JP6394397B2 - Cleaning blade, process cartridge and image forming apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cleaning blade, and a process cartridge and an image forming apparatus including the cleaning blade.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an image carrier (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “photosensitive member”, “electrophotographic photosensitive member”, or “electrostatic latent image carrier”) is used as a recording medium or an intermediate. After the toner image is transferred to the transfer body or the like, the cleaning means removes unnecessary toner or the like (residue) remaining on the surface of the image carrier as a member to be cleaned.

  The cleaning means includes a flat elastic member made of polyurethane rubber or the like, and a support member that fixes a part of the elastic member, since a superior cleaning performance can be obtained with a simple configuration. Blades are often used. In the cleaning blade having such a configuration, the free end side of the elastic member is brought into contact with the surface of the image carrier, and the residue is scraped off and removed.

However, in order to meet the demand for higher image quality in recent years, the toner has characteristics such as higher transfer efficiency than conventional pulverized toner, and has a small particle size and a nearly spherical shape formed by a polymerization method (polymerized toner). May cause poor cleaning because the polymerized toner slips through a slight gap formed between the elastic member and the image carrier.
For this reason, when the contact pressure against the image carrier is increased at the contact portion where the free end side of the elastic member is in contact with the image carrier for the purpose of suppressing the poor cleaning, the contact portion And the image carrier increase in friction, the contact portion is curled, and local defects (local wear) tend to occur on the end surface on the free end side. In addition, there is a problem that the polymerized toner or the like enters between the image carrier and the contact portion and filming that adheres to the surface of the image carrier is likely to occur.

  In order to solve these problems, it has been proposed to increase the hardness of the contact portion. For example, there has been proposed a cleaning blade in which a surface layer is provided by impregnating a curable composition into an abutting portion of an elastic member made of urethane rubber, followed by spray coating (see Patent Document 1).

However, in this case, the contact portion can be bent by increasing the hardness, and problems such as local wear and filming can be solved. On the other hand, the elasticity of the contact portion is reduced, for example, on the surface of the image carrier. When there is minute undulation, the contact pressure tends to fluctuate. As a result, the followability of the abutting portion with respect to the image carrier is liable to deteriorate, and there is a problem that good cleaning properties and filming resistance cannot be obtained. Furthermore, since the curing shrinkage of the curable composition is large, there is a problem that when the stress due to the contact pressure is applied, local wear due to cracking or peeling occurring on the surface of the contact portion is likely to occur.
Therefore, by making the contact portion high hardness and high elasticity, it is possible to suppress the contact portion from curling, reduce the occurrence of local wear in the elastic member, and maintain the follow-up property and perform good cleaning. Therefore, a cleaning blade capable of providing high performance and filming resistance is desired.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and achieve the following objects. That is, the present invention provides a cleaning blade that can suppress the contact portion from curling, reduce the occurrence of local wear of the elastic member over a long period of time, and obtain good cleaning properties and filming resistance. Objective.

Means for solving the problems are as follows. That is, the cleaning blade of the present invention is
Including a cured product of the curable composition at either end of the flat elastic member,
At a measurement position of 20 μm on the plate surface of the flat elastic member, from the tip of the end to the end facing the tip,
Martens a hardness of ^{2N / mm 2 ~10N / mm 2} , and the elastic work rate is 60% to 85%.

  According to the present invention, the conventional problems can be solved, the object can be achieved, the contact portion can be prevented from curling, the occurrence of local wear of the elastic member can be reduced over a long period of time, and good cleaning can be achieved. It is possible to provide a cleaning blade capable of obtaining high performance and filming resistance.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing an image forming unit in an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state where the cleaning blade of the present invention is in contact with the surface of the image carrier. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the cleaning blade of the present invention. FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the contact portion of the elastic member is rolled. FIG. 5B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which local wear has occurred in the elastic member. FIG. 5C is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the elastic member is missing. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the vicinity of the contact portion of the cleaning blade of the present invention. FIG. 7A is a diagram for explaining a method of measuring the average circularity of toner. FIG. 7B is a diagram for explaining a method of measuring the average circularity of the toner. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the elastic power.

(Cleaning blade)
The cleaning blade of the present invention has an elastic member that contacts the surface of the member to be cleaned and removes the residue adhering to the surface of the member to be cleaned, and a support member, and other members as necessary. It has.

The shape and structure of the cleaning blade is not particularly limited, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. However, the cleaning member and an elastic member that is partially fixed to the support member and has a free end. It is preferable to consist of a member.
The cleaning blade scrapes and removes toner or the like remaining on the surface of the member to be cleaned by bringing any one of the long sides of the end surface of the free end into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned.
Here, any one of the long sides of the end face of the free end is referred to as a contact side. Further, when the contact side comes into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned, it deforms and wears, so that not only the contact side but also the plate surface including the contact side and the end surface of the free end are In order to come into contact with the surface of the member to be cleaned, the plate surface including the contact side in the vicinity of the contact side and the end surface of the free end are referred to as a contact part.

<Elastic member>
There is no restriction | limiting in particular about the shape, a magnitude | size, a material, a structure, etc. as said elastic member, According to the objective, it can select suitably.

The shape of the elastic member is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose.For example, a pair of plate surfaces facing each other in the thickness direction of the elastic member, orthogonal to the plate surface, The shape which consists of two pairs of end surfaces which oppose in the in-plane direction of a plate surface is mentioned, Flat shape, strip shape, sheet shape, etc. are preferable.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as average thickness of the said elastic member, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 1.0 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less are preferable.
Examples of the method for measuring the average thickness include a method of selecting an arbitrary plurality of points with respect to the elastic member and calculating an average of the thicknesses of the plurality of points. The average is preferably an average of 5 points, more preferably an average of 10 points, and particularly preferably an average of 20 points. The average thicknesses of the other layers can be calculated in the same manner.
Examples of the average thickness measuring instrument include a micrometer.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a magnitude | size of the said elastic member, According to the magnitude | size of the said member to be cleaned, it can select suitably.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a material of the said elastic member, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, A rubber | gum, an elastomer, etc. are preferable from the point which is easy to obtain high elasticity.

  Examples of the rubber include polyurethane rubber. Examples of the elastomer include a polyurethane elastomer. Among these, the polyurethane rubber is more preferable.

  The polyurethane rubber is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose.For example, a polyurethane prepolymer is prepared using a polyol compound and a polyisocyanate compound, and a curing agent is added to the polyurethane prepolymer. A cross-linking agent, a chain extender, and a curing catalyst as necessary are added, cross-linked in a predetermined mold, and post-cross-linked in a furnace, formed into a sheet by centrifugal molding, left at room temperature, and aged What is manufactured by cutting the processed material into a flat plate shape with a predetermined dimension is exemplified.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said polyol compound, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, high molecular weight polyol, low molecular weight polyol, etc. are mentioned.

Examples of the high molecular weight polyol include polyester polyol, polycaprolactone polyol, polyether polyol, and the like.
The polyester-based polyol is a condensate of alkylene glycol and an aliphatic dibasic acid. Examples of the alkylene glycol include ethylene adipate ester polyol, butylene adipate ester polyol, hexylene adipate ester polyol, and ethylene propylene adipate ester polyol. , Ethylene butylene adipate ester polyol, ethylene neopentylene adipate ester polyol, and the like, and examples of the aliphatic dibasic acid include adipic acid.
Examples of the polycaprolactone-based polyol include polycaprolactone ester polyol and polycaprolactone ester diol obtained by ring-opening polymerization of caprolactone.
Examples of the polyether polyol include poly (oxytetramethylene) glycol and poly (oxypropylene) glycol.
These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

Examples of the low molecular weight polyol include dihydric alcohols, trivalent or higher polyhydric alcohols, and the like.
Examples of the dihydric alcohol include 1,4-butanediol, ethylene glycol, neopentyl glycol, hydroquinone-bis (2-hydroxyethyl) ether, 3,3′-dichloro-4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane. 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane, and the like.
Examples of the trihydric or higher polyhydric alcohol include 1,1,1-trimethylolpropane, glycerin, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, 1,2,4-butanetriol, trimethylolethane, 1 1,1-tris (hydroxyethoxymethyl) propane, diglycerin, pentaerythritol, and the like.
These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said polyisocyanate compound, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, a methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), polymeric MDI (p-MDI), tolylene diisocyanate (TDI), xylylene diisocyanate (XDI), naphthylene 1,5-diisocyanate (NDI), tetramethylxylene diisocyanate (TMXDI), isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), hydrogenated xylylene diisocyanate (H6XDI), dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate (H12MDI), hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) Dimer acid diisocyanate (DDI), norbornene diisocyanate (NBDI), trimethylhexamethylene diisocyanate (TMDI), Etc., and the like.
These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said crosslinking agent, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, a trimethylol propane etc. are mentioned.

  The chain extender is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. Examples thereof include 1,4-butanediol.

The curing catalyst is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. Examples thereof include 2-methylimidazole and 1,2-dimethylimidazole.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of the said curing catalyst, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 0.01 mass%-0.5 mass% are preferable, 0.05 mass%-0.3 mass % Is more preferable.

There is no restriction | limiting in particular as JIS-A hardness of the said elastic member, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 60 degrees or more are preferable and 65 degrees-80 degrees are more preferable. When the JIS-A hardness is 60 degrees or more, since the elastic member itself is hard, the contact area with the image carrier is difficult to expand, and therefore the contact pressure (linear pressure) applied to the contact portion. Since a predetermined tip biting amount is easily obtained, it is easy to obtain good cleaning properties.
The linear pressure is obtained by dividing the force of the contact portion with respect to the image carrier by the length with which the contact portion contacts the image carrier.
Further, the elastic member may be formed of, for example, one type of elastic body having the JIS-A hardness, and two or more types having different JIS-A hardness in that both wear resistance and followability can be achieved. It is good also as a laminated body which integrally molded the said elastic body.
The JIS-A hardness can be measured using a micro rubber hardness meter (trade name: MD-1, manufactured by Kobunshi Keiki Co., Ltd.) according to JIS K6253 standard.

The rebound resilience of the elastic member is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, but is preferably 75% or less at 23 ° C. from the viewpoint of tackiness.
The rebound resilience coefficient of the elastic member may be measured using a trypso rebound resilience tester (trade name: Resilience Tester, manufactured by Toyo Seiki Seisakusho Co., Ltd.) according to JIS K6255 standard, for example, at a measurement environment of 23 ° C. it can.

  As the structure of the elastic member, a cured product of the curable composition described later is contained in any one end of the flat elastic member, and any long side of the end is used as the contact side. As long as it is possible, there is no particular limitation, and it can be appropriately selected according to the purpose.

  In order to contain the cured product of the curable composition in the end portion of the elastic member, for example, first, the end portion is swollen with a solvent described later contained in the curable composition, and the curable composition is also cured. The composition is impregnated and impregnated. Next, the curable composition impregnated in the end portion is cured by a treatment such as ultraviolet irradiation and heating, and the solvent in which the end portion is swollen is vaporized, whereby the crosslinked structure of the elastic member and the Since it becomes a structure where the hardened | cured material of a curable composition becomes entangled, the hardened | cured material of the said curable composition can be contained in the said elastic member in the state which is hard to peel from the said elastic member.

<< Curable composition >>
The curable composition is a curable composition to be impregnated in the end portion, contains a (meth) acrylate compound, and further contains other components as necessary.

  There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said (meth) acrylate compound, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, (meth) acrylate compound which has a C6 or more alicyclic structure in a molecule | numerator, or molecular weight is 100- 1,500 (meth) acrylate compounds are preferred.

-(Meth) acrylate compound having an alicyclic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms in the molecule-
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a (meth) acrylate compound which has a C6 or more alicyclic structure in the said molecule | numerator, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, C6-C12 is preferable, 8- 10 is more preferable. When the carbon number is less than 6, the hardness of the contact portion may be low, and when the carbon number exceeds 12, steric hindrance may occur in the cured product. Therefore, when the carbon number of the (meth) acrylate compound having an alicyclic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms in the molecule is 6 to 12, the contact caused by stress due to the contact pressure is applied to the contact portion. It is possible to suppress cracking and peeling of the surface of the contact portion, and to reduce the occurrence of local wear due to these.

The (meth) acrylate compound having an alicyclic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms in the molecule has a small number of functional groups and a small molecular weight due to the bulky special alicyclic structure in the molecule (meta ) Since it is an acrylate compound, it is easy to impregnate the elastic member, and the hardness of the contact portion can be increased efficiently.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said functional group number, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 2-6 are preferable and 2-4 are more preferable. When the number of functional groups is 2 to 6, the hardness of the contact portion is less likely to decrease, and the possibility of steric hindrance can be reduced.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said molecular weight, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, It is preferable that it is 500 or less. When the molecular weight is 500 or less, the elastic member is easily impregnated without increasing the molecular size, and the hardness of the contact portion is easily increased.

  The structure of the (meth) acrylate compound having an alicyclic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms in the molecule is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. At least one selected from a (meth) acrylate compound having a tricyclodecane structure and a (meth) acrylate compound having an adamantane structure is preferable because the shortage of crosslinking points can be compensated by the cyclic structure.

Examples of the (meth) acrylate compound having a tricyclodecane structure include tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate, tricyclodecane dimethanol dimethacrylate, and the like.
Examples of the (meth) acrylate compound having a tricyclodecane structure include tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate, and those appropriately synthesized may be used, or commercially available products may be used. As said commercial item, brand name: A-DCP (made by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd.) etc. are mentioned, for example.

  Examples of the (meth) acrylate compound having an adamantane structure include 1,3-adamantane dimethanol diacrylate, 1,3-adamantane dimethanol dimethacrylate, 1,3,5-adamantane trimethanol triacrylate, 1,3 , 5-adamantane trimethanol trimethacrylate, etc., may be used as appropriate, or commercially available products may be used. As said commercial item, a brand name: X-DA (made by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.), a brand name: X-A-201 (made by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.), a brand name: ADTM (made by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Ltd.) , Etc.

There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content of the (meth) acrylate compound which has C6 or more alicyclic structure in the said molecule | numerator, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, With respect to the said curable composition 20 mass%-100 mass% are preferable, and 50 mass%-100 mass% are more preferable. When the content of the (meth) acrylate compound having an alicyclic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms in the molecule is 20% by mass or more, high hardness can be achieved by a special cyclic structure.
The (meth) acrylate compound having an alicyclic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms in the molecule, in particular, the (meth) acrylate compound having a tricyclodecane structure or the (meth) acrylate compound having an adamantane structure is used for the elastic member. Whether it is contained in the contact portion can be analyzed by, for example, an infrared microscope or liquid chromatography.

-(Meth) acrylate compound having a molecular weight of 100 to 1,500-
The curable composition may contain a (meth) acrylate compound having a molecular weight of 100 to 1,500, instead of the (meth) acrylate compound having an alicyclic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms in the molecule.

The (meth) acrylate compound having a molecular weight of 100 to 1,500 is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. Examples thereof include dipentaerythritol hexa (meth) acrylate and pentaerythritol tetra (meth). Acrylate, pentaerythritol tri (meth) acrylate, pentaerythritol ethoxytetra (meth) acrylate, trimethylolpropane tri (meth) acrylate, trimethylolpropane ethoxytri (meth) acrylate, 1,6-hexanediol di (meth) acrylate, Ethoxylated bisphenol A di (meth) acrylate, propoxylated ethoxylated bisphenol A di (meth) acrylate, 1,4-butanediol di (meth) acrylate, 1,5-pentanediol di ( Acrylate), 1,6-hexanediol di (meth) acrylate, 1,7-heptanediol di (meth) acrylate, 1,8-octanediol di (meth) acrylate, 1,9-nonanediol di (meth) Acrylate, 1,10-decanediol di (meth) acrylate, 1,11-undecanediol di (meth) acrylate, 1,18-octadecanediol di (meth) acrylate, glycerin propoxytri (meth) acrylate, dipropylene glycol di (Meth) acrylate, tripropylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, PO-modified neopentyl glycol di (meth) acrylate, PEG600 di (meth) acrylate, PEG400 di (meth) acrylate, PEG200 di (meth) acrylate, Opentyl glycol hydroxypivalate ester di (meth) acrylate, octyl / decyl (meth) acrylate, isobornyl (meth) acrylate, ethoxylated phenyl (meth) acrylate, 9,9-bis [4- (2- (meth) acryloyl) Oxyethoxy) phenyl] fluorene, and the like. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.
Among these, a compound having a pentaerythritol triacrylate structure having 3 to 6 functional groups is preferable.
Examples of the compound having a pentaerythritol triacrylate structure having 3 to 6 functional groups include pentaerythritol triacrylate and dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate.

<Other ingredients>
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said other component, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, a polymerization initiator, a polymerization inhibitor, a solvent (diluent), etc. are mentioned.

-Polymerization initiator-
The polymerization initiator is not particularly limited as long as it initiates polymerization by light or heat, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. However, active species such as radicals and cations can be selected depending on the energy of light. A radical photopolymerization initiator, a cationic photopolymerization initiator, and the like that generate and initiate polymerization are preferred, and a radical photopolymerization initiator is more preferred.

Examples of the radical photopolymerization initiator include aromatic ketones, acylphosphine oxide compounds, aromatic onium salt compounds, organic peroxides, thio compounds (thioxanthone compounds, thiophenyl group-containing compounds, etc.), hexaarylbiimidazoles, and the like. Examples thereof include compounds, ketoxime ester compounds, borate compounds, azinium compounds, metallocene compounds, active ester compounds, compounds having a carbon halogen bond, and alkylamine compounds.
Specific compounds include, for example, acetophenone, acetophenone benzyl ketal, 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone, 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone, xanthone, fluorenone, benzaldehyde, fluorene, anthraquinone, triphenylamine, carbazole 3-methylacetophenone, 4-chlorobenzophenone, 4,4′-dimethoxybenzophenone, 4,4′-diaminobenzophenone, Michler's ketone, benzoin propyl ether, benzoin ethyl ether, benzyldimethyl ketal, 1- (4-isopropylphenyl)- 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropan-1-one, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenylpropan-1-one, thioxanthone, diethylthioxa , 2-isopropylthioxanthone, 2-chlorothioxanthone, 2-methyl-1- [4- (methylthio) phenyl] -2-morpholino-propan-1-one, bis (2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl) -phenyl Phosphine oxide, 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl-diphenyl-phosphine oxide, 2,4-diethylthioxanthone, bis- (2,6-dimethoxybenzoyl) -2,4,4-trimethylpentylphosphine oxide, etc. Is mentioned. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

  A commercial item can be used as said radical photopolymerization initiator. Examples of the commercially available products include Irgacure (registered trademark, hereinafter the same) 651, Irgacure 184, DAROCUR (registered trademark) 1173, Irgacure 2959, Irgacure 127, Irgacure 907, Irgacure 369, Irgacure 379, DAROCUR (registered trademark) TPO, IRGACURE 819, IRGACURE 784, IRGACURE OXE 01, IRGACURE OXE 02, IRGACURE 754, Lucirin (registered trademark) TPO, LR8893, LR8970 (above, manufactured by BASF Japan Ltd.); Speedcure (registered trademark) TPO (Lamb) KPO (Registered trademark) DETX-S (manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd.); Ubekrill P36 (manufactured by UCB)These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

  The content of the radical photopolymerization initiator is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. However, as the content of the radical photopolymerization initiator increases, the elastic work rate tends to decrease. From the point that it is necessary to reduce the content of the radical photopolymerization initiator in order to obtain the contact portion having high elasticity, it is 1% by mass to the total mass of the curable composition. 10 mass% is preferable. When the content of the radical photopolymerization initiator is 1% by mass to 10% by mass, poor curing of the curable composition is unlikely to occur, and it is easy to prevent the elastic member from curling, and the molecular size is large. Instead, the elastic member can be easily impregnated, and the contact portion can be easily hardened.

-Polymerization inhibitor-
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said polymerization inhibitor, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, a phenol compound, a quinone compound, an amine compound, a nitro compound, an oxime compound, a sulfur compound etc. are mentioned.

