Lubricant Application Blade Hardness for Image Bearer Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image bearer protection and cleaning technologies in electrophotography lead to increased consumption of protective agents, abrasion of cleaning blades, and frequent maintenance, causing environmental impact and performance issues.
Innovation Solution
A protective layer forming device using a lubricant application blade with a polyurethane elastomer contact portion having a specific Martens hardness range, applying a lubricant with controlled ionic strength, to form a protective layer that enhances image bearer protection and cleaning performance over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective agent containing fatty acid metal salt and boron nitride is used to protect the image bearer, then image bearer protection performance is improved, but protective agent consumption increases and maintenance frequency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the particle size parameters of boron nitride (secondary particle diameter: 3.0-14.0 μm, crystal particle diameter: 0.1-1.0 μm) and compositional parameters (fatty acid metal salt content, boron nitride content) to optimize the protective agent formulation, reducing consumption while maintaining protection performance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite material system combining fatty acid metal salt and boron nitride with specific particle size distribution, creating a synergistic effect that improves protection performance while reducing the total amount of protective agent needed
2Reliability
If a protective agent containing fatty acid metal salt and boron nitride is used to protect the image bearer, then image bearer protection performance is improved, but cleaning blade abrasion increases and maintenance frequency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the particle size parameters of boron nitride and compositional ratios to create a protective agent that is gentler on cleaning blades, extending their service life while maintaining image bearer protection
3Reliability
If a protective agent containing fatty acid metal salt and boron nitride is used to protect the image bearer, then image bearer protection performance is improved, but application blade abrasion increases and maintenance frequency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adjusts the particle size and composition parameters of the protective agent to reduce abrasiveness against application blades, extending their service life while maintaining effective protective layer formation
4Reliability
If a rubber blade cleaner is used to remove residual toner particles, then cleaning performance is improved, but image bearer wear and scratches increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a protective layer as an intermediary between the image bearer and cleaning components. This protective layer acts as a sacrificial element that reduces direct contact and friction between the rubber blade cleaner and the image bearer surface, thereby reducing wear and scratches while maintaining cleaning effectiveness
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution stabilizes the lubricant application, reduces wear on the blade, prevents abnormal images, and maintains image quality, thereby extending the lifespan of the image bearer and reducing maintenance frequency.
Implementation Method 1
The contact portion has a Martens hardness of 5.0 N/mm 2 where the normalized ionic strength A is measured by a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer
Implementation Method 2
The lubricant includes fatty acid metal salt
Data Source
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AI summary
A protective layer forming device (10) includes lubricant (103) including fatty acid metal salt and a lubricant application blade (104). The lubricant application blade (104) includes a contact portion (602) contacting a surface of an image bearer (3) to apply the lubricant on the surface of the image bearer. The contact portion (602) includes polyurethane elastomer that includes a reaction product of polytetramethylene ether glycol, aromatic isocyanate, and amine. The contact portion (602) has a Martens hardness of 5.0 N/mm2 or more and 30.0 N/mm2 or less. The lubricant (103) applied to the surface of the image bearer (3) by the lubricant application blade (104) has a normalized ionic strength A of a metal ion amount derived from the fatty acid metal salt, satisfying a following expression (1), 1E−4<A<20E−4 where the normalized ionic strength A is measured by a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer.