Abstract: In a developing assembly comprising a developer-carrying member and a developer quantity control blade kept in pressure contact with the developer-carrying member, the developer-carrying member has a deformation percentage D of 0.5% or less in the direction of pressure contact, and the developer quantity control blade has a ten-point average roughness Rz of from 0.3 ?m to 20 ?m at its surface on the side kept in contact with the developer-carrying member (a charge control face). The developing assembly can prevent faulty images such as lines and uneven images due to the deformation of developer-carrying member even though any deformation due to the pressure contact of the developer quantity control blade has taken place in the developer-carrying member while the developing assembly is stopped.

Abstract: A charging roller for a contact charging assembly is provided including a conductive substrate, an elastic layer which covers the periphery of the conductive substrate, and a seamless tube externally so fitted as to cover the periphery of the elastic layer. The seamless tube constitutes a surface layer of the charging roller, and the charging roller has a surface of 3.0 &mgr;m or less in ten-point average roughness (Rz jis 94) and 0.10 mm or less in roughness curve average length (RSm).

Abstract: In a process for producing a cleaning blade, a blade formed of a urethane resin is impregnated with an isocyanate compound at its surface portion. Thereafter, warm air or hot air is blown on the blade surface to remove the isocyanate compound remaining thereon, and then the urethane resin that forms the blade is allowed to react with the isocyanate compound with which the blade stands impregnated, to form a cured layer.

Abstract: In a charging roller having a support member and a conductive cover layer, the conductive cover layer is formed of a seamless tube. The seamless tube contains at least (A) a thermoplastic styrene elastomer, (B) a polystyrene resin and (C) a carbon black, and the proportion of the component (A) to the component (B) is (A)/(B)=60/40 to 20/80 in weight ratio. A process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus have such a charging roller.

Abstract: A cleaning blade for use in an electrophotographic apparatus, which rubs and eliminates residual toners. The cleaning blade is made up of polyrethane resin sheet controls chipping of a top end of the cleaning blade and reduces an abrasion of a photosensitive drum. The cleaning blade is prepared by mixing and hardening at least a prepolymer, which is obtained from butylene adipate polyester polyol, hexylene adipate polyester polyol and polyisocyanate, and a hardening agent including a low molecular weight polyol and potassium acetate so that a mol ration (&agr; value) of hydroxyl group to isocyanate group becomes not less than 0.7 and not more than 0.9.

Abstract: A charging member includes a conductive mandrel, a semiconductive foamed elastic layer provided on the periphery of the mandrel, and a functional double-layer film provided on the periphery of the semiconductive foamed elastic layer. The semiconductive foamed elastic layer is a layer formed by making the mandrel and a semiconductive rubber composition standing uncured and unfoamed pass through a crosshead die of an extruder to set the composition on the periphery of the mandrel, followed by curing and foaming. The semiconductive rubber composition has a Mooney viscosity of from 15 to 30 and has a curing percentage of 40% or less when the foaming pressure reaches 50%. The functional double-layer film is a double-layer tube having a thin layer such that a tube formed out of only the layer is hard to use for covering. Also disclosed are a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus which have such a charging member.

Abstract: A centrifugal casting die according to the present invention includes a cylindrical die body, a backup layer releasably bonded to the inner surface 12b of the die body, and a top layer bonded to be integral to the inner surface of the backup layer, for holding a centrifugally casting material supplied to the inner surface thereof, whereby the centrifugally casting material having a uniform thickness is easily releasable from the centrifugal casting die without using a die-lubricant.

Abstract: In a conductive member having a support and provided thereon at least one cover layer, the cover layer has a surface layer, and the surface layer contains fine particles. In the surface layer, fine particles present at the surface layer lower part corresponding to a range within 30% of the total layer thickness from the lowermost plane have an average particle diameter which is larger than the average particle diameter of fine particles present at the surface layer upper part corresponding to a range within 30% of the total layer thickness from the uppermost plane. A process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus have such a conductive member.

Abstract: In a conductive rubber roller including a conductive support and a rubber layer, the rubber layer includes a component (A), an epichlorohydrin rubber containing 40 mol % or more of ethylene oxide, and a component (B), an acrylonitrile butadiene rubber component having an acrylonitrile content of 20% by weight or less. The component (A) is in a proportion of 5 or more to less than 25 in weight ratio, based on a total weight of the components (A) and (B).

Abstract: The object of the invention is, in integrating two or more types of resin materials having different compositions or tones in a mold, thus molding a multi-color, multi-material molded article, to increase the strength of the bonding surfaces of the resins. To achieve this object, this invention provides an injection molding method of injecting two or more types of resin materials having different compositions or tones into a mold, thus producing a molded article in which the two or more types of resin materials are bonded. Convexo-concave shapes are formed on the bonding portions of the two or more types of resin materials.

