JP2016177199A - Blade body and cleaning blade - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a blade body and a cleaning blade, excellent in warpage resistance at both end parts in a longitudinal direction and also excellent in cleaning property.SOLUTION: A blade body of a cleaning blade used at a cleaning part for removing toner on a toner adhesion body comprises an edge layer 12 slidably contacting with the toner adhesion body, and a base layer 11 provided on the rear surface of the edge layer. The edge layer 12 comprises a rubber base material having a harder rubber hardness than that of a rubber base material constituting the base layer 11, and at both end parts in a longitudinal direction of a slide contact part with the toner adhesion body, provided is a high rigid part 13 having a thin thickness of the base layer or substantially no thickness.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a blade body and a cleaning blade used in an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic copying machine and printer, or a toner jet copying machine and printer.

  In general, in an electrophotographic process, an electrophotographic photosensitive member or a transfer belt is repeatedly used. Therefore, a cleaning blade for removing toner adhering thereto is used. This cleaning blade is formed by adhering a blade main body (hereinafter referred to as a main body) made of an elastic body to a support member. In such a cleaning blade, it is used in sliding contact with an object to be cleaned such as an electrophotographic photosensitive member or a transfer belt, but both ends of the sliding contact portion longitudinal direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the longitudinal direction) are printed. Since the toner hardly wraps around because it is located outside the region, there is a problem in that slipping is not maintained, and a crease occurs from the end in the longitudinal direction.

  In order to solve such problems, there has been proposed a cleaning blade provided with a high hardness portion impregnated with isocyanate at the end in the longitudinal direction and cured by reaction (see Patent Document 1). However, with such a cleaning blade, there is a concern that a level difference occurs at the boundary between the site impregnated with isocyanate and reaction-cured and the untreated portion, and the toner leaks.

  Therefore, as a countermeasure against such a problem, there has been proposed a method in which the length of the unprocessed portion is changed between the drum blade and the intermediate transfer blade, and the toner leaked by the drum blade is wiped off by the intermediate transfer blade (patent). Reference 2).

  However, even in this case, the toner flows into the stepped portion at the boundary between the unprocessed portion and the processing portion in the second stage cleaning blade, causing toner leakage, and the accumulated toner is transferred to the printing portion, resulting in an image defect. May cause. Also, in the case of a system equipped with four color photoconductors and an intermediate transfer belt, the four color unprocessed portions need to be in different positions, so it is necessary to produce four types of cleaning blades and complicated manufacturing management. In addition, there is a concern that a cleaning blade for another color may be erroneously attached at the time of attachment.

JP 2009-063993 A JP 2012-252157 A

  In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a blade body and a cleaning blade that have excellent resistance to peeling at both ends in the longitudinal direction and excellent cleaning properties.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above problem, in a blade body of a cleaning blade used in a cleaning unit for removing toner on a toner adhering body, an edge layer slidingly contacting the toner adhering body, and a back surface of the edge layer The edge layer is made of a rubber base material having a hardness higher than that of the rubber base material constituting the base layer, and is slid with the toner adhering body. The blade main body is characterized in that a high-rigidity portion having a thin or non-existing base layer is provided at both ends in the contact portion longitudinal direction.

  According to this aspect, there are high-rigidity portions on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the blade body, and the contact force of the high-rigidity portion is larger than that of the other portions when abutting against the toner adhering member. Is prevented. In addition, since the contact part with the toner adhering body is made of an edge layer made of a uniform rubber base, there is no step at the boundary between the high rigidity part and the other part, and excellent cleaning characteristics are exhibited and toner leakage occurs. There is no fear of it.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the blade body according to the first aspect, the high-rigidity portion has an inclined portion in which the thickness of the edge layer gradually increases toward the outside in the longitudinal direction of the sliding contact portion. On the blade body.

  In this aspect, since the thickness of the edge layer has an inclined portion that gradually changes, the rigidity in the longitudinal direction of the sliding contact portion at the boundary between the highly rigid portion and the other portion gradually increases. Since it changes, the contact pressure does not change abruptly at the boundary, and the cleaning characteristics and durability are more excellent.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the blade main body according to the first or second aspect, the high-rigidity portion has a portion composed only of the edge layer at least on the outer side in the sliding contact portion longitudinal direction. Located on the blade body.

  In such an aspect, the rigidity of the portion consisting only of the edge layer is further improved, and the mesh is more reliably prevented.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the blade body according to any one of the first to third aspects, the edge layer of the high-rigidity portion is on the side opposite to the sliding contact portion side and the sliding contact portion side. The blade body is characterized in that the thickness is different on the base end side and is thick on the sliding contact side.

  In such an aspect, the high-rigidity part has a thick part of the edge layer at least on the sliding contact part side, whereby the rigidity is further improved and the peeling is more reliably prevented.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cleaning blade comprising the blade body according to the first to fourth aspects and a support member for holding the blade body.

  According to this aspect, the high rigidity portion exists on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the slidable contact portion of the blade body, and the contact force of the high rigidity portion is larger than the other portions when the blade body is in contact with the toner adhering member. Is prevented. In addition, since the contact part with the toner adhering body is made of an edge layer made of a uniform rubber base, there is no step at the boundary between the high rigidity part and the other part, and excellent cleaning characteristics are exhibited and toner leakage occurs. It is possible to realize a cleaning blade that does not have the risk of occurrence.

  According to the present invention, the high rigidity portion exists on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the sliding contact portion of the blade body, and the high rigidity portion and the other portions are formed of the edge layer integrally formed, so that the peeling is prevented. In addition, there is no step at the boundary, and excellent cleaning characteristics are exhibited.

The top view of the cleaning blade of Embodiment 1 of this invention, a longitudinal cross-sectional view, and a cross-sectional view. The cross-sectional view of the blade body of the cleaning blade according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The cross-sectional view of the blade body of the cleaning blade according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The cross-sectional view of the blade body of the cleaning blade of Embodiment 4 of the present invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view and cross-sectional view of the blade main body of the cleaning blade of Embodiment 5 of this invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view and cross-sectional view of the blade main body of the cleaning blade of Embodiment 6 of this invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view and cross-sectional view of the blade main body of the cleaning blade of Embodiment 7 of this invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view of the modification which concerns on the blade main body of the cleaning blade of Embodiment 1 of this invention.

  Hereinafter, the cleaning blade of the image forming apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail.

(Embodiment 1)
As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning blade 1 includes a blade body (also referred to as a cleaning blade itself) 10 and a support member 20, and the blade body 10 and the support member 20 are connected via an adhesive (not shown). It is joined. The blade body 10 is made of an elastic body that is a molded body of a rubber base, and includes a base layer 11 made of a rubber base having a relatively low rubber hardness, and an edge made of a rubber base having a rubber hardness higher than that of the base layer 11. Layer 12.

  In the present embodiment, the base layer 11 is thicker than the edge layer 12, and the edge layer 12 is relatively thinner than the base layer 11. However, the base layer 11 does not exist at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The high-rigidity portion 13 is composed of only the edge layer 12. The end portion of the edge layer 12 opposite to the support member 20 and the opposite side of the base layer 11 is a contact portion 14 (see FIG. 1B) with a toner adhering body such as a photoconductor.

  Here, the blade body 10 is a plate-like member having a predetermined thickness, and one end portion in one direction (hereinafter referred to as a base end portion) is joined to the support member 20 and the other end portion (hereinafter referred to as a distal end portion or (Referred to as a sliding contact portion) is a free end, and one of the long ridge lines at the tip portion is a contact portion 14, and the contact portion 14 is entirely composed of the edge layer 12. In this case, the direction of the long ridge line at the tip of the blade body 10 is referred to as the longitudinal direction, the direction of the short ridge line is referred to as the thickness direction, and the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and the thickness direction is referred to as the short direction. In FIG. 1, the abutting portion 14 on the opposite side of the front end portion of the blade body 10 from the joint surface side with the support member 20, that is, in this embodiment, the surface of the base layer 11 is the support member 20. The contact portion 14 is positioned on the opposite side of the joint surface with the support member 20, but depending on the manner of contact of the cleaning blade 1 with the toner adherent, the surface of the edge layer 12 may be The contact portion 14 may be positioned on the side of the joint surface with the support member 20 by being joined to the support member 20.

