JP6108921B2 - Toner processing apparatus and toner manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner processing apparatus that processes toner used to develop an electrostatic latent image in electrophotography, electrostatic recording, electrostatic printing, or the like.

Conventionally, a toner in a general electrophotographic method has a surface of colored particles treated with a fluidity improver (external additive) to control desired fluidity and charging characteristics. As this external additive, what is generally widely used is fine particles made of inorganic or organic substances.
As the external additive, metal oxides, resin particles, and surface treated products thereof have been widely used. Among them, the primary particle volume-based 50% particle size (hereinafter referred to as volume average particle size (D50)), which has a function as spacer particles and is added mainly for the purpose of improving transferability, is 80 nm or more. There are large particle size external additives of about 300 nm or less.
This external additive is different from a small particle size external additive in which the primary particles have a volume average particle diameter (D50) of less than 80 nm. For example, stress with a carrier of a two-component developer, a toner conveying member in one-component development In addition, the external additive is hardly embedded in the toner surface due to stress with the thin layer blade or the like.
On the other hand, since the large particle size external additive is easily released from the toner, the large particle size external additive is liberated particularly during long-term use under high humidity, which may reduce the transfer efficiency.
For example, a powder processing apparatus (toner processing apparatus) as described below has been proposed as an apparatus for suppressing the release of such a large particle size external additive.
In Patent Document 1, in a powder processing apparatus in which a rotating blade is provided in a lower part in a processing container for processing powder, powder that has been swollen by rotation of the rotating blade in a position above the rotating blade in the processing container. The structure which provided the guide member which guides a body below is disclosed.
Although this powder processing apparatus can reduce the release of the small particle size external additive to some extent, it is difficult to reduce the release of the large particle size external additive because the treatment in the processing region described later is insufficient. It was.
As another apparatus, the following apparatus has been proposed.
In Patent Document 2, a stirring blade having a stirring tank, a rotation driving shaft, and a stirring blade, and a stirring blade fixed to the rotation driving shaft penetrating the bottom wall of the stirring tank are arranged at the bottom of the stirring tank, and a plurality of stirring blades are provided inside the stirring tank. An apparatus is disclosed in which a metal ring to which a single deflector is fixed is suspended from an upper part of a stirring tank.
Although this apparatus can fix an external additive having a large particle diameter, during operation, the material temperature rises above the glass transition point (Tg) of the resin component contained in the toner, There was a problem that coarse particles were generated.
In order to keep the material temperature during operation below the glass transition point (Tg) of the resin component contained in the toner, the material charge can be reduced or the rotating peripheral speed of the stirring blade can be reduced. When the toner content is reduced, the toner productivity (= product yield per unit time) is deteriorated. Moreover, if the rotational peripheral speed of the stirring blade is decreased, the above-described adverse effects such as the release of the large particle size external additive during long-term use under high humidity cannot be solved.
Therefore, there is room for further study on a toner processing apparatus that improves all of the improvement in toner productivity, the transferability, and the reduction in liberation of external additives.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-216348 JP 2012-212062 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a toner processing apparatus that solves the above problems. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a toner processing apparatus in which release of an external additive does not easily occur even when a large particle size external additive is added for improving transferability.

To achieve the above object, a toner processing apparatus according to the present invention provides:
A processing chamber for storing an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive;
A flow means for causing the object to be processed contained in the processing chamber to flow upward from the bottom of the processing chamber;
It is rotatably provided above the flow means in the processing chamber, and protrudes radially outward from the rotating body main body and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body main body and collides with the object to be processed, thereby the object to be processed. A rotating body having a processing unit for processing
A rectifying member that is provided above the rotating body in the processing chamber and changes a flow direction of the object to be processed in a processing region by the rotating body in a direction opposite to a rotating direction of the rotating body ; A rectifying member whose lower end is positioned at a distance of 50 mm or less upward from the processing unit ;
It is characterized by having.

To achieve the above object, a toner processing apparatus according to the present invention provides:
A processing chamber for storing an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive;
A flow means for causing the object to be processed contained in the processing chamber to flow upward from the bottom of the processing chamber;
It is rotatably provided above the flow means in the processing chamber, and protrudes radially outward from the rotating body main body and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body main body and collides with the object to be processed, thereby the object to be processed. A rotating body having a processing unit for processing
A first rectifying surface that is fixed above the rotating body in the processing chamber and extends from the upper side to the lower side in a direction inclined in the rotation direction with respect to the rotation axis direction of the rotating body; A second flow straightening surface extending in a direction inclined in the direction opposite to the rotation direction with respect to the rotation axis direction from the lower end of the first flow straightening surface further downward,
It is characterized by having.
In order to achieve the above object, a toner processing apparatus according to the present invention includes:
A processing chamber for storing an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive;
A flow means for causing the object to be processed contained in the processing chamber to flow upward from the bottom of the processing chamber;
It is rotatably provided above the flow means in the processing chamber, and protrudes radially outward from the rotating body main body and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body main body and collides with the object to be processed, thereby the object to be processed. A rotating body having a processing unit for processing
A rectifying member that is provided above the rotating body in the processing chamber, and changes a flow direction of the object to be processed in a processing region by the rotating body in a direction opposite to a rotating direction of the rotating body;
Have
The rectifying member is
A first rectifying surface extending in a direction inclined in the rotational direction with respect to the rotational axis direction of the rotating body from the upper side toward the lower side;
A second rectification surface extending in a direction inclined in the direction opposite to the rotation direction with respect to the rotation axis direction from the lower end of the first rectification surface further downward;
It is characterized by providing.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a toner processing apparatus in which liberation of an external additive hardly occurs even when a large particle size external additive is added to improve transferability.

Schematic showing an example of a toner processing apparatus of the present invention Schematic showing an example of the processing chamber of the present invention Schematic showing an example of the flow means of the present invention Schematic which shows an example of the rotary body of this invention Schematic which shows an example of the baffle member of this invention Schematic which shows the baffle plate of Example 1. FIG. Schematic which shows the rectification | straightening member of Example 2. Schematic which shows the baffle plate of Example 2. Schematic which shows the stirring blade of Example 3. Schematic which shows the rectification | straightening member of Example 4. Schematic which shows the baffle plate of Example 4. Schematic showing the toner processing apparatus of Comparative Example 2 Schematic showing the toner processing apparatus of Comparative Example 3

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a toner processing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Toner Processing Device]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a toner processing apparatus of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the toner processing apparatus 100 includes a processing tank 110 as a processing chamber, a stirring blade 120 as a flow means, and a processing blade 130 as a rotating body. The processing tank 110 accommodates an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive. The stirring blade 120 is rotatably provided at the bottom 110a of the processing tank 110. The processing blade 130 is rotatably provided above the stirring blade 120. Further, the toner processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes a fixed rectifying member 140 above the processing blade 130. Details of each component will be described below.

[Processing chamber]
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of the processing chamber of the present invention. In FIG. 2, a part of the peripheral wall is removed to show the internal structure. As shown in FIG. 2, the processing tank 110 as a processing chamber is a cylindrical container having a flat bottom portion 110a, and the stirring blade 120 and the processing blade 130 are rotatably attached to substantially the center of the bottom portion 110a. The drive shaft 111 is provided as a rotating shaft. The treatment tank 110 is preferably made of metal such as iron or stainless steel (SUS) from the viewpoint of strength, and the inner surface is preferably made of a conductive material or subjected to conductive processing.