Abstract: In a developing assembly comprising a developer-carrying member and a developer quantity control blade kept in pressure contact with the developer-carrying member, the developer-carrying member has a deformation percentage D of 0.5% or less in the direction of pressure contact, and the developer quantity control blade has a ten-point average roughness Rz of from 0.3 &mgr;m to 20 &mgr;m at its surface on the side kept in contact with the developer-carrying member (a charge control face). The developing assembly can prevent faulty images such as lines and uneven images due to the deformation of developer-carrying member even though any deformation due to the pressure contact of the developer quantity control blade has taken place in the developer-carrying member while the developing assembly is stopped.

Abstract: In a charging roller having a support member and a conductive cover layer, the conductive cover layer is formed of a seamless tube. The seamless tube contains at least (A) a thermoplastic styrene elastomer, (B) a polystyrene resin and (C) a carbon black, and the proportion of the component (A) to the component (B) is (A)/(B)=60/40 to 20/80 in weight ratio. A process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus have such a charging roller.

Abstract: A blade member manufacturing process using no mold and a developer quantity control blade manufacturing process using this blade member are disclosed in which a material for the blade member is extruded onto a charge control face face-transferring sheet in a uniform thickness, and solidified to form a layer, and the layer is cut into the shape of a blade member.

Abstract: A cleaning blade mainly has polyurethane resin, which is mainly installed in an electrophotographic apparatus and rubs and eliminates residual toners control chipping of a top end of the cleaning blade and reduces an abrasion of a photosensitive drum. The cleaning blade is prepared by mixing and hardening at least prepolymer which is obtained from butylene adipate polyester polyol, hexylene adipate polyester polyol and polyisocyanate and the hardening agent including low molecular weight polyol and potassium acetate so that a mol ratio (&agr; value) of hydroxyl group to isocyanate group becomes not less than 0.7 and not more than 0.9.

Abstract: A semiconducting member has a water-soluble polyaniline having an acidic group, and an aqueous polymeric compound. The semiconducting member has a volume resistivity of from 104 &OHgr;·cm to 1012 &OHgr;·cm.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an anti-fogging coating film comprising a hydrophilic polymer and a benzophenone compound represented by a general formula (I): ##STR1## wherein X.sub.1 to X.sub.10 are the same or different from one another and are individually a radical selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxyl group, sulfonic group, carboxyl group, acyl group, ester group, ether group, hydrocarbon groups, alkoxyl groups having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, amino group, hydroxyalkyl groups and hydroxyalkoxyl groups, with the proviso that at least one of X.sub.1 to X.sub.10 is a radical selected from among the hydroxyl and sulfonic groups. Anti-fogging articles comprising a base material such as glass, plastic, metal or mirror and the anti-fogging coating film provided thereon, and a composition for forming the anti-fogging coating film are also disclosed.

Abstract: A cylinder member holder is used to subject the outer circumferential surface of a cylinder member to cutting machining by non-rotatably supporting left and right ends of a tubular cylinder member by left and right holders and feeding a cutting tool longitudinally of the cylinder member while causing the cutting tool to rotate about the outer circumferential surface of the cylinder member. A plurality of discontinuous solid bodies which fill the inner diameter portion of the cylinder body so as to lie along the longitudinal direction thereof are inserted via a resilient body, thereby reducing or eliminating chatter vibration produced at cutting.

Abstract: A belt-shaped intermediate transfer member is provided in an electrophotography apparatus, for transferring a toner image formed on a photosensitive drum to a recording medium such as paper. The intermediate transfer member includes at least a base layer and a surface layer provided upon this base layer. The base layer is formed of elastomer, and the surface layer is formed of engineering plastic such as polyether imide, polyether sulfone, polysulfone, or polyphenyl sulphone which have exceptional dimensional stability.

Abstract: A charging member, which is to be provided in contact with an object member and to which a voltage is to be applied to electrostatically charge the object member, has a substrate, and a metal layer and a surface layer of a seamless tube. The charging member may be used with a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus.

Abstract: A contact charging member to be abutted against a charge-receiving member and supplied with a voltage for charging the charge-receiving member is provided. The charging member includes an electroconductive substrate, an elastic layer and a surface layer disposed in lamination. The surface layer comprises crosslinked polymer crosslinked by irradiation with an electron beam. The surface layer may preferably be in the form of a seamless tube formed of the crosslinked polymer. The surface layer crosslinked by electron beam irradiation is less liable to suffer from transfer of a crosslinking agent or a decomposition product thereof to the charge-receiving member. Accordingly, the charging member shows improved durability and stably uniform charging ability suitable for electrophotographic image formation under various environmental conditions.