JPH02178664A - Production of electrophotographic organic photosensitive body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To form a part uncoated with a photoconductive layer in a short time with a distinct border line between the photoconductive layer in the production of an electrophotographic org. photosensitive body by forming in the first stage the photoconductive layer on an electroconductive substrate, removing the photoconductive layer by rotating the photosensitive body around its axis, allowing a cleaning tape to contact by pressing with a peripheral edge of the photosensitive body and dissolving and removing the photosensitive layer. CONSTITUTION:A cleaning tape 2 is impregnated with a solvent capable of dissolving a binder of a photoconductive layer and fed from a solvent feeding device 4, before the tape contacts with the photoconductive layer. The tape 2 is then allowed to contact with a peripheral edge from which the photoconductive layer on the external peripheral surface of a photosensitive body 1 is to be removed, by pressing the tape to the peripheral edge while tensing with a tension roller 3 to transfer the tape toward a same direction as the photosensitive body 1 with a smaller transfer velocity than the external peripheral velocity of the photosensitive body 1. Thus, the photoconductive layer is dissolved and wiped off the surface of the photosensitive body 1. The dissolution and wiping off of the photoconductive layer are performed with a fresh cleaning tape to which a fresh solvent is fed always. Thus, the photoconductive layer is removed completely, and a part uncoated with the photoconductive layer is formed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Industrial Application Field] This invention comprises a photoconductive layer made of an organic photoconductive material and a binder on a cylindrical conductive support, and The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electrophotographic organic photoreceptor having an uncoated portion of a photoconductive layer.

[Conventional technology]

In the production of this type of electrophotographic organic photoreceptor (hereinafter also simply referred to as photoreceptor), conventionally, an organic photoconductive material is coated on the entire surface of a cylindrical conductive support (hereinafter also simply referred to as support). After forming a photoconductive layer by applying a coating solution containing a binder, the uncoated area of the photoconductive layer (hereinafter simply referred to as uncoated area) is coated on the peripheral area using the method shown in FIG. A method of forming a coating portion (also referred to as a coating portion) is known. Figure 2 (
a) is a side view of a cylindrical photoreceptor 1 viewed from its axial direction, and while rotating the photoreceptor 1 around the cylindrical axis in the direction of the arrow, a solvent in which the binder of the photoconductive layer is soluble is applied. A method of dissolving and wiping off the photoconductive layer in that area by bringing an impregnated sponge roll 5 into contact with the edge of the photoreceptor 1 is shown. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a method of immersing the filled photoconductive layer in a solvent 7 in which the binder is soluble, and dissolving and wiping off the photoconductive layer in that portion.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, with the above method, the solvent vapor slightly dissolves the surface of the photoconductive layer in areas that should remain, and it is difficult to completely wipe off the dissolved photoconductive layer at the edges, resulting in a film-like formation on the support. It is difficult to make the boundary between the remaining uncoated area and the photoconductive layer into a good linear shape. There were many problems, such as the long time it took to wipe off the photoconductive layer.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems and allows the portion of the photoconductive layer to be removed to be completely removed in a short time without affecting the photoconductive layer that is to be left. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing an electrophotographic organic photoreceptor that can form an uncoated area with a good boundary shape.

[Means to solve the problem]

According to the present invention, the above-mentioned object is to provide a photoconductive layer comprising an organic photoconductive material and a binder on a cylindrical conductive support, and a peripheral portion of which is not coated with the photoconductive layer. In a method for producing an organic photoreceptor for electrophotography, a photoconductive layer is formed on a conductive support, and then the photoreceptor is rotated around its axis while the photoconductive layer is exposed to light at the edge of the photoconductive layer. A cleaning tape impregnated with a solvent in which the binder of the conductive layer is soluble is pressed into contact with the cleaning tape and moved relatively to dissolve and remove the photoconductive layer at the edge, thereby forming an uncoated area of the photoconductive layer. This can be achieved by a manufacturing method.

[Effect]

The portion of the photoconductive layer that is pressed into contact with the solvent-impregnated cleaning tape is dissolved and wiped off by the cleaning tape that moves relative to the rotating photoreceptor. Wiping is always performed with a fresh surface of the cleaning tape, and the material forming the photoconductive layer is completely removed without remaining in the form of a film on the support. Furthermore, the boundary between the formed uncoated portion and the photoconductive layer also has a good linear shape.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the method for forming an uncoated area according to the present invention, and is a side view of the photoreceptor as viewed from the axial direction.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a photoreceptor, 2 is a cleaning tape, 3 is a tensine roller, and 4 is a solvent supply device. The cleaning tape 2 is applied with tension by a tension roller 3 and is pressed onto the photoconductive layer on the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor l in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the photoreceptor l, so that a considerable length of the cleaning tape 2 is pressed onto the photoconductive layer surface. come into contact with. The contact length of the cleaning tape 2 is determined by the relative position between the tension roller 3 and the photoreceptor 1. Further, before contacting the photoconductive layer, the cleaning tape 2 is impregnated with a solvent that can dissolve the binder of the photoconductive layer by being supplied from the solvent supply device 4.

Using such a device, while rotating the photoreceptor 1 around its axis in the direction of arrow A, the cleaning tape 2 impregnated with a solvent is applied with tension by the tensine roller 3 to cover the outer peripheral surface of the photoreceptor 1. Press the photoconductive layer into contact with the edge to be removed, and move the photoreceptor 1 in the same direction as arrow B.
Move at a feed speed slower than the circumferential speed of the outer periphery. The photoconductive layer is dissolved and wiped off from the surface of the photoreceptor 1 by the cleaning tape 2 which moves relative to the photoreceptor 1 while in contact with it. This dissolution and wiping of the photoconductive layer is always performed using a new cleaning tape supplied with a fresh solvent. By rotating the photoreceptor several to several times, the photoconductive layer is completely removed and no residue remains. An application section is formed.

The removal efficiency of the photoconductive layer is determined by the circumferential speed of the photoreceptor, the cleaning tape feeding speed, the length of contact of the cleaning tape with the photoreceptor surface, the amount of solvent impregnated in the cleaning tape, etc. Further, the boundary between the uncoated area and the photoconductive layer can be made into a straight and good shape by appropriately selecting these conditions.

Using a photoconductor with a diameter of 60 mm, the circumferential speed of the photoconductor was set to 200 mm/sec (1.06 rotations per second) using the method of this example.
and apply 1k to the cleaning tape using a tension roller.
An uncoated area was formed by applying a tension of 1.5 g and a cleaning tape feeding speed of 1150 (4 u/sec), which is the circumferential speed of the photoreceptor. Similarly, a photoconductor with a diameter of 60III11 was
), an uncoated area was formed using the conventional method (method using a sponge roll), and the photoconductive layer dissolution/removal time and boundary shape (sag width) between the two were compared. The results are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 As can be seen in Table 1, the uncoated area could be formed in a shorter time in the example than in the comparative example, and the boundary area had a good straight shape with less sag, making it an excellent method. It turns out that there is something.

In the above embodiment, the cleaning tape was fed at a speed slower than the circumferential speed of the photoreceptor, but conversely, the circumferential speed of the photoreceptor may be slowed and the cleaning tape fed at a faster speed than that. The method of the present invention is effective even when the direction of rotation of the body and the direction of feeding of the cleaning tape are opposite to each other.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to this invention, in order to form an uncoated area at the edge of the photoreceptor, while rotating the photoreceptor around its axis,
A cleaning tape impregnated with a solvent that can dissolve the binder of the photoconductive layer is brought into pressure contact with the edge portion, and the tape is moved and moved relative to the edge portion to dissolve and remove the photoconductive layer at the edge portion. According to this method, the photoconductive layer is always dissolved and removed using a new cleaning tape impregnated with a new solvent, so the photoconductive layer can be completely removed in a short time and no uncoated areas are formed. Moreover, the boundary between the uncoated area and the photoconductive layer has a good straight shape. Furthermore, since a cleaning tape impregnated with a solvent is used, the surface of the photoconductive layer to be left is not dissolved by solvent vapor, unlike the conventional method (immersion method) shown in FIG. 2(c). Furthermore, since the length of contact of the cleaning tape with the surface of the photoconductive layer is long and the contact area is wide, the tension applied to the cleaning tape by the tension roller does not need to be very large, and therefore the pressure of the cleaning tape pressed against the surface of the photoreceptor is small. Therefore, it is possible to avoid damaging the surface of the support exposed in the uncoated area.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the method for forming an uncoated area according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a conventional method, and FIG. 2(a) is a side view of a method using a sponge roll. FIG. 2 et al.) are cross-sectional views of the dipping method. l photoreceptor, 2 cleaning tape, 3 tension roller, 4 solvent supply device. Figure 1 Figure 2 (b)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) An organic photoreceptor for electrophotography, comprising a photoconductive layer made of an organic photoconductive material and a binder on a cylindrical conductive support, and having an uncoated portion of the photoconductive layer at the periphery. In the manufacturing method, after a photoconductive layer is formed on a conductive support, the binder of the photoconductive layer is dissolved at the edge of the photoconductive layer while rotating the photoreceptor around its axis. for electrophotography, characterized in that a cleaning tape impregnated with a solvent is brought into pressure contact and relatively moved and run to dissolve and remove the photoconductive layer at the peripheral portion to form an uncoated area of the photoconductive layer. Method for manufacturing an organic photoreceptor.