Image Forming Apparatus for Fixing Belt Cleaning Before Borderless Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In borderless printing, toner adheres to the edges of the recording material and is not effectively fixed, leading to toner transfer and soil formation on other surfaces.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus that includes a processor to control a display unit to prompt a cleaning operation before and after borderless print jobs, using a cleaning web to remove excess toner from the fixing belt, and optionally performing a sheet supply cleaning operation to prevent toner accumulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If borderless print mode is used to form images on the whole surface of recording material, then image coverage area is improved, but toner adhesion reliability deteriorates at edges
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary cleaning of the fixing member before borderless printing to prevent toner adhesion issues. A cleaning web is fed through the fixing member to remove residual toner before the actual borderless print job begins, ensuring reliable toner adhesion during edge-to-edge imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
A cleaning web is introduced as an intermediary element between the toner source and the recording material. This cleaning web passes through the fixing member to remove excess toner, acting as a mediator that prevents toner transfer to the edges of recording material while allowing full-surface imaging.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If cleaning operation is performed frequently to remove excess toner, then toner transfer is reduced, but productivity deteriorates due to printing interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning operation is performed periodically at specific intervals during printing rather than continuously. The system executes cleaning at predetermined points (such as after a certain number of sheets or under specific conditions), balancing toner removal effectiveness with maintaining high printing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning mechanism uses the recording material itself as the cleaning medium. The recording material passes through the fixing member and automatically removes excess toner during the normal printing process, eliminating the need for separate cleaning operations that would interrupt productivity.
3Reliability
If cleaning means contacts fixing member continuously to remove toner, then toner adhesion reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning function is extracted as a separate, simplified subsystem that operates independently from the main printing mechanism. The cleaning web system is a distinct component that can be easily installed and maintained, reducing overall device complexity while effectively removing toner from the fixing member.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus is capable of executing a borderless print job to form a toner image at edges of a recording material and of executing a bordered print job not to form a toner image at the edges of the recording material. The image forming apparatus includes at least one processor configured to control a display unit to display a screen, wherein, after the borderless print mode is set and before printing of the borderless print job is started, the display unit is controlled to display a warning screen that prompts execution of a cleaning operation based on job information regarding the borderless print job, and after execution of the borderless print job is completed, perform control to execute a cleaning operation to clean an inside of the image forming apparatus with conveyed paper.