JP3106028B2 - Developer amount regulating member, method of manufacturing the same, and developing device equipped with the member - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a developing device for developing and visualizing an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier.
In particular, the present invention relates to a developer amount regulating member used in a developing device that develops using a one-component developer containing no carrier, a method of manufacturing the same, and a developing device including the member .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a conventional developing device. As shown in FIG. 6, a one-component developer 6 which is carried and conveyed by a developer carrying member 3 (hereinafter referred to as a developing sleeve) rotating in the direction of arrow b to a developing area where an electrostatic latent image is developed.
As a method of controlling the layer thickness of the toner (hereinafter referred to as toner) to be thin, a developer amount regulating blade 4 made of rubber or metal is brought into contact with the developing sleeve 3, and the developer amount regulating blade 4 and the developing sleeve A thin film of the toner 6 is formed on the developing sleeve 3 by passing and regulating the toner 6 between the contact portion (nip portion) and the latent image on the toner 6 by friction at the contact portion. And a method of imparting triboelectric charge (triboelectric charge) for developing the toner.

Here, the developer amount regulating blade 4 is
The free end of the developing sleeve 3 that is in contact with the developing sleeve 3 is rotated in the counter direction with respect to the rotation direction b, that is, the fixed end of the developer amount regulating blade 4 that is fixed to the developing container 2. Since they are in contact with each other on the upstream side in the direction b, they need to be formed of an elastic body.

Conventionally, a method using a rubber blade, which is an elastic body, is sometimes used as the developer amount regulating blade. However, in the case of long-term use, the elastic body undergoes a time-dependent change (plastic deformation), resulting in endurance. There was a problem with sex. In some cases, a metal blade is used, but there has been a problem that the density is reduced when toner is supplied.

Therefore, a developing amount regulating blade having two or more layers composed of an elastic layer 4a for regulating the charge amount of the developer and a supporting layer 4b for regulating the pressure adhered to the elastic layer is used as the developing amount regulating blade. What has been proposed.

However, if the end portion is formed at an angle equal to or greater than a right angle, the toner tends to agglomerate at the end portion, and there is a problem that the regulated toner application amount lacks stability.

Conventionally, this problem has been dealt with by adjusting the pressure of the developer amount regulating blade against the developing sleeve, the length of the free end of the blade tip, and the like.

[0008]

However, it is difficult to adopt the above-mentioned conventional countermeasures because of measures to reduce the weight, space, and cost of the machine.
It has been desired to solve the problem from the configuration of the developer amount regulating blade itself.

Therefore, it has been proposed to form the blade so that the tip of the blade is curved at the abutting edge portion with the sleeve in the developing area. According to this blade, when the toner attached to the sleeve passes through the blade and is applied, the toner easily enters the contact portion, and the toner is stably applied even when the contact pressure is increased. I was able to.

However, there is a problem that the method of manufacturing the blade is very difficult.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and when the toner is passed between the developer amount regulating blade and the developing sleeve, the amount of the applied toner is stable and the degree of aggregation of the toner on the blade is reduced. A developer amount regulating blade, which is unlikely to increase, and unlike a single elastic body, does not easily change over time when left for a long period of time, and can be used for a long time without causing a low concentration when replenishing toner; A method for easily manufacturing a blade, and further comprising the blade
It is an object of the present invention to provide a developing device .

[0012]

According to the first invention of the present application,
Regarding the method of manufacturing the developer amount regulating member among the above objects, the elastic layer provided on the developer carrying member side and the elastic layer
A support layer for supporting the developer supporting member at the tip thereof
The developer carrying member through the developer in the direction opposite to the direction
A method of manufacturing a developer amount regulating member for regulating the amount of developer carried on the developer carrying member by contacting the elastic layer with the elastic layer.
And a support layer having a smaller heat shrinkage than the elastic layer.
After being integrally molded by cutting, the elastic layer and the support layer are cut.
This is achieved by forming the tip .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, among the above objects, the developer amount regulating member is provided on the developer carrying member side.
Having a provided elastic layer and a support layer for supporting the elastic layer,
With the tip directed in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the developer carrying member,
The developer carrying member contacts the developer carrying member via the developer,
A developer amount regulating unit for regulating the amount of developer carried on the member
In the material, the heat shrinkage is smaller than the elastic layer and the elastic layer.
After the support layer and the support layer are integrally molded by applying heat,
The tip is formed by cutting the support layer and
It is achieved by there. Furthermore, the third invention of the present application
According to the above, regarding the developing device,
Achieved by having the developer amount regulating member of the second invention
Is done.

[0014]

According to the present invention, the developer amount regulating member can be
An elastic layer that comes into contact with the agent, and has a smaller heat shrinkage than the elastic layer.
After the heat-sealing molding of the elastic layer and the support layer
Since it is cut and manufactured at the same time, one developer
Shortening of the molding time for slipping and arbitrarily changing the shape of the member
Make it possible. The amount of developer is regulated by the method of the present invention.
When the member is made, development of the elastic layer with high heat shrinkage ratio during cutting
As the agent-carrying member side shrinks more,
Since the elastic layer has a slant angle, the short side length of the contact surface with the developer is shorter than the short side length of the support layer. Does not stay around the side surface, easily passes through the contact portion between the elastic layer and the developer carrying member, and stabilizes the amount of toner applied on the developer carrying member.

[0015]

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1> First, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the elastic developer amount regulating blade 4 of the present invention has a two-layer structure including a support layer 4a for regulating a pressure and an elastic layer 4b for regulating a charged layer, and the widthwise direction of the elastic layer 4b. Width of the support layer 4a
It is characterized by having a shorter shape.

The method for forming the elastic developer regulating blade is a method in which the elastic layer and the support layer are integrally formed, and then the bonded elastic layer and the support layer are simultaneously cut.
At this time, the shape described above can be created by selecting a material in which the heat shrinkage of the elastic layer is always larger than the heat shrinkage of the support layer.

Here, as a member that can be used for the support layer, a metal flat plate, for example, a member such as a stainless steel plate, a phosphor bronze plate, or an aluminum plate is used. And a resin-made flat plate, for example, a springy hard elastic body such as a polyethylene terephthalate resin plate, a polycarbonate resin plate, or an expanded polypropylene resin plate, and a thickness of 50 μm.
m to 100 μm are preferred.

As the rubber material of the elastic layer, HTV rubber (such as high-temperature-curable millable silicone rubber) thermoplastic urethane rubber, liquid urethane rubber, liquid nitrile butadiene rubber, liquid silicone rubber (LTV, RTV, etc.) Rubber elastics such as products and blends are good.

The manufacturing method of the present invention is a method of integrally forming a support layer and an elastic layer. As an example, a flat plate forming die having a mirror surface on a top surface in a flat hot press is used. A molding method in which the elastic layer is thermally cured by heat and pressure, and is thermally welded with the primer applied on the support layer (this method is effective when the elastic layer material is a material having a high viscosity). (2) a molding method in which the support layer is placed outside and heat is applied, and the elastic layer is thermally cured and thermally bonded while the drum is rotating (this method is effective when the elastic layer material is a material having a low viscosity); A molding method in which the raw material is poured into a mold of two vertical plates, and then heat is applied to thermally cure the elastic layer and thermally bond it to the support layer (this method is effective when the elastic layer material has a low viscosity) ), And use an injection molding machine to Forming method such as pouring the elastic layer material immersion into the flat mold which was placed in the coated support layer (this method is the elastic layer material is effective even at a low material even at high viscosity material) it is.

