JP3147594B2 - Rinse cleaning method for electrophotographic photoreceptor - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of rinsing a conductive substrate of an electrophotographic photosensitive member used for a photosensitive drum of an electrophotographic copying machine or a laser printer after washing it in an aqueous system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an electrophotographic photoreceptor is formed by applying or depositing a photoconductive layer made of a selenium-based material, amorphous silicon, an organic material, or the like on a conductive substrate made of aluminum or an alloy thereof. Have been. The most commonly used conductive substrate is a cylindrical metal drum. A cylindrical metal drum is made of a tube made of aluminum or the like. On the surface of the tube, metal powder generated in the cutting process, dust from the surrounding environment, oil used in the cutting process, and the tube after the cutting process are used. Oil used to protect the surface is attached. When an electrophotographic photoreceptor is formed by applying a photosensitive layer to such a tube, the deposits on the surface of the tube adversely affect the image characteristics of the photoreceptor. For this reason, the conductive substrate is washed before coating or vapor deposition in order to apply the coating liquid to a uniform thickness or to make the vapor deposition uniform, so that metal powder or oils and fats adhered to the surface are removed. Foreign matter is removed. As a method for cleaning a conductive substrate made of aluminum or an alloy thereof, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 108568, a method of ultrasonically vibrating a cleaning liquid in which an aluminum pipe is immersed,
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-154679, a method is known in which a cleaning liquid is discharged to an aluminum pipe at a high pressure by a shower nozzle. However, after such a cleaning step, the cleaning liquid remains attached to the aluminum tube, so that it has been necessary to rinse with pure water.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the prior art of the above-mentioned rinsing step. The base 1 is placed on and held by a cylindrical tower 4 having an outer shape slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the conductive base.
The rinsing fluid is supplied from the nozzle 2 for the outer surface of the substrate and the nozzle 3 for the inner surface in the form of a rod or a mist, respectively, and
Is injected 5a perpendicularly. At this time, the rinsing fluid is sprayed on the entire substrate. In these prior arts, when the fluid is jetted in a rod shape, the rinsing area is small, the rinsing efficiency is poor because the fluid acting on the base scatters around, and when the fluid is jetted in the form of a mist, the rinsing area is large. In addition, sufficient pressure acting on the substrate cannot be obtained, resulting in poor rinsing efficiency. When the fluid is ejected perpendicularly to the substrate, the rinsing efficiency is poor because the fluid acting on the substrate scatters around, and when the fluid is ejected uniformly over the entire substrate, the ejected fluid is directed downward. Because of the run-off, the lower part of the substrate is rinsed before the upper part, resulting in a longer rinsing time. Further, to a cylindrical tower having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the substrate,
When the substrate is covered and held, it is difficult to rinse the inner surface of the substrate covered by the tower, and the fluid ejected from the nozzle for the inner surface of the substrate flows down along the inner surface of the substrate, and the fluid between the substrate and the tower becomes unbearable. , Because it is difficult to rinse
There was a drawback that the rinsing efficiency was poor.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method for rinsing the inner and outer surfaces of a substrate in a short time and efficiently in a spray-type rinsing cleaning system as compared with the prior art.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a method of washing a conductive substrate of an electrophotographic photoreceptor made of aluminum or an alloy thereof in an aqueous system and then rinsing the same is performed by cleaning the conductive substrate with a slit nozzle. It has been found that spraying water in a film form and continuously and spraying the spray on the inside and the outer surface of the substrate is effective, and furthermore, the rinsing time of the upper part of the substrate is reduced to more than half of the total cleaning time. It has also been found that when the tower holding the substrate has a structure in which the contact area between the inner surface of the substrate and the outer surface of the tower is small, the effect is even greater.
Pure water used in the present invention is a reverse osmosis membrane, an ion exchange resin,
The electrolyte component, foreign matter, and bacteria are removed by a filter or the like.

[0006]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention have groups Dzu in FIG. Figure 1 is a sectional view showing an implementation example of the present invention. The conductive substrate 1 is placed on the substrate holding tower 4, and a jet fluid 5a is jetted from the nozzle 2 for the substrate outer surface and the nozzle 3 for the substrate inner surface to the outer surface 1a and the inner surface 1b of the conductive substrate.
The ejection fluid 5a is in the form of a film, and preferably adjusts the angle with respect to the horizontal direction. The substrate holding tower 4 rotates in the circumferential direction 100, and the nozzle 2 for the outer surface of the substrate and the nozzle 3 for the inner surface of the substrate move in the vertical direction 101. FIG. 3 shows the conductive substrate 1 and FIG. 4 shows the substrate holding tower 4. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another embodiment of the present invention. 6 to 9
Are various towers used in the present invention. 6 and 7 show a structure in which the tower holding the base has a small contact area between the inner surface of the base and the outer surface of the tower. By reducing the contact area between the base and the tower, a portion where the base and the tower are not in contact with each other is shown. Fluid flows into the device, and rinsing is quickly performed. Fig. 6 shows the tower exterior and inside the tower
This is an example in which a structure having a hole penetrating the surface is used, and a hole penetrating the tower outer surface 4a and the tower inner surface 4b is provided in the center of the tower side surface 4c in contact with the base inner surface 1b . Ma
And, Figure 7 is a tower, a portion for holding the substrate to the outer surface
Example using a structure having a space where rinsing water accumulates
, And the are closed at least three or more rows in the vertical direction of the groove in the tower outer surface 4a in contact with the substrate inner surface 1b. 8 and 9
Is a tower having a structure having a discharge port for fluid entering the gap between the inner surface 1b of the base and the outer surface 4a of the tower. Since the fluid that has flowed down along the inner surface is more likely to flow into the gap, rinsing and washing are performed quickly. Specifically, FIG. 8 shows a tower having a structure in which a gap is formed between the lower surface 1c of the base and the upper surface 4d of the tower in contact with the lower surface 1c. FIG. 9 shows the tower upper surface 4d in contact with the base lower surface 1c.
Is a tower having a structure having a plurality of holes.

The evaluation method in the following Examples and Comparative Examples is evaluated under each condition by the concentration of the detergent contained in pure water adhered to the substrate after rinsing. Evaluation is a five-point scale,
"5" indicates that the detergent concentration is low, and "1" indicates that the detergent concentration is high. The evaluation was ranked for each element. Examples 1 to 4 were performed according to the schematic diagram shown in FIG. Example 1 A conductive substrate 1 made of an aluminum alloy was placed on a tower 4 and washed under an aqueous system. After that, while rotating the base 1 in the circumferential direction 100, a film-like pure water jetted from the outer nozzle 2 and the inner nozzle 3 was struck and rinsed for 5 minutes. The evaluation was 5. Comparative Example 1 In Example 1, the cleaning was performed by rinsing with pure water having a rod-like shape sprayed from the nozzle. The evaluation was 3. Comparative Example: 2 In Example 1, rinsing was performed with pure water in which the shape sprayed from the nozzle was mist. The evaluation was 2. Example: 2 A conductive substrate 1 made of an aluminum alloy was placed on a tower 4 and washed under an aqueous system. After that, while rotating the base 1 in the circumferential direction 100, a film-like pure water jetted from the outer nozzle 2 and the inner nozzle 3 was struck and rinsed for 5 minutes. At this time, the rinsing time was assigned as follows. Substrate upper part = 1 /
2, middle part of substrate = 1/4, lower part of substrate = 1/4. The evaluation was 5. Example 3 A conductive substrate 1 made of an aluminum alloy was placed on a tower shown in FIG. 6 and washed under an aqueous system. After that, while rotating the base 1 in the circumferential direction 100, a film-like pure water jetted from the outer nozzle 2 and the inner nozzle 3 was struck and rinsed for 5 minutes. The evaluation was 5. Similar results were obtained using the tower shown in FIG. Example 4 A conductive substrate 1 made of an aluminum alloy was placed on a tower shown in FIG. 8 and washed under an aqueous system. After that, while rotating the base 1 in the circumferential direction 100, a film-like pure water jetted from the outer nozzle 2 and the inner nozzle 3 was struck and rinsed for 5 minutes. The evaluation was 5. Similar results were obtained using the tower shown in FIG.

[0008]

As described above, according to the method of the present invention for spraying pure water in the form of a film, the rinse area is large, the same pure water amount is used, and a stronger rinsing force is obtained as compared with sprays of other fluid shapes. The obtained pure water that has acted on the substrate flows down along the substrate without being scattered around, so that rinsing below the point of application is simultaneously performed. Further, by making the rinse time of the upper part of the base more than half of the whole, the pure water acting on the upper part flows down along the surface of the base, so that the pure water acting below the working point of the jetted pure water is also rinsed at the same time. Further, by reducing the contact area between the base and the tower, the fluid flows into a portion where the base and the tower are not in contact with each other, so that the rinsing is quickly performed, and the flow into the gap between the inner surface of the base and the outer surface of the tower. It is a great advantage of the present invention that the fluid is quickly drained by the drain and the rinsing is performed quickly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a conventional example.

