Clear Toner Linear Protrusions for Glossy Surface Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The formation of a glossy surface using a clear toner often results in air bubble accumulation, leading to cloudiness and non-uniformity, and residual toner causes staining and transfer failures due to inadequate air movement during the fixing process.
Innovation Solution
An image forming method where a clear toner layer is formed with independent linear protrusion portions parallel or diagonally to the conveyance direction, allowing for efficient air discharge and preventing air bubble accumulation, and ensuring no residual toner is left on the fixing belt.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a clear toner layer is formed and heated to melt the toner for glossy surface formation, then the glossy surface is formed, but air bubbles accumulate in the interior causing cloudiness and non-uniformity
Solution Approach 1:
The clear toner layer is designed with a porous structure containing air channels that allow trapped air to escape during the heating and melting process. This porous configuration prevents air bubble accumulation in the interior of the glossy surface while maintaining surface uniformity and transparency.
Solution Approach 2:
Air channels are pre-formed within the clear toner layer before the heating process. This preliminary configuration of escape paths ensures that air can be efficiently discharged during melting, preventing the formation of harmful air bubbles that would cause cloudiness and non-uniformity in the final glossy surface.
2Manufacturing precision
If clear toner is fed in a layered manner onto the image support, then a glossy surface can be formed, but residual toner remains on the fixing belt causing staining and transfer failures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes residual clear toner from the fixing belt surface after the glossy surface formation process. This extraction mechanism prevents staining and transfer failures while maintaining the quality of the formed glossy surface.
Solution Approach 2:
Residual clear toner that remains on the fixing belt after transfer is discarded through cleaning mechanisms. This discarding process prevents the residual toner from causing staining on subsequent image supports and transfer failures, ensuring consistent glossy surface quality.
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
This method prevents air bubble accumulation, achieves a glossy surface with excellent transparency, and avoids staining and transfer failures, resulting in a well-finished glossy surface without irregularities.
Implementation Method 1
a step to heat the image support on which the clear toner layer has been transferred
Implementation Method 2
heating to melt the clear toner
Implementation Method 3
cooling to cure the clear toner
Data Source
AI summary
The image forming method including steps of forming a clear toner layer on a photoreceptor, transferring the clear toner layer onto a transfer member, transferring the clear toner layer on the transfer member onto an image support, heating the image support having the clear toner layer, bringing the clear toner layer into close contact with a belt to cool the image support, and separating the image support from the belt are provided, in this order; and the clear toner layer is formed with a plurality of independent linear protrusion portions and the independent linear protrusion portions are formed parallel or diagonally to the conveyance direction of an image support.