JP2017053974A - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image forming apparatus that, when continuously repeating fixing of images using a photoluminescent toner and subsequently forming another image, suppresses a reduction in glossiness of the image in an area corresponding to a position where a portion including the photoluminescent toner has continuously passed.SOLUTION: There is provided an image forming apparatus comprising: developing means 20 that stores a toner including a photoluminescent pigment and develops latent images formed on surfaces of image holding bodies with the toner to form toner images; a fixing member 36 that has a structure in which a base material, an elastic layer, and a surface layer including a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethylvinylether copolymer laminated in this order; and fixing means 35 that includes a pressure member 37 arranged in contact with the surface layer of the fixing member, where the toner images transferred to a recording medium pass through a contact part of the fixing member and the pressure member to be fixed to the recording medium.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.

In an image forming apparatus (copier, facsimile, printer, etc.) using an electrophotographic system, an unfixed toner image formed on a recording material is fixed by a fixing device to form an image.
In electrophotographic image formation, for example, when colors are reproduced using toners of four colors of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, and an image having a metallic luster is formed, in addition to the toners of the four colors, A toner containing a bright pigment such as a flat metal powder (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “bright toner”) is used.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, “a first image portion using a toner containing a flat pigment, a second image portion using a toner not containing a flat pigment, and an image formed on the recording medium are fixed to the recording medium by heat. And fixing the image formed on the recording medium with the toner containing the flat pigment as compared with the case of fixing the image formed on the recording medium with the toner not containing the flat pigment. An image forming apparatus that increases the amount of heat applied to the image by the fixing unit is disclosed.

JP 2014-235346 A

  The present invention has a structure in which a base material, an elastic layer, and a surface layer containing only a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoropropyl vinyl ether copolymer as a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer are laminated in this order. Compared to an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing member, a position where the portion containing the glittering toner has passed continuously when another image is formed after the fixing of the image using the glittering toner is continuously repeated. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus in which a decrease in gloss of an image (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “image gloss”) is suppressed in a region corresponding to the above.

In order to achieve the above object, the following invention is provided.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier, a charging unit for charging the surface of the image carrier, a latent image forming unit for forming a latent image on the charged surface of the image carrier, and a glitter pigment Developing means for developing the latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier with the toner to form a toner image; and the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier. Transfer means for transferring to a recording medium, a fixing member having a structure in which a substrate, an elastic layer, and a surface layer containing a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer are laminated in this order, and the fixing member The toner image transferred to the recording medium passes through a contact portion between the fixing member and the pressure member, and is applied to the recording medium. Fixed Image forming apparatus comprising a means.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the molar ratio of the structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether in the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer is 2.5 mol% or more and 6 mol% or less. The image forming apparatus described.

  In the invention according to claim 3, the molar ratio of the structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether in the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer is 4 mol% or more and 6 mol% or less. The image forming apparatus according to 2.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image carrier, a charging unit for charging the surface of the image carrier, a latent image forming unit for forming a latent image on the surface of the charged image carrier, and a glitter pigment Developing means for developing the latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier with the toner to form a toner image; and the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier. It includes a transfer means for transferring to a recording medium, a base material, an elastic layer, and a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, and a Berkovich indenter (triangular pyramid) at room temperature (25 ° C.) using a hardness tester. When the elastic recovery rate is measured by loading up to 3.8 mN in 20 seconds and unloading at a holding time of 0 seconds at a shape and an opposite edge angle of 115 °), the elastic recovery rate is 74% or more. Layered structure in this order And a pressure member disposed in contact with the surface layer of the fixing member, and a toner image transferred to the recording medium is a contact portion between the fixing member and the pressure member. Fixing means for fixing the recording medium by passing through the image forming apparatus.

  According to the invention of claim 1, the base layer, the elastic layer, and the surface layer containing only the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoropropyl vinyl ether copolymer as the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer in this order. Compared to an image forming apparatus provided with a fixing member having a laminated structure, when a different image is formed after continuously fixing the image using the glitter toner, the portion containing the glitter toner is continuous. Thus, there is provided an image forming apparatus in which a decrease in image gloss in a region corresponding to a position that has passed is suppressed.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the molar ratio of the structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether in the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer contained in the surface layer of the fixing member is less than 2.5 mol%. There is provided an image forming apparatus in which the reduction of the image gloss is suppressed as compared with a certain case, and the initial image quality disturbance (offset and paper rush damage) is suppressed as compared with the case where it exceeds 6 mol%.

  According to the invention of claim 3, when the molar ratio of the structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether in the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer contained in the surface layer of the fixing member is less than 4 mol% Compared to the above, an image forming apparatus is provided in which the reduction in the image gloss is suppressed, and the initial disturbance in image quality (offset and paper rush damage) is suppressed as compared with the case of exceeding 6 mol%.

  The invention according to claim 4 includes a base material, an elastic layer, and a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, and at a room temperature (25 ° C.) using a hardness tester, a Berkovich indenter (triangle) When the elastic recovery rate is measured by loading up to 3.8 mN in 20 seconds with a cone-shaped, opposite-edge angle of 115 °, and unloading with a holding time of 0 seconds, the elastic recovery rate is less than 74%. Compared to an image forming apparatus having a fixing member having a structure in which surface layers are laminated in this order, the image is fixed when an image is formed using a brilliant toner and then another image is formed. There is provided an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing a decrease in image gloss in a region corresponding to a position where a portion including toner has continuously passed.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a glitter toner in the present embodiment. It is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a fixing member in the present embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a fixing device according to an exemplary embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the other example of the fixing device in this embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment which is an example of the present invention will be described in detail.
In addition, the same code | symbol is provided to the member which has the substantially same function throughout all the drawings, and the overlapping description and code | symbol may be abbreviate | omitted.

