Cleaning Blade Edge Layer Thickness for Warping and Chipping
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electrophotographic apparatuses, cleaning blades face issues with warping and deterioration in cleaning performance due to chipping of the edge portion and reduced shape conformability, which are exacerbated by the thickness of the impregnated and surface layers.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning blade with an edge portion comprising a substrate, an inner layer of acrylic or methacrylic resin with a thickness less than 1 μm, and an outer layer with a thickness of 0.02 μm or less, which includes particles for improved friction and prevent warping, ensuring durability and shape conformability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the thickness of the impregnated layer in the blade portion is increased to prevent warping, then warping resistance is improved, but the edge portion becomes too hard and chipping occurs, deteriorating durability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different material compositions to different regions of the blade portion. The main body contains an impregnated layer with curing component for warping resistance, while the edge portion has a controlled composition that prevents excessive hardening. This local differentiation allows the blade to achieve both warping resistance and edge durability without compromising either aspect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent carefully controls the thickness parameter of the impregnated layer in the edge portion, maintaining it within a specific range (5 μm to 50 μm). This parameter control prevents the edge from becoming too hard while still providing sufficient warping resistance in the main body, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
2Reliability
If the contact pressure on the target member from the cleaning blade is increased to prevent toner from slipping through, then cleaning performance is improved, but warping of the blade portion occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing contact pressure to prevent toner slipping, the patent inverts the approach by improving the blade's structural stability through the impregnated layer and lamination structure. This allows the blade to maintain its shape under normal contact pressures, preventing warping while still achieving effective cleaning performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure combining the blade portion substrate with an impregnated layer containing curing component and a surface layer. This composite material structure provides both the flexibility needed for cleaning and the rigidity to prevent warping, allowing effective cleaning at appropriate contact pressures without blade deformation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the thickness of the surface layer in the blade portion is increased to prevent warping, then warping resistance is improved, but the rubber elasticity decreases and shape conformability deteriorates, causing gaps that allow toner to slip through
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a surface layer only to specific regions where warping prevention is needed, rather than uniformly across the entire blade. The lamination structure is strategically positioned to provide warping resistance in critical areas while maintaining rubber elasticity in regions requiring shape conformability, thus resolving the contradiction between these opposing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent controls the thickness parameter of the surface layer within a specific range (1 μm to 10 μm) to achieve the desired balance. This parameter control ensures sufficient warping resistance while preserving enough rubber elasticity for shape conformability, preventing the formation of gaps that would allow toner to slip through.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a cleaning blade. The cleaning blade is used for removing remaining toner which remains on a surface of the target member in an electrophotographic apparatus. The cleaning blade is provided with the blade portion having the edge portion which comes into sliding contact with the target member. The edge portion includes: a substrate of the blade portion; an inner layer extending from a surface of the substrate to the inside of the substrate; and an outer layer extending from a surface of the substrate to an outer outside of the substrate. The inner layer contains at least an acrylic resin or a methacrylate resin, and has a thickness of less than 1 μm. The outer layer contains at least an acrylic resin or a methacrylate resin, and has a thickness of 0.02 μm or less.