WO2005000964A1

WO2005000964A1 - Conductive endless belt and image-forming device using same

Info

Publication number: WO2005000964A1
Application number: PCT/JP2004/009033
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kunio Machida; Takahiro Suzuki
Original assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
Priority date: 2003-06-26
Filing date: 2004-06-25
Publication date: 2005-01-06
Also published as: JPWO2005000964A1

Abstract

A high-performance conductive endless belt is disclosed which has good strength, especially good bending durability and is excellent in creep resistance, dimensional stability, heat resistance and the like. Also disclosed is an image-forming device using such a conductive endless belt. A polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resin, a polymer alloy of a PPS resin and an other thermoplastic resin, or a polymer blend of a PPS resin and an other thermoplastic resin is used as a base material of the endless belt, and the image-forming device uses such an endless belt. One selected from the group consisting of polyphenylene ether resins, polyalkylene naphthalate resins, polyamide resins, polyallylate resins, polyimide resins and liquid crystal polymers is preferably used as the thermoplastic resin. In addition, one selected from the group consisting of polyester elastomers, olefin elastomers and styrene elastomers can be preferably used as a thermoplastic elastomer.

Description

Specification

Conductive endless belt and image forming apparatus using the same

Technical field

The present invention relates to a surface of an image forming member such as a latent image holding member having an electrostatic latent image on its surface in an electrostatic recording process in an electrophotographic apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer, or an electrostatic recording apparatus. Endless belt (hereinafter also simply referred to as "belt") used to transfer a toner image formed by supplying a developer to a recording medium such as paper, and an image forming apparatus using the same. About.

^ Scenic technology

[0002] Conventionally, in an electrostatic recording process in a copier, a printer, or the like, first, the surface of a photoconductor (latent image carrier) is uniformly charged, and an image is projected onto the photoconductor from an optical system. An electrostatic latent image is formed by erasing the charged portion of the light, and then toner is supplied to the electrostatic latent image to form a toner image by electrostatic adhesion of the toner. Printing is performed by transferring the image to a recording medium such as OHP or photographic paper.

[0003] In this case, even in a color printer or a color copying machine, basically, printing is performed in accordance with the above-described process. In the case of color printing, the color tone is adjusted using four color toners of magenta, yellow, cyan, and black. It is necessary to perform a process of superimposing these toners at a predetermined ratio to obtain a required color tone, and several methods have been proposed for performing this process.

[0004] First, as in the case of performing monochrome printing, when the electrostatic latent image is visualized by supplying toner on the photoreceptor, the four colors of magenta, yellow, cyan, and black are used. There is a multi-developing system in which development is performed by successively overlaying toner, and a color toner image is formed on a photoconductor. According to this method, it is possible to configure the apparatus relatively compact, but in this method, there is a problem that it is not possible to obtain high image quality, which is very difficult to control the gradation.

[0005] Second, by providing four photosensitive drums and developing the latent images of the respective drums with magenta, yellow, cyan, and black toners respectively, a toner image of magenta and a toner image of yellow are provided. One image, a toner image of cyan and a toner image of black are formed, and the photosensitive drums on which these toner images are formed are arranged in a line, and each toner image is sequentially transferred to a recording medium such as paper for recording. There is a tandem system that reproduces a color image by superimposing it on a medium. In this method, although good images can be obtained, the four photosensitive drums and the charging mechanism and developing mechanism power provided for each photosensitive drum are arranged in one row, which makes the apparatus larger and more expensive. It will be.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of a printing unit of an image forming apparatus of a tandem system. A printing unit consisting of a photoreceptor drum 1, charging roller 2, developing roll 3, developing blade 4, toner supply roll 5, and cleaning blade 6 corresponds to each toner of yellow Y, magenta, cyan C, and black B. The toner is sequentially transferred onto the paper transported by the transfer transport belt 10 by being circulated by the drive roller (drive member) 9 to form a color image. The charge and static elimination of the transfer belt are performed by the charging roll 7 and the static elimination roll 8, respectively. An attraction roller (not shown) is used for charging the paper to attract the paper to the belt. By these measures, generation of ozone can be suppressed. The suction roller places the paper on the transfer / transport belt from the transport path and performs electrostatic attraction to the transfer / transport belt. Further, the paper separation after the transfer can be performed only by the curvature separation by lowering the transfer voltage so as to weaken the adsorbing force between the paper and the transfer conveyance belt.

[0007] The material of the transfer conveyance belt 10 includes a resistor and a dielectric, and each has advantages and disadvantages. Resistor belts hold electric charges for a short time, so when used in tandem-type transfer, the charge injection during transfer is small and the voltage rise is relatively small even in continuous transfer of four colors. Electric charge is also discharged when used repeatedly for the transfer of the next sheet, and no electrical reset is required. However, the resistance value changes due to environmental fluctuations, which has disadvantages such as affecting the transfer efficiency and being easily affected by the thickness and width of the paper.

[0008] On the other hand, in the case of a dielectric belt, there is no spontaneous discharge of injected charges, and both injection and discharge of charges must be controlled electrically. However, since the charges are stably held, the paper can be reliably absorbed and the paper can be transported with high accuracy. Since the dielectric constant is less dependent on temperature and humidity, the transfer process is relatively stable to the environment. The disadvantage is that the transfer is repeated Each time the charge is accumulated on the belt, the transfer voltage increases.

[0009] Third, a recording medium such as paper is wound around a transfer drum and rotated four times, and magenta, yellow, cyan, and black on the photosensitive body are sequentially transferred to the recording medium for each rotation to form a color image. There is also a transfer drum method to reproduce. According to this method, relatively high image quality can be obtained. However, when the recording medium is thick paper such as a postcard, it is difficult to wind the recording medium around the transfer drum, and the type of recording medium is limited. There is a problem.

[0010] Compared to the multiple developing system, the tandem system, and the transfer drum system, good image quality is obtained, and the apparatus is not particularly large and the type of recording medium is particularly limited. As an example, an intermediate transfer method has been proposed.

That is, in the intermediate transfer method, an intermediate transfer member including a drum and a velvet for temporarily transferring and holding a toner image on a photosensitive member is provided, and a magenta toner image and a yellow toner image are provided around the intermediate transfer member. A color image is formed on the intermediate transfer member by arranging four photoreceptors forming a cyan toner image and a black toner image and sequentially transferring the four color toner images onto the intermediate transfer member. Then, this color image is transferred onto a recording medium such as paper. Therefore, since the tone is adjusted by superimposing the four color toner images, it is possible to obtain high image quality, and it is not necessary to arrange the photoconductors in a single line unlike the tandem method, so the device However, the size of the recording medium is not limited, and the type of recording medium is not limited because the recording medium does not need to be wound around the drum.

As an apparatus for forming a color image by the intermediate transfer method, an image forming apparatus using an endless belt-shaped intermediate transfer member as an intermediate transfer member is illustrated in FIG.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 11 denotes a drum-shaped photoconductor, which rotates in the direction of the arrow in the figure.

The photoconductor 11 is charged by the primary charger 12, and then the exposed portion is erased by image exposure 13, and an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the first color component is formed on the photoconductor 11. Further, the electrostatic latent image is developed with the first color magenta toner M by the developing device 41, and the first color magenta toner image is formed on the photoconductor 11. Next, the toner image is transferred to an intermediate transfer member 20 that is circulated and driven by a driving roller (drive member) 30 and circulates and rotates while contacting the photoconductor 11. In this case, the transfer from the photoconductor 11 to the intermediate transfer member 20 is performed by supplying power to the intermediate transfer member 20 at the nip portion between the photoconductor 11 and the intermediate transfer member 20. This is performed by the primary transfer bias applied from (1). After the first color magenta toner image is transferred to the intermediate transfer member 20, the surface of the photoconductor 11 is cleaned by the cleaning device 14, and the development transfer operation of the photoconductor 11 in the first rotation is completed. Thereafter, the photoconductor rotates one turn, and the second color cyan toner image, the third color yellow toner image, and the fourth color black toner image are sequentially formed on the photoconductor 11 by sequentially using the developing device 4244 for each rotation. This is superimposed and transferred to the intermediate transfer member 20 for each rotation, and a synthetic toner image corresponding to the target color image is formed on the intermediate transfer member 20. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the developing units 41 and 44 are sequentially switched every time the photoconductor 11 rotates, so that development with magenta toner M, cyan toner C, yellow toner Y, and black toner 順次 is sequentially performed. I'm familiar.

