Abstract: One end portion of a resin tube kept in a diameter expanded state by a plurality of diameter expanding claws is disengaged from the diameter expanding claws and is shifted onto an outer peripheral surface of a die by applying a pressing force toward the other end portion of the resin tube to an end surface of the one end portion of the resin tube.

Abstract: One end portion of a resin tube kept in a diameter expanded state by a plurality of diameter expanding claws is disengaged from the diameter expanding claws and is shifted onto an outer peripheral surface of a die by applying a pressing force toward the other end portion of the resin tube to an end surface of the one end portion of the resin tube.

Abstract: Provided is an electrophotographic rotatable pressing member having further durability. The electrophotographic rotatable pressing member includes: a substrate; and an elastic layer formed on the substrate, the elastic layer containing a silicone rubber and a needle-shaped filler dispersed in the silicone rubber and having hollow parts, wherein, when cutting the elastic layer along a cross section including a center axis of the substrate in a longitudinal direction of the electrophotographic rotatable pressing member, and a total of each sectional area of the hollow parts in a unit area A2 of a cross-sectional surface is defined as A1, a standard deviation of an area ratio A1/A2 is 0.08 or less.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first forming unit that forms a first image with a substantially flat toner containing a substantially flat metal pigment on a moving movable body; a second forming unit that forms a second image with a substantially non-flat toner on the movable body; a transfer unit that forms a nip with the movable body while circulating and transfers the first image and the second image on a medium transported to the nip; a removing unit that includes a rotational body and removes the toners adhering to the transfer unit, the rotational body having an axis and being configured to rotate around the axis; and a controller that, if the controller causes the first forming unit to form the first image, stops the rotation of the rotational body around the axis.

Abstract: One end portion of a resin tube kept in a diameter expanded state by a plurality of diameter expanding claws is disengaged from the diameter expanding claws and is shifted onto an outer peripheral surface of a die by applying a pressing force toward the other end portion of the resin tube to an end surface of the one end portion of the resin tube.

Abstract: A method for producing an electrically conductive seamless tube includes (1) preparing an electrically conductive resin composition containing a thermoplastic resin and an electrically conductive filler, (2) preparing a cylindrical extruding die including a cylindrical slit, at least one circumferential distribution channel communicating with the slit and distributing the resin composition that is plasticized in a circumferential direction of the slit, and at least one lead-in path that leads the plasticized resin composition into the circumferential distribution channel, the lead-in path containing a line mixer; (3) introducing the plasticized resin composition into the lead-in path toward the circumferential distribution channel; (4) introducing the plasticized resin composition flowing through the lead-in path into the circumferential distribution channel toward the slit; and (5) introducing the resin composition flowing through the circumferential distribution channel into the slit and extruding the resin

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a first forming unit that forms a first image with a substantially flat toner containing a substantially flat metal pigment on a moving movable body; a second forming unit that forms a second image with a substantially non-flat toner on the movable body; a transfer unit that forms a nip with the movable body while circulating and transfers the first image and the second image on a medium transported to the nip; a removing unit that includes a rotational body and removes the toners adhering to the transfer unit, the rotational body having an axis and being configured to rotate around the axis; and a controller that, if the controller causes the first forming unit to form the first image, stops the rotation of the rotational body around the axis.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion that forms a toner image using a screen; a first transfer member that transfers the toner image formed by the image forming portion to a rotating transfer belt; a second transfer member that transfers the toner image transferred to the transfer belt by the first transfer member to a recording medium; and a controller that differentiates between, in a transfer area of the transfer belt to which the toner image is transferred by the first transfer member a screen that is used to form a toner image to be transferred to the transfer area in a preceding print cycle and a screen that is used to form a toner image to be transferred to this transfer area for the first time after the transfer belt has been rotated and the toner image has been second-transferred to a recording medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes first and second forming units that form first and second to-be-transferred images and first and second not-to-be-transferred images with first and second toners, respectively, the first toner containing a metal pigment; a transfer body to which the first and second to-be-transferred and not-to-be-transferred images are to be transferred; a transfer member that transfers the first and second to-be-transferred images to a recording medium at a transfer nip between the transfer member and the transfer body; and a removing member that removes, with an electrostatic force, the first and second toners forming the first and second not-to-be-transferred images from the transfer member. In a transfer mode, the first not-to-be-transferred image is transferred to a position that do not overlap the recording medium to be introduced into the transfer nip after the first not-to-be-transferred image when seen in a direction of introduction of the recording medium.

Abstract: A packaging machine includes a pair of grips holding vicinities of two sides of a bag mouth of a packaging bag, a moving body to intermittently moving the paired grips every one of a plurality of packaging steps, and a paper packaging bag sealing device provided in a section where a sealing step is carried out, for sealing a paper packaging bag to which a sealing adhesive agent has been applied.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes first and second forming units that form first and second to-be-transferred images and first and second not-to-be-transferred images with first and second toners, respectively, the first toner containing a metal pigment; a transfer body to which the first and second to-be-transferred and not-to-be-transferred images are to be transferred; a transfer member that transfers the first and second to-be-transferred images to a recording medium at a transfer nip between the transfer member and the transfer body; and a removing member that removes, with an electrostatic force, the first and second toners forming the first and second not-to-be-transferred images from the transfer member. In a transfer mode, the first not-to-be-transferred image is transferred to a position that do not overlap the recording medium to be introduced into the transfer nip after the first not-to-be-transferred image when seen in a direction of introduction of the recording medium.

