Graphite-Resin Heat Element for Fixing Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heat-producing elements in fixing devices for image forming apparatuses face challenges with metallic fillers such as copper, nickel, or silver, which lead to resistance increase due to oxidation, safety concerns, and high costs, making it difficult to maintain long-term performance and energy efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a thin-leaf graphite-pulverized material with a volume specific resistance of 10−6 Ω·cm to less than 10−2 Ω·cm into a heat-resistant resin as a conductive material, mixed with carbon fibers or nanofibers, to form a heat-producing element that reduces resistance and enhances thermal efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metallic fillers such as copper, nickel, or silver are used in the heat-producing element, then electrical conductivity is improved, but resistance increases due to oxidation over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive metallic fillers (copper, nickel, silver) with graphite powder, which is inexpensive and oxidation-resistant. Although graphite has lower initial conductivity than metals, its stability prevents resistance increase over time, achieving long-term reliability without the oxidation problem that plagues metallic fillers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite formulation combining graphite powder with a rubber binder to create the heat-producing element. This composite material leverages graphite's oxidation resistance and electrical conductivity while the rubber binder provides structural integrity and flexibility, creating a balanced material system that solves both conductivity and stability requirements.
2Reliability
If metallic fillers are used to reduce resistance, then electrical conductivity is improved, but safety concerns arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes metallic fillers with graphite powder, which is inherently safer due to its chemical stability and lack of oxidation. Graphite does not pose the same safety risks as reactive metals, particularly in high-temperature applications where metal oxidation could create hazardous conditions. This substitution maintains performance consistency while eliminating safety concerns.
3Reliability
If metallic fillers are used to achieve low resistance, then electrical conductivity is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adopts graphite powder as the filler material, which is significantly cheaper than metallic fillers like copper, nickel, or silver. Graphite is a byproduct of other industrial processes and commands a lower market price, making it an economically attractive alternative that maintains adequate electrical conductivity while dramatically reducing raw material costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a cost-effective composite material by combining inexpensive graphite powder with a rubber binder. This composite approach allows the use of low-cost materials while achieving the required functional performance through proper formulation and processing, making the heat-producing element economically viable for mass production.
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 the resistance of the heat-producing element, ensuring long-term high performance, reduced warming-up time, and energy savings while maintaining excellent thermal efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a heat-producing element having a heat-producing layer in which a carbon nanomaterial and filament-shaped metal fine panicles are dispersed in a polyimide resin
Implementation Method 2
since a film is heated, for example, via a ceramic heater and then a toner image is fixed on the film surface, the thermal conductivity of the film becomes a critical point
Data Source
AI summary
A heat-producing element for a fixing device to carry out heat-fixing after a toner image having been formed using a pulverized toner is transferred on an image support, a heat-producing element for a fixing device in which a thin-leaf graphite-pulverized material of a volume specific resistance of 10−6 Ω·cm to less than 10−2 Ω·cm is incorporated in a heat-resistant resin as a conductive material.