Substrate, fixing belt with substrate, fixing device with fixing belt, and image forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9383698-B2
Application number	US-201414260734-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2014
Priority date	May 1, 2013
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

A fixing belt substrate for an image forming apparatus is prepared by an electroforming process. The fixing belt substrate contains nickel of prescribed weight percent, phosphorus of from about 0.4 weight percent or more to about 0.7 weight percent or less, sulfur of from about 0.003 weight percent or more to about 0.02 weight percent or less, and carbon of from about 0.012 weight percent or more to about 0.03 weight percent or less.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fixing belt substrate for an image forming apparatus, comprising:
nickel of prescribed weight percent;
phosphorus of from about 0.4 weight percent or more to about 0.7 weight percent or less;
sulfur of from about 0.003 weight percent or more to about 0.02 weight percent or less; and
carbon of from about 0.012 weight percent or more to about 0.03 weight percent or less.

2. The fixing belt substrate as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the amount of phosphorus ranges from about 0.5 weight percent or more to about 0.7 weight percent or less, and the amount of sulfur is from about 0.012 weight percent or more to about 0.018 weight percent or less.

3. The fixing belt substrate as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a micro-Vickers hardness of the fixing belt substrate is from about 460 degrees or more to about 550 degrees or less.

4. The fixing belt substrate as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the micro-Vickers hardness of the fixing belt substrate of from about 460 degrees or more to about 550 degrees or less is obtained by appropriately adjusting the amount of carbon.

5. The fixing belt substrate as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fixing belt is flexible and endless and accommodates a heater, a fixed member, and a reinforcing member reinforcing the fixed member inside a loop thereof,
the fixed member creating a fixing nip on the fixing belt together with a pressing roller pressed against the fixing belt,
the fixing belt having a portion of reduced diameter to expand the fixing nip,
the fixing belt being driven and rotated by the pressing roller as the pressing roller rotates.

6. The fixing belt substrate as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fixing belt substrate is prepared by an electroforming process.

7. A fixing belt having a substrate, the substrate comprising:
nickel of prescribed weight percent;
phosphorus of from about 0.4 weight percent or more to about 0.7 weight percent or less;
sulfur of from about 0.003 weight percent or more to about 0.02 weight percent or less; and
carbon of from about 0.012 weight percent or more to about 0.03 weight percent or less.

8. The fixing belt as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the amount of phosphorus ranges from about 0.5 weight percent or more to about 0.7 weight percent or less, and the amount of sulfur is from about 0.012 weight percent or more to about 0.018 weight percent or less.

9. The fixing belt as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a micro-Vickers hardness of the substrate is from about 460 degrees or more to about 550 degrees or less.

10. The fixing belt as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the micro-Vickers hardness of the substrate of from about 460 degrees or more to about 550 degrees or less is obtained by appropriately adjusting the amount of carbon.

11. The fixing belt as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the fixing belt is flexible and endless and accommodates a heater, a fixed member, and a reinforcing member reinforcing the fixed member inside a loop thereof,
the fixed member creating a fixing nip on the fixing belt together with a pressing roller pressed against the fixing belt,
the fixing belt having a portion of reduced diameter to expand the fixing nip,
the fixing belt being driven and rotated by the pressing roller as the pressing roller rotates.

12. The fixing belt substrate as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the fixing belt substrate is prepared by an electroforming process.

13. The fixing belt as claimed in claim 7 , which comprises a releasing layer having a thickness in a range of from 4 μm to 20 μm.

14. The fixing belt as claimed in claim 7 , which comprises a releasing layer having a thickness in a range of from 4 μm to 10 μm.

15. A fixing device comprising a fixing belt having a substrate, the substrate comprising:
nickel of prescribed weight percent;
phosphorus of from about 0.4 weight percent or more to about 0.7 weight percent or less;
sulfur of from about 0.003 weight percent or more to about 0.02 weight percent or less; and
carbon of from about 0.012 weight percent or more to about 0.03 weight percent or less.

16. The fixing device as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the amount of phosphorus ranges from about 0.5 weight percent or more to about 0.7 weight percent or less, and the amount of sulfur is from about 0.012 weight percent or more to about 0.018 weight percent or less.

17. The fixing device as claimed in claim 15 , wherein a micro-Vickers hardness of the substrate is from about 460 degrees or more to about 550 degrees or less.

18. The fixing device as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the micro-Vickers hardness of the substrate of from about 460 degrees or more to about 550 degrees or less is obtained by appropriately adjusting the amount of carbon.

19. The fixing device as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the fixing belt is flexible and endless,
the fixing device further comprising:
a heater disposed within a generally loop-shaped configuration of the fixing belt;
a rotatable pressing roller pressed against the fixing belt that rotates the fixing belt;
a fixed member disposed within the generally loop-shaped configuration of the fixing belt; and
a reinforcing member to reinforce the fixed member,

the fixed member creating a fixing nip on the fixing belt together with the pressing roller pressed against the fixing belt, the fixing belt having a portion of reduced diameter to expand the fixing nip.

20. The fixing device as claimed in claim 19 , wherein the pressing roller is made of a water foamed silicone.

21. The fixing device as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the fixing belt substrate is prepared by an electroforming process.

22. The fixing device as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the fixing belt comprises a releasing layer having a thickness in a range of from 4 μm to 20 μm.

23. The fixing device as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the fixing belt comprises a releasing layer having a thickness in a range of from 4 μm to 10 μm.

24. An image forming apparatus including a fixing belt having a substrate, the substrate containing:
nickel of prescribed weight percent;
phosphorus of from about 0.4 weight percent or more to about 0.7 weight percent or less;
sulfur of from about 0.003 weight percent or more to about 0.02 weight percent or less; and
carbon of from about 0.012 weight percent or more to about 0.03 weight percent or less.

25. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 24 , wherein the amount of phosphorus ranges from about 0.5 weight percent or more to about 0.7 weight percent or less, and the amount of sulfur is from about 0.012 weight percent or more to about 0.018 weight percent or less.

26. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 24 , wherein a micro-Vickers hardness of the substrate is from about 460 degrees or more to about 550 degrees or less.

27. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 26 , wherein the micro-Vickers hardness of the substrate of from about 460 degrees or more to about 550 degrees or less is obtained by appropriately adjusting the amount of carbon.

28. The image forming apparatus as claimed in claim 24 , wherein the fixing belt is flexible and endless accommodating a heater,
the image forming apparatus further comprising:
a rotatable pressing roller pressed against the fixing belt that rotates the fixing belt;
a fixed member disposed within a generally loop-shaped configuration of the fixing belt; and
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Assignees

• Fujie Kengo
• Mikami Yasuomi
• Fujiwara Yasuhide
• Kudoh Yuzuru
• Konno Takaaki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Fujie Kengo
• Mikami Yasuomi
• Fujiwara Yasuhide
• Kudoh Yuzuru
• Konno Takaaki

Classifications

• G03G15/2057 Primary

  relating to the chemical composition of the heat element and layers thereof · CPC title

• G03G2215/2035

  the fixing nip having a stationary belt support member opposing a pressure member · CPC title

• G03G15/206 Primary

  Structural details or chemical composition of the pressure elements and layers thereof · CPC title