JP4673099B2 - Seamless belt forming method, seamless belt forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a seamless belt molding method and a molding apparatus for molding an endless resin belt.

  As a method for forming a seamless belt using a polymer resin material, a molding method using a thermoplastic resin such as extrusion molding, blow molding or casting, or a thermosetting resin such as dipping, spraying, blade coating or die coating is used as gold. There is a molding method in which a layer is applied to a mold and the solvent is evaporated to cure. As the latter molding method, there are an outer surface coating method in which a resin is applied to the outer surface of a mold and an inner surface coating method in which a resin is applied to the inner surface of the mold.

  Seamless transfer belts are used in intermediate transfer devices such as electrophotographic development type copying machines and printers, or fixing devices, and these seamless belts are generally formed by extrusion molding or centrifugal molding. .

  It is known that a seamless belt formed by extrusion molding has a large variation in electric resistance and poor formability when used as an intermediate transfer belt of an intermediate transfer device. In addition, the surface of the seamless belt made by extrusion is marked with a flow mark in the direction of extrusion, and there are many scratches. Furthermore, the film thickness of the belt material is large and uniform in the film surface due to manufacturing reasons. It is difficult to obtain a film with a good thickness and quality.

  Extrusion also requires a large investment in machinery and molds in terms of equipment, and when manufacturing belts of different sizes, the mold costs are large and it is difficult to make several types of molds easily. It was. There was also a problem that the material was limited to thermoplastic resins.

  As a method for improving such a situation, the coating liquid is poured into a rotating cylindrical mold, and while rotating the cylindrical mold at a high speed, the coating liquid is expanded by the centrifugal force to form a uniform film. Research has been made on centrifugal molding to solidify.

  However, even in the centrifugal molding, it is difficult to make the film thickness uniform, and in order to secure a level of film thickness variation of 10 μm or less required for an intermediate transfer belt such as an electrophotographic developing type copying machine or printer. Improvement research is being conducted.

  In addition, since the required accuracy for the roughness of the outer surface of the seamless belt is high, a glossy and high-quality seamless belt cannot be obtained unless the roughness of the inner surface of the mold contacting the outer surface of the belt is reduced. Therefore, there is also a problem that the manufacturing cost of the mold becomes very high. However, when the coating liquid is poured into a mold having a small surface roughness, the coating film after drying is in close contact with the mold surface, making it difficult to peel off.

In order to solve the problem of peeling, various measures as described in Patent Documents 1 to 10 have been studied and proposed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-237799 JP 2000-141385 A JP 2003-334829 A JP 2002-154155 A JP 2002-126600 A JP 2001-109273 A JP 2001-287280 A JP 2002-361658 A JP 2004-284354 A Japanese Patent Publication No. 64-1026

  In the prior art, as described in Patent Document 1, by using a liquid mold release liquid layer provided on the inner surface of the mold in advance, the peelability of the coating film is improved, As described in Patent Document 2, there is a technique in which a coating film is peeled off by a pressure of a fluid flowing between a molding film and a mold surface used for centrifugal molding. However, if the coating film is difficult to peel off, it can be peeled off by the method described above, but conversely, the coating film may be detached from the mold during film formation due to shrinkage of the coating film during drying, or part of the coating film may be peeled off. There are also cases where it undulates.

  Further, Patent Document 3 discloses that a coating film formed by centrifugal molding on the inner surface of a mold is dried and solidified to such an extent that it can be self-supported (liquid resin or adhesive is dried or evaporated, or gelled. And a method of performing a two-type construction method in which the substrate is replaced with a support having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the solidified belt and subjected to heat treatment for imide conversion. However, in this case, an outer mold (centrifugal mold) and an inner mold (imidization mold) are required, which increases the cost required for mold fabrication.

  Therefore, there is an outer surface coating method in which a coating solution is applied to the outer surface of the mold. In the case of this method, coating, drying, and imidization can be performed with one mold, but there is a problem that the coating film is in a state of tightening the mold due to shrinkage during drying and imidization and does not peel off.

  Patent Document 4 describes an example in which a seamless belt is manufactured by winding a film instead of coating a coating solution, and gas is discharged from a plurality of discharge holes provided in a mold, followed by heat and pressure molding. The film formed by heating and pressing is removed from the mold while an air layer is formed between the formed film cylinder and the mold. In this case, again, since it is necessary to make a special mold having fine holes on the mold surface, the cost required for mold production increases.

