Abstract: There is disclosed a chuck assembly for engaging the inner surface of a hollow substrate comprising: (a) a housing having an open end and defining a passageway in communication with the open end; (b) a partially hollow elastic boot defining an entry hole and an inner surface wherein the boot when stretched decreases in cross-sectional dimension, and wherein the boot engages the housing, whereby the hollow portion of the boot is in communication with the passageway; and (c) a movable, boot stretching member disposed in the passageway and adapted to engage the inner surface of the boot, wherein movement of the member in a direction to stretch the boot decreases the cross-sectional dimension of the boot, thereby permitting insertion of the boot into the substrate, and wherein movement of the member in the opposite direction increases the cross-sectional dimension of the boot, thereby permitting engagement of the boot against the inner surface of the substrate.

Abstract: There is disclosed a dip coating apparatus including: (a) a single coating vessel capable of containing a batch of substrates vertically positioned in the vessel, wherein there is absent vessel walls defining a separate compartment for each of the substrates; (b) a coating solution disposed in the vessel, wherein the solution is comprised of materials employed in a photosensitive member and including a solvent that gives off a solvent vapor; and (c) a solvent vapor uniformity control apparatus which minimizes any difference in solvent vapor concentration encountered by the batch of the substrates in the air adjacent the solution surface, thereby improving coating uniformity of the substrates.

Abstract: The enclosed an electrostatographic printing apparatus including: (a) an imaging member capable of retaining a latent image, wherein the imaging member includes an imaging layer on a substrate comprised of a magnetic material with a magnetic permeability of at least 1.001; (b) charging apparatus for charging the surface of the imaging member, thereby resulting in a charged surface; (c) exposure apparatus for exposing a portion of the charged surface to radiation, thereby substantially discharging the exposed portion, wherein the substantially discharged, exposed portion corresponds to the image area of the latent image; and (d) a single component development apparatus for depositing toner particles on the substantially discharged, exposed portion of the imaging member.

Abstract: A method is disclosed including: (a) dip coating a batch of substrates, each substrate defining an end region, a center region, and a top region, with a first coating solution including a solvent to deposit a first layer on the end region, the center region, and optionally on a part of the top region of each substrate, wherein the first layer includes a wet coating solution bead formed at the end region of each substrate, thereby resulting in a plurality of wet coating solution beads; (b) directing a gas simultaneously at the entire plurality of the wet coating solution beads to remove a portion of the solvent in each bead, wherein the gas fails to disrupt the coating uniformity of the part of the first layer over the center region of each substrate; and (c) dip coating the batch of the substrates subsequent to (b) with a second coating solution to deposit a second layer over the first layer, wherein the portion of the solvent removed from each bead in (b) is sufficient to prevent contamination of the second

Abstract: There is disclosed a dip coating method for fabricating a photosensitive member comprising: (a) dipping a substrate into a coating solution comprised of a photosensitive material and raising the substrate, thereby depositing a coating of the photosensitive material on the substrate; and (b) dipping the substrate in the same coating solution and raising the substrate, thereby increasing the thickness of the coating.

Abstract: There is disclosed a dip coating method for fabricating a photosensitive member employing a substrate which defines a top non-imaging portion, a middle imaging portion, and a bottom non-imaging portion, wherein the method comprises: (a) immersing the bottom non-imaging portion, the middle imaging portion, and optionally a part of the top non-imaging portion of the substrate in a coating solution; (b) raising the middle imaging portion out of the coating solution; and (c) raising the bottom non-imaging portion out of the coating solution at a take-up speed which is decreasing from the take-up speed of the substrate at the junction between the middle imaging portion and the bottom non-imaging portion, thereby reducing the size of any bead on the bottom non-imaging portion.

Abstract: There is disclosed a photoreceptor material reclaim method comprising: (a) centrifuging a first photoreceptor coating solution comprised of a liquid, a photoreceptor material, and impurities, resulting in a residue composition comprised of a lower density material including a portion of the photoreceptor material and a higher density material including a portion of the impurities and a supernatant composition; (b) drying the residue composition to remove a portion of the liquid in the residue composition; (c) grinding the dried residue composition; (d) separating the lower density material from the higher density material of the dried, ground residue composition; (e) forming a second photoreceptor coating solution comprised of the lower density material obtained by (d); and (f) depositing the second photoreceptor coating solution comprised of the lower density material on a substrate.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for internally holding an at least partially hollow substrate having at least one open end. The apparatus includes a member defining a fluid passageway, a normally inflated porous material mounted on the member in communication with the fluid passageway of the member, and a mechanism, in communication with the member, for deflating the porous material, the deflating mechanism being de-energized in response to the porous material being disposed into the opening in the substrate for enabling the porous material to return to being normally inflated to hold the substrate.

Abstract: A dip coat process material handling system and method for coating multiple layers of material on a plurality of workpieces, in particular for producing a multi-layer optical photoconductive drum, wherein a plurality of pipes are suspended from a carrier pallet which transports the workpieces through a dip coat cell housing various dip coating stations. The system includes a load/unload station, vertical and horizontal transport systems for transporting the carrier pallet having workpieces loaded thereon to the various dip coating stations, a drying/cooling booth, and a return conveyor system. The invention allows complete dip coat processing to be completed in an in-line configuration while the workpieces are attached to the carrier pallet, thereby eliminating load/unload steps at each dip coating station to provide efficient and flexible processing of materials.

Abstract: A mandrel for transporting a hollow cylinder including an elongated arm, a dish shaped disk adjacent one end of the elongated arm, the dish shaped disk having a flexible lip flared inclined away from the elongated arm, the flared flexible lip having a circular outermost edge, and a reciprocable presser means adapted to partially flatten at least a portion of the flexible lip adjacent to and including the outermost edge of the lip toward the elongated arm to increase the length of the circumference of the circular outermost edge of the lip. This mandrel is used in a process for coating hollow cylinders.

Abstract: A mandrel for transporting a hollow cylinder including an elongated arm having an imaginary axis, an expandable disk shaped member having at least one hole and a circular outermost edge, the disk shaped member being mounted on and coaxially aligned with one end of the arm and including an elastomeric polymer material having a durometer of between about 25 and about 35 and a maximum continuous use temperature rating of at least about 230.degree. C., and means mounted on the mandrel to apply compressive pressure to the disk shaped member to increase the length of the circumference of the circular outermost edge. This mandrel is used in a process for coating hollow cylinders.