The production method of the present invention is based on the method described above.
After integrally molding the support layer and the elastic layer, the ends are cut to size according to a cutting machine. The cutting method at this time is an automatic continuous cutting machine as shown in FIG. 3 (applied materials are vulcanized rubber, unvulcanized rubber, electric insulating material, adhesive material, soft resin, thin metal plate (silicon steel plate, steel, Metal foil, copper plate), felt, cloth,
Paper, etc.) In addition to the automatic cutting machine, a method using a rotary cutter, an automatic packing slicer, an automatic punching machine, a special cutting machine, or the like is also used. Here, the cutting blade includes a razor blade having a shape as shown in FIG. 3, a tool steel (high-speed tool steel, alloy tool steel, carbon steel) blade, a cemented carbide blade, a stainless steel blade, and a bearing steel. Blades, high carbon chromium bearing steel, high carbon stainless steel, etc. are used.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of the shape. Here, it is also possible to produce a developer amount regulating blade having a different inclination angle θ by using an elastic layer 4b having a different heat shrinkage rate for the oblique inclination angle θ.

Further, conditions for thermoforming (for example, the vulcanization temperature of rubber in the case of hot press molding). For example, by changing the molding temperature, it is possible to form a blade in which the inclination angle θ of the elastic layer is changed (in general, when the molding temperature is increased, the inclination angle θ of the end of the elastic layer becomes sharper. When the molding temperature is low, the inclination angle θ of the end portion tends to be loose.) In addition, by changing the thickness of the elastic layer even with the same material, the inclination angle θ of the elastic layer end portion can be changed. It is.

The inclination angle θ can be changed depending on the cutting direction (the cutting edge angle of the cutting blade), the speed of the cutting blade, and the like.

Here, in addition to the elastic layer, films such as a nylon film and the like, two or more layers thereof, Coating on the surface is also possible. In these cases, the tip scraping angle θ tends to be a smaller angle than when the elastic layer is used on the surface.

Here, the shape of the developer amount regulating member is such that the tip (free end) of the elastic layer on the side in contact with the developer is oblique to the support layer, and the angle of scraping in the vertical direction is θ. Is preferably 0 ° or more so as not to obstruct the passage of the toner onto the sleeve, and 30 ° or less in order to prevent toner aggregation or the like.

This depends on the diameter of the sleeve and the size of the toner particles, but a shape at this angle is generally very effective for a one-component toner.

In addition, as a method of manufacturing an elastic developer regulating blade having a similar shape, adhesion of the elastic layer to the edged support layer, edging after bonding the elastic layer and the support layer, and without any cutting step From the beginning, it is possible to press-form the elastic layer and the support layer in the required shape from the beginning, etc., but the present invention is based on the effectiveness of shortening the molding time per piece, changing the member shape by cutting, etc. Was used.

By using the above conditions, the shape of the cut end of the elastic blade becomes obliquely shorter at the tip of the elastic layer than at the tip of the support layer, and when used as a developer regulating member, This is effective because the toner easily passes through the developing sleeve, the applied amount of the toner is easily stabilized, and the aggregation or the like of the toner hardly occurs.

<Embodiment 2> Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description is omitted.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a primer for silicone rubber is applied to a 0.06 mm stainless metal foil (SUS304H) as the support layer 4a, and a high-temperature curing type HTV millable silicone rubber ( Toray Dow Corning, heat vulcanizable silicone rubber SE
4706U), and integrally molded by a hot press at 160 ° C. for 20 minutes in a mold having a mirror-finished upper surface to form a 0.3 mm silicone rubber elastic layer 4b on stainless steel foil. Then, at 200 ° C as secondary vulcanization
4 hours in the environment. Next, after cooling, the developing amount regulating blade is cut by a continuous automatic cutting machine. The dimensional accuracy at this time is ± 1 mm or less. Also, the cutting method is to install silicone rubber on the upper side and stainless steel foil on the lower side so as not to damage the silicone rubber when cutting, and a continuous automatic cutting machine (Ogino Seiki Seisakusho, Super Cutter AL1-600)
, A blade was inserted from the rubber layer side and cut perpendicular to the stainless steel foil surface.

At this time, the vertical shaving angle θ shown in FIG. 5 is 2.1 ° to 5.4 °, and the shaving length L at that time.
Is 16 μm to 37 μm. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the developer amount regulating blade 4 was formed to have a length in the longitudinal direction of 240 mm and a length in the lateral direction of 14 mm.

