JPH05134574A - Fixing roller and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the fixing roller having high durability and good image performance and the process for production thereof. CONSTITUTION:This elastic fixing roller is characterized by providing a fluororesin having ruggedness on the surface as a reinforcing layer 3 for an elastic material layer on a roller base material 1. The process for production consists in providing an adhesive layer 2 on the roller base material 1, inserting a tubular body of a porous body consisting mainly of a tetrafluoroethylene resin or turning a sheet-shaped body via this layer and baking this body to form the ruggedness before or after the baking, adhering this body to the roller base material 1 to obtain the reinforcing layer 3 of the fluororesin having the ruggedness on the surface and forming the elastic material layer 4 thereon.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a roller, ie, an elastic fixing roller, used in a fixing unit of a model capable of outputting a full-color image, such as a copying machine, a laser beam printer, and a facsimile, and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional technique, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-8.
No. 7476, a coating layer made of a metal oxide or a mixture of metal powder and metal oxide powder having a predetermined thickness is provided on the outside of a metal core, and a rubber layer, that is, an elastic body layer is provided on the outside thereof. Therefore, there is a fixing roller characterized by improving the adhesiveness between the metal core and the elastic layer.

Further, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 62-294740, a heat-resistant rubber is impregnated into a heat-resistant material as an elastic layer on the outside of the roller base material, and a thin film of heat-resistant rubber is further provided. There is a fixing roller.

[0004]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention
The fixing roller shown in Japanese Patent No. 476 is provided with a coating layer made of a metal oxide or a mixture of metal powder and metal oxide powder having a predetermined thickness on the outside of a metal core, a so-called primer layer, and a rubber layer, that is, an elastic body, on the outside thereof. By providing layers,
Although the adhesiveness between the metal core and the elastic layer is improved, no particular strengthening measures have been taken for the elastic layer, so especially when silicone rubber is used as the elastic layer, it is in use. Silicone rubber, which is commonly used as a toner release material, swells the silicone rubber and reduces its strength, causing cracks and the like inside the elastic layer during use, which triggers the elastic body. Layer breakage may occur, which was one of the unstable factors in terms of durability.

In the fixing roller disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 62-294740, the heat resistance of the elastic layer is impregnated with heat resistant rubber to improve the strength of the elastic layer. By providing the above, the releasability of the toner is improved. However, although the heat-resistant material is effective in improving the strength of the elastic layer, the heat-resistant rubber thin film may peel off during use because the adhesive surface with the heat-resistant rubber thin film is smooth, which is called durability. It was one of the unstable factors.

Regarding the image performance, although a thin film of heat-resistant rubber is provided to ensure a certain releasability, the heat-resistant material generally used for improving the strength of the elastic layer is impregnated with heat-resistant rubber. Then, even if a low-hardness product is used as the heat-resistant rubber, the hardness of the elastic layer is increased, and the thin film of the heat-resistant rubber increases the hardness of the roller as a whole. When the formed copy paper is passed through, the roller is unlikely to be deformed according to the unevenness of the toner, so the toner image may be crushed and the sharpness of the image may deteriorate. Since the elastic body is deformed along the toner image and the toner image cannot be heated so as to wrap it around the toner image, fixing failure may occur, which is one of the unstable factors in terms of image performance. It was. In view of the above, the present invention was developed to solve such problems.

[0007]

A fixing roller of the present invention capable of obtaining a good image without breaking the elastic layer is fixed by passing a toner image formed on a copy paper between a pair of rollers. In a so-called elastic fixing roller in which an elastic body layer is formed on a roller base material, among fixing rollers used in the apparatus, a fluorine-based resin having uneven surface is provided on the roller base material as a reinforcing layer of the elastic body layer. It is characterized by that.

Further, in the above-described method for manufacturing a fixing roller of the present invention, an adhesive layer is provided on the roller base material, and a porous tubular body mainly made of tetrafluoroethylene resin is inserted through this layer. Or, by winding a sheet-like body of a porous body mainly composed of tetrafluoroethylene resin and firing it, the roller base material and the tube-like body, or the roller base material and the sheet-like body and the sheet-like body are joined together. After bonding, make unevenness, or provide an adhesive layer on the roller base material, and insert a porous tubular body mainly made of tetrafluoroethylene resin with unevenness through this layer, By firing and adhering the roller base material and the tubular body to each other, a reinforcing layer of fluorine-based resin having irregularities on the surface is obtained, and an elastic body layer is formed thereon.

1 and 2 show a specific example of the present invention,
Reference numeral 1 is a roller base material of a fixing roller, 2 is an adhesive layer provided on the roller base material, 3 is a reinforcing layer of a fluorine-based resin having an uneven surface (FIGS. 1 and 2 are one specific example of the uneven surface). There is no particular limitation on the direction, the length of the convex portion, etc.), 4 indicates an elastic material formed on 3.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show that a fluorine-based resin having irregularities on the surface of claim 3 is formed with an elastic material mainly made of silicone rubber along the irregularities, and a fluorine-based resin used as a reinforcing layer of claim 4. It is typical to form a resin, that is, a porous body mainly made of tetrafluoroethylene resin with unevenness, so that an elastic material mainly made of silicone rubber is formed along the unevenness and further impregnated inside the porous body. FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the fixing roller of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, 1 is a roller base material, 2 is an adhesive layer, 3 is a fluorine-based resin reinforcement layer, and 4 is silicone rubber (in FIG. Four
Indicates that the elastic material follows the irregularities and further impregnates the inside of the porous body).

FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the unevenness of the reinforcing layer of fluororesin, where A is the depth of the recess, B is the thickness of the fluororesin used as the reinforcing layer, and C is the thickness of the elastic layer. Here, D is the interval between the adjacent convex portions of the concavities and convexities (the concavo-convex convex portions are continuous as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and this is not the limit) 4 is an elastic material, 3 is a fluorine-based material. A resin reinforcing layer, 1 is a roller base material. In addition, the interval between the convex portions adjacent to each other is 0.1.
It is preferably mm or more.

An adhesive layer is provided on the roller base material of the manufacturing method of the present invention, and a porous tubular body mainly made of tetrafluoroethylene resin is inserted through this layer, or A step of adhering a roller base material and a tube-shaped body, or a roller base material and a sheet-shaped body and sheet-shaped bodies together by winding a porous sheet-shaped body made of tetrafluoroethylene resin and firing it. For example, there is no support for collectively performing the step of making unevenness by overbaking.

Further, a PF is formed on the porous tubular body made of the tetrafluoroethylene resin or the sheet body made of the tetrafluoroethylene resin of the above-mentioned production method of the present invention.
Resin A (In order to further improve the peel strength between the porous body of the tetrafluoroethylene resin and the roller base material, or when using the sheet of the porous body of the tetrafluoroethylene resin, further improve the peel strength between the sheets. (To improve) and other fillers (to improve coloring and heat conduction) may be used, and the present invention naturally includes these. Further, an elastic material such as silicone rubber mixed with a filler (for improving coloring and heat conduction) may be used, and the present invention naturally includes these.

[0014]

When a durability test is carried out using the roller as in the present invention, the silicone rubber layer is not destroyed by the silicone oil, or is less likely to be destroyed. Further, when an image test is performed using the roller as in the present invention, the roller is unlikely to be deformed according to the unevenness of the toner, so that the toner image is crushed and the sharpness of the image deteriorates. It is possible to prevent the elastic body from being deformed according to the unevenness of the toner image, so that the elastic body is deformed along the toner image and the toner image cannot be heated so as to wrap the toner image, resulting in poor fixing.

That is, the reason is as described below. First, regarding durability performance, since a fluorine-based resin with irregularities on the surface is provided on the roller base material as a reinforcement layer for the elastic layer, even if the silicone rubber swells with silicone oil, cracks etc. do not occur inside the rubber. Or, even if a crack is generated, the protrusion of the reinforcing layer of the elastic layer made of a fluorine-based resin in the vicinity of the crack prevents the spread of the crack and prevents the crack from further spreading. Of course, the reinforcing layer itself cannot be destroyed.

Regarding the image performance, since a fluorine-based resin having an uneven surface is provided on the roller base material as a reinforcing layer for the elastic layer, there is no unevenness as shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 62-294740. Compared to the case, it has the effect of decreasing hardness,
When an image test is performed using such a roller, the roller is deformed according to the unevenness of the toner, the toner image is not crushed, and the sharpness of the image is maintained. Furthermore, the elastic body of the roller causes unevenness of the toner. Since the toner image is deformed along the surface and can be heated so as to wrap the toner image, fixing failure does not occur.

[0017]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described below. Example and Comparative Example 1 A primer (T
CW8808GY, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) was applied and dried. After coating PFA dispersion (AD-2CR, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) on this, baking was performed at 340 ° C.

PTFE resin fine powder (F-10
4, manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) 100 parts by weight of an extrusion aid (SS-Drysol, manufactured by Kansai Yushi Co., Ltd.) 14
An unfired porous tube having a porosity of 80% and an inner diameter of 34 mm, which was produced by adding and mixing parts by weight and uniformly mixing, forming, stretching and expanding, was inserted into the above roller and fired. Then, this roller was placed in a hot air oven at 600 ° C. for several minutes to form pleated irregularities on the surface.

Then, a liquid silicone rubber (KE-1224, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) was cast and cured in a cylindrical mold having an inner surface of a mirror surface and an inner diameter of 40 mm to obtain a roller having a predetermined shape. Further, the thickness of the unfired porous tube having an inner diameter of 34 mm and the depth of the recess were variously changed as shown in Table 1 below.

Comparative Example 2 A primer (primer No. 101, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) was coated on the outer periphery of an aluminum cored bar roller having an outer diameter of 34 mm, and dried at 150 ° C. for 15 minutes. Then, cast liquid silicone rubber (KE-1224, manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.) in a cylindrical mold having an inner surface of a mirror surface and an inner diameter of 40 mm.
After curing, a roller having a predetermined shape was obtained.

When these rollers are attached to a fixing unit of a full-color copying machine, durability evaluation by idle rotation while excessively supplying silicone oil and image evaluation of copying a color image by attaching to an actual machine are performed. I got good results.

In Table 1, the thickness of the reinforcing layer: The thickness of the reinforcing layer is, for example, the value obtained by subtracting the radius of the roller base material from the radius of the cylinder into which the roller having only the reinforcing layer fits. It is expressed as a percentage with respect to the thickness of the body layer (the thickness of the elastic body layer is the thickness from the roller base material to the outer surface of the fixing roller as described in FIG. 5). Depth of concave portion: The depth of concave and convex portions is expressed as a percentage of the thickness of the reinforcing layer. State 1: The layer of the silicone rubber alone on the surface portion is peeled off from the reinforcing layer. State 2: The layer of the silicone rubber simple substance on the surface portion is destroyed in the vicinity of the reinforcing layer. Represents.

[0023]

[Table 1]

The fixing roller of the present invention can be widely used not only as a heat fixing roller but also as a pressure fixing roller and as an elastic fixing roller which requires heat resistance and releasability.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, the silicone rubber layer has high durability such that the silicone rubber layer is not destroyed or is hardly destroyed by the silicone oil during use, and further, a good image is obtained. It is possible to obtain a fixing roller having high performance. Therefore, it is effective when used in a fixing unit of a copying machine, a printer, a facsimile or the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an example of a partially cutaway front view of a fixing roller of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is another example of a front view in which the fixing roller of the present invention is partially cut away.

FIG. 3 is an example of a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating formation of an elastic material on a reinforcing layer of fluororesin having irregularities on the surface in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is another example of a vertical sectional front view for explaining the formation of the elastic material on the reinforcing layer of the fluororesin having the uneven surface according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the unevenness of a reinforcing layer of a fluororesin according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Roller Base Material 2 Adhesive Layer 3 Fluorine Resin Reinforcement Layer 4 Elastic Material

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] October 14, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be amended] Title of invention

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Title: Fixing roller and method of manufacturing the same

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A so-called elastic fixing roller having an elastic layer formed on a roller base material among fixing rollers used in an apparatus for fixing a toner image formed on a copy paper by passing it between a pair of rollers, A fixing roller characterized in that a fluorine-based resin having irregularities on the surface is provided on a roller base material as a reinforcing layer of an elastic layer. 2. The fixing roller according to claim 1, wherein the fluorine-based resin as a reinforcing layer for the elastic layer is a porous body. 3. The fixing roller according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an elastic material mainly made of silicone rubber is formed on a fluorine resin having irregularities on its surface so as to follow the irregularities. 4. A fluororesin as a reinforcing layer for an elastic body layer is a porous body mainly made of tetrafluoroethylene resin with unevenness, and an elastic material mainly made of silicone rubber is provided along the unevenness. The fixing roller according to claim 1, wherein the fixing roller is formed so as to impregnate the inside of the porous body. 5. The fluorine-based resin used as the reinforcing layer of the elastic body according to claim 1 or 2 is 20% or more of the thickness of the elastic body layer, and the depth of the concave and convex portions is the thickness of the reinforcing layer. The fixing roller is characterized by having a thickness of 5% or more. 6. An adhesive layer is provided on a roller base material, and a porous tubular body mainly made of tetrafluoroethylene resin is inserted through this layer, or a porous body mainly made of tetrafluoroethylene resin is inserted. Rolling a sheet-like body of a solid body and firing it to bond the roller base material and the tube-like body, or the roller base material and the sheet-like body and the sheet-like bodies together, and then to make unevenness, or An adhesive layer is provided on the roller base material, and through this layer, a porous tubular body mainly made of tetrafluoroethylene resin having irregularities is inserted and fired to separate the roller base material and the tubular body. A method for manufacturing a fixing roller, characterized in that a reinforcing layer made of a fluorine-based resin having irregularities on the surface is obtained by bonding, and an elastic layer is formed on the reinforcing layer. 7. The method of manufacturing a fixing roller according to claim 6, wherein the surface of the porous body mainly made of tetrafluoroethylene resin is over-baked to form irregularities.