JPH09160355A - Charging roll - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: Electric resistance has little environmental dependence, has stable semiconductivity, has low hardness, has a small dynamic friction coefficient, does not contaminate a photosensitive drum, and is free from fogging due to toner adhesion. An object of the present invention is to provide a charging roll that does not generate, and an image forming apparatus including the charging roll. A charging roll having a surface of a metal core material coated with a rubber layer, the surface of the rubber layer being polished to a surface roughness of 0.5 to 10 μm, and then irradiated with ultraviolet rays or an electron beam. A charging roll characterized by being formed. A charging roll having a surface of a metal core material coated with a rubber layer, the surface of the rubber layer being polished to a surface roughness of 0.5 to 10 μm, and a polyurethane resin being coated thereon. Next, a charging roll characterized by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays or electron beams. An image forming apparatus comprising these charging rolls.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a photosensitive drum (image carrier) in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine.
More specifically, it relates to a charging roll arranged in contact with a roller, which has a small environmental dependency of electric resistance, has stable semiconductivity, has low hardness, has a small dynamic friction coefficient, and is free from contamination on a photosensitive drum. The present invention relates to a charging roll that does not cause fog due to toner adhesion. The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus provided with a charging roll having such excellent characteristics.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine, image formation is usually carried out by the steps of charging, exposing, developing, transferring, fixing and cleaning. That is, in the image forming apparatus, an electrostatic latent image is formed by a charging step of uniformly and uniformly charging the photosensitive drum, an exposure step of forming an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum by exposure, and a developer (toner). Development process to develop visible image,
A transfer step of transferring the toner on the photosensitive drum to a transfer material,
An image is formed by a fixing step of fixing the toner on the transfer material and a cleaning step of cleaning the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum after the transfer step.

Conventionally, in the process of charging the photosensitive drum, charging is generally performed by corona discharge. However, the charging method using corona discharge has a problem that harmful substances such as ozone are generated in addition to the danger and high cost due to application of high voltage. Ozone not only adversely affects the human body, but also deteriorates the photosensitive drum. Further, the corona charger has poor environmental stability, and when affected by humidity, the charging potential of the photosensitive drum changes, which adversely affects image characteristics.

Therefore, in recent years, a charging method using a charging roll has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-210300).
JP-A-6-266206, JP-A-7-2
8297, JP-A-7-49605, and JP-A-7-72710). In this charging method, a voltage is applied to the charging roll, the charging roll is brought into contact with the photosensitive drum, and the photosensitive drum is directly charged to be charged. Therefore, according to this charging method, ozone is not generated. Also in the transfer step, a transfer roll is used without using corona discharge, a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the transfer roll to generate an electric field, and the toner is transferred to the transfer material by the electrostatic force of the electric field. A scheme has been proposed.

On the other hand, after the transfer step, the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum is usually removed by a cleaning device such as a cleaning blade, but recently, a cleanerless system (or a cleaningless process) in which the cleaning step is omitted. ) Has been proposed (for example,
JP-A-5-210300 and JP-A-6-35301
No.). In this method, for example, the toner remaining on the photoconductor drum is collected by passing through a charging process and then electrostatically attracted to the developing device by the difference between the surface potential of the charged photoconductor drum and the developing bias. That is. As the developing device, one having a structure in which the developing roll contacts the photosensitive drum is used. According to this method, the image forming apparatus can be downsized and the toner can be collected in the developing process, so that it is not necessary to discard the toner. An image forming method in which an ozone-free process using a charging roll or a transfer roll as described above and a cleaningless process are combined has also been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-210300). In such an image forming system, a non-magnetic one-component developer that does not require a carrier is usually used, and in addition to downsizing of the apparatus, cost reduction and colorization can be achieved.

Conventionally, as a charging roll, for example, polyurethane resin, SBR, EVA, SBS, S is provided on a core metal.
EBS, SIS, TPO, EPDM, EPM, NBR,
A coating layer made of a composition in which a conductive filler such as carbon black, carbon fiber, metal oxide or metal powder is mixed with a resin or rubber such as IR, BR, NR, silicon rubber or epichlorohydrin rubber is provided. Things are known. A conductive coating is applied on the conductive elastic layer, which is further coated with a non-adhesive coating made of conductive fluororesin, or on a medium resistance elastic layer formed of rubber filled with a conductive filler. The one in which a resistor layer is formed by coating (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-72710) has been proposed. Further, a conductive roll is known in which a core metal is mixed with epichlorohydrin rubber and a fluororesin or an amide resin, and a coating layer formed of a material to which a conductive filler is added is formed.