Next, the results of an experiment in which the above-described developer amount regulating blade according to the present embodiment is compared with the developer amount regulating blades shown in Comparative Examples 1 and 2 will be described. First, a molding method and a shape of a developer amount regulating blade to be compared will be described.

(Comparative Example 1) A silicone rubber primer was partially applied to a 0.06 mm metal foil with a hole for mounting a jig of 0.06 mm stainless steel, and a high-temperature curing type HTV millable silicone rubber was coated thereon. Installed in a mold, heat-pressed at 160 ° C to perform integral molding.
A silicone rubber elastic layer having a thickness of 2 mm is formed on a stainless steel foil. Then, it is left at 200 ° C. for 4 hours in secondary vulcanization.
After cooling, the end silicone rubber is cut with a commercially available cutter or razor blade so that the end has a scraping angle of 90 ° or more. As a result, the developing amount regulating blade has a shape in which the tip portion of the elastic layer on the side in contact with the developer is obliquely longer than the supporting layer that regulates the pressure.

(Comparative Example 2) The molding method is the same as that of Example 1, but when the molding is carried out under the molding conditions in which the thickness of the rubber portion is 0.5 mm or more and the primary molding temperature is around 200 ° C., It is obliquely longer than the support layer, and its tip angle θ is 3
0 ° or more.

Table 1 shows the results of experiments in which the developer was applied using the developer amount regulating blades as described above, and the amount of toner coating and the like at that time were compared.

[0038]

[Table 1]

As can be seen from Table 1, according to the present invention,
The coating amount was stable, and a good image could be obtained.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, the developer amount regulating member is provided with an elastic layer in contact with the developer and the elastic layer.
The heat-shrinkage ratio is smaller than that of the support layer.
After that, since the elastic layer and the support layer are cut and manufactured at the same time,
Shortening the molding time per developer amount regulating member,
The shape of the member can be arbitrarily changed. Of the present invention
When the developer amount regulating member is made by the method, heat shrinkage when cutting
Since the developer carrying member side of the elastic layer having a high modulus is more contracted,
The tip will have an angle of inclination towards the support layer,
The elastic layer is supported by the length of the contact surface with the developer in the short direction.
The developer carrying member is shorter than the length of the layer in the lateral direction.
Developer transported by the developer stays around the side
The contact portion between the elastic layer and the developer carrying member can be easily passed through.
To stabilize the amount of toner applied on the developer carrying member.
You.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a shape of a developer amount regulating member according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the developer amount regulating member of FIG. 1 in a lateral direction.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of a cutting machine and a cutting blade used in the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a shape of a developer amount regulating member according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view of the developer amount regulating member in FIG. 4 in a lateral direction.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a conventional developing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 2 developer container 3 developing sleeve (developer carrying member) 4 elastic developer amount regulating blade (developer amount regulating member) 4a support layer 4b elastic layer 6 toner

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-63-226680 (JP, A) JP-A-4-165378 (JP, A) JP-A-4-204971 (JP, A) JP-A-2-150870 (JP) , A) JP-A-61-176953 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 15/08 504

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] An elastic layer provided on a developer carrying member side;
A support layer for supporting the elastic layer, and a tip supporting the developer;
The developer carrying member is turned in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the member.
In a method of manufacturing a developer amount regulating member that abuts via an image agent and regulates an amount of a developing agent carried on the developer carrying member, an elastic layer and the elastic layer Support layer with a smaller heat shrinkage than
After applying heat, the elastic layer and the support layer are integrally formed.
Method for producing a developing agent amount regulating member characterized by forming the tip by cutting and. 2. An elastic layer provided on a developer carrying member side.
A support layer for supporting the elastic layer, and a tip supporting the developer;
The developer carrying member is turned in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the member.
The developer abutting on the developer carrying member contacts the developer via the image material.
In the developer amount regulating member for regulating the amount of the image agent, the elastic layer
And a support layer having a smaller heat shrinkage than the elastic layer.
After being integrally molded by cutting, the elastic layer and the support layer are cut.
A developer amount regulating member, wherein the tip is formed by the above method . 3. A developer regulating member according to claim 2.
Developing device.