Examples of the phenol compound include p-methoxyphenol, cresol, t-butylcatechol, di-t-butylparacresol, hydroquinone monomethyl ether, α-naphthol, 3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene. 2,2'-methylenebis (4-methyl-6-t-butylphenol), 2,2'-methylenebis (4-ethyl-6-butylphenol), 4,4'-thiobis (3-methyl-6-t-) Butylphenol), and the like.
Examples of the quinone compound include p-benzoquinone, anthraquinone, naphthoquinone, phenanthraquinone, p-xyloquinone, p-toluquinone, 2,6-dichloroquinone, 2,5-diphenyl-p-benzoquinone, 2,5- Diacetoxy-p-benzoquinone, 2,5-dicaproxy-p-benzoquinone, 2,5-diacyloxy-p-benzoquinone, hydroquinone, 2,5-di-butylhydroquinone, mono-t-butylhydroquinone, monomethylhydroquinone, 2,5 -Di-t-amylhydroquinone, etc. are mentioned.
Examples of the amine compound include phenyl-β-naphthylamine, p-benzylaminophenol, di-β-naphthylparaphenylenediamine, dibenzylhydroxylamine, phenylhydroxylamine, diethylhydroxylamine, and the like.
Examples of the nitro compound include dinitrobenzene, trinitrotoluene, and picric acid.
Examples of the oxime compound include quinone dioxime and cyclohexanone oxime.
Examples of the sulfur compound include phenothiazine.
These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

-Solvent (diluent)-
The solvent is not particularly limited as long as it can dissolve the (meth) acrylate compound having an alicyclic structure in the molecule and swell the elastic member, and may be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples thereof include hydrocarbon solvents, ester solvents, ketone solvents, ether solvents, alcohol solvents, and the like.

Examples of the hydrocarbon solvent include toluene and xylene.
Examples of the ester solvent include ethyl acetate, n-butyl acetate, methyl cellosolve acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, and the like.
Examples of the ketone solvent include methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, diisobutyl ketone, cyclohexanone, and cyclopentanone.
Examples of the ether solvent include ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, and the like.
Examples of the alcohol solvent include ethanol, propanol, 1-butanol, isopropyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, and the like.
These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.
Among these solvents, cyclohexanone is particularly preferable.
The concentration of the solvent is not particularly limited as long as it can dissolve the (meth) acrylate compound and swell the elastic member, and can be appropriately changed according to the purpose.

<< Method for Inclusion of Cured Composition of Curing Composition on End Face of Cleaning Blade >>
The method for impregnating the end portion of the elastic member with the curable composition is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the purpose. For example, the end portion of the elastic member may include the curable composition. Examples include a method in which the composition is impregnated by brush coating, dip coating or the like and then cured.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as environmental temperature at the time of impregnating the said curable composition in the said edge part, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 10 to 40 degreeC is preferable.

<< Method of curing curable composition impregnated on end face of cleaning blade >>
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a method of hardening the said curable composition impregnated to the said edge part, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, the process by ultraviolet irradiation, a heating, etc. are mentioned. Among these, the treatment by ultraviolet irradiation is preferable.
The apparatus for irradiating ultraviolet rays is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, an ultraviolet light source is provided inside the apparatus, and the object to be cured is conveyed by a conveying means such as a conveyor. An apparatus that irradiates ultraviolet rays while enumerating them.

The ultraviolet light source is not particularly limited as long as it corresponds to the polymerization initiator, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples thereof include a lamp and an ultraviolet light emitting semiconductor element.
Examples of the lamp include metal halide lamps, xenon lamps, carbon arc lamps, chemical lamps, low-pressure mercury lamps, and high-pressure mercury lamps, and commercially available products can be used. Examples of the commercially available products include H valve, D valve, and V valve manufactured by Heraeus Co., Ltd.
Examples of the ultraviolet light emitting semiconductor element include an ultraviolet light emitting diode and an ultraviolet light emitting semiconductor laser.
The type of the ultraviolet ray is not particularly limited as long as it corresponds to a polymerization initiator to be described later to be contained in the curable composition, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose, for example, 400 nm to 200 nm. Examples include ultraviolet rays, far ultraviolet rays, g rays, h rays, i rays, KrF excimer laser light, ArF excimer laser light, electron beams, X rays, molecular beams, or ion beams.

The irradiation condition of ultraviolet rays used for curing the curable composition is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, integrated light quantity 500mJ ^/ cm ² ~25,000mJ ^/ cm 2 Is preferred.
More specifically, when the curable composition contains tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate and Irgacure (registered trademark) 184 manufactured by BASF Japan Ltd. as the polymerization initiator, irradiation is performed. Using a belt conveyor type ultraviolet irradiation device (trade name: ECS-1511U, manufactured by Eye Graphics Co., Ltd.) that irradiates ultraviolet rays while conveying an object and passing through the light source disposed inside, the output of the light source is Under irradiation conditions of 176 W / cm and a conveyor speed of 0.8 m / min, the number of times of passing the belt conveyor type ultraviolet irradiation device is preferably 1 pass (1 pass) or more and 5 passes (5 passes) or less. .

The Martens hardness is, for example, pushed using a micro hardness tester (trade name: HM-2000, manufactured by Fisher Instruments Co., Ltd.) for 10 seconds so that the maximum load is 1.0 mN and 5 seconds. It can be measured by holding and removing 1.0 mN force in 10 seconds.
The Martens hardness, the a on the plate surface of the elastic member, from the distal end of said end portion, at a measurement position of 20μm in a direction toward the end of the tip ^{facing, 2N / mm 2 ~10N / mm} 2 3N / mm ^{2 to} 8N / mm ² are more preferable.
When the Martens hardness is less than ² N / mm ² , the elastic member tends to bend. On the other hand, when the Martens hardness exceeds 10 N / mm ² , the followability to the member to be cleaned is lowered, and cleaning failure is likely to occur.

The elastic work rate is, for example, the integrated stress when the Vickers indenter is pushed into the object to be measured using a micro hardness tester (trade name: HM-2000, manufactured by Fisher Instruments Co., Ltd.), and the unloading of the test load. When the accumulated stress at the time is Welast, the characteristic value is defined by the formula Welast / Wplast × 100% (see FIG. 8). Therefore, when the elastic power is high, the hysteresis loss (plastic deformation) is small, that is, the elasticity is high. When the elastic power is low, the object to be measured is closer to glass than rubber. State, i.e., low elasticity.
The elastic power is preferably 60% to 85% at a measurement position of 20 μm on the plate surface of the elastic member in a direction from the tip of the end toward the end facing the tip. % To 84% is more preferable. When the elastic power is less than 60%, the elasticity of the abutting portion is lowered, the followability to the member to be cleaned is lowered, and cleaning failure is likely to occur. On the other hand, if the elastic power exceeds 85%, the elasticity of the abutting portion becomes high, and the abutting portion is liable to bend, and toner is more likely to come into contact with the member to be cleaned. Since there is a case where it passes through the gap, a cleaning defect is likely to occur.

  Further, in the knowledge so far, the elastic power described later is influenced by the Martens hardness, and when the Martens hardness of the region containing the cured product of the curable composition is increased in the elastic member, It has been thought that there is a trade-off relationship that the elastic power is low. However, by adjusting the content of the polymerization initiator to 1% by mass to 10% by mass, the Martens hardness and the elastic power can be designed to be separated from each other to some extent, and the high hardness and high elasticity are achieved. A contact portion can be obtained.

Therefore, in the cleaning blade of the present invention, the cured product of the curable composition is included in any end portion of the elastic member, on the plate surface of the elastic member, from the tip of the end portion, as the tip and Martens hardness of 2N ^/ mm ² ~10N / mm 2 at the measurement position of 20μm in a direction toward the opposite ends, by high hardness of the contact portion to deform the contact portion Therefore, it is possible to suppress the contact portion of the elastic member from curling and reduce the occurrence of local defects (local wear) of the end surface including the contact portion, and the elastic work rate. By setting the contact portion to be highly elastic at 60% to 85%, the linear pressure is less likely to fluctuate, so that followability to the member to be cleaned can be obtained, and good cleaning properties can be obtained. Door can be.

<Supporting member>
There is no restriction | limiting in particular about the shape, magnitude | size, material, etc. as said support member, According to the objective, it can select suitably.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a shape of the said supporting member, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, flat form, strip shape, a sheet form, etc. are mentioned.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a magnitude | size of the said supporting member, According to the magnitude | size of the said member to be cleaned, it can select suitably.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a material of the said supporting member, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, a metal, a plastic, a ceramic, etc. are mentioned. Among these, a metal plate is preferable from the viewpoint of strength, and a steel plate such as stainless steel, an aluminum plate, and a phosphor bronze plate are particularly preferable.

<To be cleaned>
The member to be cleaned is not particularly limited in its shape, structure, size, material, etc., and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples thereof include an image carrier.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a shape of the said to-be-cleaned member, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, drum shape, belt shape, flat plate shape, sheet shape, etc. are mentioned.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a magnitude | size of the said to-be-cleaned member, According to the objective, it can select suitably.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a material of the said to-be-cleaned member, According to the objective, it can select suitably, A metal, a plastic, a ceramic, etc. are mentioned.

<Residue>
The residue is not particularly limited as long as it is attached to the surface of the member to be cleaned and is a removal target of the cleaning blade, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples thereof include a lubricant, inorganic fine particles, organic fine particles, dust, dust, or a mixture thereof.

  The cleaning blade of the present invention has the characteristics described above and can be widely used in various fields. However, the cleaning blade is particularly preferably used for the image forming apparatus, the image forming method, and the process cartridge of the present invention described below. .

(Image forming apparatus and image forming method)
The image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises at least an image carrier, a charging unit, an exposure unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, a fixing unit, and a cleaning unit, and further appropriately selected as necessary. Other means. The charging unit and the exposure unit may be collectively referred to as an electrostatic latent image forming unit.

  The image forming method used in the present invention includes at least a charging step, an exposure step, a development step, a transfer step, a fixing step, and a cleaning step, and further includes other steps appropriately selected as necessary. It becomes. The charging process and the exposure process may be collectively referred to as an electrostatic latent image forming process.

  The image forming method used in the present invention can be preferably implemented by the image forming apparatus of the present invention, the charging step can be performed by the charging unit, and the exposure step can be performed by the exposing unit. The developing step can be performed by the developing unit, the transferring step can be performed by the transferring unit, the fixing step can be performed by the fixing unit, and the cleaning step is performed by the cleaning unit. The other steps can be performed by the other means.

<Image carrier>
The image carrier (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “electrophotographic photoreceptor” or “photoreceptor”) is not particularly limited in its shape, structure, size, material, and the like, and is appropriately selected according to the purpose. can do.
The shape of the image carrier is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose. Examples thereof include a drum shape and a belt shape.
The material of the image carrier is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples thereof include inorganic photoreceptors such as amorphous silicon and selenium, organic photoreceptors (OPC) such as polysilane and phthalopolymethine, Etc.
The image carrier is configured to be capable of image formation at high speed by rotating at a high speed of 600 mm / sec or higher.

