Cleaning Blade Regeneration with Pre-Compression Cutting Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for regenerating cleaning blades in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses result in reduced wiping performance due to deformation of the cut surface during the cutting process, leading to inferior cleaning performance.
Innovation Solution
A regeneration device and method that utilize a clamping member, biasing member, and pressing member to stabilize the elastic member during cutting, preventing deformation and ensuring precision in regenerating the cleaning blade's tip surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the tip-side edge of a cleaning blade is cut with a blade to regenerate it, then the cleaning blade can be reused, but the cut surface deforms during the cutting process resulting in reduced wiping performance
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic member is pre-compressed by the biasing member before cutting occurs. This preliminary compression stabilizes the elastic member in a compressed state, preventing deformation of the cut surface during the cutting process and maintaining high wiping performance after regeneration
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing member acts as an intermediary that maintains continuous compression on the elastic member during cutting. This intermediary force prevents the elastic member from deforming during the cutting process, ensuring precise cut surfaces and restored wiping performance
2Ease of manufacture
If a simple cutting method is used to regenerate cleaning blades, then the regeneration process is simple and quick, but the cleaning performance of the regenerated blade is far from satisfactory
Solution Approach 1:
The regeneration device is segmented into distinct functional components: a clamping member to secure the cleaning blade, a biasing member to maintain compression, and a blade portion for cutting. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function effectively while keeping the overall device relatively simple
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing member automatically maintains compression on the elastic member throughout the cutting process without requiring external intervention. The system serves itself by using the biasing member's continuous force to prevent deformation, ensuring high cleaning performance is achieved through the simple act of cutting
Data Source
AI summary
A regeneration device for a cleaning blade provided in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, wherein the cleaning blade includes a blade portion for cutting the tip of an elastic member in a longitudinal direction of the elastic member, and the regeneration device moves the blade portion relatively from one end A of the elastic member in its longitudinal direction toward the other end B to cut a portion of the tip of the elastic member, the regeneration device includes a clamping member for clamping at least a part of the elastic member under specified conditions from both sides of the elastic member, a biasing member that contacts and biases the end B of the elastic member, and a pressing member that presses the tip of the elastic member, and the pressing member presses the tip of the elastic member prior to the movement.