JP4934440B2 - Manufacturing method of regenerative elastic roller - Google Patents

Description

The present invention is an electrophotographic apparatus, a printer, about the method of manufacturing a reproduction elastic roller for reproducing an elastic roller for use in an image forming apparatus utilizing an electrophotographic process such as an electrostatic recording apparatus.

  Various elastic rollers such as a charging roller, a developing roller, a fixing roller, and a transfer roller used in an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process such as an electrophotographic apparatus have a powder developer (toner), paper powder, etc. Adheres as foreign matter. Since these foreign matters are affected by physical force, frictional heat, and the like due to pressure contact with other members such as a photosensitive drum, they are deteriorated and cannot be maintained in a particle state, and are crushed and fixed to the elastic roller surface. The toner once fixed to the elastic roller surface is difficult to remove by air blow.

  By the way, the laser beam printer used in the office is often used as a cartridge in which the central part of the developing process including the developer container is integrated and detachable from the apparatus main body. The cartridge that has consumed the developer is replaced with a new one and discarded. However, as laser beam printers become widespread, disposal of cartridges that have consumed developer as used has become a problem because of the large number of cartridges. From the ecological point of view, there is a demand to recycle the members and materials that make up the cartridge to effectively use resources.

  However, the elastic roller including the developing roller used in the image forming apparatus of the laser beam printer adheres and accumulates on the surface with the use of paper dust and developer, and the entire surface is pressed by friction and friction with other members. Cover and fix. Furthermore, the binder resin contained in the developer may firmly adhere to the elastic roller surface. When such an elastic roller with paper dust or toner attached is reused, the surface state or resistance value of the elastic roller changes. A satisfactory image cannot be obtained in the apparatus.

  As a method for regenerating the developing roller, a method has been proposed in which a coating formed on the surface of the developing roller is subjected to a blast treatment to remove toner and contaminants adhered to the coating (Patent Document 1). A developing roller regeneration method (Patent Document 2) that cleans the surface of the developing roller with a tape abrasive or a water jet, and a regeneration method that peels and removes the outer layer of the roller using dry ice are also proposed (Patent Document 3). .

However, blasting with metal oxide or other abrasive powder not only removes the fixed toner, but also damages resin and rubber development rollers, and there is a cleaning process to remove the abrasive powder remaining on the surface. There is also a drawback that it is necessary and workability is poor. In addition, cleaning with a tape abrasive or a water jet has a limit in removing toner firmly adhered to the surface of the developing roller. On the other hand, blasting with dry ice removes the toner by peeling the outer layer of the developing roller using the difference in glass transition between the inner layer and the outer layer, so it is necessary to previously form a peeling layer on the developing roller However, the manufacturing process is complicated.
JP 2003-050506 A JP 08-328375 A JP 2006-139204 A

The object of the present invention is to suppress physical damage on the surface of the elastic roller, remove the toner adhering to the surface without impairing its properties, and can be reused as various elastic rollers of an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a regenerative elastic roller. In particular, when the hardness of the hardness and elastic roller surface of the toner to the (flexible) there is a difference, excellent removal of toner, Ru near to provide a method for manufacturing a reproduction elastic roller excellent in manufacturing efficiency.

  The present inventors have repeated the electrophotographic process, and when the elastic roller having the toner or the like attached to the surface has a specific elastic modulus and the attached toner has a specific strength, by injecting sublimable particles, The inventors have found that the toner can be removed while suppressing damage to the surface of the elastic roller. Because sublimable particles are flexible and change to gas, there is no environmental pollution caused by dust, as in the case of using metal powder, no post-processing is required, and toner can be removed efficiently. Based on this, the present invention has been completed.

That is, the present invention is an elastic layer possess around the mandrel and the mandrel, and the elastic modulus of the surface on the elastic roller surface is 1 × 10 ⁸ Pa or less in the range of 1 × 10 ⁶ Pa A method for producing a regenerative elastic roller that removes adhered toner having a fine compressive strength in a range of 0.5 kg / mm ^{2 to} 1.2 kg / mm ² ,
(1) attaching water to the surface of the toner attached to the surface of the elastic roller;
(2) A method for producing a regenerative elastic roller, comprising: a step of injecting sublimable particles onto the surface of the elastic roller to which the toner having water adhering to the surface adheres .

The method for producing a regenerative elastic roller of the present invention suppresses physical damage to the elastic roller, removes toner adhering to the surface without impairing its electrical characteristics, and various elastic rollers of an image forming apparatus of an electrophotographic apparatus A reusable elastic roller can be obtained. In particular, the method of reproducing the elastic roller manufacturing the present invention, when there is a difference in hardness (flexibility) of attached hardness and elastic roller surface of the toner, excellent in removal of toner, Ru excellent production efficiency.

  The method for producing a regenerative elastic roller according to the present invention is a regenerative elastic roller that removes the toner adhering to the surface of the elastic roller and restores the original electrical characteristics and physical characteristics of the elastic roller to regenerate the regenerated elastic roller. It is a manufacturing method. The elastic roller to be reproduced has a shaft core body and an elastic layer around the shaft core body, and is used in an image forming apparatus in an electrophotographic process, to which a developer (toner) is attached. preferable.

  The shaft body of the elastic roller supports the elastic layer on the outer periphery thereof and has a strength that can sufficiently withstand the load in the electrophotographic process, and can be either cylindrical or cylindrical. . As the material of the shaft core, if the elastic roller requires electrical conductivity, iron, steel, aluminum, titanium, copper, nickel, carbon steel containing these metals, stainless steel, duralumin, brass, bronze, etc. And conductive resin containing carbon black or carbon fiber. The shaft core can be plated and oxidized to prevent rust. As the shaft core body, for example, a carbon steel alloy surface that has been subjected to industrial nickel plating treatment having a thickness of 5 μm can be used.

  The elastic layer provided around the shaft core body is provided in order to provide the elastic roller with the elasticity required in the apparatus to be used, and may be either a solid body or a foamed body. It may be composed of two or more layers. Examples of the material for the elastic layer include ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer rubber (EPDM), acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR), chloroprene rubber (CR), natural rubber (NR), isoprene rubber (IR), styrene- Examples thereof include butadiene rubber (SBR), butadiene rubber (BR), norbornene rubber, fluorine rubber, silicone rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, hydride of NBR, polysulfide rubber, and urethane rubber. These can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Among these, when a urethane resin layer is provided on the surface of the elastic roller, silicone rubber easily generates a hydroxyl group that forms a chemical bond with the isocyanate constituting the urethane resin by irradiation of ultraviolet rays. Enables strong bonding. For this reason, peeling of a urethane resin layer can be suppressed by injection of sublimable particles, which is preferable.

  The elastic layer contains a cross-linking agent, a catalyst, a dispersion accelerator, etc. as a conductive agent, a non-conductive filler, and other various additive components necessary for molding depending on the function required for the elastic roller. There may be.

  Examples of the conductive agent used for the elastic layer include various conductive metals or alloys such as carbon black, graphite, aluminum, palladium, silver, iron, copper, tin, and seleniumless steel. Conductive metal oxides such as tin oxide, zinc oxide, indium oxide, titanium oxide, antimony oxide, molybdenum oxide, tin oxide-antimony oxide solid solution, tin oxide-indium oxide solid solution, fine powder of insulating material coated with these An electronic conductive agent such as can be used. The ionic conductive agent used for the elastic layer may be, for example, a perchlorate, a quaternary ammonium salt, or the like. Among these, carbon black can be mentioned as a preferable one because it is relatively easily available and good conductivity is obtained regardless of the type of rubber material of the elastic layer.

  Examples of the non-conductive filler that may be contained in the elastic layer include diatomaceous earth, quartz powder, dry silica, wet silica, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, aluminosilicate, calcium carbonate, zirconium silicate, aluminum silicate, talc, Alumina, iron oxide, etc. can be mentioned.

  The elastic layer has elasticity to give elasticity required for the elastic roller, and the hardness thereof is, for example, 30 to 70 degrees in Asker C hardness, and the thickness is 1 to 4 mm. it can.

  The elastic layer is molded by, for example, extrusion molding, press molding, injection molding, liquid injection molding, cast molding, or the like, and heat-cured at an appropriate temperature and time to form on the shaft core. A method can be mentioned. The method of injecting an uncured elastic layer material into a cylindrical mold provided with the shaft core and heat-curing can form the elastic layer around the shaft core with high accuracy.

  In order to have the required functionality, the elastic roller may be provided with one or more functional layers on the elastic layer or on the lower layer. Examples of the functional layer include a resin layer that protects the elastic roller surface, imparts abrasion resistance, and suppresses toner adhesion. Examples of the material of the resin layer include fluorine resin, hydrogenated styrene-butylene resin, urethane resin, silicone resin, polyester resin, phenol resin, imide resin, olefin resin, and polyvinyl alcohol resin. One or a combination of two or more of these may be used. Among these, ether urethane resins, polyester urethane resins, and acrylic urethane resins are particularly preferable because the resin layer has a low tack property to suppress toner adhesion and facilitate toner peeling.

  The resin layer may be one in which fine particles having a volume average particle diameter of 1 μm or more and 20 μm or less are dispersed in order to facilitate toner conveyance of the developing roller. As such fine particles, plastic pigments such as polymethyl methyl methacrylate fine particles, silicone rubber fine particles, polyurethane fine particles, polystyrene fine particles, amino resin fine particles, and phenol resin fine particles can also be used. As the volume average particle diameter, a measurement value measured by Coulter Multisizer II (manufactured by Coulter Inc.) can be adopted. Specifically, a 1% NaCl aqueous solution is prepared using primary sodium chloride as an electrolytic solution, and 1 ml of a surfactant (preferably alkylbenzene sulfonate) is added as a dispersant to 100 to 150 ml of the electrolytic solution. Further, 10 mg of a measurement sample is added, and the suspended electrolyte is subjected to a dispersion treatment for about 1 to 3 minutes using an ultrasonic dispersing machine. Using a sonicated electrolyte as a measurement sample, the 50% D diameter measured by a Coulter Multisizer employing a 100 μm aperture can be used as the volume average particle diameter.

  Further, the resin layer may contain a conductive agent in order to adjust the electric resistance of the elastic roller. Specific examples of the conductive agent contained include those similar to those exemplified as the conductive agent used for the elastic layer.

  The thickness of the resin layer is preferably 1 μm or more and 100 μm or less, and more preferably 5 μm or more and 20 μm or less. If the thickness of the resin layer is 1 μm or more, the deterioration of the elastic roller due to wear or the like can be suppressed and the durability can be improved, and if it is 100 μm or less, the surface of the elastic roller can be prevented from becoming hard, and the toner Or toner fusing can be suppressed.

  Examples of the resin layer molding method include a method of forming a coating liquid containing an uncured resin layer material and molding it by a coating method such as a dipping method, a roll coating method, a ring coating method, or a spray method. Can do.

Such an elastic roller has a surface elastic modulus E ′ of 1 × 10 ⁶ Pa or more and 1 × 10 ⁸ Pa or less as a measurement value by a tension method at a frequency of 10 Hz and a temperature of 20 ° C. If the elastic modulus E ′ on the surface of the elastic roller is 1 × 10 ⁶ Pa or more, the adhesiveness to the toner is suppressed and the adhesion of the toner can be suppressed. If the elastic modulus E ′ of the elastic roller surface is 1 × 10 ⁸ Pa or less, it has the flexibility to disperse and buffer the impact force of the sublimable particles, and suppresses the destruction of the surface due to the injection of the sublimable particles. Can do. Further, the microcompressive strength of the fixed toner is 0.5 kg / mm ² or more and 1.2 kg / mm ² or less. If the toner has a micro compressive strength of 0.5 kg / mm ² or more, the toner is destroyed and removed by the impact force of the sublimable particles, and if it is 1.2 kg / mm ² or less, the toner adheres to the elastic roller. It is suppressed. When the minute compression strength of the toner exceeds 1.2 kg / mm ² , adhesion of the added charge control agent to the toner surface is suppressed, and sticking to the elastic roller surface is likely to occur. When the elastic modulus of the surface of the elastic roller and the minute compressive strength of the toner are in the above ranges, the difference between the hardness of the toner and the surface hardness of the elastic roller is large, and only the toner is selectively destroyed by the sublimation particles.

  Here, as the elastic modulus E ′, a measured value at a frequency of 10 Hz and a temperature of 20 ° C. can be adopted by a dynamic viscoelasticity test apparatus according to JIS K6394 “Method for testing dynamic properties of vulcanized rubber”. . Further, the toner has a small compressive strength by applying a load to the toner fixed between the upper presser indenter and the lower presser plate using a micro compression tester (MCT-W series: manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation), and the toner diameter (mm ) Can be determined by measuring the load (kg) when it is deformed by 10%.

  As such an elastic roller, the one shown in FIG. 1 can be specifically mentioned as an example. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 and the perspective view of FIG. 2, the elastic roller has an elastic layer 8 and a resin layer 9 sequentially on the shaft core body 7.

In the method for producing a regenerative elastic roller of the present invention, the sublimable particles sprayed onto the surface of the elastic roller have an action of polishing toner adhering to the surface of the elastic roller. The toner on the surface of the developing roller is removed from the surface of the developing roller by impact caused by collision of the sublimable particles and rapid volume expansion due to sublimation of the collided sublimable particles. Further, since the sublimable particles are more flexible than abrasive powders such as alumina, zirconia, and glass beads used in ordinary sandblasting treatment, damage to the surface of the developing roller can be suppressed. Since the sublimable particles collide with the developing roller and then sublimate and are released into the atmosphere as a gas, no post-processing for collecting the abrasive powder is required. The jetting speed and jetting time of the sublimable particles can be appropriately selected depending on the type of toner, the degree of fixation, the desired degree of regeneration, the particle size of the sublimable particles, and the like, for example, 1 × 10 ⁵ Pa or more 7 The injection pressure can be 30 seconds to 3 minutes at an injection pressure of × 10 ⁵ Pa or less.

  The sublimable particles are not particularly limited, but carbon dioxide solid particles (dry ice) are preferable because they are easily available and easy to handle. Since carbon dioxide solid particles are chemically stable, they suppress the deterioration of the elastic roller surface and are not toxic, so the burden on the environment is small. The shape of the dry ice may be any of powder, particles, and columns. The particle size of the dry ice can be appropriately selected according to the type and size of the toner and the strength of fixing, but in the case of a particle shape, for example, it may be 0.1 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less. it can. If the particle diameter of dry ice is 0.1 mm or more, sublimation before colliding with the elastic roller depending on the working environment can be suppressed. On the other hand, if the particle size of the dry ice is 3.0 mm or less, the decrease in the area where the dry ice of a constant weight directly collides with the toner is suppressed, the decrease in the toner removing ability is suppressed, and the amount of dry ice used is increased. And an appropriate amount of dry ice can be easily sprayed.

  The particle diameter here is the average value of the major axis and the minor axis of one dry ice particle, taken with a digital microscope VHX-200 manufactured by Keyence within 10 seconds after collecting dry ice in an atmosphere at a temperature of 23 ° C. Is the particle size of the dry ice. Further, an average value of 100 dry ice particles can be used.

  The jetting of the sublimable particles is preferably performed by rotating an elastic roller because the toner can be efficiently removed. The rotational speed of the elastic roller can be set to a rotational speed corresponding to the ejection speed so that the sublimable particles are ejected over the entire toner surface, and can be, for example, 60 rpm or more and 120 rpm or less.

  As a pretreatment for jetting the sublimable particles, the surface temperature of the toner is preferably heated to 70 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower. When the surface of the toner is at the above temperature, the volume expansion when the sublimable particles collide and sublimate increases, and the toner removal effect can be improved. When the sublimable particles are dry ice, the volume expands 1700 times at room temperature, but the volume expands 2000-2100 times in an atmosphere of 70 ° C. or more and 100 ° C. or less. If the surface of the toner is 70 ° C. or higher, the volume expansion of the sublimable particles is larger than that at room temperature, and the toner removal effect is high. If the surface is 100 ° C. or lower, the sublimable particles are caused by melting of the toner. It is possible to suppress a reduction in the removal effect due to the above. Such heating of the toner surface can be performed on the upstream surface of the rotating elastic roller, and the sublimation particles can be ejected onto the downstream surface.

  As a means for heating the surface of the toner, a far-infrared ceramic heater, a near-infrared heater, a lamp heater, a UV heater, a micro heater, or the like that can be heated in a non-contact manner to prevent contamination of the heat source is preferable.

As a pretreatment for jetting the sublimable particles, water is adhered to the surface of the toner. By preliminarily attaching water, the water on the surface of the toner comes into contact with the sublimable particles and is cooled by sublimation of the sublimable particles to become ice, and the toner adheres strongly to the ice. By continuously spraying the sublimable particles, the toner can be easily peeled off with ice. The adhesion of water to the toner surface can be performed on the upstream surface of the rotating elastic roller, and the sublimation particles can be ejected onto the downstream surface.

  As a method for attaching water to the toner, any method such as a spray method or a dipping method may be used. The amount of water attached to the toner is preferably 30 to 100% of the surface area of the elastic roller, for example.

As an apparatus to which the method for producing a regenerated elastic roller of the present invention is applied, a regenerated elastic roller production apparatus shown in the schematic configuration diagram of FIG. 3 can be given as an example. In the regenerative elastic roller manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the opening is formed on the surface of the elastic roller 2 that is suspended between a pair of support columns 2 a, is connected to the rotation shaft of the motor 2 b and is rotatably installed. The injection nozzle 1 is disposed so as to face each other. The injection nozzle 1 is connected to a cylinder 3 and allows gas supplied from the cylinder to pass through a minute hole in the injection nozzle and rapidly expand the gas as solid particles on the surface of the elastic roller 2. ing. The injection nozzle is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor 1b, is attached to a screw shaft arranged in the axial direction of the elastic roller, and is fixed to the stage 1a that can reciprocate in parallel with the axial direction of the elastic roller. The sublimable particles are ejected while reciprocating in the axial direction. By rotating the elastic roller 2 and reciprocating the injection nozzle 1 in the axial direction of the elastic roller, sublimation particles can be efficiently injected onto the toner by a simple device. The rotation speed is preferably adjusted within the above range. Such injectors can be used Applied Surface Technology (Applied Surface Technologies) manufactured by CO ₂ snow jet cleaner (CO ₂ Snow Jet Cleaner).

  As an example of another regenerative elastic roller manufacturing apparatus to which the method for manufacturing a regenerative elastic roller of the present invention is applied, as shown in the schematic configuration diagram of FIG. Can be mentioned. The regenerated elastic roller manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 4 connects the injection nozzle 1 and the elastic roller to the regenerative elastic roller manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. It is installed above or below the line. By installing the heat source 5 at this position, it is possible to suppress direct heating of the sublimable particles even when the heat treatment of the toner is performed upstream of the surface position of the elastic roller that ejects the sublimable particles from the injection nozzle 1. In addition, the injection of the sublimable particles to the heat source 5 can be suppressed.

  As an example of another regenerative elastic roller manufacturing apparatus to which the method for manufacturing a regenerative elastic roller according to the present invention is applied, as shown in the schematic configuration diagram of FIG. Mention may be made of the device to be performed. The regenerated elastic roller manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 5 has a spray blower 6 in the regenerated elastic roller manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. A commercially available sprayer can be applied, and water can be easily and uniformly adhered to the toner surface by spraying water onto a rotating elastic roller with a sprayer.

  In the above apparatus, the method for removing the toner on the surface by rotating the elastic roller has been described. However, it is also possible to heat and remove the elastic roller in a fixed state without rotating.

  The regenerated elastic roller obtained by the method for producing the regenerated elastic roller can be suitably used as a developing roller of an image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process.

As an image forming apparatus, an image including a photosensitive drum capable of forming an electrostatic latent image on the surface, and a developing member having a developing roller that supplies a developer to the surface of the photosensitive drum to form a developer image of the electrostatic latent image. In the forming apparatus, the developing roller preferably uses the regenerative elastic roller.

  As an example of the image forming apparatus, the one shown in the schematic configuration diagram of FIG. 6 can be exemplified. The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 6 includes a charging roller 10 for charging the photosensitive drum 11 rotating in the direction of arrow A, and exposure for writing an electrostatic latent image on the uniformly charged photosensitive drum 11 using a laser beam 17. Means are provided. A developing member R for applying a developer to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum to form a toner image, a transfer roller 19 for transferring the toner image to a recording material 16 such as paper, and a toner image transferred on the recording material. There is provided a fixing roller 20 that is fixed by pressurization of the pressure roller 21. After the image formation is completed, the recording material on which the toner image is fixed is discharged out of the apparatus.

  On the other hand, the developer remaining on the photosensitive drum 11 without being transferred is removed along with the rotation of the photosensitive drum, the cleaning blade 22 for cleaning the surface, and the collected toner container for collecting the toner scraped off from the surface of the photosensitive drum. 23 etc. are provided. The photosensitive drum from which the residual toner that is not used for development is removed waits for a new image formation.

  The developing member R is provided with a developer container 18 that contains a developer (toner) 15, a developing roller 12, a toner supply roller 13, a developing blade 14, a stirring blade, and the like. The developing roller is disposed so as to close the opening of the developer container and to face the photosensitive drum 11 at a portion exposed from the developer container. The regenerative elastic roller is applied to the developing roller. In the developer container, the toner 15 sent to the toner supply roller 13 by the stirring blade is uniformly coated on the surface of the developing roller 12 by the developing blade 14, and is conveyed to the photosensitive drum as the developing roller rotates, so that electrostatic latent Then, the electrostatic latent image is developed. Toner remaining on the developing roller without being used for developing the electrostatic latent image is conveyed into the developer container as the developing roller rotates, and is scraped off by the toner supply roller 13 in the developer container. New toner is supplied to the developing roller 12.

  The regenerative elastic roller can also be applied to the charging roller 10, the fixing roller 20, and the like.

As an electrophotographic process cartridge , an electrophotographic process cartridge having a developing roller for supplying a developer to the surface of a rotatable photosensitive drum and detachable from an image forming apparatus main body using an electrophotographic process, the developing roller is configured to perform the above-described reproduction development. Those using a roller are preferred .

  Any electrophotographic process cartridge may be used as long as it has a developing roller and is detachably provided to the main body of the image forming apparatus. As an example, in the image forming apparatus of FIG. 6, the charging roller 10, the photosensitive drum 11, the developing roller 12, the toner supply roller 13, the developing blade 14, and the stirring blade are integrally provided. The thing which can be attached or detached to a main body can be mentioned. Further, at least one of a developer container 18 containing toner, a transfer roller 19 and a cleaning blade may be further included and held integrally so as to be detachable from the image forming apparatus.

Although the manufacturing method of the reproduction | regeneration elastic roller of this invention is demonstrated concretely below in detail, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to these. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, “parts” means “parts by mass”.

[ Reference Example 1]
[Preparation of elastic roller]
[Preparation of elastic layer]
A primer (DY39-051, manufactured by Dow Corning Toray) was applied to the surface of a free-cutting steel shaft core having a diameter of 6 mm and a length of 250 mm for the purpose of improving adhesiveness with silicone rubber, and at a temperature of 150 ° C. Baking was performed for 30 minutes. 100 parts of dimethylpolysiloxane having a viscosity of 100 Pa · s with vinyl groups substituted at both ends, 7 parts of quartz powder (Min-USil: manufactured by Pennsylvania Glass Sand) as filler, carbon black (Denka black (powdered product)): A mixture of 10 parts (manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo) was used as the base material for the liquid silicone rubber. This base material contains a trace amount of a platinum compound as a curing catalyst, and an organohydrogenpolysiloxane (1.1 mol of SiH group per 1 mol of vinyl group contained in the dimethylpolysiloxane substituted with the vinyl group). A mixture of 3 parts was mixed at a mass ratio of 1: 1 to obtain a liquid silicone rubber. A shaft core is placed in the center of the cylindrical mold, and this liquid silicone rubber is injected into the cylindrical mold from the injection port, cured by heating at a temperature of 130 ° C. for 20 minutes, and further at a temperature of 200 ° C. for 4 hours. An elastic layer having a thickness of 3 mm was formed by post-curing.

[Preparation of resin layer]
To 100 parts by mass of polytetramethylene glycol (PTG1000SN: manufactured by Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.), 23 parts by mass of an isocyanate compound (Millionate MT: manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) were mixed stepwise in methyl ethyl ketone, and the temperature was 80 ° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere. And a polyether polyol having a weight average molecular weight Mw = 11000 and a hydroxyl value of 20 was obtained. Methyl ethyl ketone was added to 100 parts of the obtained polyether polyol, 42 parts of urethane-modified polymeric MDI (Coronate 2520: manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) and 20 parts of carbon black (MA-100: manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation). After being dispersed and rotated by a ball mill for 5 hours, 16 parts of urethane fine particles having an average particle diameter of 10 μm were added and again dispersed and rotated for 1 hour. An elastic layer exposed to 90 mJ / cm ² with an excimer lamp is immersed in this solution to form a coating film. After air drying, heat treatment is performed at 140 ° C. for 4 hours to form a polyurethane resin layer having a thickness of 20 μm, A developing roller was obtained.

A sheet of the resin layer alone was prepared, and the elastic modulus E ′ was measured at a frequency of 10 Hz and a temperature of 20 ° C. using a dynamic viscoelasticity measuring apparatus (DVA-220: manufactured by IT Measurement Control Co., Ltd.). It was 5.5 × 10 ⁷ Pa.

[Toner Preparation]
3.8 parts of tricalcium phosphate was added to 1125 parts of ion-exchanged water heated to a temperature of 60 ° C., and stirred at 10,000 rpm using a TK homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.) to prepare an aqueous medium. On the other hand, 100 parts of styrene, 25 parts of n-butyl acrylate, 1.3 parts of divinylbenzene, 11.3 parts of ester wax mainly composed of stearyl stearate, 8.8 parts of saturated polyester resin, 1.3 parts of aluminum salicylate compound, After heating 8.8 parts of carbon black to a temperature of 60 ° C., the mixture was stirred and dispersed at 9000 rpm using a TK homomixer. To this was added 6.3 parts of a polymerization initiator 2, 2′-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) to prepare a polymerizable monomer composition. The polymerizable monomer composition was added to an aqueous medium, and granulated by stirring at 8000 rpm using a TK homomixer at a temperature of 60 ° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere. While stirring with a paddle stirring blade, a polymerization reaction was carried out at a temperature of 60 ° C. for 8 hours to produce polymer particles. After completion of the reaction, the suspension containing the polymer particles was cooled to room temperature. Hydrochloric acid was added to the cooled suspension to dissolve the calcium phosphate salt, followed by filtration, washing and drying to obtain colored particles. 100 parts of the colored particles and 0.7 part of hydrophobic silica were mixed with a Henschel mixer (manufactured by Mitsui Miike Chemical Co., Ltd.) to obtain a toner having a volume average particle diameter of 7.5 μm. The minute compression strength of this toner was measured and found to be 1.0 kg / mm ² .

[Toner sticking formation]
The elastic roller was incorporated into a cartridge as a developing roller of a laser beam printer for A4 plate output, recording medium output speed A4 length 16 sheets / min, and image resolution 600 dpi, and the cartridge was mounted on the laser beam printer main body. With the obtained toner, an image that draws a horizontal line with a width of 2 dots and an interval of 50 dots was continuously output 10,000 sheets that are longer than the normal lifetime, and a large amount of toner was intentionally fixed on the surface of the developing roller. .

[Preparation of regenerative elastic roller]
The developing roller to which the toner was fixed was attached to the regenerative elastic roller manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 3, and the dry ice jet nozzle was set at a distance of 5 cm so as to face the rotation center of the developing roller. The developing roller is rotated at 60 rpm, and the dry ice spray nozzle is reciprocated at a speed of 0.5 cm / s in the longitudinal direction of the developing roller while dry ice having a particle diameter of 0.1 mm is sprayed at a pressure of 2 × 10 ⁵ Pa. Sprayed for 1 minute.

[Evaluation of recycled elastic roller]
[Toner removal]
The regeneration developing roller was evaluated based on the amount of toner remaining on the regeneration developing roller. The difference between the reflection density when the toner remaining on the reproduction developing roller is peeled off with a Scotch mending tape manufactured by Sumitomo 3M and attached to a white paper, and the reflection density of the mending tape affixed to the white paper The dry ice was sprayed until the value became 0.01 or less. The reflection density was measured using a reflection densitometer RD-918 manufactured by Macbeth Co., Ltd., and the average of these was taken as the reflection density. Then, when the spray time of dry ice was less than 2 minutes, 、 ２ when 2 minutes or more and less than 5 minutes, and when 5 minutes passed, the difference in reflection density did not become 0.01 or less. The results are shown in Table 1.

[Surface damage observation]
The damaged state of the surface of the regenerated developing roller after spraying dry ice was visually observed. The level at which the surface was not scratched or peeled off was rated as ◯, and the level at which even a slight scratch or a part of the surface was destroyed was rated as x. The results are shown in Table 1.

[ Reference Example 2]
A developing roller was produced in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 except that the resin layer was not provided. The elastic modulus E ′ of the elastic layer was 1.0 × 10 ⁶ Pa.

First, 3.5 parts of tricalcium phosphate was added to 1062 parts of ion-exchanged water, and an aqueous medium was prepared in the same manner as in Reference Example 1. 100 parts of styrene, 18 parts of n-butyl acrylate, 3.0 parts of divinylbenzene, 6.5 parts of ester wax mainly composed of stearyl stearate, 8.3 parts of saturated polyester resin, 1.2 parts of aluminum salicylate compound, carbon black After 5.9 parts of 2,2′-azobis (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) was added to 8.3 parts to prepare a polymerizable monomer composition, the toner was prepared in the same manner as in Reference Example 1. Obtained. The toner had a volume average particle diameter of 7.7 μm and a microcompression strength of 1.2 kg / mm ² .

In the same manner as in Reference Example 1 using the obtained developing roller and toner, after forming toner on the developing roller, a regenerating roller was prepared, the regenerating roller was evaluated, and the surface damage state was observed. . The results are shown in Table 1.

[ Reference Example 3]
Instead of 100 parts by mass of polytetramethylene glycol (PTG1000SN: manufactured by Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.) as a resin layer, 23 parts by mass of an isocyanate compound (Millionate MT: manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) was mixed stepwise in methyl ethyl ketone. , 100 parts of polyester polyol (P-1011: manufactured by Kuraray Co., Ltd.), 215 parts of urethane-modified polymeric MDI (Coronate 2520: manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.), 30 parts of carbon black (MA-100: manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation) A developing roller was produced in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 except that this was the case . A sheet was produced with the resin layer alone, and its elastic modulus E ′ was measured to be 1.0 × 10 ⁸ Pa.

A toner was obtained in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 except that 1.3 parts of the addition amount of divinylbenzene was changed to 0.3 parts. The toner had a volume average particle size of 8.0 μm and a minute compression strength of 0.5 kg / mm ² .

In the same manner as in Reference Example 1 using the obtained developing roller and toner, after forming toner on the developing roller, a regenerating roller was prepared, the regenerating roller was evaluated, and the surface damage state was observed. . The results are shown in Table 1.

[ Reference Example 4]
In the same manner as in Reference Example 1, a developing roller and a toner were prepared, and the toner was formed on the surface of the developing roller. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7, the developing roller having toner formed on the surface is fixed without rotating, and the developing roller 2 is the center, and six spray nozzles 1 are set at a distance of 5 cm from the developing roller every 60 °. Installed at a distance. A regenerative developing roller was prepared in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 except that dry ice having a particle size of 0.1 mm was jetted for 2 minutes while reciprocating these jet nozzles at a speed of 2 cm / s in the longitudinal direction of the developing roller. The reproduction / development roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Reference Example 1, and the damaged state of the surface was observed. The results are shown in Table 1.

[ Reference Example 5]
In the same manner as in Reference Example 1, a developing roller and a toner were prepared, and the toner was formed on the surface of the developing roller. A reproduction developing roller was prepared in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 except that the particle size of dry ice sprayed on the developing roller was changed to 0.1 mm instead of 0.1 mm, and the reproduction developing roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Reference Example 1. The surface damage state was observed. The results are shown in Table 1.

[ Reference Example 6]
In the same manner as in Reference Example 1, a developing roller and a toner were prepared, and the toner was formed on the surface of the developing roller. A reproduction developing roller was prepared in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 except that the particle size of the dry ice sprayed onto the developing roller was changed to 0.1 mm and changed to 0.05 mm, and the reproduction developing roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Reference Example 1. The surface damage state was observed. The results are shown in Table 1.

[ Reference Example 7]
In the same manner as in Reference Example 1, a developing roller and a toner were prepared, and the toner was formed on the surface of the developing roller. A reproduction developing roller was prepared in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 except that the particle size of dry ice sprayed on the developing roller was changed to 0.1 mm instead of 4.0 mm, and the reproduction developing roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Reference Example 1. The surface damage state was observed. The results are shown in Table 1.

[ Reference Example 8]
In the same manner as in Reference Example 1, a developing roller and a toner were prepared, and the toner was formed on the surface of the developing roller. A regenerated developing roller was prepared in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 except that dry ice was sprayed while heating the developing roller to a temperature of 70 ° C. with a near infrared heater using the regenerated elastic roller manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. . The reproduction / development roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Reference Example 1, and the damaged state of the surface was observed. The results are shown in Table 1.

[ Reference Example 9]
In the same manner as in Reference Example 1, a developing roller and a toner were prepared, and the toner was formed on the surface of the developing roller. A regenerative developing roller was prepared in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 except that dry ice was sprayed while the developing roller was heated to a temperature of 100 ° C. with a near infrared heater using the regenerative elastic roller manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. . The reproduction / development roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Reference Example 1, and the damaged state of the surface was observed. The results are shown in Table 1.

[ Reference Example 10]
In the same manner as in Reference Example 1, a developing roller and a toner were prepared, and the toner was formed on the surface of the developing roller. A regenerative developing roller was prepared in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 except that dry ice was sprayed while the developing roller was heated to 120 ° C. with a near infrared heater using the regenerative elastic roller manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. . The reproduction / development roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Reference Example 1, and the damaged state of the surface was observed. The results are shown in Table 1.

[Example 1 ]
In the same manner as in Reference Example 1, a developing roller and a toner were prepared, and the toner was formed on the surface of the developing roller. Using the regenerative elastic roller manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 5, the regenerative development roller was used in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 except that water was uniformly attached to the surface of the development roller and then sprayed with dry ice. Prepared. The reproduction / development roller was evaluated in the same manner as in Reference Example 1, and the damaged state of the surface was observed. The results are shown in Table 1.

[ Reference Example 12]
To 100 parts by mass of polytetramethylene glycol (PTG1000SN: manufactured by Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.), 23 parts by mass of an isocyanate compound (Millionate MT: manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) were mixed stepwise in methyl ethyl ketone, and the temperature was 80 ° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere. And a polyether polyol having a weight average molecular weight Mw = 11000 and a hydroxyl value of 20 was obtained. 100 parts of the obtained polyether polyol, 2.6 parts of acrylic polyol (UME-2005: manufactured by Soken Chemical Co., Ltd.), 40 parts of urethane-modified polymeric MDI (Coronate 2520: manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.), carbon black (MA-100: Methyl ethyl ketone was added to 17 parts of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation. After being dispersed and rotated by a ball mill for 5 hours, 16 parts of urethane fine particles having an average particle diameter of 10 μm were added and again dispersed and rotated for 1 hour. This solution was exposed to 90 mJ / cm ² with an excimer lamp, and an elastic layer produced in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 was immersed to form a coating film. After air drying, the thickness of the resin layer was increased by heat treatment at 140 ° C. for 4 hours. A 20 μm polyurethane resin layer was molded to produce a developing roller. A sheet was produced with the resin layer alone, and its elastic modulus E ′ was measured and found to be 2.6 × 10 ⁷ Pa.

In the same manner as in Reference Example 1, after toner was formed on the developing roller, a regenerating roller was prepared, the regenerating roller was evaluated, and the surface damage state was observed. The results are shown in Table 1.

[ Reference Example 13]
As an elastic layer, 100 parts of dimethylpolysiloxane having a viscosity of 200 Pa · s substituted with vinyl groups at both ends, 7 parts of quartz powder (Min-USil: manufactured by Pennsylvania Glass Sand) as filler, carbon black (Denka black (powder) A product obtained by blending 10 parts) (manufactured by Denki Kagaku Kogyo Co., Ltd.) was used as the base material of the liquid silicone rubber. In this base material, a trace amount of a platinum compound as a curing catalyst and an organohydrogenpolysiloxane (1.1 mol of SiH group per 1 mol of vinyl group contained in dimethylpolysiloxane substituted with the vinyl group) and qs) mass obtained by blending 1.6 parts ratio 1: except for using mixed liquid silicone rubber in one molding the elastic layer in the same manner as in reference example 1, the outer without the resin layer reference example A developing roller was prepared in the same manner as in 1. A sheet was produced with a single elastic layer, and its elastic modulus E ′ was measured to be 8.3 × 10 ⁵ Pa.

Using the toner prepared in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 and using the obtained developing roller and toner in the same manner as in Reference Example 1, after forming the toner on the developing roller, a regenerating roller is prepared, and the regenerating roller is evaluated. The surface damage state was observed. The results are shown in Table 1.

[ Reference Example 14]
Methyl ethyl ketone was added to 100 parts of acrylic polyol (Hitaroid 3368: manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), 57 parts of urethane-modified polymeric MDI (Coronate 2520: manufactured by Nippon Polyurethane Industry Co., Ltd.) and 16 parts of carbon black (MA-100: manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation). . After being dispersed and rotated by a ball mill for 5 hours, 18 parts of urethane fine particles having an average particle diameter of 10 μm were added and again dispersed and rotated for 1 hour. An elastic layer of Reference Example 1 exposed to 90 mJ / cm ² with an excimer lamp was immersed in this solution to form a coating film. After air drying, a polyurethane resin layer having a thickness of 18 μm was formed by heat treatment at 140 ° C. for 4 hours. Thus, a developing roller was obtained. A sheet was produced with the resin layer alone, and its elastic modulus E ′ was measured to be 2.1 × 10 ⁹ Pa.

Similarly to Reference Example 1, after toner was formed on the developing roller, a regenerating roller was prepared, the regenerating roller was evaluated, and the damaged state of the surface was observed. The results are shown in Table 1.

[Comparative Example 1]
Using the same developing roller and toner as in Reference Example 1, toner was formed on the developing roller as in Reference Example 1. Thereafter, a reproduction developing roller was prepared in the same manner as in Reference Example 1 except that zirconia # 120 (ZIRBLAST B-120: manufactured by SEPR) was used in place of dry ice to remove the toner on the developing roller, and reproduction development was performed. The roller was evaluated and the damage state of the surface was observed. The results are shown in Table 2.

  Also from the results, the regenerative elastic roller obtained by the method for producing a regenerative elastic roller of the present invention can be used as the elastic roller of the image forming apparatus, and the resources can be effectively used.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the elastic roller used for the manufacturing method of the reproduction | regeneration elastic roller of this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows an example of the elastic roller used for the manufacturing method of the reproduction | regeneration elastic roller of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows an example of the reproduction | regeneration elastic roller manufacturing apparatus to which the manufacturing method of the reproduction | regeneration elastic roller of this invention is applied. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the other example of the reproduction | regeneration elastic roller manufacturing apparatus to which the manufacturing method of the reproduction | regeneration elastic roller of this invention is applied. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the other example of the reproduction | regeneration elastic roller manufacturing apparatus to which the manufacturing method of the reproduction | regeneration elastic roller of this invention is applied. It is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of images forming apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the other example of the reproduction | regeneration elastic roller manufacturing apparatus to which the manufacturing method of the reproduction | regeneration elastic roller of this invention is applied.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Injection nozzle 2 Elastic roller 3 Cylinder 4 Motor 5 Heat source 6 Sprayer 7 Shaft core body 8 Elastic layer 9 Resin layer 10 Charging roller 11 Photosensitive drum 12 Developing roller (reproduction elastic roller)
13 Toner supply roller 14 Developing blade 15 Toner 16 Recording material 17 Exposure 18 Developer container 19 Transfer roller 20 Fixing roller 21 Pressure roller 22 Cleaning blade 23 Collected toner container

Claims (6)

The elastic layer is perforated around the mandrel and the mandrel, and the elastic modulus of the surface is attached to the elastic roller surface is 1 × range of 10 ⁸ Pa or more 1 × 10 ⁶ Pa, small compressive strength Is a method for producing a regenerative elastic roller that removes toner in a range of 0.5 kg / mm ² or more and 1.2 kg / mm ² or less ,
(1) attaching water to the surface of the toner attached to the surface of the elastic roller;
(2) A method for producing a regenerative elastic roller, comprising the step of spraying sublimable particles onto the surface of the elastic roller to which the toner having water adhering to the surface adheres .   The method for producing a regenerative elastic roller according to claim 1, wherein the sublimable particles are dry ice.   3. The method for producing a regenerative elastic roller according to claim 2, wherein the dry ice has an average particle diameter in the range of 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm. The method for producing a regenerative elastic roller according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the elastic roller is rotated. The method for producing a regenerative elastic roller according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the elastic roller contains silicone rubber in the elastic layer. The regenerative elasticity according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the elastic roller includes one or more of an ether urethane resin, a polyester urethane resin, and an acrylic urethane resin on a surface thereof. production how of the roller.

Images