JP6893771B2 - Rollers for image forming equipment and their manufacturing methods - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a roller used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a printer, and a method for manufacturing the same.

Various rollers having a cleaning function, such as a toner supply roller and a cleaning roller, are used in an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine and a printer.

FIG. 8 shows an outline of the image forming apparatus portion. In the image forming apparatus portion, the developing roller 73 and the charging roller 77 come into contact with the image forming body (photoreceptor drum) 71 and rotate, and the recording medium (paper) P and the belt 76 are sandwiched between the image forming body 71. The transfer roller 75 is configured to rotate.

The image forming apparatus supplies toner to the surface of the developing roller 73 via the toner supply roller 72 by rotating the toner supply roller 72, which rotates in contact with the developing roller 73, in contact with the toner. Then, after making the toner layer on the surface of the developing roller 73 uniform by the toner layer regulating blade 74, the toner on the surface of the developing roller 73 is adhered to the latent image on the image forming body 71, and the image forming body 71 is attached. By generating an electric field between the transfer roller 75 and the transfer roller 75, the toner adhering to the latent image on the image forming body 71 is transferred to the recording medium P.

The image forming apparatus such as the copying machine has a cleaning roller 78 for the image forming body (photoreceptor drum) 71, a cleaning roller 79 for the charging roller 77, and a cleaning roller 81 for the intermediate transfer belt. It is provided as a roller. The roller is configured to scrape off fine particles such as toner adhering to the cleaning target portion by rotating in contact with the cleaning target portion.

As a roller of a copying machine, there is one in which a strip-shaped (string-shaped) elastic foam is spirally wound around the outer peripheral surface of the shaft in one direction. The strip-shaped elastic foam is a strip-shaped elastic foam having an open cell structure formed by slicing and cutting, and has an exposed cut surface with open pores on the entire surface (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

However, a conventional cleaning roller in which a strip-shaped elastic foam is spirally wound around the outer circumference of the shaft in one direction may not be able to scrape off fine toner unless the roller rotates several times. By increasing the number of turns of one spiral or by increasing the number of spirals to be wound, the number of spirals can be increased and the scraping property can be improved. Since there is a physical limit to the number of spirals of the above, if the strip-shaped elastic body is wound in a spiral shape, there is a problem that the scraping property cannot be sufficiently improved.

Further, there is a roller in which a woven cloth is wound around the surface of a cylindrical sponge (Patent Document 3). However, the roller around which the woven fabric is wound has a problem that the toner scraping property is low because only a fine texture is present on the surface of the woven fabric and there is no portion that becomes an edge. Further, since the woven fabric becomes discontinuous at the joint portion of the woven fabric that has been made to go around, there is a problem that the scraping property of the toner is lowered.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-177733 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-103641 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-85689

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a roller for an image forming apparatus having excellent toner scraping property and a method for manufacturing the same.

The first invention relates to a roller for an image forming apparatus, which comprises a shaft and a net-like resin layer provided on the outer periphery of the shaft. The net shape is a pattern in which closed figures having three or more sides continuously cover the outer peripheral surface of the shaft. More specifically, it is preferable that the pattern is a mesh pattern in which meandering curves face each other and are in contact with each other.

The second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention , the net-like resin layer is made of an active energy ray-curable resin cured by a polymerization reaction with radicals.

The third invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention , the foamed resin layer is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft, and the net-like resin layer is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the foamed resin layer. To do.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a roller for an image forming apparatus, which comprises a shaft and a mesh-like resin layer provided on the outer periphery of the shaft, in a state where the shaft is rotated in the circumferential direction, and one end side of the shaft. The first coating step of discharging the uncured active energy ray-curable resin from the nozzle to the outer periphery of the shaft and applying it in a spiral manner while moving the nozzle from the other end to the other end, and in a state where the shaft is rotated. While moving the nozzle from the other end side of the shaft to the one end side, the uncured active energy ray-curable resin is discharged from the nozzle to the outer periphery of the shaft and applied in a spiral shape. A net-like uncured resin layer formed by intersecting the uncured active energy ray-cured resin of No. 1 and the spiral uncured active energy ray-cured resin applied in the first coating step is formed on the outer periphery of the shaft. A second coating step of forming, and a light irradiation step of forming a cured net-like resin layer on the outer periphery of the shaft by irradiating the net-like uncured resin layer with light to carry out a polymerization reaction by a radical.
It is characterized by including.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the fourth invention , the shaft has a foamed resin layer on the outer peripheral surface, and the first coating step and the second coating step are performed on the outer peripheral surface of the foamed resin layer. To do.

The sixth invention is characterized in that, in either the fourth or fifth invention , the rotation of the shaft in the first coating step and the rotation of the shaft in the second coating step have the same rotation direction. And.

According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the resin layer of reticulated provided on the outer periphery of the shaft can be scraped efficiently toner.

According to the third invention, since the mesh-like resin layer is provided on the outer periphery of the foamed resin layer provided on the outer periphery of the shaft, the nip amount as a roller can be increased by the elasticity of the foamed resin layer.

According to the fourth and fifth inventions, it is possible to easily obtain a roller for an image forming apparatus having good toner scraping property.

According to the sixth invention, it can be manufactured without switching the rotation direction of the shaft in the first coating step and the second coating step, and the roller for an image forming apparatus can be efficiently manufactured.

It is a schematic perspective view of the roller for an image forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged front view of the central part of FIG. It is a schematic perspective view of the roller for an image forming apparatus which concerns on another embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged front view near one end part of FIG. It is the schematic which shows the manufacturing process of the roller for an image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. It is the schematic which shows the manufacturing process of the roller for an image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. It is a table which shows the measurement result of an Example and a comparative example. It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the image forming apparatus part.

The roller 10 for an image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is used as, for example, a cleaning roller 78 for an image forming body, a cleaning roller 79 for a charging roller, a cleaning roller 81 for an intermediate transfer belt, and the like shown in FIG. It is suitable for scraping off fine particles such as toner in the cleaning target portion by rotating in contact with the cleaning target portion such as the body.

The image forming apparatus roller 10 is composed of a shaft 11 and a net-like resin layer 21 provided on the outer periphery of the shaft 11, and is driven or driven to rotate when the cleaning target portion is cleaned.
The driven rotation is a rotation method for rotating the image forming apparatus roller 10 by friction with the cleaning target portion.
On the other hand, in the drive rotation, a gear (gear) that meshes with each other is provided on the rotation shaft of the cleaning target portion and the shaft 11 of the image forming apparatus roller 10, the cleaning target portion is rotated, and the image is formed via the gear. This is a rotation method for rotating the device roller 10.
In the case of the driven rotation, the peripheral speed ratio between the cleaning target portion and the image forming apparatus roller 10 is 1: 1.
On the other hand, in the case of the drive rotation, the peripheral speeds of the cleaning target portion and the image forming apparatus roller 10 can be made different depending on the combination of the gears, and the cleaning effect can be enhanced.
The peripheral speed ratio of the image forming apparatus roller 10 to the cleaning target portion in the drive rotation is preferably about 1: 0.5 to 1: 1.4. Reference numeral L1 indicates the length direction (axial direction) of the shaft 11, and R1 indicates one direction in the circumferential direction.

The shaft 11 is made of a rod-shaped body made of metal, resin, or the like. Examples of the metal include free-cutting steel and the like. On the other hand, examples of the resin include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane and the like. Further, in the case of a resin shaft, carbon fiber or glass fiber may be blended in order to increase the strength. Further, the surface of the shaft 11 on which the net-like resin layer 21 is provided may be sanded so that the net-like resin layer 21 can be easily adhered. The dimensions of the shaft 11 are a length and a diameter depending on the device to which the roller 10 for an image forming apparatus is attached, and examples thereof include a general length of 226 to 350 mm and a diameter of 3 to 8 mm.

The net-like resin layer 21 is obtained by applying a net-like resin to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 11 and curing the resin. The net-like resin layer 21 has a shape in which unfoamed solid linear objects intersect. Further, the mesh-like resin layer 21 is opened at the portion of the mesh 25, and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 11 is exposed. This resin layer may be either foamed or unfoamed, but unfoamed is preferable in order to obtain dimensional accuracy for forming a net-like structure.
The width and height (thickness) of the resin portion 23 in the net-like resin layer 21 are appropriately set. As an example, the width W1 of the resin portion 23 is 0.1 to 4.0 mm, and the thickness (height) H1 is 0.1 to 0.5 mm.

It is desirable that the intersection 27 in the resin portion 23 is equal in thickness to the other resin portions and the swelling is eliminated at the intersection 27 in order to improve the scraping property of the toner. The position of the intersection 27 is not limited to a straight line along the length direction L1 of the shaft 11. For example, the intersections 27 may be located on the outer circumference of the shaft 11 along a spiral at regular intervals or at irregular intervals.

The distance between the resin portions 23 along the length direction of the shaft 11 is appropriately set, but 0.1 to 5.0 mm is preferable in order to improve the scraping property of the toner. By exposing the outer peripheral surface of the shaft in this way, the resin portion 23 forms a convex portion, and the toner can be scraped off by the convex portion.
Note that X11 is the distance between the resin portions 231 inclined in one direction with respect to the shaft 11, and X12 is the distance between the resin portions 232 inclined in the other direction. Further, α11 is an angle of the resin portion 231 inclined in one direction with respect to the shaft 11, and α12 is an angle of the resin portion 232 inclined in the other direction with respect to the shaft 11. Reference numeral C1 is the axis center line of the shaft 11.

The resin constituting the net-like resin layer 21 is made of an active energy ray-curable resin cured by a polymerization reaction with radicals. The active energy ray-curable resin is not particularly limited, but is an adhesive resin having a viscosity that can maintain the applied state (difficult to drip) when it is discharged from a nozzle to the outer periphery of the shaft 11 in an uncured state and applied spirally. Is preferable. The viscosity (JIS K7117-2) is preferably 3 to 200 Pa · s.

Examples of the active energy ray-curable resin include an active energy ray-curable urethane acrylate resin.
The resin that is polymerized and cured by the active energy rays of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it can be polymerized by the active energy rays (ultraviolet rays, electron beams, etc.), and can be appropriately selected depending on the intended purpose.
Specifically, it is a radically polymerizable polymerizable compound, that is, a compound having a photopolymerizable functional group, and the compound having a photopolymerizable functional group is a compound having photoradical polymerizable property or a compound having photocationic polymerizable property. And so on. A compound having an ethylenically unsaturated group ((meth) acryloyl group, vinyl group, allyl group, etc.) that can be cured with a photopolymerization initiator that generates radicals; a cyclic that can be cured with a photoacid generator that generates acid. There are ether groups (epoxide groups, oxetane groups, etc.). In addition, in this specification, (meth) acrylate means at least one of acrylate and methacrylate, and (meth) acrylic means at least one of acrylic and methacryl.
Examples of the active energy ray-curable urethane acrylate resin include a urethane prepolymer having a terminal functional group formed on at least one of an allyl ether group and a vinyl ether group, a polythiol having a thiol group, a tackifier, and more preferably. Examples thereof include a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition containing an active energy ray polymerization initiator. Further, the resin constituting the net-like resin layer 21 may be blended with a conductive agent to enhance the conductivity. As for the active energy ray-curable resin of the present invention, a thixotropic paint or a composition for three-dimensional molding is more preferable in order to improve molding accuracy and shapeability. Furthermore, it is more preferable that there is no solvent because it does not contaminate other modules such as the photoconductor and transfer the plasticizer and the like.

3 and 4 show rollers 10A for an image forming apparatus according to another embodiment. Reference numeral L2 indicates the length direction (axial direction) of the shaft 11A, and R2 indicates one direction in the circumferential direction. Reference numeral C2 is the axis center line of the shaft 11A. The image forming apparatus roller 10A is the same as the image forming apparatus roller 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the image forming body cleaning roller 78, the charging roller cleaning roller 79, or the charging roller cleaning roller 79 shown in FIG. It is used as a cleaning roller 81 or the like for an intermediate transfer belt, and scrapes fine particles such as toner in the cleaning target portion by rotating in contact with the cleaning target portion such as an image forming body.

The image forming apparatus roller 10A has a structure in which a foamed resin layer 31A is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 11A, and a net-like resin layer 21A is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the foamed resin layer 31A. Reference numeral L2 indicates the length direction (axial direction) of the shaft 11A, and R2 indicates one direction in the circumferential direction. The shaft 11A and the net-like resin layer 21A are the same as the shaft 11 and the net-like resin layer 21 of the image forming apparatus roller 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

By interposing the foamed resin layer 31A between the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 11A and the net-like foamed resin layer 21A, a nip effect due to contact between the rolls can be obtained.
The foam constituting the foamed resin layer 31A is not particularly limited. For example, urethane resin foam, polyethylene resin foam, polypropylene resin foam, polystyrene resin foam, (meth) acrylic resin foam, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin foam, rubber sponge and the like can be mentioned. Examples of the material of the rubber sponge include butadiene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, isoprene rubber, nitrile rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, and silicone rubber. Further, the foam constituting the foamed resin layer 31A may have either an open cell structure or a closed cell structure. Further, the foamed resin layer 31A may be either one having a skin layer on the surface or one having no skin layer. The thickness of the foamed resin layer 31A is preferably about 0.5 to 15 mm.

