JPH03261976A - Manufacture of toner carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the adhesive strength and to obtain superior durability by laminating a rubber cylinder and an overcoat mutually and then adhering them simultaneously by thermal curing. CONSTITUTION:The toner carrier is constituted by laminating an adhesive layer 2, a softening layer 3, an electrode layer 4, a rubber cylinder layer 5, and the overcoat 6 in order on a shaft part 1. Then thermosetting resin is used for the overcoat 6, and the overcoat 6 and rubber cylinder layer 5 are superposed in their completed states before the curing, and then heated to cure the overcoat 6 and rubber cylinder layer thermally, thereby adhering them integrally. Consequently, the rubber cylinder and overcoat are securely adhered integrally and never peeled with the lapse of time and an excellent image is formed and the durability is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a toner carrier for a developing device of an image forming apparatus using a -component nonmagnetic toner.

D (1) Compared to a developing device that uses a two-component developer, a developing device that uses a one-component non-magnetic toner as a developer is more effective in terms of toner replenishment, toner and carrier stirring device, image density, and developing agent. There is no need for a toner density control device inside, and the image quality is stable.
Easy maintenance and low cost.

The device can be made smaller, and the -component non-magnetic toner does not contain any magnetic material that causes turbidity in five colors, compared to the conventionally widely used single-component magnetic toner, so it can be transferred in one overlapping manner. In this case, full-color copying machines have good color reproducibility, are equipped with three or four developing devices of different colors along the photoconductor, and reproduce color images by overlapping and transferring onto the same transfer paper. This is extremely convenient as a developing device for a color image forming apparatus.

The general construction of a developing device using non-magnetic component toner will be explained with reference to FIG.

The developing container 21 of the developing device [20] has a developing opening over its entire length at a position facing the photosensitive drum 1 at the developing position, and a roller formed as a roller is inserted into the developing container 21 through this opening. A toner carrier 22 is provided. The toner 30 stored in the developer container is agitated by an agitator 26 to prevent it from forming blocks, and is supplied to a toner supply member 23 that rotates in contact with the toner carrier 22 . The toner supply member 23 is a roll-shaped member made of a porous elastic material such as urethane foam or sponge rubber, and is provided on a rotating shaft, and its elasticity and surface porosity allow it to supply a sufficient amount of toner to the toner carrier. 22. The toner supply member 23 is in contact with the circumferential surface of the toner supply member 23 at a position opposite to the toner carrier 22 so as to repel toner clogged in the holes on the surface of the toner supply member 23, thereby preventing clogging of the toner supply member 23. A flicker member 28 is provided that always maintains stable elasticity and toner supply performance, and maintains stable toner supply amount to the toner carrier and thus stable image quality. The toner supplied to the toner carrier 22 by the toner supply member 23 is conveyed toward the development position as the toner carrier rotates.

The thickness of the toner layer made of a non-adhesive material such as fluorine-containing resin, silicone resin, olefin resin such as polyethylene, etc. is made uniform by a leveling member 27 having an elastic member such as urethane foam that presses against the surface in the middle of the process. The regulating member 24 regulates the thickness of the toner layer, making it a uniform thin layer, and uniformly charging the toner layer, which reaches the developing device, contacts the photoreceptor 1, and is formed on the photoreceptor by an electrophotographic process. Develop the electrostatic latent image.

Now, if the photoconductor is a belt-shaped photoconductor, the toner carrier of the one-component non-magnetic developing device having the above structure may be inflexible, but if the photoconductor is a drum-shaped photoconductor, it may be rigid. For those with.

Inflexible toner carriers cannot be used. Further, if the toner carrier is hard, the toner layer thickness regulating member will wear out, so there is a problem that high durability cannot be obtained.