[Flowing means]
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of the flow means of the present invention. Moreover, Fig.3 (a) is the figure which looked at the stirring blade 120 as a flow means from the upper direction of the processing tank 110, and FIG.3 (b) is the figure seen from the side. As shown in FIG. 3, the stirring blade 120 has an S-shaped blade portion 121 extending outward from the center, and the tip portion 121 a of the blade portion 121 is a bottom of the processing tank 110. It has a flip-up shape that protrudes upward so as to rise upward from 110a. The stirring blade 120 is fixed to the drive shaft 111 at the bottom 110a of the processing tank 110, and is provided to be rotatable in the clockwise direction when viewed from above the processing tank 110 with the drive shaft 111 as a central axis. By the rotation of the stirring blade 120, the object to be processed rises while rotating clockwise in the processing tank 110 (processing chamber). And since the to-be-processed object raised by rotation of the stirring blade 120 descend | falls by gravity eventually, it is thought that it mixes in the processing tank 110 uniformly.

  The stirring blade 120 is preferably made of metal such as iron or stainless steel (SUS) from the viewpoint of strength, and may be plated or coated for wear resistance as necessary. The shape of the blade portion 121 can be appropriately designed depending on the size and operating conditions of the toner processing apparatus, the amount of the object to be processed, and the specific gravity.

[Rotating body]
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of the rotating body of the present invention. 4A is a view of the processing blade 130 as a rotating body as viewed from above the processing tank 110, and FIG. 4B is a view as viewed from the side. As shown in FIG. 4, the processing blade 130 includes an annular rotator main body 131 and a processing unit 132 that protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the rotator main body 131. A plurality of processing units 132 are provided, and two processing units 132 are shown in FIG. The processing blade 130 is provided above the stirring blade 120, and is fixed to the same drive shaft 111 as the stirring blade 120. Then, together with the stirring blade 120, it rotates in the clockwise direction when viewed from above the processing tank 110 with the drive shaft 111 as the central axis. By the rotation of the processing blade 130, the object to be processed and the processing unit 132 collide, and the external additive is fixed to the surface of the toner particles.

  The treatment blade 130 is preferably made of metal such as iron or stainless steel (SUS) from the viewpoint of strength, and may be subjected to wear-resistant plating or coating as necessary. In addition, if the cross-sectional area in the rotation direction of the processing unit 132 is too large, the flow of the object to be processed is affected, and there is a fear that the driving torque increases or the temperature of the object to be processed increases. The desired processing capacity cannot be obtained. Accordingly, the cross-sectional area of the processing unit 132 is appropriately designed according to the size and operating conditions of the toner processing apparatus 100, the amount of the object to be processed, and the specific gravity.

[Rectifying member]
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of the rectifying member of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a view of the rectifying member 140 as viewed from above the processing tank 110, and FIG. 5B is a view of the rectifying member 140 as viewed from the side. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the current plate of the present invention, and is a view of one current plate seen from the side. In the present invention, the rectifying member 140 is a member that changes the flow direction of the object to be processed that has been flowed by the stirring blade 120 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the processing blade 130.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the rectifying member 140 includes an annular main body 141 and a rectifying plate 142 that protrudes outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the main body 141. Here, the right side in FIG. 6 is the upstream side in the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120, and the left side is the downstream side. When the object to be processed flows from right to left in FIG. 6, the surface facing the object to be processed is the rectifying surface 143.

  When the portion of the rectifying surface 143 that is most downstream in the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120 is the A portion 145, the first rectifying surface 143a is above the A portion 145 and the second rectifying portion is below the A portion 135. Let it be surface 143b. The first rectifying surface 143a is inclined in the rotational direction from the upper side to the lower side (A portion 145), and the second rectifying surface 143b is inclined from the A portion 145 (upper) in the opposite direction to the rotational direction. ing.

  The length of the rectifying plate 142 in the radial direction is preferably such that the side closer to the annular main body 141 is radially inward than the processing unit 132. Conversely, the outer end side farthest from the annular main body 141 is preferably outside the processing unit 132, and may be in contact with the inner wall of the processing tank 110.

  The method of fixing the rectifying member 140 is not particularly limited, but the rectifying member 140 needs to be fixed without rotating inside the processing tank 110 during the operation of the toner processing apparatus 100. Moreover, it is preferable that it can be removed from the treatment tank 110 from the viewpoint of the removal work of the stirring blade 120 and the treatment blade 130. For example, as shown in FIG. 5B, a cylinder or a support bar provided in the center is used. What is necessary is just to fix to the upper end of the processing tank 110, or the lid | cover of the processing tank 110.

  The first rectifying surface 143a and the second rectifying surface 143b may each be a flat surface, or may be curved surfaces that are concave in the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120. The rectifying member 140 is preferably made of a metal such as iron or SUS from the viewpoint of strength, and may be plated or coated for wear resistance as necessary. The rectifying member 140 includes a plurality of pairs of first rectifying surfaces 143 a and second rectifying surfaces 143 b on the outer peripheral surface of the main body 141.

[Flow state of workpieces]
In order to suppress the release of the external additive, that is, in order to fix the external additive to the toner particles, the inventor of the object to be processed including the toner particles and the external additive in the toner processing apparatus 100. We thought it important to understand the flow state. Therefore, the present inventor manufactured a transparent acrylic casing (not shown) that can be installed in the toner processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, and measured the flow state of the object to be processed in the transparent acrylic casing by measuring the wind speed, the tuft method, and the like. This was confirmed by visual observation.

  The wind speed measurement was performed by attaching a wind speed sensor M709B-10 connected to an anemometer MY709-40DA manufactured by Shiro Sangyo Co., Ltd. in the processing tank 110. Regarding the flow direction, the movement of the workpiece was visually observed. Moreover, about the raising angle of the to-be-processed object, the thread | yarn (tuft) was attached in the transparent acrylic casing, and the rising angle of the to-be-processed object was also observed visually.

  As a result, when the peripheral speed of the processing blade 130 was 44 m / s, it was confirmed that the airflow around the processing unit 132 was 10 to 14 m / s in wind speed and was about 10 degrees upward with respect to the rotation direction. In addition, it was confirmed that a large number of objects to be processed existed in the outer peripheral portion of the processing tank 110 and swirled.

  Next, in the axial direction (rotation axis direction) of the drive shaft 111, the distance between the lower end of the rectifying plate 142 and the processing unit 132 is changed within a range of 5 mm to 50 mm, and the movement of the yarn attached to the rectifying surface 143 is observed. did. As a result, it was confirmed that the influence on the flow state of the object to be processed changes depending on the distance between the current plate 142 and the processing unit 132.

  When the distance between the lower end of the rectifying member 140 and the processing unit 132 is short in the axial direction of the drive shaft 111, the yarn flows in the direction opposite to the rotation direction until it reaches the processing unit 132 after passing through the second rectifying surface 143b. Was showing. On the other hand, when the distance between the lower end portion of the rectifying member 140 and the processing unit 132 is long, the thread once flows in the direction opposite to the rotational direction after passing through the second rectifying surface 143, but eventually follows the rotational direction. After that, it was found that the processing unit 132 was reached. Such a phenomenon does not have a clear change point with respect to the distance between the lower end portion of the rectifying plate 142 and the processing unit 132, changes stepwise, and changes depending on the peripheral speed of the rotating body and the size of the toner processing apparatus. It is done. Therefore, when the processing unit 132 processes the toner particles and the external additive, the processing region is considered to be in the range of several tens of mm near the processing unit 132.

  From the above observation, when the distance between the rectifying plate 142 and the processing unit 132 is short in the axial direction of the drive shaft 111, the rectifying plate 142 changes the flow direction of the object to be processed in the processing region in the reverse direction. Can be considered. That is, it can be considered that the rectifying plate 142 influences the flow direction in the processing region of the processing unit 132.

[Fixing process]
The fixing process between the toner particles and the external additive, which can be considered from the fluid state of the object to be processed, will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the rectifying member, and is a diagram illustrating the rectifying member having a flat rectifying surface. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a rectifying plate of the rectifying member shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a rectifying member, and is a diagram illustrating a rectifying member having a curved surface as a rectifying surface. Moreover, Fig.7 (a) is the figure which looked at the baffle member 170 from the upper side of the processing tank 110, and FIG.7 (b) is the figure seen from the side. FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a rectifying plate of the rectifying member shown in FIG. 7, and is a view of one rectifying plate as viewed from the side.

  The toner processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention has three basic configurations of a stirring blade 120, a processing blade 130, and a rectifying member 140, and these configurations function in conjunction with each other in the processing tank 110, thereby the present invention. A unique effect can be obtained. Here, the stirring blade 120 and the processing blade 130 are attached to the same drive shaft 111 as shown in FIG. 1 and the like so that their rotational speeds are the same. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the stirring blade 120 and the processing blade 130 may be provided so as to be rotationally driven by different motors, and the rotational speed may be different.

In the present invention, first, the object to be treated is wound upward from the bottom 110a of the treatment tank 110 by the rotation of the stirring blade 120, and rises while turning in the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120 at the outer peripheral portion in the treatment tank 110. Next, the object to be swirled hits a rectifying surface 143 that is a surface facing the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120. From the swivel angle of the object to be processed, it is thought that the first rectifying surface 143a first strikes. And the to-be-processed object which faced the 1st rectification | straightening surface 143a will move (flow) along the 1st rectification | straightening surface 143a. In other words, the moving direction (flow direction) of the workpiece is changed by the rectifying plate 142 including the first rectifying surface 143a so as to incline downward from the upstream to the downstream in the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120.

  The object to be processed that moves along the first rectifying surface 143a then reaches the second rectifying surface 143b and moves along the second rectifying surface 143b. That is, the moving direction of the workpiece is changed in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120 by the rectifying plate 142 including the second rectifying surface 143b.

  For this reason, the relative speed of the workpiece with respect to the processing blade 130 increases. By providing the rectifying plate 142 in the vicinity of the processing unit 132, the object to be processed is changed in the moving direction in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120, that is, in the state where the relative speed is increased. Sent to the area.

  Then, the object to be processed that has been sent to the processing area collides with the processing unit 132, whereby the fixing process is performed. Here, it is considered that the collision force can be increased as the relative speed between the object to be processed and the processing unit 142 increases. In the present invention, the relative speed at the time of the collision between the object to be processed and the processing part 142 is increased by causing the object to be processed to flow in the reverse direction and collide with the processing part 132 instead of flowing in the forward direction with the processing blade 130. This increases the impact force.

  Therefore, it is difficult for the external additive to be liberated and the external additive can be fixed to the toner particle surface. The rectifying surface 143 may be configured as a plane as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, but as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 as long as the moving direction of the workpiece is reversed. It may be composed of a simple curved surface.

[Production of toner]
Next, an example of a toner manufacturing method using the toner processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described. The method for producing the toner is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known production method can be used. Here, a toner manufacturing procedure using a pulverization method will be described.

  First, in the raw material mixing step, as a material constituting the toner particles, a predetermined amount of a binder resin, a colorant, a wax, and other components such as a charge control agent are weighed and mixed as necessary. . Examples of the toner processing device (mixing device) include a super mixer (manufactured by Kawata Co., Ltd.), a Henschel mixer, a mechano hybrid (manufactured by Nippon Coke Industries, Ltd.), a nauter mixer (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.), and the like.

  Next, the mixed material is melt-kneaded to disperse wax or the like in the binder resin. In the melt-kneading step, a batch kneader such as a pressure kneader or a Banbury mixer, or a continuous kneader can be used. Due to the advantage of continuous production, single-screw or twin-screw extruders are the mainstream. For example, KTK type twin screw extruder (manufactured by Kobe Steel Co., Ltd.), TEM type twin screw extruder (manufactured by Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd.), PCM kneader (manufactured by Ikekai Co., Ltd.), Needex (manufactured by Nippon Coke Industries, Ltd.) ).

  Furthermore, the resin composition obtained by melt-kneading may be rolled with two rolls or the like and cooled with water or the like in the cooling step. Next, the cooled product of the resin composition is pulverized to a desired particle size in the pulverization step. In the pulverization process, after coarse pulverization with a pulverizer such as a crusher or hammer mill, the pulverizer is further finely pulverized with a pulverizer such as a kryptron system (Earth Technica Co., Ltd.) or a turbo mill (Freunde Turbo Co., Ltd.). Smash.

  Next, classifiers such as inertia class elbow jet (manufactured by Nippon Steel & Mining Co., Ltd.), centrifugal force classifier TSP separator, TTSP separator (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.), Faculty (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.), etc. Classification is performed using a sieving machine to obtain toner particles.

[External processing]
A toner processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1 is used as an apparatus for fixing the external additive to the surface of the toner particles thus obtained. The processing method is as follows.

  The rotational peripheral speed of the processing blade 130 of the toner processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is set within a predetermined range described later. Next, the upper lid of the processing tank 110 is opened, and an object to be processed containing toner particles and external additives that have been weighed in advance is put in. After the charging, the upper lid is closed, and the processing blade 130 is rotated at the rotational peripheral speed described below.

  Further, while the processing blade 130 is rotating, the cold water from the cold water generating means is supplied to a cold water jacket (not shown), so that the material temperature in the processing tank 110 is changed to the glass transition point (Tg) of the resin component contained in the toner. ) Adjust to the following. After processing for a desired time, a discharge valve (not shown) is opened, and the toner is taken out from the processing tank 110. Thereafter, the particles are passed through a mesh having an opening of about 35 μm to 75 μm to remove coarse particles, thereby obtaining a toner.

  The rotational peripheral speed of the processing blade 130 and the mixing time are preferably adjusted to a range in which the material temperature during processing is equal to or lower than the glass transition point (Tg) of the resin component contained in the toner. Specifically, it is preferable that the maximum peripheral speed of the processing blade 130 is 10.0 m / sec or more and 150.0 m / sec or less. Moreover, it is preferable to adjust mixing time in the range of 0.5 minute or more and 60 minutes or less. The process of fixing the external additive to the surface of the toner particles may be performed in one stage or in multiple stages including two or more stages. The mixing conditions and the blending of the toner particles used in each stage are the same. It can be different.

