Recording material processing apparatus and image forming system

Abstract

To suppress damage of a bearing part and deformation of an alignment part when external force acts on the alignment part exposed to the outside.SOLUTION: A recording material processing device comprises: a guide shaft whose axial direction is a recording material width direction intersecting a discharge direction of a recording material; a bearing part which is fit to the guide shaft in a movable manner; an alignment part which is provided so as to be exposed to the outside of a device in a discharge direction and aligns the position of an end surface of the recording material by contacting the end surface in parallel with a discharge direction of the recording material from the outside of the recording material; and an arm part which is provided between the bearing part and the alignment part and has a flexible part that is more flexible than the alignment part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording material processing apparatus and an image forming system.

Background Art

[0002] In a sheet-like medium processing apparatus including a discharging unit that discharges a conveyed sheet-like medium, a tray that stacks the sheet-like medium discharged by the discharging unit, and a tray moving unit that performs a sorting operation by moving the tray a predetermined amount in a shift direction orthogonal to the sheet-like medium discharging direction of the discharging unit, the tray is provided with aligning means for aligning the sheet-like media stacked thereon. The aligning means has a pair of aligning members that perform an aligning operation of aligning the positions of the end faces by bringing an aligning portion into contact with two end faces of the sheet-like medium parallel to the discharging direction of the sheet-like medium discharged from the discharging unit and stacked on the tray. A sheet-like medium processing apparatus is known that performs an aligning operation so as to align the sheet-like media stacked after the sorting operation at a position different from the sheet-like media stacked before the sorting operation (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to suppress damage to the bearing portion and deformation of the aligning portion when an external force acts on the aligning portion exposed to the outside.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the recording material processing apparatus according to claim 1 is A guide shaft in the width direction of the recording material, where the axial direction intersects the discharge direction of the recording material, a bearing portion movably fitted to the guide shaft, an aligning portion provided to be exposed outside the apparatus in the discharge direction and contacting the outer side of the recording material on an end face parallel to the discharge direction of the recording material to align the position of the end face, and an arm portion provided between the bearing portion and the aligning portion and having a deformable portion that is more deformable than the aligning portion, The arm portion is bent so as to be positioned in a direction away from the end face of the recording material in the axial direction from the bearing portion ta a first arm portion, and thinner than the first arm portion 、 a second arm portion that integrally and continuously supports the aligning portion from the first arm portion, The portion that bends and connects from the bent position of the first arm portion to the second arm portion is thinner than the portion that connects from the bent position of the first arm portion to the bearing portion, and the second arm portion is thinner than the portion that bends and connects from the bent position of the first arm portion to the second arm portion. The bearing portion, the arm portion, and the aligning portion are integrally formed. It is characterized by this.

[0008] Claim 2 The invention according to claim 1, in the recording material processing apparatus according to claim 1, in the deformable portion, when viewed in cross section, a cutout is formed in the axial direction. It is characterized by this.

[0009] Claim 3 The invention according to claim 1, in the recording material processing apparatus according to claim 1, the deformable portion is provided at a position closer to the aligning portion than the bearing portion. It is characterized by this.

[0010] Claim 4 The invention according to claim 1, in the recording material processing apparatus according to claim 1, the deformable portion is formed of a material that is more deformable than the bearing portion. It is characterized by this.

[0011] Claim 5 The invention according to claim 1 to 4 any one of, in the recording material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to The alignment portion includes a main body that contacts the end surface of the recording material and 、 an elastic body that supports the main body so as to be movable in the axial direction, and the elastic body absorbs an impact received by the main body from the outside while the deformable portion deforms and absorbs it. It is characterized by this.

[0012] To solve the above problems, the image forming system according to claim 6 described in is an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material, a post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing on the recording material on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus, and a recording material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 for aligning the positions of the end surfaces parallel to the discharge direction of the recording material on which the post-processing has been performed by the post-processing apparatus. It is characterized by this.

Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 1, compared with a configuration having no deformable portion, when an external force acts on the alignment portion exposed to the outside, damage to the bearing portion and deformation of the alignment portion can be suppressed.

[0016] According to the invention described in claim 2 the deformable portion can be made more deformable without significantly reducing the strength of the deformable portion.

[0017] According to the invention described in claim 3 a portion close to the alignment portion can be made more deformable.

[0018] According to the invention described in claim 4 the deformable portion can be made more deformable.

[0019] According to the invention described in claim 5 even if the deformable portion deforms, it is possible to make it difficult to affect the bearing portion.

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 6According to the invention described in [reference], more external force can be absorbed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Next, with reference to the drawings, embodiments and specific examples will be given below to explain the present invention in more detail, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and specific examples. In the following description using the drawings, note that the drawings are schematic, and the ratios of the dimensions and the like are different from the actual ones, and illustrations other than the members necessary for the description are appropriately omitted for ease of understanding. For ease of understanding the following description, in the drawings, the left - right direction is the X - axis direction, the front - rear direction is the Y - axis direction, and the up - down direction is the Z - axis direction.

[0023] (1) Overall configuration and operation of the image forming system FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the image forming system 1 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view with a viewpoint above the post - processing device 3 and the recording material processing device 5. The image forming system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an image forming device 2 that forms an image on a sheet of paper P as a recording material, a post - processing device 3 that performs post - processing on the sheet of paper P on which the image is formed by the image forming device 2, a relay device 4 that is disposed on the upper surface of the image forming device 2 and conveys the sheet of paper P discharged from the image forming device 2 to the post - processing device 3, and a recording material processing device 5 that aligns the end faces of the sheet of paper P post - processed by the post - processing device 3. Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the overall configuration and operation of the image forming system 1 will be described.

[0024] (1.1) Configuration and operation of the image forming device The image forming device 2 includes an image forming unit 10, a paper feeding device 20 mounted at the bottom of the image forming unit 10, a reading device 30 mounted at the upper part of the image forming unit 10, an operation display unit 40, a control device 50, and a manual paper feeding device 70 mounted on the left side of the image forming unit 10.

[0025] The image forming unit 10 includes an exposure device 12, a photoreceptor unit 13, a developing device 14, a transfer device 15, and a fixing device 16, and forms a toner image on the sheet of paper P fed from the paper feeding device 20 or the manual paper feeding device 70.

[0026] The reading device 30 uses an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) line sensor (not shown) to read the image of the sheet and convert the image into image data which is an electrical signal.

[0027] On the front side of the reading device 30, an operation display unit 40 which is a user interface is arranged. The operation display unit 40 is composed of a combination of a liquid crystal display panel, various operation buttons, a touch panel, etc. The user of the image forming apparatus 2 inputs various settings and instructions via the operation display unit 40. Also, various information is displayed to the user of the image forming apparatus 2 via the liquid crystal display panel.

[0028] The control device 50 includes an image forming control unit 501 that controls the operation of the image forming apparatus 2, an image processing unit 502 that prepares image data according to a print processing request, a power supply device 503, etc. The image processing unit 502 converts the print information input from an external information transmission device (for example, a personal computer, etc.) into image information for latent image formation and outputs a drive signal to the exposure device 12 at a preset timing. The exposure device 12 of the present embodiment is composed of an LED head in which LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are arranged linearly. The power supply device 503 applies a predetermined high voltage for image formation to the photoreceptor unit 13, the developing device 14, the transfer device 15, etc., and supplies power to the exposure device 12, the fixing device 16, etc.

[0029] The paper feeding device 20 accommodates a large number of sheets P, and feeds the sheets P whose width direction is positioned by a regulating plate (not shown) one by one from the upper side forward (-X direction) by a paper pulling-out unit 22 to the nip portion of the registration roller pair 23.

[0030] The manual paper feeding device 70 can be folded with respect to the opening and closing member 90, and feeds a recording material such as a non-standard size paper, a specific thick paper, a postcard, a long sheet longer than the normal size, a plastic film, etc., which are difficult to feed by the paper feeding device 20, to the nip portion of the registration roller pair 23.

[0031] The sheet P fed out from the paper feeding device 20 or the manual paper feeding device 70 is conveyed to the registration roller pair 23, and is conveyed to the secondary transfer nip portion with the leading ends aligned by the registration roller pair 23.

[0032] The photoreceptor units 13 are provided in parallel above the paper feeding device 20, and each includes a photoreceptor drum 31 that is rotationally driven. Yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K) toner images are formed on the respective photoreceptor drums 31 on which electrostatic latent images are formed by the exposure device 12 by the respective developing devices 14.

[0033] The respective color toner images formed on the photoreceptor drums 31 of the respective photoreceptor units 13 are sequentially electrostatically transferred (primary transfer) onto the intermediate transfer belt 51 of the transfer device 15, and a superimposed toner image in which the respective color toners are superimposed is formed. The superimposed toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 51 is collectively transferred onto the sheet P fed out from the registration roller pair 23 and guided by the conveyance guide by the secondary transfer roller 52.

[0034] The fixing device 16 has a pair of heating modules 61 and a pressure module 62, and a fixing nip portion NP (fixing region) is formed in the pressure contact region between the heating module 61 and the pressure module 62. The sheet P onto which the toner image is collectively transferred in the transfer device 15 is conveyed to the fixing nip portion NP of the fixing device 16 in a state where the toner image is unfixed, and the toner image is fixed by the action of heating and pressure bonding.

[0035] The sheet P on which the fixed toner image is formed is guided by the switching gates G1 and G2, and is discharged from the lower first discharge roller pair 63 among the discharge roller pairs arranged side by side vertically to the relay device 4 disposed in the body S of the image forming apparatus 2. Further, by switching the position of the switching gate G1, it is discharged from the upper second discharge roller pair 64 to the upper surface 4a of the relay device 4.

[0036] (1.2) Configuration and operation of the post-processing device, relay device, and recording material processing device The relay device 4 includes an inlet roller 41 that receives the sheet P output via the first discharge roller pair 63 of the image forming apparatus 2, first conveyance rollers 42, 42 that convey the sheet P received by the inlet roller 41 downstream, and a second conveyance roller 43 that conveys the sheet P toward the post-processing device 3.

[0037] The post-processing device 3 includes a receiving roller 301 that receives the sheet P output from the image forming apparatus 2 via the relay device 4, a compile tray 310 that collects and stores a plurality of sheets P, discharge rollers 302 which are a pair of rollers that discharge the sheet P toward the compile tray 310, a paddle 303 that rotates to push the sheet P toward the end guide 310b of the compile tray 310, and a tamper 305 for aligning the ends of the sheet P on the compile tray 310.

[0038] Furthermore, the post-processing device 3 has a binding mechanism 320 that binds the ends of a stack of sheets P stacked on the compile tray 310. The stack of sheets P bundled on the compile tray 310 and the stack of sheets P bound by the binding mechanism 320 are conveyed and discharged by the eject roller 304.

[0039] On the side surface side of the post-processing device 3, there is provided a stacker tray TR that moves up and down (in the Z direction: refer to the arrow in FIG. 1) to stack the stack of sheets P discharged by the eject roller 304 so that the user can easily take them.

[0040] Above the eject roller 304, in the housing of the post-processing device 3, a recording material processing device 5 for aligning the end faces of the stack of sheets P discharged onto the stacker tray TR by the eject roller 304 is arranged as an integrated unit. The recording material processing device 5 includes a guide shaft 510 extending in the width direction of the sheet P that intersects the discharge direction of the sheet P, and an aligning device 520 as aligning means movably held by the guide shaft 510. As shown in FIG. 2, the aligning portion 523 of the aligning device 520 contacts the end face Pa of the sheet P from the outside of the sheet P discharged onto the stacker tray TR to align the end face Pa of the sheet P (Y direction: refer to the arrow R in FIG. 2).

[0041] (2) Recording material processing apparatus FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the overall configuration of the recording material processing apparatus 5 in a developed view in plan view, FIG. 4(a) is a perspective view showing the aligning device 520, (b) is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the aligning portion 523 of the aligning device 520, FIG. 5(a) is a perspective view showing the main body portion 520A of the aligning device 520 with the viewing point inside, (b), (c), and (d) are cross-sectional views showing the cut-out shape of the deformable portion, FIG. 6(a) is a side view showing the state where the aligning device 520 is rotated to the device main body side, (b) is a side view showing the state where the aligning device 520 is rotated from the device main body side in the recording material discharge direction so as to perform an aligning operation, and FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the alignment of the end face Pa of the paper P by the aligning device 520. Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the configuration and operation of the recording material processing apparatus 5 will be described.

[0042] (2.1) Overall configuration of the recording material processing apparatus As shown in FIG. 3, the recording material processing apparatus 5 includes a guide shaft 510 extending in the paper width direction (Y, -Y direction) whose axial direction intersects (is orthogonal to) the discharge direction of the paper P, and an aligning device 520 that moves along the guide shaft 510.

[0043] The guide shaft 510 is composed of a first guide shaft 511 and a second guide shaft 512 made of a metal shaft, and both ends are fixed to the device main body. A support base 513 is slidably fitted to the first guide shaft 511, and one end 513a of the support base 513 is fixed to a timing belt 515 stretched by a pulley 514 in the axial direction of the first guide shaft 511. One of the pulleys 514 is connected to the rotating shaft of the motor M1, and when the motor M1 rotates, the timing belt 515 rotates and the support base 513 moves along the first guide shaft 511.

[0044] The second guide shaft 512 is arranged in parallel with the first guide shaft 511, and a pair of left and right alignment devices 520 are supported by the support base 513 so as to face each other and are slidably fitted thereto. Thus, when the support base 513 moves in the axial direction of the first guide shaft 511 by the rotation of the motor M1, the alignment devices 520 move along the second guide shaft 512 so as to narrow or widen the distance therebetween.

[0045] The alignment device 520 includes a bearing portion 521 that is movably fitted while sliding on the second guide shaft 512, an alignment portion 523 that is provided to be exposed on the outer side in the discharge direction (X direction) and contacts the end face Pa parallel to the discharge direction of the paper P from the outer side (-Y direction) to align the position of the end face Pa, and an arm portion 522 that is provided between the bearing portion 521 and the alignment portion 523, has a deformable portion that is more deformable than the alignment portion 523, and connects the bearing portion 521 and the alignment portion 523, and is integrally formed.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4(b), the alignment portion 523 has a contact portion 523a having a flat surface that contacts the end face Pa of the paper P movably inserted into the insertion hole 523Aa of the receiving portion 523A continuously and integrally formed from one end of the arm portion 522 through a shaft portion 523b, and is attached with a screw 523d in a state of being biased in the direction of the end face Pa of the paper P via a spring 523c as an example of an elastic body.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 4(a), the arm portion 522 includes a first arm portion 522A bent so as to be located in a direction away from the end face Pa of the paper P in the axial direction (-Y direction, Y direction) from the bearing portion 521, and a second arm portion 522B that integrally and continuously supports the alignment portion 523 from the first arm portion 522A. The bearing portion 521, the first arm portion 522A, the second arm portion 522B, and the receiving portion 523A of the alignment portion 523 are integrally formed as the main body portion 520A of the alignment device 520.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 4(a), the first arm portion 522A is formed such that the thickness A and the thickness B in the longitudinal cross-sectional view are thicker than the thickness C of the second arm portion 522B. Specifically, the thicknesses are formed such that A > B > C, and the second arm portion 522B is more deformable than the first arm portion 522A, and the second arm portion 522B is the deformable portion of the arm portion 522.

[0049] As a result, the deformable portion is relatively far from the bearing portion 521, and when an external force acts on the aligning portion 523, the second arm portion 522B, which is the deformable portion, deforms and it is less likely to affect the bearing portion 521. Also, when viewed as the position with respect to the bearing portion 521, the deformable portion is formed at a position close to the aligning portion 523. When an external force acts on the aligning portion 523, the portion close to the aligning portion 523 is more likely to deform and it is less likely to affect the bearing portion 521.

[0050] As shown in Fig. 5, in the second arm portion 522B, a cutout 522Ba is formed in the axial direction (-Y direction, Y direction) when the deformable portion is viewed in cross-section. As shown in Fig. 5(b), the cutout 522Ba is formed by cutting out in a U-shape from one side of the second arm portion 522B. Thereby, it is possible to make it more deformable without significantly reducing the strength of the second arm portion 522B. Note that the cutout may be made from both sides of the second arm portion 522B as shown in Fig. 5(c), or may be made from both sides of the second arm portion 522B leaving a rib portion 522Bb at the center as shown in Fig. 5(d).

[0051] Also, by forming a part of the main body 520A in which the bearing portion 521, the first arm portion 522A, the second arm portion 522B, and the receiving portion 523A of the aligning portion 523 are integrally formed with a material that is more easily deformable than other parts, it is possible to make this part a deformable part. Specifically, by forming the second arm portion 522B that becomes the deformable part with a thermoplastic resin, the second arm portion 522B can be made more easily deformable. As the thermoplastic resin, since it is integrated via the bearing portion 521 and the first arm portion 522A, POM (polyacetal) which is excellent in mechanical properties and slidability is preferable. Also, an elastomer material having rubber elasticity may be used for the second arm portion 522B.

[0052] The aligning portion 523 has a double structure with a thickness in the axial direction of the second guide shaft 512, in which a contact portion 523a that contacts the end face Pa of the largest-area sheet P is biased by a spring 523c so as to be movable with respect to the receiving portion 523A. Therefore, when an external force acts on the aligning portion 523, the contact portion 523a that is biased to be movable by the spring 523c first moves to the receiving portion 523A side to absorb the impact, and then the second arm portion 522B that becomes the deformable part deforms to absorb the impact.

[0053] A rotary plate 516 is fixed to the second guide shaft 512. As shown in FIG. 3, a pulley 517 is fixed to one end of the second guide shaft 512 and connected to the motor M2 by a timing belt 518. Thereby, when the motor M2 rotates by a predetermined number of pulses, the second guide shaft 512 rotates, and at the same time, the rotary plate 516 rotates. As shown in FIG. 6(a), when the rotary plate 516 rotates (indicated by the arrow R2 in FIG. 6(a)), the bent portion 516a of the rotary plate 516 contacts the first arm portion 522A from below (-Z direction) and lifts the first arm portion 522A, so that the aligning portion 523 rotates toward the apparatus main body side (indicated by the arrow R3 in FIG. 6(a)).

[0054] When the aligning device 520 performs the aligning operation on the discharged paper P, when the aligning unit 523 rotates toward the device main body side and moves a predetermined distance in the axial direction (-Y direction, Y direction), the motor M2 rotates reversely by a predetermined number of pulses, so that the second guide shaft 512 rotates reversely, and at the same time, the rotating plate 516 rotates reversely. When the rotating plate 516 rotates reversely (indicated by the arrow R4 in Fig. 6(b)), as shown in Fig. 6(b), the bent portion 516a of the rotating plate 516 separates from the first arm portion 522A, and the aligning unit 523 rotates downward (-Z direction) by its own weight to face the end face Pa of the paper P (indicated by the arrow R5 in Fig. 6(b)).

[0055] As shown in Fig. 7, when a pair of aligning devices 520 having the aligning unit 523 configured as described above move along the second guide shaft 512 toward the end face Pa of the paper P and the contact portion 523a contacts the end face Pa of the paper P so as to bite into it (indicated by s in Fig. 5), the contact portion 523a acts to align the end face Pa of the paper P in a state where it pushes the spring 523c toward the receiving portion 523A side.

[0056] (2.2) Alignment operation Fig. 8(a) is a plan view showing the state where the aligning device 520 is located at the standby position, (b) is a side view showing the state, Fig. 9(a) is a side view showing the state where the aligning device 520 moves to the aligning position, (b) is a plan view showing the state, Fig. 10(a) is a plan view showing the aligning operation at the aligning position, and (b) is a side view showing the state. Hereinafter, the aligning operation of the aligning device 520 will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0057] (2.2.1) Standby position When the recording material processing device 5 receives the paper P discharged from the post-processing device 3 onto the stacker tray TR, it waits at the standby position. As shown in Fig. 8(a), the standby position is a position where the aligning unit 523 of the aligning device 520 is farthest from the end portion Pa of the paper P discharged in the axial direction of the second guide shaft 512 with a predetermined opposing interval W that allows the aligning device 520 to receive the paper P.

[0058] The aligning device 520 is rotatable about the axis of the second guide shaft 512 via the rotating plate 516. When the aligning operation is completed, it moves to the standby position with the aligning part 523 rotated toward the device body side. Then, at the standby position, as shown in Fig. 8(b), the aligning part 523 rotates to a position close to being perpendicular to the device body side so that the aligning part 523 does not protrude significantly in the paper discharge direction of the paper P.

[0059] In this way, the standby position is the position that is farthest from the end face Pa of the paper P discharged from the aligning part 523 of the aligning device 520 in the axial direction of the second guide shaft 512, and since the aligning part 523 rotates toward the device body side and does not protrude significantly in the paper discharge direction of the paper P, it is a position that is difficult to touch from the outside.

[0060] In this way, at the standby position, the aligning part 523 is difficult to touch from the outside. However, as shown in Fig. 8(a), when an external force (indicated by the arrow F in Fig. 8(a)) is applied to the aligning part 523 at or near the standby position, the second arm part 522B bends (indicated by the arrow f in Fig. 8(a)), making it less likely to affect the bearing part 521.

[0061] (2.2.2) Movement to the aligning position When moving from the standby position to the aligning position where it contacts the end face Pa of the paper P discharged onto the stacker tray TR from the outside and aligns the end face Pa of the paper P, as shown in Fig. 9(a), first the rotating plate 516 rotates (indicated by the arrow R6 in Fig. 9(a)) to rotate the aligning part 523 toward the device body side (indicated by the arrow R7 in Fig. 9(a)).

[0062] Then, as shown in Fig. 9(b), after the aligning part 523 rotates toward the device body side and moves to a predetermined position in the axial direction (-Y direction, Y direction), when the rotating plate 516 rotates in the reverse direction, the bent part 516a of the rotating plate 516 separates from the first arm part 522A, and the aligning part 523 rotates downward (-Z direction) by its own weight to face the end face Pa of the paper P.

[0063] (2.2.3) Aligning operation When the aligning unit 523 moves to the alignment position, as shown in FIG. 10, the contact portion 523a of the aligning unit 523 contacts the end portion Pa of the sheet P from the outside so as to fold the end portion Pa of the sheet P, thereby aligning the sheet P.

[0064] (2.2.4) Movement to the standby position When the aligning operation is completed, the rotating plate 516 rotates to rotate the aligning unit 523 toward the apparatus main body side and moves to the standby position. When an external force is applied to the aligning unit 523 during the movement to the standby position or at the standby position, the second arm portion 522B as the deformable portion deforms, making it difficult for the bearing portion 521 to be affected.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0065] 1 ··· Image forming system 2 ··· Image forming apparatus 3 ··· Post-processing apparatus 4 ··· Relay apparatus 5 ··· Recording material processing apparatus 510 ··· Guide shaft 511 ··· First guide shaft 512 ··· Second guide shaft 516 ··· Rotating plate 520 ··· Aligning device 520A ··· Main body portion 521 ··· Bearing portion 522 ··· Arm portion 522A ··· First arm portion 522B ··· Second arm portion (deformable portion) 523 ··· Aligning unit 523A ··· Receiving portion 523a ··· Contact portion 523b ··· Shaft portion TR ··· Stacker tray

Claims

1. A guide shaft whose axial direction is the width direction of the recording material intersecting the discharge direction of the recording material, a bearing portion movably fitted to the guide shaft, an aligning portion provided to be exposed outside the apparatus in the discharge direction and contacting from the outside of the recording material with an end face parallel to the discharge direction of the recording material to align the position of the end face, and an arm portion provided between the bearing portion and the aligning portion and having a deformable portion more deformable than the aligning portion. The arm portion includes a first arm portion bent so as to be positioned in a direction away from the end face of the recording material in the axial direction from the bearing portion, and a second arm portion thinner than the first arm portion and integrally and continuously supporting the aligning portion from the first arm portion. A portion bent and connected from the bent position of the first arm portion to the second arm portion is thinner than a portion connected from the bent position of the first arm portion to the bearing portion, and the second arm portion is thinner than a portion bent and connected from the bent position of the first arm portion to the second arm portion. The bearing portion, the arm portion, and the aligning portion are integrally formed. A recording material processing apparatus characterized by the above.

2. The deformable portion has a cutout formed in the axial direction when viewed in cross section. The recording material processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The deformable portion is provided at a position closer to the aligning portion than the bearing portion. The recording material processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

4. The deformable portion is formed of a material more deformable than the bearing portion. The recording material processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

5. The aligning portion includes a main body that contacts the end face of the recording material, and an elastic body that movably supports the main body in the axial direction. The deformable portion deforms and absorbs the impact received by the main body from the outside while the elastic body absorbs the impact. The recording material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by the above.

6. An image forming apparatus that forms an image on a recording material, a post-processing apparatus that performs post-processing on the recording material on which the image has been formed by the image forming apparatus, and a recording material processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 that aligns the positions of end faces parallel to the discharge direction of the recording material on which post-processing has been performed by the post-processing apparatus. An image forming system characterized by the above.

Images