JPH031146A - Production of endless belt-shaped electrophotographic sensitive body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To always stably produce the endless belt-shaped electrophotographic sensitive body having joint parts of good characteristics by forming the contact surface at the front end of an ultrasonic welding horn in contact with the sheet- shaped electrophotographic sensitive body to a circular or elliptical shape and forming the side wall peripheral surface of the front end part of the ultrasonic welding horn to a projecting surface shape. CONSTITUTION:The contact surface 10 at the front end of the ultrasonic welding horn 2 has the circular or elliptical shape and the side wall peripheral surface at the front end of the ultrasonic welding horn 2 is formed to the projecting surface. The projecting surface has such as shape that the section thereof constitutes a part of the circle, ellipse or parabola. The front end of the ultrasonic welding horn 2 applied with a hard chrome plating is hardly breakable when large load is applied thereon at the time welding as the side wall peripheral surface of the front end of the ultrasonic welding horn 2 has the projecting surface. The endless belt-shaped electrophotographic sensitive body having the joint part of the good characteristics is always stably produced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an endless belt-like electrophotographic photoreceptor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, an endless belt-like electrophotographic photoreceptor in which both edges of a sheet-like photoreceptor are joined has been proposed for the purpose of reducing the size and weight of electrophotographic copying apparatuses. by the way,
The endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor that has been proposed so far is
When used in an electrophotographic copying apparatus that employs a blade cleaning method, there is a problem in that the bonded portion of the endless belt-like photoreceptor is damaged by the cleaning blade, resulting in peeling in the vicinity of the bonded portion.

In order to improve this problem, both edges of the sheet-like photoreceptor are overlapped and fusion-bonded while pressing an ultrasonic vibrator to reduce the thickness of the joint and reduce the level difference at the joint. That is what is being attempted.

(Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 80-249152 and Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-1
07281 Publication f4F1) Problems to be Solved by the Invention According to the method proposed above, the produced endless belt-like photoreceptor has a small step difference at the joint, and the above problem is considerably improved. , during fusion, melting occurs and a protruding part is created. FIG. 3 shows this state. Reference numeral 11 indicates a joint of the sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor 3, and 12 a protruding portion, which has a joint step 13 and a joint protrusion length 14. There is. This protruding portion hits the cleaning blade and causes a problem of peeling near the joint, so it is necessary to make it as small and smooth as possible.

By the way, conventional ultrasonic welding horns having the shapes of the tip portions shown in FIGS. 4(a), (1) and (c) are generally used. Figure 4 (a) is a plan view and a side view of a horn tip with a circular contact surface, (b) is a plan view and a side view of a flat horn tip, and (C) is a horn tip with a square contact surface. A plan view and a side view of the section are shown. However, when using a horn having the shape shown in FIGS. 4(a) and (e), stress is applied to the part indicated by the arrow 17 during use, and the hard chrome plating on the surface of the tip of the horn is destroyed. Otherwise, the horn itself may be cracked, resulting in a decrease in the belt bonding force, an increase in the level difference at the bonded portion, and the problem that the upper layer of the electrophotographic photoreceptor may peel off. In addition, when using a horn with the shape shown in Figure 4 (b), it requires large suppression and high vibration frequencies during welding, so it becomes impossible to withstand such stress during welding. , the problem arises that the horn itself breaks.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional technology.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for always and stably manufacturing an endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor having a joint portion with good properties.

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of study, the inventors found that the shape and size of the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn affect the step of the joint, the protrusion length of the joint, the joining force, etc. They found that this greatly contributes to stability, and that if the shape and size of the tip of the super-wave fusion horn are set within a predetermined range, the joint will always have good properties. The present invention has now been completed.

The present invention involves overlapping both edges of a sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor having a film-like support, a conductive layer disposed on the film-like support, and a photosensitive layer formed on the conductive layer. , an ultrasonic welding horn that comes into contact with a sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor in a method for manufacturing an endless belt-like electrophotographic photoreceptor, which comprises pressing an ultrasonic welding horn against overlapping parts and joining them by ultrasonic welding; The contact surface at the tip has a circular or elliptical shape, and the side wall circumferential surface of the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn forms a convex surface. The ultrasonic welding horn used in the present invention has a side wall circumferential surface at its tip forming a convex surface, and its cross section forms part of a circle, ellipse, or parabola.

In addition, in the present invention, 1. The size of the contact surface at the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn is the length when the contact surface is projected in the overlapping width direction of both end edges of the sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor. It is preferably 1 am to 2 mm larger than the overlapping width of both ends of the 7ft F photographic photoreceptor.

The present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a state in which a sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor 3 is ultrasonically fused according to the present invention.
For example, a charge generation layer 6 and a charge transport layer 7 are sequentially laminated on a base material 5 made of polyester or the like on which a conductive layer 4 is formed by vapor-depositing metal, and a back coat layer 8 is provided on the back surface of the substrate. It has a similar structure. This thickness is 50 to 200
” is set. Both edges of the sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor 30 are overlapped, and the ultrasonic welding horn 1 having the hard chrome plated portion 2 at the tip is pressed against the overlapped portion to perform fusion. As the material of the ultrasonic welding horn, duralumin, K monel, Ti alloy tool steel, stainless steel, etc. can be used, and duralumin is particularly preferred because it shows the best results. In addition, 9 is an opposing bar for ultrasonic welding track.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn 1, in which the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn 1 has a hard chrome plated portion 2 having a contact surface 10 with a belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor. It has become.

In the present invention, the contact surface lO of the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn has a circular or elliptical shape, and the peripheral side wall surface of the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn forms a convex surface. The convex surface has such a shape that its cross section forms part of a circle, ellipse, or parabola, as shown by curve A in FIG.

If the contact surface is circular, when scanning the horn,
This is preferable because it eliminates variations in the contact surface in the scanning direction due to the installation of the horn. Furthermore, even in the case of an elliptical shape, if it is used symmetrically or nearly symmetrically with respect to the scanning direction, variations in the contact surface will be eliminated.

In addition, in the present invention, the side wall circumferential surface of the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn forms a convex surface, so that when a large load is applied during welding, the tip of the horn with hard chrome plating becomes difficult to destroy. That is, in the conventional horn, the cross section of the side wall surface of the tip part is linear or concave, so that the angle θ becomes small as shown in FIG. 5, and the part indicated by the arrow in FIG. Although stress is applied to the hard chrome plating part, in the present invention, since the side wall peripheral surface of the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn forms a convex surface, no stress is applied to the hard chrome plating part. Preferably, the convex surface has a shape whose cross section forms part of a circle, ellipse or parabola, as shown by curve A in FIG.

In the present invention, the size of the contact surface at the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn is such that the length when the contact surface is projected in the overlapping width direction of both edges of the sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor is longer than the overlapping width. Preferably it is 1 mm to 2III larger. For example, when using an ultrasonic fusing horn having a circular contact surface, it is preferable that the diameter of the contact surface is lrrrm to 2 m larger than the overlapping width of both edges of the sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor. used.

As a result, the overlapped portions of the sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptors are covered and bonded by the contact surface of the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn, and the shielding width of the sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptors and the settings for the horn are set. Even if there are variations in position, a good joint can be formed. However, if the above-mentioned length becomes larger than the overlapping width by more than 2IQ11, the non-overlapping portions will also be melted by the ultrasonic waves, which is not preferable because the tensile strength of that portion will decrease. Further, if it is less than 1 ram, it is not preferable because it may become impossible to deal with variations in the overlapping width of the sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptors and the setting position thereof with respect to the horn.

The present invention is applicable not only to ultrasonic fusing of sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptors, but also to sheet-like electrostatic recording materials, transfer belts, etc.
It can also be applied to the manufacture of paper feed belts, etc.

Example Next, the present invention will be explained by examples.

Example 1 A charge generation layer with a thickness of 3s made of trigonal secene and poly(N-vinylcarbazole) was formed on a support with a thickness of 70/11]1 made by vapor-depositing aluminum on the surface of a polyethylene terephthalate film. Formed by die coating, on which polycarbonate resin and N,N'-diphenyl-N,N'-bis(3-methylphenyl)-0
, 1'-biphenyl]-4,4'-diamine 25
The charge transport layer of the capacitor is laminated by die coating, and the back coat of the carrier is die-coated with polycarbonate resin to form a 12-layer back coat layer with a thickness of 110 an.
A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor was prepared.

Both edges of this sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor are overlapped so that the overlap width is 1.5 mm, and the contact surface has a diameter of 3I.
An ultrasonic welding horn having a circular shape of II11 with a convex tip side wall circumferential surface and a cross section forming part of a circle was pressed against the overlapping portion with a pressure of 9 kgW. Then, fusion bonding was performed at a scanning speed of 38 mm/see to produce an endless belt-shaped S-child photographic photoreceptor.

As a result, about too many scans (530 mm/time) were possible without any trouble. Furthermore, when the bonded portion of the produced endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was evaluated, the bonding force was approximately 9.0 kg/am, and the level difference at the bonded portion was approximately 80.0 kg/am. Il+, the protruding length of the joint is 0.7+
1 m, and an extremely excellent joint was formed.

Example 2 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
They are stacked so that the overlap width is 1.5 mm, and the contact surface is an ellipse with the major axis 3 and the short axis 2 in order, and the side wall peripheral surface of the tip is a convex surface, and its cross section is circular. An ultrasonic welding horn having a shape constituting a part of the ellipse is pressed against the overlapped part, and at that time, the scanning direction is perpendicular to the long axis of the ellipse to fuse and join the overlapped part. An endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was produced. As a result, about 10,000 scans (530mm/
times) was possible. Furthermore, when the joint of the produced endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was evaluated, the joint force was approximately 9.0 kg/am, and the height difference at the joint was approximately 80 mm.
The protrusion length of the joint was 0.5 length, and the properties were excellent.

Example 3 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
They are stacked so that the overlap width is 1.5 mm, and the contact surface is an ellipse with a major axis of 5 degrees and a short axis of 3 degrees, and the side wall circumferential surface of the tip is a convex surface, and its cross section is a circle. An ultrasonic welding horn having a shape that forms a part of the ellipse is pressed against the overlapped part, and at that time, the scanning direction is perpendicular to the short axis of the ellipse to fuse and join the overlapped part. An endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was prepared. As a result, about 8,000 scans (530 scans/time) were possible without any trouble. Furthermore, when the joint of the produced endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was evaluated, the joint force was approximately 8.4 kg/as, the joint step was approximately 88 mm, and the protruding length of the joint was 0.6 m. - and had excellent properties.

Example 4 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
The contact surface is an ellipse with a long axis of 5 mm and a short axis of 3 u+, and the peripheral surface of the side wall of the tip is a convex surface, and its cross section is a part of a circle. An ultrasonic welding horn having a shape constituting a The length of the contact surface is 3
An endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was produced by scanning and fusion bonding the overlapping portions so that the information would be accurate.

As a result, about 1500 scans (530 yak 1 scan) were possible without any trouble. Furthermore, when the bonded portion of the produced endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was evaluated, the bonding force was approximately 8. (Ikg/ci+, the joint step is approximately 504, the joint protrusion length is 1.O■1
It had excellent properties.

Example 5 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
They are stacked so that the overlap width is 1.5m +++, the contact surface is circular with a diameter of 3 am, the side wall peripheral surface of the tip is a convex surface, and the cross section forms a part of an ellipse. An endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was produced by pressing an ultrasonic welding horn having the following properties onto the overlapping portions to perform fusing and joining. As a result, there were no problems and about 90
00 scans (530 am/time) were possible. Furthermore, when the joint of the produced endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was evaluated, the joint force was approximately 8.9 kg/cm, the joint step was approximately 70 cm, and the joint protrusion length was 0.9 kg/cm.
There were 7 cities, and the properties were excellent.

