JPH04372981A - Cleaning method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cleaning method for electrophotography, electrostatic recording, electrostatic printing, etc. using small particle size toner.

0002

[Prior Art] As means for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on an electrophotographic photoreceptor or an electrostatic recording medium, there are two methods: a method using a liquid developer (wet development method), and a method using a liquid developer (wet development method). dye,
A method using a toner in which colorants such as pigments and, if necessary, a charge control agent, etc. are dispersed, or a one-component or two-component dry developer by mixing this toner with a solid carrier (dry development method) is generally adopted. and,
Although each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages, the dry developing method is currently in most use.

Incidentally, in recent years, there has been a demand for higher image quality in electrophotography, that is, improvements in quality such as high resolution, sharpness, halftone reproducibility, and photographic reproducibility. Reducing the particle size of toner is an effective means for this purpose, but on the other hand, the toner having a smaller particle size has the following disadvantages. That is, among the small-particle toner developed on the photoreceptor, the toner remaining on the photoreceptor without being transferred has a strong adhesion force with the photoreceptor, making it difficult to sufficiently clean it. In particular, spherical, small particle size toners produced by polymerization methods have very poor cleaning properties, which has been a major obstacle in making full use of small particle size toners.

[0004] Therefore, in order to solve these problems,
Various proposals have been made. For example, on the apparatus, a cleaning blade made of a material such as polyurethane is strongly pressed against the photoreceptor, and a cleaning fur brush is brought into close contact with the photoreceptor. on the other hand,
In the case of small spherical toner particles that have particularly poor cleaning properties, inorganic fine particles are first attached to the toner surface and then chemically removed to create irregularities on the toner surface (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-266557). Attempts have been made to improve the cleaning properties by post-processing a spherical toner produced by a polymerization method to make it amorphous (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-273757).

[0005]

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, this method is not sufficiently effective when the toner particle size is extremely small, or for small spherical toner particles made by polymerization method. It was difficult to do.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a highly reliable cleaning method that solves these problems, that is, can exhibit sufficient effects even when using small spherical toner particles.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found that the above object can be achieved by using a substance that lowers the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor, and have completed the present invention. .

That is, according to the present invention, the volume average particle diameter is 2 to
A substance that reduces the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor is supplied onto the surface of the photoreceptor in an image forming process in which a latent image formed on the photoreceptor is developed with 8 μm toner, and then transferred and cleaned. A cleaning method is provided.

In the present invention, by supplying a substance that lowers the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor onto the surface of the photoreceptor, the photoreceptor with the reduced friction coefficient has a reduced frictional force with toner and a substantial adhesion force. decreases. As a result, the toner is more easily collected by the cleaning fur brush, and the blade can hold back the toner with a small amount of force.
Sufficient cleaning performance can be achieved.

[0010] Specific preferred methods for supplying a substance that reduces the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor onto the surface of the photoreceptor without adversely affecting the development, transfer, and cleaning systems include, for example, the following method. There is. ■A substance that lowers the coefficient of friction of the photoreceptor is coated on the surface of the photoreceptor. (2) A member carrying a substance that lowers the coefficient of friction of the photoreceptor is brought into contact with the photoreceptor. ■A substance that lowers the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor is added to the toner and used. (2) Use a toner in which wax, a substance that lowers the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor, is adhered to the surface of the photoreceptor.

In carrying out the present invention, the substance that reduces the coefficient of friction of the photoreceptor may be applied directly to the photoreceptor at regular intervals, or the member carrying the substance may be applied constantly or at intervals of a fixed number of sheets. It may also be brought into contact with the photoreceptor. Further, a substance that reduces the coefficient of friction of the photoreceptor may be added to the toner and brought into contact with the photoreceptor, or the substance may be brought into contact with the photoreceptor in a form that is fixed to the toner surface. Also good.

