Fixing Belt Hardness and Friction Control in Electrophotographic Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing fixing devices in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses face issues with wear and damage to the fixing belt and nip forming member due to friction, leading to increased driving load and potential damage, which affects printing quality and device reliability.
Innovation Solution
A fixing device is designed with a nip forming member having a hardness equal to or greater than the fixing belt, incorporating a metal substrate with a friction reducing coating and a lubricating member to reduce friction and wear, along with a support member to distribute pressure and improve thermal efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the fixing belt and nip forming member frictionally contact each other during the fixing process, then the fixing function is achieved, but wear occurs causing increased driving load and potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameter of hardness by selecting materials where the nip forming member has equal or greater hardness than the fixing belt base. This parameter change reduces wear during frictional contact while maintaining the necessary fixing function through heat and pressure application.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing belt is constructed as a composite structure with a metal base (stainless steel or aluminum alloy) providing structural strength and a polymer outer layer providing friction characteristics. This composite material approach optimizes both wear resistance and fixing performance.
2Temperature
If a metal base is used in the fixing belt to improve strength and heat resistance, then thermal stability is improved, but friction wear with the nip forming member increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing belt combines a metal base (providing thermal stability and strength) with a polymer outer layer (providing optimized friction characteristics). This composite structure resolves the contradiction by allowing the metal base to maintain thermal stability while the polymer layer controls friction wear interactions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different layers of the fixing belt have different material properties optimized for different functions: the metal base provides thermal stability and structural strength, while the polymer outer layer provides controlled friction characteristics. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between thermal stability and friction wear.
3Strength
If the hardness of the nip forming member is increased to reduce wear, then wear resistance is improved, but the risk of damage to the fixing belt increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent carefully controls the hardness parameter of the nip forming member to be equal to or greater than the fixing belt base, but not excessively high. This optimized parameter selection reduces wear while minimizing the risk of damage to the fixing belt through balanced material selection.
4Reliability
If the fixing belt is heated to fix the toner image, then the fixing function is achieved, but thermal energy distribution efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of the fixing belt with metal base and polymer layer creates optimized thermal pathways. The metal base provides efficient thermal conduction from the heating source, while the polymer layer distributes heat uniformly across the fixing surface, improving overall thermal energy distribution efficiency.
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 solution effectively reduces wear and damage to the fixing belt and nip forming member, maintaining consistent driving torque and extending the device's operational lifespan, while improving thermal efficiency and printing quality.
Implementation Method 1
a heating member heating the fixing belt
Implementation Method 2
a reflecting plate reflecting thermal energy toward the nip forming member from among thermal energy of the heating member to the fixing belt
Implementation Method 3
a lubricating member supplying a lubricant between the nip forming member and the fixing belt
Implementation Method 4
A fixing process may include a process of applying heat and pressure to the toner
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a fixing device. The fixing device includes: a fixing belt including a base; a nip forming member arranged inside the fixing belt; and a pressing member arranged outside the fixing belt to face the nip forming member to form a fixing nip. The hardness of the nip forming member is configured with respect to the hardness of the base.