[toner]
Next, the toner used in the present invention will be described. As the toner used in the present invention, a known toner can be used, and the toner may be produced by any method such as a pulverization method, a polymerization method, an emulsion aggregation method, and a dissolution suspension method.

[Toner; Binder resin]
As the binder resin constituting the toner, a resin that is usually used for toner can be used. The following are listed.

In the toner suitably used in the present invention, examples of the binder resin include polystyrene; homopolymers of styrene-substituted products such as poly-p-chlorostyrene and polyvinyltoluene; and styrene-p-chlorostyrene copolymers. Furthermore, a styrene-vinyl toluene copolymer, a styrene-vinyl naphthalene copolymer, a styrene-acrylic acid ester copolymer, a styrene-methacrylic acid ester copolymer, and a styrene-α-chloromethyl methacrylate copolymer are exemplified. . Furthermore, a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, a styrene-vinyl methyl ether copolymer, a styrene-vinyl ethyl ether copolymer, a styrene-vinyl methyl ketone copolymer, and a styrene-butadiene copolymer are exemplified. Further, styrene copolymers such as styrene-isoprene copolymer and styrene-acrylonitrile-indene copolymer; polyvinyl chloride, phenol resin, natural modified phenol resin, natural resin modified maleic acid resin, and acrylic resin. Furthermore, methacrylic resin, polyvinyl acetate, silicone resin, polyester resin, polyurethane, polyamide resin, furan resin, epoxy resin,
Examples include xylene resin, polyvinyl butyral, terpene resin, coumarone indene resin, and petroleum resin.

  Among the physical properties of the toner, the molecular weight distribution measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) soluble in tetrahydrofuran (THF) is preferably as follows due to the binder resin. That is, it is more preferable that a component having at least one peak in a region having a molecular weight of 2,000 to 50,000 and having a molecular weight of 1,000 to 30,000 is present in an amount of 50% to 90%. The glass transition point (Tg) of the binder resin is preferably 30 ° C. or higher and 60 ° C. or lower, and more preferably 40 ° C. or higher and 60 ° C. or lower. When the glass transition point (Tg) is within the above range, the durability of the toner is excellent and aggregation of the toner particles in a high temperature and high humidity environment is suppressed.

[Toner; Wax]
In the toner suitably used in the present invention, the following wax is used as the material of the toner particles from the viewpoint of improving the releasability from the fixing member at the time of fixing and improving the fixing property. Examples of the wax include paraffin wax and derivatives thereof, microcrystalline wax and derivatives thereof, Fischer-Tropsch wax and derivatives thereof, polyolefin wax and derivatives thereof, and carnauba wax and derivatives thereof. Derivatives of these waxes include oxides, block copolymers with vinyl monomers, and graft modified products. Examples of other waxes include alcohols, fatty acids, acid amides, esters, ketones, hydrogenated castor oil and derivatives thereof, plant waxes, animal waxes, mineral waxes, and petrolactam.

[Toner; Charge control agent]
In the toner suitably used in the present invention, in order to control the charge amount and charge amount distribution of the toner particles, a charge control agent is blended into the toner particles (internal addition) or mixed with the toner particles (external addition). And preferably used.

  Examples of the negative charge control agent for controlling the toner to be negatively charged include organometallic complexes and chelate compounds. Examples of the organometallic complex include a monoazo metal complex, an acetylacetone metal complex, an aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acid metal complex, and an aromatic dicarboxylic acid metal complex. Further, the negative charge control agent includes aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acid, aromatic monocarboxylic acid and aromatic polycarboxylic acid and metal salts thereof; anhydrous hydroxycarboxylic acid, aromatic monocarboxylic acid and aromatic polycarboxylic acid anhydride. Things. Furthermore, ester compounds of aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acid, aromatic monocarboxylic acid and aromatic polycarboxylic acid, and phenol derivatives such as bisphenol are included.

  Examples of the positive charge control agent for controlling the toner to be positively charged include nigrosine and a modified product of nigrosine by a fatty acid metal salt; tributylbenzylammonium-1-hydroxy-4-naphthosulfonate. Further examples include quaternary ammonium salts such as tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate and lake pigments thereof; tributylbenzylphosphonium-1-hydroxy-4-naphthosulfonate. Further, phosphonium salts such as tetrabutylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate and lake pigments thereof; triphenylmethane dyes and lake pigments thereof (the rake agent includes phosphotungstic acid. Acid, tannic acid, lauric acid, gallic acid, ferricyanide, ferrocyanide, etc.); metal salts of higher fatty acids.

These charge control agents can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Moreover, charge control resin can also be used and can also be used together with said charge control agent. The above charge control agent is preferably used in the form of fine particles. When these charge control agents are internally added to the toner particles, it is preferable to add 0.1 parts by mass or more and 20.0 parts by mass or less to the toner particles with respect to 100.0 parts by mass of the binder resin.

[Toner; Colorant]
In the toner suitably used in the present invention, various conventionally known colorants can be used as the toner particle material. The colorant used in the present invention is combined so that the black colorant is toned in black by a chromatic colorant such as magnetite, carbon black, the following yellow colorant, magenta colorant and cyan colorant. Is used.

  As the yellow colorant, compounds represented by condensed azo compounds, isoindolinone compounds, anthraquinone compounds, azo metal complexes, methine compounds, and allylamide compounds are used. Specifically, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 62, 74, 83, 93, 94, 95, 97, 109, 110, 111. Furthermore, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 120, 127, 128, 129, 147, 155, 162, 168, 174, 176, 180, 181, 185, 191.

  As the magenta colorant, condensed azo compounds, diketopyrrolopyrrole compounds, anthraquinones, quinacridone compounds, basic dye lake compounds, naphthol compounds, benzimidazolone compounds, thioindigo compounds, and perylene compounds are used. Specifically, C.I. I. Pigment red 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 23, 31, 48; 2, 48; 3, 48; 4, 57; 1, 81; Furthermore, C.I. I. Pigment red 144, 146, 150, 166, 169, 177, 184, 185, 202, 206, 220, 221, 238, 254.

  As the cyan colorant, copper phthalocyanine compounds and derivatives thereof, anthraquinone compounds, basic dye lake compounds are used. Specifically, C.I. I. Pigment blue 1, 7, 15, 15: 1, 15: 2, 15: 3, 15: 4, 60, 62, 66.

  These colorants can be used alone or mixed and further in a solid solution state. In the present invention, the colorant is selected in consideration of hue angle, saturation, brightness, weather resistance, OHP transparency, and dispersibility in the toner. These chromatic non-magnetic colorants are contained in the toner particles in a total amount of 1.0 to 20.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin. Further, the magnetic colorant is contained in the toner particles in a total amount of 20 to 60 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin.

[External additive]
In the toner suitably used in the present invention, an external additive as fine particles is fixed to the surface of the toner particles. By fixing the fine particles, the fluidity and transferability of the toner particles can be improved. The external additive fixed to the toner particle surface preferably contains fine particles of any one of titanium oxide, alumina oxide, and silica fine particles.

  The surface of the fine particles contained in the external additive is preferably subjected to a hydrophobic treatment. The hydrophobizing treatment is preferably performed by a coupling agent such as various titanium coupling agents and silane coupling agents; fatty acids and metal salts thereof; silicone oils; or a combination thereof.

