Modified Layered Inorganic Mineral Toner for Cleaning and Fixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current toner technologies face challenges in achieving high reliability in cleaning, low-temperature fixability, and simultaneous high-quality image production, with issues related to toner cleanability, thermal conductivity, and residual toner after transfer.
Innovation Solution
A toner with modified layered inorganic minerals, where ions between the layers are replaced with organic ions, is developed, allowing for localized distribution and improved hydrophobicity, enhancing cleanability and thermal conductivity while maintaining high-quality image production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the toner is made into a nonspherical shape to improve cleanability, then blade cleaning reliability is improved, but thermal conductivity in the toner layer deteriorates and low-temperature fixability worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by modifying only the surface of spherical toner particles with a hydrophobic coating layer, rather than changing the overall particle shape. This surface modification provides the necessary cleaning properties while preserving the spherical core structure that ensures good flowability and thermal conductivity for low-temperature fixing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining a spherical toner core with a hydrophobic surface coating layer. This composite structure integrates the advantages of spherical particles (good flowability, thermal conductivity) with the benefits of hydrophobic surfaces (improved cleanability), resolving the contradiction between cleaning reliability and low-temperature fixability.
2Manufacturing precision
If the toner particle size is made smaller and more uniform to improve fine dot reproducibility, then image quality is improved, but cleanability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by maintaining uniform small particle size throughout the toner while adding a hydrophobic surface coating. This allows the core particle to provide fine dot reproducibility through uniform size distribution, while the surface coating independently provides improved cleanability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining uniformly sized small toner particles with a hydrophobic surface coating. This composite structure enables small particles to achieve fine dot reproducibility while the hydrophobic coating compensates for the cleanability issues associated with small particle size.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a large amount of charge control agent is added to control toner charging, then charging stability is improved, but filming and fixability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the hydrophobic surface coating as an intermediary layer between the toner core and the charge control agent. This coating allows for more efficient charge control agent distribution and reduces the total amount needed, preventing filming and fixability issues while maintaining charging stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the surface properties of the toner particles through hydrophobic coating. This surface modification changes the interaction characteristics between charge control agents and toner particles, enabling effective charging with reduced agent quantity and avoiding harmful filming effects.
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 toner achieves excellent low-temperature fixability, reduced residual toner after transfer, and high-quality image resolution, addressing the limitations of existing toner technologies.
Implementation Method 1
ions between the layers are replaced with organic ions, is developed, allowing for localized distribution and improved hydrophobicity, enhancing cleanability
Implementation Method 2
reduces the thermal conductivity in the toner layer in fixing, and deteriorates the low-temperature fixability
Data Source
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AI summary
A toner containing toner particles, wherein each toner particle contains at least: a releasing agent having an average dispersed particle diameter of 0.1 to 0.5 µm; and a modified layered inorganic mineral in which at least a part of ions present in between layers of a layered inorganic mineral is replaced with an organic ion, wherein a content of the releasing agent is 1 to 10% by mass, and the toner has a ratio A/B of 0.2 to 2.0 where A denotes the average dispersed particle diameter of the releasing agent and B denotes an average dispersed particle diameter of the modified layered inorganic mineral.