The method of forming the foamed resin layer 31A on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 11A is not particularly limited. For example, a shaft through hole penetrating between both ends is formed in a square rod-shaped foam, and the shaft 11A is inserted into the shaft through hole of the foam to fix the foam on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 11A, and then foam. There is a method of polishing the surface of the body to form a cylindrical foamed resin layer 31A. An adhesive is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 11A in advance. In the method of performing the polishing process, the surface of the foamed resin layer 31A has no skin layer. Further, as another method for forming the foamed resin layer 31A, there is a molding method in which the shaft 11A is set in a foam molding mold, a foaming raw material is injected, and the foamed resin layer 31A is foamed and formed on the outer periphery of the shaft 11A. is there. The foamed resin layer 31A formed by the molding has a skin layer on its surface. Further, the foamed resin layer 31A may be blended with a conductive agent to enhance the conductivity.

The net-like resin layer 21A is made of the same active energy ray-curable resin as the net-like resin layer 21 in the roller 10 for an image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The portion of the mesh 25A of the mesh-like resin layer 21A is open, and the surface of the foamed resin layer 31A is exposed. Further, the intersection 27A of the resin portion 23A in the net-like resin layer 21A is equal to the thickness of the other resin portions to eliminate the swelling at the intersection 27A, in order to improve the scraping property of the toner. Is desirable for. (See FIG. 4) The position of the intersection 27A is not limited to a straight line along the length direction L2 of the shaft 11A. For example, the intersection 27A may be positioned on the outer circumference of the shaft 11A along a spiral at regular intervals or at irregular intervals. In order to make the intervals of such intersections 27A irregular, as an example, the pitch of the resin layer 21A in the outward path during molding and the pitch of the resin layer 21B in the return path may be varied.

The width W2, height (thickness) H2 of the resin portion 23A and the intervals X21 and X22 of the resin portion in the net-like resin layer 21A are the net-like resin layer of the image forming apparatus roller 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is the same as the width W1 and height (thickness) H1 of the resin portion 23 in 21 and the intervals X11 and X12 of the resin portions. The resin portion 231A shown in FIG. 4 is a resin portion inclined in one direction with respect to the shaft 11A, and the X21 is an interval between the resin portions 231A. On the other hand, the resin portion 232A is a resin portion inclined in the other direction, and the X22 is an interval between the resin portions 232A. Further, α21 is an angle of the resin portion 231A inclined in one direction with respect to the shaft 11A, and α22 is an angle of the resin portion 232A inclined in the other direction with respect to the shaft 11A.

An example of a method for manufacturing the roller 10 for an image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described. The method for manufacturing the roller 10A for an image forming apparatus includes a first coating step, a second coating step, and a light irradiation step.
In the first coating step, as shown in FIGS. 5 (5-1) to (5-3), the shaft 11 is held horizontally and the shaft 11 is rotated in one direction R1 in the circumferential direction. While moving the nozzle N1 from one end side to the other end side of the shaft 11 in parallel with the shaft 11, the uncured active energy ray-curable resin K1 is discharged from the nozzle N1 to the outer periphery of the shaft 11. Apply in a spiral.

To rotate the shaft 11, both ends of the shaft 11 are attached to a rotating device (not shown) and rotated in one direction R1 at a constant speed. The rotating device is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a structure in which one end of the shaft 11 is rotatably held and the other end is gripped by a chuck device or the like and rotated by a drive motor.

The nozzle N1 is an uncured active energy ray-curable resin discharge nozzle, and is connected to a resin supply device (not shown). The resin supply device heats an uncured active energy ray-curable resin to a predetermined temperature and supplies it to the nozzle N1. For example, in JIS Z 8762 (flow rate measuring method by a circular conduit drawing mechanism). Compliant nozzles and the like can be mentioned. The diameter of the nozzle N1 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include 0.1 to 4 mm. Further, for the movement of the nozzle N1, for example, a rail is provided above the shaft 11 in parallel with the shaft 11, and a moving portion that is reciprocated by a drive motor from one end side to the other end side of the shaft 11 is provided on the rail. The nozzle N1 is attached to the moving portion so that the discharge port faces the shaft 11, and the moving portion is moved together with the nozzle N1.

The rotation speed of the shaft 11 in the first coating step, the moving speed of the nozzle N1, and the discharge amount of the active energy ray-curable resin K1 from the nozzle N1 are the diameter of the shaft 11 and the net-like structure shown in FIG. It is set according to the width W1 of the resin portion, the thickness (height) H1, the interval X11 of the resin portion, and the like in the resin layer 21. For example, the rotation speed of the shaft 11 is 5 to 300 rpm, the moving speed of the nozzle N1 is 1 to 120 mm / sec, and the discharge amount of the active energy ray-curable resin K1 from the nozzle N1 is 0.03 to 5 g / sec.

In the second coating step, as shown in (5-3) to (5-5) of FIG. 5, the shaft 11 is maintained horizontally and the shaft 11 is rotated in one direction R1 in the circumferential direction. While moving (returning) the nozzle N1 from the other end side of the shaft 11 to the one end side in parallel with the shaft 11, the uncured active energy ray-curable resin K2 is moved from the nozzle N1 to the outer periphery of the shaft 11. The spiral uncured active energy ray-curable resin K2 applied in the first coating step intersects with the spiral uncured active energy ray-curable resin K1 applied in a spiral manner. The net-like uncured resin layer 211 formed is formed on the outer periphery of the shaft 11. The uncured active energy ray-curable resin K1 discharged in the first coating step and the uncured active energy ray-curable resin K2 discharged in the second coating step are the same resin.

The rotation speed of the shaft 11 in the second coating step, the moving speed of the nozzle N1, and the discharge amount of the active energy ray-curable resin K2 from the nozzle N1 are the diameter of the shaft 11 and the net-like structure shown in FIG. The values are set to be the same as or different from those in the first coating step according to the width W1 of the resin portion, the thickness (height) H1 of the resin portion, the spacing X12 of the resin portions, and the like in the resin layer 21. Further, in the second coating step, the nozzle N1 is moved (returned) to one end side of the shaft 11 to complete the coating of the active energy ray-curable resin K2, and then the shaft 11 continues to rotate for a while. preferable. As a result, the swelling formed at the intersection of the uncured active energy ray-curable resin K1 applied in the first coating step and the uncured active energy ray-curable resin K2 applied in the second coating step is formed. , It can be reduced by the fluidity of the active energy ray-curable resins K1 and K2 in the uncured state.

In the light irradiation step, the net-like uncured resin layer 211 formed on the outer periphery of the shaft 11 is irradiated with light to carry out a polymerization reaction of the active energy ray-curable resin with radicals to cure the net-like uncured resin layer 211. The net-like resin layer 21 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is formed on the outer periphery of the shaft 11.
The irradiation of the light can be performed by the ECS-4011GX device manufactured by Eye Graphics. Further, the irradiation amount of light may be an irradiation amount at which the uncured active energy ray-curable resin is cured. For example, 600 to 1800 mJ / cm ² (365 nm integrated light intensity).

An example of a method for manufacturing the roller 10A for an image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 will be described. In the method for manufacturing the roller 10A for an image forming apparatus, after forming the foamed resin layer 31A on the outer periphery of the shaft 11A, a first coating step, a second coating step, and a light irradiation step are performed.

The foamed resin layer 31A is formed, for example, by inserting a shaft coated with an adhesive into a square rod-shaped foam and then polishing the surface of the foam to make it cylindrical, or by foaming the shaft. It can be carried out by molding by setting in a molding mold to foam the foam, or by other known methods.

In the first coating step, as shown in FIGS. 6 (6-1) to (6-3), one end side of the foamed resin layer 31A in a state where the shaft 11A is rotated in one direction R2 in the circumferential direction. While moving the nozzle N2 from the nozzle N2 to the other end side, the uncured active energy ray-curable resin K1A is spirally discharged from the nozzle N2 to the outer periphery of the foamed resin layer 31A and applied. The rotation of the shaft 11A is the same as that at the time of manufacturing the roller 10 for the image forming apparatus.

The nozzle N2 is an uncured active energy ray-curable resin discharge nozzle, and is connected to an uncured resin supply device (not shown) like the nozzle N1 shown in FIG. The movement of the uncured resin supply device and the nozzle N2 is the same as the production of the roller 10 for the image forming device.

The rotation speed of the shaft 11A, the moving speed of the nozzle N2, and the discharge amount of the active energy ray-curable resin K1A from the nozzle N2 in the first coating step are the resins in the net-like resin layer 21A shown in FIG. It is set according to the width W2 of the portion, the thickness (height) H2, the spacing X21 of the resin portion, and the like. For example, the rotation speed of the shaft 11A is 50 to 500 rpm, the moving speed of the nozzle N2 is 5 to 50 mm / sec, and the discharge amount of the active energy ray-curable resin K1A from the nozzle N2 is 0.03 to 5 g / sec.

In the second coating step, as shown in FIGS. 6-3 to 6-5, the other end of the foamed resin layer 31A is in a state where the shaft 11A is rotated in one direction R2 in the circumferential direction. While moving (returning) the nozzle N2 from the side to the one end side, the uncured active energy ray-curable resin K2A is spirally discharged from the nozzle N2 to the outer periphery of the foamed resin layer 31A to apply the coating. A net-like uncured resin layer 211A formed by intersecting the spiral uncured active energy ray-curable resin K2A and the spiral uncured active energy ray-curable resin K1A applied in the first coating step. Is formed on the outer periphery of the foamed resin layer 31A. The uncured active energy ray-curable resin K1A discharged in the first coating step and the uncured active energy ray-curable resin K2A discharged in the second coating step are the same resin.

The rotation speed of the shaft 11 in the second coating step, the moving speed of the nozzle N2, and the discharge amount of the active energy ray-curable resin K2A from the nozzle N2 are the resins in the net-like resin layer 21A shown in FIG. The values are set to be the same as or different from those in the first coating step according to the width W2 of the portion, the thickness (height) H2, the interval X22 of the resin portion, and the like.

In the light irradiation step, the net-like uncured resin layer 211A formed on the outer periphery of the foamed resin layer 31A is irradiated with light to carry out a polymerization reaction of the active energy ray-curable resin with radicals, whereby the net-like uncured resin layer is formed. The 211A is cured to form the net-like resin layer 21A shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 on the outer periphery of the foamed resin layer 31A. The irradiation of the light is the same as the production of the roller 10 for the image forming apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Further, in order to narrow the interval between the resin portions 23A, the first coating step is performed again after the second coating step, or the first coating step and the second coating step are repeated a plurality of times, and then. The roller 10A for the image forming apparatus may be manufactured by performing the light irradiation step.

(Modification example)
As a modified example of the roller for an image forming apparatus composed of a shaft and a net-like resin layer provided on the outer periphery of the shaft, the manufacturing method is as follows.
With the shaft rotated in the circumferential direction, while moving the nozzle from one end side to the other end side of the shaft, the uncured active energy ray-curable resin is discharged from the nozzle to the outer periphery of the shaft in a spiral shape. The first coating process to be applied to
The nozzle is returned to one end side, which is the coating start position of the first coating step.
In a state where the shaft is rotated in a direction opposite to the circumferential direction performed in the first coating step, the nozzle is moved from one end side to the other end side, which is the start position of the shaft. The second coating step of discharging the uncured active energy ray-curable resin to the outer periphery of the shaft and applying it spirally.
A light irradiation step of forming a cured net-like resin layer on the outer periphery of the shaft by irradiating the net-like uncured resin layer with light and causing a polymerization reaction by radicals.
It may be a method for manufacturing a roller for an image forming apparatus, which comprises the above.

Using the following shaft and the active energy ray-curable resin, a roller for an image forming apparatus of an example shown in the table of FIG. 7 was prepared according to the process of FIG. For the shaft, SUM23, a free-cutting steel having a length of 330 mm and whose surface was nickel-plated, was used. The diameter of the shaft in each embodiment is as shown in the table of FIG. As the active energy ray-curable resin, a solvent-free ultraviolet curable resin composition can be used, and techniques such as JP2013-189545 and JP2016-147994 can be used. The temperature and viscosity of the active energy ray-curable resin at the time of discharge are as shown in the table of FIG.

Examples 1 to 5 are examples of FIGS. 1 and 2 in which the active energy ray-curable resin is directly discharged (applied) to the outer periphery of the shaft. In each embodiment, no net-like resin layer was provided at both ends of the shaft, and the outer surface of the shaft was exposed.

