Toner processing device and toner manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a processing device for toner capable of improving the storage stability of toner by performing annealing processing capable of more enhancing the degree of crystallization of a crystalline plasticizer than before with high productivity.SOLUTION: The processing device for toner includes a processing chamber which has a bottom part and a cylindrical inner peripheral surface, a driving shaft which is rotatably provided in the bottom part, a rotating body which is pivotally supported by the driving shaft, and flowing means which flows a processing target material upward from the bottom part. The rotating body has a rotating body main body and a processing part. The processing part has a plate-like processing surface for processing the processing target material and a rear wing. The plate-like processing surface is projected upward from the rear wing. The area away from the rotating body main body of the plate-like processing surface is located on the downstream side of an area closer to the rotating body main body than the area in the rotational direction of the rotating body. When the radius of the inner circumference of the processing chamber is defined as d, a shortest distance between the inner wall of the processing chamber and the plate-like processing surface is 0.100d or shorter.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a processing apparatus for toner used in electrophotography, electrostatic recording, magnetic recording, and the like, and a method for producing toner. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, electrophotographic image forming devices such as laser beam printers (LBPs) and copiers have been required to print faster and consume less energy than ever before, which has led to the need for toner, the developer used in electrophotography, to also meet these requirements.

[0003] In most cases, toner is melted and fixed to paper using heat supplied from a high-temperature fixing device. However, as speeds increase, the contact time with the fixing device is shortened, reducing the amount of heat supplied. Furthermore, demands for energy conservation necessitate lowering the temperature of the fixing device itself. Therefore, toner is required to have low-temperature fixing performance, melting at lower temperatures and with less heat than before. To improve the low-temperature fixing performance of toner, the addition of plasticizers to the main binder has traditionally been widely used. Specifically, plasticizers include crystalline molecules such as hydrocarbon waxes and crystalline resins such as polyesters.

[0004] These crystalline plasticizers generally exert a plasticizing effect in proportion to the amount added, allowing the main binder to melt at a lower temperature and with less heat. However, when added in large amounts to improve low-temperature fixability, adverse effects such as reduced heat-resistant storage stability due to the cohesion of toner particles caused by the leakage of crystalline plasticizer molecules to the toner particle surface during long-term storage tend to become apparent. Therefore, when adding large amounts of these crystalline plasticizers, it is necessary to form crystalline domains of the crystalline plasticizer alone within the toner particles during manufacturing, stabilizing the crystalline plasticizer molecules and preventing them from leaking to the toner particle surface during long-term storage.

[0005] The process of forming crystalline domains of a crystalline plasticizer alone during production and improving the degree of crystallinity is generally called the annealing process, and is described, for example, in Patent Document 1. In the annealing process, the crystalline plasticizer is heated to a temperature at which it does not melt but allows a certain degree of intermolecular thermal motion, and then allowed to stand, thereby forming energetically stable crystallized domains. However, these annealing methods that involve heating and standing require a relatively long processing time, resulting in poor productivity.

[0006] Therefore, as an alternative to the annealing method using heat and standing, a method has been proposed in Patent Document 2 and elsewhere to more efficiently heat-treat the entire powder, in which heat treatment is performed in a stirring and mixing process that applies mechanical impact force, thereby allowing annealing to be performed in a shorter time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-065015 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-142320 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, these conventional annealing methods cause the crystalline domains of crystalline plasticizers to grow monotonically from initially formed fine crystal nuclei. As a result, multiple subdomains originating from the initial crystal nuclei are formed within a single domain, but the boundaries between these subdomains are discontinuous in terms of the crystalline structure, which has been found to be a factor in reducing the degree of crystallinity.

[0009] The present disclosure aims to provide a toner processing apparatus and a toner manufacturing method that are highly productive and can perform an annealing treatment that can increase the crystallinity of a crystalline plasticizer more than conventional methods, thereby improving the storage stability of the toner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The present disclosure provides a toner processing device for processing a processing target containing toner particles, The toner processing device comprises: a processing chamber having a bottom and a cylindrical inner peripheral surface in which the object to be processed is accommodated; a drive shaft rotatably mounted on the bottom of the processing chamber; a rotating body journaled on the drive shaft; a flow means supported by the drive shaft and disposed below the rotor, for flowing the object from the bottom of the treatment chamber upward; Equipped with The rotating body is A rotating body main body, a processing portion protruding radially outward from an outer periphery of the rotor body; and The processing unit a plate-shaped processing surface that partially or entirely collides with the object to be processed to process the object; a rear blade connected to the upstream side of the plate-shaped treated surface in the direction of rotation; and The plate-shaped treated surface is 、 Above the rear wing and below It stands out in a region of the plate-shaped treatment surface that is farther from the rotor body is located downstream in the rotation direction of the rotor than a region that is closer to the rotor body than the region of the plate-shaped treatment surface that is farther from the rotor body, When the radius of the inner circumference of the processing chamber is d, the shortest distance between the inner wall of the processing chamber and the plate-shaped processing surface is 0.100d or less. 、 The present invention relates to a processing device for toner. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a toner processing device that is highly productive, performs an annealing treatment that can increase the crystallinity of a crystalline plasticizer more than conventional methods, and improves the storage stability of the toner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1]Schematic diagram showing a toner processing device [Figure 2] Schematic diagram showing the processing chamber [Figure 3] Schematic diagram of flow means [Figure 4] Schematic diagram of a rotating body [Figure 5] Schematic diagram of the processing unit [Figure 6] Diagram explaining the functions of the processing unit [Figure 7] Example of a rear wing that is continuous with the plate-shaped processed surface [Figure 8] A diagram explaining the positional relationship of the plate-shaped processed surface [Figure 9] Diagram explaining the angle of the plate-shaped processed surface DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the expressions "XX or more and YY or less" or "XX to YY" representing a numerical range mean a numerical range including the lower and upper limits, which are the endpoints. When a numerical range is described in stages, the upper and lower limits of each numerical range can be combined in any way.

[0014] The present disclosure provides a toner processing device for processing a processing target containing toner particles, The toner processing device comprises: a processing chamber having a bottom and a cylindrical inner peripheral surface in which the object to be processed is accommodated; a drive shaft rotatably mounted on the bottom of the processing chamber; a rotating body journaled on the drive shaft; a flow means supported by the drive shaft and disposed below the rotor, for flowing the object from the bottom of the treatment chamber upward; Equipped with The rotating body is A rotating body main body, a processing portion protruding radially outward from the outer periphery of the rotor main body, The processing unit a plate-shaped processing surface that partially or entirely collides with the object to be processed to process the object; a rear blade connected to the upstream side of the plate-shaped treatment surface in the rotation direction, The plate-shaped treated surface protrudes upward from the rear wing, a region of the plate-shaped treatment surface that is farther from the rotor body is located downstream in the rotation direction of the rotor than a region that is closer to the rotor body than the region of the plate-shaped treatment surface that is farther from the rotor body, The present invention relates to a toner processing device in which, when the radius of the inner circumference of the processing chamber is d, the shortest distance between the inner wall of the processing chamber and the plate-shaped processing surface is 0.100d or less.

[0015] According to the investigations of the present inventors, the above-described toner processing apparatus makes it possible to provide a toner in which the crystallinity of the crystalline plasticizer is higher than that of the conventional toner processing apparatus. The details of this will be explained below. Generally, in the toner manufacturing process, the crystalline plasticizer is first completely melted with the binder resin at a high temperature, and then solidifies while plasticizing the binder resin during the process of returning to room temperature.

[0016] Then, while maintaining the solid state of the binder resin, the temperature is maintained at a level that allows thermal movement of the crystalline plasticizer molecules, or the crystalline plasticizer molecules are moved by physical high pressure and vibration treatment, thereby forming crystalline domains where the crystalline plasticizer aggregates. The process of growing these crystalline domains and increasing the degree of crystallinity is called the annealing process.

[0017] Generally, when the annealing process is thermal, it is a process in which the object is maintained at a constant temperature, and crystals continue to grow monotonically. The crystal growth process begins with the melted crystalline plasticizer molecules crystallizing to form crystal nuclei, and then the melted crystalline plasticizer gathers around the existing crystal nuclei and grows. The crystal nuclei further grow and become subdomains, and multiple subdomains coalesce to form the final crystalline domain.

[0018] In a typical annealing process, the initially generated crystal nuclei continue to grow, and the subdomain structure derived from the initially generated crystal nuclei remains within the final crystalline domain. In most cases, the phase of the arrangement of the crystalline plasticizer molecules between these subdomains is different, resulting in discontinuous crystals. Therefore, the subdomain structure becomes a factor that hinders the improvement of crystallinity.

[0019] To suppress the formation of such subdomains and improve the crystallinity by forming uniform crystalline domains throughout, it is necessary to repeat crystal growth and partial melting to unify the subdomains, rather than monotonically growing the crystals. To achieve this, one possible method is to use a cyclical temperature treatment that repeatedly increases and decreases the temperature, rather than maintaining a constant temperature during the annealing process. Furthermore, intermittent treatment using physical high pressure and vibration is also possible. As a result of investigations carried out by the present inventors, it has become clear that the above-described toner processing device makes it possible to carry out the desired processing.

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in the embodiments are not limited to those described in the present disclosure. The following embodiments should be modified as appropriate depending on the configuration of the device and various conditions, and the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the following embodiments.

[0021] The toner processing device comprises a processing chamber having a bottom and a cylindrical inner surface in which the material to be processed is accommodated, a drive shaft rotatably mounted at the bottom of the processing chamber, a rotor supported by the drive shaft within the processing chamber and rotatable around the drive shaft, and a flow means supported by the drive shaft and positioned below the rotor within the processing chamber, which causes the material to flow upward from the bottom of the processing chamber.

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a toner processing device 1. The toner processing device 1 is composed of a processing chamber (processing tank) 10 having a bottom and a cylindrical inner surface in which the material to be processed is accommodated, flow means 20 that moves the material to be processed upward from the bottom of the processing chamber 10, a rotor 30, a drive motor 50, and a control unit 60. The processing chamber 10 is for accommodating the material to be processed, including toner particles. The flow means 20 is supported by a drive shaft 11 and rotatably disposed at the bottom of the processing chamber 10 below the rotor 30 within the processing chamber. The rotor 30 is also supported by the drive shaft 11 and rotatably disposed above the flow means 20.

[0023] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the processing chamber 10. For ease of explanation, FIG. 2 shows a state in which the inner peripheral surface (inner wall) 10a of the processing chamber 10 is partially cut away. The processing chamber 10 is a cylindrical container with a substantially flat bottom, and is provided with a rotatable drive shaft 11 at the center of the bottom for mounting the flow means 20 and the rotor 30. From the viewpoint of strength, the processing chamber 10 is preferably made of a metal such as iron or SUS, and the inner surface is preferably made of a conductive material or is treated to be conductive. d is the radius of the inner circumference of the processing chamber 10.

[0024] The radius d can be appropriately designed depending on the amount of the workpiece, and is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 50 to 1000 mm, for example. The capacity of the processing chamber 10 can also be appropriately designed depending on the amount of the workpiece, and is preferably about 3 to 500 L, for example.

[0025] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of flow means 20, which is supported on the drive shaft, is disposed below the rotor, and causes the material to flow upward from the bottom of the treatment chamber. Figure 3(a) is a top view, and Figure 3(b) is a side view. Flow means 20 is configured to rotate to cause the material to flow upward from the bottom of the treatment chamber 10, including toner particles, and to fly up. Flow means 20 has blades 21 that extend outward (radially outward (outer diameter direction), outer diameter side) from the center of rotation, and the tips of blades 21 are shaped to fly up the material to be treated. The shape of the blade portion 21 can be designed appropriately depending on the size and operating conditions of the toner processing device 1, the amount of material filled, and the specific gravity. The flow means 20 is preferably made of a metal such as iron or SUS from the standpoint of strength, and may be plated or coated for wear resistance as needed. The flow means 20 is fixed to a drive shaft 11 at the bottom of the processing chamber 10 and rotates clockwise when viewed from above (as shown in FIG. 3(a)). In the figure, the rotation direction of the drive shaft 11 is indicated by arrow R. As the flow means 20 rotates, the material to be processed rises within the processing chamber 10 while rotating in the same direction as the flow means 20, and then eventually descends due to gravity. In this way, the material to be processed is uniformly mixed.

[0026] 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams of the rotor 30. Fig. 4A is a top view, and Fig. 4B is a side view. The rotor 30 is located above the fluidizing means 20 within the processing chamber 10, is supported by the same drive shaft 11 as the fluidizing means 20, and rotates in the same direction as the fluidizing means 20 (the direction of arrow R). The rotor 30 is composed of a rotor main body 31 and a processing section 32 equipped with a plate-shaped processing surface 33 that collides with the object to be processed as the rotor 30 rotates and processes the object. 31a is the outer periphery of the rotor main body.

[0027] The rotor 30 has a rotor main body 31 and processing sections 32 protruding radially outward from the outer circumferential portion 31a of the rotor main body 31, and the processing section 32 has a plate-shaped processing surface 33 that partially or completely collides with the object to be processed to process it, and a rear blade 34 connected to the upstream side of the plate-shaped processing surface 33 in the rotation direction. The number of processing sections 32 in the rotor 30 is not particularly limited, and is preferably 2 to 8, more preferably 2 to 4, and even more preferably 2. The processing sections 32 are preferably provided at equal intervals on the outer circumferential portion 31a of the rotor main body 31.

[0028] The plate-shaped treated surface 33 is formed, for example, by a plate-shaped member provided so as to protrude radially outward from the outer periphery of the rotor main body 31. The shape of the plate-shaped treated surface 33 is not particularly limited. As will be described later, from the viewpoint of facilitating the rubbing of toner unevenly distributed near the inner wall 35 of the treatment chamber, the end of the plate-shaped treated surface 33 facing the inner wall 35 of the treatment chamber is preferably parallel to the axial direction of the drive shaft 11. Examples of suitable shapes include rectangular shapes, including square shapes, trapezoidal shapes, parallelogram shapes, and diamond shapes. A rectangular shape such as that shown in FIG. 4 is preferred. Here, the term "rectangular shape" includes a substantially rectangular shape, such as a rectangle with a missing portion or rounded corners or sides. The plate-shaped treated surface 33 is preferably flat, but may have a convex or concave curvature to the extent that it does not impair the effects of the present disclosure. The plate-shaped member that forms the plate-shaped treatment surface 33 is preferably made of a metal such as iron or SUS from the viewpoint of strength, and may be plated or coated for wear resistance as needed.

[0029] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the processing unit 32. FIG. 5(a) is a top view of the processing unit 32, and FIG. 5(b) is a front view of the processing unit 32 as seen from the downstream side in the direction of rotation. 35 is the inner wall of the processing chamber. FIG. 5(c) is a side view as seen from the horizontal direction relative to a line a drawn through the drive shaft 11 and the point where the plate-shaped processing surface 33 contacts the outer periphery 31a of the rotor main body 31. FIG. 5(d) is a perspective view of the processing unit 32.