Next, a transfer roller 25 abuts on the intermediate transfer member 20 on which the synthetic toner image has been formed, and a recording medium 26 such as paper is fed from a paper feed cassette 19 to a nip portion thereof. At the same time, a secondary transfer bias is applied from the power supply 29 to the transfer roller 25, and the synthetic toner image is transferred from the intermediate transfer member 20 onto the recording medium 26 and is heat-fixed to form a final image. After transferring the composite toner image to the recording medium 26, the transfer residual toner on the surface of the intermediate transfer member 20 is removed by the cleaning device 35, and the intermediate transfer member 20 returns to the initial state to prepare for the next image formation.

[0015] There is also a tandem intermediate transfer system in which a tandem system and an intermediate transfer system are combined. FIG. 4 illustrates a tandem intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus that forms a color image using an endless belt-like tandem intermediate transfer member.

[0016] In the illustrated apparatus, a first developing section 54a to a fourth developing section 54d for developing the electrostatic latent images on the photosensitive drums 52a to 52d with yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, respectively, include tandem intermediate transfer. The tandem intermediate transfer member 50 is circulated and driven in the direction of the arrow in the figure to form four color toners formed on the photosensitive drums 52a-52d of the developing units 54a and 54d. By sequentially transferring the images, a color toner image is formed on the tandem intermediate transfer member 50, and the toner image is transferred onto a recording medium 53 such as paper to perform printout.

In the figure, reference numeral 55 denotes a driving row for circulating the tandem intermediate transfer member 50. Reference numeral 56 denotes a recording medium feeding roller, reference numeral 57 denotes a recording medium feeding device, and reference numeral 58 denotes a fixing device for fixing an image on the recording medium by heating or the like. Reference numeral 59 denotes a power supply device (voltage applying means) for applying a voltage to the tandem intermediate transfer member 50. The power supply device 59 transfers a toner image from the photosensitive drums 52a-52d to the tandem intermediate transfer member 50. The polarity of the applied voltage can be reversed between when transferring and when transferring from the tandem intermediate transfer member 50 onto the recording medium 53.

Conventionally, a semiconductive resin film belt and a rubber belt having a fiber reinforcement have been mainly used as endless belt-shaped conductive endless belts such as the strong intermediate transfer member 20. Of these, semi-conductive resin film belts have been known in the past, in which carbon black is blended with polycarbonate. Recently, polyalkylenes have been improved in terms of durability against bending. Resin film belts based on terephthalate and resin film phenolates based on thermoplastic polyimide with improved elasticity have been proposed. Also, the present applicant has proposed various conductive endless belts using a specific resin material for a base material in Patent Documents 1 and 2, and the like.

Patent Document 1: JP 2002-132053 A

Patent Document 2: JP-A-2003-91177

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0019] In a tandem system, an intermediate transfer system, and an intermediate tandem transfer system image forming apparatus using a conductive endless belt, the conductive endless belt must have strength enough to withstand repeated continuous use in terms of mechanism. Is required. Specifically, it is necessary to improve insufficient strength represented by cracks caused by edges and scratches, and in particular, to reduce insufficient bending durability. In addition to improving creep resistance and dimensional stability that affect image accuracy, it is also required to realize excellent heat resistance that can cope with the rise in temperature environment inside equipment due to the recent increase in speed and compactness. Is coming. Further, elongation and impact resistance are also important properties of the belt. As described above, various types of conductive resin film belts have been proposed, and some of them have been practically used. However, as the performance of the image forming apparatus has been improved, there has been a demand for a device that satisfies the above-mentioned required characteristics better.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a resin film belt used in a tandem type, an intermediate transfer type, and a tandem intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus, which has good strength, particularly good bending durability, and Another object of the present invention is to provide a high-performance conductive endless belt excellent in creep resistance, dimensional stability, and heat resistance, and an image forming apparatus using the same.

Means for solving the problem

The present inventors have conducted intensive studies on various synthetic resins in order to solve the above-mentioned problems. As a result, a polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resin or a polymer alloy or a polymer blend thereof was used as a base material for a conductive endless belt. The present inventors have found that the above object can be achieved by using the above, and have completed the present invention.

That is, the conductive endless belt of the present invention comprises a polyphenylene sulfide resin, a polymer alloy of a polyphenylene sulfide resin and another thermoplastic resin, or a polyphenylene sulfide resin and another thermoplastic resin. Characterized in that the polymer blend is used as a base material.

As the thermoplastic resin, a resin selected from the group consisting of a polyphenylene ether resin, a polyalkylene naphthalate resin, a polyamide resin, a polyarylate resin, a polyimide resin, and a liquid crystal polymer is preferably used. it can. Further, as the thermoplastic resin, a thermoplastic elastomer can also be suitably used, and as the thermoplastic elastomer, a group consisting of a polyester-based elastomer, an olefin-based elastomer, and a styrene-based elastomer is used. Those selected from are preferred.

[0025] The belt of the present invention also preferably comprises a conductive material added as a functional component. Particularly, carbon black as a strong conductive material is added to 100 parts by weight of the resin component. It is preferable to add 0.1 to 100 parts by weight.

[0026] Further, the belt of the present invention preferably has a volume resistance of 10 ° -10 ¹³ Ω'cm. More In addition, as the reinforcing material which preferably has a reinforcing material added to the belt of the present invention, an inorganic compound having an aspect ratio of 5 or more is suitable.

[0027] Furthermore, it is preferable that the belt of the present invention has a fitting portion on the surface in contact with the driving member, the fitting portion fitting with the driving member. , Are ridges continuously protruding along the rotation direction.

[0028] The belt of the present invention is a tandem in which a recording medium held by electrostatic attraction is circulated by a driving member, conveyed to four types of image forming bodies, and each toner image is sequentially transferred to the recording medium. It can be suitably used as a conductive endless belt for transfer and conveyance of a system, and is disposed between an image forming body and a recording medium, is circulated by a driving member, and is formed on the surface of the image forming body. The intermediate transfer member temporarily transfers and holds the toner image on its own surface and transfers it to the recording medium, and is disposed between the four types of image forming bodies and the recording medium, and is circulated by the driving member. Then, the toner images formed on the four types of image forming bodies are sequentially transferred and held on their own surfaces, and are also preferably used for a tandem intermediate transfer member that transfers the toner images to a recording medium. it can.

[0029] Further, an image forming apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the conductive endless belt of the present invention is used.

[0030] The conductive endless belt of the present invention described above has high strength, particularly excellent bending durability, as well as creep resistance, dimensional stability, and the like, by using a PPS resin as a base material. It also has good performance in terms of heat resistance. Further, when a fitting portion is provided for fitting the driving member and the conductive endless belt to each other, a phenomenon that the conductive endless belt stretched on two or more shafts is shifted in the width direction with rotation. Can be prevented. Further, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to provide a good image without causing a defect even in long-term use.

The invention's effect

As described above, according to the present invention, a high-performance conductive material having good strength, particularly good bending durability, and excellent creep resistance, dimensional stability, and heat resistance. Sex dress belts can be provided. In addition, by appropriately selecting the thermoplastic resin used as the base resin together with the PPS resin, strength, elongation, elastic modulus, impact resistance and the like can be further improved. It is possible to improve each property such as durability and the like. Therefore, according to the image forming apparatus of the present invention using the conductive endless belt of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a good image without a defect even in long-term use.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.

The conductive endless belt generally has a joint and a jointless belt (a so-called seamless belt). In the present invention, any belt may be used. Preferably, it is a seamless belt. As described above, the conductive endless belt of the present invention can be used as a transfer member of a tandem system, an intermediate transfer system, and a tandem intermediate transfer system.

When the conductive endless belt of the present invention is, for example, a transfer / conveying belt indicated by reference numeral 10 in FIG. 2, it is driven by a driving member such as a driving roller 9 and is placed on a recording medium conveyed accordingly. The toner is sequentially transferred to form a color image.

In the case where the conductive endless belt of the present invention is, for example, an intermediate transfer member indicated by reference numeral 20 in FIG. By disposing the toner image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11 by temporarily disposing it between the image holding member 11 and a recording medium 26 such as paper, and then transferring the toner image to the recording medium 26 Transcribe. The apparatus shown in FIG. 3 performs color printing by the intermediate transfer method as described above.