As a means to solve the above problems, for example,
Japanese Patent No. 105440 discloses a configuration in which a rubber material is used for the surface layer of a toner carrier. However, if the rubber layer is exposed as it is on the outer circumferential surface, the adhesiveness is strong and the toner is likely to stick to the rubber layer, which has the drawback of deteriorating the image quality.

Therefore, the present inventor proposed, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-98679, to provide a resin layer such as a fluorine-containing resin on the rubber material layer of the toner carrier.

However, when a resin layer is provided on the surface of an elastic layer such as a rubber material, there are disadvantages such as poor adhesion to the elastic layer such as a rubber layer, resulting in image defects due to peeling of the overcoat, and difficulty in achieving durability. there were.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In view of the above-mentioned problems of the toner carrier of the conventional one-component non-magnetic developing device having the above-mentioned configuration, the present invention provides a one-component non-magnetic developing device in which an overcoat is provided on the rubber cylinder. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a toner carrier that has good adhesion between a rubber cylinder and an overcoat and can provide excellent durability.

Means for Solving the Problem In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a roll-like structure in which an elastic body, a rubber cylinder, and an overcoat are laminated in this order on the shaft, and a one-component non-magnetic developer is applied on the outer peripheral surface of the roll. In a method for manufacturing a toner carrier for a developing device in which a toner carrier is carried and conveyed to a latent image carrier to perform contact development.

The above-mentioned overcoat is made of a thermosetting resin, and the above-mentioned rubber cylinder and the above-mentioned overcoat are laminated on each other in an uncured state, and then simultaneously thermosetted to adhere to each other.

As mentioned above, the material of the overcoat is a thermosetting resin, and the rubber cylinder layer and the overcoat are laminated on each other before curing, and then thermoset at the same time to adhere to each other. The cylinder and overcoat are reliably bonded together and do not peel off over time, forming a good image and improving durability.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the structure of an embodiment of a developer carrier manufactured by applying the manufacturing method of the present invention to the developer carrier of the -component nonmagnetic developing device explained in FIG. 1. .

The developer carrier of this embodiment has an adhesive layer 2 on the shaft portion 1;
It is constructed by sequentially laminating a softening layer 3, an electrode layer 4, a rubber cylinder layer 5, and an overcoat 6.

The shaft portion 1 is usually made of metal such as stainless steel or aluminum, and allows electricity to be applied to the electrode layer 4 from an external power source. For the shaft portion 1, it is also possible to use an organic synthetic resin material that has been electrified with metal.

The softening layer 3 is made of elastic foamed resin such as rubber, sponge rubber, or urethane foam. In particular, foamed resin such as urethane foam is a suitable material for the softening layer of the toner carrier of the present invention. As mentioned above, it is desirable that the softening layer 3 is subjected to conductive treatment in order to obtain an appropriate electrical conduction state for the electrode layer 4.

The conductive treatment usually involves incorporating conductive fine powder such as carbon black into the elastic material, or applying a conductive material to the surface of porous materials such as sponge rubber and urethane foam. be able to. A method for applying a conductive material to the surface of porous materials such as sponge rubber and urethane foam is to apply conductive fine powder such as carbon black, AQ, or Ag to urethane resin, epoxy resin, acrylic resin, or alkyd. The softening material is immersed in a solution in which an organic resin such as a resin or a rubber material such as RTV silicone rubber is dispersed in an organic solvent such as toluene, xylene, or butyl sulfate, or the softening material is immersed in a liquid in which an organic resin such as a resin or a rubber material such as RTV silicone rubber is dispersed in an organic solvent such as toluene, xylene, or butyl sulfate. This can be done by dry spraying a fine powder.

Further, a softening layer 3 in which the solution has already been molded on the shaft portion 1 is provided.
It is also possible to make the softened layer electrically conductive by coating it on the substrate and squeezing the solution as necessary.

Electricity can be applied to the shaft portion 1 of the conductive softening layer provided as described above by using a conductive adhesive as the adhesive layer 2 or by using a conductive adhesive as the adhesive layer 2 or
This is achieved by applying the adhesive discontinuously to the shaft surface so that a portion of the shaft surface is exposed. Suitable materials for the adhesive layer 2 include double-sided adhesive tape or thermoplastic adhesive. If double-sided adhesive tape is used, it may be wound spirally so that a portion of the free surface of the shaft is exposed.

As the material for the rubber cylinder layer 5, urethane rubber and silicone RTV rubber are preferably used.

The electrode layer 4 elastically adheres the softened layer 3 and the rubber cylinder layer 5, and is made of a conductive material. This material includes RTV made conductive by containing fine metal powder such as carbon black, SnO2, Ag, etc.
Silicone rubber etc. are suitable.

Note that by making the material of the rubber cylinder layer 5 electrically conductive, it is also possible to omit the electrode layer 4 and provide an elastic cylinder layer bonded to the softened layer 3 with an adhesive layer.

In the manufacturing method of the present invention, the material of the overcoat 6 is a thermosetting resin, and the overcoat 6 and the rubber cylinder layer 5 are
The overcoat 6 and the rubber cylinder layer are superimposed on each other in the completed state before curing, and by heating this, the overcoat 6 and the rubber cylinder layer are simultaneously thermally cured and bonded together.

To explain in more detail one example of the method for manufacturing the toner carrier of the present invention, an electrode layer 4 is provided as necessary on a member consisting of a shaft portion 1, an adhesive layer 2, and a softening layer 3, and a rubber cylinder layer is further provided. 5, and when the rubber cylinder layer S is only dry and uncured, an overcoat made of the thermosetting resin described above is applied thereon, and after drying, heat treatment is performed integrally. , rubber cylinder layer 5 and overcoat 6
and are cured at the same time to ensure that they are bonded together.

A specific example of another toner carrier manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described below. In this method, the material of the overcoat 6 using the thermosetting resin described above is coated on the surface of a cylindrical mold material having a material with excellent mold release properties such as a fluorine-containing resin, and then dried. The material of the rubber cylinder 5 is applied to the outer surface of the rubber cylinder 5 in a hardened state and dried, and then both are heat-treated and cured at the same time. Thereafter, when the overcoat 6 and the rubber cylinder 5 are integrally peeled off from the mold material inside out, the rubber cylinder 5 carrying the overcoat 6 on the outside is exposed.
is obtained. If this is adhesively laminated on a member having a softening layer 3 provided on the shaft portion 1 via an electrode layer 4 as required, a toner carrier can be obtained.

The latter method for producing a toner carrier uses an elastic resin foam such as sponge rubber or urethane foam as the softening layer 3, and is suitable for producing an extremely soft toner carrier.

Effects As described above, according to the present invention, the above-mentioned rubber of the toner carrier of the one-component nonmagnetic developing device is configured in a roll shape by laminating an elastic layer, a rubber cylinder, and an overcoat in this order on the shaft portion. Adhesion between the cylinder and the overcoat is improved, image defects due to peeling of the overcoat can be prevented, and good images can be stably obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of an example of a one-component nonmagnetic developing device equipped with a toner carrier manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention, and FIG. It is a sectional view showing one example of a carrier. 1...Shaft portion 3...Softening layer (elastic layer) 4...
Electrode layer 5...Rubber cylinder layer 6...Overcoat Fig. 2

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] An elastic material layer, a rubber cylinder, and an overcoat are laminated in this order on a shaft portion to form a roll, and a one-component nonmagnetic developer is carried on the outer peripheral surface of the roll and conveyed to a latent image carrier. In a method for manufacturing a toner carrier for a developing device that performs contact development, the above-mentioned overcoat is made of a thermosetting resin, the above-mentioned rubber cylinder and the above-mentioned overcoat are laminated to each other in an uncured state, and then thermoset at the same time. A method for producing a toner carrier, characterized in that the toner carrier is bonded to each other.