Abstract: A module includes a base substrate, a flexible substrate including a first portion that is disposed on the substrate and a second portion that is bent from an end of the first portion toward the first portion, and a terminal exposed at the second portion of the flexible substrate. Another module includes a substrate, a convex portion disposed on the substrate, a terminal disposed on the substrate, and a first conductive member including a first portion which is disposed on the substrate and the terminal and is connected to the terminal, and a second portion extending from the first portion and along the surface of the convex portion.

Abstract: A developing device includes a first developer holder and a second developer holder. The first developer holder is disposed so as to face an image holding member and rotates so as to move in a direction opposite to a direction of movement of the image holding member at a first facing portion. The second developer holder is disposed downstream from the first developer holder in the direction of movement of the image holding member so as to face the image holding member and rotates so as to move in the same direction as the image holding member moves at a second facing portion. A value obtained by dividing an amount of developer per unit area held on the first developer holder by a shortest distance between the image holding member and the first developer holder is approximately in a range from 1.00×103 kg/m3 to 1.60×103 kg/m3.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for analyzing, in detail, the epigenetic state of stem cells. The present invention provides a method for identifying stem cells, which comprises analyzing the patterns of methylation and demethylation of chromosomal DNA extracted from test stem cells, and correlating the analyzed patterns with the properties of the test stem cells.

Abstract: A packaging machine includes a shaping device including a conveyor drive mechanism and a bottom tapping mechanism and shaping a packaging bag filled with article so that the bag has a predetermined thickness. The conveyor drive mechanism includes a pair of side conveyors movable forward and backward. The conveyors are capable of pressing the bag filled with the article when moved forward. The conveyors are configured to be run in parallel to the moving direction of the bag substantially in synchronization with movement of the bag. The tapping mechanism includes a receiving plate disposed over the filling step and one or more steps following the filling step. The receiving plate is moved up and down so that the bag bottom is tapped, when the bag filled with the article is stopped between the filling step and one or more steps following the filling step.

Abstract: A packaging bag feeder in a packaging machine includes a bag magazine capable of accommodating a number of packaging bags in a stacked state, a separating mechanism which is configured to separate one of the packaging bags stacked on the bag magazine and a bag placement section on which the separated bag is placed. Every time one bag is placed on the bag placement section, the bag is held and fed to a subsequent packaging step.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to providing a fixing member that has a flexible surface and that can supply a larger amount of heat to a material to be recorded and a toner in a shorter period of time. The fixing member comprises a substrate, an elastic layer and a releasing layer, wherein thermal effusivity in a depth region from a surface of the releasing layer is 1.5 [kJ/(m2·K·sec0.5)] or more, the depth region corresponding to a thermal diffusion length when an alternating-current temperature wave having a frequency of 10 Hz is applied to the surface of the releasing layer, and a surface micro rubber hardness is 85 degrees or less.

Abstract: An electrostatic image developer includes a toner containing an external additive having a volume-average particle size of about 80 to 400 nm and an average circularity of about 0.7 to 0.85. The developer is used in an image forming apparatus including an image-carrying member having a top surface layer containing fluorocarbon resin particles, and a developer-carrying member that faces the image-carrying member and carries an electrostatic image developer, in which a value obtained by dividing the amount of developer on the developer-carrying member [g/m2] by a shortest distance between the image-carrying member and the developer-carrying member [?m] is about 0.8 to 1.8, and a peripheral velocity ratio of the developer-carrying member to the image-carrying member is about 1.5 to 5.0 or the developer-carrying member moves in a direction opposite to the image-carrying member in a facing portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion that forms a toner image using a screen; a first transfer member that transfers the toner image formed by the image forming portion to a rotating transfer belt; a second transfer member that transfers the toner image transferred to the transfer belt by the first transfer member to a recording medium; and a controller that differentiates between, in a transfer area of the transfer belt to which the toner image is transferred by the first transfer member a screen that is used to form a toner image to be transferred to the transfer area in a preceding print cycle and a screen that is used to form a toner image to be transferred to this transfer area for the first time after the transfer belt has been rotated and the toner image has been second-transferred to a recording medium.

Abstract: A developer contains a toner having an external additive deposited thereon. The developer is used with an image-forming apparatus including an image carrier including a surface layer in which fluoropolymer resin particles are dispersed and a cleaning member disposed in contact with an outer surface of the image carrier. The external additive is a nonspherical external additive whose volume average particle size is smaller than the average particle size of exposed portions of the fluoropolymer resin particles in the surface layer of the image carrier.