Toner Resin Composite for Fixation and Offset
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional toners face challenges with low-temperature fixability and hot offset resistance, particularly when handling various recording materials, due to the low polarity and intermolecular forces of olefin copolymers with ester groups, which affect charge retention and image formation.
Innovation Solution
A toner formulation incorporating a crosslinked body from an aliphatic hydrocarbon resin with unsaturated bonds, combined with olefin copolymers such as ethylene-vinyl acetate or ethylene-methyl acrylate, to enhance low-temperature fixability and hot offset resistance, while maintaining charge retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If olefin copolymers with ester groups are used as the main resin in toner, then low-temperature fixability is improved, but hot offset resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite resin system combining olefin copolymer with ester group (providing low-temperature fixability) and polyolefin resin (providing hot offset resistance). This composite approach allows both contradictory requirements to be satisfied simultaneously by leveraging the complementary properties of different materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention carefully controls the molecular weight parameters of the polyolefin resin (weight-average molecular weight Mw: 10,000-1,000,000, number-average molecular weight Mn: 1,000-100,000) and the ratio of ester group monomer units (3-50 mass%) to optimize both low-temperature fixability and hot offset resistance. By adjusting these parameters, the resin system achieves the desired balance between fixation temperature and hot offset resistance.
2Temperature
If olefin copolymers with ester groups are used, then low-temperature fixability is improved, but charge retention behavior deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The composite resin system combines olefin copolymer with ester group (improving low-temperature fixability) and polyolefin resin (maintaining charge retention behavior). The polyolefin resin component compensates for the poor charge retention of the ester-containing copolymer, allowing both requirements to coexist.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention controls the molecular weight distribution and composition ratio of the olefin copolymer to maintain acceptable charge retention while achieving low-temperature fixability. The specific parameter ranges for molecular weights and ester group content are optimized to balance these competing requirements.
3Productivity
If smaller recording materials are passed through the fixing member first, then productivity is improved, but temperature control deteriorates causing hot offset when larger materials are processed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention adjusts the resin composition parameters, particularly the molecular weight and content of polyolefin resin, to modify the toner's thermal properties. This allows the toner to maintain adequate melting and fixation characteristics across a wider temperature range, compensating for the temperature non-uniformity caused by variable recording material sizes and processing speeds.
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 proposed toner achieves excellent low-temperature fixability, charge retention, and improved hot offset resistance, ensuring reliable image formation across different paper types without excessive temperature increase or image removal issues.
Implementation Method 1
a crosslinked body from an aliphatic hydrocarbon resin having unsaturated bond
Implementation Method 2
the low polarity and also have low intermolecular forces
Implementation Method 3
a resin that has a low glass transition temperature
Implementation Method 4
the viscosity undergoes a substantial decline when the melting point is exceeded
Implementation Method 5
the region on the fixing member not traversed by the recording material undergoes an excessive temperature increase
Data Source
AI summary
A toner having a toner particle containing a resin component, wherein the resin component contains an olefin copolymer having ester group and the like, which has a unit (1), and a unit Y2 that is at least one selected from (2) and (3), the content of the copolymer in the resin component is at least 50 mass % with respect to the total mass of the resin component, and the content of the monomer unit Y2 is 3 to 35 mass % with respect to the total mass of the copolymer;in formulas (1) to (3), R1, R2 and R4 each independently represent H or CH3, and R3 and R5 each independently represent CH3 or C2H5.