Oil-Impregnated Cleaning Web for Heat-Resistant Toner Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning webs for electrophotographic systems face issues with high production costs, fluffing, low heat resistance, and incompatibility with oils due to the use of expensive poly(phenylene sulfide) fibers and binder-containing aramide fibers, which result in low productivity and ineffective toner removal.
Innovation Solution
A nonwoven fabric made from melt-liquid-crystal-forming wholly aromatic polyester fibers with a melt viscosity of 20 Pa·s or less, produced by the melt-blown method, is used without a binder, featuring a thermal deformation temperature of 280°C or higher, and impregnated with oil under pressure between heated metal and elastomer rolls to enhance smoothness, heat resistance, and cleaning efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If thermal bonding of aramide fiber and undrawn polyester fiber is used to prevent fusion and abrasion, then heat resistance is improved, but fluffing occurs and productivity drastically decreases due to low calendering speed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameters by using drawn polyester fibers instead of undrawn fibers, and controlling the fiber diameter to 3-15 μm. This allows the web to maintain heat resistance while preventing fluffing and enabling higher calendering speeds, thus resolving the productivity issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces expensive poly(phenylene sulfide) fiber with more economical drawn polyester fibers, achieving similar or better performance at lower cost, making the cleaning web more economically viable for high-volume applications.
2Reliability
If poly(phenylene sulfide) fiber is used in the web, then cleaning efficiency is improved, but production cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention substitutes expensive poly(phenylene sulfide) fiber with conventional drawn polyester fibers that have appropriate diameter and crystallinity control. This substitution maintains cleaning efficiency through optimized fiber morphology while dramatically reducing raw material costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fiber parameters (diameter 3-15 μm, drawn state, crystallinity) to achieve cleaning performance comparable to expensive specialty fibers, demonstrating that optimized common materials can replace costly specialty materials.
3Stability of the object's composition
If binder is added to the web for molding, then web formation is improved, but orientation is unfavorable and fluffing occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the binder component entirely from the web structure. Instead of using binder to hold fibers together, the web is formed through controlled fiber deposition and thermal bonding of the fiber ends, eliminating the source of fluffing while maintaining web integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fibers themselves provide the binding function through their thermal bonding capability. The drawn polyester fibers bond to each other through heat and pressure without requiring external binder materials, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating harmful byproducts.
4Temperature
If undrawn polyester fiber is used for thermal bonding, then heat resistance is improved, but fluffing occurs due to thermal fusion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the physical state of the polyester fiber from undrawn to drawn, and controls the diameter to 3-15 μm. This morphological change allows the fiber to undergo controlled thermal bonding without excessive melting and fluffing, maintaining heat resistance while eliminating the harmful effect.
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 provides a cleaning web with superior smoothness, release efficiency, and heat resistance, preventing fluffing and improving compatibility with oils, while maintaining stable tensile strength and elongation, thus enhancing cleaning characteristics in image-forming and fixing devices.
Implementation Method 1
a nonwoven fabric containing a melt-liquid-crystal-forming a wholly aromatic polyester having a melt viscosity of 20 Pa·s or less at 310° C. as the principal component that is produced by the melt-blown method
Implementation Method 2
impregnated with oil under pressure between heated metal and elastomer rolls
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning web for cleaning the surface of articles to be cleaned, produced by impregnating a web for cleaning the surface of articles to be cleaned with an oil, wherein the web is a nonwoven fabric containing a melt-liquid-crystal-forming wholly aromatic polyester having a melt viscosity of 20 Pa·s or less at 310° C. as the principal component that is produced by melt-blown method.