Abstract: A powder material for three-dimensional modeling includes a base particle and a resin including a first water soluble resin and a second water soluble resin, wherein a first aqueous solution of the first water soluble resin having a concentration of two percent by mass has a thermally reversible sol-gel phase transition and is gelated at temperatures higher than a first phase transition temperature of the first aqueous solution.

Abstract: Provided is a three-dimensional object formation method for forming a three-dimensional object by at least repeating: forming a powder material layer using a powder material for three-dimensional object formation containing a base material coated with an organic material; and hardening a predetermined region of the powder material layer by delivering a hardening liquid to the powder material layer formed in the formation of a powder material layer, where the hardening liquid contains a cross-linking agent cross-linkable with the organic material.

Abstract: A powder for 3D modeling includes a base particle and a resin having a functional group represented by the following Chemical formula 1, where A1 represents O or NH and R1, R2, and R3 each, independently represent CH3, C2H5, C3H7, or C4H9. The base particle is covered with the resin.

Abstract: Provided is a cleaning blade formed of an elastic blade and configured to abut on the surface of a cleaning target member, which allows a leading end edge portion of the elastic blade to move on the surface thereof, to remove powder from the surface of the cleaning target member. A blade surface of the elastic blade, which has the leading end edge portion of the elastic blade on one side thereof and faces the surface of the cleaning target member, has a Martens hardness of 1.2 N/mm2 or greater when it is indented by 5 ?m at a location that is 20 ?m away from the leading end edge portion, a Martens hardness of 1 N/mm2 or less when it is indented by 20 ?m at the location, and an elastic power of 70% or greater when it is indented by 5 ?m at the location.

Abstract: A fixing member having a roller shape or a seamless belt shape for fixing toner is provided. The fixing member includes an elastic layer; an adhesive layer located overlying the elastic layer; and a release layer including a particulate material, which is arranged along the surface of the adhesive layer.

Abstract: A toner hearing member includes: an electric conductive support; an insulating layer provided on the electric conductive support; a plurality of electrodes located on the insulating layer so that each electrode is separated from one another with a certain space; and a surface layer covering the insulating layer and the electrodes, wherein the surface layer contains a crosslink reaction product of a fluororesin, or a crosslink reaction product of a (meth)acrylate compound, or both thereof.

Abstract: A cleaning blade, including a strip-shaped elastic blade to contact the surface of a member to be cleaned, traveling on an edge line of the elastic blade, to remove a powder from the surface thereof, wherein the edge line of the elastic blade is impregnated with an ultraviolet curable resin including a fluorinated acrylic monomer, a surface layer harder than the elastic blade is formed on each of an under surface thereof, having the edge line as one line of the under surface and facing the member, and an apical surface thereof, having the edge line as one line of the apical surface and being parallel to a direction of the thickness thereof, and the apical surface is impregnated with the ultraviolet curable resin at a depth of from 50 to 150 ?m and the under surface is impregnated therewith at a depth of from 20 to 100 ?m.

Abstract: A fixing member to fix toner on a recording medium includes a heat-resistant elastic layer and a release layer. The release layer includes a particle layer. The particle layer includes heat-resistant fine particles arranged in a surface direction on a surface of the heat-resistant elastic layer.

Abstract: Provided is a cleaning blade formed of an elastic blade and configured to abut on the surface of a cleaning target member, which allows a leading end edge portion of the elastic blade to move on the surface thereof, to remove powder from the surface of the cleaning target member. A blade surface of the elastic blade, which has the leading end edge portion of the elastic blade on one side thereof and faces the surface of the cleaning target member, has a Martens hardness of 1.2 N/mm2 or greater when it is indented by 5 ?m at a location that is 20 ?m away from the leading end edge portion, a Martens hardness of 1 N/mm2 or less when it is indented by 20 ?m at the location, and an elastic power of 70% or greater when it is indented by 5 ?m at the location.

Abstract: A toner bearer including an electroconductive substrate; an insulating layer located on the electroconductive substrate; multiple electrodes located on the insulating layer at regular intervals; an outermost layer located on the multiple electrodes; and a voltage applicator to apply a voltage between the electroconductive substrate and the multiple electrodes to form a periodically reversed electric field therebetween so that toner particles on the outermost layer hop, thereby forming a toner cloud above the outermost layer. The insulating layer includes a crosslinked material having a unit obtained from a fluorine-containing resin and a crosslinking agent. The fluorine-containing resin is selected from the group consisting of copolymers having a unit obtained from fluoroethylene having at least three fluorine atoms and a unit obtained from a vinyl ether monomer and copolymers including a unit obtained from tetrafluoroethylene and a unit obtained from a vinyl monomer.

Abstract: A cleaning blade, including a strip-shaped elastic blade to contact the surface of a member to be cleaned, traveling on an edge line of the elastic blade, to remove a powder from the surface thereof, wherein the edge line of the elastic blade is impregnated with an ultraviolet curable resin including a fluorinated acrylic monomer, a surface layer harder than the elastic blade is formed on each of an under surface thereof, having the edge line as one line of the under surface and facing the member, and an apical surface thereof, having the edge line as one line of the apical surface and being parallel to a direction of the thickness thereof, and the apical surface is impregnated with the ultraviolet curable resin at a depth of from 50 to 150 ?m and the under surface is impregnated therewith at a depth of from 20 to 100 ?m.

Abstract: To provide a toner bearing member, which contains: an electric conductive support; an insulating layer provided on the electric conductive support; a plurality of electrodes located on the insulating layer so that each electrode is separated from one another with a certain space; and a surface layer covering the insulating layer and the electrodes, wherein the surface layer contains a crosslink reaction product of a fluororesin, or a crosslink reaction product of a (meth)acrylate compound, or both thereof.

Abstract: A toner bearing member is provided which includes a conductive support, an insulation layer provided on the conductive support, multiple electrodes arranged at regular intervals on the insulation layer, a surface layer covering the multiple electrodes, comprising a polymerized compound having a specific unit, and a voltage applicator that applies a voltage between the conductive support and the multiple electrodes while periodically reversing an electric field generated therebetween.

Abstract: The developing device includes a developer charging member configured to charge a toner serving as a one developer; and a developer bearing member configured to bear and feed the charged toner while forming an electric field so that the toner hops. The developer bearing member includes an insulating substrate; plural electrodes arranged on the insulating substrate in a developer feeding direction to form the electric field; and an outermost layer covering the plural electrodes. The toner has a softening point of from 115 to 130° C.

Abstract: A cleaning device includes a cleaning member, a collection member, an electrical field generator, and a separation member. The cleaning member has a surface capable of moving while contacting a surface of a cleaning target to remove toner on the surface of the cleaning target. The collection member has a surface capable of moving while contacting the surface of the cleaning member to collect the toner on the surface of the cleaning member. The electrical field generator generates an electrical field to move the toner from the cleaning member to the collection member. The separation member contacts the surface of the collection member to separate the toner on the surface of the collection member. The collection member has a centerline average surface roughness of not more than 0.1 ?m and shows a surface hardness rank of B or higher in a steel-wool scratch test.

Abstract: An image processing member that is included in an image forming apparatus employing method of evaluating and determining adhesion forces thereof, includes an optical writing unit configured to optically write an image, and an image processing member configured to process the image formed by the optical writing unit. The image processing member has good cleaning performance, which is determined by a method of determining a distribution of adhesion forces generated between a surface of the image processing member and a particle of a powder used to reproduce the image in the image forming apparatus in which the adhesion forces are measured at multiple points on the surface of the image processing member.

Abstract: A cleaning blade for removing fine particles from a cleaning target by contact with the cleaning target, a method of using the cleaning blade, and an image forming apparatus and process cartridge using the cleaning blade. The cleaning blade includes an elastic blade. A leading edge of the elastic blade includes a friction coefficient of 0.5 or less. The cleaning blade also includes a surface layer that covers the leading edge of the elastic blade. A thickness of the surface layer is between 1 to 50 ?m at a position 50 ?m away from the leading edge, and a hardness of the surface layer is greater hardness than the elastic blade.

Abstract: A toner bearer including an electroconductive substrate; an insulating layer located on the electroconductive substrate; multiple electrodes located on the insulating layer at regular intervals; an outermost layer located on the multiple electrodes; and a voltage applicator to apply a voltage between the electroconductive substrate and the multiple electrodes to form a periodically reversed electric field therebetween so that toner particles on the outermost layer hop, thereby forming a toner cloud above the outermost layer. The insulating layer includes a crosslinked material having a unit obtained from a fluorine-containing resin and a crosslinking agent. The fluorine-containing resin is selected from the group consisting of copolymers having a unit obtained from fluoroethylene having at least three fluorine atoms and a unit obtained from a vinyl ether monomer and copolymers including a unit obtained from tetrafluoroethylene and a unit obtained from a vinyl monomer.

Abstract: A cleaning device removes residual toner particles from a cleaning target, such as a photoconductor, which has a moving surface. The cleaning device includes a cleaning brush, a power circuit, and a cleaning member. The cleaning brush includes a brush rotation shaft, and the power circuit applies a first voltage of a first polarity to the brush rotation shaft. The cleaning member applies a second voltage of the first polarity to the cleaning brush. If the first polarity is negative, the cleaning member electrostatically removes toner particles having a positive polarity from the cleaning target. Then, the cleaning brush is triboelectrically charged to a second polarity, which is opposite to the first polarity, by contacting the cleaning target. Accordingly, the cleaning brush also removes residual toner particles having a negative polarity. Thus, the cleaning device removes both positively and negatively charged toner particles to clean the cleaning target.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus containing an electrophotographic photoconductor, a charging unit, an exposing unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit and a cleaning unit, wherein the electrophotographic photoconductor contains a support and at least a photosensitive layer disposed on the support, wherein the photosensitive layer contains a charge generating material and a compound expressed by the following Structural Formula (1), and wherein, in the Structural Formula (1), “R1” and “R2” may be identical to each other or different, and represent any one of hydrogen atom, alkyl group which may be substituted, cycloalkyl group which may be substituted and aralkyl group which may be substituted.