JP5243678B2 - Manufacturing method of developer amount regulating blade - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a developer amount regulating blade for regulating the amount of developer used to develop and visualize an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier in a developing device .

  FIG. 4 shows a schematic configuration of the developing device. For example, a one-component developer 46 (also referred to as toner) in the developer container 42 is pressed against a developer image carrier 43 (also referred to as a developing sleeve or a developing roller) by an elastic roller 45 that rotates in the c direction. Thereafter, by rotating the developer image carrier 43 in the b direction, the developer is carried out to the electrophotographic photosensitive member 41 that rotates in the a direction. In such a mechanism, a blade member 47 of a developer amount regulating blade 44 is in contact with the developer image carrier 43, and the amount of developer carried out is regulated to form a developer thin film. At the same time, a predetermined triboelectric charge (also called tribo) is applied to the developer at the contact portion.

  The developer amount regulating blade is generally formed from a rubber plate, a metallic thin plate, a resin plate, and a laminate thereof. The developer amount regulating blade is made of a blade member pressed against the developer carrier and a support member that supports the blade member at a predetermined position, and the surface of the blade member that is pressed against the developer carrier is Since it has a function of controlling the triboelectric charge of the developer, it is also called a charge control surface. In addition, the surface layer of the charge control surface may be referred to as a charge control layer.

  As the blade member used for the negative toner, for example, a plate material such as urethane rubber, urethane resin, polyamide elastomer or the like is used. Further, as the developer amount regulating blade used for the positive toner, a blade obtained by laminating a charge imparting layer such as silicon rubber with charge control on a metal thin plate is used.

  Furthermore, for the non-magnetic toner used for forming a color image, since the toner itself does not have magnetism, a high triboelectric charge must be given to the toner to form a thin film on the developing sleeve or developing roller. In this case, examples of the material used for the charge control layer include urethane rubber, polyamide resin, polyamide elastomer, silicon rubber, and silicon resin, and the charge control surface is finished with high surface accuracy.

  In recent years, in high-quality and full-color developing devices using an electrophotographic process, since fine toner is used, it has been required to more uniformly press the toner to the developing sleeve and the developing roller. In particular, image defects such as image unevenness and streaks may occur due to the influence of the surface roughness of the charge control surface.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-050185 proposes a blade member made of polyamide elastomer or polyamide resin as a negative toner, and a method of using a mold having a mirror surface is described as a manufacturing method. Similarly, in the case of a blade member made of urethane rubber, an example in which a charge control surface is molded by die surface transfer has been reported. However, when the method described in the publication is adopted, the surface property of the charge control surface depends on the mold mirror surface maintenance management, and there is a possibility that the quality of the product may vary due to the management.

  Similarly, in the positive toner, in the developing material amount regulating blade member such as thermosetting silicone rubber and urethane rubber, the maintenance management of the molding die surface is an important quality management item.

Problems to be solved by the invention

  However, although the developer is transported using the developer amount regulating blade manufactured by strictly controlling the quality as described above, the following problems may occur. That is, the wear of the blade member becomes uneven and the durability may be insufficient. In some cases, the contact pressure of the blade member with respect to the developer carrying member cannot be accurately controlled. In particular, the contact pressure tends to be too strong for fine toner particles such as color toner.

In view of such a situation, in the present invention, the amount of developer used in a developer control method in which the blade member is uniformly worn and the contact pressure is accurately controlled to achieve an appropriate pressure on the toner particles. It is an object to provide a method for manufacturing a regulating blade . Another object of the present invention is to suppress image defects such as streaks and unevenness caused by a developer by using a developing device employing this method.

Means for solving the problem

[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the present invention for achieving the above object, in the method of manufacturing a developer amount regulating blade for regulating the amount of developer carried out from the developer container by the developer carrier,
On the surface transfer sheet on the charge control surface, the blade member material is extruded and solidified to a uniform film thickness.
Producing a raid member;
A step of laminating and laminating a support member on a surface that is not the charge control surface of the blade member;
There is provided a method for producing a developer amount regulating blade , comprising a step of cutting the laminate into a shape of a developer amount regulating blade which is a final shape .

  The inventors of the present invention have studied the mechanism that causes the above-described problems when a conventional developer amount regulating blade is used as follows.

  That is, FIG. 2 schematically shows a conventional developer amount regulating blade 12. 2A shows a state where the developer amount regulating blade 12 is not pressed against the developer gripping body 14, and FIG. 2B shows a state where the developer amount regulating blade 12 is pressed against the developer carrying body 14. Is shown. In FIG. 2A, the developer amount regulating blade 12 includes a blade member 10 and a support member 11, and is fixed to the developer container 13 via an attachment member 17 with a fixing point 15 as an axis.

  When such a developer amount regulating blade 12 is brought into pressure contact with the developer carrier 14, the developer amount regulating blade 12 is curved as shown in FIG. 2B, and the developer on the developer carrier 14. A pressing force F is applied to (not shown).

  Here, as a result of observing in detail the shape of the developer amount regulating blade 12 when the conventional developer amount regulating blade 12 is in pressure contact with the developer carrier 14, the developer amount regulating blade 12 is not uniformly curved as a whole, but is a developer amount regulating blade in a portion where the blade member 10 is not bonded by the support member 11 and in the vicinity of the end of the blade member 10 by the support member 11. It was found that 12 may be bent.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, in the conventional developer amount regulating blade 12, since the blade member 10 is usually provided only at the end of the support member 11 and in the vicinity of the pressure contact 16, the support member 11 includes a portion laminated with the blade member 10 and a portion not laminated. For this reason, the developer amount regulating blade 12 is considered to be bent without being uniformly bent.

In contrast, in the developer amount regulating blade according to the manufacturing method of the present invention, at least the blade member and the support member are laminated in the same shape as the developer amount regulating blade.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of such a developer amount regulating blade in FIG. 3A as a plan view and FIG. 3B as a cross-sectional view. The blade member 30 and the support member 31 are laminated and bonded on the entire surface of the developer amount regulating blade, and the planar shape of the blade member 30 and the support member 31 is the same as the planar shape of the developer amount regulating blade.

  In FIG. 1, a developer amount regulating blade 22 produced by laminating a support member 21 and a blade member 20 is fixed to a developer container 23 at a fixing point 25, and a pressure contact 26 is attached to a developer carrier 24. The state of being pressed and exerting the pressure F is shown.

  At this time, since the end portion where the blade member is pasted is present at both ends of the developer amount regulating blade, the fulcrum of moment with respect to the force required for the developer amount regulating blade to rub against the developer carrying member, It does not occur in the middle of the developer amount regulating blade. As a result, due to the material difference between the blade member and its support member, the concentration of force that causes the developer amount regulating blade to be bent in the middle is suppressed, and the developer amount regulating blade is curved almost uniformly as a whole. . As a result, it is considered that uneven wear of the blade member can be suppressed.

  Further, since the blade member is bonded to the entire surface of the support member, the entire curve of the developer regulating blade 22 becomes gentle. In other words, since the blade member 20 exists up to the end opposite to the rubbing end (fixed point 25 side), a moment generated corresponding to the pressure contact force acts on the rubbing portion via the long arm. Thus, it is considered that the pressure contact force acts slowly and efficiently on the developer particles.

As a result, uniform wear of the blade member can be realized. In addition, it is possible to achieve an appropriate pressure on the toner particles by accurately controlling the pressure contact force. As a result, by disposing the developer amount regulating blade according to the manufacturing method of the present invention, image defects such as streaks and unevenness due to the developer can be suppressed even when, for example, a one-component developer is used.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.

  As described above, when the developer amount regulating blade has a full surface laminated structure, when a pressure contact force is applied, the developer amount regulating blade presses the developer carrier while further bending after pressing against the developer carrier. . At this time, rebound resilience by the developer amount regulating blade acts, but the present inventors consider that the total elasticity of the blade member and the support member contributes to the pressure contact force.

  In order to make the strength of contact with the developer carrying member such as the developing sleeve appropriate, it is preferable to analyze the characteristics of the developer amount regulating blade in an actual use state. Therefore, for example, the apparent Young's modulus (Ea) of the developer amount regulating blade is measured using an apparatus as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 9, the end on one side is fixed by the chuck 92 so as to reproduce the state where the developer amount regulating blade 91 is fixed to the developer container, and the other end is the developer amount regulating blade 91. Is in contact with the stage 93 so as to reproduce the state of being in counter contact with the developer carrying member. Here, the chuck 92 is moved so as to reproduce the state in which the developer amount regulating blade 91 is disposed and used in the developing device, and the developer amount regulating blade 91 is bent so that the amount of deflection of the developer amount regulating blade 91 becomes δ (mm). Further, the contact force T (kN) applied to the stage is measured by the detector 94. Further, in addition to the deflection amount δ (mm) and the contact force T (kN), the length of the developer amount regulating blade 91 in the longitudinal direction (mm), width (mm) and thickness (mm) can be The apparent Young's modulus Ea (kN / mm ² ) is calculated from the spring theory.

The apparent Young's modulus Ea (kN / mm ² ) measured in this way reflects the characteristics of the developer amount regulating blade in a state where the developer amount regulating blade is actually disposed in the developing device. it is conceivable that.

Specifically, when measuring the contact force T as 0.49 N, preferably the apparent Young's modulus Ea of 140kN / mm ² or more, more preferably 150 kN / mm ² or more, whereas, preferably 170kN / mm ² or less 160 kN / mm ² or less is more preferable.

If the apparent Young's modulus Ea is 140 kN / mm ² or more, sufficient triboelectric charging of the developer can be realized, and the developer can be prevented from slipping out. Further, if the apparent Young's modulus Ea is 170 kN / mm ² or less, it is possible to achieve an appropriate pressure contact with the developer carrying member of the developer amount regulating blade, the amount of developer conveyed can be within an appropriate range, and high A quality image can be obtained. Further, the durability of the developer amount regulating blade and the developer carrier is also improved.

  The developer (toner) particles are located between the blade member and the developer carrying member, and if the blade member is too thin, the blade member having more variability may be pushed back. On the contrary, when the developer amount regulating blade is too thick, the repulsion by the toner particles is insufficient and there is a possibility that sufficient charging cannot be performed.

  In addition to the thickness of the blade member, the pressure contact behavior of the toner is also affected by the elasticity of the blade member, the thickness of the support member, and the rigidity of the support member. Similarly, the total thickness of the developer regulating blade is an important factor.

  From the above viewpoints, the thickness of the blade member is preferably 1 μm or more, more preferably 10 μm or more, and in some cases 50 μm or more in order to realize a sufficient function as a blade, or 100 μm or more. In some cases. On the other hand, in order to achieve appropriate contact, uniformly charge the developer particles, and suppress wear, the thickness is preferably 300 μm or less, more preferably 100 μm or less, and even more preferably 50 μm or less.

  Further, from the same viewpoint, the thickness of the support member is preferably 50 μm or more, more preferably 80 μm or more, still more preferably 90 μm or more, most preferably 100 μm or more, while 150 μm or less is preferable.

  Further, from the same viewpoint, the total thickness of the developer amount regulating blade is preferably the sum of the thickness of the blade member as described above and the thickness of the support member as described above, for example, 51 μm or more and 450 μm or less. Is preferred.

  In addition, from the same viewpoint, the blade member is preferably made of urethane rubber, polyamide resin, polyamide elastomer, silicon rubber, silicon resin, etc., and the support member is a metal flat plate, a resin flat plate, more specifically, It is preferable to produce from a stainless steel plate, phosphor bronze plate, aluminum plate or the like. In order to realize predetermined charging performance or the like, an additive such as a conductive material can be added to the main material of the blade member. In addition, the support member and the blade member can be bonded by, for example, an adhesive such as hot melt.

  The developer amount regulating blade as described above is produced by extruding and solidifying the blade member raw material to a uniform film thickness on the surface transfer sheet of the charge control surface; the charge control surface of the obtained blade member; Laminate the support member on the surface that is not, and paste it; cut the resulting laminate into the shape of the developer amount regulating blade, which is the final shape, with a press, a cutter, etc., and manufacture it accurately and with good productivity Can do.

  FIG. 6A shows an example of a method for producing a developer amount regulating blade using the roll coater method. First, the sheet for surface transfer 64 is mounted on the roll 62, the raw material 65 of the blade member is fed from the nozzle 61, and after passing through the gaps of the rolls 62 and 63 adjusted to a predetermined interval, the raw material 65 is dried and solidified. . As a result, a blade member in which the charge control surface is covered with the surface transfer sheet is obtained.

  Here, the surface of the roll 63 disposed on the raw material 65 side of the blade member is preferably a rough surface.

  That is, the surface of the roll on the side opposite to the surface transfer sheet and in contact with the raw material of the blade member is roughened. In this case, of both surfaces of the obtained blade member, the surface to be bonded to the support member is roughened. As a result, the contact surface area is increased, and a large adhesive force is obtained between the blade member and the support member due to the anchor effect. From such a viewpoint, the ten-point average roughness (Rz) of the rough surface is preferably 1.5 μm or more.

  The rough surface of the roll surface may be embossed with various patterns, or a scratch pattern may be formed. Such a surface can be obtained by etching and mechanical roughening. It should be noted that roughening that affects the surface property of the blade member on the surface transfer sheet side (charge control surface) is avoided, and the ten-point average roughness (Rz) of the rough surface is preferably 5.0 μm or less. .

  The rough surface roll is not necessarily metallic and may be a heat-resistant material. For example, a silicone rubber roll having a roughened surface is effective. Ceramics can also be used, and if there is a concern about brittleness, a reinforcing coat may be applied to the surface.

  In addition, after bonding a blade member and a supporting member, heating etc. can be performed and a stronger adhesiveness can be implement | achieved.

  Moreover, as the sheet for surface transfer, a film formed from a polyester resin, a polyamide resin, a polyolefin resin, a copolymer thereof, an alloy thereof, or the like can be used. Among them, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene A film formed of at least one selected from -2,6-naphthalate, copolymers thereof, and composites is preferable.

  Next, an adhesive coating film is formed on the surface opposite to the side coated with the surface transfer sheet, and then bonded to the support member to produce a laminated structure. And the obtained laminated body is cut into a predetermined shape by punching or the like.

  It should be noted that the blade member and the support member can be continuously bonded by an apparatus as shown in FIG. That is, a multilayer sheet including the blade member 71 and the surface transfer sheet 72 is supplied to the roll 75 via the roll 76, and an adhesive is applied from the spray 74 to the surface to which the support member of the blade member 71 is bonded. Thereafter, while supplying the support member 73 from the roll 77, the support member 73 is bonded to the blade member 71, and the obtained laminate is wound around the roll 78.

  In the manufacturing method as described above, unlike the blade member formed with a mold or the like, the raw material for the blade member is deposited on the surface transfer sheet, and the surface surface of the sheet for surface transfer is replicated on the blade member. .

  In the case of a mold surface, the surface state is made a mirror surface by polishing and buffing. However, it may be necessary to take several steps before the presence of micro irregularities and grooves becomes out of question. On the other hand, in the case of a sheet for surface transfer, the necessary flatness of the charge control surface (preferably Rz is 3.5 μm or less, more preferably 1.0 μm or less, further preferably 0.3 μm or less) is easily realized. be able to. As a result, the developer amount regulating blade can be accurately manufactured with good productivity.

  Further, in the fine structure of the charge control surface, it is important that it is smooth. Even if it is measured as a relatively coarse numerical value for the macro, it may be smooth to the micro. That is, even if the roughness is 2 to 4 μm, if the microstructure is preferably 0.5 μm or less, more preferably 0.4 μm or less, and even more preferably 0.3 μm or less, the roughness having a relatively large amplitude. The profile is expected to have a sufficient effect.

  Another manufacturing method of the developer amount regulating blade of the present invention is a multilayer inflation method in which a surface transfer molten resin to be a surface transfer sheet of a charge control surface and a blade member molten resin to be a blade member are coextruded. The obtained cylindrical body is cut in parallel to the extrusion direction to form one or more multilayer sheets; a support member is laminated and bonded to the blade member side of the obtained multilayer sheets It can be produced with high accuracy and good productivity by a method of cutting the obtained laminate into the shape of the developer amount regulating blade which is the final shape.

  The surface transfer molten resin 82 and the blade member molten resin 81 are coextruded from a circular die 80 as shown in FIG. After that, as shown in FIG. 8A, the cylindrical body is blown and blown up, the upper part is closed and pulled up, for example, cut into two sheets by a cutter 83 to obtain a multilayer sheet. In addition, it is preferable to produce so that the outer layer of a cylindrical body may become a surface transfer sheet.

  Adhesion between the blade member of the obtained multilayer sheet and the support member can be continuously performed by an apparatus as shown in FIG. That is, a multilayer sheet including the blade member 71 and the surface transfer sheet 72 is supplied to the roll 75 via the roll 76, and an adhesive is applied from the spray 74 to the surface to which the support member of the blade member 71 is bonded. Thereafter, while supplying the support member 73 from the roll 77, the support member 73 is bonded to the blade member 71, and the obtained laminate is wound around the roll 78.

  In addition, it is necessary to use a thin surface transfer sheet and a thin blade member, and when the method of laminating and laminating the surface transfer sheet and the blade member individually cannot produce a developer amount regulating blade, the multilayer as described above is used. A method using an inflation method is effective. By using a thin surface transfer sheet and a thin blade member, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Specifically, the thickness of the sheet for surface transfer is preferably 1 μm or more, more preferably 10 μm or more, further preferably 50 μm or more, and preferably 200 μm or less. Further, the thickness of the blade member is preferably 1 μm or more, more preferably 10 μm or more, and sometimes 50 μm or more, while 100 μm or less is preferable and 50 μm or less is more preferable.

  Further, the total thickness of the multilayer sheet is preferably the sum of the thickness of the sheet for surface transfer as described above and the thickness of the blade member as described above, for example, preferably from 2 μm to 300 μm.

  When the multilayer inflation method is employed, unlike the roll coater method, the blade member molten resin contacts the surface transfer molten resin instead of the surface transfer sheet. In this case, when the molten resin for blade member is solidified to become a blade member, the molten resin for surface transfer is also solidified, but the charge control surface of the blade member is necessary due to the action of the semi-molten surface transfer sheet. It is thought that flatness can be realized.

  Also in the case of the multilayer inflation method, the required flatness of the charge control surface (preferably Rz of 3.5 μm or less, more preferably 1.0 μm or less, still more preferably 0.3 μm or less) can be easily realized.

  Further, in the fine structure of the charge control surface, it is important that it is smooth. Even if it is measured as a relatively coarse numerical value for the macro, it may be smooth to the micro. That is, even if the roughness is 2 to 4 μm, if the microstructure is preferably 0.5 μm or less, more preferably 0.4 μm or less, and even more preferably 0.3 μm or less, the roughness having a relatively large amplitude. The profile is expected to have a sufficient effect.

  Since the surface transfer sheet is peeled before the developer amount regulating blade is used, it is preferable that the surface transfer sheet and the blade member have good peelability. From such a viewpoint, it is preferable that the surface transfer resin is a linear polymer containing no polar group, and the blade member resin is a polymer containing a polar group.

  The linear polymer not containing a polar group is preferably an olefin polymer, and the polymer containing a polar group is preferably a polyamide polymer.

  Furthermore, in order to improve the peelability of the surface transfer sheet and the blade member, the surface transfer molten resin and the blade member molten resin are coextruded from the circular die within a range where the effect of the surface transfer sheet is not insufficient. In some cases, an adhesive reducing agent such as air, a gas containing inert gas and non-adhesive fine particles may be discharged between the surface transfer molten resin and the blade member molten resin.

  When the laminate including the surface transfer sheet, the blade member, and the support member produced as described above is cut into the shape of the developer amount regulating blade, as shown in FIG. It is desirable to cut so that the orientation direction SD of the resin for resin is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction LD of the blade member. In this case, the adhesive strength between the blade member and the support member is increased.

  The orientation of the blade member resin can be performed by sufficiently expanding the cylindrical body after coextruding the surface transfer molten resin and the blade member molten resin from the circular die. In this case, the orientation direction of the resin is the frost line direction S1, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the cutting to the developer amount regulating blade shape is performed so that the longitudinal direction of the obtained developer amount regulating blade is parallel to the production direction (extrusion direction) of the laminate.

  In addition, the orientation of the blade member resin can be performed by sufficiently stretching the multilayer sheet after the multilayer sheet is formed. In this case, the orientation direction of the resin is the stretching direction S2 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the cutting to the developer amount regulating blade shape is performed so that the longitudinal direction of the obtained developer amount regulating blade is orthogonal to the production direction (stretching direction) of the laminate.

  In addition, the adhesiveness of a blade member and a supporting member can also be improved by roughening the surface bonded to the supporting member of a blade member prior to lamination | stacking of a multilayer sheet | seat and a supporting member.

  For example, the blade member can be roughened by making the surface of the roll 76 in contact with the blade member 71 shown in FIG. In this case, the contact surface area is increased, and a large adhesive force is obtained between the blade member and the support member due to the anchor effect. From such a viewpoint, the ten-point average roughness (Rz) of the rough surface is preferably 1.5 μm or more.

  The rough surface of the roll surface may be embossed with various patterns, or a scratch pattern may be formed. Such a surface can be obtained by etching and mechanical roughening. It should be noted that roughening that affects the surface property of the blade member on the surface transfer sheet side (charge control surface) is avoided, and the ten-point average roughness (Rz) of the rough surface is preferably 5.0 μm or less. .

  The rough surface roll is not necessarily metallic and may be a heat-resistant material. For example, a silicone rubber roll having a roughened surface is effective. Ceramics can also be used, and if there is a concern about brittleness, a reinforcing coat may be applied to the surface.

  In addition, after bonding a blade member and a supporting member, heating etc. can be performed and a stronger adhesiveness can be implement | achieved.

  The surface transfer sheet of the developer amount regulating blade manufactured as described above is not developed until just before the developer amount regulating blade is mounted at a predetermined position of the developing device, and the surface transfer sheet is coated. It is preferable to store and transport the dose regulation blade as a part (commodity). This is because the surface transfer sheet serves as a protective sheet for the developer amount regulating blade member as it is.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a developing device using a developer amount regulating blade according to the manufacturing method of the present invention. Reference numeral 42 denotes a developer container containing, for example, a one-component developer 46. This developing apparatus is an electrophotographic photosensitive member of an image carrier that rotates as a developer carrier 43 in the developer container 42 in the direction of arrow a in the figure. A developing sleeve provided opposite to the body 41 is provided, and the electrostatic latent image on the electrophotographic photoreceptor 41 is developed and visualized as a toner image. As shown in the figure, the developer carrying member 43 protrudes into the developer container 42 at the substantially right half-periphery surface and is exposed to the outside of the developer container 42 so as to face the electrophotographic photosensitive member 1. It is horizontally installed so that it can rotate freely. A minute gap is provided between the developer carrier 43 and the electrophotographic photosensitive member 41. The developer carrier 43 is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow b with respect to the rotational direction a of the electrophotographic photosensitive member 41.

In the developer container 42, a developer amount regulating blade 44 according to the manufacturing method of the present invention is provided above the developer carrier (developing sleeve) 43, and the blade member 47 also upstream of the developing sleeve 43 in the rotation direction. The elastic roller 45 is provided at the position.

  The developer amount regulating blade 44 is provided so as to be inclined downward toward the upstream side in the rotation direction of the developing sleeve 43, and abuts against the upper outer peripheral surface of the developing sleeve 43 in the rotational direction.

  The elastic roller 45 is in contact with a portion of the developing sleeve 43 opposite to the electrophotographic photosensitive member 41 and is rotatably supported.

  In the developing device, the elastic roller 45 rotates in the direction of the arrow c in the above-described configuration, and the toner 46 is carried and supplied to the vicinity of the developing sleeve 43 by the rotation of the elastic roller 45. The toner 46 on the elastic roller 45 is rubbed against the developing sleeve 43 at the abutting portion (nip portion) that abuts, and adheres onto the developing sleeve 43.

  Thereafter, with the rotation of the developing sleeve 43, the toner 46 adhering to the developing sleeve 43 enters between the developer amount regulating blade 44 and the developing sleeve 43, and passes through the toner sleeve 46. By being rubbed by both the surface of the developing sleeve 43 and the blade member 47, it is sufficiently frictionally charged.

  The charged toner 46 escapes from the contact portion between the blade member 47 and the developing sleeve 43, forms a thin layer on the developing sleeve 43, and opens a minute gap to the developing portion facing the electrophotographic photosensitive member 41. Be transported. Then, for example, an alternating voltage in which alternating current is superimposed on direct current is applied as a developing bias between the developing sleeve 43 and the electrophotographic photosensitive member 41 in the developing portion, whereby the toner 46 on the developing sleeve 43 is transferred to the electrophotographic photosensitive member 41. The toner image is transferred corresponding to the electrostatic latent image, and is attached to the electrostatic latent image and developed to be visualized as a toner image.

  The toner 46 remaining on the developing sleeve 43 without being consumed in the development in the developing unit is collected into the developer container 42 from the lower portion of the developing sleeve 43 as the developing sleeve 43 rotates.

  The collected toner 46 is peeled off from the developing sleeve 43 by the elastic roller 45 at the contact portion with the developing sleeve 43. At the same time, the new toner 46 is supplied onto the developing sleeve 43 by the rotation of the elastic roller 45, and the new toner 46 is conveyed again to the contact portion between the developing sleeve 43 and the blade member 47.

  On the other hand, most of the removed toner 46 is conveyed and mixed into the toner 46 in the developer container 42 as the elastic roller 45 rotates, and the charged charge of the removed toner 46 is dispersed.

FIG. 5 shows an example of an electrophotographic apparatus suitable for adopting a developing device using a developer amount regulating blade according to the manufacturing method of the present invention. Reference numeral 51 denotes a photoconductor as an image carrier, and this example is a drum type electrophotographic photoconductor having a conductive support such as aluminum and a photosensitive layer formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof as basic constituent layers. It is rotationally driven at a predetermined peripheral speed in the clockwise direction on the drawing around the support shaft.

  The charging member 52 is a corona discharger that is in contact with the surface of the photoconductor 51 and performs primary charging uniformly on the surface of the photoconductor with a predetermined polarity and potential. This may be a charging roller.

  The surface of the photoconductor 51 that has been uniformly charged by the charging member 52 is then exposed to the target image information (laser beam scanning exposure, slit exposure of the original image, etc.) by the exposure means L, so that the peripheral surface thereof is exposed. An electrostatic latent image 53 corresponding to the target image information is formed.

  The latent image is then sequentially visualized as a toner image by the developing device 54.

  The toner image is then conveyed from a paper supply unit (not shown) by a transfer unit 55 to a transfer unit between the photoconductor 51 and the transfer unit 55 at an appropriate timing in synchronization with the rotation of the photoconductor 51. Transfer is sequentially performed on the surface of the transfer material P. The transfer means 55 in this example is a corona discharger (may be a roller type), and the toner image on the surface of the photoconductor 51 is transferred from the back of the transfer material P by charging with the opposite polarity to the toner. It will be transferred to the surface side of. Also, in a color LBP that outputs a color image using four color toners, in order to develop and visualize each of the four color images, the toner is once transferred to an intermediate transfer member such as a roller or a belt, The image is transferred to the surface side of the transfer material P.

  The transfer material P that has received the transfer of the toner image is separated from the surface of the photoconductor 51 and is forwarded to the heat-fixing roll 58 for image fixing and output as an image formed product.

  The surface of the photoconductor 51 after the image transfer is cleaned by the cleaning means 56 after removal of adhering contaminants such as residual toner after transfer, and is repeatedly used for image formation.

  It should be noted that a plurality of elements of the electrophotographic apparatus such as the photosensitive member, the charging member, the developing device, and the cleaning unit can be integrated into the process cartridge. By doing so, the process cartridge can be attached to and detached from the apparatus main body. For example, the photosensitive member and the developing device and, if necessary, a charging member, a cleaning unit, and the like are integrally incorporated in the process cartridge, and can be detachably configured using a guide unit such as a rail of the apparatus main body.

Examples of the electrophotographic apparatus that can use the developing device using the developer amount regulating blade according to the manufacturing method of the present invention include a copying machine, a laser beam printer, an LED printer, and an electrophotographic application apparatus such as an electrophotographic plate making system. Can be mentioned.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example and a comparative example demonstrate this invention concretely, this invention is not restrict | limited to a following example.

  Unless otherwise specified, “parts” and “%” represent “parts by mass” and “mass%”, respectively, and reagents and the like used were commercially available high-purity products.

(Examples 1-4)
As a raw material of the blade member, a polyamide elastomer (manufactured by Daicel Huls, trade name: Daiamide PAE E40-S3) was melted at 250 ° C., and a sheet for surface transfer (produced by extrusion molding, having a thickness of 0.1 mm, Polyethylene terephthalate film having a surface roughness Rz of 0.2 μm) is extruded so that the thickness after solidification is 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, or 0.3 mm. A 5 mm or 0.6 mm plate-shaped laminate was produced by a roll coater method.

  To this plate-like laminate, a phosphor bronze sheet having a plate thickness of 0.12 mm or 0.15 mm is bonded with an adhesive layer made of Toyo Morton Adcoat AD-76P1 (trade name) provided, and a predetermined blade The developer amount regulating blade shown in Table 1 was produced by press cutting to dimensions. The length of the developer amount regulating blade in the longitudinal direction was 200 mm, and the width was 23 mm.

  The surface transfer sheet was peeled off, and the surface roughness Rz (ten-point average roughness) of the charge control surface of the blade member before use was measured using a surf coder SE3500 (trade name) manufactured by Kosaka Laboratory. However, it was 0.2 μm.

  The developer amount regulating blade produced as described above, the developing sleeve blasted with an aluminum tube and having a ten-point average roughness Rz of 2.5 μm, and the pressure contact pressure between the developer amount regulating blade and the developing sleeve is 0.18 N / Cm to the developing device. The developer container is provided with a foamed urethane sponge roller as an elastic roller that acts to apply toner to the developing sleeve and to remove the remaining toner without being developed and return it to the developer container. Housed.

  The above-described developing device is mounted on a laser beam printer (trade name: Lasershot, manufactured by Canon) in a low temperature and low humidity environment of 15 ° C. and 10 RH%, and the toner coating state on the developing sleeve when the developing sleeve is driven. Observed and visually checked for the presence of streaks and unevenness. The results were evaluated in three stages: good (◯), slightly good (Δ), and bad (×).

  The toner charge amount (tribo) was also measured. As a method for evaluating the triboelectric chargeability of the charge control layer of the developer amount regulating blade, a toner which is a developer accommodated in the developing device by attaching the developing blade and the developing sleeve to the developing device and rotating the developing sleeve. The toner is fed by frictional charging with the developing blade, and the charged toner is uniformly applied on the developing sleeve. A method of calculating the toner charge amount Q / M (μC / g) per unit mass from the values of the charge amount (Q) and mass (M) obtained by sucking the toner was adopted. This toner charge amount Q / M is suitable for evaluating the triboelectric charging ability because the numerical value varies depending on the triboelectric charging property of the charge control layer of the developing blade.

  Further, the non-magnetic black toner was used, and the image density when a solid black image was output on paper was measured as a solid black density with a Macbeth densitometer.

  In addition, the stability and mass productivity of the developer amount regulating blade were evaluated in three stages: good (◯), slightly good (Δ), and bad (×).

(Comparative Example 1)
Polyamide elastomer (manufactured by Daicel Huls, trade name: Daiamide PAE E40-S3) was injection molded at 250 ° C. to produce a blade member having a length of 200 mm in the longitudinal direction, a width of 5 mm, and a thickness of 1 mm. The inner surface of the mold used was mirror-like, Rz was 1 μm, and the mold temperature was 40 ° C.

  The obtained blade member was bonded to the end of a phosphor bronze sheet having a length of 200 mm in the longitudinal direction, a width of 23 mm, and a thickness of 0.12 mm, to produce a developer amount regulating blade having a structure as shown in FIG. Thereafter, using this developer amount regulating blade, a mounting test was conducted in the same manner as in Examples 1 to 4.

  The above test results are shown in Table 1.

  As apparent from Table 1, by using the developer amount regulating blade in which the blade member and the support member are laminated on the entire surface, the tribo, the coating state, the solid black density, and the stability and mass productivity are all good. I understand. As a result, it has been found that the blade member is uniformly worn, and the contact pressure can be accurately controlled to achieve an appropriate pressure on the toner particles. Further, by using a developer amount regulating blade produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the thickness of the blade member was set to 30 μm, performance equivalent to or higher than that in Example 1 could be realized.

(Examples 5 and 6)
A polypropylene film having a thickness of 0.1 mm and a surface roughness Rz of 0.5 μm as a surface transfer sheet (Example 5), and a polyethylene terephthalate film having a thickness of 0.12 mm and a surface roughness Rz of 0.5 μm (Example) A developer amount regulating blade was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 6) was used, and the performance was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2.

(Comparative Example 2)
A polyamide elastomer (manufactured by Daicel Huls, trade name: Daiamide PAE E40-S3) was injection molded at 250 ° C. to produce a blade member having a length in the longitudinal direction of 250 mm, a width of 5 mm, and a thickness of 0.9 mm. The inner surface of the mold used was mirror finished, and the mold temperature was 40 ° C. The surface roughness Rz of the charge control surface of the obtained blade member was 1.0 μm.

  Thereafter, the obtained blade member was bonded to the end of a support member made of a phosphor bronze plate having a spring elasticity (length in the longitudinal direction: 200 mm, width: 22 mm, plate thickness: 0.12 mm), and FIG. A developer amount regulating blade having a structure as shown in the figure was produced, and the performance was evaluated in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1. The results are shown in Table 2.

(Comparative Example 3)
100 g of ethylene adipate-based polyester urethane rubber (trade name: Coronate 4369, manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) having a number average molecular weight of 1500 and an NCO% of 6.2% by mass, 3.9 g of 1,4-butadiol, and trimethiolpropane 2 0.1 g was mixed, and a sheet having a thickness of 900 μm was produced by a centrifugal molding machine, and a blade member having a shape having a length of 220 mm in the longitudinal direction and a width of 15 mm was produced. Then, using the obtained blade member, a developer amount regulating blade was produced in the same manner as in Comparative Example 2, and the performance was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2. The surface roughness Rz of the charge control surface of the blade member was 1.0 μm.

(Comparative Example 4)
A nylon coating layer (trade name: Amilan CM-8000 dissolved in methanol and subjected to dip coating) was formed as a charge control layer on the sheet prepared in Comparative Example 3, and the length in the longitudinal direction was formed. A blade member having a shape of 200 mm and a width of 5 mm was produced. Then, using the obtained blade member, a developer amount regulating blade was produced in the same manner as in Comparative Example 2, and the performance was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 2. The surface roughness Rz of the charge control surface of the blade member was 1.5 μm.

  As apparent from Table 2, it was found that the surface roughness of the charge control surface affects the performance of the developer amount regulating blade in addition to the shape of the developer amount regulating blade. Further, the performance could be further improved by setting the thickness of the blade member to 30 μm.

(Examples 7 to 9)
As a raw material of the blade member, a polyamide elastomer (manufactured by Daicel Huls, trade name: Daiamide PAE E40-S3) was melted at 250 ° C., and a sheet for surface transfer (produced by extrusion molding, having a thickness of 0.1 mm, A polypropylene film having a surface roughness Rz of 0.2 μm was extruded so that the thickness after solidification was 0.15 mm, and a 0.25 mm plate laminate was produced by a roll coater method.

  Here, rolls having a surface roughness Rz of 1.5 μm (Example 7), 3.0 μm (Example 8), and 5.0 μm (Example 9) were used as rolls in contact with the polyamide elastomer. As a result, the surface roughness Rz of the polyamide elastomer layer of the obtained plate-shaped laminate was 1.0 μm (Example 7), 2.5 μm (Example 8) and 4. Oμm (Example 9).

  To this plate-like laminate, a phosphor bronze sheet having a thickness of 0.15 mm is bonded with an adhesive layer made of Toyo Morton's ADCOAT AD-76P1 (trade name) in between, and press cut to a predetermined blade size. Thus, a developer amount regulating blade shown in Table 3 was produced. The length of the developer amount regulating blade in the longitudinal direction was 200 mm, and the width was 5 mm.

  The surface transfer sheet was peeled off, and the surface roughness Rz (ten-point average roughness) of the charge control surface of the blade member before use was measured using a surf coder SE3500 (trade name) manufactured by Kosaka Laboratory. However, it was 0.2 μm.

  The performance of the developer amount regulating blade obtained as described above was mounted in the same manner as in Example 1, and the adhesion stability of the blade member and the support member and the state of the charge control surface were good (◯), somewhat good (Δ ) And bad (x). The results are shown in Table 3.

  As apparent from Table 3, it was found that sufficient adhesion between the blade member and the support member can be realized by roughening the surface of the blade member to be bonded to the support member. Further, the performance could be further improved by setting the thickness of the blade member to 30 μm.

(Example 10)
Polyamide elastomer (trade name: Daiamide PAE E40-S3, manufactured by Daicel Huls Co., Ltd.) as a resin for blade members is melted at 250 ° C., and polypropylene (trade name: UBE) manufactured by Ube Industries, Ltd. as a surface transfer resin. Polypro J309GL) was melted at 180 ° C., and two-layer inflation molding was performed so that polypropylene became an outer layer of the cylindrical body. The solidified polyamide elastomer layer had a thickness of 50 μm, the solidified polypropylene layer had a thickness of 50 μm, and these cylindrical bodies were cut into two sheets to obtain a two-layer sheet.

  The obtained two-layer sheet was stretched, and a phosphor bronze sheet having a thickness of 0.12 mm was bonded thereto while providing an adhesive layer made of Toyo Morton's Adcoat AD-76P1 (trade name). The surface roughness Rz of the bonding surface of the blade member was 0.5 μm.

  The obtained laminate was press-cut so that the longitudinal direction was perpendicular to the stretching direction, and developer amount regulating blades shown in Table 4 were produced. The length of the developer amount regulating blade in the longitudinal direction was 200 mm, and the width was 5 mm.

  The surface transfer sheet was peeled off, and the surface roughness Rz (ten-point average roughness) of the charge control surface of the blade member before use was measured using a surf coder SE3500 (trade name) manufactured by Kosaka Laboratory. However, it was 0.5 μm. In addition, the peelability of the sheet for surface transfer was good.

  The performance of the developer amount regulating blade obtained as described above was mounted in the same manner as in Example 1, and the adhesion stability of the blade member and the support member and the state of the charge control surface were good (◯), somewhat good (Δ ) And bad (x). The results are shown in Table 4.

(Example 11)
The thickness of the solidified polypropylene layer is 80 μm, and the surface of the polyamide elastomer layer not in contact with the polypropylene layer in the obtained two-layer sheet is roughened by a roller (surface roughness Rz: 2.5 μm). In the same manner as in Example 10, a developer amount regulating blade was prepared and evaluated. The surface roughness Rz of the bonding surface of the blade member was 2.5 μm. The results are shown in Table 4.

(Example 12)
The thickness of the solidified polypropylene layer is 150 μm, and the surface of the polyamide elastomer layer not in contact with the polypropylene layer in the obtained two-layer sheet is roughened by a roller (surface roughness Rz: 2.0 μm). In the same manner as in Example 10, a developer amount regulating blade was prepared and evaluated. The surface roughness Rz of the bonding surface of the blade member was 2.0 μm. The results are shown in Table 4.

(Example 13)
A developer amount regulating blade was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 12 except that the polyamide elastomer layer after solidification had a thickness of 100 μm and the polypropylene layer after solidification had a thickness of 100 μm. The surface roughness Rz of the bonding surface of the blade member was 2.0 μm. The results are shown in Table 4.

  As apparent from Table 4, it was found that a high-performance developer amount regulating blade can be produced by producing a blade member by inflation molding. Further, the performance could be further improved by setting the thickness of the blade member to 30 μm.

(Example 14)
A developer amount regulating blade was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 10 except that 50 ° C. air was passed upward between the polyamide elastomer layer and the polypropylene layer. The surface roughness Rz of the adhesive surface of the blade member was 0.5 μm, and the peelability of the surface transfer sheet was particularly good. The results are shown in Table 5.

(Example 15)
A developer amount regulating blade was prepared and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 11 except that 50 ° C. nitrogen was passed upward between the polyamide elastomer layer and the polypropylene layer, and the thickness of the solidified polypropylene layer was 50 μm. did. The surface roughness Rz of the adhesive surface of the blade member was 2.5 μm, and the peelability of the surface transfer sheet was particularly good. The results are shown in Table 5.

  As is apparent from Table 5, it was found that the peelability of the surface transfer sheet can be improved by discharging an adhesive reducing agent between the surface transfer sheet layer and the blade member layer. Further, the performance could be further improved by setting the thickness of the blade member to 30 μm.

(Example 16)
Example 1 except that a polypropylene film having a thickness of 0.1 mm and a surface roughness Rz of 0.2 μm was used as the surface transfer sheet, and the width of the developer amount regulating blade was 23 mm. Similarly, a developer amount regulating blade was prepared and evaluated. The apparent Young's modulus when measured with a contact force of 0.49 N was 154 kN / mm ² , and the same performance as Example 1 was confirmed. Further, the performance could be further improved by setting the thickness of the blade member to 30 μm.

(Example 17)
Example 2 except that a polypropylene film having a thickness of 0.1 mm and a surface roughness Rz of 0.2 μm was used as the surface transfer sheet, and the width of the developer amount regulating blade was 23 mm. Similarly, a developer amount regulating blade was prepared and evaluated. The apparent Young's modulus when measured with a contact force of 0.49 N was 162 kN / mm ² , and the same performance as Example 2 was confirmed. Further, the performance could be further improved by setting the thickness of the blade member to 30 μm.

Effect of the invention

  As described above, according to the present invention, the tribocharging ability (tribo) can be controlled with high accuracy, image defects can be suppressed, and good productivity can be realized. Further, by using the surface transfer sheet, a desired charge control surface can be formed with good productivity.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a developer amount regulating blade of the present invention.   FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a conventional developer amount regulating blade.   FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view (a) and (c) for explaining the developer amount regulating blade of the present invention, and a cross-sectional view (b).   FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a developing device.   It is a typical sectional view for explaining an electrophotographic device.   FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the method for producing the developer amount regulating blade of the present invention.   It is typical sectional drawing for demonstrating the structure of a circular die.   FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the method for producing the developer amount regulating blade of the present invention.   FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining an apparatus for evaluating characteristics of a developer amount regulating blade.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Blade member 11 Support member 12 Developer amount regulation blade 13 Developer container 14 Developer carrier 15 Fixing point 16 Pressure contact 17 Mounting member 20 Blade member 21 Support member 22 Developer amount regulation blade 23 Developer container 24 Developer carrying Body 25 Fixed point 26 Pressure contact 30 Blade member 31 Support member 41 Electrophotographic photosensitive member 42 Developer container 43 Developer carrier 44 Developer amount regulating blade 45 Elastic roller 46 Developer 47 Blade member 51 Photoconductor 52 Charging member 53 Static Electrostatic latent image 54 Developing device 55 Transfer means 56 Cleaning means 58 Fixing roller 61 Nozzle 62 Roll 63 Roll 64 Surface transfer sheet 65 Raw material 71 Blade member 72 Surface transfer sheet 73 Support member 74 Spray 75 Roll 76 Roll 77 Roll 78 Roll 80 Circular die 81 Molten resin for blade member 82 Molten resin for surface transfer 83 Cutter 91 Developer amount regulating blade 92 Chuck 93 Stage 94 Detector F Pressure contact L Exposure means P Transfer material T Contact force δ Deflection amount S1 Frost line direction S2 Stretching Direction SD Orientation direction LD Longitudinal direction

Claims (17)

In the method of manufacturing a developer amount regulating blade for regulating the amount of developer carried out by the developer carrier from the developer container,
A step of producing a blade member by extruding and solidifying the raw material of the blade member to a uniform film thickness on the surface transfer sheet of the charge control surface;
A step of laminating and laminating a support member on a surface that is not the charge control surface of the blade member;
And a step of cutting the laminate into a shape of a developer amount regulating blade which is a final shape.
The surface transfer sheet comprises at least one resin selected from the group consisting of polyester resins, polyamide resins, polyolefin resins, copolymers thereof, and alloys thereof. A method for producing a developer amount regulating blade according to Item 1 .
3. The development according to claim 2 , wherein the polyester-based resin is one or more resins selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene-2, 6-naphthalate, copolymers thereof, and composites. A method for manufacturing a dose control blade.
The manufacturing process of the said blade member is performed by the roll coater method, The surface of the roll arrange | positioned at the raw material side of the said blade member is a rough surface, The any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. A method for producing a developer amount regulating blade.
The method for producing a developer amount regulating blade according to claim 4, wherein a ten-point average roughness (Rz) of the rough surface is 1.5 μm or more and 5.0 μm or less.
The surface transfer sheet, a manufacturing method of the toner layer thickness regulation member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that no peeling in the course of the manufacturing process.
In the method of manufacturing a developer amount regulating blade for regulating the amount of developer carried out by the developer carrier from the developer container,
Coextruding a surface transfer molten resin to be a surface transfer sheet of the charge control surface and a blade member molten resin to be a blade member, and forming into a cylindrical shape by a multilayer inflation method;
Cutting the cylindrical body parallel to the extrusion direction to form one or more multilayer sheets;
Laminating and laminating a support member on the blade member side of the multilayer sheet; and
And a step of cutting the laminate into a shape of a developer amount regulating blade which is a final shape.
8. The developer amount regulating blade according to claim 7, wherein the surface transfer resin is a linear polymer containing no polar group, and the blade member resin is a polymer containing a polar group. Method.
9. The production of a developer amount regulating blade according to claim 8 , wherein the linear polymer containing no polar group is an olefin polymer, and the polymer containing the polar group is a polyamide polymer. Method.
The surface transfer molten resin and the blade member for the molten resin during the co-extrusion, claims interlayer of the molten resin and the blade member for the molten resin for surface transfer, characterized by discharging the adhesion-reducing agent 7 10. A method for producing a developer amount regulating blade according to any one of items 1 to 9 .
The method for producing a developer amount regulating blade according to claim 10, wherein the tackiness reducing agent is air, an inert gas, or a gas containing non-sticky fine particles.
Method for producing a toner layer thickness regulation member according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the thickness of the multilayer sheet is 2μm or more 300μm or less.
The thickness of the surface transfer sheet is at 1μm or more 200μm or less, the amount of developer according to any one of claims 7 to 12 the thickness of the blade member and wherein the at 1μm or more 100μm or less Manufacturing method of regulated blade.
When cutting the laminate to the shape of the toner layer thickness regulation member, to claim 7 orientation direction of the blade member resin is characterized in that cut to the longitudinal direction substantially perpendicular of said blade member 14. A method for producing a developer amount regulating blade according to any one of items 13 to 13 .
The developer amount regulation according to any one of claims 7 to 14 , wherein a surface of the blade member to be bonded to the support member is roughened prior to the lamination of the multilayer sheet and the support member. Blade manufacturing method.
The method for producing a developer amount regulating blade according to claim 15, wherein a ten-point average roughness (Rz) of the rough surface is 1.5 μm or more and 5.0 μm or less.
The surface transfer sheet, a manufacturing method of the toner layer thickness regulation member according to any one of claims 7 to 16, characterized in that no peeling in the course of the manufacturing process.

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