However, in these charging rolls,
A relatively large amount of conductive filler must be dispersed in order to reduce the electric resistance of the charging roll to an appropriate range. Such a charging roll has a problem that the hardness is high, the contact with the photosensitive drum is not sufficient, and the charging is not uniform. A charging roll in which a non-adhesive layer made of a fluorine-containing cross-linked copolymer is provided on an elastic layer having a medium electric resistance such as epichlorohydrin rubber (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-2662).
No. 06), or a fluororesin or a polyamide resin that may contain various inorganic fillers or conductive particles on an elastic layer having an electrical medium resistance, such as epichlorohydrin rubber having a hardness (JISA) of 40. A charging roll provided with a surface layer such as an acrylic resin (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-49605) has also been proposed, but all of them have high hardness.

A low-hardness electrifying roll in which EPDM is impregnated with process oil is known. However, the impregnating process oil is released to contaminate the photoconductor and cause unevenness in the visible image, so that a nylon sheet is formed on the roll surface. Is wrapped around.
However, it cannot be sufficiently prevented with a nylon sheet, and it is made multi-layered or thickened. Therefore, it is not possible to obtain a sufficient charge imparting effect. Further, the conventional charging roll has a problem that the toner remaining on the photosensitive drum tends to adhere to the charging roll when mounted on a cleanerless image forming apparatus. That is, in the cleanerless method, the photosensitive drum is charged by the charging roll in a state where the untransferred residual toner exists on the photosensitive drum. Therefore, the toner tends to adhere to the charging roll. When the toner adheres to the charging roll, the toner adheres to the charging roll aggravated as the total number of printed sheets increases, and it becomes impossible to uniformly charge the photosensitive drum, which causes fog. In order to reduce the adhesion, it is necessary to reduce the tackiness of the surface of the charging roll and keep the dynamic friction coefficient small.

In order to impart a good charging property to the photosensitive drum, it is necessary to increase the contact area between the charging roll and the photosensitive drum. For that purpose, it is required to reduce the surface hardness of the charging roll. . On the other hand, in order to apply a bias voltage to the charging roll, the electric resistance of the charging roll must be lowered. The charging roll is deformed by contact with the photosensitive drum, but must not be permanently deformed by it. As described above, many characteristics are required for the charging roll. Further, in an image forming apparatus having a structure in which the charging roll and the photoconductor drum are in contact with each other, they are always in contact with each other. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the photoconductor drum from being contaminated by the charging roll. Particularly, as organic photoconductors (OPC photoconductors), which are easily polluted, have been used with the downsizing of devices, prevention of pollution has become a more important issue.

[0010]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to have a stable semiconductivity, which has a small environmental dependence of electric resistance,
An object of the present invention is to provide a charging roll having a low hardness, a small dynamic friction coefficient, no contamination on a photosensitive drum, and no fog caused by toner adhesion. Another object of the present invention is to provide a charging roll suitable for a so-called cleanerless type image forming apparatus, which is a non-magnetic one-component contact developing system and does not require a device for cleaning the photosensitive drum. The present inventors have conducted extensive studies in order to overcome the problems of the prior art, and as a result, in a charging roll in which the surface of a metal core material (core metal) is covered with a rubber layer, the surface of the rubber layer is polished. It was found that the above object can be achieved by irradiating with ultraviolet rays or electron beams after adjusting the surface roughness to 0.5 to 10 μm.

Also, by polishing the surface of the rubber layer to a surface roughness of 0.5 to 10 μm, coating a polyurethane resin on it, and then irradiating it with ultraviolet rays or electron beams, The above object can be achieved.
By forming a film made of a thin film of polyurethane resin, the surface roughness and the coefficient of dynamic friction can be further reduced. The charging roll of the present invention has good adhesion to the photoconductor drum and can be uniformly charged,
The toner remaining on the photoconductor drum does not adhere to the charging roll. Of course, there is no problem such as the release of oil. The present invention has been completed based on these findings.

[0012]

Thus, according to the present invention, there is provided a charging roll in which the surface of a metal core material is coated with a rubber layer, the surface of the rubber layer being polished to have a surface roughness of 0. 5-
There is provided a charging roll characterized by being irradiated with ultraviolet rays or an electron beam after having a thickness of 10 μm. Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a charging roll in which a surface of a metal core material is coated with a rubber layer, the surface of the rubber layer being polished to have a surface roughness of 0.5 to 10 μm, A coating roll is coated with a polyurethane resin and then irradiated with an ultraviolet ray or an electron beam, to provide a charging roll. further,
According to the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus including the above charging rolls.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Rubber layer As the material of the rubber layer covering the surface of the metal core material (core metal), various rubbers or rubber compositions (two or more kinds) generally used in the field of charging rolls are used. Rubber blends). Specific examples of such rubber include epihalohydrin rubber, urethane rubber, silicon rubber, polybutadiene, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber, and styrene-butadiene copolymer rubber.

