JP6108922B2 - Toner processing apparatus and toner manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toner processing apparatus that processes toner used to develop an electrostatic latent image in electrophotography, electrostatic recording, electrostatic printing, or the like.

Conventionally, a toner in a general electrophotographic method has a surface of colored particles treated with a fluidity improver (external additive) to control desired fluidity and charging characteristics. As this external additive, what is generally widely used is fine particles made of inorganic or organic substances.
As the external additive, metal oxides, resin particles, and surface treated products thereof have been widely used. Among them, the primary particle volume-based 50% particle size (hereinafter referred to as volume average particle size (D50)), which has a function as spacer particles and is added mainly for the purpose of improving transferability, is 80 nm or more. There are large particle size external additives of about 300 nm or less.
This external additive is different from a small particle size external additive in which the primary particles have a volume average particle diameter (D50) of less than 80 nm. For example, stress with a carrier of a two-component developer, a toner conveying member in one-component development In addition, the external additive is hardly embedded in the toner surface due to stress with the thin layer blade or the like.
On the other hand, since the large particle size external additive is easily released from the toner, the large particle size external additive is liberated particularly during long-term use under high humidity, which may reduce the transfer efficiency.
For example, a powder processing apparatus (toner processing apparatus) as described below has been proposed as an apparatus for suppressing the release of such a large particle size external additive.
In Patent Document 1, in a powder processing apparatus in which a rotating blade is provided in a lower part in a processing container for processing powder, powder that has been swollen by rotation of the rotating blade in a position above the rotating blade in the processing container. The structure which provided the guide member which guides a body below is disclosed.
Although this powder processing apparatus can reduce the release of the small particle size external additive to some extent, it is difficult to reduce the release of the large particle size external additive because the treatment in the processing region described later is insufficient. It was.
As another apparatus, the following apparatus has been proposed.
In Patent Document 2, a stirring blade having a stirring tank, a rotation driving shaft, and a stirring blade, and a stirring blade fixed to the rotation driving shaft penetrating the bottom wall of the stirring tank are arranged at the bottom of the stirring tank, and a plurality of stirring blades are provided inside the stirring tank. An apparatus is disclosed in which a metal ring to which a single deflector is fixed is suspended from an upper part of a stirring tank.
Although this apparatus can fix an external additive having a large particle diameter, during operation, the material temperature rises above the glass transition point (Tg) of the resin component contained in the toner, There was a problem that coarse particles were generated.
In order to keep the material temperature during operation below the glass transition point (Tg) of the resin component contained in the toner, the material charge can be reduced or the rotating peripheral speed of the stirring blade can be reduced. When the toner content is reduced, the toner productivity (= product yield per unit time) is deteriorated. Moreover, if the rotational peripheral speed of the stirring blade is decreased, the above-described adverse effects such as the release of the large particle size external additive during long-term use under high humidity cannot be solved.
Therefore, there is room for further study on a toner processing apparatus that improves all of the improvement in toner productivity, the transferability, and the reduction in liberation of external additives.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-216348 JP 2012-212062 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a toner processing apparatus that solves the above problems. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a toner processing apparatus in which release of an external additive does not easily occur even when a large particle size external additive is added for improving transferability.

To achieve the above object, a toner processing apparatus according to the present invention provides:
A processing chamber for storing an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive;
A flow means for causing the object to be processed contained in the processing chamber to flow upward from the bottom of the processing chamber;
It is rotatably provided above the flow means in the processing chamber, and protrudes radially outward from the rotating body main body and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body main body and collides with the object to be processed, thereby the object to be processed. A rotating body having a processing unit for processing
It is provided above the rotating body in the processing chamber, and the speed of the processing object in the rotation direction of the rotating body in the processing area by the rotating body is slower than that of the rotating body. A rectifying member having a rectifying surface for changing the flow direction of the processed material , wherein the rectifying member has a lower end portion of the rectifying surface located at a distance of 50 mm or less upward from the processing unit ;
It is characterized by having.

To achieve the above object, a toner processing apparatus according to the present invention provides:
A processing chamber for storing an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive;
A flow means for causing the object to be processed contained in the processing chamber to flow upward from the bottom of the processing chamber;
It is rotatably provided above the flow means in the processing chamber, and protrudes radially outward from the rotating body main body and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body main body and collides with the object to be processed, thereby the object to be processed. A rotating body having a processing unit for processing
A rectifying member that is fixedly provided above the rotating body in the processing chamber and has a rectifying surface that extends from the upper side to the lower side while being inclined in the rotation direction with respect to the rotation axis direction of the rotating body. A rectifying member in which a lower end portion of the rectifying surface is located at a distance of 50 mm or less upward from the processing unit ;
It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a toner processing apparatus in which liberation of an external additive hardly occurs even when a large particle size external additive is added to improve transferability.

Schematic showing an example of a toner processing apparatus of the present invention Schematic showing an example of the processing chamber of the present invention Schematic showing an example of the flow means of the present invention Schematic which shows an example of the rotary body of this invention Schematic which shows an example of the baffle member of this invention Explanatory drawing of area ratio of passage area Sy of the rotary body of this invention, and area Sg of a rectification | straightening member Schematic which shows an example of the baffle member of this invention Schematic which shows an example of the baffle member of this invention Schematic showing an example of the flow means of the present invention Schematic showing an example of a conventional toner processing apparatus Schematic showing an example of a conventional toner processing apparatus Schematic showing conventional rotating body and rectifying member

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a toner processing apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Toner Processing Device]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an example of a toner processing apparatus of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the toner processing apparatus 100 includes a processing tank 110 as a processing chamber, a stirring blade 120 as a flow means, and a processing blade 130 as a rotating body. The processing tank 110 accommodates an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive. The stirring blade 120 is rotatably provided at the bottom 110a of the processing tank 110. The processing blade 130 is rotatably provided above the stirring blade 120. Further, the toner processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention includes a fixed rectifying member 140 above the processing blade 130. Details of each component will be described below.

[Processing chamber]
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an example of the processing chamber of the present invention. In FIG. 2, a part of the peripheral wall is removed to show the internal structure. As shown in FIG. 2, the processing tank 110 as a processing chamber is a cylindrical container having a flat bottom portion 110a, and the stirring blade 120 and the processing blade 130 are rotatably attached to substantially the center of the bottom portion 110a. The drive shaft 111 is provided as a rotating shaft. The treatment tank 110 is preferably made of metal such as iron or stainless steel (SUS) from the viewpoint of strength, and the inner surface is preferably made of a conductive material or subjected to conductive processing.

[Flowing means]
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of the flow means of the present invention. Moreover, Fig.3 (a) is the figure which looked at the stirring blade 120 as a flow means from the upper direction of the processing tank 110, and FIG.3 (b) is the figure seen from the side. As shown in FIG. 3, the stirring blade 120 has an S-shaped blade portion 121 extending outward from the center, and the tip portion 121 a of the blade portion 121 is a bottom of the processing tank 110. It has a flip-up shape that protrudes upward so as to rise upward from 110a. The stirring blade 120 is fixed to the drive shaft 111 at the bottom 110a of the processing tank 110, and is provided to be rotatable in the clockwise direction when viewed from above the processing tank 110 with the drive shaft 111 as a central axis. By the rotation of the stirring blade 120, the object to be processed rises while rotating clockwise in the processing tank 110 (processing chamber). And since the to-be-processed object raised by rotation of the stirring blade 120 descend | falls by gravity eventually, it is thought that it mixes in the processing tank 110 uniformly.

  The stirring blade 120 is preferably made of metal such as iron or stainless steel (SUS) from the viewpoint of strength, and may be plated or coated for wear resistance as necessary. The shape of the blade portion 121 can be appropriately designed depending on the size and operating conditions of the toner processing apparatus, the amount of the object to be processed, and the specific gravity.

[Rotating body]
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of the rotating body of the present invention. 4A is a view of the processing blade 130 as a rotating body as viewed from above the processing tank 110, and FIG. 4B is a view as viewed from the side. As shown in FIG. 4, the processing blade 130 includes an annular rotator main body 131 and a processing unit 132 that protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the rotator main body 131. A plurality of processing units 132 are provided, and two processing units 132 are shown in FIG. The processing blade 130 is provided above the stirring blade 120, is fixed to the same drive shaft 111 as the stirring blade 120, and rotates together with the stirring blade 120 in the clockwise direction when viewed from above the processing bath 110. By the rotation of the processing blade 130, the object to be processed and the processing unit 132 collide, and the external additive is fixed to the surface of the toner particles.

The treatment blade 130 is preferably made of metal such as iron or stainless steel (SUS) from the viewpoint of strength, and may be subjected to wear-resistant plating or coating as necessary. In addition, if the cross-sectional area in the rotation direction of the processing unit 132 is too large, the flow of the object to be processed is affected, and there is a fear that the driving torque increases or the temperature of the object to be processed increases. The desired processing capacity cannot be obtained. Accordingly, the cross-sectional area of the processing unit 132 is appropriately designed according to the size and operating conditions of the toner processing apparatus 100, the amount of the object to be processed, and the specific gravity.

[Rectifying member]
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing an example of the rectifying member of the present invention. 5A is a view of the rectifying member 140 as viewed from above the treatment tank 110, and FIG. 5B is a view of the flow straight member 140 as viewed from the side. It is a figure which shows these positional relationships. In the present invention, the rectifying member 140 is a member provided to reduce the speed in the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120 of the workpiece to be stirred by the stirring blade 120.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the rectifying member 140 is composed of an annular main body 141 and a rectifying plate 142 protruding radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the main body 141. As shown in (b), it is fixed above the processing blade 130. Further, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the rectifying member 140 has a plurality of rectifying plates 142. In FIG. 5B, when the rotation direction of the processing blade 130 is clockwise, the right side is upstream and the left side is downstream, but the rectifying member 140 changes the flow direction of the object to be processed from upstream to downstream in the rotation direction. Thus, it is configured to change in a direction inclined downward.

  Specifically, the rectifying member 140 has a rectifying plate 142 that extends from the upper side to the lower side in an inclined manner in the rotational direction with respect to the drive shaft 111 direction (rotating axis direction) of the processing blade 130. Yes. Hereinafter, among the surfaces of the rectifying plate 142, the upstream surface in FIG. 5B is referred to as a rectifying surface 142a. A plurality of rectifying plates 142 can be attached to the outer peripheral surface of the annular main body 141. The length of the rectifying plate 142 in the radial direction is preferably such that the side closer to the annular main body 141 is radially inward than the processing unit 132. Conversely, the outer end side farthest from the annular main body 141 is preferably outside the processing unit 132, and may be in contact with the inner wall of the processing tank 110.

  The method of fixing the rectifying member 140 is not particularly limited, but the rectifying member 140 needs to be fixed without rotating inside the processing tank 110 during the operation of the toner processing apparatus 100. Moreover, it is preferable that it is detachable with respect to the processing tank 110 from a viewpoint of the removal | desorption operation | work of the stirring blade 120 or the processing blade 130. The rectifying member 140 is preferably made of metal such as iron or stainless steel (SUS) from the viewpoint of strength, and may be subjected to wear-resistant plating or coating as necessary. In addition, from the viewpoint of reducing the speed in the rotation direction of the workpiece to be collided, it is more preferable that the rectifying plate 142 has elasticity that absorbs an impact force.

[Flow state of workpieces]
In order to suppress the release of the external additive, that is, in order to fix the external additive to the toner particles, the inventor of the object to be processed including the toner particles and the external additive in the toner processing apparatus 100. We thought it important to understand the flow state. Therefore, the present inventor manufactured a transparent acrylic casing (not shown) that can be installed in the toner processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1, and measured the flow state of the object to be processed in the transparent acrylic casing by measuring the wind speed, the tuft method, and the like. This was confirmed by visual observation.

  The wind speed measurement was performed by attaching a wind speed sensor M709B-10 connected to an anemometer MY709-40DA manufactured by Shiro Sangyo Co., Ltd. in the processing tank 110. Regarding the flow direction, the movement of the workpiece was visually observed. Moreover, about the raising angle of the to-be-processed object, the thread | yarn (tuft) was attached in the transparent acrylic casing, and the rising angle of the to-be-processed object was also observed visually.

As a result, when the peripheral speed of the processing blade 130 was 44 m / s, it was confirmed that the airflow around the processing unit 132 was 10 to 14 m / s in wind speed and was about 10 degrees upward with respect to the rotation direction. In addition, it was confirmed that a large number of objects to be processed existed in the outer peripheral portion of the processing tank 110 and swirled.

  Next, in the axial direction of the drive shaft 111, the distance between the rectifying surface 142a and the processing unit 132 was changed in a range of 10 mm to 50 mm, and a wind speed sensor was attached to the rectifying surface 142a, and the wind speed near the rectifying surface 142a was measured. As a result, it was confirmed that the moving speed of the object to be processed changes depending on the distance between the rectifying surface 142a and the processing unit 132 in the axial direction of the drive shaft 111.

  When the distance between the rectifying surface 142a and the processing unit 132 in the axial direction of the drive shaft 111 is short, the airflow around the rectifying surface 142a is 10 m / s or less, indicating that the moving speed of the object to be processed is slow. . Conversely, when the rectifying surface 142a and the processing unit 132 are far away in the axial direction of the drive shaft 111, the airflow around the rectifying surface 142a is 10 m / s or higher, and the airflow around the processing unit 132 follows the airflow. It was found that the processing unit 132 was reached.

  Such a phenomenon does not have a clear change point with respect to the distance between the rectifying surface 142a and the processing unit 132, and changes stepwise, and is considered to change depending on the peripheral speed of the processing blade 130 and the size of the toner processing apparatus 100. . Therefore, when the processing unit 132 processes the toner particles and the external additive, the processing region is considered to be in the range of several tens of mm near the processing unit 132.

  From the above observation, when the distance between the rectifying plate 142 and the processing unit 132 is short in the axial direction of the drive shaft 111, the rectifying plate 142 is processed in the processing area where the processing object is processed by the processing unit 132. It can be considered that the moving speed of the object is slowed down.

[Fixing process]
The fixing process between the toner particles and the external additive, which can be considered from the fluid state of the object to be processed, will be described. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the rectifying member, and is a diagram illustrating the rectifying member having a flat rectifying surface. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a rectifying member, and is a diagram illustrating a rectifying member having a curved surface as a rectifying surface.