  Such a cleaning blade 1 has a two-layer structure of a base layer 11 and an edge layer 12 at the center in the longitudinal direction, and the high rigidity portion 13 at both ends in the longitudinal direction is only the edge layer 12 having a relatively high hardness. Consists of. As a result, the composite Young's modulus of the two-layer structure in the central portion in the longitudinal direction is smaller than that of the high-rigidity portions 13 at both ends in the longitudinal direction, so that the abutting portion 14 of the blade body 10 abuts on the toner adhering body with a predetermined pressure. In this case, the contact pressure of the high-rigidity portion 13 at the end in the longitudinal direction is higher than the contact pressure at the central portion in the longitudinal direction, and the edge of the blade body 10 is prevented from becoming clogged. That is, since the blade body 10 includes the highly rigid portion 13 at the end portion in the longitudinal direction, when the blade body 10 is brought into contact with a predetermined pressure, the blade body 10 can be brought into contact with the toner adhering body with a greater force at the end portion in the longitudinal direction. Can be suppressed. When the blade body having a uniform Young's modulus in the longitudinal direction is brought into contact, the abutting force acts in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction at the longitudinal center, but the abutting force at the longitudinal end. Escapes to the outside in the longitudinal direction, and the force applied in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, that is, the contact pressure, becomes small, which causes the melee.

  On the other hand, since the contact portion 14 is made of the uniform edge layer 12 made of a uniform material, no step or the like occurs at the boundary with the high-rigidity portion 13, so there is no risk of toner leakage.

  Here, the base layer 11 is made of a rubber base material having a lower hardness than that of the rubber base material constituting the edge layer 12, and the rubber hardness of the rubber base material is preferably 60 to 80 ° according to JIS A. If the rubber hardness of the base layer 11 is greater than 80 °, the permanent strain increases and the durability when used as a cleaning blade is deteriorated. The edge layer 12 is made of a rubber material having a hardness higher than that of the rubber base material constituting the base layer 11, and the rubber hardness of the rubber base material is preferably 70 to 90 ° according to JIS A. When the rubber hardness of the edge layer 12 is less than 70 °, the wear resistance is deteriorated. When the rubber hardness is greater than 90 °, the edge layer 12 becomes too hard and may damage the contact body.

  Examples of the rubber substrate constituting the base layer 11 and the edge layer 12 include polyurethane, epichlorohydrin rubber, nitrile rubber (NBR), styrene rubber (SBR), chloroprene rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM), and the like. However, polyurethane is particularly preferable. Polyurethane is obtained by curing and molding a polyurethane composition containing a polyol, polyisocyanate, and a crosslinking agent. By adjusting the type and blending of the polyol, polyisocyanate, and crosslinking agent, the elongation at break, tensile strength, etc. High mechanical strength, high hardness and excellent wear resistance are preferable.

  Examples of the method for manufacturing the blade body 10 include injection molding, injection molding, and centrifugal molding. Injection molding or injection molding can be manufactured by molding either one of the base layer and the edge layer, and then changing the upper mold and molding the other. Centrifugal molding can be produced by molding the base layer with the mold attached to the portion constituted by the edge layer of the highly rigid portion and molding the edge layer with the mold removed. In any of the molding methods, when a material is selected in which the bonding state between the two layers is not sufficient, the bonding strength between the two layers can be obtained by forming the second layer in the semi-vulcanized or semi-cured state of the first layer. Can be improved.