Of these, a rubber composition containing an epihalohydrin rubber and an acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber is preferable. More specifically, preferable rubber components include (A) epihalohydrin copolymer rubber 40 to 90% by weight, (B) unsaturated rubber 5 to 40% by weight,
And (C) a rubber composition containing 5 to 20% by weight of a liquid unsaturated rubber. That is, when a rubber layer is formed using a rubber composition in which an epihalohydrin copolymer rubber, an unsaturated rubber that is solid at room temperature, and a liquid unsaturated rubber that is liquid at room temperature are blended in a specific ratio, the conductive layer contains that much conductive filler. Even if it is not carried out, a roll having a reasonably low electric resistance, being excellent in environmental stability of the electric resistance, having a reasonably low hardness, and having a small dynamic friction coefficient is preferable.

(A) Epihalohydrin Copolymer Rubber The epihalohydrin copolymer rubber is a copolymer rubber obtained by copolymerizing a monomer mixture containing epihalohydrin as an essential monomer. Examples of epihalohydrin include epichlorohydrin, epibromohydrin, epifluorohydrin and the like. Among these, epichlorohydrin is preferable in terms of availability and price. As the comonomer that is copolymerized with epihalohydrin, alkylene oxide and ethylenically unsaturated epoxide are preferable. As the epihalohydrin copolymer rubber, alkylene oxide 28 to 70 mol%,
A copolymer rubber obtained by copolymerizing 28 to 70 mol% of epihalohydrin and 2 to 15 mol% of an ethylenically unsaturated epoxide is preferable.

As the alkylene oxide, for example,
Examples thereof include ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide, and these can be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds. When used alone, ethylene oxide (EO) is preferred. When used in combination, ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO)
It is preferable to use and together. The copolymerization ratio of alkylene oxide is usually 28 to 70 mol%, preferably 3
It is 5 to 65 mol%, more preferably 40 to 60 mol%. If the copolymerization ratio of alkylene oxide in the epihalohydrin copolymer rubber exceeds 70 mol%, the hygroscopicity becomes high, or the electrical resistance becomes highly environmentally dependent. If this ratio is less than 28 mol%, the electric resistance becomes low. However, both of them are not preferable.

The copolymerization ratio of epihalohydrin is usually
It is 28 to 70 mol%, preferably 30 to 65 mol%, and more preferably 35 to 60 mol%. The copolymerization ratio of epihalohydrin in the epihalohydrin copolymer rubber is 70.
When it exceeds mol%, the electric resistance becomes high, and this ratio is 28
If it is less than mol%, the hygroscopicity becomes high, or the electric resistance becomes highly environmentally dependent, which is not preferable.

Examples of the ethylenically unsaturated epoxide include allyl glycidyl ether, glycidyl methacrylate, glycidyl acrylate and butadiene monooxide. By copolymerizing an ethylenically unsaturated epoxide, vulcanization by a sulfur vulcanization system (sulfur or a sulfur donor) or a peroxide becomes possible, and thermal softening deterioration resistance and dynamic ozone resistance are improved. The copolymerization ratio of the ethylenically unsaturated epoxide is usually 2 to 15 mol%, preferably 3 to 10 mol%. If the copolymerization ratio of the ethylenically unsaturated epoxide in the epihalohydrin copolymer rubber exceeds 15 mol%, curing deterioration due to heat tends to occur and the rubber elasticity tends to be lost, resulting in brittleness. If the ratio is less than 2 mol%. It is difficult to obtain a smooth rubber sheet.

(B) Unsaturated Rubber The unsaturated rubber is a rubber in a solid state at room temperature. Examples of unsaturated rubbers include acrylonitrile / butadiene copolymer rubber (NBR), styrene / butadiene copolymer rubber (SBR), polybutadiene rubber (BR), ethylene / propylene / diene copolymer rubber (EPDM), chloroprene. Examples thereof include rubber, acrylonitrile / isoprene copolymer rubber, acrylonitrile / butadiene / isoprene copolymer rubber (NBIR), urethane rubber, and partially hydrogenated products of these rubbers. Among these, NBR and partially hydrogenated NBR are preferable because they have good compatibility with the epihalohydrin copolymer rubber.

(C) Liquid unsaturated rubber The liquid unsaturated rubber is an unsaturated rubber in a liquid state at room temperature. Examples of such liquid unsaturated rubber include liquid polybutadiene, liquid NBR, liquid chloroprene, and the like. Among these, liquid NBR is preferable because it has good compatibility with the epihalohydrin copolymer rubber and NBR and partially hydrogenated NBR. In the rubber composition, the epihalohydrin copolymer rubber (A) is 40 to 90% by weight,
Preferably 50-90% by weight, more preferably 55-8
Used in proportions of 5% by weight. 90% of component (A)
If it exceeds 5% by weight, the hardness and the coefficient of kinetic friction increase, and problems such as contamination of the photoconductor and toner adhesion occur. (A)
When the proportion of the components is less than 40% by weight, it becomes difficult to appropriately reduce the electric resistance.

In the rubber composition, the proportion of the unsaturated rubber as the component (B) is 5 to 40% by weight, preferably 5 to 35% by weight,
More preferably, it is 5 to 30% by weight. If the proportion of the component (B) is too large, it becomes difficult to obtain an appropriately low electric resistance, and if it is too small, the workability is lowered and the hardness and the coefficient of dynamic friction are increased. In the rubber composition, the proportion of the liquid unsaturated rubber as the component (C) is 5 to 40% by weight, preferably 5 to 3%.
It is 5% by weight, more preferably 5 to 30% by weight.
If the proportion of component (C) is too high, the coefficient of dynamic friction will be high, and the adhesion of toner to the charging roll will occur. If it is too low, the hardness will be high and the contact with the photosensitive drum will be insufficient, resulting in uneven charging. become.

In the present invention, a vulcanizing agent is added to the rubber component,
After shaping into a roll shape, it is vulcanized. As the vulcanizing agent, a sulfur-based vulcanizing agent or peroxide is usually used. Metal oxides can be used, but they are not preferable because they may contaminate the photosensitive drum. The vulcanizing agent is the rubber composition 10
It is generally used in a proportion of 0.1 to 5 parts by weight, preferably 0.2 to 3 parts by weight, based on 0 parts by weight. The rubber composition of the present invention can be appropriately blended with a conductive filler such as conductive carbon black, a reinforcing agent, a filler, and a rubber additive such as an antiaging agent, if necessary.

Charging Roll In the present invention, first, the surface of the metal core material is coated with a rubber layer, and then the surface of the rubber layer is polished to a surface roughness of 0.5 to 10 μm. Or irradiate with an electron beam. Alternatively, after the above steps, the polyurethane resin is coated on the rubber layer, and then ultraviolet rays or electron beams are irradiated. In order to coat the surface of the metal core material with the rubber layer, a roll-shaped base material such as a metal rotating shaft is used as a core metal and placed in a roll mold, and a rubber composition containing a vulcanizing agent or the like is added thereto. Put it, shape it into a roll around the core,
Then, it may be heated and vulcanized. Vulcanization conditions such as vulcanization temperature and vulcanization time can be appropriately determined according to the type of rubber component used. For example, when the rubber component is an epihalohydrin copolymer rubber or a blend rubber containing the epihalohydrin copolymer rubber, it is usually 100 to 2
It may be heated at 50 ° C. for about 10 to 60 minutes.

After vulcanization and molding, the obtained rubber roll is subjected to polishing treatment so that the surface roughness is 10 μm or less. As the polishing method, a method of mechanically polishing with an abrasive is usually adopted. The surface roughness is a 10-point average roughness described in JIS B-0601. By the polishing process,
The surface roughness of the rubber layer is 0.5 to 10 μm, preferably 1 to
The thickness is 8 μm, more preferably 1 to 6 μm. When the surface roughness of the rubber layer exceeds 10 μm, the OPC photoconductor is significantly contaminated and the dynamic friction coefficient is also increased, so that the toner remaining on the photoconductor drum adheres to the charging roll and causes fog on the printing paper. It will be easier. Also, by the polishing process,
It is preferable to adjust the dynamic friction coefficient of the rubber layer within the range of 1 to 3. Immediately after the polishing treatment is performed in this way, or after the surface of the rubber layer is coated with a polyurethane resin, ultraviolet rays or electron beams are irradiated.

By forming a polyurethane resin film, the surface roughness and dynamic friction coefficient of the rubber roll can be further reduced. The coating of the polyurethane resin is preferably performed using a self-emulsifying type or forced emulsifying type polyurethane resin aqueous dispersion. Conventionally, a charging roll having a structure in which a polyurethane resin is coated on the surface of a rubber roll is known,
As a coating method, a method of immersing a rubber roll in a solution of a polyurethane resin in an organic solvent has been adopted. However, in the method using the polyurethane resin solution, in addition to the problem of environmental pollution due to volatilization of the organic solvent, it is difficult to reduce the surface roughness of the polyurethane resin coating layer because the evaporation rate of the organic solvent is high, and Inconveniences such as swelling the rubber layer and extracting the compounding agent from the rubber layer are likely to occur.

As the self-emulsifying type or forced emulsifying type polyurethane resin aqueous dispersion, commercially available products can be used. Specific examples of commercially available products include "Superflex" series manufactured by Dai-ichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd. The polyurethane resin may contain a functional group or a reactive group. Regarding the film forming conditions of the aqueous dispersion, there are various types such as drying, heat curing, and ultraviolet curing.
The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polyurethane resin is 30 to
Preferably it is 80 ° C. When a polyurethane resin having a glass transition temperature outside this range is used, the dynamic friction coefficient of the polyurethane resin coating is not sufficiently lowered, and fogging due to toner adhesion is likely to occur. The strength of the polyurethane resin coating is preferably 200 kg / cm ² or more, 3
It is more preferably at least 00 kg / cm ² .

