Developer Fine Powder Enhances Electrification and Brilliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Developers containing metallic pigments for brilliance suffer from low electrifiable properties due to larger particle sizes, leading to fogging issues and degraded print quality, especially when external additives are used in excess, contaminating image forming apparatus components.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a fine powder with a particle size smaller than the mode value in the volume particle size distribution of the metallic pigment, with a proportion between 4.6% and 9.6% of the developer, enhances the electrifiable property without excessive external additives, allowing for high-quality image printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a metallic pigment with larger particle size is used to provide brilliance, then the developer achieves sufficient brilliance, but the electrifiable property decreases leading to fogging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the particle size parameter of the binder resin to create fine powder particles (0.5-5 μm) that are smaller than the metallic pigment particles. This parameter change allows the fine powder to have sufficient electrifiable property while the metallic pigment maintains brilliance, resolving the contradiction between these two properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite developer system containing both metallic pigment particles (5-20 μm) for brilliance and fine powder particles (0.5-5 μm) with binder resin for electrifiable property. This composite approach allows each component to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other, solving the contradiction between brilliance and electrifiable property.
2Reliability
If an external additive is increased to enhance electrifiable property, then the electrifiable property improves, but the external additive is freed to contaminate components degrading print quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses fine powder particles with binder resin as a substitute for excessive external additives. The fine powder acts as a sacrificial component that provides necessary electrifiable property through its small particle size and binder resin content, preventing the need to add large amounts of external additives that would otherwise be freed and contaminate components.
3Illumination intensity
If the particle size is increased to include metallic pigment, then the developer achieves brilliance, but the surface area per unit weight decreases reducing electrifiable property
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the developer into two distinct particle size populations: large metallic pigment particles (5-20 μm) for brilliance and fine powder particles (0.5-5 μm) for electrifiable property. This segmentation allows each particle type to optimize its specific function - the fine powder provides high surface area per unit weight for electrification while the metallic pigment provides brilliance without being constrained by surface area requirements.
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 enhanced electrifiable property of the developer prevents fogging and maintains print quality by ensuring the fine powder has a sufficient binder resin content, improving compatibility and glossiness during the printing process.
Implementation Method 1
a phenomenon called 'fogging' can occur, where the developer adheres to a margin or a background of an image to which the developer is not supposed to adhere to decrease image quality
Data Source
AI summary
A developer includes a metallic pigment and a binder resin. The developer includes a fine powder having a particle size smaller than a mode value in a volume particle size distribution of the metallic pigment. A proportion of the fine powder relative to the developer is equal to or higher than 4.6 percent and equal to or lower than 9.6 percent.