JP4242687B2 - Rubber roller manufacturing method and rubber roller - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a rubber roller manufacturing method and a rubber roller mainly used for an electrophotographic apparatus and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an electrophotographic apparatus, a large number of rubber rollers as exemplified by a developing roller and a charging roller are used. This type of rubber roller is generally configured to include a metal core that functions as a central axis and a rubber layer that is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the metal core.
[0003]
This type of rubber roller used in an electrophotographic apparatus is required to have a rust prevention effect for long-term use while maintaining very high dimensional accuracy. Thus, in view of the uniformity of the plating film and the low processing cost, a method of forming an electroless nickel plating film by electroless plating is known (Patent Document 1).
[0004]
In addition, there is known a method for preventing seizure between the core metal and the rubber layer by subjecting the electroless nickel plating film rich in chemical activity to inactivation treatment such as chromic acid treatment or heat treatment (Patent Document). 2)
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-74057 [Patent Document 2]
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 7-74056 [0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, as described in Patent Document 1, when an electroless nickel plating film is formed on the surface of the core metal, the core metal coated with the electroless nickel film and the rubber layer are burned, and the latter stage of the rubber roller manufacturing process. In this case, it becomes difficult to cut off both ends of the rubber layer and to reuse the discarded rubber roller.
[0007]
Conversely, as described in Patent Document 2, when the surface of the metal core is inactivated, the metal core and the rubber layer formed on the metal core are not bonded to each other. When grinding the surface of the rubber layer in the latter stage of the process, there is a problem that the core metal and the rubber layer are idle, and the dimensional accuracy of the rubber roller is deteriorated.
Furthermore, as one example of use, the rubber roller is used as a roller (hereinafter also referred to as a drive roller) that is driven from the outside and is subjected to torque or pressure contact, such as a developing roller or a toner supply roller. Similarly, there is a problem in that the core metal and the rubber layer are idle, which adversely affects the performance of the electrophotographic apparatus.
Although it is possible to apply an adhesive to the necessary part of the core metal, it is not a preferable method in view of complicating the manufacturing process and increasing the manufacturing cost.
[0008]
Therefore, in view of the problems of the prior art, the present invention makes it easy to separate the cored bar from the rubber layer, and in addition to the cored bar and the rubber layer at the later stage of the manufacturing process or when used as a product. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a rubber roller that does not cause the deviation and such a rubber roller.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a result of diligent research in view of the above problems, the present inventors have found that if a part of the inert film is removed, the core metal and the rubber layer can be appropriately bonded, and the present invention has been achieved. It was. Further, the present inventors have further studied the means for removing the inert film, and found that a method using physical means that slides on the core metal is suitable.
[0010]
That is, the present invention provides a rubber roller that uses a cored bar having an electroless nickel plating layer formed on the surface and then an inert film formed by an inactivation treatment, and forms a rubber layer on the surface of the cored bar. In the manufacturing method, before forming the rubber layer on the cored bar, a part of the inert film on the cored bar surface is removed.
[0011]
According to such a method of manufacturing a rubber roller, the core metal and the rubber layer are favorably bonded to a part of the surface of the core metal from which the inert film is removed, and the core metal surface and the rubber layer are not bonded to each other part. It becomes. In this way, the rubber roller that can easily separate the core metal and the rubber layer while preventing the occurrence of deviation between the core metal and the rubber layer by bonding the core metal and the rubber layer only on a part of the surface of the core metal. Can be manufactured.
[0012]
The rubber roller manufacturing method of the present invention is characterized in that the inert film is removed by a sliding member that slides on a part of the core metal surface. The sliding member refers to a member that moves relative to the surface of the core metal in contact with a part of the surface of the core metal. According to the method of manufacturing such a rubber roller, the sliding member is rubbed by the sliding member. A part of the inactive film on the core metal surface is effectively removed.
[0013]
The rubber roller manufacturing method of the present invention is characterized in that the sliding member is a transport roller for transporting the cored bar in the axial direction of the cored bar. If the sliding member is a transport roller that transports the cored bar in the axial direction, the cored bar and the transporting roller move relative to each other microscopically while transporting the cored bar. Thus, the inert film can be removed substantially parallel to the axis of the core metal, that is, along the longitudinal direction of the core metal, and the core metal and the rubber layer can be uniformly bonded in the axial direction.
[0014]
In the rubber roller manufacturing method of the present invention, the transport roller includes a first transport roller that determines a transport speed of the core metal, and a second transport roller having a transport speed different from that of the first transport roller. The second conveying roller is forcibly slid on the cored bar. By providing a second transport roller having a different transport speed and forcibly sliding the second transport roller on the metal core, the inert film can be removed more reliably.
[0015]
The rubber roller manufacturing method of the present invention is characterized in that the transport roller has a V-shaped groove for guiding the cored bar. If a conveyance roller having a V-shaped groove for guiding the core metal is used, the core metal and the conveyance roller are always in contact at two points, and the removal of the inert film is more efficient. Become.
[0016]
The rubber roller manufacturing method of the present invention is characterized in that the sliding surface of the sliding member with the cored bar has higher hardness than the cored bar. By sliding with a sliding member having a sliding surface having a hardness higher than that of the metal core, the inert film can be removed more effectively, and the adhesive strength between the metal core and the rubber layer can be increased. In addition, since the bonding area between the metal core and the rubber layer is reduced, the rubber layer can be easily removed.
[0017]
Furthermore, the present invention provides a cored bar having an electroless nickel plating layer formed on the surface, an inactive film formed by an inactivation treatment, and a portion of the inactive film removed, and the cored bar. And a rubber layer formed on the surface of the rubber roller.
[0018]
The rubber roller having such a structure has a state in which the core metal and the rubber layer are favorably bonded in a part of the surface of the core metal from which the inert film is removed, and the core metal surface and the rubber layer are not bonded in the other part. Become. Therefore, according to the rubber roller, the cored bar and the rubber layer are favorably bonded at the time of use, and the cored bar and the rubber layer are easily separated.
[0019]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a rubber roller manufacturing method and a rubber roller according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0020]
FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a method for producing a rubber roller according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the rubber roller manufacturing method of the present embodiment includes an inert film removing step 20 for removing the inert film of the core metal 1, and the rubber layer 2 is formed on the core metal from which the inert film has been removed. And a rubber layer forming step 30 as the rubber roller 3.
[0021]
As the core 1 supplied to the inert film removing step 20, for example, an electroless nickel plating layer of 3 to 5 μm is formed on the surface of a cylinder made of iron or steel by a known method, and the electroless Examples include a nickel plating layer on which an oxide film is formed by an inactivation treatment.
[0022]
As the inactivation treatment, for example, chromic acid treatment performed by immersing in a chromic acid solution having a concentration of 0.5 to 10 g / liter for about 30 to 60 seconds or heating at 100 to 300 ° C. is performed according to a known method. What is performed by performing heat processing or both of these processes is mentioned.
[0023]
The inert film removing step 20 is a step of removing a part of the inert film formed on the core metal, and the method is particularly limited as long as a part of the inert film can be removed. is not. However, from the viewpoint of simple processing and high reliability, a physical method using a sliding member as described below is preferable.
[0024]
FIG. 2 shows the structure of the inert film removing means used in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the inert film removing means includes a plurality of pairs of conveying rollers 21, 21 that are vertically opposed to each other with a gap for allowing the core bar 1 to pass therethrough. , 21 is configured to be conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the cored bar 1 by the rotation of the conveying roller 21.
[0025]
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view thereof. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a groove 22a having a V-shaped cross section is formed on the conveyance surface 22 of each conveyance roller 21 so as to guide the core metal 1 in the longitudinal direction. The groove 22 is configured so that the core metal 1 can be conveyed in the longitudinal direction while being sandwiched by two points 1a and 1a (four points in total) from above and below.
[0026]
On the other hand, the rubber layer forming step 30 forms the rubber layer 2 having a predetermined thickness on the surface of the core metal 1 using a known rubber layer forming means. As the rubber layer forming means, for example, a cross-head type means for forming the rubber layer 2 on the surface of the core metal by feeding unvulcanized rubber from an approximately perpendicular direction to the supplied core metal 1 by an extruder or the like. Can be mentioned.
[0027]
The rubber layer 2 formed in the rubber layer forming step 30 is not particularly limited as long as it can adhere to the electroless nickel plating film. For example, the rubber layer 2 containing a sulfur-based crosslinking agent or a sulfur donor The thing containing the compound is mentioned.
[0028]
The unvulcanized rubber layer 2 is cured by vulcanization in a subsequent heating step (not shown).
[0029]
According to the rubber roller manufacturing method of the embodiment, the cored bar 1 having an inert film is transported while being sandwiched at four points by a groove 22 having a V-shaped cross section of the transporting roller 21, and the surface of the cored bar is naturally formed by the transporting roller. Will be rubbed. Therefore, the inert coating on the surface of the cored bar is removed in the form of four streaks along the axis of the cored bar 1 so that an electroless nickel plated coating appears. Thereafter, the rubber layer 2 is formed on the surface of the core metal 1 by the rubber layer forming step 30, whereby the core metal 1 and the rubber layer 2 are interposed through the electroless nickel plating film that appears as four streaks. It is possible to obtain the rubber roller 3 that is bonded and not bonded to other portions.
[0030]
FIG. 5 is a perspective view when the rubber layer 2 of the manufactured rubber roller 3 is partially cut away. As shown in FIG. 5, a part 5 of the rubber layer 2 cut in a streak shape is attached to the surface of the cored bar 1.
[0031]
As described above, the rubber roller manufactured by the rubber roller manufacturing method prevents the idle rotation of the metal core 1 and the rubber layer 2 when the surface finishing of the rubber layer or the like is performed in the subsequent grinding process. There is no risk of adverse effects. In addition, when the rubber roller is used as a driving roller in an electrophotographic apparatus, idle rotation of the core metal 1 and the rubber layer 2 is prevented, so that there is no possibility of adversely affecting the image.
[0032]
Furthermore, since the rubber roller manufactured by the rubber roller manufacturing method has the metal core 1 and the rubber layer 2 partially bonded, when the both ends of the rubber layer 2 are cut off in the later stage of the manufacturing process. However, the core metal 1 and the rubber layer 2 can be separated relatively easily. Further, even after the rubber roller is used, the core metal 1 and the rubber layer 2 can be separated relatively easily, and the core metal and the rubber layer can be easily recycled, and the rubber layer can be easily recycled.
[0033]
Further, according to the rubber roller manufacturing method of the present invention, an adhesive application step, a seized rubber removal step, and the like are not required, and the rubber roller manufacturing step is not complicated.
[0034]
In the rubber roller manufacturing method of the present embodiment, more preferably, at least one of the transport rollers disposed on the upper side of the core metal 1 among the transport rollers 21, 21. And / or at least one conveyance speed (product of the rotation speed and the circumference) of the conveyance roller 21 disposed on the lower side of the core metal 1 is different from other conveyance rollers that determine the conveyance speed of the core metal. It may be rotated.
[0035]
If at least one transport speed of the upper and / or lower transport rollers is rotated at a transport speed different from that of the other transport rollers, the transport rollers having different transport speeds are forcibly slid with the core metal ( That is, the relative movement speed is increased), and the inert film can be removed more reliably.
[0036]
Moreover, in the rubber roller manufacturing method of the present embodiment, more preferably, the cored bar 1 is continuously supplied to the inert film removing step 20, and among the transport rollers 21, 21. Even if the conveyance roller 21 on the upstream side (the rear side in the conveyance direction of the core metal) is rotated so as to have a conveyance speed faster than the conveyance roller 21 on the downstream side (the front side in the conveyance direction of the core metal). Good.
If the upstream conveying roller 21 is rotated at a higher conveying speed than the downstream conveying roller 21 while continuously supplying the cored bar, the conveying roller 21 and the core are at least one of the downstream side and the upstream side. The gold 1 can be forcibly brought into sliding contact, and the inert film can be removed more reliably.
[0037]
In the rubber roller manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the material of the transport roller 21 is not particularly limited. For example, one or two or more transport rollers made of rubber, plastic, metal, or the like are used in combination. can do.
[0038]
In particular, when the conveying roller and the metal core are forcibly brought into sliding contact as described above, the conveying roller that determines the conveying speed of the metal core is made of rubber having a high friction coefficient, and is rotated at different conveying speeds to make sliding contact. It is preferable that the conveying roller to be made is made of metal having a hardness higher than that of the cored bar. By sliding the metal transport roller having a hardness higher than that of the core metal to the core metal, the removal range of the inert film can be limited to a narrower range, and the inert film can be more reliably removed. .
[0039]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the inactive film of the core metal is peeled into four streaks parallel to the axis by forming a groove having a V-shaped cross section on the conveying surface of the conveying roller arranged to face up and down. However, the design can be appropriately changed as long as the effects of the present invention are exhibited. Therefore, when the adhesive force between the cored bar and the rubber layer may be weak, a conveying roller that supports the cored bar at three or two points as a whole is used, and three or two streaks parallel to the shaft are used. The inert film may be peeled off so that Conversely, when it is desirable that the adhesive strength between the core metal and the rubber layer is strong, a feed roller that supports the core metal at five or more points as a whole is used, and is inactive in five streaks parallel to the shaft. The film may be peeled off. Furthermore, it is also possible to remove the inactive film in a broken line shape or a dot shape by performing knurling on the surface of the transport roller.
[0040]
In addition, if the force for holding the cored bar is adjusted by the conveying rollers arranged above and below, the depth and area of the inert film to be removed can be changed. It is also possible to adjust the adhesive force between the rubber layer and the cored bar.
[0041]
In the above embodiment, the case where the conveyance roller is used as the sliding member has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the case where such a conveyance roller is used.
For example, as another sliding contact member, a brush, a plate material, a needle or the like provided so as to move relative to the core metal can be used.
[0042]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the method for manufacturing a rubber roller according to the present invention, when the end portion is cut off or reused, the cored bar and the rubber layer can be easily separated, and the latter stage of the manufacturing process or the product When used as a rubber roller, it is possible to manufacture a rubber roller in which the displacement between the core metal and the rubber layer hardly occurs.
[0043]
In addition, the rubber roller according to the present invention is well bonded without misalignment between the metal core and the rubber layer at the time of grinding and use, and when the end of the rubber layer is cut off, or the metal core or the rubber layer In the case of recycling, the core metal and the rubber layer can be easily separated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a method for producing a rubber roller according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an aspect of an inert film removing step when a conveying roller is used as a sliding member.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG.
4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a part of a rubber layer 2 is cut out in a rubber roller manufactured by the method for manufacturing a rubber roller according to an embodiment;
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Core 2 Rubber layer 3 Rubber roller 21 Transport roller

Claims (7)

In the method of manufacturing a rubber roller, after forming an electroless nickel plating layer on the surface, using a cored bar on which an inactive film is formed by an inactivation treatment, and forming a rubber layer on the surface of the cored bar,
A method for producing a rubber roller, wherein a part of the inert film on the surface of the metal core is removed before the rubber layer is formed on the metal core. The method for producing a rubber roller according to claim 1, wherein the inert film is removed by a sliding member that slides on a part of the surface of the core metal. The rubber roller manufacturing method according to claim 2, wherein the sliding member is a conveying roller for conveying the cored bar in the axial direction of the cored bar. The transport roller includes a first transport roller that determines a transport speed of the core metal, and a second transport roller that has a transport speed different from that of the first transport roller, and the second transport roller serves as the core metal. 4. The method for producing a rubber roller according to claim 3, wherein the rubber roller is forcibly slid. The method for manufacturing a rubber roller according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the conveying roller has a groove having a V-shaped cross section for guiding the cored bar. The method for producing a rubber roller according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein a sliding surface of the sliding member with the cored bar is higher in hardness than the cored bar. After the electroless nickel plating layer was formed on the surface, an inactive film was formed by an inactivation treatment, and a core metal from which a part of the inactive film was removed was formed on the surface of the core metal A rubber roller comprising a rubber layer.

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