Among various combinations, it is preferable to fix a large particle size external additive having a number average particle size of 80 nm to 300 nm as one of the fine particles. This is because it has a function as a spacer particle and mainly improves transferability.

  Examples of the material include silica, alumina, titanium oxide, cerium oxide and the like. In the case of the silica, any silica produced using a conventionally known technique such as a gas phase decomposition method, a combustion method, or a deflagration method can be used. Among these, silica particles obtained by a sol-gel method capable of sharpening the particle size distribution are preferable.

  The content of the external additive in the toner is preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 10.0% by mass or less, and more preferably 0.5% by mass or more and 8.0% by mass or less. The external additive may be a combination of a plurality of types of fine particles.

  When the two-component developer is prepared by mixing the magnetic carrier and toner of the present invention, the mixing ratio is 2% by mass to 15% by mass, preferably 4% by mass to 13% by mass as the toner concentration in the developer. If it is less than%, usually good results are obtained.

[Method for Measuring Weight Average Particle Size (D4) of Toner]
Hereinafter, methods for measuring various physical properties of the toner and the like in the present invention will be described. The weight average particle diameter (D4) of the toner is calculated as follows. As a measuring device, a precise particle size distribution measuring device “Coulter Counter Multisizer 3” (registered trademark, manufactured by Beckman Coulter, Inc.) using a pore electrical resistance method equipped with a 100 μm aperture tube is used.

For setting the measurement conditions and analyzing the measurement data, the attached dedicated software “Beckman Coulter Multisizer 3 Version 3.51” (manufactured by Beckman Coulter, Inc.) is used. The measurement is performed with 25,000 effective measurement channels.

  As the electrolytic aqueous solution used for the measurement, a solution obtained by dissolving special grade sodium chloride in ion-exchanged water so as to have a concentration of 1% by mass, for example, “ISOTON II” (manufactured by Beckman Coulter, Inc.) can be used.

  Prior to measurement and analysis, the dedicated software is set as follows. On the “Change Standard Measurement Method (SOM)” screen of the dedicated software, set the total count in the control mode to 50000 particles, set the number of measurements once, and set the Kd value to “standard particles 10.0 μm” (Beckman Coulter, Inc.) Set the value obtained using

  By pressing the “Threshold / Noise Level Measurement Button”, the threshold and noise level are automatically set. In addition, the current is set to 1600 μA, the gain is set to 2, the electrolyte is set to ISOTON II, and the “aperture tube flush after measurement” is checked. In the “Pulse to particle size conversion setting” screen of the dedicated software, the bin interval is set to logarithmic particle size, the particle size bin is set to 256 particle size bin, and the particle size range is set to 2 μm to 60 μm.

The specific measurement method is as follows.
(1) Put 200 ml of the aqueous electrolytic solution into a glass 250 ml round bottom beaker for exclusive use of Multisizer 3, set it on a sample stand, and stir the stirrer rod counterclockwise at 24 rpm. Then, the dirt and bubbles in the aperture tube are removed by the “aperture flush” function of the dedicated software.

(2) 30 ml of the electrolytic aqueous solution is placed in a glass 100 ml flat bottom beaker. In this, "Contaminone N" (nonionic surfactant, anionic surfactant, 10% by weight aqueous solution of neutral detergent for pH7 precision measuring instrument cleaning, made by organic builder, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd. 0.3 ml of a diluted solution obtained by diluting 3) with ion-exchanged water.

  (3) Two oscillators with an oscillation frequency of 50 kHz are incorporated with the phase shifted by 180 degrees, and an ultrasonic disperser “Ultrasonic Dispersion System Tetora 150” (manufactured by Nikka Ki Bios) having an electrical output of 120 W is prepared. Into the water tank of the ultrasonic disperser, 3.3 l of ion-exchanged water is added, and 2 ml of Contaminone N is added to the water tank.

  (4) The beaker of (2) is set in the beaker fixing hole of the ultrasonic disperser, and the ultrasonic disperser is operated. And the height position of a beaker is adjusted so that the resonance state of the electrolyte solution liquid surface in a beaker may become the maximum.

  (5) In a state where the electrolytic aqueous solution in the beaker of (4) is irradiated with ultrasonic waves, 10 mg of toner is added to the electrolytic aqueous solution little by little and dispersed. Then, the ultrasonic dispersion process is continued for another 60 seconds. In the ultrasonic dispersion, the temperature of the water tank is appropriately adjusted so as to be 10 ° C. or higher and 40 ° C. or lower.

  (6) To the round bottom beaker of (1) installed in a sample stand, the electrolyte aqueous solution of (5) in which toner is dispersed is dropped using a pipette, and the measured concentration is adjusted to 5%. Measurement is performed until the number of measured particles reaches 50,000.

  (7) The measurement data is analyzed with the dedicated software attached to the apparatus, and the weight average particle diameter (D4) is calculated. The “average diameter” on the “analysis / volume statistics (arithmetic average)” screen when the graph / volume% is set in the dedicated software is the weight average particle diameter (D4).

[Measurement of BET specific surface area of toner]
BET (Brunauer, Emmet and Teller's of toner and external additives
The measurement of the specific surface area is performed according to JIS Z8830 (2001). A specific measurement method is as follows.

  As a measuring device, an “automatic specific surface area / pore distribution measuring device TriStar 3000 (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation)” which employs a gas adsorption method by a constant volume method as a measuring method is used.

  Setting of measurement conditions and analysis of measurement data are performed using dedicated software “TriStar3000 Version 4.00” attached to the apparatus, and a vacuum pump, a nitrogen gas pipe, and a helium gas pipe are connected to the apparatus. The value calculated by the BET multipoint method using nitrogen gas as the adsorption gas is defined as the BET specific surface area in the present invention.

The BET specific surface area is calculated as follows.
First, nitrogen gas is adsorbed to the toner and the external additive, and the equilibrium pressure P (Pa) in the sample cell and the nitrogen adsorption amount Va (mol · g ⁻¹ ) of the toner at that time are measured. The relative pressure Pr, which is a value obtained by dividing the equilibrium pressure P (Pa) in the sample cell by the saturated vapor pressure Po (Pa) of nitrogen, is plotted on the horizontal axis, and the nitrogen adsorption amount Va (mol · g ⁻¹ ) is plotted on the vertical axis. The adsorption isotherm is obtained.

Next, the monomolecular layer adsorption amount Vm (mol · g ⁻¹ ), which is the adsorption amount necessary for forming a monomolecular layer on the surface of the toner and the external additive, is applied using the following BET formula (Formula 1). Ask. Here, C is a BET parameter, which is a variable that varies depending on the measurement sample type, the adsorbed gas type, and the adsorption temperature.

The BET equation is interpreted as a straight line with an inclination of (C-1) / (Vm × C) and an intercept of 1 / (Vm × C), where Pr is X axis and Pr / Va (1-Pr) is Y axis. Yes (this line is called a BET plot).
Straight line slope = (C-1) / (Vm × C)
Straight line intercept = 1 / (Vm × C)

  When the measured value of Pr and the measured value of Pr / Va (1-Pr) are plotted on a graph and a straight line is drawn by the least square method, the slope and intercept value of the straight line can be calculated. Vm and C can be calculated by solving the above slope and intercept simultaneous equations using these values.

