JPH07271077A - Base substance for photoreceptor drum, electrophotographic photoreceptor using the same and its production, and method for recycling base substance for photoreceptor drum - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a base substance for a photoreceptor drum where a notch is formed at its end by easy operation without necessitating work for smoothing a worked part and to provide an electro-photographic photoreceptor using the base substance where the notch is formed at its end, and its production. CONSTITUTION:The base substance 1 for the photoreceptor drum is constituted by forming the notch 2 at its end by laser work. In a state where the notch formed at the end of the base substance for the photoreceptor drum is set upside, coating liquid for forming a photoreceptive layer is applied by dip coating method so as to produce the electrophotographic photoreceptor.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photosensitive drum substrate having a rotary drive notch formed at its end, an electrophotographic photosensitive member using the same, a method for manufacturing the same, and a photosensitive drum substrate. Regarding the reuse method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A photosensitive drum used in an electrophotographic apparatus is usually used by forming a photosensitive layer or the like on the surface of a cylindrical substrate and fitting flanges at both ends thereof. The flange supports the photosensitive drum and is driven by a gear as a rotating shaft. The flange is, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-201357.
As described in Japanese Patent Publication No. JP-A-2003-242242, it is possible to integrate them by adhering to the photosensitive drum with an adhesive,
If the flanges are integrated by this method, it is difficult and inconvenient to remove the flanges when the photosensitive drum is exhausted for reproduction. On the other hand, JP-A-54-7904
Japanese Patent Publication No. 4 discloses a technique of detachably holding a flange and a shaft in order to easily dispose of a photosensitive drum. That is, it is described that a notch is provided in the photosensitive drum base body and is fitted with the engagement pin of the flange portion. Conventionally, mechanical methods such as bending with a drill, a saw, or a press have been adopted as the method for providing the notch in the base body. However, according to these methods, a substrate made of aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, or the like is used. When a notch was formed in the material, obstacles such as burrs were generated in the formed notch. Therefore, there is a problem that a work process for smoothing the cutout portion is required after the cutout process is completed, which requires a lot of man-hours.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above situation in the prior art. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate for a photosensitive drum having a notch formed at an end thereof by a simple operation without requiring work for smoothing a processed portion. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic photosensitive member using a substrate having a notch formed at its end and a method for manufacturing the same. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for reusing a substrate for a photosensitive drum.

[0004]

The substrate for a photosensitive drum of the present invention is characterized in that a notch is formed at the end by laser processing. The electrophotographic photosensitive member of the present invention is characterized in that a photosensitive layer is provided on the photosensitive drum substrate. Further, the method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member of the present invention is characterized in that the photosensitive layer forming coating solution is applied by a dip coating method with the notch of the end portion of the photosensitive drum substrate facing upward. The method for reusing a substrate for a photosensitive drum of the present invention is characterized in that the flange is removed from the used electrophotographic photosensitive member and the photosensitive layer is peeled off to regenerate the substrate.

The substrate for a photosensitive drum of the present invention is produced by subjecting one end of a drum-shaped substrate to laser processing to form a notch. For laser processing,
It can be carried out by known means, for example,
It is preferable to attach a laser cutting machine to the tip of the robot and adopt one that automates the process.
It is possible to process the photosensitive drum substrate in a short time without causing deformation or burrs, and to form a notch having a sufficiently high degree of precision such as dimensions.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view for explaining a step of forming a notch in a drum-shaped substrate by a laser cutting machine. A notch 2 is formed by irradiating a laser light from a laser light source 3 on one end of the base 1. As the laser light source, a CO ₂ laser of 500 W to 10 KW is generally used, but another laser may be used. At the time of laser irradiation, blow off the formed melt,
In order to improve the cutting efficiency, it is preferable to inject the auxiliary gas to the laser irradiation part.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view for explaining a state in which the flange is fitted to the photosensitive drum substrate of the present invention. Substrate 1 having notch 2 formed by the above method
The drive side flange 30 is fitted into one end where the notch is provided, and the non-drive side flange 34 is fitted into the other end. The drive side flange 30 is provided with a protrusion 31 so as to fit into the notch, and a drive gear 32 is engraved on the outer periphery of the flange. Note that reference numeral 33 is a shaft hole. A pin may be provided instead of the hole. The non-driving side flange 34 may be fixed so as to be driven by the rotation of the drum, but may be configured to slide on the engaging surface without being driven. In the present invention, the substrate 1 is made of aluminum, stainless steel, plastic or the like, and has a wall thickness of about 0.2 to 3 mm. The size of the notch can be set arbitrarily, but generally, the width is about 1 to 5 mm and the length is 1 to 5 m.
It is provided in about m. You may provide a notch in multiple places. In that case, for example, when notches are provided at two locations, as shown in FIG. 3, the laser light source 3 is irradiated perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the substrate to form the notches 2 and at the same time, cut on the opposite side at the same time. If the notch 2'is formed,
Productivity can be improved.

