JP2008292584A - Replenishment developer, toner cartridge, replenishment developer supply device, image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a replenishment developer having a more stable carrier concentration, and a toner cartridge, a replenishment developer supply device, and a replenishment development that can be stably supplied to a developing device in both amount and carrier concentration. To provide an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing the occurrence of an abnormal image using an agent supply device.
A replenishment developer is constituted by mixing a toner containing a metal material and having a true specific gravity of 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ and a carrier at a constant ratio. The toner cartridge 1 filled with the replenishment developer is formed in a bag shape so that the volume can be reduced, and the replenishment development is provided with a suction pump 3 that sucks the replenishment developer from the toner cartridge 1 and supplies it to the developing device 6. The agent supply device is configured.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a replenishing developer, a toner cartridge, a replenishing developer supply device, and an image forming apparatus that are used in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus such as a copy, a FAX, and a printer.

An image obtained by an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is required to have high image quality as full-colorization has permeated. In order to cope with this, the particle size of the toner has been reduced. On the other hand, the surface area of the toner is increased due to the reduction in the particle size, and the toner component tends to be spent on the carrier.
Further, as the image forming apparatus is reduced in size and speeded up, a small amount of developer rotates at a high speed in the developing device, so that stress applied to the developer increases and deterioration is accelerated. With this deteriorated developer, it is difficult to obtain a high-quality image even with a small-diameter toner, so that the replacement of the developer is frequently performed, and maintenance costs are incurred, resulting in a high printing unit price.
In order to solve this problem, a trickle developing method has been proposed in which a carrier is automatically and periodically replenished separately from the replenishing toner (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
However, this method requires a space for storing a new developer and a means for supplying the developer separately from the toner cartridge and the replenishing means, leading to an increase in the size and cost of the apparatus.

Furthermore, in order to solve this problem, a method has been proposed in which a developer (carrier) is added to the replenishment toner of a bottle cartridge that rotates and supplies toner (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).
In this method, the toner and the carrier are separated, and only the carrier is concentrated before or after the supply, so that the toner density control in the developing device becomes unstable and an abnormal image is generated. In addition, toner aggregates are produced in the bottle as the bottle rotates, and as a result, abnormal images such as white spots are generated. Furthermore, since the amount of carrier filling is large, the cost of consumables (toner carrier) has increased, and the environment has been deteriorated because many carriers are discarded.
On the other hand, a replenishment developer suitable for the trickle development system has been proposed in which the carrier content in the replenishment developer is defined and the carrier and toner physical properties are defined (see, for example, Patent Document 4).
Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-018065 (first page, FIG. 1) JP 2004-29306 A (first page, FIG. 1) JP 2004-333514 A (first page, FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-195755 (first page, FIG. 1)

However, since the technical means of Patent Document 4 described above does not describe any configuration of the replenishing means itself for replenishing the replenishing developer, there is a possibility that the optimum developer may not be replenished depending on the replenishing means. It is done.
On the other hand, a volume-reduction toner replenishing system has been proposed as means for replenishing only the toner to the developing device. This volume-reduction toner replenishment system is formed in a bag shape made of vinyl or the like, and is gradually folded at the same time as being discharged to fill the toner cartridge so that the volume can be reduced. Is supplied to the developing device.
When the replenishment developer is replenished with this volume-reduction toner replenishment method, the inside of the container is not moved, so that it is difficult to form toner aggregates and the uniform dispersibility of the carrier in the replenishment developer is not easily lost. It has been found that the toner density can be replenished in a stable state, the toner density can be easily controlled, and the occurrence of abnormal images can be suppressed.

By the way, the image area ratio of black in a full color image is often low. Also, monochrome images are often occupied by characters and the like, and are easily used in a state where the black image area ratio is low. In such a usage, the developer for black toner is less likely to be deteriorated because the number of times and amount of the replenishment developer is supplied with respect to the driving time of the developing sleeve.
Therefore, it is necessary to reliably supply the replenishment developer from the toner cartridge with respect to suction by the pump. Also, the carrier concentration of the supplied replenishment developer needs to be more stable than ever.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a replenishment developer having a more stable carrier concentration, a toner cartridge that can be stably supplied to the developing device in both amount and carrier concentration, a replenishment developer supply device, and replenishment thereof. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of suppressing the occurrence of an abnormal image using the developer supply apparatus for use.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, a volume reduction toner replenishment method is adopted as a replenishment developer replenishment method, and the present inventor examines a replenishment developer that is stably supplied from the toner cartridge in that case. As a result, it has been found that taking the following technical means is extremely good in output at a low image area ratio.
That is, the replenishment developer according to claim 1 is characterized in that a toner containing a metal material and having a true specific gravity of 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ and a carrier are mixed at a certain ratio. And
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the replenishment developer according to the first aspect, the toner has a saturation magnetic susceptibility of 0.1 to 8 emu / g.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the replenishment developer according to the first or second aspect, wherein the toner contains a metal material having a saturation magnetic susceptibility of 0.2 to 50 emu / g.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the replenishment developer according to any one of the first to third aspects, the toner contains a black metal material.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the replenishment developer according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the toner has a weight average particle diameter of 3 to 8 μm.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the replenishment developer according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the toner has an average circularity of 0.93 to 1.00.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the developer for replenishment according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the carrier has a true specific gravity of 3.5 to 8 g / cm ³ .
A toner cartridge according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is a toner cartridge filled with the replenishment developer according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the toner cartridge is configured in a bag shape so that the volume can be reduced. To do.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a replenishment developer supply device comprising: the toner cartridge according to the eighth aspect; and a suction pump that sucks the replenishment developer from the toner cartridge and supplies it to the developing device. To do.
An image forming apparatus according to a tenth aspect includes the replenishment developer supply device according to the ninth aspect.

According to the present invention, a replenishment developer is constituted by mixing a toner containing a metal material and a true specific gravity of 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ and a carrier at a constant ratio. Therefore, the toner and the carrier are easily dispersed uniformly, so that a replenishment developer having a more stable carrier concentration can be provided.
Further, a replenishment developer supply device includes a toner cartridge that is filled with a replenishment developer and configured in a bag shape so that the volume can be reduced, and a suction pump that sucks the replenishment developer from the toner cartridge and supplies it to the developing device In order to make it difficult to form toner aggregates by not applying external force such as agitation to the replenishment developer in the toner cartridge, or to improve the uniform dispersibility of the carrier in the replenishment developer. Since it does not collapse, it can be replenished with a stable carrier concentration. As a result, it is possible to provide a replenishment developer supply device that facilitates toner density control and can suppress the occurrence of abnormal images. In particular, when replenishing developer is supplied to a black developer that is often used for output at a low image area ratio, both the amount and the carrier density can be stably supplied.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First, the replenishment developer supply apparatus according to this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the replenishment developer supply device according to this embodiment includes a toner cartridge 1, a container holder 2, a suction pump 3, a tube 4, and a sub hopper 5. .
The toner cartridge 1 includes an elastic material 11 such as sponge or rubber formed so that a radial (for example, cross-shaped) cut for inserting an insertion rod 24 described later penetrates both end faces, and a substantially cylinder that holds the elastic material 11. Formed in the shape of a bag with a base 13 configured with a frame-like frame 12 and a sheet material such as a resin material such as polyethylene, polyamide resin (nylon), vinyl, or paper, and the inner peripheral surface of the bag mouth Is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the base 13 and is configured to include a toner storage bag 14 packed with a replenishment developer to be described later.
Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the replenishment developer storage bag 14 is formed in an inclined shape so as to be squeezed from the midway portion toward the base 13, and an insertion rod 24 inserted into the bag. Each time the replenishment developer is sucked through the sheet, it is formed to be folded into a predetermined shape. When the replenishment developer storage bag 14 is completely sucked, the replenishment developer storage bag 14 is folded so as not to be bulky and is easy to collect.
Since the replenishment developer in the toner cartridge 1 is stably discharged to the end, the air cartridge may be present without occupying the entire volume in the toner cartridge 1 with the replenishment developer. preferable. In this state, the replenishment developer is not easily compressed in the toner cartridge 1, and the toner can be discharged smoothly.
The container holder 2 includes a holder main body 21 and a joint portion 22.
The holder main body 21 is formed in a frame shape so as to substantially follow the shape of the toner cartridge 1 so that an opening 21 a for attaching and detaching the toner cartridge 1 is provided at an upper portion and the posture of the toner cartridge 1 is maintained.

The joint portion 22 is formed in a block shape with an upper portion formed so as to be continuous with the shape of the base 13 and a lower portion extending in the width direction, and at 90 ° so as to communicate the upper surface and one side surface. A joint body 23 provided with a bent communication hole 23a, a base portion is inserted into the upper surface side of the communication hole 23a, and a tip portion is formed into a hollow pipe shape and is formed on a side surface of the tip portion. An insertion rod 24 having a toner inflow hole 24a communicating with the hollow portion is provided. The lower portion of the holder main body 21 is inserted into the upper portion of the joint main body 23, and the lower surface of the holder main body 21 and the lower portion of the joint main body 23 are fixed to each other. 22 is integrated.
The suction pump 3 has a suction port portion 31a provided at one end side of the casing 31d and an outlet portion 31b provided at the other end side, and a drive shaft 31c connected to the rotor is protruded from the outlet portion 31b side. The body includes a body mono pump 31 and a suction pump clutch motor 32 supported by a casing 31d and connected to a drive shaft 31c so as to be able to transmit rotation.
The motor part of the suction pump clutch motor 32 and the motor part of the conveying screw clutch motor 53, which will be described later, are constantly rotating, and rotation is transmitted and cut off by turning the clutch part on and off. In this embodiment, the clutch motor is provided as described above. However, a motor without a clutch portion may be used and rotated as necessary.

One end of the tube 4 is connected to the side surface of a communication hole 23 a formed in the joint body 23, and the other end is connected to the suction port portion 31 a of the suction pump 3 to connect the joint portion 22 and the suction pump 3. A toner flow path is formed.
The sub hopper 5 is opened at a part of the upper surface (left side in FIG. 1) so as to communicate with the outlet 31b of the suction pump 3, and communicates with the toner inlet 6a provided in the developing unit 6. A part of the lower surface (right side in FIG. 1) is opened, and a machine frame 51 is provided so as to connect the developing device 6 and the suction pump 3, and a replenishment developer is rotatably built in the machine frame 51. A pair of conveying screws 52 for conveying the agent, a screw shaft 52a protruding out of the machine casing 51, and a conveying screw clutch motor 53 connected so as to be able to transmit rotation are configured.
The replenishment developer supply device configured as described above is incorporated into an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. In this case, when the image forming apparatus supports full color, only the number of color separations (for example, four in the case of four color separations) is provided.

Next, a series of operations of the replenishment developer supply device will be described.
First, the toner cartridge 1 packed with the replenishment developer is inserted so as to be dropped from the opening 21 a of the holder main body 21, so that a radial (for example, cross-shaped) cut formed in the elastic member 11 of the base 13 is obtained. The insertion rod 24 is inserted, and the toner inflow hole 24a is positioned in the toner storage bag 14 to complete the setting.
When the control unit of the image forming apparatus determines that the toner concentration in the developing device 6 is low from the output of a toner concentration sensor (not shown) provided in the developing device 6, the suction pump clutch motor 32 The clutch is connected and the suction pump 3 is driven. At the same time, the clutch of the conveying screw clutch motor 53 is connected and the conveying screw 52 is driven.
When the suction pump 3 starts driving, a suction force is generated in the toner inflow hole 24a through the tube 4, the joint body 23, and the like, and the replenishment developer in the toner storage bag 14 is sucked. The suctioned developer for replenishment flows to the sub hopper 5 through the joint portion 22, the tube 4, and the suction pump 3. Next, the replenishment developer flows to the toner inlet 6 a by driving the conveying screw 52, and the replenishment developer is supplied into the developing device 6 through the toner inlet 6 a.
At this time, the toner storage bag 14 is formed in an inclined shape so as to be narrowed toward the base 13 from the middle portion thereof, so that the replenishment developer in the toner storage bag 14 is wasted as the amount thereof decreases. It naturally gathers in the base 13 so as not to occur.
Then, when the required amount of premix toner is supplied to the developing device 6, or the toner concentration in the developing device 6 is normal from the output of a toner concentration sensor (not shown) provided in the developing device 6, the control of the image forming apparatus When the controller determines, the suction pump 3 is disengaged and the suction pump 3 is stopped, and the conveying screw clutch motor 53 is disengaged and the conveying screw 52 is stopped.
When the replenishment developer in the toner storage bag 14 runs out, a remaining amount sensor (not shown) detects it and notifies the display unit of the image forming apparatus to that effect. At that time, the user simply pulls out the toner cartridge 1 in which the replenishment developer is emptied, and the radial (for example, cross-shaped) cut formed in the elastic member 11 of the base 13 is closed and detached from the holder main body 21.
In the present embodiment, the sub hopper 5 is provided. However, the replenishment developer may be directly supplied from the suction pump 3 to the developing device 6.