  The toner processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention has three basic configurations of a stirring blade 120, a processing blade 130, and a rectifying member 140, and these configurations function in conjunction with each other in the processing tank 110, thereby the present invention. A unique effect can be obtained. Here, the stirring blade 120 and the processing blade 130 are attached to the same drive shaft 111 as shown in FIG. 1 and the like so that their rotational speeds are the same. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the stirring blade 120 and the processing blade 130 may be provided so as to be rotationally driven by different motors, and the rotational speed may be different.

  In the present invention, first, the object to be treated is wound upward from the bottom 110a of the treatment tank 110 by the rotation of the stirring blade 120, and rises while turning in the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120 at the outer peripheral portion in the treatment tank 110. Next, the object to be swirled hits a rectifying surface 142 a that is a surface facing the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120. And the to-be-processed object which faced the rectification | straightening surface 142a will move (flow) along the rectification | straightening surface 142a. In other words, the moving direction (flow direction) of the workpiece is changed by the rectifying plate 142 including the rectifying surface 142a so as to incline downward from upstream to downstream in the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120.

  For this reason, the speed of the processing object in the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120 decreases, and the relative speed with respect to the rotation speed of the processing blade 130 increases. By providing the rectifying plate 142 in the vicinity of the processing unit 132, the object to be processed enters the processing region in a state where the speed in the rotation direction of the stirring blade 120 is changed slowly, that is, in a state where the relative speed is increased. It is sent.

  Then, the object to be processed that has been sent to the processing area collides with the processing unit 132, whereby the fixing process is performed. Here, it is considered that the greater the difference in speed between the workpiece and the processing unit 132 in the rotational direction of the stirring blade 120, the greater the collision force. In the present invention, by causing the object to be processed to collide with the processing unit 132 in a state where the speed of the stirring blade 120 in the rotation direction is reduced, the difference in speed between the object to be processed and the processing unit 132 is greatly increased. This increases the impact force.

  Therefore, in the configuration of the present invention, the toner processing capability can be improved as compared with the configuration without the rectifying member 140. That is, the external additive is hardly released and the external additive can be fixed on the surface of the toner particles. The rectifying surface 142a may be configured as a flat surface as shown in FIG. 7, but as long as it slows the rotational speed of the stirring blade 120 of the workpiece, as shown in FIG. You may be comprised by the curved surface.

  Fig.7 (a) is the figure which looked at the process blade and the baffle member from the side, and FIG.7 (b1)-FIG.7 (b3) are the figures which looked at one baffle plate from the side. Although the angle of the rectifying plate 142 can be adjusted as appropriate, the rectifying surface 142a needs to be provided facing the rotational direction of the processing blade 130 as shown in FIGS. 7B2 and 7B3. As shown in FIG. 7B1, if the rectifying surface 142a is arranged so as not to face the rotation direction of the processing blade 130, the effect of the present invention cannot be obtained.

[Production of toner]
Next, an example of a toner manufacturing method using the toner processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described. The method for producing the toner is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known production method can be used. Here, a toner manufacturing procedure using a pulverization method will be described.

  First, in the raw material mixing step, as a material constituting the toner particles, a predetermined amount of a binder resin, a colorant, a wax, and other components such as a charge control agent are weighed and mixed as necessary. . Examples of the toner processing device (mixing device) include a super mixer (manufactured by Kawata Co., Ltd.), a Henschel mixer, a mechano hybrid (manufactured by Nippon Coke Industries, Ltd.), a nauter mixer (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.), and the like.

  Next, the mixed material is melt-kneaded to disperse wax or the like in the binder resin. In the melt-kneading step, a batch kneader such as a pressure kneader or a Banbury mixer, or a continuous kneader can be used. Due to the advantage of continuous production, single-screw or twin-screw extruders are the mainstream. For example, KTK type twin screw extruder (manufactured by Kobe Steel Co., Ltd.), TEM type twin screw extruder (manufactured by Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd.), PCM kneader (manufactured by Ikekai Co., Ltd.), Needex (manufactured by Nippon Coke Industries, Ltd.) ).

  Furthermore, the resin composition obtained by melt-kneading may be rolled with two rolls or the like and cooled with water or the like in the cooling step. Next, the cooled product of the resin composition is pulverized to a desired particle size in the pulverization step. In the pulverization process, after coarse pulverization with a pulverizer such as a crusher or hammer mill, the pulverizer is further finely pulverized with a pulverizer such as a kryptron system (Earth Technica Co., Ltd.) or a turbo mill (Freunde Turbo Co., Ltd.). Smash.

  Next, classifiers such as inertia class elbow jet (manufactured by Nippon Steel & Mining Co., Ltd.), centrifugal force classifier TSP separator, TTSP separator (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.), Faculty (manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Co., Ltd.), etc. Classification is performed using a sieving machine to obtain toner particles.

[External processing]
A toner processing apparatus 100 according to the present invention shown in FIG. 1 is used as an apparatus for fixing the external additive to the surface of the toner particles thus obtained. The processing method is as follows.

  The rotational peripheral speed of the processing blade 130 of the toner processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is set within a predetermined range described later. Next, the upper lid of the processing tank 110 is opened, and an object to be processed containing toner particles and external additives that have been weighed in advance is put in. After the charging, the upper lid is closed, and the processing blade 130 is rotated at the rotational peripheral speed described below.

  Further, while the processing blade 130 is rotating, the cold water from the cold water generating means is supplied to a cold water jacket (not shown), so that the material temperature in the processing tank 110 is changed to the glass transition point (Tg) of the resin component contained in the toner. ) Adjust to the following. After processing for a desired time, a discharge valve (not shown) is opened, and the toner is taken out from the processing tank 110. Thereafter, the particles are passed through a mesh having an opening of about 35 μm to 75 μm to remove coarse particles, thereby obtaining a toner.

  The rotational peripheral speed of the processing blade 130 and the mixing time are preferably adjusted to a range in which the material temperature during processing is equal to or lower than the glass transition point (Tg) of the resin component contained in the toner. Specifically, it is preferable that the maximum peripheral speed of the processing blade 130 is 10.0 m / sec or more and 150.0 m / sec or less. Moreover, it is preferable to adjust mixing time in the range of 0.5 minute or more and 60 minutes or less. The process of fixing the external additive to the surface of the toner particles may be performed in one stage or in multiple stages including two or more stages. The mixing conditions and the blending of the toner particles used in each stage are the same. It can be different.

[toner]
Next, the toner used in the present invention will be described. As the toner used in the present invention, a known toner can be used, and the toner may be produced by any method such as a pulverization method, a polymerization method, an emulsion aggregation method, and a dissolution suspension method.

[Toner; Binder resin]
As the binder resin constituting the toner, a resin that is usually used for toner can be used. The following are listed.

  In the toner suitably used in the present invention, examples of the binder resin include polystyrene; homopolymers of styrene-substituted products such as poly-p-chlorostyrene and polyvinyltoluene; and styrene-p-chlorostyrene copolymers. Furthermore, a styrene-vinyl toluene copolymer, a styrene-vinyl naphthalene copolymer, a styrene-acrylic acid ester copolymer, a styrene-methacrylic acid ester copolymer, and a styrene-α-chloromethyl methacrylate copolymer are exemplified. . Furthermore, a styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, a styrene-vinyl methyl ether copolymer, a styrene-vinyl ethyl ether copolymer, a styrene-vinyl methyl ketone copolymer, and a styrene-butadiene copolymer are exemplified. Further, styrene copolymers such as styrene-isoprene copolymer and styrene-acrylonitrile-indene copolymer; polyvinyl chloride, phenol resin, natural modified phenol resin, natural resin modified maleic acid resin, and acrylic resin. Further examples include methacrylic resin, polyvinyl acetate, silicone resin, polyester resin, polyurethane, polyamide resin, furan resin, epoxy resin, xylene resin, polyvinyl butyral, terpene resin, coumarone indene resin, and petroleum resin.

Among the physical properties of the toner, the molecular weight distribution measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) soluble in tetrahydrofuran (THF) is preferably as follows due to the binder resin. That is, it is more preferable that a component having at least one peak in a region having a molecular weight of 2,000 to 50,000 and having a molecular weight of 1,000 to 30,000 is present in an amount of 50% to 90%. The glass transition point (Tg) of the binder resin is preferably 30 ° C. or higher and 60 ° C. or lower, and more preferably 40 ° C. or higher and 60 ° C. or lower. When the glass transition point (Tg) is within the above range, the durability of the toner is excellent and aggregation of the toner particles in a high temperature and high humidity environment is suppressed.

[Toner; Wax]
In the toner suitably used in the present invention, the following wax is used as the material of the toner particles from the viewpoint of improving the releasability from the fixing member at the time of fixing and improving the fixing property. Examples of the wax include paraffin wax and derivatives thereof, microcrystalline wax and derivatives thereof, Fischer-Tropsch wax and derivatives thereof, polyolefin wax and derivatives thereof, and carnauba wax and derivatives thereof. Derivatives of these waxes include oxides, block copolymers with vinyl monomers, and graft modified products. Examples of other waxes include alcohols, fatty acids, acid amides, esters, ketones, hydrogenated castor oil and derivatives thereof, plant waxes, animal waxes, mineral waxes, and petrolactam.

[Toner; Charge control agent]
In the toner suitably used in the present invention, in order to control the charge amount and charge amount distribution of the toner particles, a charge control agent is blended into the toner particles (internal addition) or mixed with the toner particles (external addition). And preferably used.

  Examples of the negative charge control agent for controlling the toner to be negatively charged include organometallic complexes and chelate compounds. Examples of the organometallic complex include a monoazo metal complex, an acetylacetone metal complex, an aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acid metal complex, and an aromatic dicarboxylic acid metal complex. Further, the negative charge control agent includes aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acid, aromatic monocarboxylic acid and aromatic polycarboxylic acid and metal salts thereof; anhydrous hydroxycarboxylic acid, aromatic monocarboxylic acid and aromatic polycarboxylic acid anhydride. Things. Furthermore, ester compounds of aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acid, aromatic monocarboxylic acid and aromatic polycarboxylic acid, and phenol derivatives such as bisphenol are included.

  Examples of the positive charge control agent for controlling the toner to be positively charged include nigrosine and a modified product of nigrosine by a fatty acid metal salt; tributylbenzylammonium-1-hydroxy-4-naphthosulfonate. Further examples include quaternary ammonium salts such as tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate and lake pigments thereof; tributylbenzylphosphonium-1-hydroxy-4-naphthosulfonate. Further, phosphonium salts such as tetrabutylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate and lake pigments thereof; triphenylmethane dyes and lake pigments thereof (the rake agent includes phosphotungstic acid. Acid, tannic acid, lauric acid, gallic acid, ferricyanide, ferrocyanide, etc.); metal salts of higher fatty acids.

  These charge control agents can be used alone or in combination of two or more. Moreover, charge control resin can also be used and can also be used together with said charge control agent. The above charge control agent is preferably used in the form of fine particles. When these charge control agents are internally added to the toner particles, it is preferable to add 0.1 parts by mass or more and 20.0 parts by mass or less to the toner particles with respect to 100.0 parts by mass of the binder resin.

[Toner; Colorant]
In the toner suitably used in the present invention, various conventionally known colorants can be used as the toner particle material. The colorant used in the present invention is combined so that the black colorant is toned in black by a chromatic colorant such as magnetite, carbon black, the following yellow colorant, magenta colorant and cyan colorant. Is used.

  As the yellow colorant, compounds represented by condensed azo compounds, isoindolinone compounds, anthraquinone compounds, azo metal complexes, methine compounds, and allylamide compounds are used. Specifically, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 62, 74, 83, 93, 94, 95, 97, 109, 110, 111. Furthermore, C.I. I. Pigment yellow 120, 127, 128, 129, 147, 155, 162, 168, 174, 176, 180, 181, 185, 191.

  As the magenta colorant, condensed azo compounds, diketopyrrolopyrrole compounds, anthraquinones, quinacridone compounds, basic dye lake compounds, naphthol compounds, benzimidazolone compounds, thioindigo compounds, and perylene compounds are used. Specifically, C.I. I. Pigment red 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 23, 31, 48; 2, 48; 3, 48; 4, 57; 1, 81; Furthermore, C.I. I. Pigment red 144, 146, 150, 166, 169, 177, 184, 185, 202, 206, 220, 221, 238, 254.

  As the cyan colorant, copper phthalocyanine compounds and derivatives thereof, anthraquinone compounds, basic dye lake compounds are used. Specifically, C.I. I. Pigment blue 1, 7, 15, 15: 1, 15: 2, 15: 3, 15: 4, 60, 62, 66.

  These colorants can be used alone or mixed and further in a solid solution state. In the present invention, the colorant is selected in consideration of hue angle, saturation, brightness, weather resistance, OHP transparency, and dispersibility in the toner. These chromatic non-magnetic colorants are contained in the toner particles in a total amount of 1.0 to 20.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin. Further, the magnetic colorant is contained in the toner particles in a total amount of 20 to 60 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin.

[External additive]
In the toner suitably used in the present invention, an external additive as fine particles is fixed to the surface of the toner particles. By fixing the fine particles, the fluidity and transferability of the toner particles can be improved. The external additive fixed to the toner particle surface preferably contains fine particles of any one of titanium oxide, alumina oxide, and silica fine particles.

  The surface of the fine particles contained in the external additive is preferably subjected to a hydrophobic treatment. The hydrophobizing treatment is preferably performed by a coupling agent such as various titanium coupling agents and silane coupling agents; fatty acids and metal salts thereof; silicone oils; or a combination thereof.

  Among various combinations, it is preferable to fix a large particle size external additive having a number average particle size of 80 nm to 300 nm as one of the fine particles. This is because it has a function as a spacer particle and mainly improves transferability.

  Examples of the material include silica, alumina, titanium oxide, cerium oxide and the like. In the case of the silica, any silica produced using a conventionally known technique such as a gas phase decomposition method, a combustion method, or a deflagration method can be used. Among these, silica particles obtained by a sol-gel method capable of sharpening the particle size distribution are preferable.

The content of the external additive in the toner is preferably 0.1% by mass or more and 10.0% by mass or less, and more preferably 0.5% by mass or more and 8.0% by mass or less. The external additive may be a combination of a plurality of types of fine particles.

  When the two-component developer is prepared by mixing the magnetic carrier and toner of the present invention, the mixing ratio is 2% by mass to 15% by mass, preferably 4% by mass to 13% by mass as the toner concentration in the developer. If it is less than%, usually good results are obtained.