The polyurethane resin which can be preferably used in the present invention is a reaction product of a polyfunctional isocyanate compound and a polyether polyol or a polyester polyol. This polyurethane resin may have a hydrophilic functional group in the molecular chain. As the functional group, a hydroxyl group,
A carboxyl group etc. can be illustrated. Polyfunctional isocyanate compound (ie, 2 isocyanate groups
Examples of aromatic compounds such as triphenylmethane triisocyanate, 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, 1,5-naphthalene diisocyanate, tolylene diisocyanate, tetramethylxylene diisocyanate and xylene diisocyanate; and dicyclohexane diisocyanate, dicyclohexyl. Aliphatic isocyanates such as methane diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate and isophorone diisocyanate; and the like.

Examples of the polyether polyol include polyoxytetramethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol and the like. Examples of the polyester polyol include those having a hydroxyl group at the molecular end obtained by reacting a polyvalent carboxylic acid with a polyol (including a polyether polyol), and also include a polycarbonate diol and the like. Examples of the polycarboxylic acid include adipic acid, phthalic acid, sebacic acid, and dimer acid. Examples of the polyol include ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, hexanetriol, trimethylolpropane, glycerin, pentaerythritol, sorbitol, and glycol dicarboxylate. Polyurethane resin
Those having a molecular weight of usually 100,000 to 500,000, preferably 200,000 to 300,000 are used.

As a method for coating the polyurethane resin on the rubber layer, a method such as brush coating, spray coating, dipping or the like using a polyurethane resin aqueous dispersion can be adopted. After coating the water dispersion on the rubber layer, drying,
A dry film is formed by a method such as heating or ultraviolet irradiation. The thickness of the polyurethane resin coating is usually 10 to 50.
It is about μm. When a polyurethane resin film is formed,
The surface roughness of the charging roll is usually 0.01 to 5 μm, preferably 0.05 to 2 μm, and the dynamic friction coefficient is usually 0.5 or less, preferably 0.3 or less. If the rubber layer of the charging roll is coated with polyurethane resin, the contact area between the roll surface and the photoconductor drum will have a low dynamic friction coefficient, and the toner remaining on the photoconductor will not easily adhere to the charging roll, thus charging the photoconductor drum. Will also be uniform. As a result, the toner is likely to adhere uniformly, and uneven printing, blurring, fogging, etc. do not occur.

As the ultraviolet irradiation method, for example, a wavelength of 20 is used.
A method in which a charging roll is rotated in the vicinity of an ultraviolet lamp of 0 to 450 nm and ultraviolet rays are irradiated for 1 to 10 minutes can be mentioned. As the ultraviolet lamp, for example, one having an output of 80 W / cm and a rated output of about 4000 W is preferable. Electron beam irradiation is Nisshin High Voltage (NHV)
Scanning beam type 300 KeV, 78m
A electron beam irradiation device such as an electron beam accelerator is used. It is preferable that the irradiation is performed with a nitrogen gas flow, the roll itself is rotated, and the irradiation time on the roll surface is suppressed to 1 second or less. When the surface treatment of the charging roll is performed by irradiating with an ultraviolet ray or an electron beam, the dynamic friction coefficient is uniformly reduced without being influenced by fine irregularities on the roll surface, and toner adhesion is prevented. Further, since the contact portion between the charging roll and the photoconductor drum becomes uniform, the photoconductor drum is also uniformly charged. As a result, printing unevenness, blurring, fog, etc. do not occur. Further, it is presumed that the adhesive force on the roll surface is reduced by irradiation with ultraviolet rays or electron beams.

The charging roll of the present invention has an electric resistance (volume specific resistance) of LL conditions of low temperature and low humidity (10 ° C. × 20% R).
H), preferably 1 × 10 ⁵ to 1 × 10 ¹⁰ Ω · c
m, more preferably about 1 × 10 ⁶ to 1 × 10 ⁹ Ω · cm. HH condition of high temperature and high humidity (35 ℃ × 80% RH)
Although the electric resistance value (b) measured in step 1 is smaller than the electric resistance value (a) measured under the LL condition, in the charging roll of the present invention, the ratio (a / b) of both is preferably 10 or less. (Within one digit), the environmental resistance of electrical resistance is small.
In order to adjust the electric resistance value of the charging roll within an appropriate range, it is preferable to add a small amount of a conductive filler of about 0.1 to 5 parts by weight to 100 parts by weight of the rubber composition.

The charging roll of the present invention has a hardness (JISA).
Is preferably as small as about 30 to 40, and can be sufficiently adhered to the photoconductor drum to impart sufficient chargeability. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The charging roll of the present invention has a small dynamic friction coefficient of usually 0.5 or less, and can smoothly rotate by contacting with the photoconductor drum. Even if it is used in a cleanerless image forming apparatus without polluting the drum,
No toner is attached and fogging does not occur.

Image Forming Apparatus The charging roll of the present invention is used in contact with a photosensitive drum in an image forming apparatus. Such an image forming apparatus includes at least a photosensitive drum, an exposing unit, a developing roll, and a charging roll. (1) The charging roll contacts the photosensitive drum to charge the surface of the photosensitive drum, and (2)
An electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum charged by being exposed by the exposing means, and (3) the developing roll coated with the developer is brought into contact with the photosensitive drum, and the electrostatic latent image is formed by the developer. An image forming apparatus configured to be developed into a visible image can be mentioned.

FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of an example of such an image forming apparatus. FIG. 1 is a specific example of an image forming apparatus used in a non-magnetic one-component developing method. The photoconductor drum 1 for forming an electrostatic latent image and the charging roll 8 are arranged in contact with each other, and a voltage is applied from a power source 10 through a core metal 9 of the charging roll. Charge the surface of the drum. The electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoconductor drum 1 which is charged by exposure by the exposure means 7 using a laser light source or the like. The photosensitive drum 1 is arranged so as to also contact the developing roll 2. In the development process,
The non-magnetic one-component developer (toner) 4 is applied to the surface of the adjacent developing roll 2 by the supply roll 6. The developing blade 3 uniformly controls the thickness of the toner applied on the surface of the developing roll. The toner uniformly and evenly applied to the surface of the developing roll visualizes the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum. The toner image on the photosensitive drum is transferred onto a transfer material 15 such as transfer paper. In FIG. 1, a transfer roll 11 is used, and a power source 13 is used to transfer a transfer roll core 12
There is disclosed a method in which a voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied via an electric field to generate an electric field, and the electrostatic force of the electric field transfers the toner on the photosensitive drum to a transfer material.

After the transfer step, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum may be removed by a cleaning device such as a cleaning blade. In FIG. 1, a so-called cleanerless system without such a cleaning device is used. An image forming apparatus is shown. Therefore, the toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum comes into contact with the charging roll. In the cleanerless method, after passing through the charging step, the toner is attracted to the developing device by electrostatic force and collected due to the difference between the surface potential of the charged photosensitive drum and the developing bias. That is, after the charging process is completed and before the transfer process is started, for example, the residual toner is collected by the electrostatic force generated in the developing process. In addition,
The core metal of the developing roll 2 is usually configured so that a bias voltage can be applied. In the case of the reversal developing method, a bias voltage having the same polarity as that of the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum is applied to the core metal of the developing roll. The transfer material is, for example, paper or an OHP sheet.

Developer (toner) The toner that can be used in the image forming apparatus of the present invention is not particularly limited, but a non-magnetic one-component developer is usually used, and the toners shown below are particularly preferable. used. That is, the preferable toner has a volume average particle diameter (Dv) of usually 3 to 15 μm, preferably 5 to 10
and the ratio (Dv / Dn) of the volume average particle diameter (Dv) to the number average particle diameter (Dn) is usually 1.0 to 1.4.
Is a substantially spherical non-magnetic one-component developer within the range of. It is preferable to use such a substantially spherical toner because the transferability is good, and when the cleanerless method is used, the amount of toner remaining on the photoconductor is small and the adhesion to the charging roll is small. .

The preferred spherical toner has a value (Sc / Sr) of 1.0 to 1 obtained by dividing the area (Sc) of a circle having the diameter of the absolute maximum length of the particle by the substantial projected area (Sr) of the particle. .3
And the specific surface area (S) by the BET method [unit:
m ² / g], number average particle diameter (dn) [unit: μm], and true specific gravity (d) product (S × dn × d) are 5 to 10. Toner charge amount (Q) [Unit: μc
/ G] and specific surface area (S) ratio (Q / S) [unit: μc
/ M ² ] is preferably in the range of 80 to 150.

Such a non-magnetic one-component developer can be obtained by polymerizing a homogeneous mixed liquid containing a vinyl monomer and a colorant by a suspension polymerization method. In particular,
For example, a mixture containing a vinyl-based monomer, a colorant, a polymerization initiator, and optionally various additives is uniformly dispersed in a ball mill or the like to prepare a mixed solution, and the mixed solution is then subjected to high shear stirring in water. After atomizing into droplet particles,
A method of suspension polymerization at 30 to 200 ° C. is exemplified.

Various additives may be added internally or externally to the non-magnetic one-component developer in order to control chargeability, conductivity, fluidity, or adhesion to the photosensitive drum or fixing roll. You can Such additives include low molecular weight polypropylene, low molecular weight polyethylene, various waxes, release agents such as silicone oil; carbon black, silica, alumina, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, inorganic fine powder such as cerium oxide and calcium carbonate. And the like.

[0040]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described more specifically with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples, but the present invention is not limited to these Examples. The electrical characteristics, hardness,
The characteristics relating to the coefficient of kinetic friction, contamination of the photoconductor, toner adhesion, etc. were measured by the following methods.

(1) Electric Resistance A charging roll is fixed by its metal core material, a brass electrode having a width of 2 mm and a weight of 500 g is placed on the surface of the charging roll, and the metal core material and brass material of the charging roll are made. 500V between electrodes
DC voltage is applied to measure the electric resistance of the charging roll.
The measured electric resistance is R (Ω) and the contact area of the electrode is S
(Cm ² ) and the distance between the metal core and the electrode is L (cm), the volume specific resistance ρ (Ω · cm) can be calculated by the following equation. ρ = (R · S) / L The environmental conditions for measurement are low temperature and low humidity LL (10 ° C × 2
0% RH) and high temperature / high humidity conditions HH (35 ° C x 80% R
It carried out on 2 conditions of H).

(2) Hardness The hardness is 2 mm in accordance with JIS K-6253.
A thick rubber sheet was measured as a sample. (3) Dynamic friction coefficient Fixed to a moving body so that the charging roll does not move, 20 mm
The width of the polyester sheet was brought into contact with the charging roll so that the contact angle was 90 degrees, the load was changed from 50 g to 200 g, the moving body was pulled at a pulling speed of 100 mm / min, and the tension at this time was measured. Calculate using a formula. μ = 2 / π × Ln (W2 / W1) Here, μ is a dynamic friction coefficient, W1 is a load lowered during measurement, and W2 is an average value of measured tension. FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of a dynamic friction coefficient measuring device.

(4) Contamination of OPC photoconductor A commercially available OPC photoconductor is fixed, and 1K from above the charging roll.
A charging roll was placed on the OPC photosensitive member so that a load of g was applied and left for 2 weeks in an environment of 50 ° C. × 80% RH, and the presence or absence of contamination of the OPC photosensitive member was visually evaluated. A: No contamination is observed. ◯: Slight contamination is recognized. X: Contamination is recognized.

(5) Adhesion of Toner on Charging Roll The electrophotographic printer (image forming apparatus) shown in FIG. 1 was equipped with the charging roll thus prepared, continuous printing was performed on 10,000 sheets, and the toner was adhered on the charging roll. Then, the presence or absence of fogging on the printing paper, which causes it, was examined, and the toner adhesion on the charging roll was evaluated. A: No fogging due to toner adhesion is observed. ◯: Fogging due to toner adhesion is slight, but there is no problem. X: Fogging due to toner adhesion is recognized.

[Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2] Copolymers shown in Table 1 using ethylene oxide as an alkylene oxide, epichlorohydrin as an epihalohydrin, and allyl glycidyl ether as an ethylenically unsaturated epoxide. Each epihalohydrin copolymer rubber of composition was produced. In addition to these epihalohydrin copolymer rubbers, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber (NBR) as an unsaturated rubber that is solid at room temperature, and liquid acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber (liquid NBR) as a liquid unsaturated rubber that is liquid at room temperature Was added at a ratio shown in Table 1, and the vulcanization system shown in Table 1 and other additives were added to 100 parts by weight of these rubber components to prepare a rubber composition. Table 1 shows the composition of the epihalohydrin copolymer rubber and the compounding ratio of each component. In Table 1, the composition of the epihalohydrin copolymer rubber is shown in mol% of each copolymer component, and the composition of the copolymer rubber and N
The mixing ratio of BR and liquid NBR is shown by weight% of each rubber component, and the mixing ratio of the vulcanization system and other additives is expressed by parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the rubber component.

The rubber compositions obtained in each of the above Examples and Comparative Examples were kneaded with a roll and formed into a sheet, which was then cooled to 155 ° C.
Was vulcanized for 30 minutes to obtain a vulcanized rubber sheet having a thickness of 2 mm. The hardness of each of the obtained vulcanized rubber sheets was evaluated by the above method. Molding of the charging roll is performed by placing a roll-shaped base material such as a metal rotating shaft in a roll mold as a core metal,
The rubber composition was put therein, shaped into a roll around the cored bar, and then heated and vulcanized. After vulcanization and molding, the obtained rubber roll has its surface polished with an abrasive, and is described in JIS-B-0601.
Polishing was performed by changing the eyes of the grindstone until the point average roughness became 10 μm or less.

After polishing, 80% by weight of an aqueous dispersion of polyurethane resin (solid content 20% by weight) and 20% by weight of tin oxide were placed in a ball mill pot and well dispersed. 5. In this, a sensitizer solution in which Darocur 1173, which is a photosensitizer manufactured by Ciba Geigy, and Neugen EA-157, which is an emulsifier manufactured by Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd., and water were adjusted at 10: 8: 82. A coating liquid was prepared by adding 4% by weight. A rubber roll was immersed in this coating material solution, dried, and then irradiated with ultraviolet rays. The irradiation of ultraviolet rays was performed by a method of rotating the charging roll at a position of 10 cm from an ultraviolet lamp having a lamp output of 80 W / cm, a rated output of 4000 W and a wavelength of 200 to 450 nm and irradiating for 1 to 3 minutes. The thickness of the coating material is 4
It was 0 μm.

Table 1 shows the specific contents of the polyurethane resin aqueous dispersion. Further, FIG. 2 shows a laminated structure of the charging roll. That is, the rubber layer 22 is coated on the cored bar 21,
The surface 23 of the rubber layer has a surface roughness of 10 μm by polishing.
The coating film 24 of polyurethane resin is formed thereon. However, in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, the coating treatment with the polyurethane resin was not performed. In addition,
The Tg and the source of the polyurethane resin are as follows. Tg = 46 ° C .: Superflex 110 manufactured by Dai-ichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd. Tg = 40 ° C .: Superflex 150 manufactured by Dai-ichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd. Tg = 37 ° C .: Superflex 160 manufactured by Dai-ichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd. Regarding the charging roll thus obtained, Dynamic friction coefficient, O
The fogging of the printing paper due to the PC photoconductor contamination and toner adhesion was evaluated. Table 1 shows the results.

[0049]

[Table 1]

(Footnote) (* 1) NBR: Acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer with 33% by weight of acrylonitrile (* 2) Liquid NBR: Liquid acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer with 33% by weight of acrylonitrile (* 3) TMTD: Tetramethylthiuram disulfide (* 4) Antiaging agent: Acetone-diphenylamine reaction product manufactured by Ouchi Shinko Chemical Co., Ltd.-The unit of volume resistivity MΩ · cm is 10 ⁶ Ω ·
cm.

The surface roughness of the rubber roll is 0.5 to 10 μm.
The charging roll (Example 1) obtained by irradiating with ultraviolet rays after the exposure to light has a low surface dynamic friction coefficient of 0.2, does not contaminate the photoconductor drum, and does not contaminate the paper due to the adhesion of toner when printed. There was no fogging. Set the surface roughness of the rubber roll to 0.
The charging roller (Examples 2 to 3) obtained by forming a polyurethane resin film after irradiating with 5 to 10 μm and then irradiating with ultraviolet rays has a smooth surface roughness of 2 to 3 μm and a low dynamic friction coefficient. There was no contamination of the photosensitive drum, and there was no fog on the paper due to adhesion of toner when printing. In addition, the charging rolls of Examples 1 to 3 have an electric resistance that changes within 1 order between the LL condition and the HH condition, have an appropriate electric resistance, and have a small environmental dependency of the electric resistance.
The hardness of the charging roll is low, and the dynamic friction coefficient is small in spite of the low hardness, and the physical properties of the charging roll are well balanced.

On the other hand, in the case where the surface roughness of the rubber roll before being irradiated with ultraviolet rays is rougher than the specified range and not polished (Comparative Example 1), the reduction of the dynamic friction coefficient after irradiation with ultraviolet rays is not sufficient, and the printing At that time, paper fogging occurred due to toner adhesion. Even when coated with a polyurethane resin, when not irradiated with ultraviolet rays (Comparative Example 2),
The dynamic friction coefficient on the surface of the charging roll did not decrease, the photoconductor drum was contaminated, and the fogging of the paper due to the adhesion of toner was observed, which was not practical.

[0053]

According to the present invention, the environmental dependence of the electric resistance is small, the electric resistance is stable, the hardness is low, the dynamic friction coefficient is small, and the photosensitive drum is not contaminated.
Provided is a charging roll that is free from contamination due to toner adhesion. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The charging roll of the present invention is a non-magnetic one-component contact developing system and is suitable for a cleanerless system image forming apparatus which does not require a device for cleaning the photosensitive drum. In the charging roll of the present invention, the amount of toner attached to the roll surface is small and the contact portion with the photoconductor is uniform, so that the photoconductor drum is also uniformly charged. As a result, the toner is likely to adhere uniformly, and uneven printing, blurring, and fog do not occur. Further, according to the present invention, an image forming apparatus provided with a charging roll having such excellent characteristics is provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an example of an image forming apparatus used in the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a laminated structure of a charging roll of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a method for measuring a dynamic friction coefficient.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Photoconductor drum 2: Development roll 3: Development blade 4: Developer (toner) 5: Developer container 6: Supply roll 7: Exposure device 8: Charging roll 9: Core metal of charging roll 10: Power supply 11: Transfer Roll 12: Core metal 13: Power supply 14: Fixing roll 15: Transfer material (paper, OHP sheet, etc.) 21: Core metal 22: Rubber layer 23: Surface of rubber layer 24: Polyurethane resin coating (UV irradiation)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A charging roll having a surface of a metal core material coated with a rubber layer, the surface of the rubber layer being polished to a surface roughness of 0.5 to 10 μm, and then exposed to ultraviolet rays or electron beams. A charging roll characterized by being irradiated. 2. A charging roll having a surface of a metal core material coated with a rubber layer, the surface of the rubber layer being polished to a surface roughness of 0.5 to 10 μm, and then polyurethane. A charging roll characterized by being coated with a resin and then irradiated with ultraviolet rays or electron beams. 3. An image forming apparatus comprising the charging roll according to claim 1.