Intermediate Transfer Cleaning Blade Coating for Stable Low Torque
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning blades for intermediate transfer media in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses face challenges in maintaining low torque and effective cleaning performance due to friction and wear issues, with traditional lubricants detaching prematurely and leading to poor cleaning efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning blade with a coating layer containing incompatible first and second fluorine-based resins, having a Martens hardness of 0.5 N/mm² to 3 N/mm² at 20 µm from the ridgeline, provides improved slidability and prevents torque increase and roll-up, ensuring effective residue removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a cleaning blade with traditional lubricant is used, then initial torque is reduced, but the lubricant detaches prematurely and torque increases over time
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning blade uses a composite coating layer comprising a fluoropolymer resin (providing lubricity) and a rubber elastic member (providing mechanical strength and adhesion). This composite structure prevents lubricant detachment while maintaining low torque over extended periods, resolving the contradiction between initial torque reduction and lubricant durability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the surface hardness of the cleaning blade to within 1.0 N/mm² (Martens hardness) and controls the coating layer thickness to 1 µm or less. These parameter changes ensure the coating remains soft enough to maintain lubricity while adhering strongly to the substrate, preventing premature detachment and maintaining torque stability.
2Force
If the cleaning blade is made softer to reduce friction, then torque is reduced, but the blade structure becomes less stable
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning blade employs a composite structure where a soft fluoropolymer coating layer (surface hardness ≤1.0 N/mm²) provides low friction, while the underlying rubber elastic member provides structural stability and mechanical strength. This composite approach allows the blade to be soft enough for low friction while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning blade has non-uniform hardness distribution: the surface coating layer is extremely soft (≤1.0 N/mm²) to minimize friction with the intermediate transfer belt, while the bulk rubber elastic member maintains higher structural stability. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between friction reduction and structural stability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a harder cleaning blade is used to maintain structural stability, then blade stability is improved, but friction and torque increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning blade uses a composite structure where the soft fluoropolymer coating layer (surface hardness ≤1.0 N/mm²) contacts the intermediate transfer belt to minimize friction, while the rubber elastic member provides structural stability. This resolves the contradiction by isolating the friction interface from the structural support function.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning blade exhibits gradient hardness: the surface coating is extremely soft (≤1.0 N/mm²) for low friction contact, while the bulk material maintains higher structural stability. This local quality variation allows the blade to be soft where needed for friction reduction while remaining stable overall for structural integrity.
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 cleaning blade maintains low torque and enhances cleaning performance by stabilizing the coating layer, inhibiting detachment of particles and reducing friction, thus ensuring consistent operation and improved cleaning efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The cleaning blade needs to have lubricity in order to inhibit increase in the torque needed to rotate, for example, an image bearer and an intermediate transfer medium, and in order to moderate, for example, the force of friction between the cleaning blade and the intermediate transfer belt
Implementation Method 2
a surface hardness of a proposed cleaning blade, expressed by Martens hardness, is set to from 1.0 N/mm 2
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3~4
AI summary
A cleaning blade (62) for an intermediate transfer medium is provided. A cleaning target of the cleaning blade is an intermediate transfer medium. The cleaning blade includes an edge layer (622a) and a coating layer (623). The coating layer (623) provided on a forefront end of the edge layer (622a) at which the edge layer (622a) contacts the intermediate transfer medium contains a first fluorine-based resin and a second fluorine-based resin incompatible with the first fluorine-based resin. The cleaning blade (62) for an intermediate transfer medium has a Martens hardness of 0.5 N/mm2 or greater and 3 N/mm2 or less at a location having a distance of 20 µm from a ridgeline of the forefront end of the edge layer (622a).