Abstract: A nip formation pad includes a base, a high thermal conduction member, and an attachment. The high thermal conduction member has a thermal conductivity greater than a thermal conductivity of the base. The attachment is attached to the high thermal conduction member by elastic deformation of the attachment on the base held between the high thermal conduction member and the attachment.

Abstract: There is disclosed a fuser member include a substrate layer and a release layer disposed on the substrate layer. The release layer includes a plurality polyimide particles dispersed in a fluoropolymer. An image forming apparatus equipped the fuser member is also described.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a flexible fuser belt, a stationary, tubular belt holder, a heater, a stationary fuser pad, and a rotatable pressure member. The flexible fuser belt is looped into a generally cylindrical configuration for rotation in a circumferential, rotational direction thereof. The tubular belt holder is inside the loop of the fuser belt to retain the belt in shape during rotation. The heater is inside the belt holder to emit infrared radiation for heating the belt. The fuser pad is inside the loop of the fuser belt. The pressure member is opposite the fuser pad with the fuser belt interposed between the fuser pad and the pressure member. The pressure member presses against the fuser pad through the fuser belt to form a fixing nip therebetween. The belt holder has an infrared-transmissive portion at least where the belt holder faces the heater.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composite color image forming method. The method includes electrically charging a latent image-holding member; exposing the charged latent image-holding member to light to form an electrostatic latent image; developing the electrostatic latent image with a two-component developer containing toner particles of one color and a carrier to form a toner image on the latent image-holding member; primarily transferring the toner image from the latent image-holding member to an intermediate transfer member; repeating the electrically charging, the exposing, the developing, and the primarily transferring, while the toner particles are replaced with toner particles of different color, to form a composite color image on the intermediate transfer member; and secondarily transferring the composite color image from the intermediate transfer member to a recording medium.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a frame, a tubular heat pipe, a flexible fuser belt, a fuser pad, a pressure member, and a deformation relief mechanism. The heat pipe extends in an axial direction. The fuser belt is looped for rotation around the heat pipe. The fuser pad extends in the axial direction inside the loop of the fuser belt. The pressure member extends opposite the heat pipe in the axial direction. The fuser pad is pressed against the pressure member through the fuser belt in a load direction perpendicular to the axial direction to form a fixing nip. The heat pipe and the fuser pad establish stationary contact with each other at their respective axial ends upon formation of the fixing nip. The deformation relief mechanism is provided to at least one of the heat pipe and the fuser pad to relieve deformation of the fuser pad.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a fixing roller configured to be heated by a heat source, and a pressure roller configured to be in pressure-contact with the fixing roller. The fixing roller includes a cylindrical tubular core having an inner circumferential surface and one or more ribs protruded from the inner circumferential surface and extending spirally along the inner circumferential surface. The total number of times that the one or more spiral ribs cross through a region of contact between the fixing roller and the pressure roller is more than one, regardless of a rotation angle of the fixing roller.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide materials and methods for a fuser member used in electrophotographic devices, wherein the fuser member can include an outermost layer containing a plurality of nanosized cellulosic particles dispersed in and/or bonded to a fluoropolymer matrix.

Abstract: The present teachings provide a fuser member. The fuser member includes a substrate layer having a polyimide polymer and a fluoro acid. A method of manufacturing a fuser member is also described.

Abstract: The present invention is an electroconductive endless belt used in an image forming apparatus in which a decrease with use in the gloss value caused by frictions and the like with papers and cleaning blade is suppressed. In the electroconductive endless belt, the base resin of the electroconductive endless belt comprises a polyalkylene terephthalate resin in combination with a naphthalene ring-containing thermoplastic resin and/or a naphthalene ring-containing thermoplastic elastomer having a melting point higher than that of the polyalkylene terephthalate resin, and the mass ratio of the polyalkylene terephthalate resin to the naphthalene ring-containing thermoplastic resin and/or the naphthalene ring-containing thermoplastic elastomer in the base resin is in the range of 90/10 to 50/50.