  Patent Documents 5 to 7 all have a technique of manufacturing a seamless belt integrated with a base material by applying and solidifying a liquid resin or powder on the base material while rotating the base material of the seamless belt. Are listed. However, in this case, it is necessary to manufacture a seamless belt as a base material in advance by any method including the above-described extrusion molding and centrifugal molding.

  In Patent Documents 8 and 9, a sleeve used as a mold is attached to the outer periphery of the core body, and after forming a polyimide resin film on the outer surface, the polyimide resin film is removed together with the sleeve from the core body, and then the sleeve And a technique of forming a seamless belt by peeling a polyimide resin film. However, in this method, in order to form a film with high thickness accuracy, it is necessary to fix the sleeve to the outer surface of the core body so as to overcome the resistance when applying the polyimide resin, and it is difficult to manufacture.

  In particular, according to the cited document 9, there is an explanation that a sleeve that is slightly larger than the diameter of the core body is prepared and fitted to the core body, and both ends are wound with an adhesive tape as the mounting method of the sleeve. It is very time-consuming to install it in a simple manner. In addition, when a sleeve that is repeatedly used as a mold is molded with a resin such as polyimide resin, it is often damaged by the solvent contained in the polyimide resin to be applied, or damaged due to peeling, and frequently becomes new. There are problems such as the need for replacement.

  Patent Document 10 describes a technique in which a resin is applied to the outer surface of a cylindrical substrate that can be reduced, deformed, and decomposed, and the coating is peeled off by reducing, deforming, and disassembling the diameter of the substrate. However, a base (rubber) that can be reduced in diameter and deformed is difficult to hold in a cylindrical shape with high accuracy, resulting in a distribution of the thickness of the film. It will transfer to the film and affect the thickness accuracy.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, enables the seamless belt to be easily peeled from the mold in the resin seamless belt manufacturing process, and greatly reduces the cost of the conventional mold. It is an object of the present invention to provide a seamless belt molding method and a seamless belt molding apparatus .

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 includes a step of applying tension to a mold belt installed on a plurality of rollers, and applying a resin material of a seamless belt while rotating the mold belt to apply a film. A step of solidifying the coating while rotating the mold belt, a step of removing the tension after the coating is solidified, and a peeling step of peeling the solidified coating from the mold belt. A seamless belt molding method characterized in that a seamless resin belt having a specified belt circumference can be easily molded using an inexpensive mold belt as a mold, and a seamless belt molded from the mold Since the mold belt can be deformed and peeled when the resin belt is peeled off, it can be easily peeled off.

  The invention described in claim 2 includes a step of applying tension to a mold belt installed on a plurality of rollers, a step of applying a release agent while rotating the mold belt, and the step of applying the release agent. Applying the resin material of the seamless belt while rotating the mold belt to form a film, solidifying the film while rotating the mold belt, and removing the tension after the film is solidified And a peeling process for peeling the solidified film from the mold belt, wherein the circumference of the belt is defined by using an inexpensive mold belt as a mold. The seamless resin belt can be easily molded, and when the seamless resin belt molded from the mold is peeled off, the mold belt is deformed and peeled off. Since it is bets can be easily peeled off. Moreover, even if the resin used for molding and the material of the mold belt are poorly releasable, the seamless layered resin molded from the mold can be easily peeled by forming a layer of the release agent in between.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the seamless belt molding method according to the first or second aspect, when the solidified film is peeled from the mold belt, the mold belt is easily peeled by bending in the circumferential direction or the width direction. By this method, bending the mold belt as described above causes a difference in circumference between the mold belt and the seamless belt, and it is easy to trigger peeling due to distortion at the interface between the mold belt and the seamless belt. It becomes possible to generate, and the molded seamless layered resin can be easily peeled off.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the seamless belt forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mold belt is deformed in the inner peripheral direction, and the solidified film is deformed in the outer peripheral direction, whereby the peeled portion is formed. This method is characterized in that it is peeled off, and by spreading the peeled portion by this method, it is possible to peel from the mold belt with a weak force without damaging the surface of the seamless belt.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tension applying means for applying or removing tension to a mold belt installed on a plurality of rollers, a rotation driving means for rotating the mold belt around the rollers, and the mold belt A material applying means for forming a film by applying a resin material of the seamless belt, a solidifying means for solidifying the film, and a peeling means for peeling the film solidified from the mold belt. A seamless belt molding apparatus configured to peel the solidified film from the mold belt by the peeling means in a state in which tension is removed from the mold belt. Can be used to easily mold a seamless resin with a specified belt circumference, and a seam molded from the mold. Upon the release of the resin belt, it is possible to easily peeled by deforming the mold belt.