<Charging step and charging means>
The charging step is a step of charging the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and is performed by the exposure unit.
The charging means is not particularly limited as long as it can uniformly apply a voltage to the surface of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. It is roughly divided into a contact type charging means for charging by contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and (2) a non-contact type charging means for charging in a non-contact manner with the electrophotographic photosensitive member.
Examples of the contact type charging means (1) include a conductive or semiconductive charging roller, a magnetic brush, a fur brush, a film, and a rubber blade. Among these, the charging roller can significantly reduce the amount of ozone generated compared to corona discharge, and is excellent in stability during repeated use of the electrophotographic photosensitive member, and is effective in preventing image quality deterioration. .
The magnetic brush includes a nonmagnetic conductive sleeve that supports various ferrite particles such as Zn-Cu ferrite and a magnet roll included in the sleeve. The fur brush is formed, for example, by winding or pasting a fur conductively treated with carbon, copper sulfide, metal, metal oxide, or the like around a metal or a conductive metal core.
Examples of the non-contact charging means (2) include, for example, a non-contact charger using a corona discharge, a needle electrode device, a solid discharge element; a conductive material disposed with a minute gap with respect to the electrophotographic photosensitive member, or Examples thereof include a semiconductive charging roller.
Among these, the charging means preferably includes a roller-shaped charging member disposed in contact with the electrophotographic photosensitive member and a voltage applying member that applies a DC voltage to the roller-shaped charging member. Thereby, the power supply cost of the charging voltage applied to the roller-shaped charging member can be reduced.

<Exposure process and exposure means>
The exposure step is a step of exposing the charged surface of the image carrier, and is performed by the exposure unit. The exposure can be performed, for example, by exposing the surface of the image carrier imagewise using the exposure unit.
The optical system in the exposure is roughly classified into an analog optical system and a digital optical system. The analog optical system is an optical system that directly projects a document onto the surface of the image carrier by an optical system, and the digital optical system receives image information as an electrical signal and converts the electrical signal into an optical signal. An optical system that exposes an electrophotographic photosensitive member to form an image.
The exposure means is not particularly limited as long as it can be exposed like an image to be formed on the surface of the image carrier charged by the charging means, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples thereof include various exposure devices such as a copying optical system, a rod lens array system, a laser optical system, a liquid crystal shutter optical system, and an LED optical system. In the present invention, an optical back side system in which imagewise exposure is performed from the back side of the image carrier may be adopted.
The light source of the exposure means is not particularly limited as long as it emits light, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, a fluorescent lamp, tungsten lamp, halogen lamp, mercury lamp, sodium lamp, light emitting diode ( LED), semiconductor laser (LD), electroluminescence (EL), and the like. Of these light sources, light emitting diodes and semiconductor lasers are preferred in that they have high irradiation energy and emit light having a wavelength range of 600 nm to 800 nm.
In addition, various types of filters such as a sharp cut filter, a band pass filter, a near infrared cut filter, a dichroic filter, an interference filter, and a color temperature conversion filter can be used to irradiate only light in a desired wavelength range.
In addition, these light sources can be used also for a static elimination lamp.

<Development process and development means>
The developing step is a step of developing the electrostatic latent image into the toner image, and is performed by the developing unit.
The developing means is not particularly limited as long as it can be developed using toner, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, the toner is accommodated and the toner is brought into contact with the electrostatic latent image. Alternatively, those having at least a developing device that can be applied in a non-contact manner are preferable.
The developing device may be of a dry developing method or a wet developing method, and may be a single color developing device or a multi-color developing device. For example, the stirring for charging the toner by friction stirring. Suitable examples include those having a container and a rotatable magnet roller.
In the developing unit, for example, the toner and a carrier as necessary are mixed and stirred, and the toner is charged by friction at that time, and is held on the surface of the rotating magnet roller in a raised state. A brush is formed. Since the magnet roller is disposed in the vicinity of the image carrier, a part of the toner constituting the magnetic brush formed on the surface of the magnet roller is electrically attracted to the electrostatic latent image. It moves to the surface of the image carrier by force. As a result, the electrostatic latent image is developed with the toner, and the toner image is formed on the surface of the image carrier.

The toner to be accommodated in the developing device may be a developer containing the toner, and the developer may be a one-component developer or a two-component developer.
The toner preferably has two or more colors, and more preferably a full color toner.

<Transfer process and transfer means>
The transfer step is a step of transferring the toner image to a recording medium, and is performed by the transfer unit.
As the transfer process, for example, an intermediate transfer body is used, and a primary transfer process in which the toner image is transferred onto the surface of the intermediate transfer body to form a composite transfer image, and the composite transfer image is transferred to a recording medium. An embodiment including a secondary transfer step is preferable.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said intermediate transfer body, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, a transfer belt etc. are mentioned. The transfer can be performed by a transfer unit, for example, by charging a transfer roller.
The transfer means is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected according to the purpose. The primary transfer means for transferring the toner image onto the surface of the intermediate transfer member to form a composite transfer image, and the composite transfer An embodiment having secondary transfer means for transferring an image to a recording medium is preferable.
The primary transfer unit and the secondary transfer unit preferably include at least a transfer unit that peels and charges the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier onto a recording medium.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said transfer device, According to the objective, it can select suitably, For example, the corona transfer device by a corona discharge, a transfer belt, a transfer roller, a pressure transfer roller, an adhesive transfer device etc. are mentioned. There may be one transfer unit or two or more transfer units.

  The recording medium is not particularly limited as long as it can transfer the unfixed toner image after development, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose, and is typically plain paper. However, for example, a PET base for OHP can also be used.

<Fixing process and fixing means>
The fixing step is a step of fixing the toner image transferred to the recording medium, and is performed by the fixing unit. When two or more color toners are used, the toner may be fixed each time the toner of each color is transferred to the recording medium, or the toner of all colors may be transferred to the recording medium and fixed in a stacked state. Also good.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said fixing means, According to the objective, it can select suitably, The heat fixing system using a well-known heating-pressing means can be employ | adopted.
Examples of the heating and pressing means include a combination of a heating roller and a pressure roller, a combination of a heating roller, a pressure roller, and an endless belt. There is no restriction | limiting in particular as heating temperature, Although it can select suitably according to the objective, 80 to 200 degreeC is preferable. If necessary, for example, a known optical fixing device may be used together with the fixing unit.

<Cleaning process and cleaning means>
The cleaning step is a step of removing the toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier, and is performed by the cleaning unit.
As the cleaning means, the cleaning blade of the present invention is used.
The linear pressure that the elastic member applies to the surface of the image carrier is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose, but is preferably 10 N / m to 100 N / m, and 10 N / m to 50 N. / M is more preferable. When the linear pressure is 10 N / m to 100 N / m, it is difficult for the toner to pass through between the contact portion and the member to be cleaned, and it is easy to suppress the elastic member from curling. can do.
In addition, the said linear pressure can be measured using the measuring apparatus incorporating the small compression type load cell made from Kyowa Denki Co., Ltd., for example.

The angle (hereinafter referred to as “cleaning angle θ”) formed by the tangent line of the member to be cleaned at the position where the contact portion of the elastic member abuts and the end surface of the free end of the elastic member is particularly limited. However, it is preferably 65 ° to 85 °, although it can be appropriately selected according to the purpose.
When the cleaning angle θ is 65 ° to 85 °, it is easy to prevent the elastic member from being bent, and to easily reduce the occurrence of defective cleaning.

<Other processes and other means>
Examples of the other processes include a lubricant supply process, a static elimination process, a recycling process, and a control process.
Examples of the other means include a lubricant supply means, a static elimination means, a recycling means, and a control means.

-Lubricant application process and lubricant supply means-
The lubricant application step is a step of applying a lubricant to the surface of the image carrier, and is performed by the lubricant supply means.

-Static elimination process and static elimination means-
The neutralization step is a step of performing neutralization by applying a neutralization bias voltage to the image carrier, and is performed by the neutralization unit.
The neutralization means is not particularly limited as long as a neutralization bias voltage can be applied to the image carrier, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. For example, a neutralization lamp is preferable.

-Recycling process and recycling means-
The recycling step is a step of recycling the toner removed in the cleaning step to the developing unit, and is performed by the recycling unit.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as said recycling means, According to the objective, it can select suitably, A well-known conveyance means etc. are mentioned.

-Control process and control means-
The control step is a step of controlling each of the steps, and is performed by a control unit.
The control means is not particularly limited as long as the movement of each means can be controlled, and can be appropriately selected according to the purpose. Examples thereof include devices such as a sequencer and a computer.

-Toner-
The toner contains toner base particles and an external additive, and further contains other components as necessary.
The toner may be a monochrome toner or a color toner.
The toner base particles include at least a binder resin and a colorant and, if necessary, other components such as a release agent and a charge control agent.

(Process cartridge)
The process cartridge of the present invention is an apparatus (unit) that is detachably attached to the image forming apparatus. The cleaning unit of the present invention may be provided in the process cartridge, instead of being fixed to the image forming apparatus. In this case, the process cartridge includes the image carrier, at least one of the charging unit, the exposure unit, the developing unit, and the transfer unit, and the cleaning unit. Depending on the situation, other means are provided.

Here, an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In addition, the number, position, shape, and the like of the following constituent members are not limited to the present embodiment, and can be set to a suitable number, position, shape, and the like for carrying out the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the image forming apparatus 500 includes at least an optical writing unit 40, an image forming unit 1, a transfer unit 60, a first paper feeding cassette 151 and a second paper feeding cassette 152, a fixing unit 80, and a toner cartridge 100. And, if necessary, have other configurations.

The optical writing unit 40 as the latent image forming means has at least a polygon mirror 41, and further has other configurations as required. The optical writing unit 40 is disposed near the center of the image forming apparatus 500 and emits laser light L based on image information.
This laser light L is polarized by using a polygon mirror 41 that is rotationally driven by a motor, and is described as yellow, magenta, cyan, black (hereinafter referred to as Y, C, M, K) through a plurality of optical lenses and mirrors. The image forming units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K for the image forming units 1Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K are irradiated. Thereby, electrostatic latent images for Y, C, M, and K are formed on the surfaces of the photoreceptors 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K.
As described above, instead of the optical writing unit configured to irradiate the image forming unit with the laser light, an LED array may perform optical scanning on the image forming unit.

The image forming unit 1 includes at least four image forming units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K, and has other configurations as necessary.
The image forming units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K are disposed above the optical writing unit 40, have at least the photosensitive members 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K, and have other configurations as necessary. Thus, the electrostatic writing images formed on the surfaces of the photoreceptors 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K by the optical writing unit 40 are developed into toner images of respective colors.
The four image forming units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K use Y, C, M, and K toners of different colors as image forming materials for developing the electrostatic latent image into the toner image. Other than that, the configuration is the same.

  The transfer unit 60 as transfer means includes at least the intermediate transfer belt 14, four primary transfer rollers 7Y, 7C, 7M, and 7K, a secondary transfer backup roller 66, a driving roller 67, an auxiliary roller 68, a tension roller 69, and a belt cleaning. It has the unit 162, the 1st bracket 63, and the 2nd bracket 64, and also has another structure as needed. The transfer unit 60 is arranged above the image forming unit 1 and superimposes toner images of respective colors formed on the surfaces of the photoreceptors 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K on the surface of the endless intermediate transfer belt 14. Transfer is performed to form a four-color superimposed toner image (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a four-color toner image). The transfer unit 60 can also form a monochrome toner image using only the photoreceptor 3K.

The intermediate transfer belt 14 is driven while being stretched by eight roller members including four primary transfer rollers 7Y, 7C, 7M, and 7K, a secondary transfer backup roller 66, a drive roller 67, an auxiliary roller 68, and a tension roller 69. The roller 67 is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. Further, a transfer bias voltage having a polarity (for example, negative polarity) opposite to the polarity (for example, positive polarity) of the toner is applied to the intermediate transfer belt 14 on the back surface (inside the loop).
The four primary transfer rollers 7Y, 7C, 7M, and 7K form a primary transfer nip by sandwiching the intermediate transfer belt 14 that moves endlessly with the photoreceptors 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K.
In the process of sequentially passing through the primary transfer nips for Y, C, M, and K along with the endless movement of the intermediate transfer belt 14, the intermediate transfer belt 14 has its front surface (loop) by electrostatic force. The Y, C, M, and K toner images on the surfaces of the photoreceptors 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K are superimposed on the outer side and primarily transferred. As a result, the four-color toner image is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 14.
The four-color toner image is transferred to the recording medium P supplied from the first paper feed cassette 151 or the second paper feed cassette 152 by the transfer unit 60.

The secondary transfer backup roller 66 sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 14 between the secondary transfer roller 70 disposed outside the loop formed by the endless intermediate transfer belt 14 and forms a secondary transfer nip.
The registration roller pair 55 described above is directed toward the secondary transfer nip at a timing at which the recording medium P sandwiched between the rollers can be synchronized with the four-color toner image primarily transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 14 that moves endlessly. Transport.
The four-color toner image on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 14 has a secondary transfer electric field formed between the secondary transfer roller 70 and the secondary transfer backup roller 66 to which a secondary transfer bias voltage is applied, and a nip pressure. Due to the influence of the above, secondary transfer is collectively performed on the recording medium P at the secondary transfer nip. Then, the four-color toner image is combined with the white color of the recording medium P to become a full-color toner image.

  The belt cleaning unit 162 has a belt cleaning blade 162a. The belt cleaning unit 162 is disposed in the vicinity of the driving roller 67, and a belt cleaning blade 162 a is brought into contact with the front surface of the intermediate transfer belt 14 to scrape the transfer residual toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 14. Take and remove.

The first bracket 63 is used when a monochrome image is formed, and is disposed so as to be positioned in the horizontal direction of the primary transfer rollers 7Y, 7C, and 7M. The first bracket 63 rotates at a predetermined rotation angle about the rotation axis of the auxiliary roller 68 as the solenoid (not shown) is turned on / off.
When forming and outputting a monochrome image, the image forming apparatus 500 rotates the first bracket 63 a little counterclockwise in FIG. 1 by driving the solenoid. Then, the Y, C, and M primary transfer rollers 7Y, 7C, and 7M simultaneously rotate counterclockwise in FIG. The C, M photoconductors 3Y, 3C, 3M can be separated from each other. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid wear of each member constituting the image forming unit 1 due to wasteful driving of the Y, C, M image forming unit 1 during monochrome image formation.
Of the four image forming units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K, only the K image forming unit 1K is driven to form a monochrome image.

The first paper feed cassette 151 and the second paper feed cassette 152 are arranged to vertically overlap below the optical writing unit 40, and at least the first paper feed roller 151a, the second paper feed roller 152a, the paper feed path 153, a conveyance roller pair 154, and a registration roller pair 55, and other configurations as necessary.
In each of these paper feed cassettes, a plurality of recording media P are accommodated in a stack of paper sheets. The uppermost recording medium P has a first paper feeding roller 151a and a second paper feeding cassette. Paper rollers 152a are in contact with each other. When the first paper feed roller 151a is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1 by driving means (not shown), the uppermost recording medium P in the first paper feed cassette 151 is moved to the first paper feed cassette 151 in FIG. The paper is discharged toward the paper feed path 153 arranged to extend in the vertical direction in the right direction. When the second paper feed roller 152a is driven to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 1 by driving means (not shown), the uppermost recording medium P in the second paper feed cassette 152 is discharged toward the paper feed path 153. Is done.
A plurality of conveying roller pairs 154 are arranged in the paper feed path 153. The plurality of transport roller pairs 154 transport the recording medium P transported to the paper feed path 153 along the paper feed path 153 in the vertical direction in FIG.
The registration roller pair 55 is disposed on the downstream side of the conveyance roller pair 154 in the conveyance direction of the paper feed path 153, and the recording medium P conveyed by the conveyance roller pair 154 is sandwiched between the rollers and at the same time the rotation of both rollers is performed. Is temporarily stopped. After the stop, the registration roller pair 55 is placed between the secondary transfer backup roller 66 and the secondary transfer roller 70 disposed outside the loop of the intermediate transfer belt 14 at an appropriate timing. The transfer belt 14 is conveyed to a secondary transfer nip formed with the transfer belt 14 interposed therebetween.
The recording medium P transported to the secondary transfer nip is transferred by the transfer unit 60 with the four-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 14 and transported to the fixing unit 80.

The fixing unit 80 is disposed above the secondary transfer nip, and includes at least a heating roller 83, a tension roller 85, a driving roller 86, a fixing belt 84 as a fixing member, a pressure heating roller 81, a temperature sensor (not shown), and a fixing power supply circuit. Etc., and other configurations as necessary. The fixing unit 80 fixes the four-color toner image transferred to the recording medium P by heating and pressing.
The heating roller 83, the tension roller 85, and the drive roller 86 are stretched endlessly in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. In the process of endless movement, the fixing belt 84 is heated from the back side by a heating roller 83 containing a heat source such as a halogen lamp.
The pressure heating roller 81 is in contact with the heating roller 83 via the fixing belt 84 at a portion where the fixing belt 84 is wound around the heating roller 83, and is driven to rotate clockwise in FIG. Thus, a fixing nip where the pressure heating roller 81 and the fixing belt 84 abut is formed. Note that, similarly to the heating roller 83, the pressure heating roller 81 includes a heat generation source.
A temperature sensor (not shown) is arranged outside the loop of the endless fixing belt 84 so as to face the front surface of the fixing belt 84 with a predetermined gap, and immediately before entering the fixing nip. The surface temperature of the fixing belt 84 is detected. This detection result is transmitted to a fixing power supply circuit (not shown). The fixing power supply circuit performs on / off control of power supply to the heat generation source included in the heating roller 83 and the heat generation source included in the pressure heating roller 81 based on the detection result by the temperature sensor.

  The recording medium P that has passed through the secondary transfer nip is conveyed after being separated from the intermediate transfer belt 14 into the fixing unit 80 configured as described above. The fixing unit 80 fixes the full-color toner image by heating and pressing the conveyed recording medium P in the process of being nipped by the fixing nip and conveyed in the vertical direction in FIG.

  The recording medium P on which the full-color toner image has been fixed is conveyed by a pair of paper discharge rollers 87 and then discharged to a stack unit 88 formed on the upper surface of the casing of the main body of the image forming apparatus 500. In the stack portion 88, the discharged recording media P are sequentially stacked.

The toner cartridge 100 includes at least toner cartridges 100Y, 100C, 100M, and 100K, and further has other configurations as necessary. The toner cartridge 100 is disposed above the transfer unit 60. The toner cartridges 100Y, 100C, 100M, and 100K contain Y, C, M, and K toners. These Y, C, M, and K toners are appropriately supplied to the developing devices 5Y, 5C, 5M, and 5K of the image forming units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K.
The toner cartridges 100Y, 100C, 100M, and 100K are independent of the image forming units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K, and are detachably disposed on the image forming apparatus 500.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing an image forming unit in an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 1 includes at least a photosensitive member 3, a charging roller 4, a developing device 5, a primary transfer roller 7, a cleaning device 6, a lubricant application device 10, and a static elimination lamp (not shown). And, if necessary, have other configurations.

Around the photosensitive member 3 as an image carrier, a charging roller 4, a developing device 5, a primary transfer roller 7, a cleaning device 6, a lubricant applying device 10, a static elimination lamp (not shown), and the like are arranged.
In FIG. 2, the photosensitive member 3 has a drum shape, but may have a sheet shape or an endless belt shape.

The charging roller 4 is a charging member that is disposed in a non-contact manner with a predetermined distance from the photoreceptor 3 and is provided in a charging device as a charging unit. The charging roller 4 charges the photoreceptor 3 to a predetermined polarity and a predetermined potential. The surface of the photoreceptor 3 uniformly charged by the charging roller 4 is irradiated with laser light L from the optical writing unit 40 shown in FIG. 1 based on the image information to form an electrostatic latent image.
The charging device is a non-contact proximity arrangement system in which the charging roller 4 is brought close to the photosensitive member 3, but a known configuration including a corotron, a scorotron, and a solid state charger is used. be able to. Among these charging methods, the contact charging method or the non-contact proximity arrangement method is more desirable, and has advantages such as high charging efficiency, a small amount of ozone generation, and miniaturization of the apparatus.

The developing device 5 is a developing unit that develops the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 3 into a toner image. The developing device 5 has a developing roller 51 as a developer carrier.
A developing bias voltage is applied to the developing roller 51 from a power source (not shown). A developer is accommodated in the casing of the developing device 5, and a supply screw 52 and an agitation screw 53 are provided for stirring the developer while conveying the developer in opposite directions. A doctor 54 is provided for regulating the developer carried on the developing roller 51. The toner in the developer stirred and conveyed by the two screws of the supply screw 52 and the stirring screw 53 is charged to a predetermined polarity. The developer is pumped up on the surface of the developing roller 51 and then regulated by the doctor 54 so that the toner adheres to the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 3 in the developing area facing the photoconductor 3. The electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image.

  The primary transfer roller 7 is a primary transfer member provided in a primary transfer device as a primary transfer unit that transfers the toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor 3 to the intermediate transfer belt 14.

The cleaning device 6 is a cleaning unit that cleans the residue such as the toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 3 after the toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 14. The cleaning device 6 has a cleaning blade 62 and, if necessary, has other configurations.
As shown in FIG. 3, the cleaning blade 62 is in contact with the photoconductor 3 in the counter direction with respect to the rotation direction of the photoconductor 3. The cleaning blade 62 includes a flat support member 621 made of a rigid material such as metal or hard plastic, and a flat elastic member 622. The elastic member 622 is fixed to one end side of the support member 621 by an adhesive or the like, and the other end side of the support member 621 is cantilevered by the case of the cleaning device 6. Details of the cleaning blade 62 will be described later.

The lubricant application device 10 is a lubricant application unit that applies a lubricant to the surface of the photoreceptor 3 after the cleaning device 6 performs cleaning.
The lubricant application device 10 includes a fur brush 101, a solid lubricant 103, a lubricant pressure spring 103a, and a bracket 103b.
The solid lubricant 103 is urged in a direction toward the fur brush 101 by the lubricant pressurizing spring 103a while being held by the bracket 103b.
The fur brush 101 is a coating brush that applies the solid lubricant 103 to the surface of the photoconductor 3, and the solid lubricant 103 is scraped by rotating in a rotating direction with respect to the rotation direction of the photoconductor 3. A lubricant is applied to the surface of 3. When the fur brush 101 applies a lubricant to the photoconductor 3, the friction coefficient on the surface of the photoconductor 3 is maintained at 0.2 or less during non-image formation.

  A neutralizing lamp (not shown) is a neutralizing unit that neutralizes the surface of the photoreceptor 3 after cleaning.

  As the toner used in the image forming apparatus 500, a polymerized toner manufactured by a suspension polymerization method, an emulsion polymerization method, or a dispersion polymerization method, which is easy to increase the circularity and reduce the particle size from the viewpoint of improving the image quality, is used. Is preferred. Among these, from the viewpoint of forming a high-resolution image, it is preferable to use a polymerized toner having an average circularity of 0.97 or more and a volume average particle size of 5.5 μm or less.

Next, an image forming operation in the image forming apparatus 500 will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, when a print execution signal is received from an operation unit (not shown) or the like, a predetermined voltage or current is sequentially applied to the charging roller 4 and the developing roller 51 at predetermined timings. Similarly, a predetermined voltage or current is sequentially applied to the optical writing unit 40 and a light source such as a static elimination lamp at a predetermined timing. In synchronism with this, the photosensitive member 3 is rotationally driven in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2 by a photosensitive member driving motor (not shown) as driving means.

When the photosensitive member 3 is driven in the rotation direction indicated by the arrow R in FIG. 2, first, the charging roller 4 uniformly charges the surface of the photosensitive member 3 to a predetermined potential. Then, the laser beam L corresponding to the image information is irradiated from the optical writing unit 40 to the surface of the photoconductor 3, and the portion of the surface of the photoconductor 3 irradiated with the laser light L is neutralized to form an electrostatic latent image. Is done.
The surface of the photoreceptor 3 on which the electrostatic latent image is formed is rubbed by a developer magnetic brush formed on the surface of the developing roller 51 at a portion facing the developing device 5. At this time, since the negatively charged toner on the surface of the developing roller 51 is moved to the electrostatic latent image side by a predetermined developing bias voltage applied to the developing roller 51, the electrostatic latent image is developed into a toner image. .
In each image forming unit 1, the same image forming process is executed, and the toner images of the respective colors are formed on the surfaces of the photoreceptors 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K of the image forming units 1Y, 1C, 1M, and 1K. .
As described above, in the image forming apparatus 500, the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 3 is reversely developed by the developing device 5 with the negatively charged toner. In this embodiment, an example using a non-contact charging roller system of N / P (negative positive: toner adheres to a place where the potential is low) has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.

The toner images of the respective colors formed on the surfaces of the photoreceptors 3Y, 3C, 3M, and 3K are sequentially primary-transferred so as to overlap on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 14. As a result, the four-color toner image is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 14.
The four-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 14 is fed from the first paper feed cassette 151 or the second paper feed cassette 152, passes between the rollers of the registration roller pair 55, and is fed to the secondary transfer nip. It is transferred to the recording medium P to be paper. At this time, the recording medium P is temporarily stopped while being sandwiched between the pair of registration rollers 55, and is supplied to the secondary transfer nip in synchronization with the intermediate transfer belt 14 on which the four-color toner image is formed. The recording medium P onto which the four-color toner image has been transferred is separated from the intermediate transfer belt 14 and conveyed to the fixing unit 80. The fixing unit 80 that has conveyed the recording medium P fixes the four-color toner image on the recording medium P by the action of heat and pressure. The recording medium P on which the four-color toner image is fixed is discharged and placed on the stack unit 88 provided on the upper surface of the image forming apparatus 500.

On the other hand, the transfer residual toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 14 that has transferred the toner image onto the recording medium P at the secondary transfer nip is removed by the belt cleaning unit 162.
Further, the surface of the photoreceptor 3 on which the toner images of the respective colors are transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 14 at the primary transfer nip, the residual toner after the transfer is removed by the cleaning device 6, and the lubricant is applied by the lubricant applying device 10. Then, the electricity is removed by a charge removal lamp (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the image forming unit 1 of the image forming apparatus 500 includes a photosensitive member 3, a charging roller 4, a developing device 5, a cleaning device 6, a lubricant applying device 10, and the like as process means. Yes. The image forming unit 1 is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus 500 as a process cartridge.
In the image forming apparatus 500, the image forming unit 1 is configured such that the photoconductor 3 as a process cartridge and the process unit are integrated, but the photoconductor 3, the charging roller 4, and the development are not limited thereto. The device 5, the cleaning device 6, and the lubricant application device 10 may be integrated.

Next, an example of the cleaning blade of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the cleaning blade of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 4, the cleaning blade 62 includes a support member 621 and a flat plate-like elastic member 622 having one end connected to the support member and the other end having a free end having a predetermined length. A contact portion 62c, which is one end on the free end side of 622, is disposed so as to contact the surface of the photoreceptor 3 along the longitudinal direction.

The elastic member 622 preferably has a high rebound resilience so that it can follow the eccentricity of the photosensitive member 3 and minute undulations on the surface of the photosensitive member 3, and polyurethane rubber is preferred. The elastic member preferably has a JIS-A hardness of 65 to 80 degrees. Moreover, the rebound resilience based on the JIS K6255 standard of the elastic member is preferably 75% or less at 23 ° C.
The contact portion 62c that contacts the surface of the image carrier of the elastic member 622 contains a cured product of a curable composition containing a (meth) acrylate compound having an alicyclic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms in the molecule. Among the (meth) acrylate compounds having an alicyclic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms in the molecule, a (meth) acrylate compound having a tricyclodecane structure or a (meth) acrylate compound having an adamantane structure is preferable.

When using spherical toner for the purpose of improving image quality, if a conventional cleaning blade made of only rubber is used, it will enter a slight gap between the cleaning blade and the photosensitive drum as the image carrier, and eventually pass through the gap. A cleaning failure may occur.
In order to prevent the toner from slipping through, it is necessary to increase the contact pressure between the photosensitive drum and the cleaning blade to enhance the cleaning ability.
However, when the contact pressure (linear pressure) of the cleaning blade with respect to the photosensitive drum is increased, the frictional force between the photosensitive drum and the cleaning blade is increased, so that the cleaning blade 62 is moved as shown in FIG. 5A. Pulling in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum 21 causes the contact portion 62c of the cleaning blade 62 to bend. When the cleaned cleaning blade 62 is restored to its original state against the bend, abnormal noise may occur.
Furthermore, if the cleaning is continued in a state where the contact portion 62c of the cleaning blade 62 is curled, as shown in FIG. 5B, local wear occurs on the tip surface 62a of the cleaning blade 62.
If further cleaning is continued in such a state, the local wear increases, and eventually, as shown in FIG. 5C, the contact portion 62c is lost. If the contact portion 62c is lost, there is a problem in that the toner cannot be properly cleaned, resulting in poor cleaning. The cleaning blade of the present invention solves such a problem.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the contact portion of the cleaning blade of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 6, the contact portion 62c of the elastic member 622 is impregnated with a curable composition containing a (meth) acrylate compound having an alicyclic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms in the molecule, and then irradiated with ultraviolet rays. As a result, the impregnated portion 62b includes a cured product of the curable composition. For this reason, the hardness of the contact portion 62c increases, durability can be improved, and the elastic member 622 can be prevented from being deformed in the rotation direction of the photosensitive member 3. Further, even when the contact portion 62c of the elastic member 622 is worn over time, the contact portion 62c has a structure in which the impregnated portion 62b includes a cured product of the curable composition. Can be suppressed.

  Examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

<JIS-A hardness of elastic member>
The JIS-A hardness of the elastic member was measured using a micro rubber hardness meter MD-1 manufactured by Kobunshi Keiki Co., Ltd. according to JIS K6253. In addition, about the elastic member of 2 layer structure, it measured from the surface of each layer, respectively.

<Rebound resilience of elastic member>
The rebound resilience of the elastic member was measured according to JIS K6255 using a Reirientester (No. 221) manufactured by Toyo Seiki Seisakusho. The measurement sample was obtained by superposing sheets with an average thickness of 1.8 mm so that the thickness was at least 4 mm.

<Martens hardness and elastic power of elastic member>
For the Martens hardness and the elastic power of the elastic member, a microhardness meter HM-2000 manufactured by Fischer Instruments Co., Ltd. was used, and the Vickers indenter was pushed in for 10 seconds so that the maximum load was 1.0 mN. The measurement was carried out by holding for 1.0 second and removing a force of 1.0 mN in 10 seconds. The measurement sample was an elastic member manufactured as described later, and the measurement was performed using a jig in which the plate surface of the elastic member was horizontal. The measurement position was set to a position of 20 μm on the plate surface of the elastic member in a direction from the tip of the end toward the end facing the tip.

<Average circularity of toner>
The average circularity of the toner was measured by a flow type particle image analyzer (trade name: FPIA-2000, manufactured by Sysmex Corporation). Specifically, 0.1 mL to 0.5 mL of a surfactant (alkylbenzene sulfonate) is added as a dispersant to 100 mL to 150 mL of water from which impure solids have been removed in advance, and a measurement sample (toner) About 0.1 to 0.5 g was added. Thereafter, the suspension in which the toner is dispersed is subjected to a dispersion treatment with an ultrasonic disperser for 1 to 3 minutes so that the concentration of the dispersion becomes 3,000 / μL to 10,000 / μL. Was set in the analyzer, and the shape and distribution of the toner were measured. Based on this measurement result, when the outer peripheral length of the actual toner projection shape shown in FIG. 7A is C1, the projected area is S, and the outer circumference of a perfect circle shown in FIG. C2 / C1 was determined, and the average value was defined as the average circularity.

<Volume average particle diameter of toner>
The volume average particle diameter of the toner was determined by a Coulter counter method. Specifically, toner number distribution and volume distribution data measured by a Coulter Multisizer 2e type (manufactured by Beckman Coulter) were sent to a personal computer via an interface (manufactured by Nikkiki Co., Ltd.) for analysis. More specifically, a 1% by mass NaCl aqueous solution using primary sodium chloride was prepared as an electrolytic solution. Then, 0.1 mL to 5 mL of a surfactant (alkyl benzene sulfonate) was added as a dispersant to 100 mL to 150 mL of the electrolytic aqueous solution. Further, 2 mg to 20 mg of toner as a test sample was added thereto, and dispersed with an ultrasonic disperser for 1 minute to 3 minutes. Then, 100 mL to 200 mL of the electrolytic aqueous solution was put into another beaker, and the solution after the dispersion treatment was added therein to a predetermined concentration, and applied to the Coulter Multisizer 2e type.
The aperture is 100 μm, and the particle size of 50,000 toner particles is measured. As a channel, it is 2.00 micrometers or more and less than 2.52 micrometers; 2.52 micrometers or more and less than 3.17 micrometers; 3.17 micrometers or more and less than 4.00 micrometers; 4.00 micrometers or more and less than 5.04 micrometers; 5.04 micrometers or more and less than 6.35 micrometers; .35 μm or more and less than 8.00 μm; 8.00 μm or more and less than 10.08 μm; 10.08 μm or more and less than 12.70 μm; 12.70 μm or more and less than 16.00 μm; 16.00 μm or more and less than 20.20 μm; Less than 40 μm; 25.40 μm or more and less than 32.00 μm; 13 channels of 32.00 μm or more and less than 40.30 μm were used, and toner particles having a particle size of 2.00 μm or more and 32.0 μm or less were targeted.
The volume average particle diameter was calculated based on the relational expression “volume average particle diameter = ΣXfV / ΣfV”. However, “X” is the representative diameter in each channel, “V” is the equivalent volume in the representative diameter of each channel, and “f” is the number of particles in each channel.

(Production Example 1)
-Production of elastic member 1-
With reference to the method for producing a single-layer cleaning blade described as a reference example in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-141449, the dimensions are 11.5 mm × 32.6 mm and the physical properties shown in Table 1 are as follows. The elastic member 1 having a single layer structure was obtained.
The obtained elastic member 1 had a JIS-A hardness of 78 degrees and a rebound resilience of 54%.

(Production Example 2)
-Production of elastic member 2-
Referring to the method for manufacturing a cleaning blade described in Example 1 of JP2011-141449A, a two-layered plate having dimensions of 11.5 mm × 32.6 mm and having the physical property values shown in Table 1 An elastic member 2 having a structure was obtained.
The obtained elastic member 2 had a JIS-A hardness of 87 degrees on the first layer side, 72 degrees on the second layer side, and a rebound resilience of 25%.

(Preparation Example 1)
-Preparation of curable composition 1-
A curable composition 1 was prepared from the following composition by a conventional method.
-Tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate (trade name: A-DCP, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., functional group number 2, molecular weight 304) represented by the following structural formula: 80 parts by mass
・ Polymerization initiator (trade name: Irgacure 184, manufactured by BASF Japan Ltd.) ... 0.08 parts by mass.Solvent (cyclohexanone) ... 20 parts by mass.

(Preparation Example 2)
-Preparation of curable composition 2-
A curable composition 2 was prepared from the following composition by a conventional method.
・ Tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate represented by the above structural formula (trade name: A-DCP, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., functional group number 2, molecular weight 304): 80 parts by mass ・ Polymerization initiator (product) Name: Irgacure 184, manufactured by BASF Japan Ltd.) 0.8 parts by mass Solvent (cyclohexanone) 20 parts by mass

(Preparation Example 3)
-Preparation of curable composition 3-
A curable composition 3 was prepared from the following composition by a conventional method.
・ Tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate represented by the above structural formula (trade name: A-DCP, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., functional group number 2, molecular weight 304): 80 parts by mass ・ Polymerization initiator (product) Name: Irgacure 184, manufactured by BASF Japan Ltd.) 1.6 parts by mass Solvent (cyclohexanone) 20 parts by mass

(Preparation Example 4)
-Preparation of curable composition 4-
From the following composition, a curable composition 4 was prepared by a conventional method.
・ Tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate represented by the above structural formula (trade name: A-DCP, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., functional group number 2, molecular weight 304): 80 parts by mass ・ Polymerization initiator (product) Name: Irgacure 184, manufactured by BASF Japan Ltd.) ... 2.4 parts by mass Solvent (cyclohexanone) ... 20 parts by mass

(Preparation Example 5)
-Preparation of curable composition 5-
From the following composition, a curable composition 5 was prepared by a conventional method.
・ Tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate represented by the above structural formula (trade name: A-DCP, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., functional group number 2, molecular weight 304): 80 parts by mass ・ Polymerization initiator (product) Name: Irgacure 184, manufactured by BASF Japan Ltd.) ... 4 parts by mass Solvent (cyclohexanone) ... 20 parts by mass

(Preparation Example 6)
-Preparation of curable composition 6-
A curable composition 6 was prepared from the following composition by a conventional method.
・ Tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate represented by the above structural formula (trade name: A-DCP, manufactured by Shin-Nakamura Chemical Co., Ltd., functional group number 2, molecular weight 304) ... 80 parts by mass Name: Irgacure 184, manufactured by BASF Japan Ltd.) ... 8 parts by mass Solvent (cyclohexanone) ... 20 parts by mass

(Preparation Example 7)
-Preparation of curable composition 7-
A curable composition 7 was prepared from the following composition by a conventional method.
Pentaerythritol triacrylate represented by the following structural formula (manufactured by Daicel Cytec, PETIA, functional group number 3, molecular weight 298): 50 parts by mass
・ Polymerization initiator (trade name: Irgacure 184, manufactured by BASF Japan Ltd.) 1.5 parts by mass. Solvent (cyclohexanone) 50 parts by mass.

(Preparation Example 8)
-Preparation of curable composition 8-
A curable composition 8 was prepared from the following composition by a conventional method.
-1,3-adamantane dimethanol diacrylate (trade name: X-A-201, manufactured by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., functional group number 2, molecular weight 304) represented by the following structural formula: 80 parts by mass
・ Polymerization initiator (trade name: Irgacure 184, manufactured by BASF Japan Ltd.) 1.6 parts by mass Solvent (cyclohexanone) 20 parts by mass

<Example of toner production>
By the polymerization method, toner base particles having an average circularity of 0.98 and a volume average particle diameter of 4.9 μm were prepared. Silica fine particles having a small particle size (trade name: H2000, manufactured by Clariant Co., Ltd.) and titanium oxide fine particles having a small particle size (trade name: MT-150AI taker) with respect to 100 parts by mass of the obtained toner base particles. 0.5 part by mass and silica fine particles having a large particle diameter (trade name: UFP-30H, manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.) were stirred and mixed with a Henschel mixer to prepare a toner.

Example 1
<Preparation of cleaning blade 1>
Dilute a portion of the long side of the plate surface of the elastic member 1 that is 2 mm from the end surface with a solvent (cyclohexanone) so that the solid content concentration of the curable composition 1 is 50% by mass. The resulting liquid was impregnated for 30 minutes and then air-dried for 3 minutes. After air drying, using a belt conveyor type ultraviolet irradiation device (trade name: ECS-1511U, manufactured by Eye Graphics Co., Ltd.) that irradiates ultraviolet rays while passing a light source arranged inside, the output of the light source is 176 W / cm, The conveyor speed was 0.8 m / min, and the number of passes through the belt conveyor type ultraviolet irradiation device was 5 passes (5 passes). Next, drying was performed for 15 minutes at an internal temperature of 100 ° C. using a heat dryer.
The elastic member 1 after the curing treatment was fixed to the sheet metal holder as the support member with an adhesive, and the cleaning blade 1 was produced.

Next, the produced cleaning blade 1 was attached to a color multifunction peripheral (trade name: imagio MP C5001, manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd.) at the predetermined linear pressure and the cleaning angle θ. The linear pressure and the cleaning angle θ are different depending on the sample type of the cleaning blade.
The toner is mounted on the color multifunction device (trade name: imagio MP C5001, manufactured by Ricoh Co., Ltd.), and an image area ratio 5% chart (A4 size side) is 3 in an environment of 65% RH at 21 ° C. After 10,000 sheets were output by printing / job, the amount of wobbling, local wear, cleanability, and filming of the contact portion was evaluated as follows. The results are shown in Table 3.

<Wobbling amount of contact part>
The method for measuring the amount of wobbling of the contact portion was as follows.
First, a curable composition containing polycarbonate used for the surface layer of the image carrier is applied to the plate surface of a glass plate (dimensions: 150 mm × 110 mm, average thickness: 4 mm, surface treatment: ITO film treatment). Harden. The cleaning blade 1 was fixed to the glass plate at the predetermined linear pressure and the cleaning angle θ described above.
Next, the glass plate is slid at a linear velocity equivalent to the linear velocity in the rotation direction of the image carrier in the color copying machine, and the contact state of the contact portion is changed from the back surface of the glass plate to the CCD camera ( (Product name: CM-5, manufactured by Nikon Corporation) and the image was output. Based on the output image, the length in the sliding direction of the contact portion in contact with the glass plate was measured as the amount of twist.

<Local wear>
After the 10,000 sheets were output, the presence or absence of local wear on the end face including the contact portion was observed using a Keyence microscope VHX-100, and evaluated according to the following criteria.
〔Evaluation criteria〕
○: No local wear △: Local wear is present, but the maximum diameter is as small as 1 μm or less ×: Local wear is present, and the maximum diameter is as large as 1 μm or more

<Cleanability>
After the output of 10,000 sheets, the vertical band pattern (with respect to the paper traveling direction) is 43 mm wide, and the output image after 20 images at the time of evaluation of 3 charts (A4 size landscape) are visually observed. The cleaning properties were evaluated according to the following criteria. An abnormal image is an image or white spot image that appears as a streak or a band in a printed image. The absence of an abnormal image means that the cleaning property is good.
〔Evaluation criteria〕
○: No abnormal image ×: There is an abnormal image

<Film resistance>
After outputting 10,000 sheets, the presence or absence of filming on the surface of the image carrier was visually observed and evaluated according to the following criteria.
〔Evaluation criteria〕
○: No filming △: Mild filming in part ×: Filming on the entire surface

(Example 2)
-Production of cleaning blade 2-
In Example 1, the cleaning blade 2 of Example 2 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the amount of the polymerization initiator of the curable composition was changed as shown in Table 2.
The obtained cleaning blade 2 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 for the amount of wobbling, local wear, cleaning properties, and filming resistance of the contact portion. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Example 3)
-Production of cleaning blade 3-
In Example 2, the cleaning blade 3 of Example 3 was produced in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the impregnation time of the curable composition was changed as shown in Table 2.
The obtained cleaning blade 3 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 for the amount of wobbling, local wear, cleaning properties, and filming resistance of the contact portion. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Example 4)
-Production of cleaning blade 4-
In Example 1, the amount of the polymerization initiator of the curable composition and the impregnation time of the curable composition were changed as shown in Table 2 in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the amount of the polymerization initiator was changed. A cleaning blade 4 was produced.
The obtained cleaning blade 4 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 for the amount of wobbling, local wear, cleaning properties, and filming resistance of the contact portion. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Example 5)
-Production of cleaning blade 5-
In Example 1, the cleaning blade 5 of Example 5 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the amount of the polymerization initiator of the curable composition was changed as shown in Table 2.
The obtained cleaning blade 5 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 for the amount of wobbling, local wear, cleaning properties, and filming resistance of the contact portion. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Example 6)
-Production of cleaning blade 6-
In Example 1, as shown in Table 2, in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the amount of the polymerization initiator of the curable composition and the impregnation time of the curable composition were changed. A cleaning blade 6 was produced.
The obtained cleaning blade 6 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 for the amount of wobbling, local wear, cleaning properties, and filming resistance of the contact portion. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Example 7)
-Production of cleaning blade 7-
In Example 1, as shown in Table 2, the curable composition No. A cleaning blade 7 of Example 7 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that it was replaced with 7.
The obtained cleaning blade 7 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 for the amount of wobbling, local wear, cleaning properties, and filming resistance of the contact portion. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Example 8)
-Production of cleaning blade 8-
In Example 1, as shown in Table 2, the curable composition No. A cleaning blade 8 of Example 8 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that it was replaced with 8.
The obtained cleaning blade 8 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 for the amount of wobbling, local wear, cleaning properties, and filming resistance of the contact portion. The results are shown in Table 3.

Example 9
-Production of cleaning blade 9-
In Example 1, the cleaning blade 9 of Example 9 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the amount of the polymerization initiator of the curable composition was changed instead of the elastic member 2 as shown in Table 2. did. Note that the elastic member 2 having a two-layer structure is formed by integrally molding two types of elastic bodies of the first layer and the second layer having different physical properties as described above, and is applied to the first layer side having high hardness. The contact was positioned.
The obtained cleaning blade 9 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 for the amount of wobbling, local wear, cleaning properties, and filming resistance of the contact portion. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Comparative Example 1)
-Production of cleaning blade 10-
In Example 1, as shown in Table 2, the cleaning blade 10 of Comparative Example 1 was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the elastic member 1 was used without being impregnated with the curable composition.
The obtained cleaning blade 10 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 for the amount of wobbling, local wear, cleaning properties, and filming resistance of the contact portion. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Comparative Example 2)
-Production of cleaning blade 11-
In Example 1, the amount of the polymerization initiator of the curable composition and the impregnation time of the curable composition were changed as shown in Table 2 in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the comparative example 2 was used. A cleaning blade 11 was produced.
About the obtained cleaning blade 11, it carried out similarly to Example 1, and evaluated the amount of deflection of the said contact part, local abrasion, cleaning property, and filming resistance. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Comparative Example 3)
-Production of cleaning blade 12-
In Comparative Example 2, a cleaning blade 12 of Comparative Example 3 was produced in the same manner as Comparative Example 2 except that the impregnation time of the curable composition was changed as shown in Table 2.
The obtained cleaning blade 12 was evaluated in the same manner as in Comparative Example 2 on the amount of wobbling, local wear, cleaning properties, and filming resistance of the contact portion. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Comparative Example 4)
-Production of cleaning blade 13-
In Example 1, as shown in Table 2, in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the amount of the polymerization initiator of the curable composition and the impregnation time of the curable composition were changed, Comparative Example 4 A cleaning blade 13 was produced.
The obtained cleaning blade 13 was evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 for the amount of wobbling, local wear, cleaning properties, and filming resistance of the contact portion. The results are shown in Table 3.

(Comparative Example 5)
-Production of cleaning blade 14-
In Comparative Example 4, a cleaning blade 14 of Comparative Example 5 was produced in the same manner as Comparative Example 4 except that the impregnation time of the curable composition was changed as shown in Table 2.
About the obtained cleaning blade 14, it carried out similarly to the comparative example 4, and evaluated the amount of deflection of the said contact part, local abrasion, cleaning property, and filming resistance. The results are shown in Table 3.

From the results of Table 3, in Examples 1 to 9, the contact portion of the elastic member includes a cured product of the curable composition, and is on the plate surface of the elastic member, and the tip of the end portion. from, the Martens hardness measurement position of 20μm in a direction toward the end of the tip facing is ^{2N / mm 2 ~10N / mm 2} , and the elastic work rate is 60% to 85%, wherein It has been found that the contact portion is prevented from being curled, the occurrence of local wear of the elastic member is reduced over a long period of time, and good cleaning properties and filming resistance can be obtained.

As an aspect of this invention, it is as follows, for example.
<1> A cured product of the curable composition is included at any end of the flat elastic member,
At a measurement position of 20 μm on the plate surface of the flat elastic member, from the tip of the end to the end facing the tip,
Martens a hardness of ^{2N / mm 2 ~10N / mm 2} , and elastic work rate of the cleaning blade, which is a 60% to 85%.
<2> The cleaning blade according to <1>, wherein the curable composition contains a (meth) acrylate compound having an alicyclic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms in a molecule.
<3> The <1> to <2>, wherein the curable composition contains at least one selected from a (meth) acrylate compound having a tricyclodecane structure and a (meth) acrylate compound having an adamantane structure. The cleaning blade according to any one of the above.
<4> The cleaning blade according to any one of <1> to <3>, wherein the flat elastic member is a laminate formed by integrally molding two or more types of flat elastic bodies having different JIS-A hardnesses. It is.
<5> An image carrier, a charging unit that charges the surface of the image carrier, an exposure unit that exposes the charged image carrier to form an electrostatic latent image, and the electrostatic latent image as a toner A developing unit that develops an image; a transfer unit that transfers the toner image onto a recording medium; a fixing unit that fixes the toner image transferred onto the recording medium; and the image carrier that is in contact with the image carrier. A cleaning blade for removing toner remaining on the surface of
The cleaning blade is the cleaning blade according to any one of <1> to <4>.
<6> An image carrier, charging means for charging the surface of the image carrier, exposure means for exposing the charged surface of the image carrier to form an electrostatic latent image, and using the electrostatic latent image as a toner At least one of a developing unit that develops an image and a transfer unit that transfers the toner image to a recording medium, and a cleaning blade that contacts the image carrier and removes toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier And
The cleaning blade is the cleaning blade according to any one of <1> to <4>.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image forming unit 3 Photoconductor 4 Charging roller 5 Developing device 6 Cleaning device 7 Primary transfer roller 14 Intermediate transfer belt 60 Transfer unit 62 Cleaning blade 62a Tip surface 62b Impregnated portion 62c Abutting portion 500 Image forming device 621 Support member 622 Elasticity Member P Recording medium

JP 2010-152295 A

Claims (6)

Including a cured product of the curable composition at either end of the flat elastic member,
At a measurement position of 20 μm on the plate surface of the flat elastic member, from the tip of the end to the end facing the tip,
Cleaning blade Martens hardness is ^{2N / mm 2 ~10N / mm 2} , and elastic work rate is characterized by a 60% to 85%.   The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the curable composition contains a (meth) acrylate compound having an alicyclic structure having 6 or more carbon atoms in the molecule.   3. The curable composition according to claim 1, wherein the curable composition contains at least one selected from a (meth) acrylate compound having a tricyclodecane structure and a (meth) acrylate compound having an adamantane structure. Cleaning blade.   The cleaning blade according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the flat elastic member is a laminate formed by integrally molding two or more types of flat elastic bodies having different JIS-A hardness. An image carrier, a charging unit for charging the surface of the image carrier, an exposure unit for exposing the charged image carrier to form an electrostatic latent image, and developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image Developing means, transfer means for transferring the toner image to a recording medium, fixing means for fixing the toner image transferred to the recording medium, and abutting on the image carrier, on the surface of the image carrier A cleaning blade for removing residual toner,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning blade is the cleaning blade according to claim 1. An image carrier, a charging unit for charging the surface of the image carrier, an exposure unit for exposing the charged surface of the image carrier to form an electrostatic latent image, and developing the electrostatic latent image into a toner image At least one of a developing unit that transfers the toner image to a recording medium, and a cleaning blade that contacts the image carrier and removes toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier. And
The process cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning blade is the cleaning blade according to claim 1.