Further, when the conductive endless belt of the present invention is, for example, a tandem intermediate transfer member indicated by reference numeral 50 in FIG. 4, the developing units 54 a to 54 d having the photosensitive drums 52 a to 52 d and the recording of paper or the like are performed. The four-color toner image formed on the surface of each of the photosensitive drums 52a and 52d is circulated and driven by a driving member such as a driving roller 55, and is transferred and held. By transferring this to the recording medium 53, a color image is formed.

[0036] Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) resin used for the conductive endless belt of the present invention is a crystalline thermoplastic resin and has extremely high heat resistance as compared with general-purpose engineering plastics. It has the characteristics of excellent mechanical strength, electrical characteristics, and excellent cost performance. PPS resins are available on the market, for example, Dainippon ^ DIC PPS manufactured by Ki Chemical Industry Co., Ltd .; Asahi PPS manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. Can be mentioned as a representative. In the present invention, by using a strong PPS resin as a base material of the conductive endless belt, a belt which is excellent in strength, in particular, in bending resistance and excellent in bending durability and capable of favorably preventing cracks from occurring can be provided. Obtainable. Further, since the creep resistance and the heat resistance can be improved and high dimensional accuracy can be realized, it is possible to contribute to the improvement of the image accuracy, and it is possible to suitably cope with a high speed and compact size.

In the present invention, a polymer alloy or a polymer blend of a PPS resin and a thermoplastic resin, in particular, a thermoplastic elastomer may be used in accordance with desired belt characteristics. Thus, a belt having excellent required characteristics as described above can be obtained. Examples of strong thermoplastic resins include polyalkylene terephthalate resin, polyamide (PA) resin, polyacetal resin, polyalkylene naphthalate resin, liquid crystal polymer, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin, fluororesin, and polycarbonate (PC) resin. , Polyphenylene ether resin, polyarylate resin and polyimide (PI) resin. Preferred are polyphenylene ether resin, polyalkylene naphthalate resin, PA resin, polyarylate resin, PI resin and liquid crystal polymer. Examples of the thermoplastic elastomer include a polyester-based elastomer, an olefin-based elastomer, and a styrene-based elastomer. As other thermoplastic resins, those having melting points close to those of PPS resins are practically suitable.

[0038] When the other thermoplastic resin is added to the PPS resin and used, a suitable addition amount depends on the type of the resin to be added, but for example, 100 parts by weight of the PPS resin and another thermoplastic resin are used. Resin can be used in an amount of 50 parts by weight, particularly about 5 to 40 parts by weight. If the amount of the other thermoplastic resin is too large, adverse effects such as deterioration in workability and surface properties, embrittlement, and high cost may occur. On the other hand, if the amount is too small, the same performance as that of the PPS resin alone can be obtained, but the effect of improving the properties by adding another thermoplastic resin becomes insufficient. Further, the amount of added kneading of the thermoplastic elastomer is preferably 1 to 10 parts by weight, particularly preferably about 115 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the PPS resin. [0039] In addition, a conductive material is added to a PPS resin or a polymer alloy or a polymer blend of the thermoplastic resin and the PPS resin, which is a base material of the conductive endless belt, to impart or adjust conductivity by adding a conductive material as a functional component. be able to. In this case, the conductive material is not particularly limited. Quaternary ammonium such as perchlorate, chlorate, borofluoride, sulfate, ethosulfate, and benzyl halide (benzyl bromide, benzyl chloride, etc.) of ethyl ammonium Cationic surfactants such as aliphatic sulfonic acids, higher alcohol sulfates, higher alcohol ethylene oxide addition sulfates and higher alcohol phosphates; zwitterionic surfactants such as various betaines; Agent: higher alcohol ethylene oxide, polyethylene Antistatic agents such as nonionic antistatic agents such as coal fatty acid esters and polyhydric alcohol fatty acid esters; metal salts of the first group of the periodic table such as LiCFSO, NaCIO, LiBF, and NaCl; and periods such as Ca (CIO) Group 2 metal salts in the Tohoku Table: and antistatic agents having at least one active hydrogen-reactive group (such as a hydrogen group, a carboxyl group, or a primary to secondary amine group) that reacts with isocyanate. No. Further, they are complexed with polyhydric alcohols (1,4-butanediol, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, etc.) or derivatives thereof, or with ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, etc. Conductive carbon such as Ketjen Black, Acetylene Black, etc .; Rubber carbon such as SAF, ISAF, HAF, FEF, GPF, SRF, FT, MT; Car for oxidized color ink Carbon, pyrolytic carbon, natural graphite, artificial graphite, etc .; metals and metal oxides such as tin oxide, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, nickel, copper; conductive polymers such as polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyacetylene, etc. Examples can be given.