  In any of the moldings, the molded sheet can be cut into a predetermined shape to form a blade body, which can be joined to a support member with an adhesive to form a clean blade. In injection molding and injection molding, a blade body of a predetermined shape can be molded and bonded to a support member with an adhesive to form a clean blade. Further, the blade body is integrally molded with the support member and bonded. It is also possible to do.

  The surface treatment layer may be formed by impregnating and curing the surface treatment liquid on at least the surface layer portion of the contact portion 14 of the edge layer 12 of the blade body 10. The surface treatment layer is formed by impregnating the surface layer portion with a surface treatment solution containing at least an isocyanate compound and an organic solvent and curing. For example, the blade body 10 is immersed in the surface treatment solution and then heated. Examples thereof include a method, or a method in which a surface treatment liquid is applied to the surface of the blade body 10 by spray coating or the like, and then heated. Moreover, the method to heat is not limited, For example, heat processing, forced drying, natural drying, etc. are mentioned. By forming such a surface treatment layer, it is possible to change the dynamic friction coefficient and surface hardness of the surface of the edge layer 12, and to improve the anti-chalking property, to suppress the filming and to improve the cleaning property. The adjustment of the dynamic friction coefficient and surface hardness of the surface of the edge layer 12 is not limited to the formation of the surface treatment layer, but can also be performed by the formation of a coating layer using an organic coating agent or an inorganic coating agent.

  According to the cleaning blade 1 of the first embodiment described above, the high-rigidity portions 13 exist on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the blade body 10, and the contact force of the high-rigidity portions 13 is the other when contacting the toner adhering body. Since it becomes larger than this part, the edge of the edge is prevented. Further, since the contact portion 14 with the toner adhering body is composed of the edge layer 12 made of a uniform rubber base material, there is no step at the boundary between the high-rigidity portion 13 and other portions, and excellent cleaning characteristics are exhibited. There is an effect that there is no risk of toner leakage.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the blade body 10A of the cleaning blade according to the second embodiment. As shown in the drawing, in the blade body 10A of the present embodiment, the thickness of the edge layer 12A gradually decreases toward the inner side in the longitudinal direction of the high-rigidity portion 13A, and conversely, the thickness of the base layer 11A increases toward the inner side. An inclined portion 15A is provided. Since the configuration other than this is the same as that of the first embodiment, a duplicate description is omitted.

  According to the cleaning blade of the second embodiment, the high-rigidity portion 13A exists on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the blade body 10A, and the contact force of the high-rigidity portion 13A is the other when it is brought into contact with the toner adhering body. Since it is larger than the portion, the end portion is prevented from being peeled, and the contact portion 14 with the toner adhering body is composed of the edge layer 12A made of a uniform rubber base material, so that the boundary between the highly rigid portion 13A and the other portion is provided. Similar to the above-described embodiment, there is no step, an excellent cleaning characteristic is exhibited, and there is no risk of toner leakage. In this embodiment, since the rigidity gradually changes at the boundary between the high-rigidity portion 13A and other portions, the change in the contact force at the boundary also becomes gentle, and more excellent cleaning characteristics are exhibited. There is an effect that there is no risk of toner leakage.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the blade body 10B of the cleaning blade according to the third embodiment. As illustrated, in the blade body 10B of the present embodiment, the thickness of the edge layer 12B gradually decreases toward the inner side in the longitudinal direction of the high-rigidity portion 13B, and conversely, the thickness of the base layer 11B increases toward the inner side. Although the inclined part 15B is provided in the same manner as in the second embodiment, the base layer 11B extends to the end of the high-rigidity part 13B. Since the configuration other than this is the same as in the first and second embodiments, a duplicate description is omitted.

  The Young's modulus of the high-rigidity portion 13B of the blade body 10B is the combined Young's modulus of the base layer 11B and the edge layer 12B. However, the base layer 11B in the high-rigidity portion 13B is thinner than the other portions, and the edge Since the layer 12B is thicker than the other portions, the synthetic Young's modulus of the high-rigidity portion 13B is larger than the synthetic Young's modulus of the central portion in the longitudinal direction, and the same effects as in the first and second embodiments are achieved.

  That is, according to the cleaning blade of the third embodiment, the high rigidity portion 13B exists on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the blade body 10B, and the contact force of the high rigidity portion 13B is reduced when the high rigidity portion 13B is brought into contact with the toner adhering body. Therefore, the contact portion 14 with the toner adhering member is composed of the edge layer 12B made of a uniform rubber base material, so that the high-rigidity portion 13B and the other portions are not contacted with each other. Similar to the above-described embodiment, there is no step at the boundary, excellent cleaning characteristics are exhibited, and there is no risk of toner leakage. In this embodiment, since the rigidity gradually changes at the boundary between the high-rigidity portion 13B and the other parts, the change in the contact force at the boundary also becomes gentle, and more excellent cleaning characteristics are exhibited. Similar to the second embodiment, there is an effect that there is no risk of toner leakage.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the blade body 10C of the cleaning blade according to the fourth embodiment. As shown in the figure, the highly rigid portion 13C of the blade body 10C of the present embodiment has an inclined portion 15C in which the thickness of the edge layer 12C gradually decreases toward the inner side in the longitudinal direction, and conversely, the thickness of the base layer 11C increases toward the inner side. Consists of only.

  The Young's modulus of the high-rigidity portion 13C of the blade body 10C is a composite Young's modulus of the base layer 11C and the edge layer 12C whose thickness varies in the longitudinal direction, but the base layer 11C in the high-rigidity portion 13C is Since the edge layer 12C is thinner than the other portions, and the edge layer 12C is thicker than the other portions, the composite Young's modulus of the high-rigidity portion 13C is larger than the composite Young's modulus in the central portion in the longitudinal direction, which is the same as in the first and second embodiments. There is an effect.

  According to the cleaning blade of Embodiment 3 as described above, the high rigidity portion 13C exists on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the blade body 10C, and the contact force of the high rigidity portion 13C is the other when the contact is made with the toner adhering body. Since it is larger than the portion, the end portion is prevented from being peeled, and the contact portion 14 with the toner adhering body is composed of the edge layer 12C made of a uniform rubber base material, so that it is at the boundary between the high-rigidity portion 13C and the other portions. Similar to the above-described embodiment, there is no step, an excellent cleaning characteristic is exhibited, and there is no risk of toner leakage. In this embodiment, since the rigidity gradually changes at the boundary between the high-rigidity portion 13C and the other portions, the change in the contact force at the boundary also becomes gentle, and more excellent cleaning characteristics are exhibited. There is an effect that there is no risk of toner leakage.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 5 shows a longitudinal sectional view and a transverse sectional view of a blade body 10D of the cleaning blade according to the fifth embodiment. 5 (a) and 5 (b) correspond to the AA ′ line cross section and the BB ′ line cross section of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 5 (c), 5 (d) and 5 (e) are the same as FIG. , (D) and (e) are cross sections, as shown in the drawing, the high rigidity portion 13D of the blade body 10D of the present embodiment has an edge layer 12D on the distal end side (sliding contact portion side) in the short direction. However, the half edge layer 12D on the base end side is thin like the thickness of the edge layer at the center.

  The Young's modulus of the high-rigidity portion 13D of the blade body 10D is a composite Young's modulus of the base layer 11D and the edge layer 12D whose thickness changes in the short direction, but the base layer 11D in the high-rigidity portion 13D. Does not exist on the sliding contact portion side, and consists only of the edge layer 12D. Therefore, the composite Young's modulus of the high-rigidity portion 13D is larger than the composite Young's modulus of the central portion in the longitudinal direction, and the same effects as in the first and second embodiments. Play. Further, although the Young's modulus is large on the sliding contact side in the short direction of the high-rigidity portion 13D, the Young's modulus is small on the base end side, and the rigidity gradually changes from the central side and from the base end side. .