[0030] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the function of the processing unit 32. As shown in FIG. When the plate-shaped treating surface 33 is considered as the center, part of the airflow coming from the downstream side in the rotation direction collides with the plate-shaped treating surface 33, then turns around behind the plate and becomes a detour flow that is blown onto the inner wall of the treating chamber, as shown in Figure 6a. In addition, part of the airflow forms a vortex on the back side of the plate-shaped treating surface 33.

[0031] Without the rear wings 34, as shown in Figure 6(b), the detour flow collides with the ascending air current generated by the upward flow means 20 below the rotor, causing it to diffuse and fail to maintain its directionality, and no vortex flow is formed. However, as shown in Figure 6(c), by using the rear wings 34 to block the ascending air current generated by the upward flow means 20, it becomes possible to maintain the detour flow and also to form a vortex flow.

[0032] As a result, the toner carried by the air current coming from the downstream side in the direction of rotation is subjected to physical high pressure and vibration treatment by the plate-shaped processing surface 33, and then the toner is biased toward the inner wall 35 of the processing chamber by the detouring flow. This action enables processing between the inner wall of the processing chamber and the tip of the plate-shaped processing surface 33, as described below. In addition, the vortex flow makes it possible to cool down heat accumulated due to collisions between the plate-shaped processing surface 33 and the toner.

[0033] If a bypass flow cannot be generated and it is difficult to concentrate the toner near the surface of the processing chamber inner wall 35, it becomes difficult to perform processing in the gap area between the processing chamber inner wall 35 and the plate-shaped processing surface 33, as described below. Furthermore, if the plate-shaped processing surface 33 cannot be cooled by the vortex flow, the temperature of the plate-shaped processing surface 33 may rise above the melting point of the crystalline plasticizer, making crystallization impossible.

[0034] The plate-shaped processing surface 33 has a structure that protrudes upward from the rear blade 34. With this structure, the direction of the detour flow that goes around behind the plate-shaped processing surface 33 is not blocked, and the inner wall of the processing chamber is It is possible to reach 35.

[0035] As shown in the perspective view of Figure 7(a) and the side view of Figure 7(b), if the rear blades 34 do not protrude above the plate-shaped treated surface 33 but are continuous with the upper end, the toner carried by the air current coming from downstream in the direction of rotation will rub against the upper surface of the rear blades 34, and the resulting frictional heat will cause the rear blades 34 and the plate-shaped treated surface 33 to become very hot, melting and fusing the toner that collides with them.

[0036] On the other hand, by having the plate-shaped processing surface 33 protrude above the rear wing 34, the upper surface of the rear wing 34 is prevented from being rubbed by the powder flow, and the toner that collides with the plate-shaped processing surface 33 is not melted or fused, and it is possible to apply physical high pressure and vibration processing.

[0037] A region of the plate-shaped treatment surface 33 that is farther from the rotor main body 31 is located downstream in the rotation direction of the rotor 30 than a region that is closer to the rotor main body 31 than the region. This positional relationship is thought to enable the toner circulating within the processing chamber 10 to be struck once by the plate-shaped processing surface 33, and then to be struck back into the area passing through the plate-shaped processing surface 33. Specifically, as shown in Figure 8(a), the particles are repeatedly struck and moved inward in the radial direction, allowing the plate-shaped processing surface 33 to repeatedly process the toner. This makes it possible to perform intermittent striking processes many times, vibrating the crystalline plasticizer molecules and promoting crystal growth.

[0038] If the area of ​​the plate-shaped processing surface 33 farther from the rotor main body 31 is located further upstream in the rotation direction of the rotor 30 than the area closer to the rotor main body 31, the toner will be struck back toward the inner wall 35 of the processing chamber. Therefore, as shown in Figure 8(b), the toner leaks out from the gap between the end of the plate-shaped processing surface 33 and the wall surface, making it difficult to perform intermittent impact processing efficiently.

[0039] When the radius of the inner circumference of the processing chamber is d, the shortest distance between the inner wall 35 of the processing chamber and the plate-shaped processing surface 33 is 0.100d or less. As a result, in the gap region between the inner wall 35 of the processing chamber and the plate-shaped processing surface 33, the toner unevenly distributed near the inner wall 35 of the processing chamber is rubbed by the bypass flow, and heat from the inner wall 35 of the processing chamber can be efficiently conducted to the toner. This melts and coalesces the boundaries of the subdomains of the crystalline plasticizer that grow due to the physical impact treatment.

[0040] If the shortest distance between the inner wall 35 of the treatment chamber and the plate-shaped treatment surface 33 is greater than 0.100d, the toner unevenly distributed near the inner wall 35 of the treatment chamber cannot be rubbed, making it difficult to sufficiently conduct heat from the inner wall of the treatment chamber to the toner. As a result, it becomes difficult to melt and coalesce the subdomains of the crystalline plasticizer that grow due to the physical impact treatment.

[0041] The degree to which a region of the plate-shaped processed surface 33 farther from the rotor main body 31 is located downstream in the rotation direction of the rotor 30 than a region closer to the rotor main body 31 than the region farther from the rotor main body 31 is quantified by the angle θ shown in Figure 9. Line a is a line passing through the drive shaft 11 and the point where the plate-shaped processed surface 33 touches the outer periphery 31a of the rotor main body. Line b is a line passing through the point where the plate-shaped processed surface 33 touches the outer periphery 31a of the rotor main body and is perpendicular to line a. In this case, the angle formed by line b and the plate-shaped processed surface 33 is defined as θ.

[0042] θ is preferably greater than 90° and equal to or less than 130°. Within this range, the impact treatment can be carried out effectively. θ is more preferably equal to or greater than 95° and equal to or less than 120°, even more preferably equal to or greater than 97° and equal to or less than 110°, and even more preferably equal to or greater than 98° and equal to or less than 105°. Within this range, the impact treatment can be carried out more effectively.

[0043] The shortest distance between the inner wall 35 of the processing chamber and the plate-shaped processing surface 33 is preferably 0.030d or more and 0.080d or less, and more preferably 0.035d or more and 0.070d or less. Within this range, the toner unevenly distributed near the inner wall of the processing chamber can be more effectively rubbed off. do.

[0044] The overall configuration of this toner processing device provides the following effects. The toner stirred up by the flow means 20 is subjected to intermittent impact treatment in the area away from the rotor main body 31 by the plate-shaped treatment surface 33, which is located downstream in the direction of rotation of the rotor 30 compared to the area closer to the rotor main body 31 than the area away from the toner. The toner is then carried to the backside of the plate-shaped treatment surface 33 by the detouring flow and becomes unevenly distributed on the wall surface of the treatment chamber. The toner is then heat-treated in the gap between the plate-shaped treatment surface 33 and the wall surface 35 of the treatment chamber. By repeating this process, the crystalline plasticizer molecules in the toner are continuously subjected to periodic heat treatment and intermittent impact treatment, melting and reducing the boundaries between subdomains, making it possible to achieve a high degree of crystallinity.

[0045] The rear blade 34 preferably has a shape with a curvature that protrudes toward the inner wall of the processing chamber. This more effectively blocks the rising air current that collides with the bypass flow. When the radius of the inner periphery of the processing chamber is d, the maximum area of ​​the rear blade 34 in the direction perpendicular to the drive shaft 11 is preferably 0.007d. 2 More than 0.312d 2 or less, more preferably 0.010d 2 Over 0.220d 2 More preferably, it is 0.040d or less. 2 Over 0.150d 2 or less, and even more preferably 0.050d 2 Over 0.100d 2 The above range is preferable because it is possible to effectively block the ascending air current that collides with the bypass flow.

[0046] When the radius of the inner circumference of the processing chamber is d, the upward protrusion length of the plate-shaped processing surface 33 from the rear wing 34 is preferably 0.043d or more. More preferably, it is 0.045d or more and 0.220d or less, even more preferably, it is 0.070d or more and 0.200d or less, and even more preferably, it is 0.075d or more and 0.180d or less. Within the above range, it is possible to suppress a rise in temperature of the plate-shaped processing surface 33 while further promoting uneven distribution of toner on the wall surface 35 due to the bypass flow.

[0047] When the radius of the inner circumference of the processing chamber is d, the length of the plate-shaped processing surface 33 in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the drive shaft 11 of the rotor 30 is preferably 0.10d or more and 0.50d or less. Within this range, the toner can be efficiently subjected to physical impact treatment by the plate-shaped processing surface while achieving the wall-surface uneven distribution effect of the bypass flow. The length of the plate-shaped processing surface 33 in a direction perpendicular to the drive shaft 11 of the rotor 30 is more preferably 0.20d or more and 0.40d or less, and even more preferably 0.25d or more and 0.35d or less. Within this range, the crystallinity is further improved.

[0048] When the radius of the inner circumference of the processing chamber is d, the length in the axial direction of the drive shaft 11 of the rotor 30 at the portion of the plate-shaped processing surface 33 farthest from the rotor main body 31 (preferably the end portion on the inner wall side of the processing chamber) is preferably 0.10d or more and 0.40d or less. Within this range, heat treatment can be more appropriately carried out in the gap region between the inner wall 35 of the processing chamber and the plate-shaped processing surface 33, making it easier to further improve the degree of crystallinity. The length is more preferably 0.15d or more and 0.35d or less. Within this range, heat treatment can be carried out at a more appropriate ratio relative to the entire toner.

[0049] An example of a method for producing toner using a toner processing device will be described. The method for producing the toner particles is not particularly limited, and known production methods such as a pulverization method, a suspension polymerization method, a solution suspension method, an emulsion aggregation method, and a dispersion polymerization method can be used. In the suspension polymerization method, a toner composition containing a polymerizable monomer for forming a binder resin, a crystalline plasticizer, and, if necessary, a polymerization initiator, a colorant, a release agent, and the like, is added to an aqueous phase containing a dispersion stabilizer while stirring to form oil droplets, and then the temperature is raised to cause a polymerization reaction, thereby obtaining toner particles.

[0050] In the emulsion aggregation method, resin components such as binder resin are emulsified and dispersed in an aqueous phase, and then the solvent is removed. The fine particles obtained by the above process and fine particles formed by dispersing a crystalline plasticizer, a colorant, a release agent (wax), etc. in an aqueous phase are aggregated and then heated and fused to obtain toner particles.

[0051] The toner manufacturing method preferably includes a step of obtaining toner particles by a pulverization method, which generally involves the following steps: The binder resin, the crystalline plasticizer, and, if necessary, other additives such as a colorant are mixed in a mixer such as a Henschel mixer or a ball mill. The resulting mixture is melt-kneaded using a thermal kneader such as a twin-screw kneading extruder, a heated roll, a kneader, or an extruder to obtain a melt-kneaded product. The resulting melt-kneaded product is cooled and solidified, and then pulverized to obtain a pulverized product. The resulting pulverized product is classified to obtain toner particles. In order to control the shape and surface properties of the toner particles, the toner may be surface-treated using a surface modification device after pulverization or classification.

[0052] Examples of mixers include the following: FM Mixer (manufactured by Nippon Coke and Engineering Co., Ltd.); Super Mixer (manufactured by Kawata Corporation); Ribocone (manufactured by Okawara Manufacturing Co., Ltd.); Nauta Mixer, Turbulizer, Cyclomix (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation); Spiral Pin Mixer (manufactured by Pacific Machinery Works Co., Ltd.); and Lödige Mixer (manufactured by Matsubo Corporation).

[0053] Examples of thermal kneaders include the following: KRC kneader (manufactured by Kurimoto Iron Works); Buss-Co kneader (manufactured by Buss); TEM type extruder (manufactured by Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd.); TEX twin-screw kneader (manufactured by The Japan Steel Works); PCM kneader (manufactured by Ikegai Iron Works); three-roll mill, mixing roll mill, kneader (manufactured by Inoue Manufacturing Co., Ltd.); Kneadex (manufactured by Mitsui Mining Co., Ltd.); MS-type pressure kneader, Kneader-Ruder (manufactured by Moriyama Manufacturing Co., Ltd.); and Banbury mixer (manufactured by Kobe Steel, Ltd.).

[0054] Examples of pulverizers include the following: Counter Jet Mill, Micron Jet, Innomizer (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation); IDS-type mill, PJM jet pulverizer (manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Mfg. Co., Ltd.); Cross Jet Mill (manufactured by Kurimoto Iron Works Co., Ltd.); Urmax (manufactured by Nisso Engineering Co., Ltd.); SK Jet-O-Mill (manufactured by Seishin Enterprise Co., Ltd.); Kryptron (manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.); Turbo Mill (manufactured by Turbo Industrial Co., Ltd.); and Super Rotor (manufactured by Nisshin Engineering Co., Ltd.).

[0055] Examples of classifiers include the following: Cruseal, Micron Classifier, and Spedic Classifier (manufactured by Seishin Enterprise Co., Ltd.); Turbo Classifier (manufactured by Nisshin Engineering Co., Ltd.); Micron Separator, Turboplex (ATP), and TSP Separator (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation); Elbow Jet (manufactured by Nittetsu Mining Co., Ltd.), and Dispersion Separator (manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Industry Co., Ltd.); and YM Microcut (manufactured by Yaskawa Corporation).

[0056] Examples of surface modification devices include the following: Faculty (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation), Mechanofusion (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation), Nobilta (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation), Hybridizer (manufactured by Nara Kikai Co., Ltd.), Innomizer (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation), Theta Composer (manufactured by Tokuju Kosakusho Co., Ltd.), and Mechanomill (manufactured by Okada Seiko Co., Ltd.).

[0057] Examples of sieving devices used to sift out coarse particles include Ultrasonic (manufactured by Koei Sangyo Co., Ltd.), Resonaseave, Gyrosifter (manufactured by Tokuju Kogyosho Co., Ltd.), Vibrasonic System (manufactured by Dalton Co., Ltd.), Soniclean (manufactured by Shinto Kogyo Co., Ltd.), Turbo Screener (manufactured by Turbo Industry Co., Ltd.), Microsifter (manufactured by Makino Sangyo Co., Ltd.), and circular vibrating sieves.

[0058] The toner particles contain a crystalline plasticizer. The crystalline plasticizer is preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of a crystalline resin and a wax, and more preferably at least one selected from the group consisting of a crystalline polyester resin and a wax. The crystalline plasticizer is defined as a plasticizer that has a clear endothermic peak when measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC).

[0059] The crystalline polyester resin will now be described in detail. The crystalline polyester resin is preferably a condensation polymer of an aliphatic diol having 2 to 20 carbon atoms and a carboxylic acid component. Furthermore, the aliphatic diol is preferably a linear type. When the aliphatic diol is a linear type, the crystallinity of the crystalline polyester resin becomes higher.

[0060] Examples of aliphatic diols include, but are not limited to, the following: These diols may be used in combination. Ethylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, 1,7-heptanediol, 1,8-octanediol, 1,9-nonanediol, 1,10-decanediol, 1,11-undecanediol, 1,12-dodecanediol, 1,13-tridecanediol, 1,14-tetradecanediol, 1,18-octadecanediol, 1,20-eicosanediol.

[0061] Aliphatic diols having a double bond can also be used, such as 2-butene-1,4-diol, 3-hexene-1,6-diol, and 4-octene-1,8-diol.

[0062] Examples of the carboxylic acid component include aromatic dicarboxylic acids and aliphatic dicarboxylic acids. Among these, aliphatic dicarboxylic acids are preferred, aliphatic dicarboxylic acids having 4 to 20 carbon atoms are more preferred, and linear dicarboxylic acids are particularly preferred from the viewpoint of crystallinity. Examples of aliphatic dicarboxylic acids include, but are not limited to, the following: These dicarboxylic acids may be used in combination.

[0063] Oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, 1,9-nonanedicarboxylic acid, 1,10-decanedicarboxylic acid, 1,11-undecanedicarboxylic acid, 1,12-dodecanedicarboxylic acid, 1,13-tridecanedicarboxylic acid, 1,14-tetradecanedicarboxylic acid, 1,16-hexadecanedicarboxylic acid, 1,18-octadecanedicarboxylic acid, lower alkyl esters thereof, and acid anhydrides thereof. Of these, sebacic acid, adipic acid, 1,10-decanedicarboxylic acid, lower alkyl esters thereof, and acid anhydrides thereof are preferred.

[0064] Examples of aromatic dicarboxylic acids include, but are not limited to, terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, and 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid. Dicarboxylic acids having a double bond can also be used. Examples of such dicarboxylic acids include fumaric acid, maleic acid, 3-hexenedioic acid, and 3-octenedioic acid. Also included are lower alkyl esters and acid anhydrides of these acids.

[0065] As the carboxylic acid component, a monocarboxylic acid may be used in combination with a dicarboxylic acid, for example, a linear aliphatic monocarboxylic acid having 8 to 22 carbon atoms.

[0066] The method for producing the crystalline polyester resin is not particularly limited, and may be a method for producing a crystalline polyester resin by a process comprising the steps of: The crystalline polyester resin can be produced by a general polyester polymerization method in which a monomer is reacted with a crystalline polyester resin. For example, a direct polycondensation method or a transesterification method may be used depending on the type of monomer. In producing the crystalline polyester resin, the polymerization temperature is preferably 180°C or higher and 230°C or lower. If necessary, the reaction system may be reduced in pressure to remove water and alcohol generated during condensation while the reaction is carried out.

[0067] Examples of catalysts that can be used in producing the crystalline polyester resin include titanium catalysts such as titanium tetraethoxide, titanium tetrapropoxide, titanium tetraisopropoxide, and titanium tetrabutoxide; and tin catalysts such as dibutyltin dichloride, dibutyltin oxide, and diphenyltin oxide.

[0068] The wax will be specifically described. Examples of waxes that can be used include: aliphatic hydrocarbon waxes such as low-molecular-weight polyethylene, low-molecular-weight polypropylene, microcrystalline wax, and paraffin wax; oxides of aliphatic hydrocarbon waxes such as oxidized polyethylene wax; and block copolymers thereof; waxes containing fatty acid esters as the main component such as carnauba wax, sazol wax, and montanic acid ester wax; partially or completely deoxidized fatty acid esters such as deoxidized carnauba wax; saturated straight-chain fatty acids such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, and montanic acid; unsaturated fatty acids such as brassidic acid, eleostearic acid, and parinaric acid; saturated alcohols such as stearyl alcohol, aralkyl alcohols, behenyl alcohol, carnaubyl alcohol, ceryl alcohol, and melissyl alcohol; long-chain alkyl alcohols; polyhydric alcohols such as sorbitol; and fatty acid amides such as linoleic acid amide, oleic acid amide, and lauric acid amide. Saturated fatty acid bisamides such as methylene bisstearic acid amide, ethylene biscapric acid amide, ethylene bislauric acid amide, and hexamethylene bisstearic acid amide; unsaturated fatty acid amides such as ethylene bisoleic acid amide, hexamethylene bisoleic acid amide, N,N'-dioleyl adipamide, and N,N-dioleyl sebacic acid amide; aromatic bisamides such as m-xylene bisstearic acid amide and N,N-distearyl isophthalic acid amide; fatty acid metal salts (commonly known as metal soaps) such as calcium stearate, calcium laurate, zinc stearate, and magnesium stearate; waxes grafted onto aliphatic hydrocarbon waxes using vinyl monomers such as styrene and acrylic acid; partial esters of fatty acids and polyhydric alcohols such as behenic acid monoglyceride; and methyl ester compounds having hydroxy groups obtained by hydrogenating vegetable oils and fats.

[0069] Among these, aliphatic hydrocarbon waxes are preferred. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more types as required. Specific examples of waxes include the following:

[0070] Viscol (registered trademark) 330-P, 550-P, 660-P, TS-200 (Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd.); Hiwax 400P, 200P, 100P, 410P, 420P, 320P, 220P, 210P, 110P (Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.); Sasol H1, H2, C80, C105, C77 (Sasol Corporation); HNP-1, HNP-3, HNP-9, HNP-10, HNP-11, HNP-12 (Nippon Seiro Co., Ltd.); Unilin (registered trademark) 350, 425, 550, 700, Unicid (registered trademark) 350, 425, 550, 700 (Toyo Petrolite Co., Ltd.); Japan wax, beeswax, rice wax, candelilla wax, carnauba wax (Cerarica NODA Co., Ltd.).

[0071] The binder resin will be described. There are no particular limitations on the binder resin, and known resins can be used. The binder resin is preferably an amorphous resin. Specifically, polyester resin, vinyl Examples of the resin include a resin having a vinyl polymer moiety and an amorphous polyester moiety, and a hybrid resin having a vinyl polymer moiety and an amorphous polyester moiety. A hybrid resin having a vinyl polymer moiety and an amorphous polyester moiety is preferred.

[0072] Examples of the monomer that constitutes the polyester resin or polyester moiety include the following compounds. Examples of the alcohol component include the following dihydric alcohols: ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 2,3-butanediol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,6-hexanediol, neopentyl glycol, 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, hydrogenated bisphenol A, bisphenols represented by the following formula (I) and derivatives thereof, and diols represented by the following formula (II).

[0073] Among these, it is preferable to contain bisphenol represented by the following formula (I) and its derivatives, in terms of obtaining good charging properties and environmental stability. [ka]

[0074] (In the formula, R represents an ethylene group or a propylene group, x and y each represent an integer of 0 or more, and the average value of x+y is 0 or more and 10 or less.) [ka]

[0075] Examples of the acid component include the following dicarboxylic acids: benzenedicarboxylic acids or their anhydrides, such as phthalic acid, terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, and phthalic anhydride; alkyldicarboxylic acids or their anhydrides, such as succinic acid, adipic acid, sebacic acid, and azelaic acid; succinic acid or its anhydride substituted with an alkyl group having from 6 to 18 carbon atoms or an alkenyl group having from 6 to 18 carbon atoms; and unsaturated dicarboxylic acids or their anhydrides, such as fumaric acid, maleic acid, citraconic acid, and itaconic acid.

[0076] Examples of trivalent or higher polycarboxylic acids include 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid (trimellitic acid), 1,2,4-cyclohexanetricarboxylic acid, 1,2,4-naphthalenetricarboxylic acid, pyromellitic acid, and their anhydrides or lower alkyl esters. Among these, aromatic compounds are preferred because of their high stability against environmental changes, such as 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic acid and its anhydride. Examples of trihydric or higher polyhydric alcohols include 1,2,3-propanetriol, trimethylolpropane, hexanetriol, and pentaerythritol.

[0077] The vinyl monomers constituting the vinyl resin or vinyl polymer moiety include the following compounds: Styrene; styrene derivatives such as o-methylstyrene, m-methylstyrene, p-methylstyrene, p-methoxystyrene, p-phenylstyrene, p-chlorostyrene, 3,4-dichlorostyrene, p-ethylstyrene, 2,4-dimethylstyrene, pn-butylstyrene, p-tert-butylstyrene, pn-hexylstyrene, pn-octylstyrene, pn-nonylstyrene, pn-decylstyrene, and pn-dodecylstyrene; ethylene, propylene, and butylene. unsaturated monoolefins such as isobutylene; unsaturated polyenes such as butadiene and isoprene; vinyl halides such as vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, vinyl bromide and vinyl fluoride; vinyl esters such as vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate and vinyl benzoate; methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, propyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, n-octyl methacrylate, dodecyl methacrylate and 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate α-methylene aliphatic monocarboxylic acid esters such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, propyl acrylate, n-octyl acrylate, dodecyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, stearyl acrylate, 2-chloroethyl acrylate, and phenyl acrylate; vinyl ethers such as vinyl methyl ether, vinyl ethyl ether, and vinyl isobutyl ether; vinyl ketones such as vinyl methyl ketone, vinyl hexyl ketone, and methyl isopropenyl ketone; N-vinyl compounds such as N-vinylpyrrole, N-vinylcarbazole, N-vinylindole, and N-vinylpyrrolidone; vinyl naphthalenes; and acrylic acid or methacrylic acid derivatives such as acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, and acrylamide.

[0078] Further examples include the following: unsaturated dibasic acids such as maleic acid, citraconic acid, itaconic acid, alkenylsuccinic acid, fumaric acid, and mesaconic acid; unsaturated dibasic acid anhydrides such as maleic anhydride, citraconic anhydride, itaconic anhydride, and alkenylsuccinic anhydride; methyl maleate half ester, ethyl maleate half ester, butyl maleate half ester, methyl citraconic acid half ester, ethyl citraconic acid half ester, butyl citraconic acid half ester, methyl itaconic acid half ester, and methyl alkenylsuccinic acid half ester; Half esters of unsaturated dibasic acids such as methyl fumarate half ester and methyl mesaconic acid half ester; unsaturated dibasic acid esters such as dimethyl maleic acid and dimethyl fumaric acid; α,β-unsaturated acids such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid and cinnamic acid; α,β-unsaturated acid anhydrides such as crotonic acid anhydride and cinnamic acid anhydride, anhydrides of such α,β-unsaturated acids and lower fatty acids; and monomers having a carboxy group such as alkenyl malonic acid, alkenyl glutaric acid, alkenyl adipic acid, acid anhydrides thereof, and monoesters thereof.

[0079] Further examples include acrylic acid or methacrylic acid esters such as 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate; and monomers having a hydroxy group such as 4-(1-hydroxy-1-methylbutyl)styrene and 4-(1-hydroxy-1-methylhexyl)styrene.

[0080] The vinyl resin may have a crosslinked structure formed by crosslinking with a crosslinking agent having two or more vinyl groups. Examples of the crosslinking agent used in this case include the following: Aromatic divinyl compounds (divinylbenzene, divinylnaphthalene); diacrylate compounds linked by alkyl chains (ethylene glycol diacrylate, 1,3-butylene glycol diacrylate, 1,4-butanediol diacrylate, 1,5-pentanediol diacrylate, 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate, neopentyl glycol diacrylate, and compounds in which the acrylate in the above compounds is replaced with methacrylate); diacrylate compounds linked by alkyl chains containing ether bonds (e.g., diethylene glycol diacrylate, triethylene glycol diacrylate, tetraethylene glycol diacrylate, polyethylene glycol #400 diacrylate, polyethylene glycol #600 diacrylate, dipropylene glycol diacrylate, and compounds in which the acrylate is replaced with methacrylate; diacrylate compounds held together by a chain containing an aromatic group and an ether bond [polyoxyethylene (2)-2,2-bis(4 hydroxyphenyl)propane diacrylate, polyoxyethylene (4)-2,2-bis(4 hydroxyphenyl)propane diacrylate, and compounds in which the acrylate is replaced with methacrylate]; polyester-type diacrylate compounds ("MANDA" manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd.).

[0081] Examples of polyfunctional crosslinking agents include pentaerythritol triacrylate, trimethylolethane triacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, tetramethylolmethane tetraacrylate, oligoester acrylate, and compounds in which the acrylate in the above compounds is replaced with methacrylate; triallyl cyanurate, triallyl trimellitate.

[0082] Examples of polymerization initiators used in the polymerization of the vinyl polymer portion include 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile, 2,2'-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2'-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2'-azobis(2-methylbutyronitrile), dimethyl-2,2'-azobisisobutyrate, 1,1'-azobis(1-cyclohexanecarbonitrile), 2-(carbamoylazo)-isobutyronitrile, 2,2'-azobis(2,4,4-trimethylpentane), 2-phenylazo-2,4-dimethyl-4-methoxyvaleronitrile, 2,2-azobis(2-methylpropane), methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, and Ketone peroxides such as cetylacetone peroxide and cyclohexanone peroxide, 2,2-bis(tert-butylperoxy)butane, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, cumene hydroperoxide, 1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl hydroperoxide, di-tert-butyl peroxide, tert-butylcumyl peroxide, dicumyl peroxide, α,α'-bis(tert-butylperoxyisopropyl)benzene, isobutyl peroxide, octanoyl peroxide, decanoyl peroxide, lauroyl peroxide, 3,5,5-Trimethylhexanoyl peroxide, benzoyl peroxide, m-toluoyl peroxide, di-isopropyl peroxydicarbonate, di-2-ethylhexyl peroxydicarbonate, di-n-propyl peroxydicarbonate, di-2-ethoxyethyl peroxycarbonate, dimethoxyisopropyl peroxydicarbonate, di(3-methyl-3-methoxybutyl) peroxycarbonate, acetylcyclohexylsulfonyl peroxide, tert-butyl peroxyacetate, tert-butyl peroxide peroxyisobutyrate, tert-butylperoxyneodecanoate, tert-butylperoxy 2-ethylhexanoate, tert-butylperoxylaurate, tert-butylperoxybenzoate, tert-butylperoxyisopropylcarbonate, di-tert-butylperoxyisophthalate, tert-butylperoxyallylcarbonate, tert-amylperoxy 2-ethylhexanoate, di-tert-butylperoxyhexahydroterephthalate, di-tert-butylperoxyazelate.

[0083] In order to improve the fluidity and chargeability of the toner, it is preferable that an external additive such as a fluidity improver is added to the toner particles. Examples of external additives include fluorine-based resin particles such as vinylidene fluoride particles and polytetrafluoroethylene particles; silica particles such as wet-process silica particles or dry-process silica particles, inorganic particles such as titanium oxide particles and alumina particles, and inorganic particles that have been surface-treated with a silane compound, a titanium coupling agent, or silicone oil. Examples of suitable inorganic particles include treated inorganic particles; oxide particles such as zinc oxide and tin oxide; double oxide particles such as strontium titanate, barium titanate, calcium titanate, strontium zirconate and calcium zirconate; and carbonate compound particles such as calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate.

[0084] Among these, hydrophobic silica fine particles obtained by hydrophobizing silica fine particles are preferred. The hydrophobizing agent used for the hydrophobizing treatment is not particularly limited, and known agents can be used. Examples include silazanes such as hexamethylsilazane and silicone oils such as dimethylsilicone oil.

[0085] The method for producing toner particles containing a binder resin and a crystalline plasticizer, and a toner containing an external additive preferably includes the following steps. (i) a step of producing toner particles containing a binder resin and a crystalline plasticizer; and (ii) a step of adding an external additive to the toner particles produced in the step (i) using the toner processing device.

[0086] The toner processing device processes a processing target containing toner particles. The toner processing device preferably processes a processing target containing toner particles and an external additive. It is preferable that the toner processing device processes a processing target containing toner particles and an external additive, thereby performing an external addition process on the toner particles. In this case, the external addition process and annealing can be performed simultaneously. The toner processing device may process a toner in which an external additive is externally added to toner particles.

[0087] When treating with a toner treatment device, the temperature of the treatment chamber wall may be set appropriately depending on the melting point of the crystalline plasticizer used, and is not particularly limited, but is preferably 40 to 60°C, more preferably 43 to 50°C. The processing temperature in the mixing step can be controlled, for example, by running water adjusted to a predetermined temperature through the jacket of the mixing device, or by introducing hot air adjusted to a predetermined temperature into the mixing device. The temperature inside the tank during the mixing step is measured by installing a temperature sensor in the device. The temperature sensor can be installed on the wall of the device, on a fixed member inside the device, etc. The treatment time is, for example, preferably about 1 to 60 minutes, more preferably about 5 to 30 minutes, and even more preferably about 10 to 20 minutes. The rotation speed of the rotor main body can be changed appropriately depending on the size of the device used and is not particularly limited, but is preferably about 200 to 1500 rpm, and more preferably about 600 to 1200 rpm.

[0088] Examples of mixing devices that can be used for external addition to toner particles other than the above-mentioned toner processing devices include the following: FM Mixer (manufactured by Nippon Coke & Engineering Co., Ltd.), Super Mixer (manufactured by Kawata Corporation), Nobilta (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation), Hybridizer (manufactured by Nara Kikai Co., Ltd.), and Cyclomix (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation).

[0089] The method for calculating the crystallinity of the crystalline plasticizer in the toner will be described below. In a DSC Q2000 (manufactured by TA Instruments), 5.0 mg of toner is weighed onto an aluminum pan, and the temperature is first increased from 0°C to 150°C at a rate of 10.0°C / min, and held at 150°C for 5 minutes. Next, the temperature is decreased to 55°C at a rate of 10.0°C / min, and held at 55°C for 10 hours. Next, the temperature is lowered to 0°C at a rate of 10.0°C / min and held at 0°C for 5 minutes. Then, the temperature is raised a second time from 0°C to 150°C at a rate of 10.0°C / min. The ratio (%) of the amount of heat absorbed in the first temperature rise to the amount of heat absorbed in the second temperature rise is taken as the crystallinity of the crystalline plasticizer in the toner. The melting points of indium and zinc are used to correct the temperature of the detector, and the heat of fusion of indium is used to correct the amount of heat. [Example]

[0090] The present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to examples and comparative examples, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Parts used in the formulations of the examples are by weight unless otherwise specified.

[0091] <Example of toner particle production> Bispher A ethylene oxide adduct (2.0 mol added) 60.0 mol parts Bispher A propylene oxide adduct (2.3 mol adduct) 40.0 mol parts Terephthalic acid 60.0 mol parts Trimellitic anhydride 15.0 mol parts Acrylic acid 10.0 mol parts The above materials were placed in a four-neck flask, which was equipped with a pressure reducing device, a water separator, a nitrogen gas introducing device, a temperature measuring device, and a stirrer, and stirred under a nitrogen atmosphere at 160° C. A mixture of 30 parts of a vinyl-based polymerization monomer (styrene: 100.0 mol parts) constituting the vinyl polymer moiety and 2.0 mol parts of benzoyl peroxide as a polymerization initiator was added dropwise from a dropping funnel over 4 hours. After reacting at 160°C for 5 hours, the temperature was raised to 230°C, and 0.2% by mass of dibutyltin oxide was added. The reaction time was adjusted to achieve the desired viscosity. After the reaction was completed, the mixture was removed from the vessel, cooled, and pulverized to obtain a polyester and styrene polymer hybrid resin (A-1). The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the hybrid resin (A-1) was 61.8°C, and the softening temperature (Tm) was 136.2°C.

[0092] Ethylene glycol 100.0 mol parts Adipic acid 90.0 mol parts Lauric acid 20.0 mol parts The above monomers and 0.2% by mass of dibutyltin oxide relative to the total amount of the monomers were placed in a 10 L four-neck flask equipped with a nitrogen inlet tube, a dehydration tube, a stirrer, and a thermocouple, and reacted for 4 hours at 180° C. Thereafter, the temperature was increased to 210° C. at a rate of 10° C. / hour, and the mixture was maintained at 210° C. for 8 hours, followed by reaction for 1 hour at 8.3 kPa to obtain crystalline polyester (C-1).

[0093] Hybrid resin (A-1) 100.0 parts Crystalline polyester (C-1) 25.0 parts CI Pigment Blue 15:3 7.0 parts Release agent (C105 (manufactured by Sasol)) 2.0 parts Charge control agent (T-77, manufactured by Hodogaya Chemical Co., Ltd.) 1.0 part The above materials were premixed in an FM mixer and then melt-kneaded in a twin-screw kneading extruder (Model PCM-30 manufactured by Ikegai Iron Works Co., Ltd.) at a set temperature of 120° C. The coarsely pulverized material was then pulverized in a mechanical pulverizer (Model T-250 manufactured by Turbo Kogyo Co., Ltd.), and the resulting finely pulverized powder was classified using a multi-division classifier utilizing the Coanda effect to obtain toner particles 1 having a weight average particle size (D4) of 7.8 μm.

[0094] <External additive manufacturing example> The number average particle size of the primary particles is 18 nm, and the BET specific surface area is 200 m 2 100 g of fumed silica powder was placed in a reaction vessel and stirred under a nitrogen atmosphere. 5 g of hexamethylsilazane was sprayed onto 100 g of the silica powder, followed by stirring for 30 minutes at an ambient temperature of 200°C. After stirring, 15 g of dimethylsilicone oil was sprayed onto the mixture, which was then heated and stirred at 200°C for 60 minutes and then cooled to 25°C to prepare surface-treated silica particles.

[0095] Example 1 The specific configuration of the toner processing device 1 in the first embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 1, the processing chamber 10 is a cylindrical container with an internal height of 250 mm, an internal diameter of φ230 mm (the internal radius d of the processing chamber is 115 mm), and an effective capacity of 10 L, and is provided with a drive shaft 11 at the center of the flat bottom. The drive power of the drive motor 50 is transmitted to the drive shaft 11 via a drive belt. The control unit 60 is provided with a power switch, a drive ON switch, a drive stop switch, a rotation speed adjustment volume, a rotation speed display, a product temperature display, etc., and controls the operation of the toner processing device 1.

[0096] As described above, inside the processing chamber 10, the flow means 20 that moves the material to be processed upward from the bottom of the processing chamber 10 is attached to the drive shaft 11. The flow means 20 is S-shaped with a spring-up tip. Furthermore, above the flow means 20, the rotor 30 shown in FIG. 4 is attached to the same drive shaft 11. The rotor 30 has two processing sections 32 that protrude radially outward from the outer circumferential surface 31a of the annular rotor main body 31.

[0097] As described above, in the toner processing device 1 shown in Fig. 1, the effective capacity of the processing chamber 10 shown in Fig. 2 for accommodating the material to be processed is 10 L. Then, as a lifting means for lifting the material to be processed upward from the bottom of the processing chamber 10, a flow means 20 shown in Fig. 3 is provided.

[0098] The processing section 32 has a plate-shaped processing surface 33 that collides partially or entirely with the object to be processed to process the object, and a rear blade 34 joined to the upstream side of the rotation direction of the plate-shaped processing surface 33, and the plate-shaped processing surface 33 protrudes upward beyond the rear blade 34. As shown in the figure, the plate-shaped processing surface 33 is a rectangular flat surface.

[0099] Furthermore, the angle θ of the plate-shaped processing surface 33 shown in Figure 9 is 100°. When the radius of the inner circumference of the processing chamber is d, the shortest distance between the inner wall 35 of the processing chamber and the plate-shaped processing surface 33 is 0.035d. The rear wing 34 has a curvature that protrudes toward the inner wall of the processing chamber. The length of the plate-shaped processing surface 33 in the direction perpendicular to the drive shaft 11 of the rotor 30 is 0.29d, and the length of the region of the plate-shaped processing surface 33 farthest from the rotor main body 31 in the direction of the drive shaft 11 of the rotor 30 is 0.20d. In addition, the angle θ is 90 ° If the difference exceeds , it is determined that "the region of the plate-shaped treated surface farther from the rotor body is located downstream in the rotation direction of the rotor than the region closer to the rotor body than the region farther from the rotor body."

[0100] Toner particles of 1:100 parts are introduced into the toner processing device 1 having the above configuration, corresponding to 10% of the effective capacity of the processing chamber 10. Furthermore, surface-treated silica particles of 1.0 part are introduced. Next, the rotation speed of the rotor main body 31 was controlled to 800 rpm, and the rotor was operated for 15 minutes to carry out external addition treatment, thereby obtaining Toner 1. At this time, at the same time as the start of mixing, hot water and cold water were appropriately passed through the jacket to maintain the temperature inside the tank at 45°C. The crystallinity of the obtained toner and the heat-resistant storage stability of the toner were evaluated by the following methods. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0101] [Evaluation of heat resistance storage stability] Approximately 10 g of Toner 1 is placed in a 100 mL resin cup and left in an environment with a temperature of 45°C and humidity of 95% for 7 days, after which it is visually evaluated. (Evaluation criteria) A: No aggregates are observed. B: Agglomerates are visible but easily disintegrate. C: Agglomerates are visible, but they disintegrate when shaken. D: The aggregates can be grasped and do not easily crumble.

[0102] [Table 1] In the table, "presence or absence of flow means" indicates the presence or absence of flow means that moves the material to be treated upward from the bottom of the treatment chamber. "Presence or absence of rear wing" indicates the presence or absence of a rear wing attached to the upstream side of the plate-shaped treatment surface in the direction of rotation. "Protrusion" indicates the presence or absence of a protrusion above the rear wing on the plate-shaped treatment surface. A indicates the shortest distance between the inner wall of the treatment chamber and the plate-shaped member, B indicates the length of the plate-shaped treatment surface in the direction perpendicular to the drive shaft of the rotating body, and C indicates the length of the region of the plate-shaped treatment surface farthest from the main body of the rotating body in the direction of the drive shaft of the rotating body. Toner fusion indicates the presence or absence of toner fusion on the plate-shaped treatment surface. In the table, entries such as 0.072d^2 represent 0.072d 2 This indicates that

[0103] <Examples 2 to 20 and Comparative Examples 1 to 6> Toner particles 1 were treated and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the configuration of the toner treatment device was changed to toner treatment devices 2 to 26 in Table 1. The evaluation results of Examples 2 to 20 and Comparative Examples 1 to 6 are shown in Table 1. The rear wing without curvature has a diamond shape with the leading edge of the treated surface 33 and the straight line b in FIG. 8 as its side. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 1... toner processing device, 10... processing chamber, 10a... inner peripheral surface (inner wall) of processing chamber 10, 11... drive shaft, 20...flowing means for flowing the material to be treated upward from the bottom of the treatment chamber, 21...wing portion 30...rotating body, 31...rotating body main body, 31a...outer peripheral surface of the rotating body main body, 32...processing section, 33... Plate-shaped treatment surface, 34... rear wing, 35... inner wall of treatment chamber, 50: drive motor, 60: control unit

Claims

1. A toner processing device for processing a processing target containing toner particles, The toner processing device comprises: a processing chamber having a bottom and a cylindrical inner peripheral surface in which the object to be processed is accommodated; a drive shaft rotatably mounted on the bottom of the processing chamber; a rotating body journaled on the drive shaft; a flow means supported by the drive shaft and disposed below the rotor, for flowing the object from the bottom of the treatment chamber upward; Equipped with The rotating body is A rotating body main body, a processing portion protruding radially outward from an outer periphery of the rotor body; and The processing unit a plate-shaped processing surface that partially or entirely collides with the object to be processed to process the object; a rear blade connected to the upstream side of the plate-shaped treated surface in the direction of rotation; and The plate-shaped treated surface protrudes upward and downward from the rear wing, a region of the plate-shaped treatment surface that is farther from the rotor body is located downstream in the rotation direction of the rotor than a region that is closer to the rotor body than the region of the plate-shaped treatment surface that is farther from the rotor body, When the radius of the inner circumference of the treatment chamber is d, the shortest distance between the inner wall of the treatment chamber and the plate-shaped treatment surface is 0.100d or less.

10. A toner processing device comprising:

2. 2. The toner processing device according to claim 1, wherein the rear wing has a shape with a curvature that protrudes toward the inner wall of the processing chamber.

3. 3. The toner processing device according to claim 1, wherein the length of the plate-shaped processing surface at the farthest portion from the main body of the rotating body in the axial direction of the drive shaft of the rotating body is 0.10 d or more and 0.40 d or less.

4. When the radius of the inner periphery of the processing chamber is d, the maximum area of ​​the rear wing in the direction perpendicular to the drive shaft is 0.007d ２ 0.312d or more ２ 4. The toner processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

5. 5. The toner processing device according to claim 1, wherein the length of the plate-shaped processing surface projecting upward from the rear wing is 0.043d or more, where d is the radius of the inner circumference of the processing chamber.

6. 6. The toner processing device according to claim 1, wherein an end of said plate-shaped processing surface on the inner wall side of said processing chamber is parallel to the axial direction of said drive shaft.

7. 7. The toner processing device according to claim 1, wherein the plate-shaped processing surface is flat.

8. A straight line passing through the drive shaft and a point where the plate-shaped treatment surface is in contact with the outer circumferential portion of the rotor main body is defined as a straight line a, a straight line b passing through a point where the plate-shaped treatment surface contacts the outer circumferential portion of the rotor main body and perpendicular to the straight line a; When the angle between the straight line b and the plate-shaped treatment surface is θ, The angle θ is greater than 90° and equal to or less than 130°. The toner processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A method for producing a toner containing toner particles containing a binder resin and a crystalline plasticizer, and an external additive, comprising: (i) producing the toner particles containing the binder resin and the crystalline plasticizer; and (ii) a step of externally adding the external additive to the toner particles produced in the step (i) using the toner processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A toner manufacturing method comprising the steps of:

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