JPH11105044A - Manufacture of elastic blade - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing an elastic blade which can be manufactured easily, has satisfactory straightness at its edge and dimensional accuracy. SOLUTION: The method for manufacturing an elastic blade comprises the steps of integrating a metal plate member 3 with a rubber blade member 2, then engaging a plurality of holes 5 provided at the member 3 with protrusions 7 provided at a fixture 6 to be positioned, and then cutting an end of the member 2 by inserting a cutter 9 having a cutting edge 9 longer than a length of the end of the member 2 in this thickness direction at a predetermined oblique angle, thereby forming the blade 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an elastic blade such as a transfer blade and a layer forming blade used in an electrophotographic copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a corotron system has been used as a transfer member of an electrophotographic copying machine. However, in this method, ozone and the like are generated, so that a direct contact roller transfer method and a blade transfer method have been used. As such a blade-shaped transfer member,
For example, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-31504 is known. According to this example, a cylindrical photosensitive drum is provided as an electrostatic latent image carrier, a charging roller is provided in contact with the photosensitive drum, and an exposure unit is provided downstream of the charging roller in the rotation direction of the photosensitive drum. Have been. Further, a developing roller is provided downstream of the exposure unit and adjacent to the photosensitive drum. Further, a transfer belt is stretched under the photosensitive drum by a drive roller and a separation roller. The transfer belt contacts the photosensitive drum, is driven by the drive roller in the same direction as the transfer belt, advances, and returns below. A transfer blade is provided at a transfer position where the photosensitive drum and the transfer belt face each other. Further, the developing roller is provided with a layer forming blade so as to form a thin layer of toner. An elastic blade 1 such as a transfer blade or a layer forming blade is formed by integrating a metal plate member 3 and a rubber blade member 2 having a sharp end with an adhesive 4 as shown in FIG. There is.

Conventionally, this type of elastic blade 1 has been manufactured as follows. First, the adhesive 4 is applied to one longitudinal end of the metal plate member 3 and dried. Next, after the metal plate member 3 is set in a mold for forming the rubber blade member 2, a rubber material for forming the rubber blade member 2 is filled and heated and vulcanized. Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the blade 9 of the cutter 8 was inserted and cut in the longitudinal direction of the rubber blade member 2 to produce the elastic blade 1. Alternatively, after the same metal plate member 3 as described above is set in a mold for forming the rubber blade member 2 having a sharply formed tip, the material for forming the rubber blade member 2 is filled and heated and vulcanized. Then, the elastic blade 1 was manufactured.

[0004]

However, the elastic blade 1 obtained by cutting the above-mentioned rubber blade member 2 by inserting a cutter blade in the longitudinal direction has a low rubber hardness, and the rubber blade member 2 is insufficiently pressed. In such a case, there is a problem that the accuracy of the cut surface is poor. That is, when the rubber hardness is low, it is difficult to fix the tip of the rubber blade member 2, and even when sufficiently fixed, when the cutter blade is inserted, during cutting, and when the cutter blade is removed, The rubber blade member 2 is deformed. As a result, the cut edge face is likely to stand up and the edge is dripped, and the center is likely to be chattered. As shown in FIG. 5, the obtained transfer blade 1 is edged to the edge 11 of the rubber blade member 2. Undulation occurred and the edge straightness was poor. Also,
In some cases, the rubber thickness on the acute angle side was thinned, and the cutting accuracy was poor. On the other hand, if the thickness was too thin, tearing occurred and cutting was impossible. On the other hand, the metal plate member 3 is set on a rubber mold for forming the rubber blade member 2 having a sharp end.
In the method of filling and vulcanizing and bonding the material for forming the rubber blade member 2, it is difficult to obtain accuracy due to the influence of shrinkage, and there are also problems such as generation of burrs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electrophotographic copying machine which is easy to manufacture, has good edge straightness, and has good dimensional accuracy. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing an elastic blade.

[0006]

A method of manufacturing an elastic blade according to the present invention is a method of manufacturing an elastic blade obtained by integrating a metal plate member and a rubber blade member. The first gist is to cut and insert the blade at a predetermined inclination angle in the thickness direction of the rubber blade member using a cutter having a blade longer than the length of the end of the rubber blade member. I do. Further, in the method for manufacturing an elastic blade according to the present invention, after a metal plate member and a rubber blade member are integrated by vulcanization bonding, a plurality of holes provided in the plate member are provided on a fixing member. The rubber blade member is positioned at a predetermined inclination angle in the thickness direction of the rubber blade member by using a cutter having a blade longer than the length of the rubber blade member. The second point is to insert and cut the blade. Here, the inclination angle in the thickness direction of the rubber blade member is preferably 60 ° or less,
It is more preferably at most 30 °. That is, if the inclination angle exceeds 60 °, the rubber thickness at the tip becomes thin, the workability is poor, and the cutting accuracy is poor.

In the method for manufacturing an elastic blade according to the present invention, as a material for forming a rubber blade member constituting the elastic blade, for example, urethane rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, epichlorohydrin-ethylene oxide copolymer rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NB)
R), hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (H-
Rubber materials such as NBR) and silicone rubber are used.

Further, in order to impart conductivity to the rubber blade member, a conductive agent such as an ionic conductive agent and an electronic conductive agent can be blended in addition to the rubber material described above. Examples of the ion conductive agent include quaternary ammonium salts such as trimethyloctadecyl ammonium perchlorate and benzyltrimethyl ammonium chloride, lithium perchlorate, and potassium perchlorate. Examples of the electronic conductive agent include acetylene black, Ketjen black, and carbon fiber. Etc. can be used.

[0009] The rubber blade member is usually
Rubber hardness Hs (JIS A) 10 to 80, preferably 3
Those having 0 to 70 are used.

[0010]

According to the method for manufacturing an elastic blade of the present invention, the end of the rubber blade member is cut in the thickness direction of the rubber blade member by using a cutter longer than the length of the end of the rubber blade member. At a predetermined inclination angle, the blade is inserted and cut, so that a force is applied only in the thickness direction of the rubber blade member and no force is applied in the longitudinal direction, so that the edge of the rubber blade member is cut at the time of cutting. Less deformation. Therefore, it is possible to easily manufacture a highly accurate elastic blade having a small edge position variation and a good edge straightness, and to reduce the manufacturing cost. Further, after the metal plate member and the rubber blade member are integrated by vulcanization bonding, a plurality of holes provided in the plate member are engaged with the projections provided on the fixture, and are positioned. The end of the rubber blade member was cut by inserting the blade at a predetermined inclination angle in the thickness direction of the rubber blade member using a cutter longer than the length of the end of the rubber blade member. In this case, since the rubber blade member can be firmly fixed, a more accurate elastic blade can be manufactured.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing process of an elastic blade of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view of FIG.

The elastic blade 1 has a metal plate member 3 and a rubber blade member 2 integrated via an adhesive 4.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the elastic blade 1 will be described. First, the metal plate member 3 is formed in a substantially L shape,
After applying an adhesive to a portion of the metal plate member 3 to which the rubber blade member 2 is bonded, the adhesive is applied to a molding space of a mold, and a material for forming the rubber blade member 2 is filled, followed by heating and vulcanization. Thereby, the metal plate member 3 and the rubber blade member 2 are integrated via the adhesive 4. Next, the metal plate member 3 and the rubber blade member 2 integrated with each other are set on the fixture 6. The mounting surface of the fixture 6 is inclined, and a plurality of protrusions 7 are formed on the mounting surface. Then, the plurality of holes 5 formed in the rubber blade member 2 are engaged with and fixed to the plurality of projections 7 of the fixture 6, and positioning is performed. In FIG. 1, the fixture 6 is inclined rightward and upward, but the fixture 6 may be inclined upward and leftward. Then, the cutter 8 is lifted above the end of the rubber blade member 2, and the blade 9 of the cutter 8 is inserted in the thickness direction of the rubber blade member 2 from there, and the rubber blade member 2 is cut to form an edge portion 11. I do. At this time, the length of the blade 9 of the cutter 8 that cuts the rubber blade member 2 needs to be longer than the length of the end of the rubber blade member 2. At this time, the tip portion of the rubber blade member 2 is formed at an acute angle. Thereby, the elastic blade 1 in which the metal plate member 3 and the rubber blade member 2 are integrated via the adhesive is obtained. Alternatively, the upper surface of the rubber blade member 2 may be fixed, and the blade may be inserted from below.

Further, the blade 9 of the cutter 8 is inserted into the thickness direction of the rubber blade member 2 at a predetermined inclination angle, and the rubber blade member 2 is cut to form an edge portion 11.
By integrating the edge of the rubber blade member 2 on the opposite side to the edge 11 and the metal plate member 3 via an adhesive,
An elastic blade 1 can also be obtained. Further, the rubber blade member 2 is roughly cut into an approximate size, adhered and integrated with the metal plate member 3, and then the rubber blade member 2 is cut.
The blade 9 of the cutter 8 is inserted in the thickness direction of the rubber blade member 2 and the rubber blade member 2 is cut to form an edge portion 11.
You can also get

[0015]

【Example】

(Example 1) An adhesive is applied to one end in the longitudinal direction of the metal plate member 3 and dried. Next, the metal plate member 3 is set in a mold for forming an elastic blade. Next, a hydrin rubber composition containing an ion conductive agent is filled in the space for molding the rubber blade member 2 and is heated and vulcanized. Next, the metal plate member 3 and the rubber blade member 2 integrated with each other are set on the fixture 6 whose mounting surface is inclined by 15 °. At this time, the two holes 5 formed in the rubber blade member 2 are engaged with the two projections 7 of the fixture 6 to fix and fix the holes. Then, the cutter 8 is raised above the edge of the rubber blade member 2, and the blade 9 of the cutter 8 is inserted and cut vertically from the edge of the rubber blade member 2 in the thickness direction of the rubber blade member 2. Edge part 1
Form one. As a result, the elastic blade 1 in which the rubber blade member 2 and the metal plate member 3 having the angle of the tip of 75 ° are integrated via the adhesive is obtained. The rubber hardness (JIS A) of the rubber blade member 2 is 51.
Met.

At this time, the length of the blade 9 of the cutter 8 for cutting the rubber blade member 2 is longer than the length of the end of the rubber blade member 2. Therefore, since the rubber blade member 2 can be cut at once without applying a force in the longitudinal direction and without deforming, the obtained edge portion 11 has a small fluctuation in the edge position and a good edge straightness. In addition, the fixing tool 6 is provided with a clearance groove 10 for guiding the blade 9 of the cutter 8, and the blade 9 is inserted into the clearance groove 10. Therefore, when the rubber blade member 2 is cut, Never leave. In addition, by making the groove width sufficiently narrow with respect to the thickness of the rubber blade member 2, the rubber blade member 2 is hardly deformed, and the rubber blade member 2 can be reliably cut at one time. The edge portion 11 has a small edge undulation, a small fluctuation of the edge position, and a good edge straightness.

The elastic blade 1 thus obtained had a thickness of 1.5 mm, a length from the positioning hole 5 to the edge of 25 mm, and a width of the edge portion of 310 mm. The edge position (X) and edge straightness (Y) of the elastic blade were measured. Table 1 shows the results.

[0018]

[Table 1]

The measurement of the edge position (X) and the edge straightness (Y) were performed as follows. (Edge position) For the edge position, the distance from the positioning hole 5 indicated by X in FIG. 6 to the edge (excluding the range of 15 mm from both ends) is measured, and those within the range of 24.9 to 25.1 mm are indicated by ○, Those that were out of this range were rated as x. (Edge straightness) For the edge straightness, the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the edge position indicated by Y in FIG. 6 was measured, and those of 0.2 mm or less were evaluated as ○, and those out of this range were evaluated as ×. .

(Example 2) An elastic blade was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the angle of inclination of the fixture was changed to 30 °. (Example 3) An elastic blade was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the angle of inclination of the fixture was changed to 60 °. Comparative Example 1 An elastic blade was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that a rubber blade member was cut by inserting a cutter blade in the longitudinal direction. (Comparative Example 2) Using a mold having a tip formed at 75 °,
An elastic blade was produced in the same manner as in Example 1.

As is clear from the results in Table 1, Example 1
In Comparative Examples 1 to 3, the edge position and the edge straightness were excellent, whereas in Comparative Example 1, the edge position and the edge straightness were poor, and in Comparative Example 2, it was found that burrs were generated at the tip parting portion.

The present invention is not limited to a transfer blade and a layer forming blade, but can be applied to a cleaning blade of an electrophotographic copying machine. Also,
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above,
The present invention includes those which can be modified and implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a manufacturing process of an elastic blade according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of FIG. 1 viewed from an A direction.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an elastic blade.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a manufacturing process of a conventional elastic blade.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a conventional elastic blade.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method of measuring an edge position (X) and an edge straightness (Y).

[Description of Signs] 1 Elastic blade 2 Rubber blade member 3 Metal plate member 4 Adhesive 5 Hole 6 Fixture 7 Projection 8 Cutter 9 Blade 10 Escape groove 11 Edge

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method for manufacturing an elastic blade comprising a metal plate member and a rubber blade member integrated with each other, wherein an end of the rubber blade member is made longer than an end of the rubber blade member. A method for manufacturing an elastic blade, comprising cutting a rubber blade member by inserting the blade at a predetermined inclination angle in a thickness direction of the rubber blade member using a cutter having a long blade. 2. A metal plate member and a rubber blade member are integrated by vulcanization bonding, and then a plurality of holes provided in the plate member are engaged with projections provided on a fixture for positioning. Then, using a cutter having a blade longer than the length of the end of the rubber blade member, insert the blade with a predetermined inclination angle in the thickness direction of the rubber blade member. And producing the elastic blade. 3. The method for manufacturing an elastic blade according to claim 1, wherein the inclination angle is 60 ° or less.