[0012] In order to bring a member carrying a substance that reduces the coefficient of friction into contact with the photoreceptor, for example, a method in which a block or roll of the material is brought into contact with the photoreceptor, or There are methods in which a magnetic substance is dispersed in a substance, or a magnetic substance whose surface is coated with the substance is held and brought into contact with a magnet. The place to contact is
Preferably before primary charging (after cleaning).

[0013] Furthermore, when a substance that reduces the coefficient of friction is added to the toner and mixed (that is, added to the developer),
It is effective to form particles in which the substance is dispersed in a magnetic material (having a particle size similar to that of the toner). It is preferable that the particles have a high content of magnetic material and remain in the developing area without being substantially developed. Further, a toner in which wax, which is a substance that lowers the coefficient of friction, is adhered to the surface of the toner is very effective because it increases the probability of contact with the photoreceptor.

Substances that reduce the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor include polyolefins, fatty acid esters, fatty acid metal salts (
For example, metal salts of maleic acid with zinc, magnesium, calcium, etc.; metal salts of stearic acid with zinc, cadmium, barium, lead, iron, nickel, cobalt, copper, aluminum, magnesium, etc.; dibasic lead stearate ;Oleic acid and zinc, magnesium, iron, cobalt,
Metal salts with copper, lead, calcium, etc.; metal salts with palmitic acid and aluminum, calcium, etc.; lead caprylate;
Lead caproate; Metal salts of linoleic acid and zinc, cobalt, etc.; Calcium ricinoleate, ricinoleic acid and zinc,
Metal salts such as cadmium, mixtures thereof, etc.), higher alcohols, paraffin wax, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, silicone oil, etc. can be used.

[0015] Natural waxes containing esters of higher fatty acids and higher alcohols as main components are particularly effective as they exhibit sufficient performance and are less likely to cause abnormal images. Natural waxes include candelilla wax, carnauba wax, rice wax, wood wax, and paraffin wax. Among them, carnauba wax of the free fatty acid type with free fatty acid content of 1% or less is the most effective. When free fatty acid type carnauba wax is used, extreme adhesion to photoreceptors, developing sleeves, carriers, etc. is less likely to occur, and sufficient cleanability is maintained.

[0016] It is also very effective to apply a small amount of silicone oil onto the photoreceptor by an appropriate means. However, when using regular silicone oil, although cleaning performance is obtained, abnormal images are likely to occur when the number of copies increases, so the kinematic viscosity is about 30 to about 60,000 centistokes, and the molecular weight is about 2000 or less. It is particularly preferred to use a dimethylsilicone oil whose structural units are dimethylsiloxane having a content of about 300 ppm or less. The occurrence of abnormal images appears to be related to the low molecular weight components of silicone oil.

[0017] The cleaning method of the present invention includes a blade,
Although it can be used for fur brushes, Mg brushes, or a combination thereof, it is particularly effective for systems using blades. Normally, in an electrophotographic process, when a small particle size toner with a volume average particle size of 2 to 8 μm is used, if the image area of the original is large, sufficient cleaning cannot be performed during continuous copying.
According to the present invention, these problems can be satisfactorily solved.

Although the cleaning method of the present invention can be used for inorganic or organic photoreceptors, it is particularly effective against toner remaining without being transferred on an organic photoreceptor or an inorganic photoreceptor overcoated with a resin layer. , exhibits good cleaning performance. In the case of an inorganic photoreceptor, the effect is somewhat small, probably because the adhesion force with the toner is very strong. Of course, the cleaning method of the present invention can be used in either a one-component development method or a two-component development method.

[0019]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples below, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Note that all parts and percentages shown below are based on weight.

Production Example 1 (Production of toner) Styrene/n-butyl methacrylate copolymer 95 parts
(Mn=15000, Mw=300000) Chromium-containing monoazo dye (TRH: manufactured by Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.)
Part 2 Carbon black (#44: manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation)
10 copies

[0021] The mixture having the above composition was sufficiently mixed in a Henschel mixer, then heated and kneaded in a roll mill at a temperature of 120°C for 1 hour, cooled to room temperature, and the resulting mixture was pulverized and classified several times. , volume average particle size 4.8μm, number average particle size 3.3μm
m toner was obtained. Furthermore, silica (R972:
One part of Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) was added and mixed to obtain a final toner.