  The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that in the seamless belt molding apparatus according to claim 5, the surface of the mold belt is subjected to a mold release treatment, and by this configuration, a release agent is applied to the mold belt at each molding. When the seamless resin belt molded from the mold is peeled off, the mold belt can be deformed and easily peeled off.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided tension applying means for applying or removing tension to a mold belt installed on a plurality of rollers, rotation driving means for rotating the mold belt around the rollers, and the mold belt A release agent application means for applying a release agent to the mold belt, a material application means for forming a film by applying a resin material of a seamless belt to the mold belt, a solidifying means for solidifying the film, and a solidification from the mold belt A peeling means for peeling the film, wherein the solidified film is peeled from the mold belt by the peeling means in a state where the tension is removed from the mold belt by the tension applying means. This seamless belt molding device uses a cheap mold belt as a mold and seamless resin with a specified belt circumference. Together can be formed into easy, upon the release of the seamless resin belt molded from the mold, it is possible to easily peeled by deforming the mold belt. In addition, even when the resin used for molding and the mold belt material are poorly releasable, the seamless resin belt molded from the mold can be easily peeled by forming a layer of the release agent between them.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the seamless belt molding apparatus according to any one of the fifth to seventh aspects, the material of the mold belt is metal, and by this configuration, the mold belt is repeatedly molded. Since the dimensional change at the time of wear is reduced and the durability of the mold such as a scratch on the surface can be improved, stable seamless belt molding and peeling are performed.

Seamless belt molding method according to any one of the preceding claims or by seamless belt molding device of any one of claims 5-8, the mold belt seamless as a mold, by molding a seamless belt It is possible to form a seamless belt with a specified belt circumference with an inexpensive mold and to improve the efficiency of the resin solidification process, so the molding time can be shortened. Since peeling can be easily performed when peeling, the generation of defective products due to poor peeling can be reduced as much as possible, and the cost of the seamless belt can be reduced.

Seamless belt molding method of any one of claims 1 to 4 or by a seamless belt molding device of any one of claims 5-8, as a mold type belt seamless, seamless as the By molding a seamless belt using a mold belt as a mold, it is possible to mold a seamless belt with a specified circumference with an inexpensive mold, and the efficiency of the resin solidification process is improved. The cost of the seamless belt used in the image forming apparatus can be shortened, and when the seamless belt is peeled from the mold, it can be easily peeled off, and the generation of defective products due to poor peeling can be reduced as much as possible. Can be reduced. Therefore, high-quality image formation is performed in the image forming apparatus.

The seamless belt can be an intermediate transfer belt, a fixing belt, or a photosensitive belt in an image forming apparatus .

  According to the present invention, an inexpensive mold belt can be used as a mold, and a seamless resin belt with a specified belt circumference can be easily formed. When the seamless resin belt formed from the mold is peeled off, the mold belt is Since it can be deformed and peeled off, it can be easily peeled off, and it is possible to provide a low-cost and stable quality resin seamless belt.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a belt forming apparatus for explaining Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a seamless belt-shaped mold belt made of a flexible metal thin plate (for example, a stainless steel thin plate). , And a plurality of (a pair of opposed in this example) rollers 2 and 3 are installed. One roller 2 is a driving roller that is a rotational driving means for moving the mold belt 1 in the circumferential direction, and the other roller 3 is a driven roller that supports and rotates the mold belt 1. The drive roller 2 is rotationally driven by a drive motor 4.

  5 is provided on one of the driving roller 2 and the driven roller 3 (in this example, the driving roller), and by moving the driving roller 2 and changing the distance from the driven roller 3, tension is applied to the mold belt 1. A tension applying means for adding or removing the piston can be used.

  6 is an application means for applying a resin material 7 of a seamless belt to be manufactured to the outer surface of the mold belt 1 in a layered manner to form a film, and the resin material 7 is applied to the outer surface of the mold belt 1 running at a constant speed. Is applied with a constant width and a constant thickness. As a coating method, a roller coating method in which a resin is pumped from a molten resin tank and transferred onto a mold belt, a die coating method in which the resin is extruded from a slot-shaped orifice and transferred onto a mold belt, and sprayed onto the mold belt. Various coating methods such as a spray coating method for direct coating can be considered.