Further, from the calculated Vm and the molecular occupation cross-sectional area of the nitrogen molecule (0.162 nm ² ), the BET specific surface area S (m ² · g ⁻¹ ) of the toner and the external additive is calculated based on the following formula 2. calculate. Here, N is Avogadro's number (mol- ¹ ).

  The measurement using this apparatus follows the “TriStar 3000 Instruction Manual V4.0” attached to the apparatus, and specifically, the measurement is performed according to the following procedure.

  Thoroughly weigh the tare of a dedicated glass sample cell (stem diameter 3/8 inch, volume about 5 ml) that has been thoroughly cleaned and dried. Then, about 1.5 g of toner is put into the sample cell using a funnel (0.3 g in the case of an external additive).

  The sample cell containing the toner or external additive is set in a “pretreatment device Bacrepep 061 (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation)” connected to a vacuum pump and a nitrogen gas pipe, and vacuum degassing is performed at 23 ° C. for about 10 hours. continue.

  During vacuum deaeration, the toner or external additive is gradually deaerated while adjusting the valve so that the vacuum pump does not suck the toner or the external additive. The pressure in the cell gradually decreases with deaeration and finally becomes about 0.4 Pa (about 3 mTorr). After completion of vacuum degassing, nitrogen gas is gradually injected to return the inside of the sample cell to atmospheric pressure, and the sample cell is removed from the pretreatment device. Then, the mass of the sample cell is precisely weighed, and the exact mass of the toner or external additive is calculated from the difference from the tare. At this time, the sample cell is covered with a rubber stopper during weighing so that the toner or the external additive in the sample cell is not contaminated by moisture in the atmosphere.

  Next, a dedicated “isothermal jacket” is attached to the stem portion of the sample cell containing toner or external additives. Then, a dedicated filler rod is inserted into the sample cell, and the sample cell is set in the analysis port of the apparatus. The isothermal jacket is a cylindrical member having an inner surface made of a porous material and an outer surface made of an impermeable material capable of sucking liquid nitrogen to a certain level by capillary action.

Subsequently, the free space of the sample cell including the connection tool is measured. Free space is measured by measuring the volume of the sample cell with helium gas at 23 ° C., and then measuring the volume of the sample cell after cooling the sample cell with liquid nitrogen in the same manner using helium gas. Calculated from the difference in volume. Further, the saturated vapor pressure Po (Pa) of nitrogen is automatically measured separately using a Po tube built in the apparatus.

  Next, after performing vacuum deaeration in the sample cell, the sample cell is cooled with liquid nitrogen while continuing the vacuum deaeration. Thereafter, nitrogen gas is gradually introduced into the sample cell to adsorb nitrogen molecules to the toner or the external additive. At this time, the adsorption isotherm is obtained by measuring the equilibrium pressure P (Pa) as needed, and the adsorption isotherm is converted into a BET plot.

  Note that the points of the relative pressure Pr for collecting data are set to a total of 6 points of 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20, 0.25, and 0.30. A straight line is drawn from the obtained measurement data by the least square method, and Vm is calculated from the slope and intercept of the straight line. Further, using the value of Vm, the BET specific surface area of the toner is calculated as described above.

[Measurement of glass transition point (Tg) of resin component contained in toner]
The glass transition point (Tg) of the resin component contained in the toner is measured in accordance with ASTM D3418-82 using a differential scanning calorimeter “Q1000” (manufactured by TA Instruments). The temperature correction of the device detection unit uses the melting points of indium and zinc, and the correction of heat uses the heat of fusion of indium.

  Specifically, about 10 mg of toner is precisely weighed, put in an aluminum pan, an empty aluminum pan is used as a reference, and the temperature rising rate is 10 ° C./min between a measurement range of 30 to 200 ° C. Measure with. In this temperature rising process, a specific heat change is obtained in the temperature range of 40 ° C to 100 ° C. At this time, the intersection of the midpoint of the baseline and the differential heat curve before and after the change in specific heat occurs is defined as the glass transition temperature Tg of the resin component contained in the toner.

  The peak temperature of the maximum endothermic peak of the wax and toner is measured according to ASTM D3418-82 using a differential scanning calorimeter “Q1000” (manufactured by TA Instruments). The temperature correction of the device detection unit uses the melting points of indium and zinc, and the correction of heat uses the heat of fusion of indium. Specifically, about 10 mg of toner is precisely weighed, put in an aluminum pan, an empty aluminum pan is used as a reference, and the temperature rising rate is 10 ° C./min between a measurement range of 30 to 200 ° C. Measure with. In this temperature raising process, a specific heat change is obtained in the temperature range of 40 ° C to 100 ° C. At this time, the intersection of the intermediate point line of the base line before and after the change in specific heat and the differential heat curve is defined as the glass transition temperature Tg of the binder resin.

[Measurement method of 50% particle size (D50) based on volume distribution of large particle size external additive]
The particle size distribution of the large particle size external additive is measured with a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution measuring apparatus “Microtrack MT3300EX” (manufactured by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.). The volume distribution standard 50% particle size (D50) of the large particle size external additive is measured by mounting a sample feeder for dry measurement. In addition, as said sample supply machine, there exists "one shot dry type | mold conditioner Turbotrac" (made by Nikkiso Co., Ltd.) etc.

  As the supply conditions of Turbotrac, a dust collector was used as a vacuum source, the air volume was about 33 liters / sec, and the pressure was about 17 kPa. Control is automatically performed on software. For the particle size, a 50% particle size (D50), which is a cumulative value based on volume, is obtained. Control and analysis are performed using attached software (version 10.3.3-202D). The measurement conditions are: SetZero time 10 seconds, measurement time 10 seconds, number of measurements once, particle refractive index 1.81, particle shape non-spherical, measurement upper limit 1408 μm, measurement lower limit 0.243 μm. The measurement is performed in a normal temperature and normal humidity (23 ° C., 50% RH) environment.

(Example)
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples and comparative examples of the configuration of specific toner processing apparatuses, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[Production example of toner particles]
Unsaturated polyester resin: 100 parts by mass (polyoxypropylene (2,2) -2,2bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane / polyoxyethylene (2,2) -2,2bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) Unsaturated polyester resin consisting of propane / terephthalic acid / trimellitic anhydride / fumaric acid,
(Mw: 15000, Mw / Mn: 4.5, Tg: 54 ° C.)
Copper phthalocyanine pigment (CI Pigment Blue 15: 3): 5 parts by mass Paraffin wax (maximum endothermic peak 73 ° C.): 4 parts by mass Charge control agent (salicylic acid Al complex): 1 part by mass

  The above materials were thoroughly mixed with a Henschel mixer (Nippon Coke Industries, Ltd. FM10 type) and then kneaded with a biaxial kneader (Ikegai PCM15 type) set at a temperature of 120 ° C. The obtained kneaded product was cooled and then coarsely pulverized using a pulverizer (Hasokawa Micron Hammer Mill Model H12) to obtain a coarsely pulverized product. The obtained coarsely pulverized product was finely pulverized using a pulverizer (T250RS type manufactured by Freund Turbo Inc.) to obtain a partially pulverized product. Next, the obtained finely pulverized product was classified using a classifier (TSP separator 200 type manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation) to obtain toner particles having a weight average diameter (D4) of 6 μm.