  According to the cleaning blade of Embodiment 5 as described above, the high rigidity portion 13D exists on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the blade body 10D, and the contact force of the high rigidity portion 13D is the other when the contact is made with the toner adhering body. Since it is larger than the portion, the end portion is prevented from being formed, and the contact portion 14 with the toner adhering body is composed of the edge layer 12D made of a uniform rubber base material, so that the boundary between the highly rigid portion 13D and the other portion is provided. Similar to the above-described embodiment, there is no step, an excellent cleaning characteristic is exhibited, and there is no risk of toner leakage.

(Embodiment 6)
FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal sectional view and a transverse sectional view of the blade body 10E of the cleaning blade according to the sixth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, only the edge layer 12D is formed on the slidable contact portion side in the short-side direction in the high-rigidity portion 13D, the edge layer 12D is thin on the base end side, and the base layer 11D is thick. A thin base layer may remain on the sliding contact portion side.

  6 (a) and 6 (b) correspond to the AA ′ line cross section and the BB ′ line cross section of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 6 (c), 6 (d), and 6 (e) show the section (c). , (D) and (e) are cross sections, as shown in the drawing, the high rigidity portion 13E of the blade body 10E of the present embodiment has an edge layer 12E on the distal end side (sliding contact portion side) in the short direction. Although the thickness of the base layer 11E is thin, the thickness of the edge layer 12E is as thin as the thickness of the central portion, and the base layer 11E is thick in approximately half of the base end side.

  According to the cleaning blade of the sixth embodiment, the high-rigidity portions 13E exist on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the blade body 10E, and the contact force of the high-rigidity portions 13E is the other when it is brought into contact with the toner adhering body. Since it is larger than the portion, the end portion is prevented from being peeled, and the contact portion 14 with the toner adhering body is composed of the edge layer 12E made of a uniform rubber base material, so that it is at the boundary between the high rigidity portion 13E and the other portions. Similar to the above-described embodiment, there is no step, an excellent cleaning characteristic is exhibited, and there is no risk of toner leakage. In addition, the Young's modulus is large on the sliding contact side in the short direction of the high-rigidity portion 13E, but the Young's modulus is small on the base end side, and the rigidity gradually changes from the central side and from the base end side. .

(Embodiment 7)
FIG. 7 shows a longitudinal sectional view and a transverse sectional view of the blade body 10F of the cleaning blade according to the seventh embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, the high-rigidity portion 13E is such that the edge layer 12E is thick and the base layer 11E is thin on the slidable contact side in the short side direction, the edge layer 12E is thin and the base layer 11E is thick on the base end side. However, the thickness of the edge layer may change so as to gradually increase toward the sliding contact portion.

  7A and 7B correspond to the AA ′ line cross-section and the BB ′ line cross-section of FIG. 1, and FIGS. 7C, 7D, and 7E show the (c) , (D) and (e) are cross sections, as shown in the drawing, the high rigidity portion 13F of the blade body 10F of the present embodiment is substantially half of the proximal end side in the short direction of the edge layer 12F. The thickness is the same as the thickness of the central portion, and the base layer 11F is thicker. However, the edge layer 12F gradually increases in thickness toward the sliding contact portion side, and the change becomes a curve, and the thickness increases toward the sliding contact portion side. The rate of increase in height increases, and only the edge layer 12F is provided at the end of the sliding contact portion.

  According to the cleaning blade of the seventh embodiment, the high-rigidity portion 13F exists on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the blade body 10F, and the contact force of the high-rigidity portion 13F is the other when it is brought into contact with the toner adhering body. Since it is larger than the portion, the end portion is prevented from being peeled, and the contact portion 14 with the toner adhering body is composed of the edge layer 12F made of a uniform rubber base material, so that it is at the boundary between the high rigidity portion 13F and the other portions. Similar to the above-described embodiment, there is no step, an excellent cleaning characteristic is exhibited, and there is no risk of toner leakage. Further, although the Young's modulus is large on the sliding contact side in the short direction of the high-rigidity portion 13F, the Young's modulus is small on the base end side, and the rigidity gradually changes from the central side and from the base end side. .

(Modification)
The change in the thickness of the edge layer may be linear, or the base layer may remain at the end of the sliding contact portion. FIGS. 8A and 8B show examples of the edge layers 12G and 12H whose thickness changes linearly. In FIG. 8A, the sliding contact end of the high-rigidity portion 13G of the blade body 10G is shown. In FIG. 8B, only the edge layer 12G is present and the base layer 11G does not exist. However, in FIG. 8B, the thick edge layer 12H and the thin base layer 11H at the end of the sliding contact portion of the high rigidity portion 13H of the blade body 10H Is something that exists. It goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained with such a configuration.

  In Embodiments 5 to 7 and the modifications described above, the edge layer of the high-rigidity part and the thickness of the base layer in the longitudinal direction of the sliding contact part are constant. The thickness of the layer may be increased. That is, the high-rigidity portion should have the greatest rigidity at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the slidable contact portion and at the end portion in the short-side slidable contact portion, and the thickness of the edge layer and the base layer in the highly rigid portion. Can be designed three-dimensionally. With such a design, the rigidity can be changed gently from the center side to both ends in the longitudinal direction and from the base end side to the sliding contact end side. In the first to seventh embodiments and modifications, the hardness difference between the edge layer and the base layer is appropriately selected depending on the required durability performance.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example demonstrates this invention, this invention is not limited.

(Example)
In the configuration of the first embodiment, the base layer 11 is a rubber base material having a JIS-A hardness of 63 °, the edge layer 12 is a rubber base material having a JIS-A hardness of 78 °, and the base layer 11 at the center in the longitudinal direction is prepared. Was 1.5 mm, and the edge layer 12 was 0.5 mm thick.

  The blade body 10 manufactured in this way was joined to the support member 20 to obtain the cleaning blade of the example.

  When such a cleaning blade was brought into contact with an aluminum cylinder at an initial setting angle of 20 ° and a biting amount of 1 mm and the cylinder was rotated at 90 rpm for 10 minutes, no peeling occurred at the end in the longitudinal direction. .

(Comparative example)
A blade body having a thickness of 2 mm is produced only from a rubber base material having the same rigidity and Young's modulus as the central part of the blade body and having a JIS-A hardness of 68 °, and bonded to a support member. did.

  When this cleaning blade was brought into contact with an aluminum cylinder under the same conditions as in the example and the cylinder was rotated, peeling occurred from the end from the beginning of rotation.

  The cleaning blade according to the present invention is suitable for use in cleaning blades used in image forming apparatuses such as electrophotographic copying machines and printers, or toner jet copying machines and printers, but can also be applied to other various blades. .

1, 1A, 1B, 1C Cleaning blade 10, 10A-10H Blade body 11, 11A-11H Base layer 12, 12A-12H Edge layer 13, 13A-13H High-rigidity part 14 Contact part 15A, 15B, 15C Inclined part 20 Support member

Claims (5)

In the blade body of the cleaning blade used in the cleaning unit that removes the toner on the toner adherent,
The edge layer that is in sliding contact with the toner adhering body and a base layer provided on the back surface of the edge layer, and the edge layer is a rubber that is harder than the rubber hardness of the rubber substrate that constitutes the base layer A blade main body comprising a rubber base material having hardness, and having a high-rigidity portion where the thickness of the base layer is thin or absent at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the sliding contact portion with the toner adhering body . The blade body according to claim 1,
The blade body according to claim 1, wherein the high-rigidity portion has an inclined portion in which the thickness of the edge layer gradually increases toward the outside in the longitudinal direction of the sliding contact portion. In the blade body according to claim 1 or 2,
The blade body according to claim 1, wherein the high-rigidity portion has a portion made only of the edge layer at least on the outside in the longitudinal direction of the sliding contact portion. In the blade body according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The edge layer of the high-rigidity portion is different in thickness on the sliding contact portion side and the base end portion side opposite to the sliding contact portion side, and is thick on the sliding contact portion side. Characteristic blade body.   A cleaning blade comprising the blade body according to claim 1 and a support member for holding the blade body.

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