Heat-Shrinkable PFA Fixing Roller Adhesive Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manufacturing processes for fixing rollers/belts in copiers are costly, complex, and inefficient, with significant thermal loss and rubber layer degradation due to thick adhesive layers and the need for inner surface treatments, which limits miniaturization and increases production costs.
Innovation Solution
A fixing roller/fixing belt is developed using a heat-shrinkable PFA tube as the surface layer, bonded with a PFA-containing adhesive material, eliminating the need for inner surface treatments and thick adhesive layers, and utilizing a substrate with a heat-resistant material for improved heat transfer and mechanical strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If inner surface treatment (plasma treatment, chemical etching) is applied to the tubular PFA to enhance adhering strength, then the bonding strength between surface layer and elastic layer is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the complex inner surface treatment steps (plasma treatment, chemical etching) from the manufacturing process. Instead of modifying the PFA tube surface through complex treatments, the patent uses a simple adhesive application process where the adhesive naturally bonds the PFA tube to the rubber layer without requiring surface modification treatments.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the bonding mechanism from relying on surface treatment modifications to relying on adhesive properties. By changing the bonding approach from mechanical/chemical surface treatment to adhesive bonding, the process complexity is reduced while maintaining or improving bonding strength.
2Length of moving object
If the inner diameter of tubular PFA is reduced to enable miniaturization, then smaller fixing rollers/belts can be manufactured, but the process for inner surface treatment becomes more difficult and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the inner surface treatment step from the manufacturing process entirely. Without this step, there is no minimum diameter constraint imposed by treatment tool access, allowing free miniaturization of the fixing roller/belt diameter without encountering manufacturing difficulties associated with treating small-diameter tubes.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of treating the inner surface of the PFA tube to enable bonding, the invention inverts the approach by applying adhesive to the outer surface of the rubber layer and bonding the PFA tube to it. This inversion eliminates the need to access and treat the inner surface, enabling easy miniaturization.
3Ease of operation
If a thick surface-layer adhesive is applied to enable smooth insertion of PFA over rubber layer, then insertion is facilitated, but thermal loss increases and rubber layer degradation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the adhesive application parameters from thick coating to thin coating. By applying the adhesive thinly and using heat shrinkage to ensure contact, the patent reduces the adhesive layer thickness to minimize thermal loss and prevent rubber layer degradation while still achieving smooth insertion and proper bonding.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the heat shrinkage phase transition of the PFA tube to achieve proper bonding. The PFA tube is heated to shrink and conform to the rubber layer surface, ensuring intimate contact without requiring thick adhesive layers. This phase transition approach enables thin adhesive application while maintaining insertion smoothness.
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
This solution reduces manufacturing costs, allows for smaller diameters, minimizes thermal loss, and prevents rubber layer degradation, resulting in a more efficient and cost-effective fixing roller/fixing belt with improved heat transfer and mechanical properties.
Implementation Method 1
PFA having heat-shrinkable property is used
Implementation Method 2
bonding method for the surface layer and the elastic layer is contrived using a PFA-containing adhesive material as the adhesive between the surface layer and the elastic layer
Data Source
AI summary
A fixing roller/fixing belt having an elastic layer and a surface layer formed on a substrate material in the enumerated order, wherein the surface layer is a layer formed by thermally shrinking a PFA tube, and the surface layer and the elastic layer are bonded together through a PFA-containing adhesive material. In particular, a fixing roller/fixing belt in which the ratio of heat shrinkage of the PFA tube forming the surface layer is 3 to 20%. Also, a fixing roller/fixing belt, in which the quantity of PFA contained in the PFA-containing adhesive material is 20 to 30 wt %.