JP4885702B2 - Photoconductor cleaning tool and cleaning method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a photosensitive member cleaning tool and a cleaning method used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic system or the like.

  As is well known, in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, an electrostatic latent image is formed on an endlessly moving photoconductor by a charging and exposure process, and the electrostatic latent image is mostly converted into a toner image by a developing process. None, the toner image is transferred to a recording medium such as paper by a transfer process, and the toner image transferred onto the recording medium is fixed to the recording medium under the action of heat, pressure, etc., thereby completing the image formation. A small amount of toner may remain on the photoconductor after transfer, but these are removed by a cleaning process, and the remaining electrostatic latent image is removed by a static elimination process. It is usual to perform image formation continuously by repeating the above. (Refer to patent document 1 etc.).

  As the above-described photoreceptor material, an organic photoreceptor, amorphous silicon, a selenium compound, or the like is used. In recent years, an organic photoreceptor is often used because of features such as mass productivity, cost, and easy disposal.

  In the image forming apparatus using the photoconductor, foreign matters such as residual toner and paper dust on the photoconductor are removed by the cleaning process as described above, but cannot be removed by the cleaning process by long-term use. There may occur a phenomenon in which residual toner, paper dust, or a specific component in the toner is laminated and fixed on the photoreceptor (this is called filming).

  In such a case, the photoreceptor is usually taken out and wiped with a paper material, a nonwoven fabric, a cloth or the like. At this time, polishing powder such as alumina or silica may be used together, and depending on the case, the photosensitive layer may be polished and removed.

  Further, when the photosensitive member is amorphous silicon or a selenium compound, these may be removed with an organic solvent such as ethanol.

JP 2002-278385 A

  In recent years, recording media have been diversified, and printing has been performed on recording media called coated paper and tack paper as well as conventional so-called high-quality paper (also referred to as plain paper) type recording media. In addition, printing is increasingly performed on a recording medium that has been previously printed by another printing machine or the like (often referred to as pre-printing). The following problems may occur when printing on such a recording medium.

Coated paper is a paper coated with a coating agent on the surface of high-quality paper, etc., to improve the smoothness, whiteness, and glossiness of the paper. This coating agent or its components may adhere to the surface of the photoreceptor. , Filming may occur. For this reason, the adhering part and the filming part may be blank, and conversely, printing troubles such as black spots and white background fogging may occur.

The tack paper is obtained by applying a tack process to a paste on one side of a base material such as high-quality paper and further laminating it with release paper (also called release paper). There is also a label paper in which a recording medium shaped in advance to a predetermined size and shape is tacked to form a label, and a plurality of labels are attached to one release paper. When an image is formed on such tack paper or label paper, the above-mentioned paste may adhere to the photoreceptor. The glue material is applied to the opposite side of the photoconductor with the base material interposed therebetween, but the glue material may protrude slightly from the edge of the tack paper or label. (Sometimes called so-called glue balls, etc.) If this glue material adheres to the photosensitive drum, the adhered part may also be blanked out, or conversely, black spots and fogging print failures may occur. . In addition, toner or paper dust may further adhere to and adhere to the glue that has adhered, resulting in a more significant printing failure or even filming.

Further, when an image is formed on a preprinted recording medium, the following problem may occur. Pre-printing on a recording medium is often performed not by electrophotography or the like but by a so-called printing machine such as a lithographic plate and a letterpress, or an image forming apparatus using an inkjet method. For this reason, the printing ink, ink-jet ink used for this pre-printing, or its components are transferred from the recording medium to the photosensitive member and adhered, and the adhered portion is similarly whitened. A fogging print failure may occur. In addition, toner or paper dust or the like may further adhere to and stack on the adhered ink, resulting in a more significant printing failure or even filming.

These coating agents, glues, inks, etc. are often highly viscous and sticky. If they adhere to the photoreceptor, they can be wiped off with paper, non-woven fabric, cloth, etc. On the other hand, this results in spreading on the photoreceptor, and often cannot be removed.

  In addition, problems caused by adhesion of the coating agent, paste, ink, and the like may become more conspicuous when the photoconductor is an organic photoconductor. Many of the aforementioned coating agents, pastes, inks and the like are soluble in organic solvents. However, organic photoreceptors themselves are mainly composed of resins that are soluble in organic solvents, such as polycarbonate, and often contain components that are soluble in organic solvents. This is because it is difficult to use an organic solvent to remove the agent, ink and the like.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the present invention, at least the outermost surface has an adhesive layer, and the adhesive layer and the organic photoreceptor are brought into contact with each other to remove the deposits on the organic photoreceptor. A photosensitive member cleaning tool having a member is provided.

Furthermore, in a preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photosensitive member cleaning tool, wherein the adhesive layer has a numerical value based on an inclined ball tack of 20 or more and 40 or less.

Furthermore, in another preferred aspect of the present invention, the cleaning member has a substantially cylindrical shape having the adhesive layer on a cylindrical surface, and is rotatably held around the central axis of the cleaning tool. A photosensitive member cleaning tool is provided.

Furthermore, in another preferred aspect of the present invention, the cleaning member has a pincushion shape whose diameter increases from the central portion toward both ends when viewed in the cylindrical axis direction. A cleaning tool is provided.

Furthermore, in another preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided a photosensitive member cleaning tool, wherein the adhesive layer is formed on an elastic layer.

Furthermore, in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the photoconductor cleaning tool has a cylindrical shape in which a base material having the adhesive layer on one side thereof is wound in one direction with the adhesive layer side as the outside. Then, a photosensitive member cleaning tool is provided in which the adhesive layer is exposed by peeling and cutting the base material of the outermost layer by a predetermined length.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning member having an adhesive layer having a numerical value based on an inclined ball tack of the adhesive layer in the range of 20 or more and 40 or less on at least the outermost surface, and deposits on the organic photoreceptor A photosensitive member cleaning method is provided, which comprises removing the adhesive.

According to the photoconductor cleaning tool and the cleaning method of the present invention, for residual toner and paper powder on the photoconductor that cannot be removed by a conventional photoconductor cleaning process, or a laminate or a fixed material such as a specific component in the toner, Without removing the photosensitive member and wiping it off with a paper material or nonwoven fabric as in the prior art, these deposits can be removed effectively and easily, and printing troubles such as white spots and white background fogging can be prevented.

  FIG. 1 shows a photoreceptor cleaning tool 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The photoreceptor cleaning tool 1 includes a support member 4 and a roller member 2 that also have a grip portion 3.

  The roller member 2 has a substantially cylindrical shape and is supported by the support member 1 so as to be rotatable around its cylindrical axis. An adhesive layer 5 is formed on the cylindrical surface of the roller member 2. Various adhesives such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, acrylic, and hot melt can be used as the adhesive layer 5, and these are applied on the elastic layer 6 described later by a known application method. It can be formed.

  The adhesive strength of the adhesive layer is preferably such that the inclined ball tack value at 30 degrees is 20 or more and 40 or less based on JISZ0237-2000. If the ball tack value is 20 or less, the deposits on the photoreceptor are poorly cleanable. On the other hand, when it is 40 or more, since the adhesive force is too strong, handling during cleaning may be difficult. It should be noted that this numerical range is large as compared to the range of many adhesive roll type cleaning tools provided for general households in the range of about 5 to 20. The value of the ball tack value can be adjusted within the above range by appropriately selecting the type of adhesive to be applied and the amount of application.

When the adherent on the photosensitive member is a tack paper or label paper adhesive, the above-mentioned adherent can be effectively obtained by making the adhesive layer 5 the same adhesive as the tack paper or label paper adhesive. May be removed. Generally, there are many acrylic glues used for label paper and tack paper, and therefore the adhesive layer 5 may be made of an acrylic adhesive similar to these. Moreover, it is more preferable that the ball tack value is within the above range.

Further, the cylindrical surface is formed with a slightly smaller diameter at the center than both ends as viewed in the axial direction. In FIG. 1, the axial length of the cylindrical surface is 100 mm, the diameter of the cylindrical portion is 50 mm at both ends, and the central portion is 48 mm, and the diameter of the central portion is smaller than both ends. It is the shape of. The photosensitive member that is cleaned by the photosensitive member cleaning tool 1 is often a drum-shaped photosensitive drum. When cleaning a drum-shaped photosensitive drum with a substantially cylindrical cleaning tool as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, it is preferable to move the cleaning tool in the longitudinal (axial) direction rather than in the circumferential direction of the photosensitive drum. It is easy to make it adhere and is easy to clean. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1A, it is preferable that the outer diameter of the roller member 2 is formed in a slightly wound form so that the roller member 2 can be more closely attached to the cylindrical surface of the photosensitive drum.

An elastic layer 2 made of elastic rubber is provided below the adhesive layer 4. By providing an elastic layer below the adhesive layer in this manner, it is possible to further improve the adhesion to the photosensitive drum. The elastic layer 2 uses urethane rubber having a thickness of 2 mm and a hardness of 30 degrees. The material is not limited to this as long as it has appropriate elasticity.

The roller member 2 is detachably provided with respect to the support member 4, and when the adhesive layer 4 becomes dirty and the adhesive force decreases, the roller member 2 is replaced with a new one.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment according to the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the same materials as those shown in FIG. 1 are used for the adhesive layer and the elastic layer. In FIG. 2, the shape of the cylindrical surface is opposite to that of FIG. By making the cylindrical surface slightly convex toward the outside in this way, the contact area with the photosensitive member is reduced, and the cleaning tool can be pushed with a higher pressure, for example, locally firmly attached on the photosensitive member. It is suitable for removing the adhered matter.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the adhesive layer 5 is provided on the elastic layer 6. However, as shown in the embodiment of FIG. The elastic adhesive 7 having elasticity may be provided on the cylindrical surface of the roller member 2 with an appropriate thickness. As such a material, a styrene-isoprene copolymer, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, a vinyl chloride resin, a polyolefin resin, and a blend thereof can be used.

FIG. 4 shows still another embodiment relating to the present invention. In FIG. 4, a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 9 having a pressure-sensitive adhesive 11 applied to one side of a non-woven fabric (thickness: about 100 μm) base material 10 is wound around a core material 12 with the side coated with the pressure-sensitive adhesive material as the outside. It is configured. The other surface of the substrate is subjected to a peeling treatment, and the surface also functions as a peeling material. As the substrate, paper, various synthetic resin sheets and the like can be used in addition to the nonwoven fabric. In FIG. 4, the thickness of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 9 is exaggerated in comparison with the dimensions of other members for easy understanding. Further, the number of windings around the core material is approximately three in the figure, but in actual use, of course, more windings are possible.

  As the pressure-sensitive adhesive, various types of pressure-sensitive adhesives such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, acrylic, and hot melt can be used, and these can be formed by coating them on a substrate by a well-known coating method. .

  In the photoconductor cleaning tool, a protective sheet (not shown) is attached to the outermost layer of the roller surface and supplied to the user. The user removes the protective sheet, exposes the adhesive layer, and serves as a photoreceptor cleaning tool. When the adhesive layer becomes dirty and its adhesive strength is reduced, the adhesive sheet 9 exposed on the outermost layer is peeled off by an appropriate length and cut to expose a new adhesive layer. The adhesive sheet 9 is previously provided with perforations 13 at an appropriate interval so that it can be easily cut. When the adhesive sheet 9 is used up to the end, the roller member 2 is replaced with a new one. Such a configuration is preferable because a new adhesive layer can always be exposed.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the support member 4 may be used in common, and the roller member shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 may be appropriately replaced and used as a photoconductor cleaning tool.

1 shows an embodiment of the present invention, and is a front view (a) and a side view (b) of a photoconductor cleaning tool. FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention, and is a front view (a) and a side view (b) of a photoconductor cleaning tool. Another embodiment of the present invention is shown, and is a side view of a photoconductor cleaning tool. FIG. 9 shows still another embodiment of the present invention, and is a side view (a) of a photoconductor cleaning tool and an enlarged view (b) of a roller member.

Explanation of symbols

1. 1. Photoconductor cleaning tool 2. Roller member 4. Grasping part 4, support member 5. Adhesive layer Elastic layer 7. Elastic adhesive 9. Adhesive sheet 10. Base material 11. Adhesive 12. Core material 13. Perforation

Claims (6)

A photosensitive member cleaning tool having a cleaning member which has an adhesive layer on at least the outermost surface, and which makes the adhesive layer and the organic photosensitive member come into contact with each other to remove the deposits on the organic photosensitive member . A photosensitive member cleaning tool , wherein a numerical value based on an inclined ball tack is in a range of 20 to 40 . 2. The cleaning member according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning member has a cylindrical shape having the adhesive layer on a cylindrical surface, and is held rotatably with respect to the cleaning tool around a central axis of the cylinder. Photoconductor cleaning tool. The photoconductor cleaning tool according to claim 2, wherein the cleaning member has a shape in which a diameter is different between a central portion and both end portions when viewed in the cylindrical axis direction . 4. The photosensitive member cleaning tool according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is formed on an elastic layer . The photoconductor cleaning tool has a cylindrical shape in which a base material on one side of the adhesive layer is wound in one direction with the adhesive layer side as the outside, and the base material on the outermost layer is peeled and cut by a predetermined length. The photosensitive member cleaning tool according to claim 1 , wherein a new adhesive layer can be exposed by this . A photosensitive member having an adhesive layer having a numerical value in the range of 20 or more and 40 or less based on the tilted ball tack of the adhesive layer on at least the outermost surface, and removing adhered matter on the organic photoreceptor by adhesion. Cleaning method.

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