Example 6 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
They are overlapped so that the overlap width L is 5 mm, the contact surface is circular with a diameter of 3 mm, the peripheral surface of the side wall of the tip is a convex surface, and the cross section thereof has a shape forming part of a parabola. An endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was produced by pressing an ultrasonic welding horn against the overlapped portions to perform fusing and joining. As a result, there were no problems and it took about 1ooo
o scans (530 mm/time) were possible. Also,
When the joint of the produced endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was evaluated, the joint force was approximately 9.0 kg/am, the joint step was approximately 75 mm, and the joint protrusion length was 0.5.
It was very close and had excellent properties.

Example 7 The contact surface of the ultrasonic welding horn is a homogeneous circle with a diameter of 3.51 mm, the side wall peripheral surface of the tip is a convex surface, and the cross section forms part of the circle. An endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was produced in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a material having a shape was used.

As a result, it was possible to scan about 100 times (530 mm/time) without any trouble. Furthermore, when the joint of the produced endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was evaluated, the joint force was approximately 9.2 kg/am, the joint step was approximately 70 a, and the protrusion length of the joint was 0.8 mm. , and had excellent properties.

Example 8 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
They were overlapped so that the overlap width was 1.0 mm, and the contact surface was circular with a diameter of 2 Om-, and the side wall peripheral surface of the tip was a convex surface, so that the cross section constituted a part of the circle. An endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was produced by pressing an ultrasonic welding horn having a similar shape to the overlapping portions to perform fusing and joining. As a result, approximately 7,500
It was possible to perform multiple scans (530 haze layers/time). Furthermore, when the bonded portion of the produced endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was evaluated, the bonding force was approximately 9.8 kg/cs;
The difference in level at the joint is approximately 80m, and the protrusion length at the joint is 0.9■
It had excellent properties.

Example 9 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
The fins are overlapped so that the overlap width is 1.5 fins, and the contact surface is an ellipse with 3.5 fins on the long sleeve and 2.0 fins on the short axis, and the peripheral surface of the side wall at the tip is a convex surface, and its cross section is An ultrasonic welding horn having a shape that forms part of a circle is pressed against the overlapping part, and at that time, the scanning direction is perpendicular to the long sleeve of the ellipse to fuse and join the overlapping part. An endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was produced. As a result, about 7000 scans (530 scans/time) were possible without any trouble. In addition, when the joint of the produced endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was evaluated, the joint force was approximately 8.0 kg/cni, and the height difference at the joint was approximately 60 kg/cni.
The protrusion length of the joint was l.0, and the properties were excellent.

Example 10 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
They are stacked so that the overlap width is 2.0 I+1, and the contact surface is an ellipse with 3 major axes and 2 minor axes, and the side wall peripheral surface of the tip is a convex surface, and its cross section is a circle pressing an ultrasonic welding horn having a shape constituting a part on the overlapping part, and at that time scanning so that the scanning direction is perpendicular to the elliptical long sleeve to perform fusion bonding of the overlapping part, An endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was manufactured. As a result, approximately 7,000 scans (530 m/times) were possible without any trouble. Furthermore, when the joint of the produced endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was evaluated, the joining force was approximately 8.3 kg/cm, the height difference at the joint was approximately 65 cm, and the protrusion length of the joint was 1.0 cm. It had excellent properties.

Comparative Example 1 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that of Example 1 was
They are stacked so that the overlap width is 1.5 squares, and an ultrasonic welding horn having a square columnar tip with a contact surface of 5 dragons x 5 squares is pressed against the stacked parts to fuse and join the overlapped parts. An endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was prepared.

As a result, after approximately 1500 scans (530 mm/time),
The hard chrome plating on the tip of the horn was destroyed. As a result, the bonding force decreased to about 3.0 kg/cm. In addition, there were large variations in the bonding state due to displacement of the contact surface during scanning. In addition, jagged spikes were formed on the joint surface.

Comparative Example 2 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
They are stacked so that the overlap width is 1.5m11, and an ultrasonic welding horn having a rectangular contact surface of 2++n x 6mm and the shape shown in Fig. 1(b) is pressed against the overlapped part to fuse the overlapped part. Bonding was carried out to produce an endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor.

As a result, approximately 1000 scans (530l11m/time)
A crack appeared at the tip of the horn, making it impossible to fuse.

In addition, there were large variations in the bonding state due to displacement of the contact surface during scanning.

Comparative Example 3 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
Lay them together so that the overlap width is 1.5+nl, and the contact surface is circular with a diameter of 3 mm, the peripheral surface of the side wall of the tip part is concave, and the cross section forms a part of the circle. An endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was produced by pressing an ultrasonic welding horn onto the overlapped portions to perform fusion bonding. As a result, approximately 500 scans (530m+w/
The hard chrome plated part at the tip of the horn was destroyed and the bonding force decreased to 4 kg/mark.

Comparative Example 4 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
They are overlapped so that the overlap width is 1.51, and the contact surface is an ellipse with a major axis of 3 + am and a minor axis of 2) 111, and the side wall peripheral surface of the tip is concave, and its cross section forms part of a circle. An ultrasonic welding horn having a shape such as An electrophotographic photoreceptor was produced. As a result, about 6
After 00 scans (530 m/times), the hard chrome plating at the tip of the horn was destroyed, reducing the bonding strength.2.
It decreased to about 5 kg/cm.

Comparative Example 5 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
They are overlapped so that the overlap width is 1.5 mm, the contact surface is a circle with a diameter of 4 mm, the peripheral surface of the side wall of the tip is a convex surface, and the cross section forms a part of the circle. An endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor was produced by pressing an ultrasonic welding horn having the following properties onto the overlapping portions to perform fusing and joining. As a result, the bonding force was weak from the first scan, and the bonding force was 3 kg/
Only about (7) was obtained.

Comparative Example 6 A sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor similar to that in Example 1 was
They were stacked so that the stacking width was 1.5 m + m, the contact surface was circular with a diameter of 2 + 111, the peripheral surface of the side wall of the tip was a convex surface, and the cross section formed a part of the circle. An endless belt-shaped Td photosensitive member was produced by pressing an ultrasonic welding horn onto the overlapped portions to perform fusing bonding. As a result, the bonding force was weak from the first scan, and only about 3 kg/cm was obtained.

Effects of the Invention Since the present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to constantly and stably manufacture an endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor having a joint portion with good properties. The joint of the endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor produced according to the present invention has a high joining strength, and has good properties with no steps at the joint or thick protrusion. .

Therefore, even when the endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention is used for a long period of time, there is no peeling or flaking near the joints formed by the cleaning blade, so that even when used for a long period of time, excellent image quality can be achieved. Copy images can be created and maintained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor and an ultrasonic welding horn when carrying out the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the state of the joint of the belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor;
Figure 4 (a) (-(C) is a ~V-plane view and side view of the tip of a conventional ultrasonic welding horn, Figures 5 (a) and (b) are conventional ultrasonic welding horns. It is a cross-sectional view of the tip of the horn. ■... Sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor, 2... Ultrasonic fusion horn, 3... Hard chrome plating part, 4... Conductive layer, 5... Base material, 6... Charge generation layer, 7... Charge transport layer, 8... Back coat layer, 9... Opposing bar for ultrasonic welding horn track, 10... Contact surface, 11.・・・
Joint part, 12... Protrusion part, 13... Joint part step, 14... Joint part protrusion length. Patent applicant Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Agent
Patent Attorney Tsuyoshi Seibe Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) overlapping both edges of a sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor having a film-like support, a conductive layer disposed on the film-like support, and a photosensitive layer formed on the conductive layer;
In a method for manufacturing an endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor, which involves pressing an ultrasonic welding horn against overlapping parts and joining them by ultrasonic welding, the tip of an ultrasonic welding horn that comes into contact with a sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor; A method for producing an endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor, characterized in that the contact surface of the ultrasonic welding horn has a circular or elliptical shape, and the side wall peripheral surface of the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn forms a convex surface. (2) The length of the contact surface projected in the direction of the overlapping width of both ends of the sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor is 1 mm to 2 mm larger than the overlapping width of both ends of the sheet-like electrophotographic photoreceptor. A method for manufacturing an endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor according to claim 1. (3) The side wall peripheral surface of the tip of the ultrasonic welding horn forms a convex surface, and the cross section thereof forms part of a circle, ellipse, or parabola. A method for manufacturing an endless belt-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor.