JPH06348180A - Lubricant thin film forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a solid lubricant difficult for crazing, chipping, cracking, etc., to occur, to enable smooth and stable forming of a lubricant thin film on a carrier by providing a holding member and the solid lubricant held integrally on the holding member. CONSTITUTION:A lubricant thin film forming device 10 is used to form a lubricant thin film to facilitate removal of adhesives uniformly on the surface of a photosensitive body 1. It is provided with a holding member 11 comprising a fiber brush 13 and a solid lubricant 14 held integrally on the holding member 11 and, in this example, the fiber brush 13 is connected onto a hollow core material 12. Then such lubricant thin film forming device 10 is incorporated into an image forming device, and rotated drivingly in the arrow direction, and its solid lubricant 14 is rubbed on the surface of the photosensitive body 1, the lubricant is applied on the surface of the photosensitive body so that it is rubbed, and a uniform thin film is formed on the surface. Thus, because the solid lubricant 14 is fixed tightly to the holding member 11, crazing, chipping, cracking, etc., are difficult to occur in the solid lubricant 14.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lubricant thin film forming apparatus for forming a lubricant thin film on the surface of a carrier of an image forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer or a facsimile machine, in which a drum-shaped or belt-shaped photosensitive member is used, the surface of the photosensitive member is charged or exposed to a predetermined surface. Electrostatic latent image is formed, the electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image, and then the toner image is transferred to a recording medium.

Such a photoreceptor is an example of a carrier that carries a toner image.
After the toner image transfer step, since the toner remains adhered, it is removed by a predetermined cleaning device. The cleaning device is provided with a cleaning member such as a fur brush or a cleaning blade, and the residual toner is removed from the surface of the photoconductor by the cleaning member. In particular, when a toner having a particularly small particle size is used, it is not easy to completely remove it. If the residual toner is not completely removed in this way, the image quality of the image formed next deteriorates.

If the toner is left without being completely removed, a toner filming layer is formed on the surface of the carrier, but it is not easy to remove it. Further, when an additive or the like for improving the fluidity of the toner is externally added to the toner, the additive comes to adhere to the surface of the carrier, and it is difficult to remove such an additive.
Even if such a toner filming layer or an additive such as an additive is formed on the surface of the carrier, it is inevitable that the image quality is deteriorated.

Therefore, in order to facilitate the removal of the toner, the toner filming layer, and the deposits such as additives, a technique for forming a lubricant thin film uniformly on the surface of the carrier is conventionally known. When such a thin film is formed, the removal property of the adhering substances by the cleaning member such as the cleaning blade or the cleaning brush is improved.

[0006] Conventionally, a plate-shaped solid lubricant has been used as this type of lubricant, and the solid lubricant is brought into contact with, for example, a cleaning brush of a cleaning device, and the lubricant is passed through the brush to a photoconductor or the like. Was coated on the surface of the carrier, and a thin film layer of the lubricant was formed on the surface. As a technique related to this type of technique, a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-17973, which is filed by the present applicant, has already been proposed.

Typical examples of lubricants include the following, as disclosed in the above publication.

Zinc stearate, barium stearate, iron stearate, nickel stearate, cobalt stearate, copper stearate, strontium stearate, calcium stearate, cadmium stearate, magnesium stearate, zinc oleate, manganese oleate, Iron oleate, cobalt oleate, lead oleate, magnesium oleate, zinc palmitate, copper oleate, cobalt palmitate, copper palmitate, magnesium palmitate, aluminum palmitate, calcium palmitate, lead caprylate, caproic acid Metal salts of fatty acids such as copper, zinc linolenate, cobalt linolenate, calcium linolenate, zinc licolinolenate and cadmium licolinolenate. Also, waxes such as candelilla wax, carnauba wax, rice wax, wood wax, jojoba oil, beeswax, and lanolin are used.

The above-mentioned lubricant is composed of fine particles. Conventionally, such a lubricant is heated and molded into a plate in a mold to be solidified, and the plate-shaped solid lubricant is used. However, since such solid lubricants are extremely hard and brittle, cracks, chips, cracks, etc. are likely to occur, and the lubricant cannot be supplied to the surface of the carrier such as the photoconductor. There was a risk of becoming unsmooth. In particular, when such a material is used over time, cracks, chips, cracks, etc. are further promoted, which hinders the supply of lubricant, and the thin film formation may become impossible. is there.

Therefore, an additive for increasing the tackiness is added to the lubricant before molding to compensate for the brittleness of the finished plate-like solid lubricant, but it still completely prevents the occurrence of cracks and chips. It was difficult to do. Moreover, it is not easy to select the additive material and to control the temperature at the time of molding so that the plate-like solid lubricant will not be cracked, and its manufacture is considerably difficult. It was

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to prevent a solid lubricant from cracking, chipping or cracking with a simple structure, and to smoothly and stably form a lubricant thin film on a carrier. An object of the present invention is to provide a lubricant thin film forming apparatus that can be formed.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a lubrication method in which a lubricant thin film for facilitating the removal of deposits is formed on the surface of a carrier carrying a toner image or a recording medium. An agent thin film forming apparatus is proposed, which has a holding member and a solid lubricant integrally held by the holding member.

At this time, it is effective to use a fiber material as the holding member.

It is also effective to use a foam material as the holding member.

Furthermore, it is advantageous if the solid lubricant is formed in the shape of a roller.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus equipped with a lubricant thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a drum-shaped photoconductor, which is rotatably driven in the clockwise direction in the figure. First, the surface of the photoconductor 1 is uniformly charged by a charging charger 2. An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor 1 by performing predetermined image exposure on the charged surface in the exposure unit 3. This electrostatic latent image is visualized as a toner image by the developing device 4. Thus, the photoconductor 1
Is an example of a carrier that carries a toner image.

The toner image is transferred to the recording medium 5 such as transfer paper by the action of the transfer charger 6. After this transfer, the recording medium 5 under the action of the separation charger 7
The toner image is separated from the surface of the photoconductor and sent toward a fixing device (not shown), where the toner image is fixed on the recording medium 5. On the other hand, after the toner image is transferred, the toner remaining on the surface of the photoconductor is scraped off by the cleaning blade 8 of the cleaning device 7, and then the surface of the photoconductor 1 is discharged. In this way, the photoconductor 1 is initialized and repeatedly used.

The lubricant thin film forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment is incorporated in the cleaning apparatus 7, but the forming apparatus may be provided separately from the cleaning apparatus.

The lubricant thin film forming apparatus 10 uses the above-mentioned lubricant thin film for facilitating the removal of the deposits on the photoreceptor 1.
Is uniformly formed on the surface of the
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a holding member 11 made of a fiber brush 13 and a solid lubricant 14 integrally held by the holding member 11 are provided. In this example, the fiber brush 13 is on a hollow core member 12. Is joined to.

In order to manufacture such a lubricant thin film forming apparatus 10, for example, a lubricant made of zinc stearate or various waxes as exemplified above is heated and melted, or these lubricants are used. Is placed in a solvent, and the lubricant is applied to the holding member 11 made of the fiber brush 13.
At this time, the lubricant penetrates into the fiber brush 13 and enters the root of the fiber brush 13. In this state, the lubricant is cooled or dried to solidify it, and the fiber brush 13
Firmly fixed to. Next, this is ground into a roller shape as shown in FIG. 2 to obtain the solid lubricant 14. In this way, the lubricant thin film forming apparatus 10 is completed.

According to the above construction, the lubricant is used as the fiber brush 1.
The solid lubricant 14 is firmly fixed to the holding member 11 made of the fiber brush 13, because the solid lubricant 14 is obtained by infiltrating the solid lubricant 14 and then solidifying the solid lubricant 14.

Such a lubricant thin film forming apparatus 10 is incorporated in an image forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, which is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow, and the solid lubricant 14 is applied to the photoreceptor 1.
The surface of the solid lubricant 14 is rubbed against the surface of the photoconductor and the lubricant is applied to the surface of the photoconductor so that the thin film is uniformly formed on the surface. Since it is firmly fixed to 11, solid lubricant 14
It is difficult for cracks, chips, and cracks to occur. As a result, a lubricant thin film can be formed on the photoconductor 1 in a stable state for a long period of time, and a high-quality image can always be obtained.
The cleaning blade 8 serves to spread the applied lubricant on the surface of the photoconductor and evenly rub it.

Further, as in the conventional case, an additive for increasing the tackiness of the solid lubricant 14 may be added to the lubricant applied to the fiber brush 13, but the completed solid lubricant 14 is cracked. Because it is difficult to do, you can freely select the additive material,
The selection range can be expanded. Also, when heating the lubricant before applying it, it is not necessary to strictly control the temperature as in the conventional case, and the lubricant thin film forming apparatus 10 can be easily manufactured.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the fiber material made of the fiber brush 13 is used as the holding member 11, but in addition to this, the fiber material made of felt or the like may be used to strengthen the solid lubricant 14. Can be held on the fiber brush 13
Has the same effect as using.

Further, since the solid lubricant 14 can be prevented from cracking, the lubricant 14 can be formed in an arbitrary form, and as in the examples shown in FIGS. The solid lubricant 14 can be fixed to the member 11 to form the lubricant 14 in a roller shape. in this way,
If the solid lubricant 14 is formed in the shape of a roller, it can be brought into direct contact with the photoconductor 1 and the lubricant can be supplied onto the photoconductor 1 as described above. In the past, solid lubricants were brittle, and there was a risk that cracks and other defects would occur early on, so there was no choice but to form this into a plate and supply the lubricant onto the photoconductor via a cleaning brush or the like. It was.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, a roller-shaped foam material 23 is used as the holding member 21. The foam material 23 is
For example, it is made of sponge such as silicone or urethane, and types such as open cell, semi-open cell, and single cell are used according to the application. The foam material 23 made of such a material is
It is integrally formed around the cored bar 12.

Also in the lubricant thin film forming apparatus 10, as shown in FIG. 5, a lubricant which is heated and melted or put in a solvent is applied to the foam material 23, and at this time, the lubricant is foamed. It is manufactured by filling the foam portion 15 of the material 23, then solidifying it, and then grinding it into a predetermined roller shape to form the solid lubricant 14.

Such a lubricant thin film forming apparatus 10 is also used by being incorporated in an image forming apparatus similarly to the lubricant thin film forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in which case the solid lubricant 14 is used. Since it penetrates even into the inside of the foam material 23 and is solidified, it is possible to prevent such a defect that the lubricant 14 is cracked and the like, and it is possible to obtain the same operation and effect as those of the previous embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, when a holding member 31 made of a foam material 23 impregnated with a lubricant is attached to the core metal 12 via an elastic body 16 such as sponge or rubber, a solid lubricant is obtained. The elastic effect of 14 in contact with the photoconductor can be enhanced, and the thin film can be formed more smoothly. When the solid lubricant 14 is held by the holding member 31, the elasticity of the solid lubricant 14 is reduced.
Can be compensated by.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the solid lubricant 14 is formed in the shape of a roller, but it is of course possible to form the solid lubricant 14 in another form, and the holding member is also made in various forms other than the fiber material and the foam material. Can be composed of

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8,
A holding member 41 having a large number of comb-teeth-shaped projections 33 shown in FIG. 7 is used, and the solid lubricant 14 is integrally formed on the projections 33 in the same manner as described above as shown in FIG. The lubricant thin film forming apparatus 10 is fixed to the above to form the lubricant thin film forming apparatus 10. In this example, since the lubricant thin film forming apparatus 10 is not in a roller shape, for example, the solid lubricant 14 is brought into contact with a fur brush such as a cleaning brush in contact with the photoconductor, and the lubricant is passed through the brush to the photoconductor. Supply to the surface.

By forming the holding member shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 into a cylindrical shape and fixing it to the core material, a roller-like lubricant thin film forming apparatus can be constructed.

An image forming apparatus is known in which a recording medium such as transfer paper is carried on a drum-shaped or endless belt-shaped carrier, and a toner image on a photoconductor is transferred to the recording medium. , Also on the surface of such a recording medium carrier,
The lubricant thin film can be formed in the same manner, and in this case as well, the formation can be performed smoothly and stably by using the series of holding members described above.

In an image forming apparatus of the type in which the toner image on the photoconductor is primarily transferred onto the intermediate toner image carrier, and the toner image is secondarily transferred onto a recording medium such as transfer paper, the intermediate toner image carrier is used. The apparatus according to the present invention can also be used to form a lubricant thin film on the substrate.

[0037]

According to the first aspect of the invention, since the solid lubricant is unlikely to be cracked, chipped, or cracked, the lubricant thin film is formed on the carrier smoothly and stably for a long period of time. can do.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the retention of the solid lubricant is improved, and cracks, chips, cracks and the like are less likely to occur.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the retention of the solid lubricant is improved, cracks, chips, cracks, etc. are less likely to occur, and a simple foam material is sufficient as the holding member. Therefore, it is also advantageous in terms of cost.

According to the structure of claim 4, the solid lubricant can be brought into direct contact with the surface of the carrier to effectively supply the lubricant.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus including a lubricant thin film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a lubricant thin film forming apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a view in which a holding member of the lubricant thin layer forming apparatus is axially sectioned.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the lubricant thin film forming apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view in the axial direction of the same lubricant thin film forming apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a lubricant thin film forming apparatus according to still another example.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a holding member of yet another example.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the same holding member that holds the solid lubricant.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photoconductor as a carrier 10 Lubricant thin film forming apparatus 11 Holding member 21 Holding member 23 Foam material 31 Holding member 41 Holding member

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A lubricant thin film forming apparatus for forming a lubricant thin film for facilitating the removal of deposits on a surface of a carrier carrying a toner image or a recording medium. And a solid lubricant held by the lubricant thin film forming apparatus. 2. The lubricant thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a fiber material is used as the holding member. 3. The lubricant thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a foam material is used as the holding member. 4. The lubricant thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the solid lubricant is formed into a roller shape.