Production Example 2 (Toner production) Styrene/n-butyl methacrylate copolymer 95 parts
(Mn=15000, Mw=300000) Free fatty acid type carnauba wax
4 parts chromium-containing monoazo dye (TRH: manufactured by Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.)
Part 2 Carbon black (#44: manufactured by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation)
10 copies

The mixture having the above composition was thoroughly mixed in a Henschel mixer, then heated and kneaded in a roll mill at a temperature of 120°C for 1 hour, cooled to room temperature, and the resulting mixture was pulverized and classified several times. , volume average particle size 4.7μm, number average particle size 3.5μm
m toner was obtained. Furthermore, silica (R972:
One part of Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) was added and mixed to obtain a final toner.

Production Example 3 (Production of particles supporting a substance that lowers the coefficient of friction)
polyester resin

20 copies (Mn=5000, Mw=2
2000) Free fatty acid type carnauba wax
80 parts magnetite (0.1μm)

200 copies

After thoroughly mixing the mixture having the above composition with a Henschel mixer,
After heating and kneading at a temperature of ℃ for 1 hour and cooling to room temperature,
The resulting mixture was pulverized and classified to have a volume average particle size of 7.6μ.
Magnetic particles having a number average particle diameter of 5.2 μm were obtained.

Production Example 4 (Production of toner) According to the following formulation, free fatty acid type carnauba wax was dispersed in benzene at a temperature of 80°C, and this liquid was freeze-dried to obtain particles with an average particle size of 0.6 μm. Fine particles made of free fatty acid type carnauba wax were obtained.

Benzene

400 parts fluorosurfactant
12.5 parts (Megafac F172: manufactured by Dainippon Ink Co., Ltd.) Free fatty acid type carnauba wax
50 copies

After adding 4 parts of the above-mentioned fine particles to 100 parts of the toner prepared in Production Example 1 and mixing thoroughly, the mixture was heated at a rotational speed of 100 using a hybridization system (manufactured by Nara Kikai Seisakusho).
A toner was obtained by processing at 00 rpm for 5 minutes. Further, 1 part of silica (R972, manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) was added and mixed to 100 parts of this toner using a Henschel mixer to obtain a final toner.

Production Example 5 (Production of suspension polymerized toner) Styrene monomer

80 parts n-butyl acrylate monomer
20 parts chromium-containing azo dye

Part 3
Titanate coupling agent treated carbon black
10 copies (MA10
0: Manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei Corporation)

After dispersing and mixing the above polymerizable monomer mixture using a ball mill for 24 hours, the dispersion was mixed with azobisisobutyronitrile 1.5
part was dissolved. Meanwhile, 0.3 parts of potassium iodide and 10.0 parts of polyvinyl alcohol were added to 40 parts of ion-exchanged water.
0 parts to prepare an aqueous medium.

[0031] Adding the monomer composition to the aqueous medium,
10 using TK homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.)
Stirred at 000 rpm for 15 minutes. This suspension dispersion was
The mixture was transferred to a mouth-separable flask and polymerized for 7 hours at a rotation speed of 90 rpm and a temperature of 70° C. under a nitrogen atmosphere. After the polymerization was completed, the particles produced were collected by repeated washing and filtration, and dried. The volume average particle size of these particles was 4.8 μm, and the number average particle size was 3.1 μm. Furthermore, silica (R) was added to 100 parts of this toner using a Henschel mixer.
972 (manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) was added and mixed to obtain a final toner.

Production Example 6 (Production of suspension polymerized toner) Styrene monomer

80 parts n-butyl acrylate monomer
20 parts chromium-containing azo dye

Part 3
Titanate coupling agent treated carbon black
10 copies (MA10
0: Manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei Corporation)

After dispersing and mixing the above polymerizable monomer mixture for 24 hours using a ball mill, this dispersion was mixed with azobisisobutyronitrile 1.5
part was dissolved. Meanwhile, 0.3 parts of potassium iodide and 10.0 parts of polyvinyl alcohol were added to 40 parts of ion-exchanged water.
0 parts to prepare an aqueous medium.

[0034] Adding the monomer composition to the aqueous medium,
10 using TK homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.)
Stirred at 000 rpm for 15 minutes. This suspension dispersion was
The mixture was transferred to a mouth-separable flask and polymerized for 7 hours at a rotation speed of 90 rpm and a temperature of 70° C. under a nitrogen atmosphere. After the polymerization was completed, the particles produced were collected by repeated washing and filtration, and dried. The volume average particle size of these particles was 4.8 μm, and the number average particle size was 3.1 μm.

To 100 parts of these particles, 4 parts of free fatty acid type carnauba wax fine particles prepared in Production Example 4 were added, mixed thoroughly, and then mixed using a hybridization system (manufactured by Nara Kikai Seisakusho). Number of revolutions 10
A toner was obtained by processing at 000 rpm for 5 minutes. Further, 1 part of silica (R972: manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) was added and mixed to 100 parts of this toner using a Henschel mixer to obtain a final suspension polymerized toner.

Production Example 7 (Production of suspension polymerized toner) Styrene monomer

80 parts n-butyl acrylate monomer
20 parts Free fatty acid type carnauba wax
4 parts Chromium-containing azo dye

Part 3
Titanate coupling agent treated carbon black
10 copies (MA10
0: Manufactured by Mitsubishi Kasei Corporation)

After dispersing and mixing the above polymerizable monomer mixture for 24 hours using a ball mill, this dispersion was mixed with azobisisobutyronitrile 1.5
part was dissolved. Meanwhile, 0.3 parts of potassium iodide and 10.0 parts of polyvinyl alcohol were added to 40 parts of ion-exchanged water.
0 parts to prepare an aqueous medium.

[0038] Adding the monomer composition to the aqueous medium,
10 using TK homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.)
Stirred at 000 rpm for 15 minutes. This suspension dispersion was
The mixture was transferred to a mouth-separable flask and polymerized for 7 hours at a rotation speed of 90 rpm and a temperature of 70° C. under a nitrogen atmosphere. After the polymerization was completed, the particles produced were collected by repeated washing and filtration, and dried. The volume average particle size of these particles was 5.1 μm, and the number average particle size was 3.4 μm. Furthermore, silica (R) was added to 100 parts of this toner using a Henschel mixer.
972 (manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) was added and mixed to obtain a final suspension polymerized toner.

Production Example 8 (Production of dispersion polymerized toner) Base particles were produced by the dispersion polymerization method as described below. In a three-necked flask equipped with a stirring blade and a condenser, add 3 methanol
9.6 parts of polyvinylpyrrolidone (dispersion stabilizer, average molecular weight 40,000) was added little by little with stirring to completely dissolve.

Furthermore, the following composition was added and completely dissolved. styrene

25.6 parts n-butyl methacrylate
6.4 parts 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile
0.2 parts

While stirring these, the inside of the flask was purged with nitrogen gas and left for 1 hour. 60℃
Polymerization was started while stirring at a stirring speed of 200 rpm in a constant temperature water bath at ±0.1°C. Fifteen minutes after heating, the liquid began to become cloudy and remained a stable cloudy dispersion even after 20 hours of polymerization. As a result of measuring a portion of the sample using gas chromatography using the internal standard method, the polymerization rate was 9.
It was confirmed that it was 3%.

When the resulting dispersion was cooled and centrifuged at 2000 rpm using a centrifuge, the polymer particles were completely precipitated and the liquid was clear. The supernatant liquid was removed, 200 parts of methanol was newly added, and the mixture was stirred and washed for 1 hour. The procedure of centrifuging and washing with methanol was repeated five times, followed by filtration. The filtered product was dried under reduced pressure at 50° C. for 24 hours to obtain white powder styrene/n-butyl methacrylate copolymer particles with a yield of 90%. The obtained particles had a volume average particle diameter of 4.81 μm and a number average particle diameter of 4.50 μm. Moreover, Tg was 65°C. (Hereinafter, this particle will be referred to as particle A)

Next, 1.50 parts of Oil Black 803 (manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.) was heated and dissolved in 200 parts of methanol, cooled, and filtered through a 1 μm filter to prepare a dye solution. Next, 24 parts of particles A were added to the filtrate and dispersed, and the mixture was heated and stirred at 50° C. for 1 hour. Thereafter, the dispersion was cooled to room temperature, filtered, and dried under reduced pressure at 50° C. for 24 hours to obtain colored resin particles A.

Next, for 100 parts of colored resin particles A,
After stirring 3 parts of 3,5-di-t-butylsalicylic acid zinc salt for 10 minutes with an Ooster blender, the mixture was treated with a hybridization system (manufactured by Nara Kikai Seisakusho) at a rotational speed of 7000 rpm for 10 minutes. Furthermore, for 100 parts of this toner, using a Henschel mixer,
One part of silica (R972: manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) was added and mixed to obtain a final dispersion polymerized toner.

Production Example 9 (Production of dispersion polymerized toner) Base particles were produced by the dispersion polymerization method as described below. In a three-necked flask equipped with a stirring blade and a condenser, add 3 methanol
9.6 parts of polyvinylpyrrolidone (dispersion stabilizer, average molecular weight 40,000) was added little by little with stirring to completely dissolve.

Furthermore, the following composition was added and completely dissolved. styrene

25.6 parts n-butyl methacrylate
6.4 parts 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile
0.2 parts

While stirring these, the inside of the flask was purged with nitrogen gas and left for 1 hour. 60℃
Polymerization was started while stirring at a stirring speed of 200 rpm in a constant temperature water bath at ±0.1°C. Fifteen minutes after heating, the liquid began to become cloudy and remained a stable cloudy dispersion even after 20 hours of polymerization. As a result of measuring a portion of the sample using gas chromatography using the internal standard method, the polymerization rate was 9.
It was confirmed that it was 3%.

When the obtained dispersion was cooled and centrifuged at 2000 rpm using a centrifuge, the polymer particles were completely settled and the upper liquid was transparent. The supernatant liquid was removed, 200 parts of methanol was newly added, and the mixture was stirred and washed for 1 hour. The procedure of centrifuging and washing with methanol was repeated five times, followed by filtration. The filtered product was dried under reduced pressure at 50° C. for 24 hours to obtain white powder styrene/n-butyl methacrylate copolymer particles with a yield of 90%. The obtained particles had a volume average particle diameter of 4.81 μm and a number average particle diameter of 4.50 μm. Moreover, Tg was 65°C. (Hereinafter, this particle will be referred to as particle A)

Next, 1.50 parts of Oil Black 803 (manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.) was heated and dissolved in 200 parts of methanol, cooled, and filtered through a 1 μm filter to prepare a dye solution. Next, 24 parts of particles A were added to the filtrate and dispersed, and the mixture was heated and stirred at 50° C. for 1 hour. Thereafter, the dispersion was cooled to room temperature, filtered, and dried under reduced pressure at 50° C. for 24 hours to obtain colored resin particles A.

Next, for 100 parts of colored resin particles A,
After stirring 3 parts of 3,5-di-t-butylsalicylic acid zinc salt and 3 parts of free fatty acid type carnauba wax prepared in Production Example 4 in an Ooster blender for 10 minutes, hybridization system (Nara Kikai) (manufactured by Seisakusho) for 10 minutes at a rotational speed of 7000 rpm. Further, 1 part of silica (R972, manufactured by Nippon Aerosil Co., Ltd.) was added and mixed to 100 parts of this toner using a Henschel mixer to obtain a final dispersion polymerized toner.

Production Example 10 (Production of a molded body of a substance that lowers the coefficient of friction) Carnauba wax of free fatty acid type was melted at 100°C,
A core metal was inserted in the center and the product was molded into a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 10 mm.

Production Example 11 (Production of particles coated with a substance that lowers the coefficient of friction) To 1000 parts of ferrite particles having an average particle size of 100 μm, the same free fatty acid type carnauba prepared in Production Example 4 was added. A magnetic material having a wax layer thickness of approximately 3 μm was prepared by dry mixing 30 parts of wax fine particles and then fluidizing the mixture in a fluidized bed maintained at a temperature of 150° C.

Production Example 12 (Production of toner with external addition of silicone oil) The particles prepared in Production Example 8 after hybridization had a kinematic viscosity of about 20,000 centistokes (at 25°C),
One part of silicone oil having a weight average molecular weight of about 1300 and a ratio of low molecular weight components of about 2000 or less is added to about 120 ppm, and silica (R972: Nippon Aerosil) is added to 100 parts of the particles using a Henschel mixer. A dispersion-polymerized toner was obtained by adding and mixing one part of (manufactured by Co., Ltd.).

Example 1 One silicone resin was added to ferrite particles with a particle size of 100 μm.
Using a carrier coated with a thickness of μm, the toner prepared in Production Example 1 was mixed with the carrier at a ratio of 2.5%, and the mixture was stirred in a ball mill pot for 30 minutes to prepare a developer.

Next, a cleaning property test was conducted using Imageo 420 manufactured by Ricoh. First, the photoreceptor was taken out of the machine, and carnauba wax of free fatty acid type was lightly rubbed on the entire surface, and then thoroughly wiped with a cloth. This operation was repeated for every 500 sheets, a run of 5,000 sheets was performed, and a cleaning dest was performed at the beginning and end of the run.

[0056] As a test manuscript, a chart corresponding to 30% of the image area was used, and 10 consecutive copies were made.
The machine was stopped in the middle of copying the 10th sheet, and the cleaning performance was checked on the photoreceptor. As a result, initial and 5
No cleaning defects were observed at the time of printing 000 sheets, and the images maintained the same high quality as the initial image.

Comparative Example 1 Example 1 was repeated except that the free fatty acid type carnauba wax was not applied to the photoreceptor.
The test was conducted in exactly the same way. As a result, poor cleaning occurred on the entire surface of the photoreceptor both at the initial stage and after running 5,000 sheets, and there was also severe background smudge on the copied image.

Comparative Example 2 In Comparative Example 1, a cleaning property test was conducted in exactly the same manner as in Comparative Example 1, except that the toner prepared in Production Example 2 was used instead of the toner prepared in Production Example 1. Ta. As a result, poor cleaning occurred on the entire surface of the photoreceptor both at the initial stage and after running 5,000 sheets, and there was also severe background smudge on the copied image.

Example 2 The free fatty acid type carnauba wax produced in Production Example 10 was placed in the cylindrical shape after cleaning the Imageo 420, and while it was in contact with the photoreceptor, the same process as in Example 1 was carried out. A test was conducted using a developer. As a result, no cleaning defects occurred at the initial stage or after 5,000 sheets were printed. Furthermore, even after 5,000 copies, the same high image quality as the initial one was maintained.

Example 3 The magnetic material prepared in Production Example 11 whose surface was coated with free fatty acid type carnauba wax was heated using Imagio 42.
The carrier of Production Example 11 was brought into contact with the photoreceptor by rotating the photoreceptor drum and developing section for one minute. A cleaning property test was conducted using the same developer as in Example 1 except for the above. There were no problems with cleaning performance both at the initial stage and after 5,000 sheets, and the images were of the same high quality as the initial stage.

Example 4 Using the toner containing silicone oil having a specific molecular weight prepared in Production Example 12, a developer was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, and a cleaning test was conducted. As a result, there were no problems with cleaning performance both at the initial stage and after 5,000 sheets, and the images were of the same high quality as the initial stage.

Example 5 7.0 parts of particles prepared in Production Example 3, toner 2 of Production Example 1
．． A developer was prepared by mixing 0 parts of the same carrier as in Example 1 and 100 parts of the same carrier as in Example 1, and a cleaning test was conducted using Imageo 420. As a result, there were no problems with cleaning performance both at the initial stage and after 5,000 sheets, and the images were of the same high quality as the initial stage.

Example 6 Example 1 was added to 2.5 parts of the toner prepared in Production Example 4.
A developer was prepared using 100 parts of the same silicone coated carrier, and a cleaning test was conducted using Imageo 420. As a result, there were no problems with cleaning performance both at the initial stage and after 5,000 sheets, and the images were of the same high quality as the initial stage.

Example 7 The procedure of Example 6 was repeated except that the toner prepared in Production Example 6 was used instead of the toner prepared in Production Example 4.
Cleaning Tetus was carried out in exactly the same manner. As a result, there were no problems with cleaning performance both at the initial stage and after 5,000 sheets, and the images were of the same high quality as the initial stage.

Comparative Example 3 The procedure of Example 7 was repeated except that the toner prepared in Production Example 5 was used instead of the toner prepared in Production Example 6.
Cleaning Tetus was carried out in exactly the same manner. As a result, both at the initial stage and after running 5,000 sheets, cleaning defects occurred on the entire surface of the photoreceptor, and even on the copied images, background stains were severe.

Comparative Example 4 [0066] In Example 7, the toner prepared in Production Example 7 was used instead of the toner prepared in Production Example 6.
Cleaning Tetus was carried out in exactly the same manner. As a result, both at the initial stage and after running 5,000 sheets, cleaning defects occurred on the entire surface of the photoreceptor, and even on the copied images, background stains were severe.

Example 8 The procedure of Example 6 was repeated except that the toner prepared in Production Example 9 was used instead of the toner prepared in Production Example 4.
Cleaning Tetus was carried out in exactly the same manner. There were no problems with cleaning performance both at the initial stage and after 5,000 sheets, and the images were of the same high quality as the initial stage.

Comparative Example 5 In Example 7, the toner prepared in Production Example 8 was used instead of the toner prepared in Production Example 6.
Cleaning Tetus was carried out in exactly the same manner. As a result, both at the initial stage and after running 5,000 sheets, cleaning defects occurred on the entire surface of the photoreceptor, and even on the copied images, background stains were severe.

[0069]

Effects of the Invention The cleaning method of the present invention has a structure in which a substance that reduces the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor is supplied onto the surface of the photoreceptor in an image forming process using small particle size toner. According to the research, the adhesion force of toner on the photoreceptor is reduced, making it easier to be collected by the cleaning fur brush, and the toner can be dammed up with a small force by the blade, so sufficient cleaning performance is achieved and high performance is achieved. It becomes possible to maintain image quality.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. In an image forming process in which a latent image formed on a photoreceptor is developed using toner having a volume average particle size of 2 to 8 μm, and then transferred and cleaned, a substance that lowers the coefficient of friction of the photoreceptor is added. A cleaning method characterized by supplying onto the surface of a photoreceptor. 2. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein the substance that lowers the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor is supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor by coating the substance on the surface of the photoreceptor. 3. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein the material is supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor by bringing a member carrying a substance that lowers the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor into contact with the photoreceptor. 4. The cleaning method according to claim 1, wherein a substance that lowers the coefficient of friction of the photoreceptor is added to and mixed with the toner to supply the substance to the surface of the photoreceptor. 5. The cleaning method according to claim 2, wherein the substance that lowers the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor is silicone oil. 6. The toner according to claim 1, characterized in that by using a toner in which wax is fixed to the surface of the photoreceptor as a substance that lowers the friction coefficient of the photoreceptor, the substance is supplied to the surface of the photoreceptor. Cleaning method.