KR100483889B1 - Remanufacturing method for waste developer-carrying element of process cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for reproducing a waste transfer member of a developing agent in a process cartridge is provided to restore a pressed face in a developing agent transfer member as an original form, to remove the stress of the waste transfer member and to recover an electrical characteristic of the surface to a level of a reference value before use. In the deterioration process, a used developing agent transfer member(32) made of poly urethane rubber material is heated by far infrared radiation heat during 60-90 minutes at 70-90 centigrade thermometer. In the annealing process, supersonic waves with 25-40kHz are illuminated on the deteriorated developing agent transfer member with the cooling speed of 0.2-15 centigrade thermometer per minute during 1-3 hours. According to the annealing process, the internal structure of the developing agent transfer member is equalized and the internal stress is removed.

Description

Recycling method for waste developer-carrying element of process cartridge

The present invention relates to a method for regenerating a developer waste conveying member of a process cartridge. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for physically and chemically restoring a developer waste conveying member used by a deterioration process using far infrared rays and an annealing process using ultrasonic waves.

A general laser printer or copier includes a photosensitive drum portion, a developing portion, and a toner portion of a process cartridge as a unit to provide a function of transferring an image onto a transfer paper or recording material in a laser printer or copier, which is an image forming apparatus, or the like.

The image forming apparatus forms an image via an electrophotographic processor, and the photosensitive drum of the process cartridge is charged by the charging means. The laser beam of the process cartridge is projected onto the photosensitive drum charged by the optical means to form a latent image. The latent image of the laser beam controlled by the image data is developed by the developing means into the developing member.

In this regard, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a conventional process cartridge. Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional process cartridge will be described below.

The photosensitive drum 10 has a photosensitive surface layer, which is uniformly charged by the charging roller 20 while the photosensitive drum 10 is rotating. A laser beam controlled by image data is then projected onto the photosensitive drum 10 by optical means, not shown, to form a latent image, which is developed with a developer 33 using the developing means 30.

Specifically, the developing means 30 is composed of a developer chamber 31 and a developer carrying member 32, the developer carrying member 32 is disposed in the developer chamber 31. When the developer carrying member 32 is rotated, the developer 33 in the developer chamber 31 is rubbed by the developer adjusting member 34 so that the layer of the developer 33 electrically charged is a developer. It is formed on the surface on the carrying member 32. When the developer carrying member 32 is rotated, the developer 33 is supplied to a developing region of the photosensitive drum 10 having electrical properties in order to develop a latent image into a developer image.

By applying a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the developer image to the transfer roller (not shown), the developer image remaining on the photosensitive drum 10 after the developer image is transferred onto the recording medium is washed with the cleaning blade 41. Is removed, and the removed developer is recovered to the waste developer champ 42.

The process cartridge carries the developer 33 stored in the developing means to the photosensitive drum 10, and presses the developer carrying member 32 to the photosensitive drum 10 at a predetermined contact pressure for high quality development. It consists of a cartridge integrated into a single frame. The cartridge, in which the developing means 30 and the photosensitive drum portion 10 are integrally formed in the frame, can simplify the manufacture of the cartridge by mechanical coupling, and there is an advantage in that the cartridge can be easily replaced.

On the other hand, the developer carrying member 32 is usually made of a conductive polyurethane material, the conductive polyurethane is excellent in tensile strength (by changing the raw material) and wear resistance (by the amount of hardener added), and conductive It is possible to input the electrical resistance of the property, so that a wide range of applications are possible. However, the developer carrying member 32 of the polyurethane material, as shown in Figure 2, the fixed pressure of the cartridge formed integrally in a single frame during use or after use, that is, the outer periphery and continuous of the photosensitive drum 10 Pressing in contact with the pressing in the longitudinal direction not only deforms the appearance, but also occurs a desired functional degradation at the same time.

Further, the surface of the developer carrying member 32 is in frictional contact with the developer adjusting member 34 for uniform application of the developer 33, so that the developer ( 33 is excessively applied to cause abnormal images on the transfer paper or recording material, and a frictional resistance is applied to the developer carrying member 32 so that the developer carrying member 32 and the developer adjusting member 34 There is a problem of damaging the surface, which in turn causes the use of the continuous cartridge to be limited.

Thus, in order to restore the developer carrying member 32 of the polyurethane material which was not restored by pressing the photosensitive drum as described above, the method of heating the developer carrying member 32 with a general heat heater was used. In this case, heat is concentrated only on the surface of the developer carrying member 32 so that only the deformed surface portion of the developer carrying member 32 can be restored, and its functionality is not restored to a satisfactory level compared to the initial reference value. It can not be recycled and disposed of.

Accordingly, in the present invention, as a result of extensive research in order to solve the above problems, the developer waste conveying member used through the deterioration process using far-infrared rays and the annealing process using ultrasonic waves, as well as the physical and chemical The present invention was completed by focusing on the fact that the functional level can be restored to the reference level.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to restore the pressed surface of the developer carrying member of the polyurethane material, which has not been restored by pressing due to continuous contact with the circumferential surface of the photoconductor, to the original form, The present invention provides a method for regenerating a developer waste conveying member of a process cartridge that can remove stress and restore surface electrical characteristics to a pre-use level.

Another object of the present invention is to extend the life of the developer carrying member through a simple and economical process, to achieve internal stability to restore the original characteristics of the developer carrying member to continue to use the developer carrying member disposed of There is provided a method for regenerating a developer waste conveying member of a process cartridge.

The developer waste conveying member recycling method of the process cartridge according to the present invention for achieving the above and other objects is:

Deteriorating the developer carrying member of the engineered polyurethane rubber material by applying far-infrared radiation for 60 to 90 minutes at a temperature of 70 to 90 ° C; And

Annealing the deteriorated developer carrying member by irradiating with an ultrasonic wave of 25 to 40 Hz for 1 to 3 hours at a cooling rate of 0.2 to 1.5 ° C. per minute;

Characterized in that it comprises a.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As described above, in the present invention, a process cartridge capable of restoring the elastic force of the developer waste conveying member of an engineered process cartridge, and at the same time restoring functionality to a reference level by uniformizing internal and external tissues and removing internal stresses. A method for regenerating a developer waste conveying member is provided.

Typically, the reference material properties (OEM) of the developer carrying member used in the process cartridge are as follows.

1.Resistance value: 10E ⁶ ~ 10E ⁷

2. Tensile strength: 30 ~ 300 (kg / ㎠)

3. Elongation rate: 100 ~ 700 (%)

4. Hardness: 45 ~ 55 ° (ASICER-A)

This reference physical property value decreases with repeated use, and in particular, the resistance value increases (the charge amount decreases), for the reason as described above in the prior art. In other words, the resistance value increases (ie, the amount of charge reduction) by the surface of the developer carrying member being pressed by the continuous contact pressure with the photosensitive drum and being crushed or damaged by the frictional resistance with the other member in contact. In addition, the charging layer is unstable to cause abnormal images on the transfer paper or the recording material.

Therefore, in the present invention, in order to restore the polyurethane material developer conveying member disposed of after disposal due to internal and external functional degradation as described above, (i) it is not pressed by the circumferential surface of the photoconductor during use or during storage after use. A heating method using far-infrared rays for restoring internal and external functionalities of the surface-cured developer carrying member, and (ii) unwinding using ultrasonic waves to maintain the surface resistance control of the developer carrying member restored to the first round after the heating process. annealing).

According to the method of the present invention, first, the developer carrying member of the engineered polyurethane material is deteriorated by applying far-infrared radiation heat for 60 to 90 minutes at a temperature of 70 to 90 ° C.

Polyurethane is a polymer material with main components such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, and when heated, physical deformation and chemical deformation occur, and the predetermined limited temperature at which the physical deformation occurs before chemical deformation occurs, generally 100 Thermally stable to ˜200 ° C. When the polyurethane is heated, physical changes such as deformation, softening, and flow, and chemical changes such as cleavage, crosslinking, and oxidation of the main chain occur. In particular, when the developer carrying member is heated by a general heat heater according to the conventional method as described above, heat is concentrated on the surface of the developer carrying member, so that only the deformed surface portion of the developer carrying member can be restored. It is only.

On the other hand, in the case of deterioration using far-infrared radiation heat according to the method of the present invention, the wavelength is short, the reflection is good, but when the wavelength is long, it is well absorbed by the material to be heated and reaches the object, and thus the resonance with respect to the compound molecule. And strengthen the resonance effect, not only to restore the pressed surface of the developer carrying member externally, but also to reach the inner layer of the developer carrying member to impart ductile properties, thereby conveying the developer before use. Enables member level functional recovery (stress relief, etc.).

It also restores the intrinsic (internal) conductivity and the amount of charge of the developer carrying member to the reference level before use, and makes it possible to push residual developer particles inherent in the developer carrying member onto the developer carrying member surface. When the residual developer particles are inherent in the developer carrying member, a phenomenon in which a charged value is reduced in a portion of the developer carrying member in which the residual developer is embedded may cause an abnormal image to appear on a transfer paper or a recording material. This problem can be solved.

On the other hand, the developer carrying member of the polyurethane material is actively deformation in appearance at 70 ~ 130 ℃, the deterioration step carried out in the present invention is performed by applying far-infrared radiation heat for 60 to 90 minutes at a temperature of 70 ~ 90 ℃ good. Herein, when the deterioration temperature is less than 70 ° C., radiant heat is not sufficiently transferred to the inside of the developer carrying member, so that the desired functional recovery cannot be achieved. It is not desirable to swell up to other parts and to make unwanted modifications. The deterioration time is most suitable 60 ~ 90 minutes in terms of cost-effectiveness.

Next, the deteriorated developer carrying member is released by irradiating with ultrasonic waves of 25-40 Hz for 1 to 3 hours at a cooling rate of 0.2 to 1.5 ° C per minute.

In the annealing process, the primary radiation heat treatment restores the pressed place, and the residual developer appears on the surface of the polyurethane material developer carrying member having a high temperature. It is annealed by using, and it gradually lowers the temperature of the developer carrying member to the temperature of about 10 ℃ for more than 1 hour to obtain the cleaning effect on the surface of the developer carrying member, and at the same time, it is ductile through the first deterioration process. The internal tissue of the first carrying member is evened out and the internal stress is removed.

The annealing method is generally a heat treatment process used for an inorganic material such as metal or glass, but in the present invention, by applying the method to a developer carrying member of polyurethane material, a developer carrying member having a high temperature is embedded at a constant temperature. Cool slowly to even out internal tissues and remove internal stresses.

In addition, in the above-mentioned heat treatment process with negative vibration, a surfactant can be selectively added to the heat treatment member, and a high pressure of about 1,000 atmospheres is generated while the phenomenon in which the cavity is generated and disappeared is repeated. Disperses foreign substances in the first conveyance member, disturbs the heat treatment member, and degreasing emulsification action to promote the cleaning effect on the surface of the developer conveyance member, and enables precise cleaning without scratching the surface.

Here, the cooling rate and the cooling time is preferably 0.2 ~ 1.5 ℃ and 1 ~ 3 hours per minute, respectively, if the condition is out of this range, the cost-effective efficiency or sufficient loosening effect can not be obtained, the resistance value It is not preferable because the functionality of the back is not sufficiently recovered. In addition, when the ultrasonic frequency is out of the range of 25 to 40 kHz, the cleaning effect and the internal structure uniformity and the internal stress elimination effect on the surface of the developer carrying member of interest are not obtained, or, rather, cause undesirable negative deformation. .

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

Example 1

Put the developer carrying member made of polyurethane rubber into the far-infrared heating oven and apply far-infrared radiant heat for 60 minutes at a temperature of about 70 ° C, and then put it in an ultrasonic bath and put it in an ultrasonic bath at a cooling rate of about 1.0 ° C per minute A frequency of about 30 Hz was irradiated for about 1 hour while cooling to a temperature of ℃, and regenerated. The resistance value, the tensile strength ratio and the elongation ratio of the developer carrying member made of recycled polyurethane were measured, respectively, and then compared with the reference value (OEM) of the developer carrying member before use.

Comparative Example 1

After measuring the resistance value, the tensile strength ratio and the elongation ratio of the developer carrying member of the polyurethane material in the engineered cartridge, respectively, and comparing it with the reference value (OEM) of the developer carrying member before use, it is shown in Table 1 below. .

Comparative Example 2

The developer carrying member of the engineered polyurethane was put in a hot air heating oven with an electric heater, and heat-treated at a temperature of about 70 ° C. for 60 minutes, and then left in air to cool to room temperature to restore the deformed appearance. The resistance value, tensile strength ratio and elongation ratio of the developer carrying member of the heat treated polyurethane material were measured, respectively, and then compared with the reference value (OEM) of the developer carrying member before use, and are shown in Table 1 below.

OEM (baseline) Comparative Example 1 Comparative Example 2 Example 1 After Far Infrared Treatment After sonication Resistance value 10E ⁶ to 10E ⁷ 10E ⁸ to 10E ⁹ 10E ⁷ to 10E ⁸ 10E ⁷ to 10E ⁸ 10E ⁶ to 10E ⁷ Tensile Strength Ratio (%) ¹⁾ 100% 100% 100% 95% 100% Elongation rate (%) ²⁾ 100% 100% 100% 125% 100%

¹⁾ The value is expressed as a ratio of 30 ~ 300 (kg / ㎠) which is the standard tensile strength of the developer carrying member.

²⁾ The value is expressed as the ratio of 100 ~ 700 (%) which is the standard elongation rate of developer carrying member

As shown in Table 1, the resistance value of the developer carrying member of the OEM product before use was 10E ⁶ ~ 10E ⁷ but after use (Comparative Example 1), the resistance value increases to 10E ⁸ ~ 10E ⁹ . As described above, when the resistance value is 10E ⁸ to 10E ⁹ , it is difficult to output an image of a constant density during image output.

On the other hand, when the developer carrying member used for this article was heat-treated using a general electric heater (Comparative Example 2), the resistance value was slightly reduced along with the appearance restoration, but still did not satisfy the resistance value suitable for practical use. It was.

On the other hand, when the deterioration treatment using far-infrared radiant heat and the annealing treatment using ultrasonic waves are simultaneously performed according to the method of the present invention (Example 1), not only the restoration of the external shape of the pressed developer carrying member, but also the resistance value, etc. The physical properties could be improved to the same level as the developer carrying member of the initial OEM product. In other words, through the far-infrared treatment, the resonance and resonance effects on the compound molecules are strengthened to reach the inner layer as well as the outer layer of the developer transport member, thereby lowering the resistance value slightly closer to the reference value and giving the developer transport member a ductile property. It was confirmed that lower tensile strength and larger elongation ratio than the reference value. In addition, the far-infrared radiant heat affects not only the outer layer but also the inner layer, so that the developer carrying member, which is soft, can be annealed using ultrasonic waves to obtain the cleaning effect on the surface of the developer carrying member, and at the same time, to smooth out the internal structure. By removing the internal stress, other physical properties such as resistance value could be improved to the same level as the developer carrying member of the initial OEM product.

Although the present invention has been described in detail through specific examples, this is for explaining the present invention in detail, and the method for reproducing the developer carrying member of the process cartridge according to the present invention is not limited thereto, and within the technical spirit of the present invention. It is apparent that modifications and improvements are possible by those skilled in the art.

As described above, according to the present invention, by physically and chemically restoring the developer waste conveying member used through the deterioration process using far-infrared radiant heat and the annealing process using ultrasonic waves, the production process can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. There is an effect of increasing the production efficiency by reducing.

In addition, by restoring the elastic force of the polyurethane material developer carrying member is applied to the process cartridge there is an advantage that can be used continuously without restriction of use due to deformation of the elastic force. In addition, friction and load with the developer control member are reduced, thereby preventing damage to the developer layer control member, thereby extending the service life of the process cartridge, and by removing the residual developer inherent in the developer transport member. Developer image can be obtained.

In addition, a large amount of waste developer carrying member can work in a single lot (Lot) can reduce costs, work efficiency, import substitution effect.

All modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the present invention, and the specific scope of protection of the present invention will be apparent from the appended claims.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a process cartridge in which a conventional photosensitive drum portion and a developing means are integrated.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a developer carrying member pressed by the photosensitive drum due to a fixed pressure between the photosensitive member of the photosensitive drum portion of FIG. 1 and the developer carrying member of the developing means.

Claims (1)

In the method for regenerating a developer waste conveying member of a process cartridge, Deteriorating the developer carrying member of the engineered polyurethane rubber material by applying far-infrared radiation for 60 to 90 minutes at a temperature of 70 to 90 ° C; And Annealing the deteriorated developer carrying member by irradiating with an ultrasonic wave of 25 to 40 Hz for 1 to 3 hours at a cooling rate of 0.2 to 1.5 ° C. per minute; The developer waste transport member regeneration method of a process cartridge comprising a.