Abstract:
A fixing apparatus includes a fixing belt, a heating roller, a nip portion forming member, a pressing rotary member, a suspending roller, and an urging unit. The heating roller is in contact with an inner surface of the fixing belt and heats the fixing belt. The suspending roller has a center and both ends in an area where the fixing belt and the suspending roller are in contact with each other in a width direction of the suspending roller. Outside diameters at both ends are greater than an outside diameter at the suspending roller center by a value between 50 micrometer and 300 micrometer, inclusive. The urging unit urges the suspending roller from the inner surface of the fixing belt toward an outer circumference surface of the fixing belt. A force that the urging unit applies to the suspending roller ranges between 50 newtons and 100 newtons, inclusive.
Abstract:
A fixing member used for fixing a toner image on a recording material includes: a base layer; and a porous elastic layer provided on the base layer and containing a needle-like filler. The elastic layer has a thermal conductivity with respect to a longitudinal direction thereof in a first region where the elastic layer is contactable to the recording material on the fixing member, and the thermal conductivity is 6 times to 900 times a thermal conductivity with respect to a thickness direction in the first region. The elastic layer has a thermal conductivity with respect to the thickness direction thereof in a second region outside the first region with respect to the longitudinal direction, and the thermal conductivity with respect to the thickness direction in the second region is larger than the thermal conductivity with respect to the thickness direction in the first region.
Abstract:
A fixing member used for fixing a toner image on a recording material includes: a base layer; and a porous elastic layer provided on the base layer and containing a needle-like filler. The elastic layer has a thermal conductivity with respect to a longitudinal direction thereof in a first region where the elastic layer is contactable to the recording material on the fixing member, and the thermal conductivity is 6 times to 900 times a thermal conductivity with respect to a thickness direction in the first region. The elastic layer has a thermal conductivity with respect to the thickness direction thereof in a second region outside the first region with respect to the longitudinal direction, and the thermal conductivity with respect to the thickness direction in the second region is larger than the thermal conductivity with respect to the thickness direction in the first region.
Abstract:
An elastic layer includes a needle-shaped filler and a void and has a porosity of 20 vol % or more and 60 vol % or less. The elastic layer contains a first area and a second area. The first area extends from a surface of the elastic layer opposite to a surface facing the mandrel toward the mandrel and has a thickness of 30% of the thickness of the elastic layer. The second area is a central area in a thickness direction of the elastic layer and has a thickness of 40% of the thickness of the elastic layer. The needle-shaped filler in the second area has an orientation degree of 50% or lower. The needle-shaped filler in the first area has an orientation degree higher than that of the needle-shaped filler in the second area.
Abstract:
A fixing member, includes: a base layer; and a porous elastic layer provided on the base layer and configured to contain a needle-like filler. The elastic layer has a thermal conductivity, with respect to a longitudinal direction thereof, which is 6 times to 900 times a thermal conductivity with respect to a thickness direction thereof. The elastic layer has an open cell rate larger at longitudinal end portions than at a longitudinal central portion.
Abstract:
A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a fixing member includes: a metal mold capable of holding a base material of the fixing member in an inside thereof; and an injecting member including a group of openings configured to inject a liquid rubber containing a needle-like filler into the metal mold in which the base material is held. The injecting member is configured so that a ratio of a total perimeter of the group of openings to a sum of a perimeter of an inner surface of the metal mold and an outer surface of the base material is 1.3 or more and 3.3 or less.
Abstract:
An elastic layer includes a needle-shaped filler and a void and has a porosity of 20 vol % or more and 60 vol % or less. The elastic layer contains a first area and a second area. The first area extends from a surface of the elastic layer opposite to a surface facing the mandrel toward the mandrel and has a thickness of 30% of the thickness of the elastic layer. The second area is a central area in a thickness direction of the elastic layer and has a thickness of 40% of the thickness of the elastic layer. The needle-shaped filler in the second area has an orientation degree of 50% or lower. The needle-shaped filler in the first area has an orientation degree higher than that of the needle-shaped filler in the second area.
Abstract:
A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a fixing member includes: a metal mold capable of holding a base material of the fixing member in an inside thereof; and an injecting member including a group of openings configured to inject a liquid rubber containing a needle-like filler into the metal mold in which the base material is held. The injecting member is configured so that a ratio of a total perimeter of the group of openings to a sum of a perimeter of an inner surface of the metal mold and an outer surface of the base material is 1.3 or more and 3.3 or less.
Abstract:
An endless belt, a heat source, a rotatable member forming a nip together with a belt, a nip forming member which includes a first member having a U-shape made of metal and open on a side opposite from the rotatable member and which includes a second member provided inside the first member, a contact member contacting an inner peripheral surface of the belt, a reflecting portion for reflecting, toward the inner peripheral surface of the belt, radiation heat from the heat source toward the nip forming member, and a heat conducting portion, contacting the contact member, for conducting heat of the reflecting portion to the contact member, and a heat insulating member provided between the first member and the second member are provided, and a thickness t (μm) and thermal conductivity λ (W/m·K) satisfy: t≥100 (μm) 0.02 (W/m·K)≤λ≤0.05 (W/m·K).
Abstract:
An image heating apparatus includes an endless belt, a rotary member configured to form a nip portion with the endless belt, regulating members for regulating the endless belt from moving in a longitudinal direction by being in contact with longitudinal ends of the endless belt, and a sheet-like heating member. The heating member includes a heat transfer member in contact with the inner surface of the endless belt, and a heating portion located on an opposite side from a side, of the heating member, in contact with the inner surface of the endless belt across the heat transfer member. Both end portions of the heat transfer member are disposed at the same location or outside of both end portions of the heating portion in the longitudinal direction and are disposed inside of both end portions of the rotary member in the longitudinal direction.