Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a fixing belt, a heating roller, a nip portion forming member, a pressing rotary member, a suspending roller, and an urging unit. The heating roller is in contact with an inner surface of the fixing belt and heats the fixing belt. The suspending roller has a center and both ends in an area where the fixing belt and the suspending roller are in contact with each other in a width direction of the suspending roller. Outside diameters at both ends are greater than an outside diameter at the suspending roller center by a value between 50 micrometer and 300 micrometer, inclusive. The urging unit urges the suspending roller from the inner surface of the fixing belt toward an outer circumference surface of the fixing belt. A force that the urging unit applies to the suspending roller ranges between 50 newtons and 100 newtons, inclusive.

Abstract: A fixing device includes a rotatable endless belt, a pressing roller and a fixing pad. The pressing roller contacts an outer peripheral surface of the belt and forms a nip portion in cooperation with the belt. A toner image is formed in the nip portion and fixed onto the recording material by application of heat and pressure. The fixing pad contacts an inner peripheral surface of the belt. The fixing pad includes a contact area in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the belt. The contact area includes a downstream end portion with respect to a conveyance direction of the recording material. The downstream end portion includes a central portion and both end portions with respect to a widthwise direction of the belt. The central portion locates downstream of the both end portions with respect to the conveyance direction.

Abstract: A fixing device includes an endless and rotatable belt of which an inner peripheral surface is applied with lubricant, a heater, a rotatable member to rotatably contact the belt and a nip forming member in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the belt. The nip forming member includes a holding portion, an upstream sliding portion and a downstream sliding portion. The downstream and upstream sliding portions have first and second sliding surfaces sliding with the inner peripheral surface of the belt, respectively. The second sliding surface has a curved shape, and when a force applied to the belt with respect to a length of the second sliding surface is defined as w (N/mm) and a curvature radius of the second sliding surface is defined as R (mm), R/w of the second sliding surface is equal to 5 (mm2/N) or larger and equal to 80 (mm2/N) or less.

Abstract: A heater 600 includes a substrate 610 and a plurality of heat generating elements 623a to 623f which are provided on both surfaces of the substrate 610 and which generate heat, and heats a fixing belt in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt. The plurality of heat generating elements 623a to 623f are different from each other in length with respect to a widthwise direction, and a plurality of the heat generating elements are provided on a front surface of the substrate 610 which is a side where the heater 600 contacts the inner peripheral surface of the fixing belt 600, and at least one of the heat generating elements is provided on a back surface.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus including first and second rotatable members, first and second cooling fans, an air blowing port, a shutter member, a shutter controller, and a fan controller. The first cooling fan is provided at a position opposing a first region which is a part of an end portion region of the first rotatable member on one end side. The second cooling fan is provided at a position opposing a second region which is part of the end portion region. The second region is adjacent to the first region with respect to the longitudinal direction. The shutter controller is configured to control a position of the shutter member depending on a width size of a recording material. The fan controller is configured to independently control an operation of the first cooling fan and an operation of the second cooling fan depending on the width size of the recording material.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control portion configured to output, in a test mode, a recording member which has passed through a fixing nip portion in a case of a first temperature difference in which a center part temperature of a first rotary member is higher than an end part temperature of the first rotary member and a recording member which has passed through the fixing nip portion in a case of a second temperature difference in which the center part temperature is lower than the end part temperature by one operation of starting test mode to the input portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a control portion configured to output, in a test mode, a recording member which has passed through a fixing nip portion in a case of a first temperature difference in which a center part temperature of a first rotary member is higher than an end part temperature of the first rotary member and a recording member which has passed through the fixing nip portion in a case of a second temperature difference in which the center part temperature is lower than the end part temperature by one operation of starting test mode to the input portion.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, an image heating apparatus including an image heating unit, a rotatable pressing roller, and an information storing portion; a reading portion; a counter portion; a display portion; and a controller. The controller controls the counter portion so that a) when the image heating apparatus mounted is exchanged with an image heating apparatus including a new image heating unit, on the basis of information of the information storing portion, the count value of the image heating apparatus, the count value of the image heating unit and the count value of the rotatable pressing member are reset, and b) when only the image heating unit mounted is exchanged with a new one, the count value of the image heating unit is reset and the count value of the rotatable pressing member is not reset.

Abstract: A pair of rotary members nips and conveys a recording material and a heating element heats a toner image on the recording material via the pair of rotary members. A separating mechanism separates the pair of rotary members. A heating time recording portion records a cumulative length of a period during which the pair of rotary members in an abutted state is heated as a first heating time and a cumulative length of the period during which the pair of rotary members in a separated state is heated as a second heating time. A determining portion determines a remaining lifetime of the pair of rotary members using the first and second heating times and data indicating a relationship between length of the period during which the pair of rotary members is heated and decrease in lifetime of the pair of rotary members.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotary member, a web, a moving unit, a detecting unit configured to detect a predetermined position, and a control portion. The control portion informs, in a case where an actual moving amount per one winding operation is a first moving amount, the replacement of the web, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the predetermined position is detected reaches a first number of sheets. The control portion informs, in a case where the actual moving amount per one winding operation is a second moving amount which is greater than the first moving amount, the replacement of the web, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the predetermined position is detected reaches a second number of sheets which is less than the first number of sheets.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes first and second rotatable members for forming a nip for heating a toner image on a recording material while feeding the recording material; first and second cooling fans for cooling an end portion region of the first rotatable member on one end side, the first cooling fan being provided at a position opposing a first region which is a part of the end portion region, and the second cooling fan being provided at a position opposing a second region which is a region being a part of the end portion region and being adjacent to the first region with respect to the longitudinal direction and which is closer to an end portion of the first rotatable member on the one end side than the first region is; an air blowing port for sending air by the first and second cooling fans toward the first rotatable member; a shutter member capable of changing an opening width of the air blowing port; a shutter controller for controlling a position of the shutter member depending on a width size o

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, an image heating apparatus including an image heating unit, a rotatable pressing roller, and an information storing portion; a reading portion; a counter portion; a display portion; and a controller. The controller controls the counter portion so that a) when the image heating apparatus mounted is exchanged with an image heating apparatus including a new image heating unit, on the basis of information of the information storing portion, the count value of the image heating apparatus, the count value of the image heating unit and the count value of the rotatable pressing member are reset, and b) when only the image heating unit mounted is exchanged with a new one, the count value of the image heating unit is reset and the count value of the rotatable pressing member is not reset.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotary member, a web, a moving unit, a detecting unit configured to detect a predetermined position, and a control portion. The control portion informs, in a case where an actual moving amount per one winding operation is a first moving amount, the replacement of the web, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the predetermined position is detected reaches a first number of sheets. The control portion informs, in a case where the actual moving amount per one winding operation is a second moving amount which is greater than the first moving amount, the replacement of the web, if a number of sheets of recording materials on which images have been formed after the predetermined position is detected reaches a second number of sheets which is less than the first number of sheets.

Abstract: A pair of rotary members nips and conveys a recording material and a heating element heats a toner image on the recording material via the pair of rotary members. A separating mechanism separates the pair of rotary members. A heating time recording portion records a cumulative length of a period during which the pair of rotary members in an abutted state is heated as a first heating time and a cumulative length of the period during which the pair of rotary members in a separated state is heated as a second heating time. A determining portion determines a remaining lifetime of the pair of rotary members using the first and second heating times and data indicating a relationship between length of the period during which the pair of rotary members is heated and decrease in lifetime of the pair of rotary members.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes a controller configured to control a temperature at which energization to a heater is turned off, depending on a detection temperature of a detecting portion, wherein, when a temperature rise rate per unit time of the detection temperature of the detecting portion is a first rise rate, the controller turns off the energization to the heater in response to the detection temperature reaching a first temperature, and, when the temperature rise rate per unit time is a second rise rate that is less than the first rise rate, the controller turns off the energization to the heater in response to the detection temperature reaching a second temperature that is greater than the first temperature.

Abstract: Provided is an endless belt-shaped electrophotographic member having a superior durability. The member comprises an endless belt-shaped substrate and a surface layer, the surface layer comprising an ionizing radiation crosslinked product of a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA), the surface layer is formed by irradiation of electron beam to a resin layer, the resin layer comprising the PFA, the surface layer has a universal hardness HU at 200° C. of 18 N/mm2?HU?40 N/mm2, and when a degree of orientation of the PFA in the resin layer in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the substrate is defined as Ri, and a degree of orientation of the crosslinked PFA in the surface layer in the direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the substrate is defined as Rf, Ri and Rf satisfy a relationship represented by expression (1): Ri×0.8?Rf?Ri??(1).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an image forming portion, and a fixing portion including a first rotatable member and a second rotatable member that form a nip, and a detecting portion configured to detect a temperature of the first rotatable member. An acquiring portion acquires a rotation time of the first rotatable member, and a notifying portion provides a notification prompting exchange of the first rotatable member on the basis of an accumulated value of the rotation time of the first rotatable member acquired by the acquiring portion, the rotation time being subjected to weighting on the basis of the temperature of the first rotatable member detected by the detecting portion.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus includes an endless belt, a rotatable member, a heater, a temperature detecting portion, and a controller configured to control a temperature, at which energization to the heater is turned off, depending on a temperature rise rate per unit time of a detection temperature of the temperature detecting portion. When the temperature rise rate is a first rise rate, the controller turns off the energization to the heater in response to that the detection temperature reaches a first temperature. When the temperature rise rate is a second rise rate lower than the first rise rate, the controller turns off the energization to the heater in response to that the detection temperature reaches a second temperature higher than the first temperature.

Abstract: Provided is an endless belt-shaped electrophotographic member having a superior durability. The member comprises an endless belt-shaped substrate and a surface layer, the surface layer comprising an ionizing radiation crosslinked product of a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether copolymer (PFA), the surface layer is formed by irradiation of electron beam to a resin layer, the resin layer comprising the PFA, the surface layer has a universal hardness HU at 200° C. of 18 N/mm2?HU?40 N/mm2, and when a degree of orientation of the PFA in the resin layer in a direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the substrate is defined as Ri, and a degree of orientation of the crosslinked PFA in the surface layer in the direction orthogonal to the circumferential direction of the substrate is defined as Rf, Ri and Rf satisfy a relationship represented by expression (1): Ri×0.8?Rf?Ri??(1).

Abstract: A fixing apparatus including a flexible belt having a heat generating layer, an outer ring provided on one edge side of the belt and along an outer peripheral surface of the belt, the outer ring being electrically connected to the heat generating layer, an inner ring provided on the one edge side of the belt and along an inner peripheral surface of the belt to face the outer ring through the belt, and a power supply unit that is electrically connected to the outer ring and that feeds power. A difference obtained by subtracting a diameter of the inner ring at a normal temperature from a diameter of the inner ring at a fixing temperature is equivalent to or larger than a difference obtained by subtracting a diameter of the outer ring at the normal temperature from a diameter of the outer ring at the fixing temperature.