  8 is a solidifying means for solidifying the applied resin film 9, and varies depending on the type of resin. When the resin to be used is a thermoplastic resin, a heating and melting means such as a heater for heating and melting the resin is used as the applying means 6. As the curing means, it is conceivable to employ a method of applying air to the heated and melted resin or cooling it by contacting a cooled roller or the like.

  Moreover, when the resin to be used is a thermosetting resin, it is possible to employ | adopt the drying furnace which combined the heating by the heater which heat-evaporates the solvent of the apply | coated resin material, and ventilation exhaust_gas | exhaustion.

  Further, if necessary, in order to make the state of the resin film 9 applied to the mold belt 1 constant and uniform, a flattening means 10 having a pressing roller structure is provided to press the surface of the resin film 9. Good.

  2A to 2E are explanatory views of the steps of the belt forming method according to the first embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 2A, in the belt forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the mold belt 1 is installed between the driving roller 2 and the driven roller 3, and the mold belt 1 is moved outward by the tension applying means 5. The driving roller 2 is rotated in a state where tension is applied in such a manner as to be pulled.

  In this state, the resin material 7 is applied onto the mold belt 1 by the applying means 6. Application may be performed by applying a predetermined thickness at a time to form a film, or a thin film may be stacked a plurality of times to form a film having a predetermined thickness. The latter can reduce the drying time. The application position may be on a roll such as the driving roller 2 or the driven roller 3 or between rolls, and is set according to the type of application method.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the resin material 7 applied on the mold belt 1 is solidified by the solidifying means 8. When the resin material 7 is solidified, as shown in FIG. 2C, the driving roller 2 is stopped to stop the rotational movement of the mold belt 1, and the tension applying means 5 is operated to loosen the tension of the mold belt 1.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 2D, while the mold belt is deformed (described in detail later), the solidified resin film 9 is peeled off, and as shown in FIG. To do. Since the mold belt 1 is deformed at the time of peeling, the peeling can be easily performed as compared with the conventional cylindrical fixed mold. The mold belt 1 from which the seamless belt 11 has been peeled can be used again for seamless belt molding by cleaning the surface.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, the inexpensive resin belt 1 can be used as a mold, and a seamless resin belt having a specified belt circumference can be easily formed, and the seamless resin belt formed from the mold can be peeled off. In addition, since the mold belt 1 can be deformed and peeled off, it can be easily peeled off, so that it is possible to provide a low-cost and stable quality resin seamless belt.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a belt forming apparatus for explaining the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4A to 4E are explanatory views of the steps of the belt forming method in the second embodiment. Note that members corresponding to those described in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that, as shown in FIG. 3, the release layer coating means 12 for applying the release agent 13 to the outer surface of the mold belt 1 and the applied release agent 13 are dried. A release layer drying means 14 is installed and, as shown in FIG. 4A, before the resin material 7 is applied, a release agent 13 is applied to the outer surface of the mold belt 1 by the release layer applying means 12. It has a release agent application | coating process and the drying process which dries the apply | released release agent 13 with the release layer drying means 14, as shown in FIG.4 (b). FIGS. 4C to 4G are the same steps as FIGS. 2A to 2E.

  By doing so, even when the releasability between the resin material 7 and the material of the mold belt 1 is poor, the seamless resin molded from the mold belt 1 by interposing the layer of the release agent 13 therebetween. The film 9 can be easily peeled off.

  In the second embodiment, the release layer applying unit 12 is preferably a spray coating method capable of thinly applying the release agent 13, and the release layer drying unit 14 is a drying furnace in which a heater and a blower are combined. It is possible to adopt such as. In addition, when forming a seamless belt with a thermosetting resin, the same thing as the drying furnace of the solidification means 8 can also be used.

  In addition, by using a mold belt having a permanent mold release treatment on the outer surface, a mold release agent application process for applying the mold release agent 13 as described above, and a drying process for drying the applied mold release agent 13. Is no longer needed. As the mold release treatment, a coating in which PTFE resin (for example, Teflon (registered trademark)) is applied and baked can be considered.

  The material of the seamless belt used as the mold belt 1 may not be metal, but if it is made of a metal seamless belt such as stainless steel as described above, the dimensional change during repeated molding is reduced. In addition, because the durability of the mold such as scratches on the surface can be improved, it is possible to form and peel a stable seamless belt, and as a mold release treatment, nitriding treatment, plating containing PTFE resin, etc. can be applied. Therefore, the formed seamless belt can be easily peeled off over a long period of time.

  As a method for easily and easily peeling the resin film (seamless belt) 9 from the mold belt, for example, by bending the mold belt 1 in the circumferential direction or the width direction, the circumference of the mold belt 1 and the resin film 9 is increased. A difference should be generated.

  In FIG. 5, in a state where the mold belt 1 and the resin film 9 are joined, a plurality of (three are illustrated in this example) peeling rollers 20 from the inside of the mold belt 1 and the outside of the resin film 9. The mold belt 1 is bent in the circumferential direction so as to be sandwiched between the mold belt 1 and the resin film 9 to cause a slip due to a difference in circumferential length.

  In FIG. 6, in a state where the mold belt 1 and the resin film 9 are joined, a concave peeling member 21 having an arc portion 21 a at an end portion, and a convex peeling member 22 having an arc portion 22 a at an end portion, The end portions in the width direction of the mold belt 1 and the resin film 9 are bent so that a deviation occurs between them.

  5 and 6 causes a difference in circumferential length, so that the joint between the mold belt 1 and the resin film 9 is loosened due to the strain acting on the interface between the mold belt 1 and the resin film 9. Since it will be in the state which is easy to do, both peeling work will become easy.

  FIGS. 7A to 7E are front views showing the configuration of a peeling apparatus for peeling the mold belt and the resin film and the steps of the peeling operation, and FIGS. 8A to 8E are side views.

  As shown in FIGS. 7A and 8A, both end portions of the mold belt 1 in a state where the solidified resin film 9 is adhered are sandwiched between opposing clampers 25, and FIG. As shown in FIGS. 8B and 8B, the wedge member 26 provided on the clamper 25 is moved so that the wedge member 26 enters the boundary surface between the mold belt 1 and the resin film 9, and the resin film 9 is moved. Try to lift the end of the.

  Next, as shown in FIGS. 7C and 8C, in the state where the end portion of the resin film 9 is lifted, air is blown from the lifted end portion of the resin film 9 using the air injection nozzle 27. A gap G is formed between the mold belt 1 and the resin film 9 by blowing into the surface of the mold belt 1.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 (d) and 8 (d), a peeling bar 28 is inserted through the gap G between the mold belt 1 and the resin film 9, and FIGS. 7 (e) and 8 (e). As shown in FIG. 2, the resin film 9 is completely removed from the mold belt 1 by lifting the peeling bar 28 in the outer circumferential direction and moving the mold belt 1 in the inner circumferential direction by the clamper 25 and deforming it by pulling. Can be separated.

  In this way, a partial peeling portion that triggers peeling is formed between the mold belt 1 and the resin film 9, and the mold belt 1 is in the inner circumferential direction, and the resin film 9 that is a seamless belt is in the outer circumferential direction. The mold belt 1 and the resin film 9 can be satisfactorily peeled without applying a large force by being deformed by pulling and widening the peeled portion.

The seamless belt obtained as described above is applied to an intermediate transfer belt, a fixing belt, and a photosensitive belt, which are components of an image forming apparatus described below.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus including an intermediate transfer belt, a fixing belt, and a photosensitive belt.

  In FIG. 9, reference numeral 31 denotes a flexible seamless belt photosensitive belt. The photosensitive belt 31 is wound around rotating rollers 32, 33, 34, and the rotating roller 32 serving as a driving body. It is conveyed in the direction of arrow A (clockwise) in the figure by rotational driving. In the figure, 35 is a charging charger that uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive belt 31, 36 is a laser writing system unit, and 37 (37Y, 37M, 37C, 37K) are yellow, magenta, cyan, and black developers ( 4 color developing devices having toner), and include developing rollers 37aY, 37aM, 37aC, and 37aK.

  Further, 38 is an intermediate transfer belt unit of a seamless seamless belt having flexibility. The intermediate transfer belt 38 is wound around rotating rollers 39, 40, 41, and 42, and the rotating roller 39 as a driving body is arranged. The sheet is conveyed in the direction of arrow B (counterclockwise) in the figure by rotational driving. The photosensitive belt 31 and the intermediate transfer belt 38 are in contact with each other at the rotating roller 34 portion of the photosensitive belt 31. On the intermediate transfer belt 38 side of the contact portion, a conductive bias roller 43 is in contact with the back surface of the intermediate transfer belt 38 under a predetermined condition.

  An image forming operation of the image forming apparatus having the above configuration will be briefly described.

  In FIG. 9, a belt-like photosensitive member (latent image carrier) 31 is uniformly charged by a charging charger 35, and then scanned and exposed by a laser writing system unit 36 based on image information to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface. Is formed. Here, the image information to be exposed is single-color image information obtained by separating a desired full-color image into color information of yellow (Y), cyan (C), magenta (M), and black (K). A laser beam L generated by a laser (not shown) is scanned and optical path adjusted by an optical device (not shown).

  The electrostatic latent image formed here is developed in a single color with a predetermined yellow, cyan, magenta and black toner, respectively, by a rotary developing device 37, and each color image is sequentially formed on the photosensitive belt 31. .

  Each single-color image formed on the photosensitive belt 31 rotating in the direction of arrow A in the drawing is yellow, cyan, and yellow on the intermediate transfer belt 38 rotating in the direction of arrow B in the drawing in synchronization with the photosensitive belt 31. For each of magenta and black single colors, the images are sequentially superimposed and transferred by a predetermined transfer bias applied to the bias roller 43. After the transfer, the residual potential of the photosensitive belt 31 is neutralized by the light emitted from the neutralization lamp 44.

  The yellow, cyan, magenta, and black images superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 38 are collectively transferred by the transfer roller 48 onto the sheet conveyed from the sheet feeding cassette 45 through the sheet feeding roller 46 and the registration roller 47. After the transfer is completed, the sheet is heat-fixed by a fixing device 49, which will be described later, and a full-color image is completed and is discharged to a paper discharge unit 50 outside the apparatus.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of the main part of the fixing device. In FIG. 10, the fixing device 49 is movable in the transport direction of the paper P that is transported upon receiving the toner image transfer, and has flexibility. The fixing belt 51 of the seamless belt is provided, and the fixing belt 51 is installed on the driving roller 52 and the heating roller 53 so as to form a substantially linear surface parallel to the conveyance direction of the paper P. It is driven by a driving roller 52 located downstream in the conveyance direction of the paper P and can move in the movement direction of the paper P.

  The fixing belt 51 is maintained at a predetermined temperature by a heating roller 53 positioned on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the paper P. A heat source 54 such as a halogen heater is disposed inside the heating roller 53, and this heat source 54 is detected by a temperature control unit according to a detection result of a temperature detection unit (not shown) that detects the surface temperature of the fixing belt 51. The energization is controlled so that the surface temperature of the fixing belt 51 is maintained at a temperature necessary for fixing.

  The photosensitive belt 31, the intermediate transfer belt 38, and the fixing belt 51 are made of polyimide resin as a material, and can be manufactured by the seamless belt molding method and apparatus of the first and second embodiments.

  That is, in a state where tension is applied to the mold belt 1 and rotationally driven, the polyimide resin applied to the outer periphery of the mold belt 1 is heated to evaporate the solvent at a temperature of about 100 to 130 ° C. After the solvent evaporates and a film is formed, imidization is carried out while continuously applying tension to the mold belt and rotating the belt. The imidization reaction of the polyimide resin is completed by heating to a high temperature of 300 ° C. for a certain time.

  Conventionally, polyimide seamless belts are mainly molded by centrifugal molding. However, the mold belt used in the seamless belt molding method and apparatus of this embodiment has a smaller heat capacity than the cylindrical mold. The resin can be solidified and imidized efficiently, and a polyimide resin seamless belt can be easily formed.

  Also, conventionally, during imidization, the film may be in close contact with the mold surface, making it difficult to peel off, or conversely, due to resin shrinkage, a part of the coating film may be peeled off and undulated. However, in the case of the seamless belt molding method of the present embodiment, a polyimide resin is applied to the outer periphery of the mold belt, and solidification and imidization are performed in a state where tension is applied to the mold belt. ， No peeling occurs. In addition, after imidization, the tension can be relaxed and the mold belt of the seamless belt, which is the mold, can be deformed and peeled off. Therefore, the polyimide resin seamless belt can be easily peeled off.

  Therefore, the photosensitive belt 31, the intermediate transfer belt 38, and the fixing belt 51 manufactured by the seamless belt molding method and apparatus according to the present invention are stable in performance, and the yield can be improved and the cost can be reduced. Moreover, there is an advantage that it contributes to the improvement of the image quality of the formed image.

  The seamless belt molding method and molding device of the present invention are applied to the manufacture of seamless belts made of various resin materials, in particular, photosensitive resin belts, intermediate transfer belts, and fixing belts made of polyimide resin, which are constituent elements of an image forming apparatus. Effective as a seamless belt molding method and molding device that enables the seamless belt to be easily peeled off from the mold in the seamless belt manufacturing process, and can greatly reduce the cost of conventional molds. is there.

Configuration diagram of a belt forming apparatus for explaining the first embodiment of the present invention (A)-(e) is explanatory drawing of the process of the belt shaping | molding method in Embodiment 1. FIG. Configuration diagram of belt forming apparatus for explaining Embodiment 2 of the present invention (A)-(e) is explanatory drawing of the process of the belt shaping | molding method in Embodiment 2. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the method of peeling a resin film from the type | mold belt in this embodiment Explanatory drawing of the other method which peels the resin film from the type | mold belt in this embodiment (A)-(e) is a front view which shows the structure of the peeling apparatus which peels the resin film from the type | mold belt in this embodiment, and the process of peeling work. (A)-(e) is a side view corresponding to Drawing 7 (a)-(e), respectively. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus including an intermediate transfer belt, a fixing belt, and a photosensitive belt according to the present invention. Explanatory drawing of the principal part of the fixing device in the image forming apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Type belt 2 Drive roller 3 Driven roller 5 Tension addition means 6 Application means 7 Resin material 8 Solidification means 9 Resin film 11 Seamless belt 12 Release layer application means 13 Release agent 14 Release layer drying means 20 Peeling roller 21 Concave shape Peeling member 22 Convex-like peeling member 25 Clamper 26 Wedge member 27 Air injection nozzle 28 Peeling bar 31 Photosensitive belt 38 Intermediate transfer belt 49 Fixing device 51 Fixing belt

Claims (8)

  A step of applying tension to a mold belt installed on a plurality of rollers, a process of applying a resin material of a seamless belt while rotating the mold belt to form a film, and a process of rotating the mold belt while rotating the mold belt. A seamless belt molding method comprising: a solidifying step; a step of removing the tension after the coating is solidified; and a peeling step of peeling the solidified coating from a mold belt.   A step of applying tension to a mold belt installed on a plurality of rollers, a process of applying a release agent while rotating the mold belt, and a seamless belt while rotating the mold belt coated with the release agent A step of forming a film by applying the resin material, a step of solidifying the film while rotating the mold belt, a step of removing the tension after the film is solidified, and a mold of the solidified film A seamless belt molding method comprising: a peeling step for peeling from the belt.   The seamless belt molding method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the solidified film is peeled from the mold belt, the mold belt is easily peeled by bending the mold belt in a circumferential direction or a width direction.   The seamless belt molding according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mold belt is deformed in an inner circumferential direction and the solidified film is deformed in an outer circumferential direction to widen a peeling portion and peel off. Method.   A tension applying means for applying or removing tension to a mold belt installed on a plurality of rollers, a rotation driving means for rotating the mold belt around the roller, and a resin material for a seamless belt is applied to the mold belt. A material applying means for forming a film, a solidifying means for solidifying the film, and a peeling means for peeling the film solidified from the mold belt, wherein the tension is removed from the mold belt by the tension applying means. The seamless belt forming apparatus is characterized in that the solidified film is peeled off from the mold belt by the peeling means.   6. The seamless belt molding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a release treatment is performed on a surface of the mold belt.   Tension applying means for applying or removing tension to the mold belt installed on a plurality of rollers, rotation driving means for rotating the mold belt around the rollers, and mold release for applying a release agent to the mold belt Agent coating means, material coating means for applying a seamless belt resin material to the mold belt to form a film, solidifying means for solidifying the film, and peeling means for peeling the film solidified from the mold belt A seamless belt forming apparatus, wherein the solidified film is peeled off from the mold belt by the peeling means in a state where the tension is removed from the mold belt by the tension applying means.   The material of the said mold belt is a metal, The seamless belt shaping | molding apparatus of any one of Claims 5-7 characterized by the above-mentioned.

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