[Method for Measuring Weight Average Particle Size (D4) of Toner]
Hereinafter, methods for measuring various physical properties of the toner and the like in the present invention will be described. The weight average particle diameter (D4) of the toner is calculated as follows. As a measuring device, a precise particle size distribution measuring device “Coulter Counter Multisizer 3” (registered trademark, manufactured by Beckman Coulter, Inc.) using a pore electrical resistance method equipped with a 100 μm aperture tube is used.

For setting the measurement conditions and analyzing the measurement data, the attached dedicated software “Beckman Coulter Multisizer 3 Version 3.51” (manufactured by Beckman Coulter, Inc.) is used. The measurement is performed with 25,000 effective measurement channels.

  As the electrolytic aqueous solution used for the measurement, a solution obtained by dissolving special grade sodium chloride in ion-exchanged water so as to have a concentration of 1% by mass, for example, “ISOTON II” (manufactured by Beckman Coulter, Inc.) can be used.

  Prior to measurement and analysis, the dedicated software is set as follows. On the “Change Standard Measurement Method (SOM)” screen of the dedicated software, set the total count in the control mode to 50000 particles, set the number of measurements once, and set the Kd value to “standard particles 10.0 μm” (Beckman Coulter, Inc.) Set the value obtained using

  By pressing the “Threshold / Noise Level Measurement Button”, the threshold and noise level are automatically set. In addition, the current is set to 1600 μA, the gain is set to 2, the electrolyte is set to ISOTON II, and the “aperture tube flush after measurement” is checked. In the “Pulse to particle size conversion setting” screen of the dedicated software, the bin interval is set to logarithmic particle size, the particle size bin is set to 256 particle size bin, and the particle size range is set to 2 μm to 60 μm.

The specific measurement method is as follows.
(1) Put 200 ml of the aqueous electrolytic solution into a glass 250 ml round bottom beaker for exclusive use of Multisizer 3, set it on a sample stand, and stir the stirrer rod counterclockwise at 24 rpm. Then, the dirt and bubbles in the aperture tube are removed by the “aperture flush” function of the dedicated software.

  (2) 30 ml of the electrolytic aqueous solution is placed in a glass 100 ml flat bottom beaker. In this, "Contaminone N" (nonionic surfactant, anionic surfactant, 10% by weight aqueous solution of neutral detergent for pH7 precision measuring instrument cleaning, made by organic builder, manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd. 0.3 ml of a diluted solution obtained by diluting 3) with ion-exchanged water.

  (3) Two oscillators with an oscillation frequency of 50 kHz are incorporated with the phase shifted by 180 degrees, and an ultrasonic disperser “Ultrasonic Dispersion System Tetora 150” (manufactured by Nikka Ki Bios) having an electrical output of 120 W is prepared. Into the water tank of the ultrasonic disperser, 3.3 l of ion-exchanged water is added, and 2 ml of Contaminone N is added to the water tank.

  (4) The beaker of (2) is set in the beaker fixing hole of the ultrasonic disperser, and the ultrasonic disperser is operated. And the height position of a beaker is adjusted so that the resonance state of the electrolyte solution liquid surface in a beaker may become the maximum.

  (5) In a state where the electrolytic aqueous solution in the beaker of (4) is irradiated with ultrasonic waves, 10 mg of toner is added to the electrolytic aqueous solution little by little and dispersed. Then, the ultrasonic dispersion process is continued for another 60 seconds. In the ultrasonic dispersion, the temperature of the water tank is appropriately adjusted so as to be 10 ° C. or higher and 40 ° C. or lower.

  (6) To the round bottom beaker of (1) installed in a sample stand, the electrolyte aqueous solution of (5) in which toner is dispersed is dropped using a pipette, and the measured concentration is adjusted to 5%. Measurement is performed until the number of measured particles reaches 50,000.

  (7) The measurement data is analyzed with the dedicated software attached to the apparatus, and the weight average particle diameter (D4) is calculated. The “average diameter” on the “analysis / volume statistics (arithmetic average)” screen when the graph / volume% is set in the dedicated software is the weight average particle diameter (D4).

[Measurement of BET specific surface area of toner]
BET (Brunauer, Emmet and Teller's of toner and external additives
The measurement of the specific surface area is performed according to JIS Z8830 (2001). A specific measurement method is as follows.

  As a measuring device, an “automatic specific surface area / pore distribution measuring device TriStar 3000 (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation)” which employs a gas adsorption method by a constant volume method as a measuring method is used.

  Setting of measurement conditions and analysis of measurement data are performed using dedicated software “TriStar3000 Version 4.00” attached to the apparatus, and a vacuum pump, a nitrogen gas pipe, and a helium gas pipe are connected to the apparatus. The value calculated by the BET multipoint method using nitrogen gas as the adsorption gas is defined as the BET specific surface area in the present invention.

The BET specific surface area is calculated as follows.
First, nitrogen gas is adsorbed to the toner and the external additive, and the equilibrium pressure P (Pa) in the sample cell and the nitrogen adsorption amount Va (mol · g ⁻¹ ) of the toner at that time are measured. The relative pressure Pr, which is a value obtained by dividing the equilibrium pressure P (Pa) in the sample cell by the saturated vapor pressure Po (Pa) of nitrogen, is plotted on the horizontal axis, and the nitrogen adsorption amount Va (mol · g ⁻¹ ) is plotted on the vertical axis. The adsorption isotherm is obtained.

Next, the monomolecular layer adsorption amount Vm (mol · g ⁻¹ ), which is the adsorption amount necessary for forming a monomolecular layer on the surface of the toner and the external additive, is applied using the following BET formula (Formula 1). Ask. Here, C is a BET parameter, which is a variable that varies depending on the measurement sample type, the adsorbed gas type, and the adsorption temperature.

The BET equation is interpreted as a straight line with an inclination of (C-1) / (Vm × C) and an intercept of 1 / (Vm × C), where Pr is X axis and Pr / Va (1-Pr) is Y axis. Yes (this line is called a BET plot).
Straight line slope = (C-1) / (Vm × C)
Straight line intercept = 1 / (Vm × C)

  When the measured value of Pr and the measured value of Pr / Va (1-Pr) are plotted on a graph and a straight line is drawn by the least square method, the slope and intercept value of the straight line can be calculated. Vm and C can be calculated by solving the above slope and intercept simultaneous equations using these values.

Further, from the calculated Vm and the molecular occupation cross-sectional area of the nitrogen molecule (0.162 nm ² ), the BET specific surface area S (m ² · g ⁻¹ ) of the toner and the external additive is calculated based on the following formula 2. calculate. Here, N is Avogadro's number (mol- ¹ ).

  The measurement using this apparatus follows the “TriStar 3000 Instruction Manual V4.0” attached to the apparatus, and specifically, the measurement is performed according to the following procedure.

  Thoroughly weigh the tare of a dedicated glass sample cell (stem diameter 3/8 inch, volume about 5 ml) that has been thoroughly cleaned and dried. Then, about 1.5 g of toner is put into the sample cell using a funnel (0.3 g in the case of an external additive).

  The sample cell containing the toner or external additive is set in a “pretreatment device Bacrepep 061 (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation)” connected to a vacuum pump and a nitrogen gas pipe, and vacuum degassing is performed at 23 ° C. for about 10 hours. continue.

  During vacuum deaeration, the toner or external additive is gradually deaerated while adjusting the valve so that the vacuum pump does not suck the toner or the external additive. The pressure in the cell gradually decreases with deaeration and finally becomes about 0.4 Pa (about 3 mTorr). After completion of vacuum degassing, nitrogen gas is gradually injected to return the inside of the sample cell to atmospheric pressure, and the sample cell is removed from the pretreatment device. Then, the mass of the sample cell is precisely weighed, and the exact mass of the toner or external additive is calculated from the difference from the tare. At this time, the sample cell is covered with a rubber stopper during weighing so that the toner or the external additive in the sample cell is not contaminated by moisture in the atmosphere.

  Next, a dedicated “isothermal jacket” is attached to the stem portion of the sample cell containing toner or external additives. Then, a dedicated filler rod is inserted into the sample cell, and the sample cell is set in the analysis port of the apparatus. The isothermal jacket is a cylindrical member having an inner surface made of a porous material and an outer surface made of an impermeable material capable of sucking liquid nitrogen to a certain level by capillary action.

  Subsequently, the free space of the sample cell including the connection tool is measured. Free space is measured by measuring the volume of the sample cell with helium gas at 23 ° C., and then measuring the volume of the sample cell after cooling the sample cell with liquid nitrogen in the same manner using helium gas. Calculated from the difference in volume. Further, the saturated vapor pressure Po (Pa) of nitrogen is automatically measured separately using a Po tube built in the apparatus.

  Next, after performing vacuum deaeration in the sample cell, the sample cell is cooled with liquid nitrogen while continuing the vacuum deaeration. Thereafter, nitrogen gas is gradually introduced into the sample cell to adsorb nitrogen molecules to the toner or the external additive. At this time, the adsorption isotherm is obtained by measuring the equilibrium pressure P (Pa) as needed, and the adsorption isotherm is converted into a BET plot.

The points of the relative pressure Pr for collecting data are 0.05, 0.10, 0.15,.
A total of 6 points of 20, 0.25, and 0.30 are set. A straight line is drawn from the obtained measurement data by the least square method, and Vm is calculated from the slope and intercept of the straight line. Further, using the value of Vm, the BET specific surface area of the toner is calculated as described above.

[Measurement method of 50% particle size (D50) based on volume distribution of large particle size external additive]
The volume-based median diameter (D50) of the external additive used in the present invention is measured according to JIS Z8825-2 (2001), and is specifically as follows.

  As a measuring device, a laser diffraction / scattering particle size distribution measuring device “LA-920” (manufactured by Horiba, Ltd.) is used. The dedicated software “HORIBA LA-920 for Windows WET (LA-920) Ver. 2.02” attached to LA-920 is used for setting the measurement conditions and analyzing the measurement data.

  As the measurement solvent, ion-exchanged water from which impure solids are removed in advance is used. The measurement procedure is as follows.

(1) A batch type cell holder is attached to LA-920.
(2) A predetermined amount of ion-exchanged water is put into a batch type cell, and the batch type cell is set in a batch type cell holder.
(3) The inside of the batch cell is stirred using a dedicated stirrer chip.
(4) Press the “refractive index” button on the “display condition setting” screen and select the file “110A000I” (relative refractive index 1.10).
(5) In the “display condition setting” screen, the particle diameter reference is set as the volume reference.
(6) After performing warm-up operation for 1 hour or more, the optical axis is adjusted, the optical axis is finely adjusted, and blank measurement is performed.

  (7) Put about 60 ml of ion-exchanged water in a glass 100 ml flat bottom beaker. Among them, as a dispersant, “Contaminone N” (a nonionic surfactant, an anionic surfactant, a 10% by weight aqueous solution of a neutral detergent for washing a pH 7 precision measuring instrument comprising an organic builder, Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd. About 0.3 ml of a diluted solution obtained by diluting the product (manufactured) with ion exchange water about 3 times by mass is added.

  (8) Two oscillators with an oscillation frequency of 50 kHz are incorporated with the phase shifted by 180 degrees, and an ultrasonic disperser “Ultrasonic Dissipation System Tetora 150” (manufactured by Nikki Bios Co., Ltd.) having an electrical output of 120 W is prepared. About 3.3 l of ion-exchanged water is placed in the water tank of the ultrasonic disperser, and about 2 ml of Contaminone N is added to the water tank.

  (9) The beaker of (7) is set in the beaker fixing hole of the ultrasonic disperser, and the ultrasonic disperser is operated. And the height position of a beaker is adjusted so that the resonance state of the liquid level of the aqueous solution in a beaker may become the maximum.

  (10) In a state where the aqueous solution in the beaker of (9) is irradiated with ultrasonic waves, about 1 mg of a fatty acid metal salt is added to the aqueous solution in the beaker little by little and dispersed. Then, the ultrasonic dispersion process is continued for another 60 seconds. In this case, the fatty acid metal salt may solidify and float on the liquid surface. In this case, ultrasonic dispersion is performed for 60 seconds after the mass is submerged by shaking the beaker. Moreover, in ultrasonic dispersion, it adjusts suitably so that the water temperature of a water tank may become 10 to 40 degreeC.

(11) The aqueous solution in which the fatty acid metal salt prepared in the above (10) is dispersed is immediately added little by little to a batch type cell, taking care not to enter bubbles, and the transmittance of the tungsten lamp is 90% to 95%. Adjust so that Then, the particle size distribution is measured. The volume-based median diameter (D50) is calculated based on the obtained volume-based particle size distribution data.

[Measurement of glass transition point (Tg) of resin component contained in toner]
The glass transition point (Tg) of the resin component contained in the toner is measured in accordance with ASTM D3418-82 using a differential scanning calorimeter “Q1000” (manufactured by TA Instruments). The temperature correction of the device detection unit uses the melting points of indium and zinc, and the correction of heat uses the heat of fusion of indium.

  Specifically, about 10 mg of toner is precisely weighed, put in an aluminum pan, an empty aluminum pan is used as a reference, and the temperature rising rate is 10 ° C./min between a measurement range of 30 to 200 ° C. Measure with.

  In this temperature rising process, a specific heat change is obtained in the temperature range of 40 ° C to 100 ° C. At this time, the intersection of the midpoint of the baseline and the differential heat curve before and after the change in specific heat is taken as the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the resin component contained in the toner.

(Example)
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples and comparative examples of the configuration of specific toner processing apparatuses, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[Production example of toner particles]
Unsaturated polyester resin: 100 parts by mass (polyoxypropylene (2,2) -2,2bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) propane / polyoxyethylene (2,2) -2,2bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) Unsaturated polyester resin consisting of propane / terephthalic acid / trimellitic anhydride / fumaric acid,
(Mw: 15000, Mw / Mn: 4.5, Tg: 54 ° C.)
Copper phthalocyanine pigment (CI Pigment Blue 15: 3): 5 parts by mass Paraffin wax (maximum endothermic peak 73 ° C.): 4 parts by mass Charge control agent (salicylic acid Al complex): 1 part by mass

  The above materials were thoroughly mixed with a Henschel mixer (Nippon Coke Industries, Ltd. FM10 type) and then kneaded with a biaxial kneader (Ikegai PCM15 type) set at a temperature of 120 ° C. The obtained kneaded product was cooled and then coarsely pulverized using a pulverizer (Hasokawa Micron Hammer Mill Model H12) to obtain a coarsely pulverized product. The obtained coarsely pulverized product was finely pulverized using a pulverizer (T250RS type manufactured by Freund Turbo Inc.) to obtain a partially pulverized product. Next, the obtained finely pulverized product was classified using a classifier (TSP separator 200 type manufactured by Hosokawa Micron Corporation) to obtain toner particles having a weight average diameter (D4) of 6 μm.

