Developer Blade Mold Cavity Surface Roughness Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional developer blades used in image-forming devices do not consistently produce high-quality images, especially in low-temperature low-humidity conditions, and face challenges with mold releasability and inspection facilitation.
Innovation Solution
A mold for forming a developer blade with a belt-like metal plate and an elastic member, where the cavity surface is finished using a texturing or sandblasting process to achieve specific surface roughness and texture patterns, improving both image quality and mold releasability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the cavity surface is made smooth to facilitate mold releasability, then mold releasability is improved, but image quality in low-temperature low-humidity conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cavity surface is divided into two regions with different surface roughness: the region corresponding to the elastic member has Ry≤10μm for good image quality, while the region for the metal plate is smooth (Ry≤1.5μm) for easy mold releasability. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by assigning different surface qualities to different functional areas.
2Reliability
If the cavity surface is finished with texturing or sandblasting process to improve image quality, then image quality is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The texturing or sandblasting process is applied only to the specific region of the cavity surface that corresponds to the elastic member, rather than the entire cavity. This localized treatment achieves the desired image quality while minimizing the increase in manufacturing complexity by limiting the sophisticated process to only where necessary.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provide a mold for forming a developer blade and a developer blade manufactured with such a mold which are able to give images of good quality even in the low-temperature low-humidity condition and to improve a mold releasability. A mold 10 for forming a developer blade has a plate accommodation space 14 in which the metal plate is accommodated and a belt-like cavity 15 for forming the elastic member adjacent to the plate accommodation space. At least a part 20a of a cavity surface 20 defining the cavity 15 in the cross section taken along the cavity width direction is finished to have a surface roughness Ry of not more than 10 μm.