The shaft was mounted horizontally on both ends of the shaft and rotated in one direction in the circumferential direction. A dispenser device was used to discharge (apply) the active energy ray-curable resin. The discharge nozzle of the active energy ray-curable resin was discharged and dropped while being held at a position vertically above the axis of the shaft, and was moved in parallel with the shaft. Moreover, the moving speed of the discharge nozzle is the same for both the outward route and the return route. The "outward route" indicates the case where the discharge nozzle is moved from one end side to the other end side of the shaft, that is, the cases (5-1) to (5-3) in FIG. 5, while the "return route" indicates the case where the discharge nozzle is moved to the shaft. The case of returning from the other end side to the one end side, that is, the case of (5-3) to (5-5) in FIG. 5 is shown. The "outward resin spacing" in the table of FIG. 7 is the spacing of the resins formed in a spiral shape by moving the discharge nozzle from one end side to the other end side of the shaft, and is the spacing X11 of the resin portions 231 in FIG. Corresponds to. On the other hand, the "return resin spacing" is the spacing of the resins formed spirally by returning the discharge nozzle from the other end side to the one end side of the shaft, and corresponds to the spacing X12 of the resin portions in FIG.

The "outward resin angle" is an angle with respect to the resin shaft formed spirally by moving the discharge nozzle from one end side to the other end side of the shaft, and is the axial center of the resin portion 231 and the shaft 11 in FIG. It corresponds to the angle α11 between the line C1 or the angle α21 between the resin portion 231A in FIG. 4 and the axis center line C2 of the shaft 11A. On the other hand, the "return resin angle" is an angle with respect to the resin shaft formed spirally by returning the discharge nozzle from the other end side to the one end side of the shaft, and is the axis center line C1 of the resin portion 232 and the shaft 11 in FIG. Corresponds to the angle α12 between the two, or the angle α22 between the resin portion 232A in FIG. 4 and the axis center line C2 of the shaft 11A. These resin angles are 5 to 85 degrees, preferably 10 to 20 degrees. As the resin angle increases, the distance between the intersections becomes shorter, the number of intersections crossing the axis center line increases, and the scraping performance deteriorates.

The "resin portion thickness" in the table of FIG. 7 corresponds to H1 in FIG. 2 or H2 in FIG. 4, and the "thickness of the intersection" in FIG. 7 corresponds to the thickness of the intersection 27 in FIG. 2 or in FIG. It corresponds to the thickness of the intersection 27A.

The discharge rate of the active energy ray-curable resin is 1 g / sec in all the examples. After applying the active energy ray-curable resin, the shaft was left in a rotating state for the time shown in the table of FIG. After the application of the active energy ray-curable resin, after the elapse of the leaving time, an ultraviolet irradiation machine was used to perform ultraviolet treatment with an irradiation intensity of 50 mW / cm2 to 200 mW / cm2 and a work load of 300 to 1500 mJ / cm2. ..

Examples 1 to 3 are examples in which the distance (pitch) between the center of the string width of the outward path and the return path is changed by changing the moving speed of the discharge nozzle and the rotating speed of the shaft during manufacturing.
Example 4 is an example in which the thickness of the intersection is made larger than that of Example 1 by shortening the leaving time after coating at the time of manufacturing and accelerating the light irradiation step.
Example 5 is an example in which the temperature at the time of discharging the active energy ray-curable resin is set to 40 ° C., which is lower than that of Example 1, and the viscosity of the active energy ray-curable resin is increased.

Moreover, the rollers for the image forming apparatus of Comparative Examples 1 to 4 were prepared. In Comparative Example 1, the moving speed of the discharge nozzle in Example 1 was slowed down, the rotation speed of the shaft was increased, the leaving time after coating was long, and the interval between the active energy ray-curable resins on the outward path and the return path was set to 0 mm. That is, it is an example in which the opening of the mesh is eliminated. Comparative Example 2 is an example in which a urethane resin foam having a thickness of 2 mm (without a skin layer, density 0.12 g / cm ³ ) was formed on the outer circumference of the shaft by polishing. Comparative Example 3 is an example in which a urethane resin foam having a thickness of 2 mm (with a skin layer and a density of 0.3 g / cm ³ ) is wound around the outer circumference of the shaft. In Comparative Example 4, a woven fabric (olefin-based core-sheath type bonding fiber (trade name nbf; manufactured by Daiwa Bo Co., Ltd.) as a heat-sealing fiber) was uniformly wound around the outer circumference of the shaft with a grain weight of 20 g / m2 and bonded. This is an example.

For Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Example 1, the outbound resin interval, the inbound resin interval, the resin portion thickness, and the intersection portion thickness were measured.

In addition, the average residual toner concentration and the residual toner concentration (Max-Min) were measured in the following procedures A to E for all the examples and all the comparative examples. The measurement results are shown at the bottom of the table in FIG.
A: Black toner is uniformly applied to the surface of a rubber roller having a diameter of 11.5 mm and a length of 340 mm to a thickness of 15 μm, and then a roller for a test image forming apparatus (Example, Comparative Example) has a bite amount of 0.12 mm. Set to and bring it into contact with the surface of the rubber roller.
In the state of B: A, the rubber roller is set to [peripheral speed of the rubber roller: peripheral speed of the roller for the test image forming apparatus = 1.4: 1], the rubber roller is rotated once, and the roller for the test image forming apparatus is drivenly rotated. Let me.
C: Repeat A → B three times and then perform B twice.
D: After that, a transparent tape is attached to the surface of the rubber roller to transfer the toner remaining on the surface of the rubber roller to the transparent tape. The concentration (residual toner concentration) was measured with a Macbeth densitometer (product name: RD-918, manufactured by Gretag Macbeth).
E: Calculate the average value of the measurement results at 5 points to calculate the average concentration of residual toner. Further, the residual toner concentration (Max-Min) is calculated by calculating the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the measurement results at five points.

In Examples 1 to 5, the values of the residual toner average concentration and the residual toner concentration (Max-Min) were small, and the toner scraping property (cleaning ability) was high. In particular, in Examples 1 and 3 in which the outbound resin interval and the inbound resin interval are 0.5 to 1.1 mm and the resin portion thickness and the intersection portion thickness are equal, the residual toner average concentration and the residual toner concentration (Max-Min) are measured. The value was smaller than that of the other examples, and the toner scraping property (cleaning ability) was excellent.

On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1 in which the outbound resin interval and the inbound resin interval were 0, the average concentration of residual toner was three times or more that of Examples 1 to 5, and the toner scraping property (cleaning ability) was significantly inferior. .. Further, Comparative Examples 2 and 3 in which the urethane foam was provided instead of the reticulated resin layer and Comparative Example 4 in which the woven cloth was provided instead of the reticulated resin layer had an average residual toner concentration as compared with Examples 1 to 5. Was about 1.3 to 6.0 times, and the scraping property (cleaning ability) of the toner was significantly inferior.
As described above, the roller for an image forming apparatus of the present invention is excellent in toner scraping property.

10, 10A Roller for image forming device 11, 11A Shaft 21, 21A Reticulated resin layer 23, 23A Resin part 25, 25A Ream 27, 27A Intersection 31A Foamed resin layer

Claims (3)

In a method for manufacturing a roller for an image forming apparatus, which comprises a shaft and a mesh-like resin layer provided on the outer periphery of the shaft.
With the shaft rotated in the circumferential direction, while moving the nozzle from one end side to the other end side of the shaft, the uncured active energy ray-curable resin is discharged from the nozzle to the outer periphery of the shaft in a spiral shape. The first coating process to be applied to
With the shaft rotated, while moving the nozzle from the other end side of the shaft to the one end side, the uncured active energy ray-curable resin is discharged from the nozzle to the outer periphery of the shaft in a spiral shape. A net-like uncured resin formed by crossing the coated spiral uncured active energy ray-curable resin and the spiral uncured active energy ray-cured resin applied in the first coating step. A second coating step of forming a resin layer on the outer periphery of the shaft, and
A light irradiation step of forming a cured net-like resin layer on the outer periphery of the shaft by irradiating the net-like uncured resin layer with light and causing a polymerization reaction by radicals.
A method for manufacturing a roller for an image forming apparatus, which comprises. The roller for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shaft has a foamed resin layer on an outer peripheral surface, and the first coating step and the second coating step are performed on the outer periphery of the foamed resin layer. Manufacturing method. The method for manufacturing a roller for an image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotation of the shaft in the first coating step and the rotation of the shaft in the second coating step have the same rotation direction. ..

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