[Image forming apparatus]
The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an image carrier, a charging unit that charges the surface of the image carrier, a latent image forming unit that forms a latent image on the surface of the charged image carrier, Developing means for containing a toner containing a conductive pigment and developing the latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier with the toner to form a toner image; and the toner formed on the surface of the image carrier A transfer member for transferring an image to a recording medium, a fixing member having a structure in which a base material, an elastic layer, and a surface layer containing a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer are laminated in this order; and A pressure member disposed in contact with the surface layer of the fixing member; and the toner image transferred to the recording medium passes through a contact portion between the fixing member and the pressure member, thereby recording the recording material. Fixed to medium And a fixing means which is.

  The position where the portion including the glittering toner has passed continuously when another image is formed after the image fixing apparatus using the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is continuously fixed with the glittering toner. In the region corresponding to, the reduction in image gloss is suppressed. The reason is presumed as follows.

  Since metal particles such as aluminum (bright pigment) contained in the bright toner are flat, hard particles, minute irregularities are easily formed on the surface layer of the fixing member when image formation is repeated. For example, when a vertically striped image or solid image arranged in a strip shape in the conveyance direction of the recording medium is continuously fixed and then another image is formed and fixed, glitter toner is used when fixing the vertically striped image or solid image. The image gloss tends to decrease in a region corresponding to a position where the included portion has passed continuously.

  On the other hand, in an image forming apparatus that forms an image using glitter toner, the glitter toner has a high wax content, and a fixing member having a surface layer with a low friction coefficient is used from the viewpoint of releasability. . As a material constituting the surface layer of the fixing member, for example, tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA) is known. For example, since tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer is a material having a high friction coefficient, when the surface layer of a fixing member is formed by PFA, a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoropropyl vinyl ether copolymer having a low friction coefficient is used. Is generally used.

  On the other hand, the surface layer formed using the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer has a higher elastic recovery rate than the surface layer formed using the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoropropyl vinyl ether copolymer, Even when image formation is repeated using glitter toner, it is difficult for irregularities to remain on the surface of the fixing member. For this reason, in the image forming apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment, when a glittering toner is used and, for example, a vertical stripe-shaped image or a solid image is continuously fixed in the transport direction, then another next image is formed and fixed. It is considered that a decrease in image gloss in a region corresponding to the passing position of the glitter toner is suppressed when fixing a vertically striped image or a solid image.

  Therefore, not only the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer but also the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, and the surface layer was formed using the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer. In the case of a fixing member having a surface layer having an elastic recovery rate equivalent to that in the case, the above-described reduction in image gloss is suppressed even when the image formed using the glitter toner is repeatedly fixed.

<Brightness toner>
First, the glitter toner used in the present embodiment will be specifically described.
The glitter toner is a toner containing a glitter pigment and a binder resin.
The glitter toner in the present embodiment includes toner particles and, if necessary, an external additive. In the case where the glitter toner in the present embodiment includes toner particles and an external additive, the glitter pigment is contained in the toner particles.

  In the present embodiment, “brilliance” means that the image formed with the glitter toner in the present embodiment has a brightness such as a metallic luster when viewed visually.

FIG. 1 schematically shows toner particles constituting the glitter toner. A toner particle 2 shown in FIG. 1 is a flat toner having a circle-equivalent diameter longer than a thickness L, and contains scale-like pigment particles 4 (corresponding to a bright pigment).
As shown in FIG. 1, when the toner particles 2 have a flat shape having a circle-equivalent diameter longer than the thickness L, the flat glittering toner is flattened by the pressure during fixing in the fixing step of image formation. It is considered that the surface side is arranged so as to face the surface of the recording medium.

  Hereinafter, components constituting the glitter toner in the present embodiment will be described.

-Bright pigment-
As the bright pigment, for example, the following are used. Metal powders such as aluminum, brass, bronze, nickel, stainless steel, zinc, etc.Coated flaky inorganic crystal substrates such as mica coated with titanium oxide or yellow iron oxide, barium sulfate, layered silicate, layered aluminum silicate, There are no particular restrictions on monocrystalline plate-like titanium oxide, basic carbonate, acid bismuth oxychloride, natural guanine, flaky glass powder, flaky glass powder deposited with metal, etc., as long as they have glitter. For example, the surface of the metal powder may be coated with silica, acrylic resin, polyester resin, or the like.

The shape of the glitter pigment is preferably flat (scale-like).
The average length in the major axis direction of the glitter pigment is preferably 1 μm or more and 30 μm or less, more preferably 3 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and further preferably 5 μm or more and 15 μm or less.
The ratio of the average length in the major axis direction (aspect ratio) when the average length in the thickness direction of the glitter pigment is 1 is preferably 5 or more and 200 or less, more preferably 10 or more and 100 or less, More preferably, it is 30 or more and 70 or less.

  The average length and aspect ratio of the long axis direction of the glitter pigment are measured by the following methods. Using a scanning electron microscope (S-4800, manufactured by Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation), a photograph of the pigment particles was taken at a measurable magnification (300 to 100,000 times), and the resulting pigment particle image was two-dimensional. In such a state, the length in the major axis direction and the length in the thickness direction of each particle are measured, and the average length and the aspect ratio in the major axis direction of the glitter pigment are calculated.

  The content of the glitter pigment is, for example, preferably from 1 part by weight to 50 parts by weight, and more preferably from 15 parts by weight to 25 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the toner particles.

-Binder resin-
Examples of the binder resin include styrenes (eg, styrene, parachlorostyrene, α-methylstyrene, etc.), (meth) acrylic acid esters (eg, methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-propyl acrylate, acrylic acid). n-butyl, lauryl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, n-propyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, etc.), ethylenically unsaturated nitriles (for example, acrylonitrile, Methacrylonitrile, etc.), vinyl ethers (eg, vinyl methyl ether, vinyl isobutyl ether, etc.), vinyl ketones (vinyl methyl ketone, vinyl ethyl ketone, vinyl isopropenyl ketone, etc.), olefins (eg, ethylene, propylene, etc.) Emissions, a homopolymer of a monomer such as butadiene) and the like, or a vinyl-based resin is these monomers with two or more combinations copolymer.
As the binder resin, for example, epoxy resin, polyester resin, polyurethane resin, polyamide resin, cellulose resin, polyether resin, non-vinyl resin such as modified rosin, a mixture of these with the vinyl resin, or these Examples also include a graft polymer obtained by polymerizing a vinyl monomer in the coexistence.
These binder resins may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

A polyester resin is suitable as the binder resin.
Examples of the polyester resin include known polyester resins.

  As a polyester resin, the condensation polymer of polyhydric carboxylic acid and polyhydric alcohol is mentioned, for example. In addition, as a polyester resin, a commercial item may be used and what was synthesize | combined may be used.

Examples of the polyvalent carboxylic acid include aliphatic dicarboxylic acids (eg, oxalic acid, malonic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, citraconic acid, itaconic acid, glutaconic acid, succinic acid, alkenyl succinic acid, adipic acid, sebacic acid, etc.) Alicyclic dicarboxylic acids (for example, cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid), aromatic dicarboxylic acids (for example, terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, phthalic acid, naphthalenedicarboxylic acid, etc.), their anhydrides, or lower (for example, having 1 or more carbon atoms) 5 or less) alkyl esters. Among these, as polyvalent carboxylic acid, aromatic dicarboxylic acid is preferable, for example.
The polyvalent carboxylic acid may be used in combination with a dicarboxylic acid or a trivalent or higher carboxylic acid having a crosslinked structure or a branched structure. Examples of the trivalent or higher carboxylic acid include trimellitic acid, pyromellitic acid, anhydrides thereof, and lower (for example, having 1 to 5 carbon atoms) alkyl esters.
Polyvalent carboxylic acid may be used individually by 1 type, and may use 2 or more types together.

Examples of the polyhydric alcohol include aliphatic diols (for example, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butanediol, hexanediol, neopentyl glycol, etc.), alicyclic diols (for example, cyclohexanediol, cyclohexanedimethanol, Hydrogenated bisphenol A, etc.) and aromatic diols (for example, ethylene oxide adducts of bisphenol A, propylene oxide adducts of bisphenol A, etc.). Among these, as the polyhydric alcohol, for example, aromatic diols and alicyclic diols are preferable, and aromatic diols are more preferable.
As the polyhydric alcohol, a trihydric or higher polyhydric alcohol having a crosslinked structure or a branched structure may be used together with the diol. Examples of the trihydric or higher polyhydric alcohol include glycerin, trimethylolpropane, and pentaerythritol.
A polyhydric alcohol may be used individually by 1 type, and may use 2 or more types together.

The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polyester resin is preferably 50 ° C. or higher and 80 ° C. or lower, and more preferably 50 ° C. or higher and 65 ° C. or lower.
The glass transition temperature is obtained from a DSC curve obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), more specifically, according to JIS K-7121-1987 “Method for measuring glass transition temperature”. It is calculated | required by description "extrapolated glass transition start temperature" of description.

The weight average molecular weight (Mw) of the polyester resin is preferably from 5,000 to 1,000,000, and more preferably from 7,000 to 500,000.
The number average molecular weight (Mn) of the polyester resin is preferably from 2,000 to 100,000.
The molecular weight distribution Mw / Mn of the polyester resin is preferably 1.5 or more and 100 or less, and more preferably 2 or more and 60 or less.
The weight average molecular weight and the number average molecular weight are measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The molecular weight measurement by GPC is performed with a THF solvent using a Tosoh GPC / HLC-8120GPC as a measuring device and a Tosoh column / TSKgel SuperHM-M (15 cm). The weight average molecular weight and the number average molecular weight are calculated using a molecular weight calibration curve prepared from a monodisperse polystyrene standard sample from this measurement result.

The polyester resin is obtained by a well-known manufacturing method. Specifically, for example, the polymerization temperature is set to 180 ° C. or higher and 230 ° C. or lower, the pressure in the reaction system is reduced as necessary, and the reaction is performed while removing water and alcohol generated during the condensation.
In addition, when the monomer of the raw material is not dissolved or compatible at the reaction temperature, a solvent having a high boiling point may be added and dissolved as a solubilizing agent. In this case, the polycondensation reaction is performed while distilling off the solubilizer. If a monomer with poor compatibility is present in the copolymerization reaction, the monomer with poor compatibility and the monomer and the acid or alcohol to be polycondensed are condensed in advance and then polymerized together with the main component. It is good to condense.

  The content of the binder resin is, for example, preferably 40% by weight to 95% by weight, more preferably 50% by weight to 90% by weight, and more preferably 60% by weight to 85% by weight with respect to the entire toner particles. Further preferred.

-Release agent-
The glitter toner may contain a release agent.
Examples of mold release agents include hydrocarbon waxes; natural waxes such as carnauba wax, rice wax, and candelilla wax; synthetic or mineral / petroleum waxes such as montan wax; and ester waxes such as fatty acid esters and montanic acid esters. And so on. The release agent is not limited to this.

The melting temperature of the release agent is preferably 50 ° C. or higher and 110 ° C. or lower, and more preferably 60 ° C. or higher and 100 ° C. or lower.
The melting temperature is determined by the “melting peak temperature” described in the method for determining the melting temperature in JIS K-7121-1987 “Method for measuring the transition temperature of plastic” from the DSC curve obtained by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Ask.

  The content of the release agent is, for example, preferably 1% by mass to 20% by mass and more preferably 5% by mass to 15% by mass with respect to the entire toner particles.

-Other additives-
The glitter toner may contain other additives.
Examples of other additives include known additives such as a magnetic material, a charge control agent, and inorganic powder. These additives are contained in the toner particles as internal additives.

<Fixing member>
Next, the fixing member in this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the fixing member in the present embodiment. The fixing member 36 in the present embodiment has a structure in which a base material 36A, an elastic layer 36B, and a surface layer 36C containing a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer are laminated in this order.

(Base material)
The base material 36A is a member that serves as a support in the fixing member, and is formed in an annular shape.
Examples of the substrate include a metal substrate such as nickel, aluminum, and stainless steel; and a resin substrate such as polyimide, polyamideimide, polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, and polybenzimidazole. Moreover, when a cyclic | annular base material is a product made from resin, various fillers, such as carbon black, may be contained from a viewpoint of controlling each characteristic, such as thermal conductivity, for example.

  Among these, from the viewpoints of flexibility, durability, lightness, production cost, etc., a resin base material is preferable. Among the resin base materials, it is more preferable to use polyimide from the viewpoints of heat resistance, mechanical strength, manufacturability, and the like.

  For example, in the case of a fixing belt, the thickness of the substrate is preferably 20 μm or more and 200 μm or less, more preferably 30 μm or more and 150 μm or less, and particularly preferably 40 μm or more and 130 μm or less.

(Elastic layer)
The elastic layer 36B is a layer provided on the outer peripheral surface side of the base material. The elastic layer preferably contains a heat resistant elastic material.

  In the fixing member according to the present exemplary embodiment, “heat resistance” indicates a characteristic that does not melt or decompose even when the temperature rises (for example, the fixing temperature) of the fixing device. That is, it has a property that can withstand the temperature rise of the fixing device.

Examples of the heat resistant elastic material include silicone rubber and fluoro rubber.
Examples of the silicone rubber include RTV silicone rubber, HTV silicone rubber, and liquid silicone rubber. Specifically, polydimethyl silicone rubber (MQ), methyl vinyl silicone rubber (VMQ), methyl phenyl silicone rubber (PMQ). ), Fluorosilicone rubber (FVMQ) and the like.
Examples of the fluororubber include vinylidene fluoride rubber, tetrafluoroethylene / propylene rubber, tetrafluoroethylene / perfluoromethyl vinyl ether rubber, phosphazene rubber, and fluoropolyether.

  Various additives may be blended in the elastic layer. Examples of additives include softeners (paraffins, etc.), processing aids (stearic acid, etc.), anti-aging agents (amines, etc.), vulcanizing agents (sulfur, metal oxides, peroxides, etc.), functions, etc. Include fillers (such as alumina).

  The thickness of the elastic layer is, for example, preferably from 30 μm to 600 μm, and more preferably from 100 μm to 500 μm.

(Surface layer)
The surface layer 36C includes a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer.

  The tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer contained in the surface layer includes at least a structural unit derived from tetrafluoroethylene and a structural unit derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether. The tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer contained in the surface layer may further contain other structural units, but may be a binary copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoroethyl vinyl ether. preferable.

  If the molar ratio of the structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether in the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer is too small, the elastic recovery rate tends to decrease. There is a tendency for the heat resistance to decrease to decrease. From this viewpoint, the molar ratio of the structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether in the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer contained in the surface layer is preferably 1 mol% or more and 10 mol% or less.

Further, if the molar ratio of the structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether in the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer contained in the surface layer is 2.5 mol% or more, the elastic recovery rate is high, and the image gloss Reduction is effectively suppressed. On the other hand, if the molar ratio of the structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether in the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer contained in the surface layer is 6 mol% or less, the initial image quality is disturbed (for example, offset, paper entry) Scratch) is effectively suppressed.
From the viewpoint of suppressing deterioration of image gloss and suppressing disturbance of initial image quality, the molar ratio of the structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether in the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer is 2.5 mol%. It is more preferably 6 mol% or less and particularly preferably 4 mol% or more and 6 mol% or less.

  The surface layer may contain resins and additives other than tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer, but from the viewpoint of releasability, heat resistance and durability, the surface layer is made of tetrafluoroethylene- The content of the perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer is preferably 50% by mass or more.

  The thickness of the surface layer is, for example, preferably from 5 μm to 50 μm, and more preferably from 10 μm to 40 μm.

  The formation of the surface layer is not particularly limited. For example, a tubular body (tube) is produced using a material containing a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer as the surface layer, and the outer peripheral surface of the elastic layer or the inside of the tube is formed. A surface layer can be formed by applying an adhesive to the peripheral surface and covering the outer peripheral surface of the elastic layer with the tube.

  Moreover, in order to improve adhesiveness, you may perform an adhesion | attachment process previously on the inner surface of the tube for forming a surface layer. Examples of the inner surface adhesion treatment include liquid ammonia treatment, sodium naphthalene treatment, excimer laser treatment, and plasma treatment.

<Fixing device>
Next, a fixing device including the fixing member will be described. The fixing device according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a fixing member and a pressure member disposed in contact with the surface layer of the fixing member, and the toner image transferred to the recording medium is in contact with the fixing member and the pressure member. The recording medium is fixed to the recording medium by passing through the section. The fixing member may be a roll-shaped fixing member (fixing roll) or a belt-shaped fixing member (fixing belt).

(First embodiment)
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the fixing device according to the present exemplary embodiment. A fixing device 60 shown in FIG. 3 includes a fixing roll 61 (an example of a fixing member) that is rotationally driven, and a pressure belt 62 (an example of a pressure member). In the present embodiment, the fixing roll 61 has a structure in which a base material, an elastic layer, and a surface layer containing a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer are laminated in this order.

  In the fixing device shown in FIG. 3, a halogen lamp 66 (an example of a heating unit) is disposed inside the fixing roll 61. The heating means is not limited to the halogen lamp, and other heat generating members that generate heat may be used.

  For example, a temperature sensitive element 69 is disposed on the surface of the fixing roll 61 in contact therewith. The lighting of the halogen lamp 66 is controlled based on the temperature measurement value by the temperature sensing element 69, and the surface temperature of the fixing roll 61 is controlled to the target set temperature.

  The pressure belt 62 is rotatably supported by, for example, a pressing pad 64 and a belt traveling guide 63 disposed inside. Then, it is arranged to be pressed against the fixing roll 61 by the pressing pad 64 in a sandwiching region N (nip portion) corresponding to a contact portion between the fixing roll 61 and the pressure belt 62.

For example, the pressure pad 64 is disposed inside the pressure belt 62 in a state of being pressed against the fixing roll 61 via the pressure belt 62, and forms a sandwiching area N with the fixing roll 61. Yes. It is sufficient that the pressure belt 62 and the fixing roll 61 are relatively pressurized. Accordingly, the pressure belt 62 side may be pressed by the fixing roll 61, and the fixing roll 61 side may be pressed by the fixing roll 61.
In the pressing pad 64, for example, a front clamping member 64a for securing a wide clamping area N is disposed on the entrance side of the clamping area N, and a peeling clamping member 64b for distorting the fixing roll 61 is provided. Is arranged on the exit side of the sandwiching region N.

In order to reduce the sliding resistance between the inner peripheral surface of the pressure belt 62 and the pressing pad 64, for example, the sheet-like sliding on the surface of the front sandwiching member 64a and the peeling sandwiching member 64b in contact with the pressure belt 62 A member 68 is provided. The pressing pad 64 and the sliding member 68 are held by a metal holding member 65.
The sliding member 68 is provided such that, for example, the sliding surface thereof is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the pressure belt 62, and is involved in the holding and supply of the lubricant existing between the sliding member 68 and the pressure belt 62. To do.

  For example, a belt traveling guide 63 is attached to the holding member 65 so that the pressure belt 62 rotates.

  For example, the fixing roll 61 is rotated in the direction of arrow S by a drive motor (not shown), and the pressure belt 62 is rotated in the direction of arrow R opposite to the rotation direction of the fixing roll 61 following the rotation. That is, for example, while the fixing roll 61 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 3, the pressure belt 62 rotates in the counterclockwise direction.

  The sheet K (an example of a recording medium) on which the unfixed toner image is transferred is guided by, for example, the fixing inlet guide 56 and is conveyed to the sandwiching area N. When the paper K passes through the sandwiching area N, the toner image on the paper K is fixed by the pressure and heat acting on the sandwiching area N.

  In the fixing device 60 according to the present embodiment, for example, a concave front sandwiching member 64a that follows the outer peripheral surface of the fixing roll 61 ensures a wide sandwiching area N as compared to a configuration without the front sandwiching member 64a. Is done.

  Further, in the fixing device 60 according to the present embodiment, for example, the separation and clamping member 64 b is disposed so as to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the fixing roll 61, whereby the fixing roll 61 is distorted in the exit region of the sandwiching region N. It is comprised so that it may become large locally.

  If the peeling and clamping member 64b is arranged in this way, for example, the sheet K after being fixed passes through the locally formed distortion when passing through the peeling and clamping area. Is easy to peel off from the fixing roll 61.

  As an auxiliary means for peeling, for example, a peeling member 70 is disposed on the downstream side of the sandwiching area N of the fixing roll 61. For example, the peeling member 70 is held by the holding member 72 in a state in which the peeling claw 71 is close to the fixing roll 61 in a direction (counter direction) opposite to the rotation direction of the fixing roll 61.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a fixing device according to the second embodiment. The fixing device shown in FIG. 4 includes, for example, a fixing belt module 86 including a fixing belt (an example of a fixing member) 84, and a pressure roll 88 disposed so as to be pressed against the fixing belt 84 (fixing belt module 86). It consists of In the present embodiment, the fixing belt 84 has a structure in which a base material, an elastic layer, and a surface layer containing a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer are laminated in this order.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the fixing device 80 according to the second embodiment includes, for example, a sandwiching region N (nip portion) corresponding to a contact portion where the fixing belt 84 (fixing belt module 86) and the pressure roll 88 are in contact with each other. ) Is formed. In the sandwiching area N, the sheet K (an example of a recording medium) is pressurized and heated to fix the toner image.

The fixing belt module 86 includes, for example, an endless fixing belt 84 and the fixing belt 84 wound around the pressure roll 88, and is driven to rotate by a rotational force of a motor (not shown) and the fixing belt 84 is arranged on its inner periphery. A heating and pressing roll 89 that is pressed from the surface to the pressing roll 88 side, and a support roll 90 that supports the fixing belt 84 from the inside at a position different from the heating and pressing roll 89 are provided.
The fixing belt module 86 is, for example, a support roll 92 that is disposed outside the fixing belt 84 and defines a circulation path thereof, and a posture correction roll 94 that corrects the posture of the fixing belt 84 from the heating and pressing roll 89 to the support roll 90. And a support roll 98 for applying tension from the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt 84 on the downstream side of the sandwiching area N, which is an area where the fixing belt 84 (fixing belt module 86) and the pressure roll 88 are in contact with each other. ing.

The fixing belt module 86 is provided, for example, such that a sheet-like sliding member 82 is interposed between the fixing belt 84 and the heating and pressing roll 89.
The sliding member 82 is provided, for example, so that its sliding surface is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt 84, and is involved in holding and supplying the lubricant existing between the sliding member 82 and the fixing belt 84.
Here, the sliding member 82 is provided, for example, in a state in which both ends thereof are supported by the support member 96.

  Inside the heating and pressing roll 89, for example, a halogen heater 89A (an example of heating means) is provided.

The support roll 90 is, for example, a cylindrical roll formed of aluminum, and a halogen heater 90A (an example of a heating unit) is disposed therein so as to heat the fixing belt 84 from the inner peripheral surface side. It has become.
For example, spring members (not shown) that press the fixing belt 84 outward are disposed at both ends of the support roll 90.

The support roll 92 is, for example, a cylindrical roll made of aluminum, and a release layer containing a fluororesin having a thickness of 20 μm is formed on the surface of the support roll 92.
The release layer of the support roll 92 is formed, for example, to prevent toner and paper powder from the outer peripheral surface of the fixing belt 84 from accumulating on the support roll 92.
For example, a halogen heater 92A (an example of a heating source) is disposed inside the support roll 92, and the fixing belt 84 is heated from the outer peripheral surface side.

  That is, for example, the fixing belt 84 is heated by the heating and pressing roll 89, the support roll 90, and the support roll 92.

The posture correction roll 94 is, for example, a cylindrical roll formed of aluminum, and an end position measurement mechanism (not shown) that measures the end position of the fixing belt 84 is disposed near the posture correction roll 94. ing.
For example, the posture correcting roll 94 is provided with an axial displacement mechanism (not shown) that displaces the contact position in the axial direction of the fixing belt 84 in accordance with the measurement result of the end position measuring mechanism. Configured to control.

  On the other hand, the pressure roll 88 is rotatably supported, for example, and is pressed against a portion where the fixing belt 84 is wound around the heat pressing roll 89 by an urging means such as a spring (not shown). As a result, as the fixing belt 84 (heated pressure roll 89) of the fixing belt module 86 rotates in the direction of arrow S, the pressure roller 88 is driven by the arrow R following the fixing belt 84 (heated pressure roll 89). It is designed to rotate in the direction.

  Then, the sheet K having the unfixed toner image (not shown) is conveyed in the direction of the arrow P, and when guided to the sandwiching area N of the fixing device 80, it is fixed by the pressure and heat acting on the sandwiching area N. The

  In the fixing device 80 according to the second embodiment, the embodiment in which the halogen heater (halogen lamp) is applied as an example of the heating source has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Etc.), resistance heating elements (heating elements that generate Joule heat by passing a current through the resistance: for example, a film having a thick film resistance formed on a ceramic substrate and fired) May be.

  When the fixing member in this embodiment is a fixing belt, it may be a fixing belt that is heated by an electromagnetic induction method. When the fixing member in this embodiment is applied to a fixing belt that is heated by an electromagnetic induction method, a metal layer (heat generation layer) that generates heat by electromagnetic induction is preferably provided between the base material and the elastic layer.

The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. The image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is provided with a plurality of electrophotographic photoreceptors (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “photoreceptors”) as image carriers, that is, a plurality of image forming units (image forming means). It has a tandem configuration.

The image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 5 includes five image forming units 50Y, 50M, 50C, 50K, and 50B that form toner images of yellow, magenta, cyan, black, and glittering silver, respectively, at intervals. They are arranged in parallel (in tandem). The image forming units are arranged in the order of the image forming units 50B, 50Y, 50M, 50C, and 50K from the upstream side in the rotation direction of the intermediate transfer belt 33.
Each of the image forming units 50B, 50Y, 50M, 50C, and 50K has the same configuration except for the color of the toner contained in the developer stored therein. Therefore, here, the image forming unit 50Y that forms a yellow image is described. This will be explained as a representative. Note that the same reference numerals with magenta (M), cyan (C), black (K), and glittering silver (B) are attached to the same parts as the image forming unit 50Y instead of yellow (Y). Therefore, the description of each of the image forming units 50M, 50C, 50K, and 50B is omitted.

  The yellow image forming unit 50Y includes a photoconductor 11Y as an image carrier, and the photoconductor 11Y is rotationally driven at a predetermined process speed by a driving unit (not shown) along the direction of an arrow A shown in the drawing. It has become so. As the photoreceptor 11Y, for example, an organic photoreceptor having sensitivity in the infrared region is used.

  A charging roll (charging means) 18Y is provided above the photoreceptor 11Y. A predetermined voltage is applied to the charging roll 18Y by a power source (not shown), and the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y is charged to a predetermined potential.

  Around the photoreceptor 11Y, an exposure device (electrostatic charge image forming means) 19Y for exposing the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y to form an electrostatic charge image is disposed downstream of the charging roll 18Y in the rotation direction of the photoreceptor 11Y. Has been. Here, as the exposure device 19Y, an LED array that can be miniaturized is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an electrostatic charge image forming unit using another laser beam or the like may be used.

  Further, a developing device (developing unit) 20Y including a developer holding body that holds a yellow developer is disposed around the photoconductor 11Y on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the photoconductor 11Y with respect to the exposure device 19Y. The electrostatic charge image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y is visualized with yellow toner, and a toner image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y.

  Below the photoconductor 11Y, an intermediate transfer belt (primary transfer means) 33 for primarily transferring a toner image formed on the surface of the photoconductor 11Y is below the five photoconductors 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K, and 11B. It is arranged to cross. The intermediate transfer belt 33 is pressed against the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y by the primary transfer roll 17Y. Further, the intermediate transfer belt 33 is supported in a state where tension is applied by the three rolls of the drive roll 12, the support roll 13, and the bias roll 14, and moves in the arrow B direction at a moving speed equal to the process speed of the photoconductor 11Y. It comes to be moved. On the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 33, toner images of each of glittering silver, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are sequentially transferred onto the surface.

  Around the photoreceptor 11Y, a cleaning device for cleaning toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y and re-transferred toner downstream of the primary transfer roll 17Y in the rotation direction (arrow A direction) of the photoreceptor 11Y. 15Y is arranged. The cleaning blade in the cleaning device 15Y is attached so as to be in pressure contact with the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y in the counter direction.

  A secondary transfer roll (secondary transfer unit) 34 is pressed against the bias roll 14 that supports the intermediate transfer belt 33 via the intermediate transfer belt 33. The toner image primarily transferred and laminated on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 33 is applied to the surface of the recording paper (recording medium) P fed from a paper cassette (not shown) at the press contact portion between the bias roll 14 and the secondary transfer roll 34. , Electrostatically transferred.

  Further, downstream of the secondary transfer roll 34, a fixing device (fixing means) for fixing the toner image transferred onto the recording paper P onto the surface of the recording paper P by heat and pressure to form a permanent image. ) 35 is arranged.

  The fixing device 35 includes a fixing member 36 and a pressure member 37, and the toner image on the recording paper P passes through the contact portion between the fixing member 36 and the pressure member 37, so that the toner image on the recording paper P is obtained. Is established.

  Next, the operation of each of the image forming units 50Y, 50M, 50C, 50K, and 50B that forms images of each color of yellow, magenta, cyan, black, and glittering silver in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 5 will be described. Since the operations of the image forming units 50Y, 50M, 50C, 50K, and 50B are the same, the operation of the yellow image forming unit 50Y will be described as a representative example.