[0040] The amount of the conductive material to be added to the base material is 0.1 to 100 parts by weight, preferably 1 to 50 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the resin component when the conductive material is carbon black. S can do it. Thus, the volume resistivity of the conductive endless belts 10 ° 10 ¹³ Ω 'cm, good Mashiku is 10 ⁵ - 10 ¹² Ω' can be adjusted cm. [0041] In the present invention, other functional components can be added in addition to the above components within a range that does not impair the effects of the present invention. For example, various types of fillers, molding modifiers, and cuppings can be used. Agents, antioxidants, lubricants, surface treatment agents, pigments, ultraviolet absorbers, antistatic agents, dispersants, neutralizing agents, foaming agents, crosslinking agents, compatibilizers, coloring agents, and the like can be appropriately compounded. In addition, it is particularly preferable to add a reinforcing material to improve mechanical properties such as strength, elastic modulus, and impact strength. As a strong reinforcing material, an inorganic compound having an aspect ratio of 5 or more, for example, calcium silicate, potassium titanate, magnesium sulfate and the like can be suitably used.

[0042] The thickness of the conductive endless belt of the present invention is appropriately selected according to the form of the transfer / transport belt or the intermediate transfer member, and is preferably within a range of 50 to 200 µm.

Further, the conductive endless belt of the present invention comes into contact with a driving member such as the driving roller 9 in the image forming apparatus in FIG. 2 or the driving roller 30 in FIG. 3, as shown by a chain line in FIG. The conductive endless belt according to the present invention, which may form a fitting portion on the side surface to be fitted with a fitting portion (not shown) formed on the driving member, has such a fitting portion. The conductive endless belt can be prevented from being displaced in the width direction by being provided and running by being fitted with a fitting portion (not shown) provided on the driving member.

In this case, the fitting portion is not particularly limited, but as shown in FIG. 1, is formed as a ridge that is continuous along the circumferential direction (rotation direction) of the belt, and this is a drive roller. It is preferable to fit into a groove formed along the circumferential direction on the peripheral surface of the driving member such as.

FIG. 1 (a) shows an example in which one continuous ridge is provided as a fitting portion, but this fitting portion has a large number of ridges formed in the circumferential direction (rotation direction) of the belt. Or two or more fitting portions may be provided (Fig. 1 (b)), or provided at the center in the width direction of the belt. Further, a groove was formed along the circumferential direction (rotation direction) of the belt that does not conform to the ridges shown in FIG. Even if it fits with the ridge,

Although the conductive endless belt of the present invention is not particularly limited, the surface roughness of the conductive endless belt is not more than 10 am, particularly not more than 6 μm, and more preferably not more than 3 μm in terms of JI S10 point average roughness Rz. To be preferable.

Further, as the image forming apparatus of the present invention using the conductive endless belt of the present invention, a tandem type shown in FIG. 2, an intermediate transfer type shown in FIG. 3, or an image forming apparatus shown in FIG. Examples of the tandem intermediate transfer method include, but are not limited to, these. In the case of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, a voltage can be applied from a suitable power supply 61 to the drive roller or drive gear for rotating the intermediate transfer member 20 of the present invention. The application conditions, such as the application of alternating current, can be selected as appropriate.

[0048] Further, the method for producing the conductive endless belt of the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, a resin component (PPS resin or a polymer alloy or a polymer blend of this and a thermoplastic resin) by a twin-screw kneader. And a functional component such as a conductive material are kneaded, and the obtained kneaded material is extruded using a ring die to produce a kneaded product. Alternatively, a powder coating method such as electrostatic coating, a dip method or a centrifugal casting method can be suitably employed.

Example

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on examples.

100 parts by weight of PPS resin (manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc., trade name: LD-10) and 20 parts by weight of Electrified Black (manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.) are melt-kneaded by a twin-screw kneader. The resulting kneaded product was extruded to obtain a conductive endless belt having an inner diameter of 245 mm, a thickness of 0.1 mm, and a width of 250 mm. The number of times of bending of the conductive endless belt was measured using a kneading fatigue tester manufactured by Toyo Seiki Co., Ltd. The amount of tensile creep was measured at a temperature of 25 ° C. for 1200 hours in accordance with the JIS K7115 test method. In addition, the volume resistance was measured at a temperature of 20 ° C and a relative humidity of 50% at a measurement voltage of 100 V with a sample chamber R12704A connected to a resistance meter R8340A manufactured by ADVANTEST as a measuring device. This was performed using

[0050] Comparative Example 1

Thermoplastic polycarbonate resin (manufactured by Teijin Chemicals Ltd., trade name: Panlite K1300Y) 10 A conductive endless belt was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that 30 parts by weight of FEF carbon (manufactured by Asahi Carbon Co., Ltd.) was blended with 0 part by weight and melted and kneaded with a biaxial kneader. The measurement was performed in the same manner as in Example 1.

Further, the belts of the above-described example and comparative example were mounted on a tandem type image forming apparatus using the transfer / conveyance belt shown in FIG. 2, and the transfer operation was repeated to perform a durability test on 100,000 A4 sheets. Was done. The results of this test were evaluated for image quality.

The results of the bending resistance test, the measurement of the amount of tensile creep and the measurement of the volume resistance, and the results of the durability test are shown in Table 1 below. In the table, the results of the bending resistance test were set to 100 or more in Example 1 and indexed as the number of times of bending resistance. The higher the value, the better the result.

[Table 1]

From the results of the above measurements and tests, it was confirmed that the conductive endless belts of the examples had remarkable advantages in bending durability and creep resistance. Good results were also obtained for the image quality. In other words, it was confirmed that, when the PPS resin was used alone as the base material of the belt, extremely good belt characteristics were obtained as compared with the conventional case.

Example 2—8

PPS resin (manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc., trade name: LD-1000 parts by weight, and the added resin in the number of parts shown in Table 2 below, based on 100 parts by weight of these resin components) Electrification Black (manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.) was added, and a conductive endless belt was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the mixture was melt-kneaded by a biaxial kneader.

[0055] The strength, elongation, and Izod impact strength of the conductive endless belt obtained in each of the above examples were measured. The strength and elongation were measured under the following conditions: Equipment: EZ test (analysis software: Trappezium), manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation Sample: Dumbbell shape (length 100 mm x width 10 mm x standard thickness) 100 μm)

§ Ife speed: 5mm, sec

Data sampling interval: 100msec

Measuring method: 0.5-0.6% Elongation at 6% elongation (tangent method described in PIO IS K7113 if described)

Measurement environment: room temperature (23 ± 3.C, 55 ± 10% RH)

The Izod impact strength was measured at a temperature of 23 ° C according to ASTM D-256. The results are shown in Table 2 below.

[Table 2]

Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Example 5 Example 6 Example 7 Example 8 Resin component i nn

(Weight part)

Force-Bombra '1 1 5 1 1 1

(Weight part)

Additive resin Polyphenylene Polyalkylene Poly J Liquid crystal o

Kinds of ethers Naphthalate ^) Arile 4) Polymer 6) Amount of resin added

o 1 η

(Weight part)

Strength

55 60 55 63 65 70 60

(MPa)

Growth rate

2.5 5.0 6.5 5.0 10 4.0 2.0

(%)

It

Impact strength 10 45 25 20 30 30 50 (kJ / m)

1) Product name ΒΧ505, manufactured by Mitsubishi Engineering-Plastics Corporation

2) Trade name TQB-〇Τ, manufactured by Teijin Chemicals Ltd.

3) Product name 2026Β, manufactured by Ube Industries, Ltd.

4) Product name U-8000, manufactured by Teijin Chemicals Ltd.

5) Trade name Aurum 450, manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.

6) Product name Vectra Α950, manufactured by Polyplastics Co., Ltd.

[0057] From the results in Table 2 above, it is possible to obtain well-balanced properties of strength, elongation, and Izod impact strength even when each resin is added, as compared to the case of using PPS resin alone. It is clear that a high-performance belt can be obtained.

Example 9-1 12

100 parts by weight of PPS resin (manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc., trade name: LD-10) and thermoplastic elastomer of the number shown in Table 2 below (manufactured by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals, Inc.) Name: Gleec EH820), except that 15 parts by weight of Electrified Black (manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.) was added to 100 parts by weight of these resin components and melt-kneaded by a twin-screw kneader. In the same manner as in Example 1, a conductive endless belt was produced.

[0059] The strength, elastic modulus, elongation, and durability of the conductive endless belt obtained in each of the above Examples were measured under the same conditions as in Examples 2-8. The results were indexed with 100 as in Example 9 where no thermoplastic elastomer was added. In each case, the higher the value, the better the performance. The results are shown in Table 3 below.

[Table 3]

[0061] From the results in Table 3, it can be seen that the amount of casket added to the thermoplastic elastomer is most preferably about 115 parts by weight because the balance of each property is the best.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view in the width direction of a conductive endless belt according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a tandem-type image forming apparatus using a transfer conveyance belt as an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an intermediate transfer type image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member as another example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a tandem intermediate transfer device using a tandem intermediate transfer member as another example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

[0063] 1, 11, 52a 52d Photoconductor drum

2, 7 Charging roll Development roll

Developing blade

Toner supply roll

Cleaning blade

Static elimination roll

, 30, 55 Drive roller (drive member) 0 Transfer / transport belt

2 Primary charger

3 Image exposure

, 35 cleaning equipment

9 Paper cassette

Intermediate transfer member

5 Transfer roller

6, 53 Recording media

9, 61 Power supply

1, 42, 43, 44 Developer

Tandem intermediate transfer member a-54d 1st developing unit-4th developing unit Recording medium feed roller

Recording medium feeder

Fixing device

Power supply (voltage application means)

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] The base material is a polyphenylene sulfide resin, a polymer alloy of a polyphenylene sulfide resin and another thermoplastic resin, or a polymer blend of a polyphenylene sulfide resin and another thermoplastic resin. Conductive endless belt.

2. The conductive endless belt according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic resin is selected from the group consisting of a polyphenylene ether resin, a polyalkylene naphthalate resin, a polyamide resin, a polyarylate resin, a polyimide resin, and a liquid crystal polymer. .

3. The conductive endless belt according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic resin is a thermoplastic elastomer.

[4] The conductive material according to claim 3, wherein the thermoplastic elastomer is selected from the group consisting of polyester-based elastomer, olefin-based elastomer, and styrene-based elastomer.

[5] The conductive endless according to claim 1, wherein a conductive material is added as a functional component.

6. The conductive endless belt according to claim 5, wherein the conductive material is carbon black, and 0.1 to 100 parts by weight is added to 100 parts by weight of the resin component.

[7] The conductive endless belt according to claim 1, having a volume resistance of 10 ° -10 ¹³ Ω · cm.

[8] The conductive endless belt according to claim 1, wherein a reinforcing material is added.

[9] The conductive material according to claim 8, wherein the reinforcing material is an inorganic compound having an aspect ratio of 5 or more.

10. The conductive endless belt according to claim 1, further comprising a fitting portion that fits with the driving member on a surface that is in contact with the driving member.

11. The conductive endless belt according to claim 10, wherein the fitting portion is a ridge continuously protruding along a rotation direction.

[12] A tandem-type transfer / transportation method in which a recording medium held by electrostatic attraction is circulated by a driving member and conveyed to four types of image forming bodies, and each toner image is sequentially transferred to the recording medium. The conductive endless belt according to claim 1, which is used as a conductive endless belt.

[13] A toner image formed on the surface of the image forming body is temporarily transferred to its own surface by being disposed between the image forming body and the recording medium and circulated and driven by a driving member. 2. The conductive endless lens according to claim 1, which is used for an intermediate transfer member for transferring to an intermediate transfer member.

[14] A toner image formed on the surface of the four types of image forming members is sequentially transferred to its own surface by being disposed between the four types of image forming members and the recording medium and circulating and driven by a driving member. 2. The conductive endless belt according to claim 1, wherein the conductive endless belt is used for a tandem intermediate transfer member that holds and transfers the transferred belt to a recording medium.

[15] An image forming apparatus using the conductive endless belt according to any one of claims 114.