Example 1
100 parts by mass of the toner particles and 1 part by mass of sol-gel silica particles (BET specific surface area 28.55 m ² / g) having a volume average particle size (D50) of 100 nm are treated using the toner processing apparatus shown in FIG. A toner was obtained. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a toner processing apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment.

  A toner processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a processing tank 110 that accommodates an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive, a drive motor 150, and a control panel 160. The drive of the drive motor 150 is transmitted to the drive shaft 111 via the drive belt, and the drive shaft 111 is rotationally driven. The control panel 160 includes a power switch, a drive ON switch, a drive stop switch, a rotation speed adjustment volume, a rotation speed display section, a product temperature display section, and the like, and controls the operation of the toner processing apparatus 100.

  The processing tank 110 shown in FIG. 2 is a cylindrical container having an inner dimension height of 250 mm, an inner diameter of φ230 mm, and an effective capacity of 10 L, and is provided with a drive shaft 111 at substantially the center of a flat bottom portion 110a. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the stirring blade 120 (stirring blade A) has a blade portion 121. The stirring blade 120 has an S shape and a tip that is flipped up. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the processing blade 130 for processing an object to be processed has two processing portions 132 protruding radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the annular rotator main body 131. Here, the length in the radial direction from the processing unit 132 to the end farthest from the rotating body main body 131 is a length at which the processing unit 132 does not contact the inner peripheral surface of the processing tank 110, and the inner peripheral surface The length is preferably 90% or more of the radius. In the first embodiment, the shape of the processing unit 132 is such that the radially outermost end is 95% of the radius of the processing bath 110 and the thickness is 4 mm.

Further, in the first embodiment, a rectifying member 140 (rectifying member C) shown in FIG. In addition, the distance between the lower end of the current plate 142 and the processing unit 132 is set to 5 mm so that the effect of the current regulating member 140 is obtained in the processing region of the processing blade 130. Further, the rectifying member 140 has eight rectifying plates 142 protruding outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the annular main body 141. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, when one rectifying plate is viewed from the side, the angle of the line connecting the upper end portion of the first rectifying surface 143 a and the A portion 145 with respect to the horizontal line is θ1, and the A portion 145 The angle of the line connecting the lower end portions of the second rectifying surface 143b with respect to the horizontal line is θ2. That is, the angle of the first rectifying surface 143a with respect to the horizontal plane is θ1, and the angle of the second rectifying surface 143b with respect to the horizontal plane is θ2.

The first rectifying surface 143a is a plane having θ1 of 45 degrees, the second rectifying surface 143b is a plane having θ2 of −60 degrees, and all the eight rectifying plates 142 have the same shape. For the toner processing apparatus 100 configured as described above, 100 parts by mass of toner particles and 1 part by mass of sol-gel silica particles having a volume average particle diameter (D50) of 100 nm (BET specific surface area 28.55 m ² / g) are effectively contained in the processing tank 110. Introduce 8% of capacity. The processing blade 130 is controlled so that the tip peripheral speed is 44 m / sec and is operated for 5 minutes to produce toner. The physical properties of the obtained toner are evaluated, and the transferability is evaluated with a multifunction machine shown below.

  90 parts by weight of a magnetic carrier is added to 10 parts by weight of the obtained toner, and the mixture is mixed and developed by a V-type mixer (manufactured by Tokuju Kogaku Co., Ltd.) in an environment of normal temperature and humidity (23 ° C., 50% RH) Use as an agent. Using this developer, image evaluation is performed using a full color multifunction peripheral iR-ADV C5051 (hereinafter, multifunction peripheral) manufactured by Canon Inc.

[Evaluation of transfer efficiency]
Evaluation of transfer efficiency was performed as follows.
The copying machine main body was adjusted so that the amount of toner on the photoconductor was 0.5 mg / cm ^2, and a test pattern was output. At that time, the multifunction peripheral was forcibly stopped before the test pattern was transferred from the photoreceptor to the intermediate transfer belt and transferred to the recording paper.

  The intermediate transfer belt of the MFP that was forcibly stopped was taken out, a transparent adhesive tape was applied to the transferred test pattern portion, the toner was collected, and the entire adhesive tape was attached to a copy sheet. The density of the test pattern portion was measured with an optical densitometer, and the density of the portion where only the adhesive tape was stretched on the copy paper was subtracted to obtain the transfer density A. Thereafter, the photoconductor of the multifunction machine was taken out, and the transfer residual density B of the transfer residual toner was determined in the same manner.

Adhesive tape is transparent and weakly adhesive Supertech made by Lintec Co., Ltd., GF-C081 (sold by Canon Marketing Japan Co., Ltd.) is used for copy paper, and optical densitometer is spectral density produced by X-Rite Co., Ltd. A total of 504 was used. The toner transfer efficiency was determined by the following formula 3.

  The MFP was installed in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment (30 ° C./80% RH), and the transfer efficiency was measured using the developer in the initial state.

  Next, a test pattern having an image area ratio of 2% was continuously printed, a durability test of 50,000 sheets in A4 size was performed, and the transfer efficiency was measured again after the durability test. The initial transfer efficiency was evaluated as the initial characteristics of the toner, and the transfer efficiency after the durability test was evaluated as the durability of the toner. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 2)
In this embodiment, a rectifying member 170 (rectifying member D) having the shape shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is used instead of the rectifying member 140. The rectifying plate 172 included in the rectifying member 170 has a first rectifying surface 173a having a curved surface that is concave in the rotational direction of the processing blade 130 when θ1 is 45 degrees, and a second rectifying surface 173b is concave in the rotational direction when θ2 is −60 degrees. The curved surface is Other than that, toner is produced under the same configuration and operating conditions as in Example 1, and toner physical property evaluation and transfer property evaluation are performed. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 3)
FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the stirring blade of Example 3, FIG. 9A is a view seen from above the treatment tank 110, and FIG. 9B is a view seen from the side. . In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the stirring blade 180 (the stirring blade B) is provided with a blade portion 183 that extends substantially linearly from the center toward the outside and has a small amount of protrusion upward from the tip portion 183a. ) Is used. Other than that, toner is produced under the same configuration and operating conditions as in Example 1, and toner physical property evaluation and transfer property evaluation are performed. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

Example 4
10A and 10B are schematic views showing a flow regulating member of Example 4, in which FIG. 10A is a view from above the treatment tank 110, and FIG. 10B is a view from the side. . FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a current plate of Example 4, and is a view of one current plate as viewed from the side. In this embodiment, a rectifying member 190 (rectifying member E) having the shape shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 is used instead of the rectifying member 140. The first rectifying surface 193a is a plane having θ1 of 45 degrees, and the second rectifying surface 193b is a plane having θ2 of −88 degrees. Other than that, toner is produced under the same configuration and operating conditions as in Example 1, and toner physical property evaluation and transfer property evaluation are performed. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 5)
In the present embodiment, the rectifying member 140 is attached so that the distance between the lower end of the rectifying plate 142 and the processing unit 132 in the axial direction of the drive shaft 111 is 30 mm, and the tip peripheral speed of the processing blade 130 is 33 m / sec. Control to be Other than that, toner is produced under the same configuration and operating conditions as in Example 1, and toner physical property evaluation and transfer property evaluation are performed. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 1)
In this comparative example, except that the configuration in which the rectifying member 140 used in Example 1 is not attached is used, toner is produced with the same configuration and operating conditions as in Example 1, and toner physical property evaluation and transfer property evaluation are performed. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 2)
In this comparative example, COMPOSI (Nippon Coke Industries, Ltd. CP15 type) is used. FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a toner processing apparatus 200 of Comparative Example 2. This apparatus is composed of a processing tank 210, rotating turbine blades 220, and a collision plate 230 fixed above the turbine blades, and an object to be processed wound up by the turbine blades 220 is caused to collide with the collision plate 230 to be fixed. Is to do. As in the first embodiment, the distance between the upper end portion of the turbine blade 220 and the lower end portion of the collision plate 230 is set to 5 mm, and the same workpiece as in the first embodiment is introduced by 8% of the effective capacity. Driving for 5 minutes at a tip peripheral speed of 44 m / sec. Since the product temperature during toner processing exceeded the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the toner during the operation, the operation was stopped.

(Comparative Example 3)
In this comparative example, a Henschel mixer (FM10C type manufactured by Nippon Coke Industries, Ltd.) is used. FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing a toner processing apparatus 300 of Comparative Example 3. This apparatus includes a processing tank 310, a stirring blade 320, a processing blade 330, and a deflector 340. The deflector 340 is a substantially vertical flat plate fixed so that the distance from the processing blade 330 is 42 mm. As in Example 1, the material to be treated is introduced by 8% of the effective capacity, the tip peripheral speed of the stirring blade 320 is set to 44 m / sec, the toner is produced for 5 minutes, and the toner physical property evaluation and the transfer property evaluation are performed. . The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 4)
In this comparative example, a toner is produced with the same configuration and operating conditions as in comparative example 3 except that the operation time is 50 minutes, and toner physical property evaluation and transfer property evaluation are performed. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

  From the results of Table 1, it can be seen that in the toners of Examples 1 to 5 employing the configuration of the present invention, the BET value, which is a measure of the degree of fixing treatment of the large-diameter external additive to the toner particles, is low. In the transferability evaluation, the initial transfer efficiency is high, and the transfer efficiency after the durability test is also high.

  On the other hand, the toner of Comparative Example 1 obtained with a configuration in which the rectifying member is not attached has a high BET value, the initial transfer efficiency is low, and the transfer efficiency after durability is greatly reduced. In the configuration of Comparative Example 2, the toner properties and image evaluation are not performed because the processing is stopped due to an increase in the product temperature during the toner processing. The toner obtained by the configuration of Comparative Example 3 that does not have a configuration for reversing the flow direction of the object to be processed has a high BET value, and the transfer efficiency is inferior to that of the example. Even if the processing time is extended as in Comparative Example 4, the improvement effect is small.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Toner processing apparatus, 110 ... Processing tank (processing chamber), 120 ... Stirring blade (flow means), 130 ... Processing blade (rotating body), 131 ... Rotating body main body, 132 ... Processing part, 140 ... Rectification member

Claims (18)

A processing chamber for storing an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive;
A flow means for causing the object to be processed contained in the processing chamber to flow upward from the bottom of the processing chamber;
It is rotatably provided above the flow means in the processing chamber, and protrudes radially outward from the rotating body main body and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body main body and collides with the object to be processed, thereby the object to be processed. A rotating body having a processing unit for processing
A rectifying member that is provided above the rotating body in the processing chamber and changes a flow direction of the object to be processed in a processing region by the rotating body in a direction opposite to a rotating direction of the rotating body ; A rectifying member whose lower end is positioned at a distance of 50 mm or less upward from the processing unit ;
A toner processing apparatus comprising: The toner processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a lower end portion of the rectifying member is located at a distance of 5 mm or more and 30 mm or less upward from the processing unit. The rectifying member is
A first rectifying surface extending in a direction inclined in the rotational direction with respect to the rotational axis direction of the rotating body from the upper side toward the lower side;
A second rectification surface extending in a direction inclined in the direction opposite to the rotation direction with respect to the rotation axis direction from the lower end of the first rectification surface further downward;
Toner processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a. A processing chamber for storing an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive;
A flow means for causing the object to be processed contained in the processing chamber to flow upward from the bottom of the processing chamber;
It is rotatably provided above the flow means in the processing chamber, and protrudes radially outward from the rotating body main body and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body main body and collides with the object to be processed, thereby the object to be processed. A rotating body having a processing unit for processing
A first rectifying surface that is fixed above the rotating body in the processing chamber and extends from the upper side to the lower side in a direction inclined in the rotation direction with respect to the rotation axis direction of the rotating body; A second flow straightening surface extending in a direction inclined in the direction opposite to the rotation direction with respect to the rotation axis direction from the lower end of the first flow straightening surface further downward,
A toner processing apparatus comprising: The toner processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a lower end portion of the rectifying member is located at a distance of 50 mm or less upward from the processing portion. The toner processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a lower end portion of the rectifying member is located at a distance of 5 mm or more and 30 mm or less upward from the processing unit. The toner processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first rectifying surface and the second rectifying surface are flat surfaces. 7. The toner processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first rectifying surface and the second rectifying surface form a curved surface that is concave in the rotation direction. 8. The rectifying member, the toner processing device according to any one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of a pair of the first rectifying face the second regulating surfaces. The rectifying member, the toner processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that fixedly provided in the processing chamber. It said rotating body and said flow means includes a toner processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that is provided to be rotated by the same rotation shaft. The toner processing apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising a motor that rotationally drives the rotation shaft. The processing chamber has an inner peripheral surface centered on the rotation axis of the rotating body,
The length in the radial direction from the rotating shaft to the end of the processing unit that is farthest from the rotating body main body is a length that the processing unit does not contact the inner peripheral surface, and the inner circumference toner processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the radius 90% of the length of the surface. Toner processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 1 3, wherein the processing unit is provided with a plurality. Said flow means, the toner processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 1 4, characterized in that a rotary member having a wing portion which rise up an object to be processed. The toner processing apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the blade portion has an S shape. A processing chamber for storing an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive;
A flow means for causing the object to be processed contained in the processing chamber to flow upward from the bottom of the processing chamber;
It is rotatably provided above the flow means in the processing chamber, and protrudes radially outward from the rotating body main body and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body main body and collides with the object to be processed, thereby the object to be processed. A rotating body having a processing unit for processing
It is provided above the rotating body in the processing chamber and is within a processing area by the rotating body.
A flow straightening member that changes the direction of flow of the workpiece to be rotated in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the rotating body,
Have
The rectifying member is
A first rectifying surface extending in a direction inclined in the rotational direction with respect to the rotational axis direction of the rotating body from the upper side toward the lower side;
A second rectification surface extending in a direction inclined in the direction opposite to the rotation direction with respect to the rotation axis direction from the lower end of the first rectification surface further downward;
A toner processing apparatus comprising: A toner manufacturing method comprising a step of performing an external addition process using the toner processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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