will be described.
[0015]
In FIG. 1, a photosensitive drum 11 as an electrostatic latent image carrier rotates in the direction of arrow A. First, the photosensitive drum 11 is uniformly charged by the charging device 12. Then, it exposes with the laser beam 13 from the laser optical apparatus which is an exposure means, and an electrostatic latent image is formed in the surface.
[0016]
The electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device 14 and visualized as a toner image. The visualized toner image on the photosensitive drum 11 is transferred to a recording medium 16 as a transfer material by a transfer roller 15. Untransferred toner remaining on the photosensitive drum 11 without being transferred is scraped off by a cleaning blade 17 as a cleaning member and stored in a waste toner container 18. The cleaned photosensitive drum 11 repeats the above operation to form an image.
[0017]
On the other hand, the recording medium 16 to which the toner image has been transferred is permanently fixed by the fixing device 19 and then discharged outside the apparatus.
[0018]
Next, the developing device 14 will be further described with reference to FIG.
[0019]
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes a developing container that contains a non-magnetic one-component toner 22, and the developing device 14 is located in an opening extending in the longitudinal direction in the developing container 21 and is disposed to face the photosensitive drum 11. A carrier 23 is provided to develop and visualize the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 11.
[0020]
Above the toner carrier 23, a toner regulating member 25 is provided so that the vicinity of the free end is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the toner carrier 23 by surface contact. As the abutting direction, the tip on the free end side with respect to the abutting portion is a counter direction located upstream in the rotation direction of the toner carrier 23.
[0021]
In the present invention, the toner regulating member is preferably a thin plate having spring elasticity, and is preferably provided with an elastic body at least in contact with the toner carrier.
[0022]
The toner regulating member is preferably brought into contact with the toner carrying member with its own spring elasticity in order to simplify the developing device. Furthermore, a blade made of a thin metal plate such as SUS or phosphor bronze is preferable in order to keep the contact pressure on the toner regulating member constant over time. However, since the hardness is high, the stress on the toner is greatly increased. It is not preferable because it causes deterioration of the agent. For this reason, it is preferable that an elastic body is provided at least in a contact portion with the toner carrier.
[0023]
Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the plastic energy Wr of the toner regulating member measured at the contact portion with the toner carrier is 80 nJ or more and 160 nJ or less. The plastic energy was measured using a Fischer scope H100 (Fischer) and the indenter indentation depth was 15 μm in a 23 ° C./60% RH environment.
[0024]
As described above, when the toner is left in a high temperature environment for a long time without performing any developing operation, force and heat are always applied to the same toner, but the surface of the toner regulating member is always kept in the same state. Since force and heat are applied as they are, the elastic body provided on the surface of the toner regulating member undergoes plastic deformation and takes in the toner in contact with it, and it has been found that fusion is likely to occur. Even when no fusing occurs, it is difficult to form a uniform toner coat layer on the toner carrier with the toner regulating member that has undergone plastic deformation.
[0025]
Thus, when the proper plastic deformation characteristics of the elastic body were examined, it was found that the plastic energy Wr is preferably 80 nJ or more and 160 nJ or less, more preferably 90 nJ or more and 145 nJ or less. If Wr is less than 80 nJ, the plastic deformation is too large, and the above problem is likely to occur. Further, when Wr exceeds 160 nJ, the hardness of the elastic body becomes high, so that the stress on the toner increases when the developing operation is continuously performed, causing deterioration of the external additive of the toner, and normal development cannot be performed (density). It is not preferable because it is reduced).
[0026]
For example, in the case of a toner regulating member formed by adhering an elastic body on a thin metal plate, it is not preferable to measure the plastic energy of only the elastic body. This is because the behavior at the contact portion between the toner carrier and the toner regulating member is different between the case of only the elastic body and the case of bonding on the thin metal plate. In the present invention, the above plastic energy is measured. In this case, it is necessary to always perform measurement at the contact portion between the toner carrier and the toner regulating member.
[0027]
Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the thickness of the elastic body is 5 μm or more and 100 μm or less in order to suppress the absolute amount of plastic deformation of the elastic body provided at the contact portion between the toner carrier and the toner regulating member.
[0028]
The nonmagnetic one-component toner of the present invention has a wax content of 0.5% by mass or more and 25% by mass or less, more preferably 4% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less. If it is less than 0.5% by mass, the effect of preventing offset during fixing cannot be sufficiently obtained, and if it exceeds 25% by mass, it is in contact with the toner carrier when left in a high temperature environment for a long time without performing any development operation. This is not preferable because it may promote toner fusion to the surface of the toner regulating member corresponding to the portion.
[0029]
The nonmagnetic one-component toner of the present invention preferably has a melt index of 8 or more and 25 or less, more preferably 8 or more and 20 or less. When left in a high temperature environment for a long time without performing any development operation, the toner in the portion where the toner carrying member and the surface of the toner regulating member are in contact with each other is subjected to heat and pressure, and is deformed so as to be in closer contact with the adjacent toner. Therefore, fusing of the toners is promoted. However, this can be reduced by setting the melt index to 25 or less. A melt index of less than 8 is not preferable because fixability may deteriorate.
[0030]
The melt index in the present invention was measured using an apparatus described in Japanese Industrial Standards thermoplastic flow test method JIS K7210, measuring temperature: 135 ° C., load: 21.2 N (2.16 Kg), sample: 4 g. The measured value was converted into a 10 minute value.
[0031]
Further, the non-magnetic one-component toner of the present invention has a toner weight average diameter of 4 μm or more and 10 μm or less, and a toner having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more measured by a flow type particle image analyzer has an average circularity of 0.970 or more and 0.990 or less. Preferably there is.
[0032]
When the toner is left in a high temperature environment for a long time without any development operation, the toner in the portion where the toner carrier and the toner regulating member surface abut receives heat and pressure, but the weight average diameter of the toner is less than 4 μm It is not preferable because the toner can be densely packed in the corresponding contact portion and promotes fusion between the toners. If the weight average diameter of the toner exceeds 10 μm, it is not preferable because the image quality is deteriorated such as deterioration of fine line reproducibility.
[0033]
The surface of the toner coat layer on the toner carrier can be made smoother by setting the average circularity of the toner having a particle size of 10 μm or more by the flow type particle image analyzer to 0.970 or more. Pressure is evenly applied to the elastic body on the toner regulating member, and plastic deformation of the elastic body when left standing in a high temperature environment for a long time can be reduced. In addition, when the average circularity exceeds 0.990, a cleaning failure of the latent image holding member may occur, which is not preferable.
[0034]
The weight average particle diameter of the toner of the present invention was measured using Coulter Multisizer II (manufactured by Coulter). An interface (manufactured by Nikka) and a PC9801 personal computer (manufactured by NEC) are connected to Coulter Multisizer II, and a 1% NaCl aqueous solution is prepared using first-grade sodium chloride. For example, ISOTON R-II (manufactured by Coulter Scientific Japan) can be used. As a measuring method, 0.1 to 5 ml of a surfactant, preferably alkylbenzene sulfonate, is added as a dispersant to 100 to 150 ml of the electrolytic aqueous solution, and 2 to 20 mg of a measurement sample is further added. The electrolyte in which the sample is suspended is dispersed for about 1 to 3 minutes with an ultrasonic disperser, and the volume and number of toners of 2 μm or more are measured using the Coulter Multisizer with a 100 μm aperture as the aperture. Distribution and number distribution were calculated. Then, the weight-average particle diameter based on the weight based on the volume distribution according to the present invention (representing the representative value of each channel as the representative value for each channel) was obtained.
[0035]
The average circularity of the present invention was measured with a flow type particle image analyzer FPIA-1000 manufactured by Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. The measurement removes fine debris through a filter and results in 10^-3cm^ThreeA few drops of nonionic surfactant (Contaminone N, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) were added to water having a measurement range (for example, an equivalent circle diameter of 0.60 μm or more and less than 159.21 μm) in water of 20 or less. Using a sample dispersion prepared by adding 5 mg of toner to 10 ml of an aqueous solution and performing dispersion treatment with UH-50 manufactured by STM as an ultrasonic disperser, it has an equivalent circle diameter of 0.60 μm or more and less than 159.21 μm. Measure the particle size distribution of the particles.
[0036]
The outline of the measurement is as follows.
[0037]
The sample dispersion liquid is passed through a flow path (expanded along the flow direction) of a flat and flat transparent flow cell (thickness: about 200 μm). The strobe and the CCD camera are mounted so as to be opposite to each other with respect to the flow cell so as to form an optical path that passes across the thickness of the flow cell. While the sample dispersion is flowing, strobe light is irradiated at 1/30 second intervals to obtain an image of the particles flowing through the flow cell, so that each particle is a two-dimensional having a certain range parallel to the flow cell. Taken as an image. From the area of the two-dimensional image of each particle, the diameter of a circle having the same area is calculated as the equivalent circle diameter.
[0038]
In about 1 minute, the equivalent circle diameter of 1200 or more particles can be measured, and the number based on the equivalent circle diameter distribution and the ratio (number%) of particles having a prescribed equivalent circle diameter can be measured.
[0039]
The average circularity is obtained by calculating the circularity of particles measured using the flow type particle image analyzer FPIA-1000 from the following equation, and dividing the total circularity of all particles measured by the total number of particles. Defined as average circularity. In the present invention, the following calculation was performed only for a particle size of 10 μm or more.
Circularity = (perimeter of a circle with the same projected area as the particle image) / (perimeter of the projected image of the particle)
[0040]
Furthermore, the nonmagnetic one-component toner of the present invention preferably has a contact angle of 97 ° or more and 110 ° or less.
[0041]
When left in a high temperature environment for a long time without any development operation, the toner in the part where the toner carrier and the surface of the toner regulating member are in contact with each other receives heat and pressure, and the wax added to improve the fixing property is the toner. It has been found that the surface oozes and this may contribute to toner fusion. As a result of the examination, it has been found that the degree of exudation of wax when subjected to heat and pressure is preferable to suppress the contact angle of the toner by the above measurement method to 97 ° or more and 110 ° or less.
[0042]
The contact angle measurement method is as follows. As for the toner, 3 g of toner is 250 kN / cm by a tablet molding machine.²A sample having a diameter of 38 mm was pressed at a pressure of. At the time of molding, NP-Transparency TYPE-D was sandwiched between the molding machine and the toner. The sample was allowed to stand at 100 ° C. for 2 minutes and then returned to room temperature, and the contact angle was measured with a roll material contact angle meter CA-X roll type (manufactured by Kyowa Interface Chemical Co., Ltd.). The measurement was performed 20 times per sample, and the average value of 18 measured values excluding the maximum value and the minimum value was used.
[0043]
The method for producing the toner of the present invention is not particularly limited, but in order to make the average circularity of the toner having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more by a flow type particle image analyzer to be 0.970 or more and 0.990 or less, the suspension polymerization method is used. It is preferably produced by a mechanical pulverization method, a spheronization treatment or the like, and a suspension polymerization method is particularly preferred.