Next, a method of forming a photosensitive layer or the like on the surface of the photosensitive drum substrate will be described. In the photosensitive drum, a photosensitive layer including a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer is formed on the surface of the base, and an undercoat layer is formed between the base and the photosensitive layer, if necessary. These layers can be formed by a dip coating method in which the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical substrate is vertical, and the cylindrical substrate is dipped in the coating material and then pulled up. In the present invention, the coating liquid for forming a photosensitive layer also means a coating liquid for forming an auxiliary layer such as an undercoat layer in addition to the photosensitive layer.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the dip coating device used in the present invention. The base body 1 is held by a chucking member 15 attached to a support member 14 and moved up and down by a motor 12 and a ball screw 13. The coating liquid 4 is contained in the coating tank 9, and the outer tank 1
The coating liquid that overflows to 0 is circulated through the pipes 5, 6, the pump 7 and the filter 8. Note that 11 is a lid. When the substrate is coated by the dip coating method using the dip coating device as described above, if the notch of the substrate is on the lower side, the coating liquid penetrates into the substrate through the notch, and The inside is also applied by the length. Therefore, in the present invention, the photosensitive layer forming coating liquid is applied with the notch facing upward.

In this case, the substrate must be held so as to be sealed at a position deeper than the cutout length of the substrate. As a chucking member for that purpose, it is preferable to use one having a holding device described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-70163. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a holding device in a chucking member suitable for use in a dip coating device when manufacturing the electrophotographic photosensitive member of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 15 is a chucking member, and a shaft 18 provided with a movable pressing plate 17 at a lower end thereof is disposed at a lower portion of the chucking member so as to be vertically movable. Is attached. The bag-shaped flexible member 16 is configured to be compressed or loosened by operating the air cylinder 19 to vertically move the shaft 18. When the base 1 is supported by the chucking member, the bag-shaped flexible member 16 is used as the base 1.
Then, the air cylinder 19 is activated to raise the shaft 18. Thereby, the bag-shaped flexible member 1
6 is compressed in the vertical direction and expanded in the lateral direction to come into close contact with the base body, and the inside of the base body is sealed and supported at a position farther from the upper end of the base body 1 than the length of the notch. Will be possible. In FIG. 5, 20 is a nut for fixing the movable pressing plate, 21 is an O-ring, 22 is a pressing plate for pressing the bag-shaped flexible member, and 23 is a set screw. The chucking member is fixed to the receiving member 24, and the air chamber 25 is formed inside.

When the life of the above electrophotographic photoreceptor is exhausted,
The flange may be removed from the photoconductor by an appropriate means, the photosensitive layer may be peeled off by a solvent treatment or the like, and the substrate may be regenerated. An electrophotographic photosensitive member can be produced by forming a photosensitive layer on the reproduced substrate for a photosensitive drum as described above.

[0012]

The notch at the end of the photosensitive drum substrate is formed for transmitting power when the photosensitive drum is rotationally driven. That is, the driving side flange provided with the protrusion is fitted to the end portion of the base body where the notch is provided so that the protrusion engages with the notch, and the non-driving side flange is fitted to the other end portion. Since the notch of the base body is engaged with the protrusion of the driving side flange, by driving the driving side flange,
It becomes possible to drive the photosensitive drum to rotate. Also,
Since both flanges can be fixed to the photosensitive drum without adhering, the flanges can be easily removed when the photosensitive drum is regenerated.

[0013]

【Example】

Example A 0.4 mmt × 30 mmφ × 253 mm SUS304 pipe was prepared as a substrate. 5kW at one end
2 mm wide and 3 mm long cutouts were formed by using a CO ₂ laser of 3 mm. Next, type 8 nylon (laccamide, manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.) (5 parts by weight, the same applies hereinafter) was dissolved in 40 parts of methanol and 60 parts of 1-butanol, and anatase-type titanium oxide powder ( 10 parts of Taipaque W-10 and Ishihara Sangyo Co., Ltd. were added and dispersed by a ball mill. The dispersion was placed in the coating tank of the dip coating apparatus shown in FIG. 4, coated on the above substrate, and dried at 110 ° C. for 10 minutes to form an undercoat layer having a film thickness of 1 μm. The substrate was attached with the notch on the upper side. (The same was applied in the following coating operation.) Subsequently, 1 part of polyvinyl butyral resin (BM-1, manufactured by Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.) was dissolved in 19 parts of cyclohexanone, and 3 parts of X-type metal-free phthalocyanine was dissolved therein. In addition, it was dispersed with a sand mill. Further, 20 parts of 2-butanone was added to the dispersion liquid, the solution was applied on the undercoat layer by dip coating, and dried at 100 ° C. for 5 minutes to obtain 0.25 μm.
A thick charge generation layer was formed. Next, 36 parts of N, N'-diphenyl-N, N '-(m-tolyl) benzidine and 64 parts of polycarbonate Z resin were dissolved in 300 parts of monochlorobenzene. This solution is applied onto the charge generation layer by dip coating,
The film was dried at 110 ° C. for 30 minutes to form a charge transport layer having a thickness of 18 μm, which was used as a photosensitive drum.

As shown in FIG. 2, a driving side flange 30 and a non-driving side flange 34 having projections 31 were fitted on the photosensitive drum. The driving side flange 30 is made of ABS resin and the non-driving side flange 34 is made of Teflon resin.
The non-driving side flange 34 does not rotate but slides on the engaging surface. In this state, the photosensitive drum was mounted on the drum unit and mounted on the laser beam printer for use. As a result, the photosensitive drum rotated smoothly and a normal image could be obtained. After printing 10,000 sheets, it was judged that the charge transport layer of the photosensitive drum had its characteristics changed due to wear and had reached the end of its life. In this photosensitive drum, since the base body and the driving side flange and the non-driving side flange were not bonded, they could be easily removed from the drum unit and removed. The used photosensitive drum was immersed in monochlorobenzene and then immersed in tetrahydrofuran to dissolve only the charge transport layer, and after drying, only the charge transport layer was applied again in the same manner as above to regenerate. As a result, the photosensitive drum can be recycled and used at a low cost. Further, the driving side flange and the non-driving side flange can be used any number of times.

[0015]

According to the present invention, by forming the notches in the substrate by laser processing, it is possible to perform processing at a high density without causing problems such as burrs. In addition, laser processing at that time can be easily automated by a robot or the like. Further, according to the present invention, when the photosensitive layer or the like is formed, the coating material can be minimized from penetrating into the inside of the substrate by dip coating with the end portion having the cutout facing upward. Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the flange can be fitted and used without being adhered to the photosensitive drum,
Even when the photosensitive drum is exhausted and used up,
The flange can be easily removed and thus easy to recycle and the removed flange can be reused.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view of an example of a step of forming a notch in a photosensitive drum base.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state where a flange is fitted on a photosensitive drum.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of another example of a step of forming a notch in a photosensitive drum substrate.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a dip coating device used in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a holding device in a chucking member used in the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Substrate, 2 ... Notch, 3 ... Laser light source, 4 ... Coating liquid, 5 and 6 ... Piping, 7 ... Pump, 8 ... Filter,
9 ... Coating tank, 10 ... External tank, 11 ... Lid, 12 ... Motor, 13 ... Ball screw, 14 ... Support member, 15 ... Chucking member, 16 ... Bag-shaped flexible member, 17 ... Movable pressing plate, 18 ... Shaft, 19 ... Air cylinder, 20 ... Nut, 21 ... O-ring, 22 ... Press plate, 23 ... Set screw, 24 ... Receiving member, 25 ... Air chamber, 30 ... Drive side flange, 31 ... Projection, 32 ... Gear, 33 ... hole, 34 ... non-driving side flange.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A substrate for a photosensitive drum, which has a notch formed at its end by laser processing. 2. An electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising the photosensitive drum substrate according to claim 1 and a photosensitive layer provided thereon. 3. A method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member, characterized in that a photosensitive layer forming coating solution is applied by a dip coating method with the notch of the end portion of the photosensitive drum substrate according to claim 1 facing upward. . 4. A method for reusing a substrate for a photosensitive drum, which comprises removing the flange from the electrophotographic photosensitive member according to claim 2 and peeling the photosensitive layer to regenerate the substrate.