JP5093419B1 - Coating device, endless belt manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

A liquid removal failure in a smooth member is suppressed.
An application means for applying a liquid to the surface of the core body while relatively moving along the axial direction of the core body rotated by the rotation means, and the core body rotated by the rotation means A smooth member that smoothes the liquid at a contact portion that contacts the liquid applied to the surface of the core body and a cleaning member that contacts the contact portion while relatively moving along the axial direction Cleaning means for cleaning the contact portion by moving the cleaning member relatively from the base end side to the tip end side of the smoothing member while reciprocating relative to the portion along the axial direction. A coating apparatus provided.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a coating apparatus and an endless belt manufacturing method.

  Patent Document 1 includes a structure in which a spatula is pressed against a single roll-shaped cleaning member, a structure in which a spatula is held between a pair of roll-shaped cleaning members, and a pair of disk-shaped cleaning members. A configuration in which a spatula is sandwiched and washed is disclosed.

JP 2006-167516 A

  An object of the present invention is to suppress liquid removal failure in a smooth member.

  The invention according to claim 1 is an application means for applying a liquid to the surface of the core body while relatively moving along the axial direction of the core body rotated by the rotating means, and the core rotated by the rotating means. A smoothing member that smoothes the liquid at a contact portion that contacts the liquid applied to the surface of the core while moving relative to the body along the axial direction thereof, and a cleaning member that contacts the contact portion Cleaning means for cleaning the contact portion by moving the cleaning member relatively from the base end side to the tip end side of the smooth member while reciprocally moving along the axial direction relative to the contact portion. And a coating apparatus comprising:

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the cleaning means performs the reciprocating movement of the cleaning member and the relative movement of the cleaning member while changing a contact portion of the cleaning member with respect to the contact portion. It is a coating device.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the direction of movement of the cleaning member when the contact portion is changed is set to be the same direction as the relative movement direction of the cleaning member at the contact portion. It is a coating device of description.

  Invention of Claim 4 is a coating device of any one of Claims 1-3 in which the said cleaning member is strip | belt shape and an unused part is continuously supplied with respect to the said contact part.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the tip of the smooth member is formed with an inclined portion that gradually inclines in a direction away from the core toward the rear side in the relative movement direction of the smooth member. It is a coating device of any one of -4.

  Invention of Claim 6 is a coating device of any one of Claims 1-5 in which the said cleaning means has a supply part which supplies the solvent which melt | dissolves the said liquid to the said cleaning member.

  Invention of Claim 7 prepares the coating device of any one of Claims 1-6, the rotation process which rotates the said core body by the said rotation means, and the said core rotated by the said rotation means An application step of applying a liquid to the surface of the body by the application means and smoothing the liquid applied to the surface of the core at the contact portion of the smooth member; and after the application step, It is a manufacturing method of an endless belt provided with the hardening process which hardens the liquid, and the cleaning process which makes the cleaning member contact the contact part of the smooth member after the application process, and cleans the contact part.

  According to the structure of Claim 1 of this invention, compared with the case where the cleaning means in this structure is not provided, the removal defect of the liquid in a smooth member can be suppressed.

  According to the structure of Claim 2 of this invention, compared with the case where the contact part with respect to the contact part of a cleaning member is not changed, the replacement frequency of a cleaning member can be reduced.

  According to the structure of Claim 3 of this invention, compared with the case where the direction of a movement accompanying the change of the contact part in a cleaning member is a reverse direction with the relative movement direction of a cleaning member, the liquid removal defect in a smooth member can be suppressed. .

  According to the structure of Claim 4 of this invention, the contact part of a smooth member can be cleaned in the unused part of a cleaning member.

  According to the structure of Claim 5 of this invention, compared with the structure which does not have the inclination part in this structure, it can suppress that a liquid adheres to a smooth member.

  According to the structure of Claim 6 of this invention, compared with the structure which is not provided with the supply part in this structure, the removal defect of the liquid in a smooth member can be suppressed.

  According to the manufacturing method of the seventh aspect of the present invention, compared to the configuration not including the cleaning step in the manufacturing method, in the manufactured endless belt, variation in film thickness due to liquid removal failure in the smooth member occurs. Can be suppressed.

It is a front view which shows the structure of the coating device which concerns on this embodiment. It is a sectional side view which shows the structure of the coating device which concerns on this embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the braid | blade which concerns on this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the cleaning mechanism which concerns on this embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure of the cleaning mechanism which concerns on this embodiment. It is a side view which shows the structure of the cleaning mechanism which concerns on a modification. It is a side view which shows the structure of the cleaning mechanism which concerns on a modification.

  Below, an example of an embodiment concerning the present invention is described based on a drawing.

[Configuration of coating apparatus 10]
First, the configuration of the coating apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. 1 and 2 are a front view and a side sectional view, respectively, showing the configuration of the coating apparatus 10.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the coating apparatus 10 is an example of a liquid on a rotating unit 20 as an example of a rotating unit that rotates the core body 12, and a surface (outer peripheral surface) 12 </ b> A of the core body 12 rotated by the rotating unit 20. As an example of an application means for applying the resin solution 14, a blade 40 as an example of a smooth member for smoothing the resin solution 14 applied to the surface 12 </ b> A of the core 12, the application unit 30, and A moving mechanism 50 that moves the blade 40 and a cleaning mechanism 60 as an example of a cleaning unit that cleans the blade 40 are provided.

(Core 12)
The core body 12 is formed in a cylindrical shape or a columnar shape. Further, as the core body 12, a metal such as aluminum, nickel alloy, stainless steel or the like is used.

  Further, in the firing step in the manufacturing method described later, when the film made of the resin solution 14 formed on the surface 12A of the core body 12 is heated, the influence of a mixed product such as a solvent or water remaining in the film From the viewpoint of suppressing the swelling of the film due to the surface, it is desirable that the surface 12A of the core body 12 is roughened.

  When the surface 12A of the core body 12 is roughened, when the film formed on the core body 12 is heated, a residual solvent or water vapor generated from the film is slightly between the core body 12 and the film. Is released through a gap. This suppresses the swelling of the film. As a method for roughening the surface 12A of the core body 12, there are methods such as blasting, cutting, sandpaper peeling and the like.

  The length of the core body 12 in the axial direction needs to be equal to or larger than the width (axial length) of the intermediate transfer belt to be manufactured. It is desirable that the width is 3% or more and 40% or less longer than the width of the target intermediate transfer belt. The circumferential length of the core body 12 is equal to or slightly larger than the length of the intermediate transfer belt to be manufactured. The diameter (outer diameter) of the core body 12 is determined by the circumferential length of the core body 12.

(Rotating unit 20)
As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating unit 20 includes a support member 23 that rotatably supports both axial ends of the core body 12, and a drive unit 24 that rotationally drives the core body 12.

  Specifically, the support member 23 supports the core body 12 in a horizontal state. The rotating unit 20 is configured to rotate in one direction (arrow B direction) by the driving unit 24 in a state where the core body 12 is horizontal.

(Applying section 30)
As shown in FIG. 1, the application unit 30 includes a storage unit 32 that stores the resin solution 14, a discharge unit 36 that discharges the resin solution 14 from the nozzle 34 toward the surface 12 </ b> A of the core body 12, and a storage unit 32. And a supply unit 38 for supplying the resin solution 14 stored in the discharge unit 36 to the discharge unit 36.

  The supply section 38 is a supply pipe 38A connected to the storage section 32 and the discharge section 36, and a liquid supply section that supplies the resin solution 14 stored in the storage section 32 toward the discharge section 36 through the supply pipe 38A. And a pump 38B.

  In the application unit 30, the resin solution 14 stored in the storage unit 32 is sent to the discharge unit 36 by the pump 38 </ b> B, and the resin solution 14 sent to the discharge unit 36 passes from the nozzle 34 of the discharge unit 36 to the surface of the core body 12. It is discharged toward 12A.

(Resin solution 14)
As the resin solution 14, for example, a solution of polyimide resin (hereinafter referred to as PI) or polyamideimide resin (hereinafter referred to as PAI) is used in terms of strength, dimensional stability, heat resistance, and the like. As PI or PAI, various known ones can be used. For example, in the case of PI, a precursor solution thereof is used. The resin solution 14 is not limited to these.

  The PI precursor solution can be obtained by reacting a tetracarboxylic dianhydride and a diamine component in a solvent. Although the kind in particular of each component is not restrict | limited, What is obtained by making an aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydride and an aromatic diamine component react is preferable from the point of film strength.