[0044]
Hereinafter, a method for producing the toner of the present invention in the suspension polymerization method will be described.
[0045]
First, a monomer system in which a wax, a polar resin, a colorant, a charge control agent, a polymerization initiator, and other additives are added to the polymerizable monomer and uniformly dissolved or dispersed by a homogenizer, an ultrasonic disperser, or the like. Is dispersed in an aqueous phase containing a dispersion stabilizer by a normal stirrer, homogenizer, homomixer or the like. At this time, granulation is preferably performed while adjusting the stirring speed and time so that the monomer droplets have a desired developer particle size. Thereafter, stirring may be performed to such an extent that the particle state is maintained and the settling of the particles is prevented by the action of the dispersion stabilizer. The polymerization temperature is preferably set to 40 ° C. or higher, generally 50 ° C. to 90 ° C. In addition, the temperature may be raised in the latter half of the polymerization reaction, and further, in order to remove unreacted polymerizable monomers and by-products that cause odors when fixing the developer, the latter half of the reaction or at the end of the reaction. A part of the aqueous medium may be distilled off. After completion of the reaction, the produced developer particles are washed, collected by filtration and dried. In the suspension polymerization method, it is usually preferable to use 300 parts by mass to 3000 parts by mass of water as a dispersion medium with respect to 100 parts by mass of the monomer system.
[0046]
Toner particle size distribution control and particle size control can be done by adjusting the pH of the system during granulation, changing the type and addition amount of a sparingly water-soluble inorganic salt and protective colloid, mechanical equipment conditions, For example, it can be achieved by controlling the stirring conditions such as the peripheral speed of the rotor, the number of passes, the shape of the stirring blade, the shape of the container or the solid content in the aqueous solution, and the like.
[0047]
Examples of the polymerizable monomer used in the present invention include styrene monomers such as styrene, o- (m-, p-) methylstyrene, m- (p-) ethylenestyrene; methyl (meth) acrylate, Propyl (meth) acrylate, butyl (meth) acrylate, octyl (meth) acrylate, dodecyl (meth) acrylate, stearyl (meth) acrylate, behenyl (meth) acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate (Meth) acrylate monomers such as dimethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate and diethylaminoethyl (meth) acrylate; monomers such as butadiene, isoprene, cyclohexane, (meth) acrylonitrile, and acrylamide Preferably used.
[0048]
Moreover, as a polar resin added at the time of superposition | polymerization, the copolymer of a styrene (meth) acrylic acid, a maleic acid copolymer, a polyester resin, and an epoxy resin are used preferably.
[0049]
In addition, as the wax used in the present invention, paraffin wax, polyolefin wax, Fischer-Tropsch wax, amide wax, higher fatty acid, ester wax and derivatives thereof, or graft / block compounds thereof are preferably used.
[0050]
As the charge control agent used in the present invention, known ones can be used, but a charge control agent having no polymerization inhibition and no solubilized product in an aqueous system is particularly preferable. Specific examples of negative compounds include salicylic acid, naphthoic acid, dicarboxylic acid, metal compounds of these derivatives, polymer compounds having sulfonic acid in the side chain, boron compounds, urea compounds, silicon compounds, calixarene, etc. As the positive system, a quaternary ammonium salt, a polymer compound having the quaternary ammonium salt in the side chain, a guanidine compound, an imidazole compound, or the like is preferably used. The charge control agent is preferably 0.2 to 10 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable monomer.
[0051]
Examples of the polymerization initiator used in the present invention include 2,2′-azobis- (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile, 1,1′-azobis (cyclohexane-1). -Carbonitrile), azo polymerization initiators such as 2,2′-azobis-4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile, azobisisobutylnitrile, benzoyl peroxide, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, diisopropyl peroxycarbonate, cumene hydroxy peroxide, A peroxide polymerization initiator such as 2,4-dichlorobenzoyl peroxide or lauroyl peroxide is used.
[0052]
The amount of the polymerization initiator to be added varies depending on the target degree of polymerization, but is generally 0.5 to 20% by mass added to the monomer. The kind of the polymerization initiator is slightly different depending on the polymerization method, but may be used alone or mixed with reference to the 10-hour half-life temperature.
[0053]
Examples of the dispersant used when using suspension polymerization include inorganic calcium oxides such as tricalcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, aluminum phosphate, zinc phosphate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, and hydroxide. Examples thereof include magnesium, aluminum hydroxide, calcium metasilicate, calcium sulfate, barium sulfate, bentonite, silica, alumina, magnetic substance, and ferrite. As the organic compound, for example, polyvinyl alcohol, gelatin, methyl cellulose, methyl hydroxypropyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose, starch and the like are used dispersed in an aqueous phase.
These dispersants are preferably used in an amount of 0.2 to 2.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable monomer.
[0054]
These commercially available dispersants may be used as they are, but in order to obtain dispersed particles having a fine and uniform particle size, they can also be obtained by producing the inorganic compound in a dispersion medium under high-speed stirring. . For example, in the case of calcium phosphate, a dispersant preferable for the suspension polymerization method can be obtained by mixing an aqueous sodium phosphate solution and an aqueous calcium chloride solution under high-speed stirring.
[0055]
Moreover, you may use 0.001-0.1 mass part surfactant together for refinement | miniaturization of these dispersing agents. Specifically, commercially available nonionic, anionic and cationic surfactants can be used, such as sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium tetradecyl sulfate, sodium pentadecyl sulfate, sodium octyl sulfate, sodium oleate, sodium laurate, potassium stearate, Calcium oleate is preferably used.
[0056]
Next, a toner manufacturing method in the pulverization method will be described.
Examples of the binder resin used in the pulverized toner of the present invention include polystyrene, poly-α-methylstyrene, styrene-propylene copolymer, styrene-butadiene copolymer, styrene-vinyl chloride copolymer, and styrene-vinyl acetate. Copolymers, styrene-acrylic acid ester copolymers, styrene-methacrylic acid acrylic copolymers, vinyl chloride resins, polyester resins, epoxy resins, phenol resins, polyurethane resins, etc. can be used alone or in combination. -Acrylic, styrene-methacrylic copolymer resin and polyester resin are preferred.
[0057]
Further, when the pulverized toner of the present invention is controlled to be positively charged, a modified product of a fatty acid metal salt or the like; 4 such as tributylbenzidyl ammonium-1-hydroxy-4-naphthosulfonate, tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate, etc. Onium salts such as quaternary ammonium salts and their analogs such as phosphonium salts; amine and polyamine compounds; metal salts of higher fatty acids; acetylacetone metal complexes; diorganotin oxides such as dibutyltin oxide, dioctyltin oxide, dicyclohexyltin oxide Diorgano tin borate such as dibutyl tin borate, dioctyl tin borate, dicyclohexyl tin borate and the like are added. Moreover, when controlling to negative chargeability, an organometallic complex and a chelate compound are effective, and a monoazo metal complex, an acetylacetone metal complex, an aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acid, and an aromatic dicarboxylic acid metal complex can be used. The amount used is 0.1 to 15 parts by mass, preferably 0.1 to 10 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin.
[0058]
Examples of the wax used in the pulverized toner of the present invention include aliphatic hydrocarbon waxes such as low molecular weight polyethylene, low molecular weight polypropylene, paraffin wax, and Fischer-Tropsch wax or oxides thereof; aliphatics such as carnauba wax and montanic ester wax. Examples thereof include a wax mainly composed of an ester or a product obtained by deoxidizing a part or all of the wax. In addition, saturated linear fatty acids such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, and montanic acid; unsaturated fatty acids such as brassic acid, eleostearic acid, and valinalic acid; stearyl alcohol, aralkyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, carnauvir alcohol, and seryl alcohol , Saturated alcohols such as melyl alcohol; polyhydric alcohols such as sorbitol; fatty acid amides such as linoleic acid amide; saturated fatty acid bisamides such as methylene bis stearic acid amide; unsaturated fatty acid amides such as ethylene bisoleic acid amide Aromatic bisamides such as N, N′-distearylisophthalic acid amide; fatty acid metal salts such as zinc stearate; waxes grafted to a hydrocarbon hydrocarbon wax using a vinyl monomer such as styrene; Be A partially esterified product of a fatty acid such as henic acid monoglyceride and a polyhydric alcohol; a methyl esterified product having a hydroxyl group obtained by hydrogenation of vegetable oil or the like can also be used.
[0059]
Next, these binder resins, waxes, charge control agents, colorants, etc. are thoroughly mixed with a mixer such as a Henschel mixer or a ball mill, and then melt-kneaded using a heat kneader such as a heating roll, kneader or extruder. Then, the charge control agent and the colorant are dispersed or dissolved in the resins that are compatible with each other, cooled and solidified, and then mechanically pulverized to a desired particle size, and the particle size distribution is sharpened by classification. Alternatively, after cooling and solidification, a finely pulverized product obtained by colliding with a target under a jet stream is spheroidized by heat or mechanical impact force.
[0060]
The toner of the present invention produced as described above can be used by externally adding inorganic fine powders such as silica, alumina, titania and the like. The inorganic fine powder has a specific surface area (BET) of 20 m.²/ G-400m²/ G is preferable. Further, the surface treated product of the inorganic fine powder can be used as an external additive. Examples of the surface treatment agent include a silane coupling agent, a silylating agent, a titanium coupling agent, and a silicone oil. Preferably, these are treated with a silane coupling agent, a silylating agent, and a silicone oil. You may use together. The amount of the fine powder added to the toner is 0.05 to 5 parts by mass, preferably 0.1 to 3 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the toner.
[0061]
Furthermore, in the present invention, the following inorganic powder can be added in order to improve developability and durability. Metal oxides such as magnesium, zinc, aluminum, cerium, cobalt, iron, zirconium, chromium, manganese, strontium, tin, antimony; complex metal oxides such as calcium titanate, magnesium titanate, strontium titanate; barium sulfate, Metal salts such as calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, and aluminum carbonate; clay minerals such as kaolin; phosphate compounds such as apatite; silicon compounds such as silica, silicon carbide, and silicon nitride; and carbon powders such as carbon black and graphite.
[0062]
For the same purpose, the following organic particles and composite particles may be added. Resin particles such as polyamide resin particles, silicone resin particles, silicone rubber particles, urethane particles, melamine-formaldehyde particles, acrylic particles; rubbers, waxes, fatty acid compounds, resins, etc. and metals, metal oxides, salts, carbon black, etc. Composite particles composed of inorganic particles; Fluorine resins such as polyfluorinated ethylene and polyvinylidene fluoride; Fluorine compounds such as carbon fluoride; Fatty acid metal salts such as zinc stearate; Fatty acid derivatives such as fatty acids and fatty acid esters; Molybdenum sulfide And amino acids and amino acid derivatives.
[0063]
Next, an example of the developing method and process cartridge of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in this embodiment should be appropriately changed according to the configuration of the apparatus to which the invention is applied and various conditions. It is not intended to limit the scope to the following embodiments.
[0064]
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes a developing container that accommodates a non-magnetic one-component toner 22, and the developing device 14 is located in an opening extending in the longitudinal direction in the developing container 21 and is disposed to face the photosensitive drum 11. A toner carrier 23 is provided to develop and visualize the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 11.
[0065]
The photosensitive drum 11 is a rigid body in which an aluminum cylinder is used as a base and a photosensitive layer having a predetermined thickness is applied around the aluminum cylinder. At the time of image formation, for example, when negatively charged toner is reversely developed, the photosensitive drum 11 is uniformly charged from the charging potential Vd = −400 V to −700 V by the charging device, and the portion exposed by the laser according to the image signal is Vl. = -100 to -200V. A DC voltage Vdc = −150 to −500 V or further an AC voltage Vpp = 1500 to 2500 V is applied as a developing bias to the core of the toner carrier 23 with respect to the V1 portion, and the toner is developed.
[0066]
In the opening, the toner carrier 23 protrudes from the developing container 21 about the right half of the circumference shown in the drawing, and the toner carrying body 23 is exposed laterally from the developing container 21. The surface exposed from the developing container 21 is in contact with or not in contact with the photosensitive drum 11 located on the left side of the developing device 14.
[0067]
The toner carrier 23 is rotationally driven in the arrow B direction. The surface has appropriate irregularities for satisfactorily transporting the non-magnetic one-component toner 22. When the toner carrier 23 is used in a non-contact manner on the photosensitive drum 11, a toner blasted surface with glass beads or a resin-coated one is used, and the gap with the photosensitive drum 11 is 300 μm. Make them face each other. When the toner carrier 23 is used in contact with the photosensitive drum 11, an NBR or silicone rubber elastic roller can be used. The photosensitive drum 11 is rotated at a peripheral speed that is 1 to 2 times the peripheral speed of the toner carrier 23.
[0068]
An elastic roller 24 is in contact with the toner carrier 23 below and is rotatably supported. The elastic roller 24 has a sponge structure or a fur brush structure in which fibers such as rayon or nylon are planted on a core metal, and is driven to rotate in the same direction as the toner carrier 23.
[0069]
Above the toner carrier 23, a toner regulating member 25 is supported by a support metal plate 28, and is provided so that the vicinity of the free end side is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the developing roller 23 in surface contact. As the abutting direction, the tip on the free end side with respect to the abutting portion is a counter direction located upstream in the rotation direction of the toner carrier 23.
[0070]
The method of supporting the toner regulating member 25 on the support metal plate 28 is not limited to tightening with screws or welding or the like.
[0071]
The toner regulating member 25 is obtained by laminating an elastic body 27 over the entire contact surface of the phosphor bronze metal thin plate 26 with the toner carrier 23, and 9.8 to 39. The contact pressure is 2 N / m (10 to 40 g / cm).
[0072]
In the above, the case where the developing device, the photosensitive drum, the cleaning blade, the waste toner container, and the charging device are all integrally formed and applied to a process cartridge that can be attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus main body has been described. The present invention may be applied to a process cartridge including only a developing device that can be attached to and detached from the main body, or a process cartridge in which a photosensitive drum, a cleaning blade, a waste toner container, and a charging device are integrally formed in addition to the developing device.
[0073]
【Example】
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples. “Parts” means all parts by mass.
[0074]
<Production Example 1>
In a 2-liter four-necked flask equipped with a high-speed stirring device CLEARMIX (M-Technics), 630 parts of ion-exchanged water and 0.1 mol / liter of Na_ThreePO_Four485 parts of an aqueous solution was added, and the number of rotations of CLEARMIX was adjusted to 14000 rpm and heated to 65 ° C. Here, 1.0 mol / liter CaCl₂Gradually add 65 parts of an aqueous solution, and then add 10% hydrochloric acid dropwise to add a minute water-insoluble dispersant Ca_Three(PO_Four)₂An aqueous medium having a pH of 5.8 was prepared.
[0075]
On the other hand, the dispersoid system is
・ 175 parts of styrene monomer
・ 25 parts of butyl acrylate monomer
・ 15 parts of carbon black
・ 1.6 parts of salicylic acid metal compound
Was dispersed using an attritor for 5 hours, and then the following components were added to the above mixture and further dispersed for 2 hours to prepare a dispersoid system.
・ 10 parts of polyester resin
・ Ester wax 20 parts
・ Styrene-modified polyethylene wax 10 parts
・ Divinylbenzene 0.5 part
[0076]
Next, after adding 4.8 parts of a polymerization initiator 2,2′-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) to the dispersoid system, it was put into the dispersion medium and a nitrogen atmosphere having an internal temperature of 70 ° C. Under granulation at 17000 rpm for 15 minutes. Thereafter, the stirrer was replaced with a propeller stirrer, and polymerization was performed for 5 hours while maintaining at 70 ° C. while stirring at 50 rpm, and the internal temperature was raised to 80 ° C. for polymerization for 5 hours. After the polymerization was completed, the slurry was cooled and diluted hydrochloric acid was added to remove the dispersant. Further, it was washed with water, dried and classified to obtain colored particles.
[0077]
Hydrophobic silica (BET = 210 m) surface-treated with 15 parts of dimethyl silicone oil on 100 parts of silica having a primary particle size of about 7 nm with respect to 100 parts of the colored particles.²/ G) Toner A was obtained by externally adding 1.2 parts with a Henschel mixer FM10B.
[0078]
The weight average diameter of the toner A was 6.8 μm, the average circularity of a toner having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more measured by a flow type particle image analyzer was 0.978, the melt index was 14.5, and the contact angle was 101 °. .
[0079]
<Production Example 2>
Weight average diameter 6.8 μm, flow-type particle image analyzer as in Production Example 1, except that the amount of divinylbenzene is 0.4 parts and the reaction temperature after addition of the polymerization initiator is 75 ° C. in Production Example 1. A toner B having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more with an average circularity of 0.981, a melt index of 23, and a contact angle of 105 ° was obtained.
[0080]
<Production Example 3>
In Production Example 1, the weight average diameter was 6.8 μm, the flow was the same as Production Example 1 except that the amount of divinylbenzene was 0.6 parts, the granulation temperature after adding the polymerization initiator, and the reaction temperature was 65 ° C. Toner C having a mean circularity of 0.980, a melt index of 9, and a contact angle of 100 ° was obtained for a toner having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more measured by an automatic particle image analyzer.
[0081]
<Production Example 4>
A weight average diameter of 6.8 μm and a flow particle image analyzer of 10 μm as in Production Example 1 except that the amount of ester wax added was 40 parts and the amount of styrene-modified polyethylene wax added was 25 parts in Production Example 1. Toner D having an average circularity of 0.973, a melt index of 15.2, and a contact angle of 108 ° was obtained.
[0082]
<Production Example 5>
Particles having a weight average diameter of 6.8 μm and a particle size of 10 μm or more by a flow type particle image analyzer are the same as in Production Example 1 except that the amount of ester wax added is 5 parts and no styrene-modified polyethylene wax is added. A toner E having an average circularity of 0.986, a melt index of 13, and a contact angle of 99 ° was obtained.
[0083]
<Production Example 6>
・ Styrene acrylic resin 100 parts
(Styrene-butyl acrylate copolymer ratio = 80: 20)
・ Carbon black 6 parts
・ Ester wax 3.5 parts
・ 0.7 parts of salicylic acid metal compound
The above is mixed using a Henschel mixer, melt kneaded with a twin screw extruder, coarsely pulverized with a hammer mill, finely pulverized with a jet mill, and further using a hybridizer type 1 (manufactured by Nara Machinery Co., Ltd.). The particles treated at 1500 rpm for 4 minutes were classified to obtain colored particles.
[0084]
To 100 parts of the colored particles, 1.2 parts of hydrophobic silica used in Production Example 1 was externally added using a Henschel mixer FM10B to obtain toner F.
[0085]
The toner F had a weight average diameter of 6.8 μm, a toner having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more measured by a flow type particle image analyzer had an average circularity of 0.971, a melt index of 14.3, and a contact angle of 97 °. .
[0086]
<Production Example 7>
Except that the amount of ester wax added is 2.5 parts in Production Example 5, the average circularity of the toner having a weight average diameter of 6.8 μm and a particle diameter of 10 μm or more by a flow type particle image analyzer is the same as Production Example 5. A toner G having a degree of 0.983, a melt index of 11.2, and a contact angle of 95 ° was obtained.
[0087]
<Production Example 8>
In Production Example 2, the weight average diameter was 6.8 μm and the flow particle image analyzer was 10 μm in the same manner as in Production Example 2, except that the addition amount of ester wax was 35 parts and the addition amount of styrene-modified polyethylene wax was 20 parts. A toner H having an average circularity of 0.979, a melt index of 19.5, and a contact angle of 112 ° was obtained.
[0088]
<Comparative Production Example 1>
In Production Example 1, a toner having a weight average diameter of 6.8 μm and a particle diameter of 10 μm or more obtained by a flow particle image analyzer is the same as Production Example 1 except that neither ester wax nor styrene-modified polyethylene wax is added. Toner I having an average circularity of 0.980, a melt index of 12.7, and a contact angle of 92.3 ° was obtained.
[0089]
<Comparative Production Example 2>
A weight average diameter of 6.8 μm and a flow particle image analyzer of 10 μm as in Production Example 4 except that the amount of ester wax added was 50 parts and the amount of styrene-modified polyethylene wax added was 30 parts in Production Example 4. A toner J having the above-mentioned particle diameter having an average circularity of 0.971, a melt index of 18.3, and a contact angle of 113 ° was obtained.
[0090]
<Comparative Production Example 3>
Weight average diameter 6.8 μm, flow-type particle image analyzer as in Production Example 2, except that the amount of divinylbenzene is 0.3 parts and the reaction temperature after addition of the polymerization initiator is 78 ° C. in Production Example 2. Toner having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more having a mean circularity of 0.980, a melt index of 26.3, and a contact angle of 103 ° was obtained.
[0091]
<Comparative Production Example 4>
In Production Example 6, the average circularity of a toner having a weight average diameter of 6.8 μm and a particle size of 10 μm or more measured by a flow type particle image analyzer is 0. Toner L having a melt index of 965, a melt index of 14.4, and a contact angle of 96.5 ° was obtained.
[0092]
<Example 1>
Toner A of Production Example 1 was evaluated using a remodeling machine A in which a commercially available color laser printer LBP2160 (manufactured by Canon Inc.) was modified as follows.
[0093]
The modified machine A of the LBP 2160 modified the yellow cartridge as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the process cartridge includes a developing container 14 containing non-magnetic one-component toner 22, and a toner carrier 23 in an opening extending in the longitudinal direction in the developing container 14. Used a surface of an aluminum sleeve having a diameter of 16 mm subjected to a regular blasting treatment with glass beads (# 800) to a surface roughness Rz of about 2 μm. The toner carrier 23 is set so that a gap between the toner carrier 23 and the latent image carrier 1 is 280 μm, and the peripheral speed 204 mm / s is 1.7 times the peripheral speed 120 mm / s of the latent image carrier 11. It is rotated by s.
[0094]
Above the toner carrier 23, a toner regulating member 25 made of a phosphor bronze metal thin plate as a base and an elastic body adhered to the toner carrier 23 is supported on the blade support metal plate 28. Further, the vicinity of the free end side tip is provided so as to come into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the toner carrying member 23 by surface contact. The counter direction is located upstream of the rotational direction. The contact pressure with respect to the toner carrier 23 was set to 29.4 N / m (30 g / cm). The linear pressure was measured based on a value obtained by inserting three metal thin plates having a known friction coefficient into the abutting portion and pulling out the central one with only a spring.
[0095]
The elastic body adhered to the contact surface between the toner regulating member 25 and the toner carrier 23 is a silicone rubber (thickness 25 μm) surface (surface that contacts the toner carrier) coated with polycarbonate (coat thickness 10 μm). Using.
[0096]
The plastic energy Wr at the contact portion of the toner regulating member with the toner carrier was 125 nJ.
[0097]
The bias applied to the toner carrier 23 is obtained by superimposing a DC voltage: Vdc = −350 V and an AC: rectangular wave Vpp = 1800 V, f = 2000 Hz.
[0098]
Two sets of toner cartridge A filled with 300 g of toner A were prepared. One unit was left in a 45 ° C. constant temperature bath for 20 days, and the following images were printed in an environment of 23 ° C./60% RH. At this time, the set temperature of the fixing device was set to 170 ° C.
-Sample A: 1 sheet of solid white (A4 size, 80 g / m²paper)
Sample B: One halftone (A4 size, 80 g / m²paper)
[0099]
Furthermore, change the set temperature of the fixing unit from 150 ° C to 200 ° C in increments of 5 ° C
Sample C: One sheet of fixing evaluation pattern at each fixing device temperature (A3 size, 200 g / m)²paper)
Sample D: One fixing evaluation pattern at each fixing device temperature (A4 size, 60 g / m)²paper)
[0100]
The fixing evaluation pattern is a solid black patch of 50 mm × 50 mm (toner coat amount 0.6 mg / cm) at a position 10 mm from the front end of the paper and a position 10 mm from the rear end of the paper.²(Solid image) is printed, and solid white except for the solid black patch portion.
[0101]
Further, the toner regulating member and the toner carrying member were removed from the cartridge after the printing was completed, and the respective contact portions were visually confirmed.
[0102]
The other cartridge was subjected to a continuous printing test (continuous 5000 sheets) with a pattern of 2% printing in an environment of 23 ° C./60% RH. The following images were printed on the 50th and 500th sheets.
-Sample E: One piece of solid black (A4 size, 80 g / m²paper)
<Examples 2 to 8>
Using the modified machine A used in Example 1, the toners B to H shown in Production Examples 2 to 8 were evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1.
[0103]
<Example 9>
In the modified machine A used in Example 1, the surface of the silicone rubber (thickness 35 μm) in which the elastic body provided on the toner regulating member is dispersed using 0.3 μm styrene particles as a filler (the surface in contact with the toner carrier) Evaluation was conducted in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the resin was coated with urethane resin (thickness: 10 μm). The plastic energy Wr at the contact portion of the toner regulating member with the toner carrier was 85 nJ.
[0104]
<Example 10>
Same as Example 1 except that the modified body A used in Example 1 was replaced with a polyamide elastomer (thickness 80 μm) in which the elastic body provided on the toner regulating member was dispersed with silica treated with dimethyldichlorosilane as a filler. And evaluated. The plastic energy Wr at the contact portion of the toner regulating member with the toner carrier was 153 nJ.
[0105]
<Comparative Example 1>
The toner I shown in Comparative Production Example 1 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 using the modified machine A used in Example 1.
[0106]
<Comparative example 2>
The toner J shown in Comparative Production Example 2 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 using the modified machine A used in Example 1.
[0107]
<Comparative Example 3>
The toner K shown in Comparative Production Example 3 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 using the modified machine A used in Example 1.
[0108]
<Comparative example 4>
The toner L shown in Comparative Production Example 4 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 using the modified machine A used in Example 1.
[0109]
<Comparative Example 5>
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the modified body A used in Example 1 was replaced with a polycarbonate sheet (thickness: 120 μm) instead of the elastic body provided on the toner regulating member. The plastic energy Wr at the contact portion of the toner regulating member with the toner carrier was 180 nJ.
[0110]
<Comparative Example 6>
Evaluation was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the elastic body provided on the toner regulating member was changed to a urethane rubber sheet (thickness: 140 μm) in the modified machine A used in Example 1. The plastic energy Wr at the contact portion of the toner regulating member with the toner carrier was 72 nJ.
[0111]
[Evaluation methods]
(1) fog
The reflectances of sample A and unused paper were measured with TC-6DS (manufactured by Tokyo Denshoku Co., Ltd.) (three-point average), and the difference was determined. Evaluation was ranked as follows.
A: Less than 1.0%
B: 1.0% or more and less than 2.0%
C: 2.0% or more and less than 3.0%
D: 3.0% or more
[0112]
(2) Black line
It was visually observed whether or not the black line of the toner carrier period was generated in Sample B. In the case of the modified machine A used in the examples, the toner carrier period is about 30 mm.
[0113]
(3) Fixability
The patch at the rear end of sample C at each fixing temperature was 9.8 kPa (100 g / cm²) Was rubbed with a Sylbon paper (Lenz Cleaning Paper “dasper” Ozu Paper Co. Ltd), and the density reduction rate before and after rubbing was measured. The following ranks were classified according to the fixing temperature TL at which the density reduction rate was 20% or less. It can be determined that the lower the TL, the better the fixing property. The density was measured with a reflection densitometer RD918 (manufactured by Macbeth).
A: TL = 160 ° C. or less
B: TL = 165 ° C. to 175 ° C.
C: TL = 180 ° C. to 190 ° C.
D: TL = 195 ° C. or higher
[0114]
(4) Offset
With sample D at each fixing temperature, it was visually evaluated whether or not the offset of the patch at the tip occurred in the white background portion. The following rankings were made according to the temperature TH at which the offset occurred. It can be determined that the higher the TH, the better the non-offset property.
A: TH = 190 ° C or higher
B: TH = 175 ° C to 185 ° C
C: TH = 160 ° C to 170 ° C
D: TH = 155 ° C. or less
[0115]
(5) Concentration change
The average value is obtained by measuring the density of the portion of 3 cm from the front edge of the sample E of 50 sheets and 5000 sheets at the center and both ends. Density measurement was performed with a reflection densitometer RD918 (manufactured by Macbeth). The density difference between the 50th sheet and the 5000th sheet was calculated, and the following ranking was performed.

[0116]
The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.
[0117]
[Table 1]

[0118]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, an image forming method, a non-magnetic one-component toner and a process capable of obtaining a good image without image defects even when left in a high temperature environment for a long time without performing any development operation. A cartridge is obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus and a developing apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the developing device of FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Image forming apparatus
11 Photosensitive drum
12 Charging device
13 Laser light
14 Development device
15 Transfer roller
16 Recording media
17 Cleaning blade
18 Waste toner
19 Fixing device
21 Developer container
22 Non-magnetic one-component toner
23 Toner carrier
24 Elastic roller
25 Toner regulating member
26 Thin metal plate
27 Elastic body
28 Support sheet metal

Claims (12)

In an image forming method of developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a latent image carrier with a non-magnetic one-component toner thinly coated on the toner carrier by a toner regulating member in contact with the toner carrier.
The toner regulating member is in the form of a thin plate having spring elasticity, and has an elastic body at least in contact with the toner carrier, and the plastic energy Wr of the toner regulating member measured at the contact is 80 nJ or more. 160 nJ or less,
The elastic body has a thickness of 35 μm or more and 80 μm or less,
The non-magnetic one-component toner contains at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a wax, the wax content is 0.5 mass% to 25 mass%, the toner melt index is 8 to 25, and the weight average of the toner An image forming method, wherein a toner having a diameter of 4 μm or more and 10 μm or less and a toner having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more by a flow type particle image analyzer has an average circularity of 0.970 or more and 0.990 or less. 2. The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein a plastic energy Wr of the toner regulating member measured at a contact portion with the toner carrier is 90 nJ or more and 145 nJ or less. The image forming method according to claim 1 , wherein the toner regulating member is obtained by laminating the elastic body . The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein a contact angle of the toner is 97 ° or more and 110 ° or less. The electrostatic latent image formed on the latent image carrier is developed with a non-magnetic one-component toner thinly coated on the toner carrier by a toner regulating member in contact with the toner carrier, and the toner regulating member Is a thin plate having spring elasticity, and has an elastic body at least in contact with the toner carrier, and the plastic energy Wr of the toner regulating member measured at the contact is 80 nJ or more and 160 nJ or less. A non-magnetic one-component toner used in an image forming method,
The elastic body has a thickness of 35 μm or more and 80 μm or less,
The non-magnetic one-component toner contains at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a wax, the wax content is 0.5% by mass or more and 25% by mass or less, the toner melt index is 8 or more and 25 or less, and the weight average of the toner A nonmagnetic one-component toner having a diameter of 4 μm or more and 10 μm or less, and an average circularity of a toner having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more by a flow type particle image analyzer of 0.970 or more and 0.990 or less. Non-magnetic one-component toner according to claim 5 in which said toner regulating plastic energy Wr of the member measured at the contact portion between the toner carrying member is equal to or less than 145nJ least 90NJ. The non-magnetic one-component toner according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the toner regulating member is obtained by laminating the elastic body . Non-magnetic one-component toner according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the contact angle of the toner is 97 ° or more 110 ° or less. In a process cartridge that is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus main body,
At least a non-magnetic one-component toner, a toner carrier, a toner regulating member,
The toner regulating member is in the form of a thin plate having spring elasticity, and has an elastic body at least in contact with the toner carrier, and the plastic energy Wr of the toner regulating member measured at the contact is 80 nJ or more. 160 nJ or less,
The elastic body has a thickness of 35 μm or more and 80 μm or less,
The non-magnetic one-component toner contains at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a wax, the wax content is 0.5 mass% to 25 mass%, the toner melt index is 8 to 25, and the weight average of the toner A process cartridge having a diameter of 4 μm or more and 10 μm or less, and an average circularity of a toner having a particle diameter of 10 μm or more by a flow type particle image analyzer being 0.970 or more and 0.990 or less. A process cartridge according to claim 9, said toner regulating plastic energy Wr of the member measured at the contact portion between the toner carrying member is equal to or less than 145nJ least 90NJ. The process cartridge according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the toner regulating member is obtained by laminating the elastic body . The process cartridge according to claim 9, wherein a contact angle of the toner is 97 ° or more and 110 ° or less.

Images