Composite Toner for Cleanerless Printers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current toners used in cleanerless systems face challenges with toner deterioration, such as burying of external additives and cracking, leading to poor developing performance and fogging issues, especially under conditions of heat cycling and stress.
Innovation Solution
A toner composition comprising a binder resin, a colorant, an amorphous polyester, and a crystalline polyester, where the amorphous polyester has monomer units derived from linear aliphatic dicarboxylic acids and dialcohols, with the vinyl resin forming a matrix and the amorphous polyester constituting domains, and the crystalline polyester present in the interior, enhancing low-temperature fixability and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a cleanerless system is adopted to reduce printer size, then the apparatus size is reduced, but toner deterioration occurs leading to poor developing performance
Solution Approach 1:
The toner uses a composite binder resin system combining vinyl resin (30-70 mass %) and polyester resin (70-30 mass %) with specific glass transition temperatures. This composite material structure provides both the mechanical durability needed for cleanerless systems and the appropriate melting characteristics for fixing, resolving the contradiction between toner durability and system miniaturization.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention specifies precise parameter ranges for the binder resin components: vinyl resin with Tg of -50 to 0°C and polyester resin with Tg of 50 to 150°C, along with controlled softening points (100-160°C). These parameter optimizations ensure the toner maintains structural integrity during repeated charging/recovery cycles in cleanerless systems while enabling effective fixing.
2Productivity
If stress is applied during durability challenge in cleanerless system, then toner is recovered repeatedly, but toner cracking and additive burying occur
Solution Approach 1:
The toner particle strength is optimized by controlling the glass transition temperatures of binder resin components and the softening point of the overall toner. The vinyl resin provides flexibility at room temperature while the polyester resin maintains structural strength, and the controlled softening point (100-160°C) prevents premature deformation during recovery operations, enabling thousands of cycles without cracking or additive burying.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a toner designed for extended使用寿命 in cleanerless systems, effectively replacing the need for frequent toner replacement. The optimized binder resin composition ensures the toner can withstand the mechanical stresses of repeated recovery cycles, making the toner itself the durable component rather than requiring system modifications.
3Speed
If low-temperature fixing is implemented, then fixing speed improves, but toner requires specific melting characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The toner is designed with a softening point of 100-160°C through careful selection of binder resin components and their ratios. The vinyl resin (Tg: -50 to 0°C) and polyester resin (Tg: 50 to 150°C) work together to provide gradual softening behavior, allowing the toner to become sufficiently pliable at lower temperatures for rapid fixing while maintaining image quality and adhesion.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing process utilizes the phase transition of the binder resin from solid to softened state. The controlled softening point ensures that at fixing temperatures (100-160°C), the toner particles become pliable and can bond to the substrate, while below this temperature they remain stable. This phase transition behavior enables low-temperature fixing without sacrificing fixing 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
The toner exhibits improved low-temperature fixability, reduced fogging, and enhanced durability by suppressing toner cracking and external additive burying, maintaining charge control and flowability even under stress and heat cycling conditions.
Implementation Method 1
the amorphous polyester constitutes domains and the crystalline polyester is present in the interior of the domains... exhibits an excellent low-temperature fixability
Implementation Method 2
the vinyl resin constitutes a matrix... suppressing toner cracking
Data Source
AI summary
A toner comprising a toner particle containing a binder resin, a colorant, an amorphous polyester, and a crystalline polyester, wherein the binder resin contains a vinyl resin; the amorphous polyester has a monomer unit derived from a linear aliphatic dicarboxylic acid having 6 to 12 carbons, and a monomer unit derived from a dialcohol; the content of the monomer unit derived from a linear aliphatic dicarboxylic acid having 6 to 12 carbons is 10 to 50 mol % with reference to the total monomer units derived from a carboxylic acid in the amorphous polyester; and in a cross section of the toner particle, the vinyl resin constitutes a matrix and the amorphous polyester constitutes domains, and the crystalline polyester is present in the interior of the domains.