  Typical examples of the aromatic tetracarboxylic acid include pyromellitic dianhydride, 3,3 ′, 4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride, and 3,3 ′, 4,4′-benzophenone. Tetracarboxylic dianhydride, 2,3,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride, 2,3,6,7-naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride, 1,2,5,6-naphthalenetetra Examples thereof include carboxylic dianhydrides, 2,2-bis (3,4-dicarboxyphenyl) ether dianhydrides, tetracarboxylic acid esters thereof, and mixtures of the above tetracarboxylic acids.

  Examples of the aromatic diamine component include paraphenylenediamine, metaphenylenediamine, 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether, 4,4′-diaminophenylmethane, benzidine, 3,3′-dimethoxybenzidine, and 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl. Examples include propane and 2,2-bis [4- (4-aminophenoxy) phenyl] propane.

  On the other hand, PAI is an acid anhydride such as trimellitic anhydride, ethylene glycol bisanhydro trimellitate, propylene glycol bisanhydro trimellitate, pyromellitic acid anhydride, benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid anhydride, 3, 3 It can be obtained by combining the above diamine with ', 4,4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic anhydride and the like and subjecting it to a polycondensation reaction in an equimolar amount. Since PAI has an amide group, it is easily dissolved in a solvent even if the imidization reaction proceeds, so that 100% imidized is preferable.

  As the solvent (solvent) contained in the resin solution, an aprotic polar solvent such as N-methylpyrrolidone, N, N-dimethylacetamide or acetamide is used. The concentration and viscosity of the solution are not limited. For example, the solid content concentration of the solution is 10% by mass to 40% by mass, and the viscosity of the liquid is 1 Pa · s to 100 Pa · s.

  Conductive particles may be added to the resin solution as necessary. Examples of the conductive particles dispersed in the resin solution include carbon-based materials such as carbon black, carbon fiber, carbon nanotube, and graphite, metals or alloys such as copper, silver, and aluminum, tin oxide, indium oxide, and antimony oxide. Examples thereof include conductive metal oxides and whiskers such as potassium titanate. Among these, carbon black is particularly preferable from the viewpoints of dispersion stability in liquid, expression of semiconductivity, price, and the like.

  As a method for dispersing the conductive particles, a known method such as a ball mill, a sand mill (bead mill), a jet mill (counter collision type disperser), or the like can be used. As a dispersion aid, a surfactant, a leveling agent, or the like may be added. The dispersion concentration of the conductive particles is preferably 10 parts or more and 40 parts or less, and particularly preferably 15 parts or more and 35 parts or less with respect to 100 parts (parts by mass) of the resin component.

(Blade 40)
As shown in FIG. 2, the blade 40 is formed in a plate shape and is made of a metal such as stainless steel (SUS). The blade 40 has a flat portion 42 as an example of a contact portion that comes into contact with the resin solution 14 applied to the surface 12A of the core body 12. Specifically, the flat portion 42 is the upper surface of the blade 40 that comes into contact with the lower surface of the core body 12, and the tip portion (the right end portion in FIG. 2) of the flat portion 42 comes into contact with the core body 12. It has become.

  The blade 40 is configured to smooth the resin solution 14 by bringing the flat portion 42 into contact with the surface 12 </ b> A of the core body 12 to smooth the resin solution 14. Thereby, the film thickness of the coating film formed with the resin solution 14 falls within an allowable range.

  The blade 40 swings between a contact position that contacts the core body 12 (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2) and a separation position that is spaced from the core body 12 (a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2). The support portion 44 is movably supported. The blade 40 is oriented in the horizontal direction at the contact position, and the tip is directed downward at the separated position. The blade 40 is pressed against the core body 12 with a predetermined pressure (load) at the contact position.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3A, the blade 40 of the present embodiment has a rear side in the moving direction (X direction) from one end portion of the core body 12 to the other end portion, as shown in FIG. An inclined portion 40 </ b> A is formed that is gradually inclined in the direction away from the core body 12 toward the −X direction side. That is, the blade 40 has a portion 40B along the axial direction of the core body 12 on the front side (X direction side) of the moving direction of the blade 40, and the inclined portion 40A on the rear side (−X direction of the moving direction of the blade 40). Side). In the blade 40, the pressure (load) applied to the resin solution 14 due to the pressing of the blade 40 is gradually reduced by the inclined portion 40A toward the rear side (−X direction side) of the moving direction of the blade 40. It has become. In the inclined portion 40A, the (resin solution 14) pressure (load) with respect to the core body 12 only needs to be gradually relaxed toward the rear side (−X direction side) of the moving direction of the blade 40. The entire portion 40A need not be separated from the surface 12A of the core body 12.

  3B, in addition to the portion 40B and the inclined portion 40A along the axial direction of the core body 12, the blade 40 moves in the moving direction of the blade 40 (the axial direction of the core body 12). A configuration having a vertical part (step part) 40C may be employed.

(Movement mechanism 50)
The moving mechanism 50 includes, for example, a support unit (not shown) that supports the discharge unit 36 and the blade 40, and moves the support unit in the axial direction of the core body 12 using a mechanical element such as a ball screw or a belt. It is configured as follows.

  As a result, the discharge unit 36 discharges the resin solution 14 toward the surface 12 </ b> A of the core body 12 while the discharge unit 36 and the blade 40 move integrally along the axial direction of the core body 12 rotated by the rotating unit 20. Then, the resin solution 14 is applied in a spiral shape, and the blade 40 is made smooth by the resin solution 14. Thereby, the coating film of the resin solution 14 is formed on the surface 12A of the core body 12.

  The moving mechanism 50 may be configured to move the discharge unit 36 and the blade 40 relative to the core body 12. For example, instead of the discharge unit 36 and the blade 40, the core body 12 is moved in the axial direction. The structure which moves and apply | coats the resin solution 14 may be sufficient.

(Cleaning mechanism 60)
As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning mechanism 60 is disposed on one end side in the axial direction of the core body 12 (the application end side with respect to the core body 12). As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cleaning mechanism 60 includes a moving body 62 that is movable along the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the blade 40 that is located at a separated position where the tip portion faces downward, and the moving body 62. And a belt-like (sheet-like) cleaning member 64 that contacts the flat portion 42 of the blade 40. Specifically, the cleaning member 64 is made of a nonwoven fabric, for example. The moving body 62 is moved using, for example, a mechanical element such as a ball screw or a belt.

  Further, the moving body 62 has an unwinding portion 66 for unwinding the cleaning member 64, a winding portion 70 for winding the cleaning member 64 unwound from the unwinding portion 66, and the unwinding portion 66 and the winding portion 70. And a support roll 68 as an example of a support portion that supports the cleaning member 64.

  The unwinding portion 66 is formed of a shaft body and is provided on the moving body 62 so as to be rotatable. A cleaning member 64 is wound around the unwinding portion 66 in a plurality of windings in an initial state. Similarly to the unwinding portion 66, the winding portion 70 is also formed of a shaft body and is provided on the moving body 62 so as to be rotatable. When the winding unit 70 is rotated in one direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 5) by the driving unit 71, the cleaning member 64 is pulled and the cleaning member 64 is unwound from the unwinding unit 66, and the cleaning member 64 is wound up by the winding unit 70.

  The support roll 68 is rotatably supported by the moving body 62. The cleaning member 64 is wound around the support roll 68 in the path of the cleaning member 64 sent from the unwinding unit 66 to the winding unit 70. Further, the support roll 68 supports the portion of the cleaning member 64 wound around the support roll 68 at a position in contact with the flat portion 42 of the blade 40 located at the separated position so as to project from the moving body 62. Yes. Further, the support roll 68 is configured to rotate following the cleaning member 64 sent toward the winding unit 70.

  In the cleaning mechanism 60, the cleaning member 64 is wound up by the winding unit 70, so that the unused portion of the cleaning member 64 is removed from the unwinding unit 66 while the tension is applied to the cleaning member 64. Forty planes 42 are continuously supplied. That is, the unwinding unit 66 functions as a supply unit that supplies the cleaning member 64. Further, the cleaning member 64 continuously supplied toward the flat portion 42 of the blade 40 is collected by the winding unit 70.

  In addition, the structure which the cleaning member 64 is unwound from the unwinding part 66 by rotationally driving the unwinding part 66 by a drive part may be sufficient. In this configuration, the drive unit of the unwinding unit 66 and the winding unit 70 are fed so that the cleaning member 64 is sent from the unwinding unit 66 to the winding unit 70 in a state where tension is applied to the cleaning member 64. The drive control with the drive unit 71 is performed.

  Further, the support roll 68 is supported by the moving body 62 so as to be movable in the axial direction of the support roll 68. The support roll 68 is provided with a drive unit 69 that reciprocates the support roll 68 along its axial direction. The driving member 69 causes the support roll 68 to reciprocate along the axial direction thereof, so that the cleaning member 64 reciprocates along the axial direction (X direction) of the core body 12 with respect to the flat portion 42 of the blade 40. It is supposed to be.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the cleaning member 64, the unwinding part 66, the support roll 68, and the winding part 70 move integrally with the moving body 62 in the Y direction. That is, the moving body 62 moves along the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the blade 40, so that the cleaning member 64 extends along the longitudinal direction (Y direction) of the blade 40 from the proximal end side of the blade 40 to the distal end portion. Move to the side. That is, in the present embodiment, the cleaning member 64 moves from the proximal end side to the distal end side of the blade 40 while reciprocating with respect to the blade 40 along the axial direction (X direction) of the core body 12. The flat portion 42 of the blade 40 is cleaned (wiped).

  Further, the support roll 68 rotates following the cleaning member 64 sent toward the winding unit 70, so that the cleaning member 64 rotates at the contact portion with the flat portion 42 of the blade 40 (Y direction). The reciprocating movement (movement in the X direction) and the relative movement (movement in the Y direction) of the cleaning member 64 are performed. That is, the reciprocating movement (X direction movement) and the relative movement (Y direction movement) of the cleaning member 64 are performed while changing the contact portion of the cleaning member 64 with the flat portion 42. The rotation (movement) of the cleaning member 64 at the contact portion with the flat surface portion 42 of the blade 40 is set to be the same direction as the relative movement direction (Y direction) of the cleaning member 64.

  Further, the moving body 62 is provided with a supply unit 72 that supplies a solvent for dissolving (diluting) the resin solution 14 to the cleaning member 64. As a solvent for dissolving the resin solution 14, for example, a solvent (solvent) contained in the resin solution 14 is used. Specifically, the supply unit 72 discharges the solvent to the portion of the cleaning member 64 after being unwound from the unwinding unit 66 and before the support roll 68 is wound.

  As described above, an aprotic polar solvent such as N-methylpyrrolidone, N, N-dimethylacetamide, or acetamide is used as the solvent (solvent) contained in the resin solution 14.

[Method of manufacturing intermediate transfer belt]
Next, a method for manufacturing an intermediate transfer belt used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus will be described as an example of a method for manufacturing an endless belt. The endless belt is not limited to the intermediate transfer belt, and may be, for example, a sheet conveying belt that conveys a sheet, and may be an endless belt.

  In this manufacturing method, first, the coating apparatus 10 is prepared (preparation process). Next, the core body 12 supported by the support member 23 in the rotation unit 20 of the coating apparatus 10 is rotated by the drive unit 24 of the rotation unit 20 (rotation process).

  The resin solution 14 is applied by discharging the resin solution 14 from the discharge unit 36 of the applying unit 30 to the surface 12A of the core 12 rotating by the rotating unit 20 and applied to the surface 12A of the core 12. The obtained resin solution 14 is smoothed by the flat portion 42 of the blade 40 (application process). Specifically, the flat portion 42 of the blade 40 smoothes the resin solution 14 at a portion 40B along the axial direction of the core body 12. The inclined portion 40A passes through the portion of the resin solution 14 smoothed by the portion 40B, so that the pressure (load) applied to the resin solution 14 due to the pressing of the blade 40 is changed to the rear side in the moving direction of the blade 40 ( -X direction side) is gradually relaxed.

  Next, the resin solution 14 is cured (curing process). Specifically, in this curing step, the resin solution 14 applied to the core body 12 is dried to form a film on the surface 12A of the core body 12, and the film formed in the drying process is heated. And a firing step of firing.

  In the case where PAI is used as the resin solution 14, a necessary film is formed only by the drying process, so that the firing process is not necessary. Accordingly, the curing step may be a case where there is no firing step.

  Next, the film fired in the curing step is removed from the core body 12 (removal step). Thereby, an intermediate transfer belt is obtained. At that time, it is easy to remove the pressure by blowing compressed air into the gap at the end of the film to release the adhesion between the film and the core body 12. Since the end portion of the obtained film has defects such as wrinkles and uneven film thickness, unnecessary portions are cut to form an intermediate transfer belt. The intermediate transfer belt may be subjected to drilling or ribbing as necessary.

  The intermediate transfer belt obtained by the above production method is a transfer body on which an image is transferred from a photoreceptor and the like and transferred to a recording medium, and is used in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser printer.

  In the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, after the coating process, before the coating process in the next manufacturing process, the planar portion 42 of the blade 40 is cleaned using the cleaning mechanism 60 (cleaning process). If the cleaning process is performed after the coating process and before the coating process in the next manufacturing process, it may be performed in parallel with the curing process or the removal process. The process order is not questioned. Specifically, the cleaning process is performed as follows.

  First, after the coating process, the blade 40 swings toward a separated position where the tip portion is directed downward (see a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2), and is moved toward the cleaning mechanism 60 by the moving mechanism 50 in FIG. Move in the X direction (see FIG. 1). When the blade 40 reaches a position where the flat portion 42 of the blade 40 contacts the cleaning member 64, the movement of the blade 40 in the X direction stops.

  Next, while the winding unit 70 rotated by the driving unit 71 winds the cleaning member 64, the support roll 68 driven by the driving unit 69 reciprocates along the axial direction (X direction). The moving body 62 moves from the proximal end side of the blade 40 to the distal end side (Y direction side).

  A solvent that dissolves the resin solution 14 is supplied from the supply unit 72 to the cleaning member 64. When the winding unit 70 winds up the cleaning member 64, the portion of the cleaning member 64 to which the solvent is supplied moves continuously to a position where it contacts the flat surface 42 of the blade 40.

  The cleaning member 64 reciprocates along the X direction with respect to the blade 40 by the reciprocating movement along the axial direction (X direction) of the support roll 68 and the movement of the moving body 62 toward the Y direction. While moving from the base end side of the blade 40 to the tip end side, the flat portion 42 of the blade 40 is cleaned (wiped).

[Operation of this embodiment]
In the present embodiment, as described above, the cleaning member 64 moves in two directions, the X direction and the Y direction, with respect to the blade 40 to clean (wipe) the flat portion 42 of the blade 40. For this reason, compared with the case where the cleaning member 64 moves only in one direction, the remaining amount of wiping of the resin solution 14 is small, and defective removal of the resin solution 14 in the blade 40 is suppressed.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the cleaning member 64 rotates at the contact portion with the blade 40 and cleans the flat portion 42 of the blade 40, the contact portion with the blade 40 in the cleaning member 64 changes. Thereby, compared with the case where the flat part 42 of the braid | blade 40 is cleaned in the same part of the cleaning member 64, the lifetime of the cleaning member 64 becomes long and the replacement frequency of the cleaning member 64 is reduced.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the rotation direction (Y direction) in the contact part of the cleaning member 64 is the same as the relative movement direction (Y direction) by the moving body 62 of the cleaning member 64, this direction is a reverse direction. Compared to a certain case, the removal failure of the resin solution 14 in the blade 40 is suppressed. That is, in the comparative example in which the rotation direction at the contact portion of the cleaning member 64 is opposite to the relative movement direction (Y direction) of the cleaning member 64 by the moving body 62, the cleaning is performed by the rotation at the contact portion of the cleaning member 64. There is a possibility that the resin solution 14 wiped by the member 64 may be reattached to the base end side (upward) of the blade 40. On the other hand, in this embodiment, there is little possibility that the resin solution 14 wiped off by the cleaning member 64 is reattached to the base end side (upward) of the blade 40.

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning member 64 is unwound from the unwinding portion 66, so that the cleaning member 64 is continuously supplied to the flat portion 42 of the blade 40. For this reason, the unused part (new part) of the cleaning member 64 is always in contact with the blade 40 and the removal failure of the resin solution 14 in the blade 40 is suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the pressure (load) applied to the resin solution 14 due to the pressing of the blade 40 by the inclined portion 40 </ b> A of the blade 40 gradually toward the rear side (−X direction side) of the moving direction of the blade 40. To be relaxed. For this reason, since the resin solution 14 attached to the blade 40 moves away from the blade 40 to the core body 12, the resin solution 14 hardly remains on the flat portion 42 of the blade 40. That is, the resin solution 14 is suppressed from adhering to the flat portion 42 of the blade 40.

  In the present embodiment, the cleaning member 64 to which the solvent for dissolving the resin solution 14 is supplied cleans the flat portion 42 of the blade 40, so that the resin solution 14 has a high wiping effect, and the resin solution 14 in the blade 40 has a high wiping effect. Removal failure is suppressed.

  As described above, in this manufacturing method, since the defective removal of the resin solution 14 in the blade 40 is suppressed, in the intermediate transfer belt manufactured after the cleaning of the blade 40, the film resulting from the defective removal of the resin solution 14 in the blade 40 is obtained. Occurrence of thickness variations is suppressed.

[Modification]
In the present embodiment, the cleaning member 64 is unwound from the unwinding portion 66 and wound by the winding portion 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cleaning member is as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the cleaning member 164 may be configured in an annular shape. In this configuration, in addition to the support roll 68, a support roll 67 is provided on the moving body 62. A cleaning member 164 is wound around the pair of support rolls 67 and 68. Then, at least one of the pair of support rolls 67 and 68 is rotationally driven in the C direction by a drive unit (not shown), so that the cleaning member 164 circulates in the D direction. That is, in the configuration shown in FIG. 6, while the cleaning member 164 circulates, the support roll 68 driven by the drive unit 69 reciprocates along the axial direction (X direction), and the moving body 62 of the blade 40 It is configured to move from the proximal end side to the distal end side (Y direction side).

  Moreover, as a cleaning member, as FIG. 7 shows, the cleaning member 264 formed in roll shape may be sufficient. The roll-shaped cleaning member 264 is made of a porous material such as a sponge, for example. In this configuration, the cleaning member 264 is driven to rotate in the C direction by a drive unit (not shown), and reciprocates along the axial direction (X direction) while moving from the proximal end side of the blade 40 to the distal end portion. It is configured to move to the side (Y direction side).

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although the supply part 72 which supplies the solvent which melt | dissolves the resin solution 14 to the cleaning member 64 was provided, the structure which does not have the supply part 72 may be sufficient. In this case, the cleaning member 64 may be preliminarily impregnated with a solvent.

  In the present embodiment, the blade 40 has a configuration including the inclined portion 40A. However, the blade 40 may have a configuration that does not include the inclined portion 40A, for example, a rectangular configuration.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications, changes, and improvements can be made. For example, the modification examples described above may be appropriately combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Application | coating apparatus 12 Core 20 Rotation part (an example of a rotation means)
30 application part (an example of application means)
40 blade (an example of a smooth member)
40A inclined part 42 plane part (an example of a contact part)
60 Cleaning mechanism (an example of cleaning means)
64 Cleaning member 72 Supply section

Claims (7)

Application means for applying a liquid to the surface of the core body while relatively moving along the axial direction of the core body rotated by the rotation means;
A smooth member that smoothes the liquid at a contact portion that contacts the liquid applied to the surface of the core body, while relatively moving along the axial direction with respect to the core body rotated by the rotating means;
While moving the cleaning member in contact with the contact portion reciprocally along the axial direction relative to the contact portion, the cleaning member is relatively moved from the proximal end side to the distal end side of the smooth member. A cleaning means for cleaning the contact portion;
A coating apparatus comprising:   The coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning unit performs the reciprocating movement of the cleaning member and the relative movement of the cleaning member while changing a contact portion of the cleaning member with respect to the contact portion.   The coating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a direction of movement associated with the change of the contact portion in the cleaning member is set to be the same direction as a relative movement direction of the cleaning member in the contact portion.   The said cleaning member is a strip | belt shape, The coating device of any one of Claims 1-3 by which an unused part is continuously supplied with respect to the said contact part.   The inclined part which inclines in the direction which leaves | separates gradually from the said core body toward the back side of the relative movement direction of this smooth member is formed in the front-end | tip part of the said smooth member. The coating apparatus as described in.   The said cleaning means is a coating device of any one of Claims 1-5 which has a supply part which supplies the solvent which melt | dissolves the said liquid to the said cleaning member. A rotating step of preparing the coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and rotating the core body by the rotating means;
A liquid is applied to the surface of the core body rotated by the rotating means by the application means, and the liquid applied to the surface of the core body is smoothed by the contact portion of the smooth member. Application process;
After the coating step, a curing step for curing the liquid;
After the application step, a cleaning step of cleaning the contact portion by bringing the cleaning member into contact with the contact portion of the smooth member;
Of manufacturing an endless belt.