  In the yellow developing unit 50Y, the photoreceptor 11Y rotates in the direction of arrow A at a predetermined process speed. The surface of the photoconductor 11Y is negatively charged to a predetermined potential by the charging roll 18Y. Thereafter, the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y is exposed by the exposure device 19Y, and an electrostatic charge image corresponding to the image information is formed. Subsequently, the negatively charged toner is reversely developed by the developing device 20Y, and the electrostatic charge image formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y is visualized on the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y to form a toner image. Thereafter, the toner image on the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y is primarily transferred onto the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 33 by the primary transfer roll 17Y. After the primary transfer, transfer residual components such as toner remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor 11Y are scraped off and cleaned by the cleaning blade of the cleaning device 15Y to prepare for the next image forming process.

The above operations are performed by the image forming units 50Y, 50M, 50C, 50K, and 50B, and the toner images visualized on the surfaces of the photoconductors 11Y, 11M, 11C, 11K, and 11B are successively in the middle. Multiple transfer is performed on the surface of the transfer belt 33. Toner images are transferred in multiple colors in the order of glittering silver, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. In the two-color and three-color modes, only the toner images of the required colors are used in this order. Are singly or multiply transcribed.
In the image forming apparatus according to FIG. 5, the order of multiple transfer of toner images is the order of glittering silver, yellow, magenta, cyan, and black, but in this embodiment, the image forming units 50Y, 50M, The order of multiple transfer of toner images may be changed by changing the positional relationship between 50C, 50K, and 50B. When changing the order of multiple transfer of toner images, the order of multiple transfer of toner images may be any order in which the glittering silver toner image is arranged on at least one colored toner image.
Thereafter, the toner image individually or multiply transferred to the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 33 is secondarily transferred to the surface of the recording paper P conveyed from a paper cassette (not shown) by the secondary transfer roll 34, and then the fixing device. It is fixed by being heated and pressurized at 35. The toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 33 after the secondary transfer is cleaned by a belt cleaner 16 constituted by a cleaning blade for the intermediate transfer belt 33.

  The yellow image forming unit 50Y includes a developing device 20Y including a developer holding body for holding a yellow developer, a photoconductor 11Y, a charging roll 18Y, and a cleaning device 15Y, which are integrated from the main body of the image forming apparatus. It is configured as a detachable process cartridge. Also, the image forming units 50M, 50C, 50K, and 50B are configured as process cartridges similarly to the image forming unit 50Y.

  The toner cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, 40K, and 40B are cartridges that store toner of each color and are attached to and detached from the image forming apparatus. The toner cartridges 40Y, 40M, 40C, 40K, and 40B include a developing device corresponding to each color and a toner supply pipe (not shown). It is connected. When the toner stored in each toner cartridge becomes low, the toner cartridge is replaced.

  In the present embodiment, the ratio of the toner applied amount of the glitter toner and the toner applied amount of the colored toner (the total amount of the colored toner when two or more kinds of colored toners are used) is 1: 0.5 to 1: 4. Desirably, 1: 1 to 1: 3 is more desirable.

  5 shows an image forming apparatus having a tandem configuration in which a plurality of image forming units (image forming means) are provided. However, the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment is not limited to a tandem type. For example, Alternatively, the image forming apparatus may be a single-color image forming apparatus that includes one image forming unit (image forming unit) and that forms an image using only glittering toner.

  Hereinafter, although an embodiment explains this embodiment in detail, this embodiment is not limited to these examples at all. In the following description, “part” and “%” are all based on mass unless otherwise specified.

[Preparation of fixing belt]
<Fixing belt E1>
A polyimide base material, which is an endless tubular body having a thickness of 80 μm, was prepared as a support.
A primer was applied on the polyimide substrate, and an addition-curable liquid silicone rubber was applied with a thickness of 300 μm by a blade coating method, followed by baking at 120 ° C. for 20 minutes to form an elastic layer.
On the other hand, a PFA tube was produced as a surface layer as follows.
Tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA) pellets in which the molar ratio of structural units derived from tetrafluoroethylene is 95 mol% and the molar ratio of structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether is 5 mol% (Mitsui DuPont Fluoro Chemical Co., Ltd.) was prepared, and the PFA pellet was extruded at a temperature of 300 ° C. using an extrusion molding machine to produce a PFA tube having a thickness of 35 μm.
An adhesive was applied to the inner peripheral surface of the PFA tube to cover the elastic layer, and baked at 200 ° C. for 4 hours. As a result, a fixing belt E1 of Example 1 was obtained.

<Fixing belts E2 to E6>
As the surface layer, a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer having a molar ratio of structural units derived from tetrafluoroethylene and a molar ratio of structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether shown in Table 1 is used. Fixing belts E2 to E6 were obtained in the same manner as the fixing belt E1, except that a PFA tube was prepared and coated on the elastic layer.

<Fixing belt C1>
As the surface layer, a PFA tube having a molar ratio of structural units derived from tetrafluoroethylene of 98 mol%, a molar ratio of structural units derived from perfluoropropyl vinyl ether of 2 mol%, and a thickness of 35 μm was prepared. A fixing belt C1 was obtained in the same manner as the fixing belt E1, except that the elastic layer was coated.

<Fixing belt C2>
As the surface layer, a PFA tube having a molar ratio of structural units derived from tetrafluoroethylene of 96.5 mol%, a molar ratio of structural units derived from perfluoropropyl vinyl ether of 3.5 mol%, and a thickness of 35 μm. A fixing belt C2 was obtained in the same manner as the fixing belt E1, except that was prepared and coated on the elastic layer.

[Preparation of luster pigment]
In accordance with the method described in Example 1 (paragraphs [0122] to [0134]) of JP 2014-157188 A, a silica-coated aluminum pigment as a binder resin, a release agent, and a bright pigment is obtained by an emulsion aggregation method. A glittering toner containing was prepared.

<Evaluation of actual machine>
The fixing belt obtained in each example was mounted on a fixing device for an image forming apparatus: Color 1000 Press manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd., and the fixing device and the produced glitter toner were incorporated in the image forming apparatus. Using J paper (manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.), the initial image quality disturbance (offset and paper rush damage) was evaluated with a halftone image.

Next, a vertically striped image in which glitter toner was arranged in a strip shape in the process direction (paper transport direction) was continuously fixed, and then a black solid image was formed and fixed. The presence or absence of gloss reduction of the black solid image in the region corresponding to the position where the glitter toner passes when the vertically striped image is continuously fixed was visually evaluated.
The evaluation criteria are as follows.

(Initial image quality)
A: Image disturbance could not be visually confirmed.
B: Disturbance of the image was slightly confirmed visually.

(Gloss reduction after running)
A: Not generated after running 50,000 sheets.
B: Generated after running 10,000 sheets.
C: Generated after running 5,000 sheets.
D: Generated after running 500 sheets.

  With respect to the above evaluation criteria for the reduction in gloss after running, for example, “occurs after running 5,000 sheets” means that the image gloss is generated when a black solid image is formed after running 500 vertical stripe-like glitter images. However, when a black solid image was formed after running 5,000 vertical stripe-like glitter images, a decrease in image gloss was observed at a position corresponding to the vertical stripe-like glitter image. Means that

<Elastic recovery rate measurement>
The PFA tubes used in Examples and Comparative Examples were cut into 10 mm × 10 mm and attached on a slide glass to obtain measurement samples.
Using a hardness tester (product name: picodenter, model number: HM500, manufactured by Fischer) at room temperature (25 ° C.) with a Berkovich indenter (triangular pyramid, opposite ridge angle 115 °), The sample was loaded to 3.8 mN in 20 seconds, unloaded at a holding time of 0 seconds, and the elastic recovery rate was measured.

[Evaluation results]
Table 1 shows the composition (mol% of structural units) of PFA constituting the surface layer and the evaluation results.

  A surface layer having a high elastic recovery rate was formed by forming the surface layer with a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer. Therefore, in each embodiment, the occurrence of unevenness on the surface layer is reduced at the time of fixing the glitter toner image, and the decrease in image gloss when the black solid image is fixed after continuous fixing of the bright stripe toner image is suppressed. It was.

  Further, from the above results, the surface layer of the fixing member in the present embodiment is not limited to being formed of only the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer, but the base material, the elastic layer, and the tetrafluoroethylene- It contains a perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer and is loaded to 3.8 mN in 20 seconds using a hardness tester at room temperature (25 ° C.) with a Berkovich indenter (triangular pyramid, opposite ridge angle 115 °), When the unloading is performed at a holding time of 0 second and the elastic recovery rate is measured, the surface layer having an elastic recovery rate of 74% or more is provided with a fixing member having a structure in which the layers are laminated in this order. It has been found that it is possible to suppress a decrease in the image gloss.

11 Electrophotographic photoreceptor (an example of an image carrier)
12 Driving Roll 13 Supporting Roll 14 Bias Roll 15 Cleaning Device 16 Belt Cleaner 17 Primary Transfer Roll 18 Charging Roll 19 Exposure Device 20 Developing Device 34 Secondary Transfer Roll 35 Fixing Device 36 Fixing Member 36A Base Material 36B Elastic Layer 36C Surface Layer 37 Addition Pressure member 40 Toner cartridge 50 Image forming unit 60 Fixing device 61 Fixing roll (an example of a fixing member)
62 Pressure belt 63 Belt running guide 64 Press pad 64a Front clamping member 64b Peeling clamping member 65 Holding member 66 Halogen lamp 68 Sliding member 69 Temperature sensing element 70 Peeling member 71 Peeling claw 72 Holding member 80 Fixing device 82 Sliding Member 84 Fixing belt (an example of a fixing member)
86 Fixing Belt Module 88 Pressure Roll 89A Halogen Heater 89 Heating Press Roll 90A Halogen Heater 90 Support Roll 92A Halogen Heater 92 Support Roll 94 Posture Correction Roll 96 Support Member 98 Support Roll

Claims (4)

An image carrier,
Charging means for charging the surface of the image carrier;
Latent image forming means for forming a latent image on the surface of the charged image carrier;
Developing means for containing toner containing a bright pigment and developing the latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier with the toner to form a toner image;
Transfer means for transferring the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier to a recording medium;
A fixing member having a structure in which a base material, an elastic layer, and a surface layer containing a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer are laminated in this order, and the fixing member is disposed in contact with the surface layer of the fixing member A fixing means for fixing the toner image transferred to the recording medium to the recording medium by passing the contact portion between the fixing member and the pressing member;
An image forming apparatus comprising:   2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a molar ratio of structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether in the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer is 2.5 mol% or more and 6 mol% or less.   The image forming apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a molar ratio of structural units derived from perfluoroethyl vinyl ether in the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroethyl vinyl ether copolymer is 4 mol% or more and 6 mol% or less. An image carrier,
Charging means for charging the surface of the image carrier;
Latent image forming means for forming a latent image on the surface of the charged image carrier;
Developing means for containing toner containing a bright pigment and developing the latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier with the toner to form a toner image;
Transfer means for transferring the toner image formed on the surface of the image carrier to a recording medium;
Including a base material, an elastic layer, and a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer, at a room temperature (25 ° C.), using a hardness tester, a Barcovic indenter (triangular pyramid shape, angle of opposite edge 115 °) When the elastic recovery rate is measured by loading up to 3.8 mN in 20 seconds and unloading at a holding time of 0 seconds, a surface layer having an elastic recovery rate of 74% or more is laminated in this order. A fixing member, and a pressure member disposed in contact with the surface layer of the fixing member, and a toner image transferred to the recording medium is in contact with the fixing member and the pressure member. Fixing means fixed to the recording medium by passing through a section;
An image forming apparatus comprising: