Abstract: This method for producing an aluminum composite including porous sintered aluminum, includes: mixing aluminum powder with a sintering aid powder containing either one or both of titanium and titanium hydride to obtain a raw aluminum mixed powder; adding and mixing a water-soluble resin binder, water, a plasticizer containing at least one selected from polyhydric alcohols, ethers, and esters, and a water-insoluble hydrocarbon-based organic solvent containing five to eight carbon atoms into the raw aluminum mixed powder to obtain a viscous composition; shape-forming the viscous composition on an aluminum foil or an aluminum plate and causing the viscous composition to foam to obtain a formed object prior to sintering; and heating the formed object prior to sintering in a non-oxidizing atmosphere to obtain an aluminum composite which includes porous sintered aluminum integrally joined onto the aluminum foil or the aluminum plate, wherein when a temperature at which the raw aluminum mixed powder starts to melt is

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus that includes an image carrier, a charging unit, a latent-image forming unit that forms a latent image for each color by exposing the surface of the image carrier charged by the charging unit, and a plurality of developing units that sequentially develops latent images formed on the image carrier with toners of different colors including at least cyan, yellow, and magenta, to form a color toner image on a single unit of the image carrier, the developing units further develops the latent images with toners of blue, green, and red, such that the toner images of different colors are not superimposed on a same position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit and a re-heating unit. The fixing unit fixes a toner image on a recording medium by applying heat to the toner image with a first glossiness level. The re-heating unit re-heats the toner image, fixed on the recording medium by the fixing unit, to set a second glossiness level lower than the first glossiness level.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner-layer filling-rate lowering unit that causes a toner layer of toner images to be formed on an image carrier so that the toner layer has sufficient optical transparency for exposing and the toner-layer filling rate is set relatively low; and a toner rolling rate adjusting unit that rolls the toner images at a predetermined toner rolling rate in accordance with the toner-layer filling rate when the toner images are transferred to the transferring/fixing unit.

Abstract: An image forming device is disclosed that is able to superpose a smooth sheet on a toner image on a recording sheet after common thermal fusing, perform re-melting and solidification, and then separate the smooth sheet, thereby, forming a high-gloss image easily. The image forming device includes a first fusing unit for the common thermal fusing, and a second fusing unit for fusing the toner image on a recording sheet after the common thermal fusing with a gloss application sheet superposed on the toner image, and a separation unit for separating the gloss application sheet from the recording sheet. The gloss application sheet is superposed on the recording sheet with a side of the gloss application sheet projecting out beyond a side of the recording sheet on a downstream side in the conveyance direction, and the gloss application sheet and the recording sheet are directed into the separation unit while being superposed.

Abstract: A rotary-body driving-force transmitting mechanism transmits a driving force from a driving-force source to a rotary body. A rotary-inertial-body driving-force transmitting mechanism transmits the driving force to a rotary inertial body that suppresses a velocity fluctuation in the rotary body. A rotational velocity shift mechanism shifts the rotational velocity. The rotary inertial body, the rotary-body driving-force transmitting mechanism, and the rotary-inertial-body driving-force transmitting mechanism are provided coaxially with a rotary shaft of the rotary body. A satellite frictional gear mechanism is used as the rotational velocity shift mechanism.

Abstract: A corona charger includes a case provided in the vicinity of a device to be charged. The case includes an opening facing the device, a discharge electrode, a first charging region, and a second charging region. The discharge electrode provided inside the case and supplied with a voltage so as to generate a corona discharge charges a surface of the device from the opening by supplying the corona discharge to the surface. The first charging region includes no grid electrode at a position upstream of the opening in a surface moving direction of the device. The second charging region includes a grid electrode to which a predetermined voltage is applied at a position downstream of the opening. The voltage applied to the discharge electrode is an alternating current (AC) voltage superimposed on a direct current (DC) voltage.

Abstract: A disclosed gloss-providing sheet for providing high gloss to a toner image on a recording material by being placed on a toner image surface of the recording material, heated so as to fuse toner, and then separated from the recording material after the toner is cooled and solidified includes: a notification portion that changes a visual state thereof when a temperature of the gloss-providing sheet becomes equal to or lower than a glass transition temperature of the toner.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus that includes an image carrier, a charging unit, a latent-image forming unit that forms a latent image for each color by exposing the surface of the image carrier charged by the charging unit, and a plurality of developing units that sequentially develops latent images formed on the image carrier with toners of different colors including at least cyan, yellow, and magenta, to form a color toner image on a single unit of the image carrier, the developing units further develops the latent images with toners of blue, green, and red, such that the toner images of different colors are not superimposed on a same position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed, including a fixing device and a sheet storing member. The fixing device performs both tentative fixing and regular fixing. In at least one embodiment, the fixing device performs tentative fixing for tentatively fixing a toner image on a recording sheet. Further, the fixing device performs regular fixing for further fixing the tentatively fixed toner image by contacting a gloss sheet onto the tentatively fixed toner image on the recording sheet. The sheet storing member temporarily stores the recording sheet bearing the tentatively fixed toner image before the recording sheet is sent to the fixing device for the further fixing.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner-layer filling-rate lowering unit that causes a toner layer of toner images to be formed on an image carrier so that the toner layer has sufficient optical transparency for exposing and the toner-layer filling rate is set relatively low; and a toner rolling rate adjusting unit that rolls the toner images at a predetermined toner rolling rate in accordance with the toner-layer filling rate when the toner images are transferred to the transferring/fixing unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit and a re-heating unit. The fixing unit fixes a toner image on a recording medium by applying heat to the toner image with a first glossiness level. The re-heating unit re-heats the toner image, fixed on the recording medium by the fixing unit, to set a second glossiness level lower than the first glossiness level.

Abstract: A rotary-body driving-force transmitting mechanism transmits a driving force from a driving-force source to a rotary body. A rotary-inertial-body driving-force transmitting mechanism transmits the driving force to a rotary inertial body that suppresses a velocity fluctuation in the rotary body. A rotational velocity shift mechanism shifts the rotational velocity. The rotary inertial body, the rotary-body driving-force transmitting mechanism, and the rotary-inertial-body driving-force transmitting mechanism are provided coaxially with a rotary shaft of the rotary body. A satellite frictional gear mechanism is used as the rotational velocity shift mechanism.

Abstract: A disclosed image forming apparatus includes an image carrier; one or more charging units configured to charge the image carrier in preparation for formation of each of plural latent images corresponding to toner images of different colors; a latent image forming unit configured to expose non-image areas on the charged image carrier to form each of the latent images; and developing units configured to develop the corresponding latent images in sequence with toners of the corresponding colors to form the toner images and thereby to form a color toner image composed of the toner images of the different colors on the image carrier, the toners having polarity opposite to that of the charged image carrier.

Abstract: A corona charger includes a case provided in the vicinity of a device to be charged. The case includes an opening facing the device, a discharge electrode, a first charging region, and a second charging region. The discharge electrode provided inside the case and supplied with a voltage so as to generate a corona discharge charges a surface of the device from the opening by supplying the corona discharge to the surface. The first charging region includes no grid electrode at a position upstream of the opening in a surface moving direction of the device. The second charging region includes a grid electrode to which a predetermined voltage is applied at a position downstream of the opening. The voltage applied to the discharge electrode is an alternating current (AC) voltage superimposed on a direct current (DC) voltage.

Abstract: A disclosed gloss-providing sheet for providing high gloss to a toner image on a recording material by being placed on a toner image surface of the recording material, heated so as to fuse toner, and then separated from the recording material after the toner is cooled and solidified includes: a notification portion that changes a visual state thereof when a temperature of the gloss-providing sheet becomes equal to or lower than a glass transition temperature of the toner.

Abstract: An image forming device is disclosed that is able to superpose a smooth sheet on a toner image on a recording sheet after common thermal fusing, perform re-melting and solidification, and then separate the smooth sheet, thereby, forming a high-gloss image easily. The image forming device includes a first fusing unit for the common thermal fusing, and a second fusing unit for fusing the toner image on a recording sheet after the common thermal fusing with a gloss application sheet superposed on the toner image, and a separation unit for separating the gloss application sheet from the recording sheet. The gloss application sheet is superposed on the recording sheet with a side of the gloss application sheet projecting out beyond a side of the recording sheet on a downstream side in the conveyance direction, and the gloss application sheet and the recording sheet are directed into the separation unit while being superposed.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus is disclosed, including a fixing device and a sheet storing member. The fixing device performs both tentative fixing and regular fixing. In at least one embodiment, the fixing device performs tentative fixing for tentatively fixing a toner image on a recording sheet. Further, the fixing device performs regular fixing for further fixing the tentatively fixed toner image by contacting a gloss sheet onto the tentatively fixed toner image on the recording sheet. The sheet storing member temporarily stores the recording sheet bearing the tentatively fixed toner image before the recording sheet is sent to the fixing device for the further fixing.

Abstract: The present invention provides sputtering targets which are useful for depositing ferroelectric films and are resistant to crack generation during sputtering. The sputtering targets comprise a disk target which is formed using a sintered material including a compound oxide of Ba and Ti, Sr and Ti, or Ba, Sr and Ti, and which has a surface which has been subjected to grinding, wherein the scratches 4 formed on the surface of the disk target due to grinding have a pattern radiating from an arbitrary point on the plane of the surface of said disk target.

Abstract: In a refrigerating cycle using a refrigerant containing hydrofluorocarbon as a main component, of a refrigerant pipe arrangement constituting the refrigerating cycle, a refrigerant pipe extending upward from a lower side to an upper side is made to have an inner diameter not larger than a value which makes the flow rate of the refrigerant be not smaller than a zero penetration flow rate. It is possible to obtain a refrigerating cycle superior in oil returning to a compressor and hence high in reliability, even in the case of using refrigerator oil having no compatibility with a refrigerant containing hydrofluorocarbon as a main component.