JP6780399B2 - Intermediate transfer belt manufacturing equipment and manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an intermediate transfer belt manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method.

In an image forming apparatus for a full-color image, a toner image formed by a photoconductor is usually first-transferred to an intermediate transfer body and then secondarily transferred to a recording medium such as plain paper. An endless belt (intermediate transfer belt) is known as an intermediate transfer body, and the intermediate transfer belt is, for example, a resin base material layer and a photocurable base layer arranged on the base material layer. It has a surface layer made of resin. In such an intermediate transfer belt, the material paint of the surface layer containing the monomer of the photocurable resin is applied to the surface of the belt of the endless shape base material layer, the formed coating film is heat-dried, and then the coating film is formed. It is produced by irradiating a coating film with active light and photopolymerizing it.

When a known heating / drying method such as hot air heating or heating with an electric heater is adopted for drying the coating film, the heating efficiency is low and heat is not easily transferred to the coating film. For this reason, a temperature difference may occur in the heated portion of the coating film, and the removal of the solvent remaining in the coating film may become non-uniform. The residual solvent in such a coating film exhibits an action of inhibiting the subsequent photopolymerization reaction of the monomer. For this reason, the surface hardness of the surface layer varies in the surface direction, and when such an intermediate transfer belt is applied to an image forming apparatus, uneven wear due to durable use may occur, resulting in image defects. Sometimes.

Among the known heating and drying methods, the induction heating method for the induction coil is capable of heating with high heating efficiency. Then, in the technique of manufacturing an intermediate transfer belt using such an induction heating method, a resin applied on an endless mold belt which is stretched by a plurality of rollers including a roller containing a magnetic material and driven to rotate is applied. A method is known in which a coating film of a material is heated by an induction heating device arranged in the vicinity of a roller containing the magnetic material, and the coating film is heated and solidified via the roller (for example). , Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-116015

The heating of the coating film via the roller heated by the induction heating as described above has high heating efficiency of the roller by the induction heating device, and the coating film is heated from the entire portion of the roller where the base material layer belt abuts. Therefore, it is possible to uniformly heat and dry the coating film as compared with heating with hot air or an electric heater. However, when the roller is heated from the outside by an induction heating device, the heat transfer in the roller with which the coating film abuts is not uniform, so that the temperature in the portion of the roller with which the coating film abuts Slight variation may occur.

As described above, there is room for consideration in the conventional technique from the viewpoint of uniformly drying the coating film of the material paint on the surface layer of the intermediate transfer belt.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of uniformly drying a coating film of a material paint on the surface layer of an intermediate transfer belt.

As one means for solving the above problems, the present invention is an apparatus for manufacturing an endless intermediate transfer belt having a base material layer and a surface layer arranged on the base material layer, and can be driven to rotate. The heating device includes two or more rollers for stretching a belt of an endless base material layer including one or more rollers, and a heating device for heating one of the two or more rollers. Provides an intermediate transfer belt manufacturing apparatus, which is located inside the roller to be heated.

Further, as another means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a method for producing an endless intermediate transfer belt having a base material layer and a surface layer arranged on the base material layer on the surface. Has a coating film of material paint on the surface layer, and is stretched by two or more rollers including one or more rollers that can be driven to rotate, and the coating film of the belt of the endless base material layer that moves on an endless orbit. Provided is a method for manufacturing an intermediate transfer belt, which heats and dries the roller by heating the roller with a heating device arranged inside one of the rollers.

According to the present invention, one of the rollers for stretching the belt of the endless base material layer is uniformly heated, so that the coating film of the material paint on the surface layer of the intermediate transfer belt is uniformly dried. be able to.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the manufacturing apparatus of the intermediate transfer belt in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the roller which incorporates an induction heating device in the said manufacturing apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of an example of the image forming apparatus which has an intermediate transfer belt obtained by this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
The device for manufacturing an intermediate transfer belt according to the present embodiment is an device for manufacturing an endless intermediate transfer belt having a base material layer and a surface layer arranged on the base material layer, and more specifically, the base material. It is a device for drying the coating film of the material paint of the surface layer arranged on the layer. The manufacturing apparatus has two or more rollers and a heating apparatus.

The two or more rollers are rollers for stretching a belt of an endless base material layer. If the two or more rollers can stretch the belt of the endless base material layer, that is, the belt is stretched at two or more places inside the endless shape of the belt. It suffices if it is possible to support. The number of rollers for stretching the belt is usually two, but even if the area of the portion of the belt in contact with the rollers is three or more in a range sufficiently large for drying the coating film. Good.

Further, the two or more rollers may be all rollers that can be rotationally driven, or at least one roller that can be rotationally driven and the other rollers that are driven to rotate. The rotationally driveable roller is, for example, a roller connected to the driving device so that which power is transmitted as the rotational motion of the roller. Further, the rotation of the roller may be such that the roller itself rotates around the rotation axis (central axis) of the roller, or the cylindrical sleeve forming the outer peripheral surface of the roller is attached to the roller body. It may rotate.

The material of the roller is preferably a material having a small heat loss from the viewpoint of realizing high-efficiency heating. Further, when an induction heating device described later is used, it is preferable that the material is a material (for example, a magnetic material) that generates magnetic flux by electromagnetic induction.

Further, the sizes of the two or more rollers can be appropriately determined within a range in which the desired physical properties of the intermediate transfer belt can be obtained. For example, the diameter of the roller is determined from the viewpoint of securing a sufficient heating area for the belt in contact with the roller, from the viewpoint of uniformly transferring the heat of the heated roller to the base material layer, and tensioning the roller. 60 mm or more from the viewpoint of preventing excessive deformation of the roller in the circumferential direction of the belt to be installed or deformation due to it (for example, generation of creep due to a decrease in flexibility of the base material layer due to heating). It is preferably 80 mm or more, and more preferably 80 mm or more. The diameter of the roller can be appropriately determined within a range in which the endless belt can be stretched.

Further, the two or more rollers may further have a structure suitable for stretching the belt. For example, in the two or more rollers, the outer peripheral surface portion of the roller with which the belt abuts may be provided with anti-slip against the belt. More specifically, the two or more rollers may further have a resin layer on the outer peripheral surface thereof. The resin layer may be arranged on some of the rollers on which the belt is stretched, or may be arranged on all the rollers.

Examples of the resin of the resin layer include polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene and silicone rubber. The resin can be appropriately determined from the intended purpose of the resin layer. For example, plastic is preferable from the viewpoint of durability, and silicone rubber is preferable from the viewpoint of anti-slip effect.

The resin layer can be formed by the lining of the resin. The thickness of the resin layer is preferably 50 μm or more, and more preferably 100 μm or more, from the viewpoint of preventing meandering of the belt due to the anti-slip effect. The thickness of the resin layer is preferably 200 μm or less from the viewpoint of heat transfer.

The heating device is a device for heating one of the two or more rollers. The heating device is arranged inside a roller to be heated. The heating device is preferably a device suitable for heating the roller from the inside of the roller, for example, a heating device having high heating efficiency, and examples thereof include a halogen heater and an induction heating device. included. Above all, the induction heating device is preferable from the viewpoint of high heating efficiency and from the viewpoint of suppressing local temperature variation on the outer peripheral surface of the roller.

The roller in which the heating device is arranged is preferably a driven roller from the viewpoint of simplicity of configuration.

An example of a roller containing the induction heating device and having the resin layer on the outer surface includes an induction heating jacket roll manufactured by Tokuden Co., Ltd.

The manufacturing apparatus may further have a configuration other than the rollers and the heating apparatus described above as long as the coating film can be dried. Examples of such other configurations include a device for detecting the temperature of the roller, a device for adjusting the output of the heating device based on the detected temperature, and a device for applying the material paint to the outer periphery of the belt of the base material layer. An apparatus for applying to a surface, an apparatus for irradiating the coating film after drying with an active ray, and an apparatus for adjusting the temperature of a surface layer formed by the irradiation with the active ray are included.

These other configurations can be achieved by applying devices known to exhibit these functions within the scope of their application. For example, as the material paint coating device, a known device such as a spray coating device depending on the coating method can be used.

Further, for example, as an irradiation device for active light, a known device having a light source for active light can be used. The active ray is an electromagnetic wave that radically polymerizes the radically polymerizable monomer in the coating film, and is, for example, ultraviolet rays, electron beams, or γ rays. The active light beam is preferably ultraviolet rays or electron beams, and more preferably ultraviolet rays from the viewpoint of easy handling and easy acquisition of high energy.

Examples of the types of light sources of the active light include low-pressure mercury lamps, medium-pressure mercury lamps, ultra-high pressure mercury lamps, carbon arc lamps, metal halide lamps, xenon lamps, flash (pulse) xenon, and UV-LEDs. From the viewpoint of suppressing the heat supplied to the base material layer to suppress the decrease in flexibility and the occurrence of creep in the intermediate transfer belt, the irradiation device is a UV-LED irradiation device including a UV-LED as a light source. It is preferable to have.

The method for manufacturing the intermediate transfer belt according to the present embodiment can be carried out by using the manufacturing apparatus described above.

The above-mentioned manufacturing method is a method for manufacturing an endless intermediate transfer belt having a base material layer and a surface layer arranged on the base material layer, and more specifically, a material coating material for the surface layer arranged on the base material layer. Including the step of drying the coating film of. That is, in the above manufacturing method, the coating film of the belt of the endless base material layer stretched by the two or more rollers and moving on the endless orbit is arranged inside one of the rollers. It includes a step of heating and drying by heating the roller with a heating device. The two or more rollers and the heating device are the same as the rollers and the device described in the manufacturing device.

The base material layer may be made of a resin material that can serve as the base material layer of the intermediate transfer belt. The resin material may appropriately contain additives other than the resin. Examples of the resin of the resin material include a thermoplastic resin, and more specifically, polyimide, polyamide, polystyrene, polyetheretherketone and polyphenylene sulfide. Of these, polyphenylene sulfide is preferable.

Further, the base material layer may be made of a crystalline resin. Here, the crystalline resin is a resin in which "crystals" in which molecular chains are regularly arranged exist and have a glass transition temperature and a melting point. The crystalline resin can be confirmed in the base material layer by, for example, a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and an X-ray diffractometer. Examples of the crystalline resin include polyetheretherketone and polyphenylene sulfide.

The phenylene in the above polyphenylene sulfide preferably contains p-phenylene, and more preferably unsubstituted p-phenylene. Further, the content of substituted or unsubstituted p-phenylene in the polyphenylene sulfide is preferably 50% or more of the total amount of the phenylene.

The thickness of the base material layer may be a thickness sufficient for exhibiting the function as an intermediate transfer belt, for example, 50 to 200 μm.

The above-mentioned material paint is composed of components that are materials for the surface layer, and is, for example, a paint containing a radically polymerizable monomer. The radically polymerizable monomer may be one kind or more.

Examples of the radically polymerizable monomer include a styrene-based monomer, an acrylic-based monomer, a methacrylic-based monomer, a vinyl toluene-based monomer, a vinyl acetate-based monomer, and an N-vinylpyrrolidone-based monomer.

The radically polymerizable monomer is preferably a compound having a (meth) acryloyloxy group from the viewpoint of labor saving of irradiation energy of active rays or shortening of production work time. Further, the radically polymerizable monomer is a polyfunctional (meth) acrylic monomer having two or more (meth) acryloyloxy groups in one molecule, from the viewpoint of producing a surface layer having sufficient hardness. preferable. The number of (meth) acryloyloxy groups in the radically polymerizable monomer is preferably 12 or less from the viewpoint of realizing the flexibility required for the surface layer. The "(meth) acryloyloxy group" is a general term for an acryloyloxy group and a methacryloyloxy group, and means one or both of them.

Examples of the radically polymerizable monomer include dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate (DPHA), ethylene oxide-modified dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate (DPEA), propylene oxide-modified dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate (DPPA), and captolactone-modified pentaerythritol hexaacrylate. (DPCA) is included.

The material coating material may further contain components other than the radically polymerizable monomer. Examples of such other components include metal oxide particles, solvents, slip aids, photopolymerization initiators and stabilizers.

The metal oxide particles are preferable from the viewpoint of increasing the durability of the surface layer. The metal oxide particles may be one kind or more. Examples of metal oxides in the metal oxide particles include silica, titanium oxide, tin oxide, alumina and zinc oxide. Of these, titanium oxide, alumina, tin oxide and the like are preferable, and alumina and tin oxide are particularly preferable.

The content of the metal oxide particles in the surface layer can be appropriately determined within the range in which the effect of the metal oxide particles can be obtained. For example, 40 to 300 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the radically polymerizable monomer. Is. The size of the metal oxide particles can be appropriately determined within a range in which the effect of improving the durability of the surface layer can be obtained. For example, the volume average particle size is 20 to 200 nm.

The metal oxide particles are preferably surface-treated. The surface treatment may be a treatment in which a coating component such as a resin is physically supported on the surface of the metal oxide particles, or a treatment in which a reactive compound is chemically bonded to the surface of the metal oxide particles. It may be present, for example, a coupling treatment with a silane coupling agent. The silane coupling agent has a radically polymerizable functional group such as the (meth) acryloyloxy group described above, from the viewpoint of improving the dispersibility of the metal oxide particles in the surface layer and the mechanical strength of the surface layer. preferable. Examples of the silane coupling agent include the following compounds S-1 to S-31.

S-1: CH ₂ = CHSi (CH ₃ ) (OCH ₃ ) ₂
S-2: CH ₂ = CHSi (OCH ₃ ) ₃
S-3: CH ₂ = CHSiCl ₃
S-4: CH ₂ = CHCOO (CH ₂ ) ₂ Si (CH ₃ ) (OCH ₃ ) ₂
S-5: CH ₂ = CHCOO (CH ₂ ) ₂ Si (OCH ₃ ) ₃
S-6: CH ₂ = CHCOO (CH ₂ ) ₂ Si (OC ₂ H ₅ ) (OCH ₃ ) ₂
S-7: CH ₂ = CHCOO (CH ₂ ) ₃ Si (OCH ₃ ) ₃
S-8: CH ₂ = CHCOO (CH ₂ ) ₂ Si (CH ₃ ) Cl ₂
S-9: CH ₂ = CHCOO (CH ₂ ) ₂ SiCl ₃
S-10: CH ₂ = CHCOO (CH ₂ ) ₃ Si (CH ₃ ) Cl ₂
S-11: CH ₂ = CHCOO (CH ₂ ) ₃ SiCl ₃
S-12: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) COO (CH ₂ ) ₂ Si (CH ₃ ) (OCH ₃ ) ₂
S-13: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) COO (CH ₂ ) ₂ Si (OCH ₃ ) ₃
S-14: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) COO (CH ₂ ) ₃ Si (CH ₃ ) (OCH ₃ ) ₂
S-15: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) COO (CH ₂ ) ₃ Si (OCH ₃ ) ₃
S-16: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) COO (CH ₂ ) ₂ Si (CH ₃ ) Cl ₂
S-17: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) COO (CH ₂ ) ₂ SiCl ₃
S-18: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) COO (CH ₂ ) ₃ Si (CH ₃ ) Cl ₂
S-19: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) COO (CH ₂ ) ₃ SiCl ₃
S-20: CH ₂ = CHSi (C ₂ H ₅ ) (OCH ₃ ) ₂
S-21: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) Si (OCH ₃ ) ₃
S-22: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) Si (OC ₂ H ₅ ) ₃
S-23: CH ₂ = CHSi (OCH ₃ ) ₃
S-24: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) Si (CH ₃ ) (OCH ₃ ) ₂
S-25: CH ₂ = CHSi (CH ₃ ) Cl ₂
S-26: CH ₂ = CHCOOSi (OCH ₃ ) ₃
S-27: CH ₂ = CHCOOSi (OC ₂ H ₅ ) ₃
S-28: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) COOSi (OCH ₃ ) ₃
S-29: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) COOSi (OC ₂ H ₅ ) ₃
S-30: CH ₂ = C (CH ₃ ) COO (CH ₂ ) ₃ Si (OC ₂ H ₅ ) ₃
S-31: CH ₂ = CHCOO (CH ₂ ) ₂ Si (CH ₃ ) ₂ (OCH ₃ )

The solvent can be appropriately selected from compounds having compatibility with the material contained in the material coating material containing the radically polymerizable monomer. The solvent may be one kind or more. Examples of such solvents include proprene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PMA), n-butyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol, methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, tetrahydrofuran, ethyl acetate and butyl acetate. The content of the solvent in the material paint can be determined, for example, based on the coatability of the material paint, and is, for example, an amount such that the concentration of the solid content in the material paint is 3 to 30% by mass.

The slippery aid is a component containing a fluoro group that contributes to lowering the surface energy of the surface when it is located on the surface of the surface layer, from the viewpoint of preventing the adhesion of the adhered portion to the surface layer, or. It is preferable from the viewpoint of increasing the slipperiness on the surface of the surface layer. The slipping aid preferably has a radically polymerizable functional group from the viewpoint of enhancing dispersibility in the surface layer. Examples of such slip aids are Megafvck RS-55, RS-56, RS-72-K, RS-75, RS-76-E, RS-76-NS, RS-78 and RS- 90 (“Mega Fvck” is a registered trademark of DIC Corporation) is included.

The content of the slip aid in the surface layer can be appropriately determined within the range in which the effect of the slip aid can be obtained. For example, 1 to 20 mass by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the radically polymerizable monomer. It is a department.

The photopolymerization initiator may be one kind or more. Examples of such photopolymerization initiators include benzophenone, Michler ketone, 1-hydroxycyclohexyl-phenylketone, thioxanthone, benzobutyl ether, acyloxime ester, dibenzothroben and bisacylphosphine oxide. The content of the photopolymerization initiator in the material coating material is, for example, preferably 0.1 to 30 parts by mass and 0.5 to 10 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the radically polymerizable monomer. More preferred.

The stabilizer is, for example, a component that contributes to stabilization (degeneration prevention) of the surface layer, and may be one kind or more. Examples of the stabilizers include phenolic antioxidants, amine antioxidants, hydroquinone antioxidants, sulfur antioxidants and phosphoric acid antioxidants. The content of the stabilizer in the material coating material is, for example, preferably 2 to 10 parts by mass, and more preferably 2 to 5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the radically polymerizable monomer.

The coating film is produced by applying the material paint to the surface of the belt of the base material layer by a known coating method such as spray coating. The thickness of the coating film can be determined according to the desired thickness of the surface layer. The thickness of the surface layer is preferably 2.0 μm or more from the viewpoint of high durability, and 5.0 μm or less from the viewpoint of preventing cracking due to bending and easiness of removing the solvent from the coating film. Is preferable. The thickness of the coating film is preferably a thickness that becomes the desired thickness of the surface layer after drying and curing, and usually, the dry film thickness of the coating film is substantially the thickness of the surface layer. It is the same.

The conditions for heating and drying the coating film can be determined from the range in which the coating film can be dried, and can be determined in consideration of the viewpoint of suppressing the denaturation of the base material layer. For example, when the base material layer is made of a crystalline resin, the heating temperature of the coating film must be equal to or lower than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the crystalline resin to heat the base material layer. It is preferable from the viewpoint of preventing the occurrence of the above-mentioned creep due to the above. The heating temperature is, for example, the temperature of a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the roller where the belt of the base material layer is in contact.

Further, the heating time of the coating film may be any time as long as the solvent can be sufficiently distilled off, and can be appropriately determined according to the heating temperature. Further, the rotational movement speed of the belt of the base material layer when the coating film is heated can be appropriately determined from the viewpoint of the leveling property of the coating film, for example, 20 to 500 mm / sec.

The above-mentioned production method may further include other steps as long as the effects of the present embodiment are exhibited. Examples of the other steps include a step of applying the material paint to the surface of the belt of the endless base material layer, a step of irradiating the coating film after drying with active light rays, and a step of irradiating the generated surface layer with active light rays. The step of adjusting the temperature is included.

According to the manufacturing method, it is possible to control the temperature of the portion of the roller in which the belt of the base material abuts during heating with an accuracy of ± 1 ° C. Therefore, the surface hardness of the surface layer formed by curing the dried coating film by a photopolymerization reaction does not substantially vary, and in the image forming process using this intermediate transfer belt, the surface layer is sufficiently unevenly worn. It is suppressed, and the resulting image defects are sufficiently suppressed.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of an intermediate transfer belt manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate transfer belt manufacturing apparatus includes a driving roller 11, a driven roller 12, an induction heating device 13, a spray coating device 14, and a UV-LED 15.

The drive roller 11 is a rotationally driveable roller that is pivotally supported by a central axis. The drive roller 11 is connected to, for example, a motor 16 so that its rotational motion is transmitted. Further, the drive roller 11 has a resin layer (not shown) on the outer peripheral surface thereof, which is the same as the resin layer described later in the driven roller 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, the driven roller 12 includes a roller main body 121, a sleeve 122 rotatably supported on the outer peripheral side of the roller main body 121, and a resin layer 123 arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 122. And have. The roller body 121 and the sleeve 122 are made of a magnetic material such as iron, steel, stainless steel, copper, brass (brass), aluminum, or titanium. The resin layer 123 is made of, for example, silicone rubber, and is made of, for example, a rubber lining.

The induction heating device 13 is composed of a coil 131 arranged in a columnar space inside the roller main body 121.

Further, the driven roller 12 has, for example, a thermometer (not shown) for detecting the temperature of the sleeve 122 between the outer peripheral surface of the roller body 121 and the sleeve 122.

The spray coating device 14 is a device for spray coating the material paint of the surface layer from the outside of the endless track drawn by the endless base material layer belt supported by the driving roller 11 and the driven roller 12 to the endless track. It is arranged with the nozzle facing.

The UV-LED 15 is a device for irradiating the coating film of the material paint after drying with ultraviolet rays (UV), and is arranged toward the endless orbit.

In the manufacture of the intermediate transfer belt, first, the endless base material layer belt 20 is stretched by the driving roller 11 and the driven roller 12. The base material layer belt 20 is made of, for example, the above-mentioned crystalline resin. The base material layer belt 20 is supported from the inside of the endless shape by the driving roller 11 and the outer peripheral surface of the driven roller 12 in a state of having an appropriate tension. The inner peripheral surface of the base material layer belt 20 is in close contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of both rollers, and the base material layer belt 20 forms an endless track including both rollers.

Next, the drive roller 11 is rotationally driven at a desired speed. As a result, the base material layer belt 20 moves in the endless orbit at a desired speed.

The material paint is spray-coated on the outer peripheral surface of the moving base material layer belt 20 from the spray coating device 14 so as to have a desired dry film thickness. The material coating material is, for example, a liquid containing a polyfunctional radically polymerizable monomer, a solvent, surface-treated metal oxide particles, and the like as described above. By the above spray coating, a coating film of the material paint is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the base material layer belt 20.

Next, the sleeve 122 is heated to a predetermined temperature equal to or lower than the glass transition temperature of the crystalline resin by the induction heating device 13. As a result, the sleeve 122 is quickly and uniformly heated to the predetermined temperature over the entire surface in the axial direction and the circumferential direction, and the coating film on the base material layer belt 20 is subjected to the endless orbit at the desired temperature. It is heated multiple times as it moves up. As a result, the coating film dries uniformly.

Next, the dried coating film is irradiated with ultraviolet rays from the UV-LED15. As a result, the radical-polymerizable functional groups in the coating film are bonded to each other by the radical addition reaction, and an integral polymer mainly composed of the radical polymer of the polyfunctional radical-polymerizable monomer is produced. In this way, the coating film is cured to become a surface layer.