Example 1
100 parts by mass of the toner particles and 1 part by mass of sol-gel silica particles (BET specific surface area 28.55 m ² / g) having a volume average particle size (D50) of 100 nm are treated using the toner processing apparatus shown in FIG. A toner was obtained. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a toner processing apparatus according to the first exemplary embodiment.

A toner processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a processing tank 110 that accommodates an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive, a drive motor 150, and a control panel 160. The drive of the drive motor 150 is transmitted to the drive shaft 111 via the drive belt, and the drive shaft 111 is rotationally driven. The control panel 160 includes a power switch, a drive ON switch, a drive stop switch, a rotation speed adjustment volume, a rotation speed display section, a product temperature display section, and the like, and controls the operation of the toner processing apparatus 100.

  The processing tank 110 shown in FIG. 2 is a cylindrical container having an inner dimension height of 250 mm, an inner diameter of φ230 mm, and an effective capacity of 10 L, and is provided with a drive shaft 111 at substantially the center of a flat bottom portion 110a. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the stirring blade 120 has a blade portion 121. The stirring blade 120 has an S shape and a tip that is flipped up. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the processing blade 130 for processing an object to be processed has two processing portions 132 that protrude radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the annular main body 141. Here, the length in the radial direction from the processing unit 132 to the end farthest from the rotating body main body 131 is a length at which the processing unit 132 does not contact the inner peripheral surface of the processing tank 110, and the inner peripheral surface The length is preferably 90% or more of the radius. In the first embodiment, the shape of the processing unit 132 is such that the radially outermost end is 95% of the radius of the processing bath 110 and the thickness is 4 mm.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the rectifying member 140 includes a rectifying plate 142, and the distance A between the lower end portion of the rectifying surface 142 a of the rectifying plate 142 and the processing unit 132 is set to 5 mm. Here, as shown in FIG. 5, an angle formed by the rectifying surface 142a with respect to the virtual plane M including the central axis of the drive shaft 111 and the edge line of the upper end portion of the rectifying surface 142a is defined as an angle B. That is, the reference line L extending parallel to the drive shaft 111 and passing through the center of the rectifying plate 142 when the single rectifying plate 142 is viewed from the radially outer side of the processing tank 110 toward the central axis direction of the drive shaft 111. An angle formed by a straight line connecting the upper end portion and the lower end portion of the rectifying surface 142a is defined as an angle B. In Example 1, all the baffle plates 142 were provided such that the angle B was 60 ° (see FIG. 7 (b3)).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, Sg / Sy is 0.9 when the total area of the rectifying surface 142a is Sg and the passage area of the processing unit 132 is Sy, and as shown in FIG. The shape of 142a was a plane. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an area ratio between the passage area Sy of the rotating body of the present invention and the area Sg of the rectifying member. FIG. 6A shows the area Sg of the rectifying member 140 in the upper diagram, and the lower diagram shows the processing tank 110 viewed from the side. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing the passage area Sy of the rotating body, and the hatched portion shows the passage area Sy. In this state, toner particles were charged for 15% of the effective capacity of the treatment tank 110, and sol-gel silica particles were charged. And it processed for 5 minutes by making the rotational peripheral speed of the process blade 130 into 44 m / s. As a result, the product temperature during toner processing was 35 ° C.

Thereafter, coarse particles were removed using a mesh having an opening of 75 μm to obtain a toner, and when the BET specific surface area of the toner was measured, the measured value was 1.38 m ² / g. To 10 parts by mass of the obtained toner, 90 parts by mass of a magnetic carrier is added, and mixed in a normal temperature and normal humidity (23 ° C., 50% RH) environment with a V-type mixer (manufactured by Tokuju Kogaku Co., Ltd.) A developer was used. Image evaluation was performed using the obtained developer using a Canon full color multifunction machine iR-ADV C5051 (hereinafter, multifunction machine).

[Evaluation of transfer efficiency]
Evaluation of transfer efficiency was performed as follows.
The copying machine main body was adjusted so that the amount of toner on the photoconductor was 0.5 mg / cm ^2, and a test pattern was output. At that time, the multifunction peripheral was forcibly stopped before the test pattern was transferred from the photoreceptor to the intermediate transfer belt and transferred to the recording paper.

  The intermediate transfer belt of the MFP that was forcibly stopped was taken out, a transparent adhesive tape was applied to the transferred test pattern portion, the toner was collected, and the entire adhesive tape was attached to a copy sheet. The density of the test pattern portion was measured with an optical densitometer, and the density of the portion where only the adhesive tape was stretched on the copy paper was subtracted to obtain the transfer density A. Thereafter, the photoconductor of the multifunction machine was taken out, and the transfer residual density B of the transfer residual toner was determined in the same manner.

The adhesive tape is a transparent and weakly adhesive Superstec manufactured by Lintec Corporation, the copy paper is GF-C081 sold by Canon Marketing Japan, and the optical densitometer is a spectral densitometer manufactured by X-Rite Corporation. 504 was used. The toner transfer efficiency was determined by the following formula 3.

  The MFP was installed in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment (30 ° C./80% RH), and the transfer efficiency was measured using the developer in the initial state.

  Next, a test pattern having an image area ratio of 2% was continuously printed, a durability test of 50,000 sheets in A4 size was performed, and the transfer efficiency was measured again after the durability test. The initial transfer efficiency was evaluated as the initial characteristics of the toner, and the transfer efficiency after the durability test was evaluated as the durability of the toner. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 2)
In this example, toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the current plate 143 was a current surface 143a having a curvature radius of 25 mm as shown in FIG. As a result, the product temperature during the toner treatment was 36 ° C., and the BET specific surface area of the toner was 1.38 m ² / g. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 3)
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the stirring blades of Example 3. 9A is a view of the stirring blade 122 as viewed from above the treatment tank 110, and FIG. 9B is a view of the stirring blade 122 as viewed from the side. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a stirring blade 122 provided with a blade portion 123 that extends substantially linearly from the center toward the outside and has a small amount of protrusion upward from the tip portion 123a is used. A toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except for the configuration of the stirring blade 122. As a result, the product temperature during the toner treatment was 34 ° C., and the BET specific surface area of the toner was 1.40 m ² / g. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

Example 4
In this example, toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the total area Sg of the rectifying surface 142a / the passing area Sy of the processing unit 132 shown in FIG. As a result, the product temperature during the toner treatment was 37 ° C., and the BET specific surface area of the toner was 1.38 m ² / g. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 5)
In this example, toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the total area Sg of the rectifying surface 142a / the passing area Sy of the processing unit 132 shown in FIG. As a result, the product temperature during the toner treatment was 36 ° C., and the BET specific surface area of the toner was 1.41 m ² / g. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 6)
In this example, a toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 5 except that the angle B was 75 ° on all the rectifying surfaces. As a result, the product temperature during toner processing was 35 ° C., and the BET specific surface area of the toner was 1.39 m ² / g. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 7)
In this example, as shown in FIG. 7B2, the angle B was set to 30 ° on all the rectifying surfaces. Otherwise, the toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 5. As a result, the product temperature during the toner treatment was 33 ° C., and the BET specific surface area of the toner was 1.39 m ² / g. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 8)
In this example, toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 7 except that the distance A between the rectifying surface 142a and the processing unit 132 shown in FIG. As a result, the product temperature during the toner treatment was 38 ° C., and the BET specific surface area of the toner was 1.38 m ² / g. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

Example 9
In this embodiment, the toner is supplied in the same manner as in Embodiment 7 except that the distance A between the rectifying surface 142a and the processing section 132 shown in FIG. 5 is 30 mm and the rotational peripheral speed of the stirring blade 120 is 33 m / s. Produced. As a result, the product temperature during the toner treatment was 30 ° C., and the BET specific surface area of the toner was 1.45 m ² / g. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 1)
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a conventional toner processing apparatus. In this comparative example, the material used in Example 1 was introduced into a Henschel mixer (FM10 model manufactured by Nippon Coke Industries Co., Ltd.) shown in FIG. A toner was prepared. As a result, the product temperature during the toner treatment was 27 ° C., and the BET specific surface area of the toner was 1.48 m ² / g. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 2)
In this comparative example, a toner was prepared in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1 except that the operation time was 50 minutes during the external addition mixing. As a result, the product temperature during the toner treatment was 29 ° C., and the BET specific surface area of the toner was 1.47 m ² / g. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 3)
In this comparative example, a toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the external addition mixing was performed with the processing blade 130 removed from the apparatus shown in FIG. As a result, the product temperature during the toner treatment was 30 ° C., and the BET specific surface area of the toner was 1.50 m ² / g. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 4)
In this comparative example, a toner was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the external addition mixing was performed with the stirring blade 120 removed from the apparatus shown in FIG. As a result, the product temperature during the toner treatment was 27 ° C., and the BET specific surface area of the toner was 1.50 m ² / g. The evaluation results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 5)
FIG. 11 is a schematic view showing an example of a conventional toner processing apparatus. FIG. 12 is a view showing a conventional processing blade and a collision member. FIG. 12 (a) is a view seen from above the treatment tank 110, and FIG. 12 (b) is a view seen from the side. is there. In this comparative example, the material used in Example 1 was introduced into COMPOSI (CP15 type manufactured by Nippon Coke Industries Co., Ltd.) shown in FIG. In this comparative example, the processing blade 240 shown in FIG. 12 is installed at the bottom of the tank 210, and the collision member 230 shown in FIG. 12 is placed on the upper portion of the processing blade 240 with a distance of 5 mm from the upper portion of the processing blade 240. installed.

  In this comparative example, Sg / Sy is 0.4 when the total area of the collision member 230 shown in FIG. 5 is Sg and the area of the upper tubular shape of the processing blade 240 is Sy.

  Further, the angle B was 45 ° on all the rectifying surfaces, and the shape of the collision member 230 was a flat surface.

  In this state, toner particles were charged for 15% of the effective capacity of the treatment tank 110, and sol-gel silica particles were charged. In the same manner as in Example 1, an attempt was made to operate the processing blade 240 at a rotational peripheral speed of 44 m / sec for 5 minutes, but the product temperature during toner processing during operation was the glass transition point of the resin component contained in the toner. Since (Tg) was exceeded, the operation was stopped.

  From the results in Table 1, it can be seen that in the toners of Examples 1 to 9 that employ the configuration of the present invention, the BET value, which serves as a measure of the degree of fixing treatment of the large-diameter external additive to the toner particles, is low. Further, in the transferability evaluation, the initial transfer efficiency is high, and the transfer efficiency after the durability test is also high.

  On the other hand, the toner of Comparative Example 1 obtained with a configuration in which the rectifying member 140 is not attached has a high BET value, a low initial transfer efficiency, and a greatly reduced transfer efficiency after durability. Even if the processing time is extended as in Comparative Example 2, the improvement effect is small.

  In addition, the toner obtained by the configurations of Comparative Example 3 without the processing blade 130 and Comparative Example 4 without the stirring blade 120 has a high BET value, and the transfer efficiency is inferior to that of the example. In the configuration of Comparative Example 5, the toner properties and image evaluation were not performed because the processing was stopped due to an increase in the product temperature during the toner processing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Toner processing apparatus, 110 ... Processing tank (processing chamber), 120 ... Stirring blade (flow means), 130 ... Processing blade (rotating body), 131 ... Rotating body main body, 132 ... Processing part, 140 ... Rectification member

Claims (16)

A processing chamber for storing an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive;
A flow means for causing the object to be processed contained in the processing chamber to flow upward from the bottom of the processing chamber;
It is rotatably provided above the flow means in the processing chamber, and protrudes radially outward from the rotating body main body and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body main body and collides with the object to be processed, thereby the object to be processed. A rotating body having a processing unit for processing
It is provided above the rotating body in the processing chamber, and the speed of the processing object in the rotation direction of the rotating body in the processing area by the rotating body is slower than that of the rotating body. A rectifying member having a rectifying surface for changing the flow direction of the processed material , wherein the rectifying member has a lower end portion of the rectifying surface located at a distance of 50 mm or less upward from the processing unit ;
A toner processing apparatus comprising: The toner processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rectifying surface changes a flow direction of the processing object in a direction inclined downward from upstream to downstream in the rotation direction. The rectifying surface, the toner processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in the Turkey extends inclined in the rotational direction with respect to the rotation axis of the rotating body from the upper side toward the lower side. A processing chamber for storing an object to be processed including toner particles and an external additive;
A flow means for causing the object to be processed contained in the processing chamber to flow upward from the bottom of the processing chamber;
It is rotatably provided above the flow means in the processing chamber, and protrudes radially outward from the rotating body main body and the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body main body and collides with the object to be processed, thereby the object to be processed. A rotating body having a processing unit for processing
A rectifying member that is fixedly provided above the rotating body in the processing chamber and has a rectifying surface that extends from the upper side to the lower side while being inclined in the rotation direction with respect to the rotation axis direction of the rotating body. A rectifying member in which a lower end portion of the rectifying surface is located at a distance of 50 mm or less upward from the processing unit ;
A toner processing apparatus comprising:   The toner processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the rectifying surface is a flat surface.   The toner processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the rectifying surface is a curved surface.   The toner processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the rectifying member has a plurality of rectifying surfaces.   The toner processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the rectifying surface has elasticity so as to absorb an impact force. The rectifying member, the toner processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that fixedly provided in the processing chamber.   The toner processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotating body and the flow unit are rotatably provided by the same rotation shaft.   The toner processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a motor that rotationally drives the rotation shaft. The processing chamber has an inner peripheral surface centered on the rotation axis of the rotating body,
The length in the radial direction from the rotating shaft to the end of the processing unit that is farthest from the rotating body main body is a length that the processing unit does not contact the inner peripheral surface, and the inner circumference The toner processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the length is 90% or more of a radius of the surface.   The toner processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flow unit is a rotating body having a blade portion that soars the object to be processed.   The toner processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the blade portion has an S shape. The toner processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a lower end portion of the rectifying surface of the rectifying member is located at a distance of 1 mm to 30 mm upward from the processing unit. A toner manufacturing method comprising a step of performing an external addition process using the toner processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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