FIG. 3 is a plan view and a front view showing a conductive substrate.

FIG. 4 is a plan view and a front view showing the base holding tower.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view and a front view showing another tower used in the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view and a front view showing another tower used in the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view and a front view showing another tower used in the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view and a front view showing another tower used in the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 conductive substrate 1a conductive substrate outer surface 1b conductive substrate inner surface 1c conductive substrate lower end surface 2 substrate outer surface nozzle 3 substrate inner surface nozzle 4 substrate holding tower 4a substrate holding tower outer surface 4b substrate holding tower inner surface 4c substrate holding tower side surface 4d Upper surface of substrate holding tower 5a Injected fluid 5b Reflected fluid 100 Circumferential direction 101 Vertical direction

Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-1-130159 (JP, A) JP-A-3-237462 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G03G 5 / 00-5/16

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] The method according to claim 1 aluminum or conductive substrate of the electrophotographic photosensitive member comprising an alloy thereof, washed with an aqueous system, base
Hold the body over the tower and hold it with pure water from the slit nozzle.
The spray is sprayed continuously in the form of a film.
Rinse and rinse on the inner and outer surfaces of the substrate
The method, wherein the tower holds a substrate on an outer surface thereof.
And a space where rinsing water accumulates
Rinse method is characterized in that. 2. An electron made of aluminum or an alloy thereof.
After washing the conductive substrate of the photographic photoreceptor in an aqueous system,
Hold the body over the tower and hold it with pure water from the slit nozzle.
The spray is sprayed continuously in a film form.
Rinse and rinse on the inner and outer surfaces of the substrate
The method, wherein the tower has an outer surface and an inner surface of the tower.
Soot characterized by a structure having a hole therethrough
Cleaning method. 3. An electron made of aluminum or an alloy thereof.
After washing the conductive substrate of the photographic photoreceptor in an aqueous system,
Hold the body over the tower and hold it with pure water from the slit nozzle.
The spray is sprayed continuously in the form of a film.
Rinse and rinse on the inner and outer surfaces of the substrate
The method, wherein the tower comprises a base lower surface and a tower upper surface.
Rinsing characterized by a structure with a gap between them
Purification method. 4. An electron made of aluminum or an alloy thereof.
After washing the conductive substrate of the photographic photoreceptor in an aqueous system,
Hold the body over the tower and hold it with pure water from the slit nozzle.
The spray is sprayed continuously in the form of a film.
Rinse and rinse on the inner and outer surfaces of the substrate
The method, wherein the tower comprises a plurality of holes in a top surface of the tower.
A rinsing cleaning method characterized by having a structure having: 5. An electron comprising aluminum or an alloy thereof.
After washing the conductive substrate of the photographic photoreceptor in an aqueous system,
Hold the body over the tower and hold it with pure water from the slit nozzle.
The spray is sprayed continuously in a film form.
Rinse and rinse on the inner and outer surfaces of the substrate
Tower used in the method, holding the substrate on its outer surface
Having a part to be rinsed and a space part to store rinsing water
Substrate holding tower, characterized in that it. 6. An electron comprising aluminum or an alloy thereof.
After washing the conductive substrate of the photographic photoreceptor in an aqueous system,
Hold the body over the tower and hold it with pure water from the slit nozzle.
The spray is sprayed continuously in a film form.
Rinse and rinse on the inner and outer surfaces of the substrate
The tower used for the method, the outer surface of the tower and the inner surface of the tower
A structure having a hole penetrating through the base
Body holding tower . 7. An electron comprising aluminum or an alloy thereof.
After washing the conductive substrate of the photographic photoreceptor in an aqueous system,
Hold the body over the tower and hold it with pure water from the slit nozzle.
The spray is sprayed continuously in the form of a film.
Rinse and rinse on the inner and outer surfaces of the substrate
A tower used in the method, comprising: a base lower surface and a tower upper surface.
A structure that has a gap between
Holding tower. 8. An electron made of aluminum or an alloy thereof.
After washing the conductive substrate of the photographic photoreceptor in an aqueous system,
Hold the body over the tower and hold it with pure water from the slit nozzle.
The spray is sprayed continuously in the form of a film.
Rinse and rinse on the inner and outer surfaces of the substrate
A tower used in the method, wherein a plurality of holes are
A base holding tower having a structure having: