Abstract: A rotator driver includes an endless rotator having an end face in a longitudinal direction thereof. A slide aid contacts an inner circumferential face of the endless rotator. A lubricant is applied between the slide aid and the inner circumferential face of the endless rotator. An end face contact member contacts the end face of the endless rotator and has an end face opposed face contacting the end face of the endless rotator and an opposite face being opposite to the end face opposed face. A helical gear is mounted on the opposite face of the end face contact member. The helical gear has teeth being oriented to generate a force that moves the end face contact member toward the end face of the endless rotator as the helical gear rotates. The helical gear has an outer diameter being not greater than an outer diameter of the endless rotator.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body casing, a drum cartridge, a developing cartridge and an intermediate transfer belt. The drum cartridge is removably insertable into to the main body casing in a first direction. The developing cartridge is removably insertable into the main body casing in the first direction. The drum cartridge includes a first handle. The first handle has a first recess having a first hollow. The developing cartridge includes a second handle. The second handle has a second recess having a second hollow.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes an endless first rotary member, a heating element, a second rotary member configured to form a nip portion, and a nip member configured to receive radiant heat from the heating element and heat the nip portion. The nip member includes a main-body portion that contains aluminum or aluminum alloy and a protective layer that includes an oxide film formed on a surface of the main-body portion. The main-body portion contains a heat receiving surface that faces the heating element and receives radiant heat from the heating element, and a rubbed surface that is rubbed against the inner circumferential surface of the first rotary member. The protective layer contains coloring agent that causes an emissivity of the heat receiving surface and the rubbed surface to be higher than an emissivity of a natural color oxide film.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an annular belt having an outer circumferential surface, and a facing member that faces the outer circumferential surface of the annular belt to form a nip region. The annular belt is configured so that in measurement of a hardness of the outer circumferential surface using a hardness tester, a ratio (A/B) of a first hardness value (A) to a second hardness value (B) is 0.738 or more and 0.837 or less. The first hardness value (A) represents a measured value at a time when a measurement time corresponding to a time required for a predetermined point on the outer circumferential surface to pass through the nip region has elapsed after start of the hardness measurement. The second hardness value (B) represents a measured value at a time when the measured value by the hardness tester is saturated.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of members for forming an image; a transmitting unit configured to transmit a sonic wave; a receiving unit configured to receive a first sonic wave that has been transmitted from the transmitting unit and has passed through a sheet and a second sonic wave that is generated from at least one of the plurality of members; a detection unit configured to detect information regarding a type or state of the sheet based on the first sonic wave; and a determination unit configured to determine a state of a member that has generated the second sonic wave based on the second sonic wave.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device that forms an image on a recording material, a forming device storage space storing the image forming device, a temperature adjustment space where a temperature adjustment device adjusts temperature, and a supply unit that supplies air in the temperature adjustment space into the forming device storage space.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a heater, a fixing rotator, a first temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor, a contact rotator, and circuitry. The fixing rotator has an outer circumferential surface having a first area and a second area. The first area contacts both a first sheet and a second sheet having a width narrower than the width of the first sheet. The second area contacts the first sheet but does not contact the second sheet. The first temperature sensor detects a first temperature of the first area. The second temperature sensor detects a second temperature of the second area. The contact rotator contacts both the first area and the second area and rotates at the one of at least two relative velocities with respect to the fixing rotator. The circuitry sets one of the at least two relative velocities based on the first temperature and the second temperature.

Abstract: A heating unit urging member urges a first support body of a heating unit toward a second support body of a fixing unit with elastic force. The heating unit urging member brings the first support body into contact with the second support body and brings the second support body into contact with two struts. An interlocking mechanism moves the heating unit along a direction in which the heating unit and the fixing unit are arranged, in conjunction with movement of an operation portion. When the operation portion moves from a first position to a second position, the interlocking mechanism moves the first support body from a reference position where the first support body is in contact with the second support body to a retracted position where the first support body is separated from the second support body.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a forming unit, a heating unit, a temperature sensor, and a driving unit. The forming unit is configured to attach toner to a recording medium to form an image on the recording medium. The heating unit is configured to heat the toner that is attached to the recording medium by the forming unit to fix the image to the recording medium. The temperature sensor is configured to detect a temperature of the heating unit. The vibration unit is configured to apply vibration to the temperature sensor in a waiting period in which the image formation by the forming unit is not executed and the heating control by the heating unit is executed.

Abstract: A sheet heating device includes: a heat roller including a lamp heater; a fixing frame supporting end parts of the heat roller and the lamp heater; and a heat-insulating cover member provided outside of the fixing frame. The fixing frame is disposed so as to cover the space above the heat roller. A plurality of heat retention spaces is provided inside of the cover member so as to be partitioned from one another and to be opened toward the fixing frame.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless fixing belt, a heating roller that heats the fixing belt, a steering roller, and a pressurization rotating member. The steering roller is controlled to swing to move the fixing belt to a prescribed position. The pressurization rotating member pressurizes and forms a fixing nip portion with the fixing belt. When a recording material bearing unfixed toner is nipped and conveyed to the fixing nip portion, an unfixed toner image is fixed to the recording material. A single inclination operation that inclines the steering roller results in an inclination angle that is smaller when a recording material having a length greater than a predetermined length in a recording material conveying direction is conveyed to the fixing nip portion than when a recording material having a length less than or equal to the predetermined length in the conveying direction is conveyed to the fixing nip portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control unit configured to execute a first mode and a second mode. The first mode is a mode in which a toner image is formed on a sheet at a time when a sheet passes through an image formation position for a first time after detecting a property of the sheet by a detection unit. Wherein the second mode is a mode in which a toner image is not formed on a sheet at the time when the sheet passes through the image formation position for the first time after detecting the property of the sheet by the detection unit and is formed on the sheet at a time when the sheet is conveyed via the second conveyance path and passes through the image formation position for a second time.

Abstract: A pressing device includes a pressure lever that is platy and has a thickness t. The pressure lever pivots. A cam presses the pressure lever. A cam follower is mounted on the pressure lever and disposed opposite the cam. The cam follower transmits pressure from the cam to the pressure lever. The cam follower has a contact face that contacts the cam and a side face that is perpendicular to the contact face. The contact face has a length W in a thickness direction of the pressure lever and a length L1 in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the pressure lever. The length L1 is defined from a contact position where the cam follower contacts the cam to the side face of the cam follower. The thickness t, the length W, and the length L1 satisfy a relation defined by L1?0.6×(W?t)/2+0.2.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an image forming apparatus includes a fixer including a rotating body and a heating member to heat the rotating body. A temperature sensor is positioned to detect a temperature of the rotating body and output a temperature detection result. A heating control circuit is configured to estimate the temperature of the rotating body based on the temperature detection result, a power supply voltage value, an energization pulse setting for controlling the heating member, a heat capacity of the fixer, and a heat resistance of the fixer. The control circuit generates an energization pulse for controlling power supplied to the heating member based on the estimated temperature and the temperature detection result. A controller detects a variation in the heat capacity of the fixer device and supplies a correction amount for the heat capacity corresponding to the detected variation to the heating control circuit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a fixing unit, first and second rotating members, and a discharge unit to discharge a recording material to an outside. The fixing unit fixes an image from the image forming unit onto the recording material. The first rotating member comes into contact with and guides the image bearing recording material, and is driven to rotate by conveyance of the recording material. The second rotating member comes into contact with the image bearing recording material more on a downstream side than the first rotating member in a conveyance direction of the recording material, guides the recording material, and is driven to rotate by conveyance of the recording material. The first rotating member does not perform swinging motion by coming into contact with the recording material, and the second rotating member performs swinging motion by coming into contact with the recording material.

Abstract: A pressing device includes a rotator, a secured member, a pressure rotator, and lubricant. The rotator has flexibility and a sleeve form and includes an inner portion having a sliding surface. The inner portion has an elastic power of 55% or more. The secured member is inside a loop of the rotator and has a slide surface on which the sliding surface of the rotator is to slide. The slide surface has a smaller surface roughness than a surface roughness of the sliding surface. The pressure rotator presses the rotator against the secured member and forms a nip between the rotator and the pressure rotator. The lubricant between the rotator and the secured member has a consistency of 275 or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main casing, a drum cartridge and a developing cartridge. The drum cartridge may include a first handle positioned at a first end of a frame of the drum cartridge. The developing cartridge may include a second handle positioned at a first end of a developing casing the developing cartridge. The main casing may include a first edge surface in the axial direction and a second edge surface opposite the first edge surface in the axial direction. The second handle may extend farther from the second edge surface than the first handle extends from the second edge surface in the axial direction in a state where the drum cartridge and the developing cartridge are attached to the main casing.

Abstract: A printing drum mounting system and method of assembling the mounting system. The mounting system comprising a rotatable shaft; a first mount and a second mount arrangeable on the shaft to clamp a printing drum therebetween, wherein the first mount comprises a first engaging surface to form a mating contact with a corresponding first end surface of the printing drum and the second mount comprises a second engaging surface to form a mating contact with a corresponding end surface of the printing drum; a double-walled flexure to flexibly mount the first engaging surface and the shaft, the flexure to provide the first engaging surface with a single degree of freedom of axial movement relative to the shaft and to maintain mating contact between the first engaging surface and the first end surface of the printing drum as the printing drum thermally expands and contracts; and a releasable fixing to align and rigidly engage the second engaging surface relative to the shaft.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a fixing belt, a steering roller, a pressure rotation member, and a control unit. The pressure rotation member forms a nip portion with the fixing belt to convey a recording material. In continuously performing fixing on recording materials, the control unit controls the steering roller such that a distance between a center position of the fixing belt when an operation to tilt the steering roller is performed for a first time after the center position is moved away from a center position of a moving range of the fixing belt and the center position of the moving range is smaller in a period after a last but one recording material before the pressure rotation member enters a separated state from the fixing belt passes through the nip portion than in a period before the recording material passes through the nip portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a drum cartridge and developing cartridge. The drum cartridge may include a photosensitive drum rotatable about a first axis extending in an axial direction. The developing cartridge may include a developing roller rotatable about a second axis extending in the axial direction. The image forming apparatus may include a main casing including a slot extending in the axial direction. The image forming apparatus may include a first inner surface positioned inside of the slot, and a second inner surface positioned inside of the slot farther from the cover in the axial direction than the first inner surface from the cover in the axial direction. The first and second inner surfaces may be configured to press the developing roller toward the photosensitive drum.