In the production of the intermediate transfer belt, the coating film on the base material layer belt 20 is dried by heat generated inside the roller on which the base material layer belt 20 is stretched. Therefore, heat can be uniformly transferred to the entire roller, and any part of the base material layer belt 20 in close contact with the roller (for example, the base material layer belt 20 in the moving direction of the base material layer belt 20). The coating film can be dried without causing a temperature difference at the upstream end P1, the downstream end P3, and the intermediate portion P2) of the portion in close contact with the driven roller 12. Therefore, the radical addition reaction by the subsequent UV irradiation proceeds uniformly over the entire coating film. Therefore, a surface layer having a uniform hardness developed by the radical polymerization reaction in the plane direction is produced.

Further, in the above production, the surface of the roller is provided with a rubber lining. Therefore, the base material layer belt 20 stretched on the roller is prevented from swinging (meandering) in the axial direction of the roller.

The intermediate transfer belt manufactured as described above is used as an intermediate transfer belt in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. As described above, since the surface layer of the intermediate transfer belt has uniform hardness in the surface direction, the surface of the intermediate transfer belt is even when applied to an image forming apparatus having a cleaning device using an elastic member for the intermediate transfer belt. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of partial wear (uneven wear) in the surface direction of the layer, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of image defects due to the uneven wear.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 3 includes an image reading unit 110, an image processing unit 30, an image forming unit 40, a paper conveying unit 50, and a fixing device 60.

The image forming unit 40 has image forming units 41Y, 41M, 41C and 41K for forming an image with each color toner of Y (yellow), M (magenta), C (cyan) and K (black). Since all of these have the same configuration except for the toner to be accommodated, the symbol indicating the color may be omitted hereafter. The image forming unit 40 further has an intermediate transfer unit 42 and a secondary transfer unit 43. These correspond to transfer devices.

The image forming unit 41 includes an exposure device 411, a developing device 412, the above-mentioned image carrier 413, a charging device 414, and a drum cleaning device 415. The charging device 414 is, for example, a corona charging device. The charging device 414 may be a contact charging device in which a contact charging member such as a charging roller, a charging brush, or a charging blade is brought into contact with the image carrier 413 to charge the image. The exposure apparatus 411 includes, for example, a semiconductor laser as a light source and a light deflector (polygon motor) that irradiates the image carrier 413 with a laser beam corresponding to an image to be formed. The developing device 412 is a developing device of a two-component developing method, and contains a two-component developing agent.

The intermediate transfer unit 42 includes an intermediate transfer belt 421, a plurality of support rollers 423 including a primary transfer roller 422 for pressing the intermediate transfer belt 421 against the image carrier 413, a backup roller 423A, and a belt cleaning device 426.

The intermediate transfer belt 421 is composed of the above-mentioned base material layer and surface layer. The belt cleaning device 426 has an elastic cleaning blade 426a that abuts on the intermediate transfer belt 421. The intermediate transfer belt 421 is stretched in a loop on a plurality of support rollers 423. By rotating at least one drive roller among the plurality of support rollers 423, the intermediate transfer belt 421 travels at a constant speed in the direction of arrow A.

The secondary transfer unit 43 has an endless secondary transfer belt 432 and a plurality of support rollers 431 including the secondary transfer roller 431A. The secondary transfer belt 432 is stretched in a loop by the secondary transfer roller 431A and the support roller 431.

The fixing device 60, for example, covers the fixing roller 62 and the outer peripheral surface of the fixing roller 62, and fixes the endless heat generating belt 10 for heating and melting the toner forming the toner image on the paper S, and the paper S. It has a roller 62 and a pressure roller 63 that presses against the heating belt 10. Paper S corresponds to a recording medium.

The image reading unit 110 includes a paper feeding device 111 and a scanner 112. The paper transport unit 50 includes a paper feed unit 51, a paper discharge unit 52, and a transport path unit 53. The three paper feed tray units 51a to 51c constituting the paper feed unit 51 accommodate the paper S (standard paper, special paper) identified based on the basis weight, size, etc. for each preset type. .. The transport path portion 53 has a plurality of transport roller pairs such as a resist roller pair 53a.

The formation of an image by the image forming apparatus 100 will be described.
The scanner 112 optically scans and reads the document D on the contact glass. The reflected light from the document D is read by the CCD sensor 112a and becomes input image data. The input image data is subjected to predetermined image processing by the image processing unit 30 and sent to the exposure apparatus 411.

The image carrier 413 rotates at a constant peripheral speed. The charging device 414 uniformly charges the surface of the image carrier 413 to a negative electrode property. In the exposure apparatus 411, the polygon mirror of the polygon motor rotates at high speed, and the laser beam corresponding to the input image data of each color component develops along the axial direction of the image carrier 413 and carries the image along the axial direction. The outer peripheral surface of the body 413 is irradiated. In this way, an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the image carrier 413.

In the developing apparatus 412, the toner particles are charged by stirring and transporting the two-component developer in the developing container, and the two-component developer is conveyed to the developing roller to form a magnetic brush on the surface of the developing roller. The charged toner particles electrostatically adhere to the electrostatic latent image portion of the image carrier 413 from the magnetic brush. In this way, the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the image carrier 413 is visualized, and a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the image carrier 413. The "toner image" refers to a state in which toner is collected in an image shape.

The toner image on the surface of the image carrier 413 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 421 by the intermediate transfer unit 42. The transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the image carrier 413 after transfer is removed by a drum cleaning device 415 having a drum cleaning blade that is in sliding contact with the surface of the image carrier 413.

The intermediate transfer belt 421 is pressed against the image carrier 413 by the primary transfer roller 422, so that the image carrier 413 and the intermediate transfer belt 421 form a primary transfer nip for each image carrier. At the primary transfer nip, toner images of each color are sequentially superimposed on the intermediate transfer belt 421 and transferred.

On the other hand, the secondary transfer roller 431A is pressed against the backup roller 423A via the intermediate transfer belt 421 and the secondary transfer belt 432. As a result, the secondary transfer nip is formed by the intermediate transfer belt 421 and the secondary transfer belt 432. Paper S passes through the secondary transfer nip. The paper S is transported to the secondary transfer nip by the paper transport unit 50. The inclination of the paper S and the adjustment of the transfer timing are performed by the resist roller portion in which the resist roller pair 53a is arranged.

When the paper S is conveyed to the secondary transfer nip, a transfer bias is applied to the secondary transfer roller 431A. By applying this transfer bias, the toner image carried on the intermediate transfer belt 421 is transferred to the paper S. The paper S on which the toner image is transferred is conveyed toward the fixing device 60 by the secondary transfer belt 432.

The fixing device 60 forms a fixing nip by the heat generating belt 10 and the pressurizing roller 63, and heats and pressurizes the conveyed paper S at the fixing nip portion. In this way, the toner image is fixed on the paper S. The paper S on which the toner image is fixed is discharged to the outside of the machine by the paper ejection unit 52 provided with the paper ejection roller 52a.

The transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 421 after the secondary transfer is removed by the cleaning blade 426a. The surface layer of the intermediate transfer belt 426 is worn by friction with the cleaning blade 426a. However, as described above, since the intermediate transfer belt 426 has a surface layer that is uniformly cured in the surface direction thereof, it is uniformly worn by friction with the cleaning blade 426a, and uneven wear is prevented. Therefore, the desired transfer performance by the intermediate transfer belt 426 is exhibited for a long period of time, and the occurrence of transfer defects due to uneven wear and the accompanying image defects is suppressed for a long period of time.

As is clear from the above description, the manufacturing apparatus is an apparatus for manufacturing an endless intermediate transfer belt having a base material layer and a surface layer arranged on the base material layer, and is one or more devices that can be driven to rotate. It has two or more rollers for stretching a belt of an endless base material layer including the rollers of the above, and a heating device for heating one of the two or more rollers. It is arranged inside the roller to be heated.

Further, the above-mentioned manufacturing method is a method for manufacturing the above-mentioned intermediate transfer belt, which has a coating film of a material paint of a surface layer on the surface and is stretched by two or more rollers including one or more rollers that can be driven to rotate. The coating film of the belt of the endless base material layer that is installed and moves on the endless orbit is heated and dried by heating the roller with a heating device arranged inside one of the rollers. Therefore, according to the above-mentioned manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method, the coating film of the material paint on the surface layer of the intermediate transfer belt can be uniformly dried.

Further, using induction heating for heating the coating film from the inside of the roller is more effective from the viewpoint of suppressing uneven wear due to actual use of the produced surface layer.

Further, having a resin layer on the outer peripheral surface of the roller is more effective from the viewpoint of suppressing meandering of the base material layer belt stretched on the roller and moving in an endless orbit.

Further, using the roller having a roller diameter of 60 mm or more is more effective from the viewpoint of preventing the occurrence of creep in the base material layer.

Further, since the present invention enables precise temperature control and uniform drying of the coating film of the above-mentioned material paint, it is possible to dry the above-mentioned coating film at a temperature capable of preventing thermal denaturation of the base material layer. Is. For example, even if the base material layer is made of a crystalline resin, it is possible to prevent thermal modification of the base material layer due to drying of the coating film.

Further, it is sufficient to use a paint composed of a radically polymerizable monomer (polyfunctional (meth) acrylic monomer) having two or more (meth) acryloyloxy groups in one molecule as the above-mentioned material paint. It is even more effective from the viewpoint of labor saving in the production of a surface layer having a high hardness.

Further, the thickness of the coating film to be 2.0 to 5.0 μm after curing is more important from the viewpoint of durability and flexibility of the surface layer and ease of manufacture. It is even more effective.

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples and comparative examples. The present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[Example 1]
(1) Preparation of base material layer The following components were melt-kneaded in the following amounts to prepare pellets of the base material layer material.
Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) 100 parts by mass Phenolic antioxidant 5 parts by mass Acetylene black 16 parts by mass Calcium montanate 0.2 parts by mass

PPS is "E2180" manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc., which corresponds to a crystalline resin, has a melting point of 280 ° C., and has a glass transition temperature Tg of 90 ° C. The PPS was dried at 130 ° C. for 8 hours and cooled to about 60 ° C. before use. The phenolic antioxidant is "ADEKA STAB AO-50" ("ADEKA STAB" is a registered trademark of ADEKA CORPORATION) manufactured by ADEKA CORPORATION, and is a stabilizer. Acetylene Black is "Denka Black HS-100" manufactured by Denka Co., Ltd. ("Denka Black" is a registered trademark of the company) and is a conductive filler. Calcium montanate is "Seridust 5551" manufactured by Clariant Japan Co., Ltd. ("Seridust" is a registered trademark of Clariant AG) and is a lubricant. A twin-screw kneading extruder "PMT32" manufactured by IKC Co., Ltd. was used for melt-kneading.

The pellet is dried at 130 ° C. for 8 hours and melted by an extruder having a diameter of 150 mm and a lip width of 1 mm and a diameter of 40 mm with a 6-row spiral type annular die, and the melt of the pellet is supported on the same axis as the annular die. A tubular molded body was produced by contacting the outer surface of a cooling mandrel having an outer diameter of 140 mm arranged via a rod and cooling and solidifying the mandrel. A core arranged inside the cylinder of the molded product and a roll arranged outside the cylinder pull the molded product in a cylindrical shape and cut it to a length of 290 mm. An endless molded body was obtained. In this way, the endless base material layer belt 1 was produced.

(2) Preparation of Surface Layer The following components were mixed and dispersed in the following amounts to prepare a surface layer material coating material 1. The solid content concentration in the material paint 1 is 10% by mass. The solid content means a component other than the solvent.
Dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate (DPHA) 85 parts by mass Polymerizable polymer compound 10 parts by mass Surface-treated tin oxide 5 parts by mass Propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate (PMA) Remaining

DPHA is a product of Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd. and corresponds to a polyfunctional (meth) acrylate among radically polymerizable monomers. The polymerizable polymer compound is "Mega Fvck RS-55" ("Mega Fvck" is a registered trademark of DIC Corporation) manufactured by DIC Corporation, and corresponds to a slip aid.

Tin oxide of surface-treated tin oxide is a product of CIK Nanotech Co., Ltd. and is a metal oxide particle. The surface-treated tin oxide is obtained by coupling the tin oxide with 5 parts by mass of the above-mentioned silane coupling agent S-5 with respect to 100 parts by mass of the tin oxide. PMA is a solvent.

The base material layer belt 1 is supported in a properly stretched state by two rollers of the manufacturing apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, and the base material layer belt 1 is moved while the rollers are rotated to move the base material layer belt 1. The material paint 1 was applied to the outer peripheral surface of the above surface by a spray coating device to a thickness such that the dry film thickness was 2 μm. In this way, a coating film of the material coating material 1 was produced on the outer peripheral surface of the base material layer belt 1. The application conditions of the material paint 1 are shown below.
<Spray application conditions>
Nozzle scan speed: 1-10 mm / sec Nozzle distance: 100-150 mm
Number of nozzles: 1
Coating liquid supply amount: 1 to 10 mL / min O ₂ Flow rate: _{2 to} 6 L / min

Next, the roller was heated by a dielectric heating device in the roller so that the temperature of the portion of the outer peripheral surface of the roller in which the base material layer belt 1 was in close contact was 60 ° C., and the coating film was dried.

Next, the dried coating film was irradiated with ultraviolet rays from a UV-LED lamp, and the radically polymerizable functional groups in the coating film were subjected to a radical polymerization reaction to prepare a surface layer 1 in which the coating film was cured. In this way, the intermediate transfer belt 1 was manufactured. In addition, ultraviolet rays correspond to active rays. The irradiation conditions of ultraviolet rays are shown below.
<Ultraviolet irradiation conditions>
Type of light source: UV-LED lamp "UV-SPV series" (manufactured by Lebox Co., Ltd.)
Wavelength of light source: 365 nm
Distance from the irradiation port to the surface of the coating film: 40 mm
Irradiation light intensity: 100 mw / cm ²
Irradiation time (time for rotating the base layer belt during UV irradiation): 150 seconds

[Examples 2 and 3]
An intermediate transfer belt 2 was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a roller having a roller diameter of 80 mm was used as a roller of the manufacturing apparatus and the material paint 1 was applied to a thickness having a dry film thickness of 4 μm. Further, the intermediate transfer belt 3 is manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the material paint 1 is applied to a thickness of 8 μm by using a roller having a roller diameter of 80 mm as the roller of the manufacturing apparatus. did.

[Examples 4 and 5]
The intermediate transfer belt 4 was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the material paint 1 was applied to a thickness having a dry film thickness of 6 μm. Further, the intermediate transfer belt 5 was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the material paint 1 was applied to a thickness having a dry film thickness of 5 μm.

[Example 6]
The intermediate transfer belt 6 was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the base material layer belt 2 was used instead of the base material layer belt 1. The base material layer belt 2 was produced in the same manner as the base material layer belt 1 except that polyetheretherketone (PEEK) was used instead of PPS. PEEK is "VICTREX 450G" manufactured by Victrex ("VICTREX" is a registered trademark of the same company), its melting point is 343 ° C, and Tg is 145 ° C, which corresponds to a crystalline resin.

[Comparative Example 1]
A hot air heating device that supplies hot air to the coating film is provided on the outside (coating film side) of the endless orbit formed by the base material layer belt 1 in the manufacturing device without using the induction heating device in the roller for drying the coating film. The intermediate transfer belt C1 was produced in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the coating film was dried using the product. The air volume in the hot air heating device was 0.18 to 0.28 m / sec.

[Comparative Example 2]
The base material layer on the outer peripheral surface of the roller is inside the endless track (on the base material layer belt 1 side) formed by the base material layer belt 1 in the manufacturing device without using the induction heating device in the roller to dry the coating film. The intermediate transfer belt is the same as in Example 2 except that the roller is heated to dry the coating film by using another induction heating device arranged so as to heat the portion where the belt 1 is not in close contact. C2 was manufactured.

[Evaluation]
(1) Membrane hardness The Martens hardness HM (MPa) of each surface layer of the intermediate transfer belts 1 to 6, C1 and C2 is determined by the ultra-fine hardness test system "HM-2000S" manufactured by Fisher Instruments Co., Ltd. Was measured at 6 points at a pitch of 60 mm in the circumferential direction of the intermediate transfer belt and 33 points at a pitch of 10 mm in the axial direction orthogonal to the intermediate transfer belt, for a total of 198 points. The variation ΔMH (MPa) of hardness was obtained by subtracting the minimum value from the maximum value among the measured values.

(2) Uneven wear in endurance test Intermediate transfer belts 1 to 6, C1 and C2 are attached to the intermediate transfer belt of the image forming device "bizhub PRESS C6000"("bizhub" is a registered trademark of the company) manufactured by Konica Minolta KK. An image in which the printing rate of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) was 2.5% was printed on 1 million sheets of A4 size neutral paper. After that, the thickness of the surface layer of the intermediate transfer belt was adjusted at 35 points in the circumferential direction of the intermediate transfer belt at a pitch of 10 mm and in the axial direction at a pitch of 10 mm using a portable spectrophotometer "MV-3250" manufactured by JASCO Corporation. Measurements were taken at 33 points, a total of 1155 points. By subtracting the minimum value from the maximum value among the measured values, the variation ΔTh (μm) in the film thickness of the surface layer after the durability test was obtained.

(3) Variation in drying temperature When the coating film of the material paint in the production of the intermediate transfer belts 1 to 6, C1 and C2 is dried, the portion of the outer peripheral surface of the roller incorporating the induction heating device that comes into close contact with the base material layer belt. Of these, at each of the upstream end (P1 in FIG. 1), the downstream end (P3 in FIG. 1), and the intermediate portion (P2 in FIG. 1) of the base material layer belt in the rotation direction, the outer peripheral surface of the roller. Using a digital radiation temperature sensor manufactured by KEYENCE CORPORATION arranged outside the endless orbit, the temperature was measured at 10 points at a pitch of 30 mm in the axial direction, for a total of 30 points. The variation ΔTD (° C.) of the drying temperature of the coating film was obtained by subtracting the minimum value from the maximum value among the measured values.

The evaluation results are shown in Table 1. In Table 1, "IH" represents induction heating and "AH" represents hot air heating. Further, "drying position" means the position of the heating device, "inside" means that the position of the heating device is inside the roller, and "outside" means that the position of the heating device is outside the roller. It means that there is.

As is clear from Table 1, in each of Examples 1 to 6, intermediate transfer belts having a surface layer having a sufficiently small variation in hardness and uneven wear amount with respect to the thickness of the surface layer were obtained. This can be considered as follows. That is, at least one of the plurality of rollers at the time of manufacturing is in close contact with the base material layer, heat is uniformly transferred to the entire roller by heat generated from the inside of the rollers, and any location (in the portion of the roller in close contact with the base material layer). For example, there is no temperature difference between the upstream end, intermediate point, downstream end, etc.). Therefore, when the coating film is dried, the residual solvent in the coating film can be uniformly removed, and the variation in surface hardness due to the inhibition of the radical addition reaction by the solvent during UV curing of the coating film is suppressed. It is considered that the amount of uneven wear in the durability test can be reduced, and as a result, the occurrence of image defects due to transfer defects is prevented.

Further, from Examples 2 and 6, for example, it can be seen that the effect of drying the coating film by uniform heating from the inside of the roller is not related to the material of the base material layer.

Further, for example, from Examples 1 to 3, it can be seen that as the thickness of the surface layer becomes thinner or the roller diameter becomes larger, the variation in hardness and wear of the surface layer tends to be suppressed.

On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1, the variation in hardness of the surface layer, the amount of uneven wear, and the variation in the temperature of the roller surface during drying are all clear as compared with the example in which the thickness of the surface layer is the same. Is big. This is because the heating from the outside by the hot air heating device is less likely to transfer heat than the heating in the examples, a partial temperature difference occurs in the surface direction of the coating film, and the solvent is not distilled from the coating film. It is thought that this is because it becomes uniform.

Further, also in Comparative Example 2, the variation in hardness of the surface layer, the amount of uneven wear, and the variation in the temperature of the roller surface during drying are all larger than those in the example in which the thickness of the surface layer is the same. .. This is because in the external heating by the induction heating device, the entire surface of the roller is heated through the heat transfer in the roller, so that a partial temperature difference in the surface temperature of the roller occurs in the process of this heat transfer. It is considered that this is because the distilling of the solvent from the coating film becomes non-uniform.

According to the present invention, it is possible to further stabilize the desired transfer characteristics of the intermediate transfer belt used in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus for a longer period of time. Therefore, it is expected that the intermediate transfer belt and the image forming apparatus will be further improved in performance and further spread.

10 Heat-generating belt 11 Drive roller 12 Driven roller 13 Induction heating device 14 Spray coating device 15 UV-LED
16 Motor 20 Base material layer belt 30 Image processing unit 40 Image forming unit 41Y, 41M, 41C, 41K Image forming unit 42 Intermediate transfer unit 43 Secondary transfer unit 50 Paper transport unit 51 Paper feeding unit 51a, 51b, 51c Paper feed tray Unit 52 Paper ejection part 52a Paper ejection roller 53 Conveyance path portion 53a Resist roller vs. 60 Fixing device 62 Fixing roller 63 Pressurizing roller 100 Image forming device 110 Image reading unit 111 Feeding device 112 Scanner 112a CCD sensor 121 Roller body 122 Sleeve 123 Resin layer 131 Coil 411 Exposure device 412 Development device 413 Image carrier 414 Charging device 415 Drum cleaning device 421 Intermediate transfer belt 422 Primary transfer roller 423, 431 Support roller 423A Backup roller 426 Belt cleaning device 426a Cleaning blade 431A Secondary transfer roller 432 Secondary transfer belt D manuscript S paper

Claims (10)

It is an apparatus for manufacturing an endless intermediate transfer belt having a base material layer made of a crystalline resin and a surface layer arranged on the base material layer.
With two or more rollers for tensioning the belt of the endless substrate layer, including one or more rollers that can be rotationally driven,
It has a heating device for heating one of the two or more rollers.
The heating device is arranged inside the roller to be heated .
The heating device heats one of the rollers to a temperature equal to or lower than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the crystalline resin when the coating film of the material paint of the surface layer is heated and dried.
Intermediate transfer belt manufacturing equipment. The intermediate transfer belt manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heating device is an induction heating device for heating the roller by induction heating. The apparatus for manufacturing an intermediate transfer belt according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the two or more rollers have a resin layer on the outer peripheral surface thereof. The apparatus for manufacturing an intermediate transfer belt according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the diameter of the two or more rollers is 60 mm or more. A method for producing an endless intermediate transfer belt having a base material layer made of a crystalline resin and a surface layer arranged on the base material layer.
The above-mentioned belt of an endless base material layer having a coating film of a material paint of a surface layer on the surface, stretched by two or more rollers including one or more rollers that can be driven to rotate, and moving on an endless orbit. Production of an intermediate transfer belt in which the coating film is heated and dried by heating the roller at a temperature equal to or lower than the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the crystalline resin by a heating device arranged inside one of the rollers. Method. The method for manufacturing an intermediate transfer belt according to claim 5, wherein the roller is heated by induction heating. The production of the intermediate transfer belt according to claim 5 or 6 , wherein a paint composed of a radically polymerizable monomer having two or more (meth) acryloyloxy groups in one molecule is used as the material paint. Method. The method for producing an intermediate transfer belt according to any one of claims 5 to 7 , wherein the thickness of the coating film is 2.0 to 5.0 μm after curing. The method for manufacturing an intermediate transfer belt according to any one of claims 5 to 8 , wherein a roller having a resin layer on the outer peripheral surface thereof is used as the two or more rollers. The method for manufacturing an intermediate transfer belt according to any one of claims 5 to 9 , wherein a roller having a diameter of 60 mm or more is used as the two or more rollers.

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