HEAT TREATMENT APPARATUS AND METHOD OF OBTAINING TONER

• US 20140137428A1
• Filed: 06/07/2012
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takenaka, Kohji, Mizo, Yuichi, Minagawa, Hironori, Kobori, Takakuni, Ohtsu, Takeshi, Hagiwara, Junichi, Ito, Daisuke, Kawakita, Kunihiko
• Application Number:
  US14/125,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20140137428A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/505
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 17/103 with specific material feeding arrangements, e.g. combined with disintegrating means
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 17/124 the vertical walls having the shape of at least two concentric cylinders with the material to be dried moving in-between
• CPC Class Codes: F28C 3/12 the heat-exchange medium being a particulate material and a gas, vapour, or liquid
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 13/06 by affecting the pattern of flow of the heat-exchange media F28F13/003 takes precedence; static flow control means in header boxes F28F9/026
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 13/12 by creating turbulence, e.g. by stirring, by increasing the force of circulation F28F13/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/081 by mixing the toner components in a liquefied state; melt kneading; reactive mixing
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/0815 Post-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/0819 characterised by the dimensions of the particles
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/0827 characterised by their shape, e.g. degree of sphericity
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 9/08755 Polyesters

Abstract

A heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating powder particles each containing a binder resin and a colorant includes: a powder particle supply unit (3); a hot air supply unit (2); a cold air supply unit (4); a regulating unit (6); and a collection unit (5). The apparatus is characterized in that: a protrusion with a height of 2 mm or more and 50 mm or less is provided in a region on a downstream side of the powder particle supply unit and on an upstream side of the cold air supply unit in an inner wall surface of the treatment chamber; and the heat treatment apparatus has a cross-section plane, which is perpendicular to a center axis of the treatment chamber and situated at the region where the protrusion is provided, and Dmin and Dmax satisfy the following relation 0.50≦Dmin/Dmax<1.0 where, Dmin represents a minimum value of the distance of a gap between the treatment chamber and the columnar member measured in the cross-section plane, and Dmax represents a maximum value of the distance of a gap between the treatment chamber and the columnar member measured in the cross-section plane.

Claims

1. A heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating powder particles each containing a binder resin and a colorant, the heat treatment apparatus comprising:

(1) a treatment chamber having a cylindrical shape, in which the powder particles are heat-treated;

(2) a powder particle supply unit for supplying the powder particles to the treatment chamber;

(3) a hot air supply unit for heat-treating the supplied powder particles;

(4) a cold air supply unit for cooling the heat-treated powder particles;

(5) a regulating unit for regulating a flow of the supplied powder particles, the unit being provided in the treatment chamber; and

(6) a collection unit for collecting the heat-treated powder particles from a discharge port provided on a lower end part side of the treatment chamber,

wherein;

the regulating unit comprises a columnar member having a substantially circular cross-section, the member being placed on a center pole of the treatment chamber to protrude from a lower end part to an upper end part of the treatment chamber;

the hot air supply unit is provided so that the hot air to be supplied is rotated along an inner wall of the treatment chamber;

the discharge port of the collection unit is provided in an outer circumferential portion of the treatment chamber to keep a rotation direction of the powder particles;

at least one protrusion with a height of 2 mm or more and 50 mm or less is provided in a region on a downstream side of the powder particle supply unit and on an upstream side of the cold air supply unit in at least one of an inner wall surface of the treatment chamber and an outer wall surface of the regulating unit; and

the heat treatment apparatus has a cross-section plane,

the cross-section plane

being perpendicular to a center axis of the treatment chamber, and situated at the region where said protrusion is provided, and Dmin and Dmax satisfy the following relation

0.50≦

Dmin/Dmax<

1.0

where,

Dmin represents a minimum value of the distance of a gap between the treatment chamber and the columnar member measured in the cross-section plane, and

Dmax represents a maximum value of the distance of a gap between the treatment chamber and the columnar member measured in the cross-section plane.

2. The heat treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least two protrusions are provided on the inner wall of the treatment chamber, and a distance in a circumferential direction between adjacent protrusions is 20 mm or more and 200 mm or less.

3. A method of obtaining toner, comprising heat-treating powder particles each containing a binder resin and a colorant through use of a heat treatment apparatus for obtaining the toner, wherein the heat treatment apparatus comprises the apparatus for heat treatment according to claim 1.