Abstract: There is described a method for producing a fuser member. The method includes obtaining a substrate and positioning a fluoroplastic sleeve around the substrate. The outer surface of the fluoroplastic sleeve is roughened to a surface roughness of between about 0.03 ?m Ra and about 3 ?m Ra. The outer surface is coated with a functional silicone oil.

Abstract: A fixing device according to an embodiment of the present invention heats a metal conductive layer of a heat roller using an induction current generating coil. In order to supplement a heat capacity of the heat roller, a press roller having a large heat capacity is heated by a halogen lamp. During a start of activation of an image forming apparatus, when a printer control circuit is started, the supply of electric power to the halogen lamp is started before warming-up is started.

Abstract: An objective is to provide an image forming method by which sufficient fixing strength can be obtained at a low temperature of 120° C., excellent print images with no belt-like or streak image defect can be obtained, and no document offsetting is generated even though the superimposed print images are stored. Disclosed is an image forming method comprising the step of fixing a toner image formed with a toner comprising a releasing agent on a transfer material employing a contact-heating fixing device comprising a heating roller and a belt-shaped pressure body, wherein the heating roller is placed on the upper side of the transfer material, the releasing agent comprises the 1st releasing agent component and the 2nd releasing agent component, and the 1st releasing agent component has a content of 40-98% by weight, based on the total weight of the 1st and 2nd releasing agent components.

Abstract: An electrophotographic fixing member is provided, which is excellent in toner releasability and hard to change in rubber elasticity of a silicone rubber elastic layer. The fixing member is laminated with a substrate, a cured silicone rubber layer, a cured silicone rubber adhesive layer and a fluorine resin layer, wherein when infrared light absorption strength ratios (1020 cm?1/1260 cm?1) at 1020 cm?1 and 1260 cm?1 determined by sampling the portions of 5 ?m and 20 ?m from the outer surface of the cured silicone rubber layer are taken as ?(5) and ?(20), respectively, a relationship of ?(5) and ?(20) satisfies 1.03??(5)/?(20)?1.30 and ?(20) is 0.8 or more and 1.2 or less.

Abstract: A fixing device includes: a fixing member that is driven to rotate; a pressurizing member that is rotated in accordance with rotation of the fixing member while pressing the fixing member, and that forms a pressing portion through which a recording medium passes, the pressing portion being formed between the pressurizing member and the fixing member; and a surface shape adjusting member that has a surface including plural spherical projections and that rotates with the surface being in contact with the fixing member.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image heating apparatus. The image heating apparatus includes a rotatable heating member for heating an image on a recording material in a nip portion, and a heating unit for heating the heating member from the outside thereof. With this structure, a warm-up time period or a first print-out time period can be reduced, and low power consumption can be accomplished. Further, satisfactory image quality can be realized with no heating (fixing) irregularity. The heating member has a low thermal conductive elastic layer, and a heat storage layer outside the low thermal conductive elastic layer to have a volume heat capacity larger than the low thermal conductive elastic layer. A heat capacity of the heat storage layer per unit surface area of a fixing member is in a range of 100 J/m2K to 600 J/m2K.

Abstract: The present invention provides a glossing apparatus including first and second heating rotating members which contact each other to form a nip part, an toner image on a recording material being heated in the nip part; a cooling unit which cools the recording material, moved while contacting the first heating rotating member, before the recording material is separated from the first heating rotating member; and a mode performing unit which performs a high-gloss mode and a low-gloss mode, the recording material is conveyed to and heated by the nip part such that the toner image contact the first heating rotating member in the high-gloss mode, the recording material is conveyed to and heated by the nip part such that the toner image contact the second heating rotating member in the low-gloss mode.

Abstract: Provided is a fixing device capable of preventing occurrence of a hot-offset phenomenon even with use of a low-temperature fixable toner. In the fixing device, the first, second heater lamp heats the first, second fixing belt to a predetermined temperature which is higher than or equal to the melting point of the crystalline polyester contained in the toner constituting a toner image borne on a recording paper sheet, whereupon the toner image is fused into place. Then, first and second cooling portions respectively cool the first and second fixing belts down to a predetermined temperature which is higher than or equal to the melting point of the release agent contained in the toner constituting the toner image but lower than the melting point of the crystalline polyester.

Abstract: A heat roller having a cylindrical sheet-like heating element having a resistance member embedded in an insulating member. The sheet-like heating element is arranged between an inner tube and an outer tube. The outer tube is formed so as to be longer than the inner tube for reducing non-uniformity in heat of the heat roller. Further, a thermal expansion coefficient of a material of the outer tube is greater than that of a material of the inner tube. Moreover, a triple-tube heat roller is provided.

Abstract: A surface temperature of a heat regulated printer element is accurately controlled by providing at least a layer of a rubber material with a phase change material dispersed therein. A method of printing uses an image receiving intermediate carrier including at least a layer of a rubber material with a phase change material dispersed therein.

Abstract: An image-fixing method contains: passing a recording medium bearing an image through a nip between two or more fixing members to fix the image onto the recording medium; and ejecting the recording medium along with the fixing member contacting with a non-image-bearing surface of the recording medium, wherein the fixing member contacting with an image-bearing surface of the recording medium has a lower surface hardness than that of the fixing member contacting with the non-image-bearing surface, the image is comprised of a toner containing toner particles, each toner particle contains wax having an aliphatic hydrocarbon chain, and polyester resin having an aromatic ring, a total amount of the wax in the toner particle is 1 to 20 mass %, determined by DSC, an amount of the wax located in the specific region of the toner particle is 0.05 to 0.40 that is an intensity ratio (P2850/P828) determined by FTIR-ATR, and the wax is partially or entirely encapsulated in the toner particle as dispersed particles.

Abstract: A toner composition including toner particles including a binder resin including a modified polyester resin, and a second resin having a weight average molecular weight of from 2,000 to 10,000; a colorant; a release agent; and a particulate material which is present at least a surface portion of the toner particles while embedded into the surface portion, wherein the binder resin has a glass transition temperature not lower than 35° C. and lower than 55° C., and wherein the particulate material has an average particle diameter of from 0.002 to 0.2 times that of the toner particles. A developer including the toner composition and a carrier having a layer thereon which includes at least an acrylic resin and a silicone resin, and a method for fixing an image of the toner composition are also provided.

Abstract: A roll useful in fusing marking material to a print sheet includes a coating disposed on at least a portion of the inner surface thereof. A lamp disposed inside the roll supplies radiant energy to the inner surface. The coating changes its absorptivity (such as color) as desired, to obtain specific desired temperatures at different portions of the roll. The coating can be thermochromic, changing its absorptivity in response to local temperature; or electrochromic, changing its absorptivity in response to an external electrical stimulus.

Abstract: All objective is to provide an image forming method by which sufficient fixing strength can be obtained at a low temperature of 120° C., excellent print images with no belt-like like or streak image defect can be obtained, and no document offsetting is generated even though the superimposed print images are stored. Disclosed is an image forming method comprising the step of fixing a toner image formed with a toner comprising a releasing agent on a transfer material employing a contact-heating fixing device comprising a heating roller and a belt-shaped pressure body, wherein the heating roller is placed on the upper side of the transfer material, the releasing agent comprises the 1st releasing agent component and the 2nd releasing agent component, and the 1st releasing agent component has a content of 40-98% by weight, based on the total weight of the 1st and 2nd releasing agent components.

Abstract: A toner composition including toner particles including a binder resin including a modified polyester resin, and a second resin having a weight average molecular weight of from 2,000 to 10,000; a colorant; a release agent; and a particulate material which is present at least a surface portion of the toner particles while embedded into the surface portion, wherein the binder resin has a glass transition temperature not lower than 35° C. and lower than 55° C., and wherein the particulate material has an average particle diameter of from 0.002 to 0.2 times that of the toner particles. A developer including the toner composition and a carrier having a layer thereon which includes at least an acrylic resin and a silicone resin, and a method for fixing an image of the toner composition are also provided.