Cleaning blade

• US 9,817,358 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2014
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NOK Corporation, Synztec Company Limited (NOK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NOK Corporation, Synztec Company Limited (NOK Corporation)
• Inventors: Abe, Miyuki, Sasaki, Kenji, Kawabata, Syo, Abe, Katsumi, Kimura, Natsumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Gray, David M
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROTH, LAURA K
• Application Number:
  US15/105,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20160327899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,083 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/0017 Details relating to the internal structure or chemical composition of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/0005 Cleaning of residual toner

Abstract

A cleaning blade (1) having an elastic body (11) molded from a rubber base material, and having at least a surface treatment layer (12) on the area of the elastic body (11) that is brought into contact with a body to be contacted, wherein the surface treatment layer (12) is formed by impregnating the surface layer portion of the elastic body (11) with a surface treatment liquid containing an isocyanate compound and an organic solvent and hardening the liquid. The elasticity modulus of the surface treatment layer (12) is 40 MPa or less, the elasticity modulus of the elastic body (11) is 3-20 MPa, and the difference between the elasticity modulus of the surface treatment layer (12) and the elasticity modulus of the elastic body (11) is 1 MPa or more.

Claims

1. A cleaning blade, comprising:

an elastic body formed of a rubber base material molded product; and

a surface treatment layer on at least an area of the elastic body to be brought into contact with a cleaning object, wherein;

the surface treatment layer is formed by impregnating a surface portion of the elastic body with a surface treatment liquid containing an isocyanate compound and an organic solvent, and hardening the liquid;

the surface treatment layer has an indentation elastic modulus determined according to ISO 14577 of 40 MPa or lower;

the elastic body has an indentation elastic modulus determined according to ISO 14577 of 3 MPa to 20 MPa; and

the difference in indentation elastic modulus between the surface treatment layer and the elastic body is 1 MPa or more;

wherein the indentation elastic modulus was measured through a load-unload test by means of Dynamic Ultra Micro Hardness Tester under the following conditions;

retention time (5 s), maximum test load (0.98 N), loading speed (0.14 mN/s), and indentation depth (3 μ

m to 10 μ

m).

2. The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the surface treatment layer has a thickness of 10 μ

m to 50 μ

m.

3. The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein a difference between elastic modulus between the surface treatment layer and the elastic body is 1 MPa or more.

4. The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the surface treatment layer has a dynamic friction coefficient of 1.0 to 2.5 determined according to ISO 8295.

5. The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the isocyanate compound is selected from the group consisting of tolylene diisocyanate, 4,4′

-diphenylmethane diisocyanate, p-phenylene diisocyanate, naphthalene diisocyanate 3,3′

-dimethylbiphenyl-4, 4′

-diyl diisocyanate, xylene diisocyanate, lysine diisocyanate methyl ester, and dimethyl diisocyanate.

6. The cleaning blade according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body is formed from polyurethane and the isocyante compound is 4,4′

-diphenylmethane diisocyanate or 3,3′

-dimethylbiphenyl-4, 4′

-diyl diisocyanate.