Seamless intermediate transfer member process

• US 8,992,818 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2010
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Mishra, Satchidanand, Domm, Edward A., Wu, Jin, Foley, Geoffrey M. T., Grabowski, Edward F.
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHIFFMAN, BENJAMIN A
• Application Number:
  US12/835,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20120015153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 264/496
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0827 using UV radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/265 on the inside of the drum
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 29/00 Producing belts or bands
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/324 Rollers or cylinders having an axial length of several times the diameter, e.g. embossing, pressing or printing
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/161 with means for handling the intermediate support, e.g. heating, cleaning, coating with a transfer agent
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/162 details of the the intermediate support, e.g. chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2215/1623 Transfer belt
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/742 Carbon nanotubes, CNTs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24628 Nonplanar uniform thickness material

Abstract

Described herein is a method of forming a seamless transfer member suitable for use with an image forming system. The method includes spray coating a UV curable polymer and conductive particles onto an inner surface of a rotating cylindrical mandrel. The UV curable polymer is cured with ultra violet energy. The cured UV polymer is removed from the cylindrical rotatable mandrel.

Claims

1. A method of forming a seamless transfer member suitable for use with an image forming system, comprising:

spray coating a mixture consisting of;

a liquid ultra violet (UV) curable polymer; and

carbon nanotubes in a dispersant, onto an inner surface of a rotating cylindrical mandrel, wherein the inner surface of the mandrel has a R_a roughness of from about 0.01 microns to about 1.0 microns, wherein the liquid UV curable polymer is selected from the group consisting of;

a monomeric acrylate and an oligomeric acrylate, wherein the one or more photoinitiators are selected from the group consisting of;

acyl phosphines, α

-hydroxyketones, benzyl ketals and α

-aminoketones, wherein the one or more photoinitiators are present in an amount of about 0.5 weight percent to about 10 weight percent based on the weight of the liquid UV curable polymer, wherein the carbon nanotubes are present in an amount of from about 3 weight percent to about 20 weight percent based on a total solids weight of the mixture;

curing the liquid UV polymer with ultra violet energy; and

removing the cured UV polymer from the cylindrical rotatable mold.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

spray coating a second liquid UV curable polymer onto the cured UV polymer in the rotating cylindrical mandrel; and

curing the second liquid UV polymer with ultra violet energy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wherein the monomeric acrylate is selected from the group consisting of trimethylolpropane triacrylate, hexandiol diacrylate, tripropyleneglycol diacrylate, dipropyleneglycol diacrylate, and mixtures thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the oligomeric acrylate is selected from the group consisting of urethane acrylate, polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyether acrylate, olefin acrylate, and mixtures thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the mandrel is rotated at a speed of from about 100 rpm to about 1,500 rpm.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

treating the inner surface of the cylindrical mandrel with a release agent prior to the spray coating.

7. A method of forming a seamless transfer member suitable for use with an image forming system, comprising:

spray coating a composition consisting of;

a liquid ultra violet (UV) curable polymer;

one or more photoinitiators; and

conductive particles, onto an inner surface of a rotating cylindrical mandrel, wherein the inner surface of the mandrel has a R_a roughness of from about 0.01 microns to about 1.0 microns, wherein the liquid UV curable polymer is selected from the group consisting of;

a monomeric acrylate and an oligomeric acrylate, wherein the photoinitiator is selected from the group consisting of;

acyl phosphines, α

-hydroxyketones, benzyl ketals and α

-aminoketones, wherein the photoinitiator is present in an amount of about 1 weight percent to about 7 weight percent based on the weight of the liquid UV curable polymer, wherein the conductive particles are selected from the group consisting of;

carbon black, carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, potassium titanate, graphite, acetylene black and fluorinated carbon black, wherein the conductive particles are present in an amount of from about 3 weight percent to about 20 weight percent based on a total solids weight of the composition;

curing the composition with ultra violet energy; and

removing the cured composition from the cylindrical rotatable mold.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the wherein the monomeric acrylate is selected from the group consisting of trimethylolpropane triacrylate, hexandiol diacrylate, tripropyleneglycol diacrylate, dipropyleneglycol diacrylate, and mixtures thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the oligomeric acrylate is selected from the group consisting of urethane acrylate, polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyether acrylate, olefin acrylate, and mixtures thereof.

10. A method of forming a seamless transfer member suitable for use with an image forming system, comprising:

spray coating a mixture consisting of;

a liquid ultra violet (UV) curable polymer;

one or more photoinitiators;

conductive species miscible with the UV curable polymer; and

optionally conductive particles, onto an inner surface of a rotating cylindrical mandrel, wherein the inner surface of the mandrel has a R_a roughness of from about 0.01 microns to about 1.0 microns, wherein the liquid UV curable polymer is selected from the group consisting of;

a monomeric acrylate and an oligomeric acrylate, wherein the one or more photoinitiators are selected from the group consisting of;

acyl phosphines, α

-hydroxyketones, benzyl ketals and α

-aminoketones, wherein the one or more photoinitiators are present in an amount of about 0.5 weight percent to about 10 weight percent based on the weight of the liquid UV curable polymer, wherein the conductive species are selected from the group consisting of;

salts of organic sulfonic acid, esters of phosphoric acid, ammonium salt, phosphonium salts, wherein the conductive species are present in an amount of from about 1 weight percent to about 40 weight percent based on a total weight of the mixture, wherein the optional conductive particles are selected from the group consisting of;

carbon black, carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, potassium titanate, graphite, acetylene black and fluorinated carbon black;

curing the liquid UV polymer with ultra violet energy; and

removing the cured UV polymer from the cylindrical rotatable mold.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the monomeric acrylate is selected from the group consisting of trimethylolpropane triacrylate, hexandiol diacrylate, tripropyleneglycol diacrylate, dipropyleneglycol diacrylate, and mixtures thereof.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the oligomeric acrylate is selected from the group consisting of:

urethane acrylate, polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyether acrylate, olefin acrylate, and mixtures thereof.