As described above, the toner cartridge 1 packed with the replenishment developer is not agitated in the toner storage bag 14, so that the carrier evenly dispersed before filling the toner storage bag 14 is difficult to separate. . Therefore, as in the case of a cartridge that stirs and conveys the contents to the bottle outlet as in the prior art, a carrier with a large specific gravity separates and sinks in the bottle, and is preferentially conveyed to the outlet along the groove. In this case, since the replenishment developer having a constant carrier density is always replenished, the occurrence of abnormal images due to poor toner density control in the developing device 6 can be suppressed.
The toner and carrier used for the replenishment developer are preferably the same as the toner and carrier used for the developer in the developing device 6. As a result, even when the replenishment developer is supplied, the developer in the developing device 6 can easily maintain the characteristics of the initial agent, and the change in image quality can be suppressed.

Next, the replenishment developer according to this embodiment used in the above replenishment developer supply device will be described.
The replenishment developer according to this embodiment is a mixture of toner and carrier. First, the toner will be described in detail.
The replenishment developer according to the present embodiment uses toner having a true specific gravity of 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ . Generally, the true specific gravity of a toner used for a two-component developer is about 1.2, but in the present embodiment, the true specific gravity of the toner is larger than this.
Accordingly, the difference in specific gravity with the carrier is reduced, and the toner and the carrier are easily dispersed uniformly, so that the replenishment developer having a more stable carrier concentration is supplied.
In the toner replenishment method using the above-described replenishment developer supply device, the toner is discharged while gradually discharging the air in the upper layer portion of the toner cartridge 1, so that the replenishment developer is compressed as the void ratio decreases. It may be difficult to discharge.
Even in such a case, if the specific gravity of the toner is large, the replenishment developer easily moves to the discharge port at the lowermost portion of the toner cartridge 1, and the replenishment property does not deteriorate.
However, when the true specific gravity of the toner is less than 1.35 g / cm ³ , the toner and carrier uniform dispersibility and downward mobility are the same as those of conventional toners, and toner density control is performed in an image output with a low image area. May not be possible.

When the true specific gravity of the toner is larger than 1.60 g / cm ³ , the replenishment property of the replenishment developer may be lowered. In this embodiment, since the replenishment developer is sucked by the suction pump 3, if the true specific gravity of the toner is too large, the transportability of the replenishment developer is lowered when there is a transport path close to the horizontal direction, and the toner concentration Control may not be possible.
In order to obtain a toner whose true specific gravity falls within the range of the replenishment developer according to this embodiment, it is preferable to contain a metal material having a large true specific gravity. A one-component developer contains a magnetic material and has a large true specific gravity, but the toner has a high saturation magnetic susceptibility of about 10 to 50 emu / g. For this reason, when this toner enters the developing unit for the two-component developer, the magnetic binding force on the carrier and the developing sleeve increases, so that the developability is lowered and the image density tends to be lowered.
Furthermore, it becomes difficult for the toner to be detached from the surface of the carrier or the developing sleeve, and the toner is fused to easily generate spent. Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is preferable to use a toner whose saturation magnetic susceptibility does not become too high even when a metal material is added.
However, since a certain degree of magnetism increases the toner adhesion to the carrier, the toner and the carrier that are uniformly dispersed in the toner cartridge 1 are separated in the toner cartridge 1 or by movement from the toner cartridge 1 to the developing device. This makes it difficult to improve the carrier concentration uniformity of the supplied replenishment developer. Therefore, in this embodiment, the saturation magnetic susceptibility of the toner is 0.1 to 8.0 emu / g.

The saturation magnetic susceptibility of the metal material is 0.2 to 50 emu / g. By setting it within this range, the saturation magnetic susceptibility of the toner can easily be set within the range of the replenishment developer according to this embodiment.
When the saturation magnetic susceptibility of the metal material is less than 0.2 emu / g, a large amount of metal material is required, and the toner is likely to have a toner having a high true specific gravity. On the other hand, when it is larger than 50 emu / g, since only a small amount can be added, the toner tends to have a low true specific gravity.
Further, the saturation magnetic susceptibility of the toner and the saturation magnetic susceptibility of the metal material described above are obtained by using a magnetization measuring device BHU-60 manufactured by Riken Denshi Co., Ltd., in a material filled in a cell having an inner diameter of 7 mmφ and a height of 10 mm. It is obtained from a history curve when the magnetic field is swept up to 10 kOe.
Further, the metal material to be added is preferably a black metal material. If it is black, it can also be used as the colorant of the black toner, and the content of the colorant can be reduced, or a sufficient degree of coloration can be obtained only with the metal material. In the case of being colorless, if the amount is too large, the degree of coloration of the toner may be lowered and the image density may be lowered. In the case of other than black, the color tone as black toner may be impaired.
This black metal material has a lightness L * value of CIE 1976 (L *, a *, b *) uniform perceptual color space of 20 or less, and a * and b * are both -2. It is in the range of 0 to 3.5. In particular, it is preferable that the L * value is 15 or less and both a * and b * are in the range of -1.0 to 1.0 because a sufficient coloring degree is easily obtained. The L * value, the a * value, and the b * value are measured using the X-Rite 938 for the saturation (C *) of the sample piece for measurement.

A sample piece for measurement was prepared by mixing 0.5 g of black pigment particle powder and 1.0 cc of castor oil with a Hoover-type Mahler to make a paste, adding 4.5 g of clear lacquer to the paste, kneading it into a paint, and applying it onto cast-coated paper. It is obtained by applying with a 6 mil applicator.
Since the toner particle size distribution is greatly affected by the high image quality, the weight average particle size of the toner is 3 to 8 μm, and the ratio of the weight average particle size (D4) to the number average particle size (D1) (D4 / D1). Is preferably a toner having a small particle size and a particle size distribution that is not too wide. In this range, reproducibility is excellent with respect to minute latent image dots. Further, since the toner charge amount distribution is likely to be uniform, background fogging is reduced. A particularly preferred weight average particle diameter is 3 to 6.3 μm.
In addition, a nearly spherical toner having an average circularity in the range of 0.93 to 1.00 is preferable. In this range, the toner particles and the contact area between the toner particles and the photoreceptor are small, so that the transferability is excellent.

In the present exemplary embodiment, even a toner having a particle size distribution or a circularity that is easily compressed when the voids are reduced is not particularly deteriorated in dischargeability from the toner cartridge 1, and thus is particularly effective for such a toner.
The particle size distribution of the toner in the replenishment developer according to the present embodiment can be measured using a toner particle size distribution measuring device by a Coulter counter method. Examples of these devices include Coulter Counter TA-II and Coulter Multisizer II (both manufactured by Coulter). The measurement method is described below.
First, 0.1 to 5 ml of a surfactant (preferably alkylbenzene sulfonate) is added as a dispersant to 100 to 150 ml of an aqueous electrolytic solution. Here, the electrolytic solution is a solution prepared by preparing a 1% NaCl aqueous solution using primary sodium chloride. For example, ISOTON-II (manufactured by Coulter) can be used. Here, 2 to 20 mg of a measurement sample is further added. The electrolytic solution in which the sample is suspended is subjected to a dispersion treatment with an ultrasonic disperser for about 1 to 3 minutes, and the measurement device is used to measure the weight and number of toner particles or toner using a 100 μm aperture as an aperture. Calculate weight distribution and number distribution. From the obtained distribution, the weight average particle diameter (D4) and the number average particle diameter (D1) of the toner can be obtained.
As channels, 2.00 to less than 2.52 μm; 2.52 to less than 3.17 μm; 3.17 to less than 4.00 μm; 4.00 to less than 5.04 μm; 5.04 to less than 6.35 μm; 6 Less than 35 to 8.00 μm; less than 8.00 to less than 10.08 μm; less than 10.08 to less than 12.70 μm; less than 12.70 to less than 16.00 μm; less than 16.00 to less than 20.20 μm; Uses 13 channels of less than 40 μm; 25.40 to less than 32.00 μm; 32.00 to less than 40.30 μm, and targets particles having a particle size of 2.00 μm to less than 40.30 μm.

The circularity a of the toner in the replenishment developer according to the present embodiment is a value obtained from the following formula (1). The circularity a is an index of the degree of unevenness of the toner particles, and indicates 1.00 when the toner is a perfect sphere. The more complicated the surface shape, the smaller the circularity a.
Circularity a = Lo / L (1)
Here, Lo is the circumference of a circle having the same projection area as the particle image, and L is the circumference of the particle projection image.
This circularity is measured using, for example, a flow type particle image analyzer FPIA-1000 manufactured by Toa Medical Electronics.
As a specific measuring method, 0.1 to 0.5 ml of a surfactant, preferably alkylbenzene sulfonate is added as a dispersant to 100 to 150 ml of water from which impure solids have been removed in advance, and further measurement is performed. Add about 0.1-0.5g of sample. The suspension in which the sample is dispersed is subjected to dispersion treatment with an ultrasonic disperser for about 1 to 3 minutes, and the shape of the toner is measured by the above apparatus with the dispersion concentration being 3000 to 10000 / μl.
The toner in the developer for replenishment according to the present embodiment has the above-described characteristics and contains at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a metal material, but when the metal material also serves as a colorant, It does not have to contain a colorant.
Moreover, a mold release agent, a charge control agent, and other components are contained as necessary.
Furthermore, a fluidity improver and other components may be added as an external additive. For these materials, all known materials are possible.

  Examples of the binder resin include styrene, parachlorostyrene, vinyl toluene, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, methyl (meth) acrylate, ethyl (meth) tacrylate, propyl (meth) acrylate, (meth ) N-butyl acrylate, isobutyl (meth) acrylate, dodecyl (meth) acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl (meth) acrylate, lauryl (meth) acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl (meth) acrylate, (meth) Hydroxypropyl acrylate, 2-chloroethyl (meth) acrylate, (meth) acrylonitrile acid, (meth) acrylamide, (meth) acrylic acid, vinyl methyl ether, vinyl ethyl ether, vinyl isobutyl ether, vinyl methyl ketone, N-vinyl Pyrrolidone, N-vinylpyridine, Polymers of monomers such Tajien, or a copolymer of two or more kinds of these monomers, or mixtures thereof. In addition, polyester resin, polyol resin, polyurethane resin, polyamide resin, epoxy resin, rosin, modified rosin, terbene resin, phenol resin, hydrogenated petroleum resin, ionomer resin, silicone resin, ketone resin, xylene resin, etc. alone or in combination Can be used.

  As the colorant, all known dyes and pigments can be used. For example, carbon black, nigrosine dye, iron black, naphthol yellow S, Hansa yellow (10G, 5G, G), cadmium yellow, yellow iron oxide, ocher, Yellow lead, Titanium yellow, Polyazo yellow, Oil yellow, Hansa yellow (GR, A, RN, R), Pigment yellow L, Benzidine yellow (G, GR), Permanent yellow (NCG), Vulcan fast yellow (5G, R) ), Tartrazine Lake, Quinoline Yellow Lake, Anthrazan Yellow BGL, Isoindolinone Yellow, Bengala, Red Dan, Lead Zhu, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Mercury Red, Antimon Zhu, Permanent Red 4R, Para Red, Phi Se Red, parachlor ortho nitro Nilin Red, Resol Fast Scarlet G, Brilliant Fast Scarlet, Brilliant Carmine B, Permanent Red (F2R, F4R, FRL, FRLL, F4RH), Fast Scarlet VD, Belkan Fast Rubin B, Brilliant Scarlet G, Resol Rubin GX, Permanent Red F5R , Brilliant Carmine 6B, Pigment Scarlet 3B, Bordeaux 5B, Toluidine Maroon, Permanent Bordeaux F2K, Helio Bordeaux BL, Bordeaux 10B, Bon Maroon Light, Bon Maroon Medium, Eosin Lake, Rhodamine Lake B, Rhodamine Lake Y, Alizarin Lake, Thioindigo Red B, Thioindigo Maroon, Oil Red, Quinacridone Red, Pyrazolone Red, Po Azo Red, Chrome Vermilion, Benzidine Orange, Perinone Orange, Oil Orange, Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue, Alkaline Blue Lake, Peacock Blue Lake, Victoria Blue Lake, Metal Free Phthalocyanine Blue, Phthalocyanine Blue, Fast Sky Blue, Indanthrene Blue (RS, BC), indigo, ultramarine blue, bitumen, anthraquinone blue, fast violet B, methyl violet lake, cobalt purple, manganese purple, dioxane violet, anthraquinone violet, chrome green, zinc green, chromium oxide, pyridian, emerald green, pigment Green B, Naphthol Green B, Green Gold, Acid Green Lake, Malachite Green Lake, Phthalo Anine green, anthraquinone green, titanium oxide, zinc white, litbon and mixtures thereof can be used. The amount used is generally 0.1 to 50 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the binder resin.

Examples of the metal material include compounds of various metals, oxides thereof, or a mixture thereof, but compounds of each element selected from Fe, Mn, Ti, Cu, Si, C, or their An oxide or a mixture thereof tends to be black. In particular, a compound or mixture of iron oxide and titanium such as magnetite or hematite is preferable. Moreover, it is preferable that it is a fine powder form.
Such a metal material is obtained, for example, by reducing magnetite particle powder whose particle surface is coated with a titanium compound, mixed powder of magnetite particle powder and titanium compound, or hematite particle powder whose particle surface is coated with a titanium compound. Each of the reduced powders is obtained by a method of heating and firing at a temperature of 700 ° C. or higher in a non-oxidizing atmosphere and then pulverizing.
In order to increase the blackness of these metal materials, black dyed pigments and blue dyed pigments can be fixed to the surface of the metal material particles using a Mechano Mill (manufactured by Okada Seiko Co., Ltd.) or a Mechano Fusion System. Black metal materials include lead, tin, aluminum, antimony, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, selenium, beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, nickel, tungsten, vanadium, zinc, chlorine, carbon, etc. A compound added with the above compound can also be used.
The content of the metal material is preferably 10 to 50 parts by weight, particularly preferably 15 to 25 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the binder resin. When the amount is less than 10 parts by weight, the true specific gravity of the toner cannot be adjusted within an appropriate range, so that the effect of increasing the dispersion uniformity of the toner and the carrier in the replenishment developer and the replenishment developer dischargeability from the toner cartridge 1 can be obtained. It is difficult to express the effect of raising. When the amount is more than 50 parts by weight, the replenishment developer transportability may be inferior. Further, since the dispersibility in the toner tends to deteriorate, it is difficult to obtain a toner having uniform characteristics.

Examples of the charge control agent include nigrosine dyes, triphenylmethane dyes, chromium-containing metal complex dyes, molybdate chelate pigments, rhodamine dyes, alkoxy amines, quaternary ammonium salts (including fluorine-modified quaternary ammonium salts). , Alkylamide, simple substance or compound of phosphorus, simple substance or compound of tungsten, fluorine-based activator, metal salt of salicylic acid, metal salt of salicylic acid derivative, and the like.
The amount of charge control agent used is determined by the type of binder resin, the presence or absence of additives used as necessary, and the toner production method including the dispersion method, and is not uniquely limited. Preferably, it is used in the range of 0.1 to 10 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the binder resin. The range of 2 to 5 parts by weight is preferable.
If the amount is less than 0.1 parts by weight, the toner is not practically negatively charged. When the amount exceeds 10 parts by weight, the chargeability of the toner is too high, and the electrostatic attraction force with the carrier increases, leading to a decrease in developer fluidity and a decrease in image density.

Examples of release agents include low molecular weight polyolefin waxes such as low molecular weight polyethylene and low molecular weight polypropylene, synthetic hydrocarbon waxes such as Fischer-Tropsch wax, beeswax, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, rice wax, and montan wax. Natural waxes such as oil, petroleum waxes such as paraffin wax, microcrystalline wax, higher fatty acids such as stearic acid, palmitic acid, myristic acid, metal salts of higher fatty acids, higher fatty acid amides, and various modified waxes thereof. Can be mentioned.
These may be used alone or in combination of two or more, but it is preferable to use those having a melting point in the range of 70 to 125 ° C. By setting the melting point to 70 ° C. or more, a toner having excellent transferability and durability can be obtained, and by setting the melting point to 125 ° C. or less, the toner can be melted quickly at the time of fixing and a reliable release effect can be exhibited. The amount of these release agents used is preferably 1 to 15% by weight based on the toner. If it is less than 1% by weight, the effect of preventing offset is insufficient, and if it is 15% by weight or more, transferability and durability are lowered.

As the fluidity improver, any conventionally known fluidity improver such as hydrophobic silica, titanium oxide, silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, barium titanate can be used alone or in combination. Titanium is excellent in terms of improving fluidity, stabilizing charging, and stabilizing image quality. More preferably, when a combination of hydrophobic silica and titanium oxide is used, a good toner with stable fluidity and chargeability can be obtained. The amount of these fluidity improvers used is 0.1 to 5 parts by weight, preferably 0.5 to 2 parts by weight, based on the toner weight.
As a method for producing the toner, a method obtained by melting and kneading toner constituent materials and then pulverizing and classifying is generally used as a conventional method, but not limited to this method, various methods including a polymerization method are possible. is there.
As the polymerization method, a suspension polymerization method, an emulsion polymerization method, a dispersion polymerization method, and the like are possible. Although different from the polymerization method, in addition to a dissolution suspension method, a polymer suspension method, etc., an extension reaction method, etc. can be used. . Other than the conventional method is preferable in that the toner having a particle size range and circularity of the present invention can be easily obtained. Further, the circularity may be adjusted by subjecting the toner after pulverization and classification to heat treatment.
When an external additive is added to the toner, the method is not particularly limited, and the toner base particles and fine particles may be mechanically mixed and adhered using various known mixing devices, or the toner in the liquid phase. There is a method in which the base particles and the fine particles are uniformly dispersed with a surfactant or the like, and are dried after the adhesion treatment.

Next, the carrier will be described in detail.
The carrier can be appropriately selected from known ones according to the purpose, but a carrier having a core material and a resin layer covering the core material is preferable.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular as a material of a core material, It can select suitably from well-known things, for example, 50-90 emu / g manganese-strontium (Mn-Sr) type material, manganese-magnesium (Mn-Mg) ) Based materials and the like, and in terms of securing image density, highly magnetized materials such as iron powder (100 emu / g or more) and magnetite (75 to 120 emu / g) are preferable.
Further, a weakly magnetized material such as a copper-zinc (Cu—Zn) -based (30 to 80 emu / g) is advantageous in that it can weaken the contact with the photoconductor in which the toner is in a spiked state and is advantageous in improving the image quality. Is preferred. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
The material of the resin layer is not particularly limited and can be appropriately selected from known resins according to the purpose. For example, amino resins, polyvinyl resins, polystyrene resins, halogenated olefin resins, polyesters Resin, polycarbonate resin, polyethylene resin, polyvinyl fluoride resin, polyvinylidene fluoride resin, polytrifluoroethylene resin, polyhexafluoropropylene resin, copolymer of vinylidene fluoride and acrylic monomer, vinylidene fluoride and Examples thereof include copolymers with vinyl fluoride, fluoroterpolymers such as terpolymers of tetrafluoroethylene, vinylidene fluoride and non-fluorinated monomers, and silicone resins. These may be used individually by 1 type and may use 2 or more types together.

The resin layer may contain conductive powder or the like as necessary. Examples of the conductive powder include metal powder, carbon black, titanium oxide, tin oxide, and zinc oxide. The average particle diameter of these conductive powders is preferably 1 μm or less. When the average particle diameter exceeds 1 μm, it may be difficult to control electric resistance.
For example, after the resin layer is prepared by dissolving the silicone resin or the like in a solvent to prepare a coating solution, the coating solution is uniformly coated on the surface of the core material by a known coating method, dried, and then baked. Can be formed.
Examples of the application method include a dipping method, a spray method, and a brush coating method.
The amount of the resin layer in the carrier is preferably 0.01 to 5.0% by mass. When the amount is less than 0.01% by mass, it may not be possible to form the uniform resin layer on the surface of the core material. When the amount exceeds 5.0% by mass, the resin layer becomes thicker. In some cases, granulation of carriers occurs, and uniform carrier particles may not be obtained.

In the replenishment developer according to this embodiment, a carrier having a true specific gravity of 3 to 8 g / cm 3 is particularly preferable. Within this range, when combined with the toner in the replenishment developer according to the present embodiment, the effect of improving the discharge performance from the toner cartridge 1 is more easily exhibited.
When the true specific gravity of the carrier is smaller than this range, the frictional force in the developing device tends to be small, so even if the spent can be suppressed by replenishing the replenishment developer, a sufficient charge amount can be obtained in a short time. In some cases, background stains may occur. When the true specific gravity of the carrier is larger than this range, the carrier tends to move downward when the toner cartridge 1 is transported or when the replenishment developer is discharged, and toner density control may not be performed normally. Further, the transportability of the replenishment developer from the toner cartridge 1 into the developing device may deteriorate.
The average particle size of the carrier is preferably 20 to 100 μm, and in particular, 20 to 45 μm is preferable for obtaining high image quality. If it is less than 20 μm, the amount of fine particles increases in the distribution of carrier particles, and the magnetization per particle may be lowered to cause carrier scattering, and if it exceeds 45 μm, the carrier spikes during development become rough, The uniformity of solid and halftone may be inferior. In addition, since the specific surface area is reduced, toner scattering may occur in a small particle size toner.

The replenishment developer according to this exemplary embodiment is configured by mixing the above-described toner and the above-described carrier. By mixing, the toner and the carrier are triboelectrically charged and have an appropriate electrostatic adhesive force, so that the carrier and the toner are difficult to separate and the uniform dispersibility in the toner cartridge 1 is easily maintained.
The carrier concentration of the replenishment developer is preferably 1 to 30% by mass, particularly 3 to 20% by mass. When the content is lower than 1% by mass, it is difficult to exhibit the effect of suppressing the deterioration of the developer by supplying the carrier. When the amount is more than 30% by mass, the stability of discharging from the toner cartridge 1 tends to deteriorate. In addition, a well-known mixer can be used for mixing.
Since the toner cartridge 1 filled with such a replenishment developer is used in the above-described replenishment developer supply device, a developer suitable for high image quality can be stably supplied. The deterioration of the developer is suppressed, and a high-quality image can be obtained in the long term.
Further, the image forming apparatus provided with the replenishment developer, the toner cartridge 1 and the replenishment developer supply device according to the present embodiment is not particularly limited. However, the developer in the developing unit incorporated in the image forming apparatus is Then, the above-described toner and carrier are mixed. There is no restriction | limiting in particular as content in the developing agent of a carrier, According to the objective, it can select suitably. For example, 90-98 mass% is preferable and 93-97 mass% is more preferable.

上記組成のトナー母体構成材料をヘンシェルミキサー「ＭＦ２０Ｃ／Ｉ型」、（三井三池加工機 社製）に仕込み、十分攪拌混合した後、東芝機械社製２軸押出機にて混練し、冷却した。次いで、重量平均粒径（Ｄ４）が７．０±０．５μｍ、重量平均粒径と個数平均粒径（Ｄ１）の比（Ｄ４／Ｄ１）が１．１５〜１．２０となるように、粉砕、分級を行い、トナー母体を作製した。ここで前記混練は、２軸押出機出口での混練生成物の温度が１２５℃前後となるように設定して行った。
このトナー母体１００部に対して、以下の添加剤をヘンシェルミキサーを用いて添加混合し、真比重１．３６ｇ／ｃｍ^３、飽和磁化率０ｅｍｕ／ｇ、平均円形度０．９１のトナーＡを得た。
添加剤
疎水性シリカ（平均一次粒径１２０ｎｍ） ０．８部
疎水性シリカ（平均一次粒径２０ｎｍ） ０．５部
酸化チタン（平均一次粒径１５ｎｍ） ０．８部 Examples of the replenishment developer according to this embodiment will be described below. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown below.
Preparation of toner Toner base common constituent material polyester resin (Mw 22000) 50 parts polyester resin (Mw 40000) 50 parts carnauba wax (melting point 83 ° C.) 5 parts zinc salicylate 2 parts toner A
Toner base constituent metal material a (described in Table 1) 10 parts carbon black 3 parts copper phthalocyanine blue pigment 2 parts common constituent material [Table 1]

The toner base material having the above composition was charged into a Henschel mixer “MF20C / I type” (Mitsui Miike Processing Co., Ltd.), sufficiently stirred and mixed, and then kneaded and cooled by a twin-screw extruder manufactured by Toshiba Machine. Subsequently, the weight average particle diameter (D4) is 7.0 ± 0.5 μm, and the ratio (D4 / D1) of the weight average particle diameter to the number average particle diameter (D1) is 1.15 to 1.20. Crushing and classification were performed to prepare a toner base. Here, the kneading was performed such that the temperature of the kneaded product at the exit of the twin-screw extruder was about 125 ° C.
The following additives are added to and mixed with 100 parts of this toner base using a Henschel mixer to obtain toner A having a true specific gravity of 1.36 g / cm ³ , a saturation magnetic susceptibility of 0 emu / g and an average circularity of 0.91. It was.
Additives Hydrophobic silica (average primary particle size 120 nm) 0.8 parts Hydrophobic silica (average primary particle size 20 nm) 0.5 parts Titanium oxide (average primary particle size 15 nm) 0.8 parts

Toner B
Toner base material metal material b (described in Table 1) 20 parts carbon black 5 parts common constituent material Toner is prepared in the same manner as toner A except that the above toner base material is used, and the true specific gravity is 1.39 g / Toner B having cm ³ , saturation magnetic susceptibility of 1.8 emu / g, and average circularity of 0.91 was obtained.
Toner C
Toner base material metal material c (described in Table 1) 15 parts carbon black 3 parts common constituent material Toner is prepared in the same manner as toner A except that the above toner base material is used, and the true specific gravity is 1.47 g / Toner C having cm ³ , saturation magnetic susceptibility of 8.18 emu / g, and average circularity of 0.91 was obtained.

Toner D
Toner base material metal material d (described in Table 1) 25 parts common constituent material Toner is prepared in the same manner as toner A except that the above toner base material is used. True specific gravity is 1.43 g / cm ³ , saturated A toner D having a magnetic susceptibility of 3.44 emu / g and an average circularity of 0.91 was obtained.
Toner E
Using the same constituent material as toner D, change the weight average particle diameter (D4) of the toner to 5.0 ± 0.5 μm and make the amount of additive as follows. A toner E having a true specific gravity of 1.43 g / cm ³ , a saturation magnetic susceptibility of 3.44 emu / g, and an average circularity of 0.91 was obtained.
Additive hydrophobic silica (average primary particle size 120 nm) 0.8 parts Hydrophobic silica (average primary particle size 20 nm) 0.8 parts Titanium oxide (average primary particle size 15 nm) 1.0 part

Toner F
A toner base was obtained by passing the base of toner E through an apparatus using surffusion (manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic) at a temperature of 300 ° C., a hot air flow rate of 1000 l / min, a supply air flow rate of 100 l / min, and a rotation speed of 600 rpm. Toner base was obtained by adding and mixing the same additive as toner E in the same manner to the toner base.
The obtained toner is not much different from the toner E except that the average circularity changes to 0.96.
Toner G
Toner base material carbon black 10 parts common constituent material Toner was prepared in the same manner as toner E except that the above toner base constituent material was used, true specific gravity 1.21 g / cm ³ , saturation magnetic susceptibility 0 emu / g, average A toner G having a circularity of 0.91 was obtained.

Toner H
Toner base constituent material metal material d (Table 1) 40 parts common constituent material except for using the above toner base constituent materials creates a toner in the same manner as the toner E, the true specific gravity of 1.62 g / cm ^3, the saturation magnetic susceptibility A toner H having 6.29 emu / g and an average circularity of 0.91 was obtained.

Carrier production Carrier I
Core particles 40 parts of styrene-butyl methacrylate copolymer resin and 60 parts of iron trioxide powder were melt-kneaded and pulverized and classified to obtain core particles having an average particle diameter of 45 μm.
Coating liquid Toluene 450 parts Silicone resin liquid (SR2400 manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Silicon Co.) 450 parts Aminosilane (SH 6020 manufactured by Toray Dow Corning Silicone Co., Ltd.) 10 parts Carbon black 10 parts Core particles 5000 parts rotating disk type fluidized bed particle coating apparatus The coating solution was sprayed under heating at 80 ° C. while flowing. The coated product is taken out from the coating apparatus, placed in a thermostatic bath at 200 ° C. and heated to cure the silicone film, the average particle size is 50 μm, the true specific gravity is 3.3 g / cm ³ , and the saturation magnetic susceptibility is 40 emu. / G carrier was obtained.
Career J
Using Cu—Zn ferrite particles having an average particle size of 35 μm as core particles, the coating liquid is the same material as Carrier I, and the same treatment as that of Carrier I is performed. The average particle size is 40 μm and the true specific gravity is 5.0 g / cm. ^3. A carrier having a saturation magnetic susceptibility of 55 emu / g was obtained.
Preparation of replenishment developer 85 parts of toner and 15 parts of carrier were stirred and mixed with a tumbler mixer to prepare a replenishment developer.

Replenishment developer replenishability A toner cartridge 1 filled with a replenishment developer so that an air layer is present was set in a replenishment developer supply device (for black). The operation in which the suction pump 3 and the conveying screw of the replenishment developer supply device are driven for 1 second and stopped for 59 seconds is defined as one discharge, and the replenishment developer is discharged by repeating this operation. Before the set, the toner cartridge 1 was shaken up and down 10 times, and the discharge was started after leaving the set for 10 minutes. In addition, each discharge amount is automatically measured.
By calculating the average discharge amount and standard deviation for 10 consecutive times from 20 times and 10 continuous times from where 75% by mass of the supplied replenishment developer has been discharged, the stability of the discharged amount is improved. confirmed. Further, the carrier concentration of the replenishment developer at the 20th time and when 75% by mass of the filled replenishment developer is discharged is measured, and compared with the charged concentration when the replenishment developer is prepared, the carrier dispersion state The uniformity was confirmed.
The carrier concentration was calculated by blowing the replenishment developer whose mass was measured to remove the toner and measuring the remaining carrier mass. The results are shown in Table 2.
[Table 2]

画像濃度
Ａ４サイズのＰＰＣ用紙の角部４ヶ所および中央部１ヶ所に１インチ×１インチの黒ベタ画像を出力し、これら５点の画像濃度を測定した。画像濃度は分光計（Ｘ−ライト社製、９３８ スペクトロデンシトメータ）で測定した。画像濃度の平均値が１．２以上であれば、問題ない画像濃度である。 Multi-sheet output evaluation A toner cartridge 1 filled with a replenishment developer so that an air layer is present was set in a replenishment developer supply device (for black). 7 parts of toner and 93 parts of carrier were stirred and mixed with a tumbler mixer to obtain a developer. This developer was filled in a black development unit modified so that the developer was discharged in accordance with the internal volume with Rigoh's imgioNeoC600, and continuous output of 100,000 sheets was performed with an A4 monochrome image with an image area ratio of 5%. . The following evaluation was performed after the initial continuous output and after 100,000 sheets were output. The results are shown in Table 3.
[Table 3]

Image Density A 1 inch × 1 inch black solid image was output at four corners and one central part of A4 size PPC paper, and the image density at these five points was measured. The image density was measured with a spectrometer (manufactured by X-Light Corporation, 938 Spectrodensitometer). If the average value of the image density is 1.2 or more, there is no problem image density.

Rank 5: Image density 1.4 or higher 4 ... Image density 1.3-1.4
3. Image density 1.2-1.3
2: Image density 1.1-1.2
1. Image density less than 1.1 Background stain A white solid image was output on an A4 size PPC paper, and the image density was measured for any five points. At the same time, the image density was measured at arbitrary five points on the same type of white paper that did not pass through the apparatus. The background dirt was evaluated from each average value. Here, in the state where there is no background stain, it is recognized that the density of the image shows a value equivalent to the density of the paper, and the higher the density, the worse the background stain. The allowable range is rank 3 or higher.
Rank (increase from blank paper density)
5 ... less than 0.002 4 ... 0.002-0.005
3 ... 0.005-0.010
2 ... 0.010-0.020
1 ... 0.020 or more

Transferability While outputting an image in which black solid areas of 1 inch x 1 inch are arranged in 4 columns x 4 rows across the background, the device is forcibly stopped and the solid area before transfer on the photoconductor And a solid portion after transfer is present on the transfer belt. For the solid part before and after transfer, the transfer rate is calculated by comparing the amount of adhered toner. The toner adhesion amount is a value obtained by transferring the solid toner to the tape and subtracting the weight before the transfer after the tape transfer.
Transfer rate (%) = solid part adhesion amount after transfer (mg) ÷ solid part adhesion amount before transfer (mg) × 100
Rank (allowable range is rank 3 or higher)
5 ... 98% or more 4 ... 95-98%
3 ... 90-95%
2 ... 85-90%
1 ... less than 85% fine line reproducibility In the main scanning and sub-scanning directions, 600 dot / inch and 150 line / inch 1-dot grid line images were output, and the cut and blur of the line images were visually evaluated in 5 stages.
5 ... very good,
4 ... Good,
3 ... Normal,
2 ... bad,
1 ... Very bad

[Example 1]
Replenishment developer and developer were prepared using toner A and carrier I, toner cartridge 1 was filled with 1000 g of replenishment developer, and developer unit was filled with 515 g of developer. As for replenishment, when the remaining amount in the toner cartridge 1 decreases, the stability is inferior to that at the beginning of discharge, but the toner cartridge 1 is reliably discharged. With such a replenishment developer for replenishment, even when the image area ratio is low, the image after outputting a large number of images does not deteriorate greatly from the beginning, and there is no problem.
[Example 2]
Replenishment developer and developer were prepared using toner A and carrier J. Toner cartridge 1 was filled with 1000 g of replenishment developer, and developer was charged with 390 g of developer. By increasing the specific gravity of the carrier, the discharge stability and carrier concentration uniformity improved. With such a replenishment developer for replenishment, the change in image quality after outputting a large number of sheets was smaller than in the case of Example 1.

[Example 3]
Replenishment developer and developer were prepared using toner B and carrier J, toner cartridge 1 was filled with 1025 g of replenishment developer, and developer was charged with 390 g of developer. The toner has a slight magnetism, the carrier density uniformity is improved, and the discharge stability is also improved. The slight magnetism of the toner did not affect the developability, and an appropriate image density was obtained. The image quality after outputting a large number of sheets was better than that in Example 2, and the deterioration in image quality was small.
[Example 4]
Replenishment developer and developer were prepared using toner C and carrier J, toner cartridge 1 was filled with 1100 g of replenishment developer, and developer was charged with 390 g of developer. The developer replenishability for replenishment was good. Since a high-density and black metal material is used, no other colorant is used, but an initial black image with a high image density was obtained. However, after outputting a large number of sheets, the image density decreased, although not so much as a problem. Further, the degree of background contamination was worse than that in Example 3. Since it is considered that the spent due to the high saturation magnetic susceptibility is the cause, it was confirmed that the saturation magnetic susceptibility of the toner and the saturation magnetic susceptibility of the metal material are preferably not as high as those used here.

[Example 5]
Replenishment developer and developer were prepared using toner D and carrier J, toner cartridge 1 was filled with 1050 g of replenishment developer, and developer was charged with 390 g of developer. The replenishability of the replenishment developer was good. Since the toner having an appropriate saturation magnetic susceptibility is used, the change in image quality after outputting a large number of sheets as in the case of Example 4 was small.
[Example 6]
Replenishment developer and developer were prepared using toner E and carrier J. Toner cartridge 1 was filled with 1000 g of replenishment developer, and developer was charged with 460 g of developer. Although a toner having a small particle diameter which tends to deteriorate the fluidity is used, the replenishment developer replenishability from the toner cartridge 1 was good. Furthermore, fine line reproducibility was improved due to the smaller particle size.
[Example 7]
Replenishment developer and developer were prepared using toner F and carrier J. Toner cartridge 1 was filled with 1000 g of replenishment developer, and developer was charged with 460 g of developer. Although toner with a high degree of circularity that is easily compressed is used, the replenishment developer replenishability from the toner cartridge 1 is good. Since such a replenishment developer is used, the image quality after outputting a large number of sheets is improved. The change was small.

[Comparative Example 1]
Replenishment developer and developer were prepared using toner G and carrier J, toner cartridge 1 was filled with 910 g of replenishment developer, and developer was charged with 450 g of developer. Since the specific gravity difference with the carrier became large, the uniform dispersibility of the carrier was inferior. Also, when the remaining amount of toner in the toner cartridge 1 decreases, the discharge amount tends to decrease. When a large number of images are output with such a replenishment developer, it is difficult to suppress the deterioration of the developer, and the background dirt and transferability are greatly reduced.
[Comparative Example 2]
Replenishment developer and developer were prepared using toner H and carrier J, toner cartridge 1 was filled with 1200 g of replenishment developer, and developer was charged with 460 g of developer. Since the specific gravity of the toner is too large, it is difficult to be sucked by the Mono pump above the toner cartridge 1 discharge port, the discharge amount is small, and the variation in the discharge amount is large.
When a large number of images are output with such a replenishment developer, the state in which the toner density cannot be adjusted continues, the developer is likely to deteriorate, and the image density and transferability are lowered.
Although the present embodiment has been described above, the above-described embodiment shows an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto and does not depart from the gist thereof. Various modifications can be made within the range.

1 is a schematic diagram of a replenishment developer supply device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Toner cartridge 11 ... Elastic material 12 ... Frame 13 ... Base 14 ... Toner storage bag 2 ... Container holder 21 ... Holder main body 22 ... Joint part 21a ... Opening part 23 ... Joint main body 23a ... Communication hole 24 ... Insertion rod 24a ... Toner inflow port 3 ... Suction pump 31 ... Mono pump 31a ... Suction port 31b ... Outlet port 31c ... Drive shaft 31d ... Case 32 ... Clutch motor for suction pump 4 ... Tube 5 ... Sub hopper 51 ... Machine frame 52 ... Conveying screw 52a ... Screw shaft 53 ... Clutch motor for conveying screw 6 ... Developer 6a ... Toner inlet

Claims (10)

A replenishing developer comprising a toner containing a metal material and having a true specific gravity of 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ and a carrier mixed at a constant ratio.   The developer for replenishment according to claim 1, wherein the toner has a saturation magnetic susceptibility of 0.1 to 8 emu / g.   3. The replenishment developer according to claim 1, wherein the toner contains a metal material having a saturation magnetic susceptibility of 0.2 to 50 emu / g.   The replenishing developer according to claim 1, wherein the toner contains a black metal material.   The replenishment developer according to claim 1, wherein the toner has a weight average particle diameter of 3 to 8 μm.   The replenishment developer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the toner has an average circularity of 0.93 to 1.00. The replenishment developer according to claim 1, wherein the carrier has a true specific gravity of 3.5 to 8 g / cm ³ .   A toner cartridge filled with the replenishment developer according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the toner cartridge is configured in a bag shape so that the volume can be reduced.   9. A replenishment developer supply device comprising: the toner cartridge according to claim 8; and a suction pump that sucks the replenishment developer from the toner cartridge and supplies the suction developer to a developing device.   An image forming apparatus comprising the replenishment developer supply device according to claim 9.

Images