JPH09311565A - Tubular film, manufacturing method thereof, fixing film for image forming apparatus, and fixing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: To provide a highly accurate and inexpensive tubular film having excellent film thickness uniformity. SOLUTION: A thermoplastic sheet film is wound around a cylindrical member, a winding start portion and a winding end portion of the film are overlapped with each other, and then a tubular molding member is fitted on the outside of the film, and the film is heated. A method of forming the sheet-shaped film into a tubular film by joining the overlapping portions, wherein the film is attached to the side of the cylindrical member when the cylindrical member is detached from the tubular member. Is made of a material having a relatively large heat shrinkage rate, and the ten-point average roughness Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is 3 μm.
A method for producing a tubular film, which is less than or equal to m.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tubular film and a method for manufacturing the same, a fixing film for an image forming apparatus, a fixing device, an image forming apparatus, a conveyor belt, a conveyor apparatus, and a film for a hermetically sealed envelope.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method for producing a tubular film, i) an extrusion hot melt molding method typified by an inflation method, ii) a resin or a precursor thereof is put into a molten state, and various methods are applied to the inner surface or the outer surface of the tubular mold. There is known a casting method in which a fixed amount is applied, a solvent removal treatment (heat treatment if necessary), and then peeling are performed. Further, iii) a method of wrapping a sheet-like film around a core and welding both ends of the sheet to lining the inner surface of a hollow tubular body is proposed in JP-A-63-34120, JP-A-63-34121 and the like. ing. Further, iv) as shown in Japanese Patent Application No. 6-273615 previously proposed by the present applicant, a sheet-shaped film is wound around a cylindrical member so that its winding start portion and winding end portion are overlapped with each other, and There is a method in which a tubular mold member is fitted on the outside of the wound film, and then the whole is heated to join the overlapping portions of the film to form the sheet-like film into a tubular film.

In the above method (iv), the coefficient of thermal expansion of the cylindrical member is made larger than that of the tubular member, so that the gap between the two becomes narrower during heating, and the step in the portion where the films are overlapped is eliminated. Therefore, the film thickness can be made uniform over the entire circumference, and the entire film thickness can be arbitrarily controlled by controlling the gap.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional extrusion hot-melt molding method (i), the tubular film produced by the inflation method or the like is used as a film for a fixing device such as an image forming apparatus shown in FIG. In such a case, there is a disadvantage that the tubular film is crushed during winding of the film during molding.

Further, with respect to the casting method (ii), in order to obtain a film having a uniform thickness, it is necessary to control the concentration of the solution, adjust the drying atmosphere, perform solvent treatment in the drying step, etc. Also has a problem.

In the method (iii) for lining the hollow tubular inner surface, it is possible to obtain a lining layer having a uniform thickness. However, when the tubular film is separated from the hollow tubular inner surface, It was in close contact with and was difficult to remove.

Further, in the above method (iv), when heating, a large pressure is applied to the inner surface of the tubular member and the outer surface of the cylindrical member through the sheet-like film therebetween, so that the surface characteristics thereof are Greatly influences the release (release property) of the tubular film from the mold. In particular, the influence of the surface roughness is large, and the larger the surface roughness, the greater the anchor effect and the more difficult the mold release becomes.

Further, since the gap between the columnar member and the tubular member is narrow, it is difficult to install the sheet film in the gap. Further, since only a thin film suitable for the narrow gap can be installed, it is difficult to manufacture a thick tubular film, particularly a tubular film having a thickness of 300 μm or more.

Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide a highly accurate and inexpensive tubular film having excellent film thickness uniformity.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a highly accurate and inexpensive tubular film which is thick and has excellent uniformity of film thickness.

A third object of the present invention is to provide a highly productive production method capable of producing a highly accurate tubular film having excellent film thickness uniformity and low cost.

A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method capable of forming a tubular film having a desired film thickness, in particular, a tubular film having a desired film thickness, with which the film thickness dimension of the tubular film can be set arbitrarily with high productivity. Is.

A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a fixing film capable of forming a high-definition surface image without causing a problem such as offset at the time of fixing a toner image, a fixing device using the film,
And an image forming apparatus provided with the fixing device.

A sixth object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor belt which can convey a precision component to a predetermined position with a high positional accuracy and a conveyor device using the belt.

A seventh object of the present invention is to provide a tubular film suitable for a film for a hermetically-sealed package for packaging and storing articles.

[0016]

Means for Solving the Problems The present inventors have conducted various studies to achieve the above object, and as a result, completed the present invention.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a thermoplastic sheet film is wound around a cylindrical member, a winding start portion and a winding end portion of the film are overlapped with each other, and then a tubular molding member is fitted on the outside of the film, A method for forming a tubular film from the sheet-like film by heating the film to join the overlapped parts, wherein the ten-point average roughness Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is 3 μm or less. The present invention relates to a method for producing a characteristic tubular film.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a thermoplastic sheet-like film is wound around a cylindrical member, a winding start portion and a winding end portion of the film are overlapped with each other, and then a tubular molding member is fitted on the outer side of the film, A method of forming the sheet-shaped film into a tubular film by heating the film and joining the overlapping portions, wherein the film is on the side of the cylindrical member when the cylindrical member is detached from the tubular member. The present invention also relates to a method for producing a tubular film, characterized in that a material having a relatively large heat shrinkage rate is used for the film, and the ten-point average roughness Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is 3 μm or less.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a thermoplastic sheet film is wound around a cylindrical member, a winding start portion and a winding end portion of the film are overlapped with each other, and then a tubular molding member is fitted on the outside of the film, A method of forming the sheet-shaped film into a tubular film by heating the film and joining the overlapping portions, wherein the film is on the side of the cylindrical member when the cylindrical member is detached from the tubular member. Incidentally, a material having a relatively small heat shrinkage rate is used for the film, and the ten-point average roughness Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is set to the ten-point average roughness R of the inner surface of the tubular member.
and a ten-point average roughness Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member of 3 μm or less.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a thermoplastic sheet film is wound around a cylindrical member, a winding start portion and a winding end portion of the film are overlapped with each other, and then a tubular molding member is fitted to the outside of the film, A method of forming the sheet-shaped film into a tubular film by heating the film and joining the overlapping portions, wherein the film is on the side of the cylindrical member when the cylindrical member is detached from the tubular member. A tubular shape characterized in that a material having a relatively large heat shrinkage rate is used for the film, and the outer surface of the cylindrical member is plated, and the ten-point average roughness Rz of the plated surface is 5 μm or less. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a film.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a thermoplastic sheet film is wound around a cylindrical member, the winding start portion and the winding end portion of the film are overlapped with each other, and then a tubular molding member is fitted on the outside of the film, A method of forming the sheet-shaped film into a tubular film by heating the film and joining the overlapping portions, wherein the film is on the side of the cylindrical member when the cylindrical member is detached from the tubular member. Incidentally, a material having a relatively small heat shrinkage rate is used for the film, and the ten-point average roughness Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is set to the ten-point average roughness R of the inner surface of the tubular member.
The present invention relates to a method for producing a tubular film, wherein z is equal to or larger than z, and the outer surface of the cylindrical member is plated, and the ten-point average roughness Rz of the plated surface is 5 μm or less.

The sixth invention relates to the method for producing a tubular film according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the ten-point average roughness Rz of the inner surface of the tubular mold member is 5 μm or less.

A seventh invention is a method for producing a tubular film according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, wherein the inner surface of the tubular mold member is plated, and the ten-point average roughness Rz of the plated surface is 7 μm or less. Regarding

The eighth invention is the method for producing a tubular film according to the fourth, fifth or seventh invention, wherein the plating is electroless nickel or hard chrome.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the sheet-shaped film and the entire mold member are heated, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the columnar member is larger than that of the tubular mold member.
A method for producing a tubular film according to any one of the eighth invention.

In a tenth aspect of the present invention, the sheet-shaped film and the entire mold member are heated, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the cylindrical member is larger than that of the tubular member, and the difference is 5.0 × 1.
0 ^-6 (/ ℃) relates first to a manufacturing method of a tubular film of any one of the eighth, characterized in that or more.

The eleventh invention relates to a method for producing a tubular film according to the ninth or tenth invention, wherein the tubular mold member has a coefficient of thermal expansion of less than 1.5 × 10 ⁻⁵ (/ ° C.).

The twelfth invention relates to a method for producing a tubular film according to the ninth, tenth or eleventh invention, wherein the thermal expansion coefficient of the cylindrical member is 1.5 × 10 ⁻⁵ (/ ° C.) or more.

A thirteenth invention is the tubular film according to any one of the first to twelfth inventions, wherein stainless steel, Invar material (Fe-Ni-containing alloy) or austenitic Ni-Co alloy cast iron is used for the tubular mold member. It relates to a manufacturing method.

A fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the first to the first aspects of using a fluororesin, aluminum or stainless steel for the cylindrical member.
The invention relates to a method for producing a tubular film according to any one of 3 above.

A fifteenth invention relates to a tubular film produced by the method of any one of the first to fourteenth inventions.

A sixteenth invention relates to a fixing film for an image forming apparatus, which comprises a tubular film produced by the method according to any one of the first to fourteenth inventions.

A seventeenth invention relates to a fixing device for fixing an image by passing an image transfer material between a tubular film manufactured by the method of any one of the first to fourteenth inventions and a pressure roller. .

The eighteenth invention relates to an image forming apparatus provided with the fixing device of the seventeenth invention.

The nineteenth invention relates to a conveyor belt made of a tubular film produced by the method according to any one of the first to fourteenth inventions.

A twentieth aspect of the present invention relates to a conveying device using a conveying belt made of a tubular film manufactured by the method according to any one of the first to fourteenth aspects.

The twenty-first invention relates to a film for a hermetically-sealed package, which is a tubular film produced by the method according to any one of the first to fourteenth inventions.

In the present invention, the "tubular film" means
It is an arbitrary formed product in which the ends of the sheet-shaped / planar member are connected, and includes tubular, loop-shaped, ring-shaped, ring-shaped, tubular, ring-shaped, hollow-shaped products and the like.

[0039]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments of the present invention.

Embodiment 1 FIGS. 1 to 9 show explanatory views of the manufacturing method of this embodiment.

In the figure, 1 is a columnar member as a mandrel around which the film (3) is wound, and a solid rod member is used in this embodiment. Reference numeral 2 is a tubular member having a hollow portion, and has an inner diameter through which the cylindrical member is inserted.

The size of the sheet-shaped film is selected according to the inner diameter of the target tubular film, and the sizes of the cylindrical member (1) and the tubular mold member (2) are selected accordingly.

The sheet-like film (3) is made of a thermoplastic material, in this embodiment polyetheretherketone (PE).
EK) was cut into a sheet having a length × width of 79.0 mm × 300 mm. The sheet-like film used had a thickness of 50 μm.

The cylindrical member (1) has a coefficient of thermal expansion of 2.4 ×
The aluminum 10 ^-5 (/ ° C.), the tubular-type member (2) stainless steel was used for the thermal expansion coefficient of ^{1.2 × 10 -5 (/ ℃)} . The diameter of the cylindrical member (1) is 24.00m.
The length was m and the length was 330 mm. The tubular mold member (2) has an inner diameter of 24.20 mm, an outer diameter of 30.00 mm and a length of 3
It was 30 mm. The surface roughness Rz (hereinafter referred to as “Rz”) of the outer surface of the cylindrical member was 2.6 μm, and the Rz of the inner surface of the tubular member was 2.7 μm.

The dimensions of the columnar member and the tubular member are such that the dimensional difference between the diameter of the cylindrical member and the inner diameter of the tubular member is 100 μm at 370 ° C. during heating in the heating step described later. Designed in advance.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the prepared sheet-like film (3) is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical member (1) so that both ends thereof overlap each other as shown in FIG. Next, the film wound around the cylindrical member is inserted into the hollow portion of the tubular member (2) as shown in FIG. Then, the columnar member, the film and the tubular member are placed in a heating furnace and heated. Heating conditions are heating temperature 37
The temperature was 0 ± 5 ° C. and the heating time was 30 minutes. The heating time is determined in consideration of the melting temperature of the film material and the heat deterioration property of the film.

The structure inside the heating furnace in the above heating step is shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, a support base (53) is fixed on a base (not shown) of the heating furnace, and the heater (5
2) is arranged, and the object to be heated (columnar member, film, tubular member) is placed in the space (51) inside the heater.
Place. The temperature of the heater is controlled by a temperature control means (not shown).

In the above heating step in the heating furnace, the columnar member, the film and the tubular member which are the objects to be heated change as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (c).

First, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), the film (3) wound around the cylindrical member has both ends 3a in the gap between the cylindrical member (1) and the tubular member (2).
3b forms an overlapping portion. The dimensional difference between the diameter of the cylindrical member and the inner diameter of the tubular member is 200 μm, and the gap L ₁ in the figure is 100 μm.

From this state, the temperatures of the columnar member, the film and the tubular member are raised by heating. The columnar and tubular members begin to expand according to their respective coefficients of thermal expansion, and the film begins to soften with increasing temperature. The cylindrical member and the tubular member begin to expand as the temperature rises, but since the thermal expansion coefficient of aluminum of the cylindrical member is larger than that of stainless steel of the tubular member, the diameter of the cylindrical member and the inner diameter of the tubular member. The dimensional difference between and is smaller than the dimensional difference before the initial heating. That is, the gap L ₁ in FIG. 6A becomes narrower to the gap L _{2 in} FIG. 6B.

Further, as the gap between the columnar member and the tubular member becomes narrower, the film sandwiched therebetween is softened, and the overlapping portions of the both ends 3a and 3b of the film are welded to each other to be in a joined state. (FIG.6 (c)). At that time, the gap L ₃ between the columnar member and the tubular member finally becomes the same as the desired film thickness, and the film thickness is made uniform over the entire circumference.

After the heating time of 30 minutes, the heating is stopped and the process proceeds to the cooling step. In the cooling in the cooling step, the columnar member, the film and the tubular member may be left to cool in a natural cooling state after the heating is stopped, but may be rapidly cooled to shorten the cooling time. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the film is crushed into cooling water (72) in a cooling tank (71) and cooled at a cooling rate of 350 ° C./min. Moved to the mold process.

Next, the step of releasing the tubular film and the measurement of the releasing force required for releasing will be described.

Step A: The cylindrical member is detached from the tubular member. The force required at this time is called a releasing force A. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the film is taken out along with the cylindrical member.

Step B: The film attached to the outer surface of the cylindrical member or the inner surface of the tubular member is released. The force required at this time is called a releasing force B. FIG. 9 shows a state in which the film attached to the cylindrical member is released. In addition,
The member 4 is a column that assists the released film.

When a material having a relatively large thermal shrinkage such as PEEK is used, when the relationship between the releasing force A and the releasing force B in the releasing step is such that the releasing force A <the releasing force B, In A, the film comes out along with the cylindrical member as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the release force A> the release force B, the film remains attached to the tubular mold member.

When the releasing forces A and B were measured in this embodiment, A = 0.8 kg and B = 15.0 kg.

In the releasing step for taking out the film between the cylindrical member and the tubular member, R on both surfaces (the outer surface of the cylindrical member and the inner surface of the tubular member) in contact with the film.
Since z was 3 μm or less, it was easy to release the film from both molds.

The film taken out was finished in a tubular shape (cylindrical shape), and the overlapping portions 3a and 3b of the first sheet-shaped film were also neatly joined.

The film material usable in the present invention may be any material as long as it is a thermoplastic resin material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethylpentene-1, polystyrene, polyamide, polycarbonate, polysulfone, polyarylate, Polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyether sulfone (PES), polyether nitrile, thermoplastic polyimide-based material, polyether ether ketone (PEEK),
Examples include thermotropic liquid crystal polymers and polyamic acid.

A film obtained by blending the above resin material with at least one organic / inorganic fine powder for the purpose of reinforcing heat resistance, imparting electric conductivity, thermal conductivity, or the like, or stretching strengthening at any ratio. It is also possible to use a finished film or the like. Examples of the organic fine powder include condensed polyimito powder and the like, and as the inorganic fine powder, carbon black powder,
Inorganic spherical particles such as magnesium oxide powder, magnesium fluoride powder, silicon oxide powder, aluminum oxide powder, boron nitride powder, aluminum nitride powder and titanium oxide powder, fibrous particles such as carbon fiber and glass fiber, potassium hexatitanate. Fine powders of all shapes and sizes such as whisker-like powders of potassium octatitanate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride and the like can be applied. Further, it is appropriate that the total amount of these fine powders is 5 to 70% by weight with respect to the base resin.

With respect to the above film material, in order to ensure the uniformity of the wall thickness of the tubular film and to facilitate the release from the tubular mold member, the heat shrinkage ratio is in the range of 0.05 to 5.0%. It is preferable to use the above materials. In the present invention, examples of the material having a relatively large heat shrinkage include PEEK having a heat shrinkage of 1.1% and PPS having a heat shrinkage of 3.5%.
And other crystalline resins. On the other hand, examples of the material having a relatively small heat shrinkage include PEEK containing a glass filler and having a heat shrinkage of 0.6%, and a heat shrinkage of 0.1%.
PES, polyimide having a heat shrinkage of 0.17%, aramid having a heat shrinkage of 0.4 to 0.64%, and the like.

Next, the usage of the tubular film produced by the above method will be described. The tubular film produced by the above method has a fixing film (10) for a fixing device of an image forming apparatus (LBE, laser beam printer, etc.) by coating the outermost layer with a fluororesin or the like.
It can be used as 1).

In FIG. 10, 101 is a tubular film (fixing film) of this embodiment. Reference numeral 102 is a heater for heating the fixing film, and the heater is held by a heater holder (103). A stay member 104 is formed in a substantially U shape. The fixing film is incorporated so as to be fitted on the outer peripheral surfaces of the stay member (104) and the heater holder (103). A pressure roller 105 is driven by a driving unit (not shown).

In the above fixing device, as shown in FIG. 10, an image transfer material (106) such as paper carrying toner (107) for forming an image is conveyed and inserted between a fixing film and a pressure roller. The heat of the fixing film received from the heater is transferred to the toner, and the toner is fixed on the paper by pressing and heating. In the fixing film of this embodiment, the accuracy of the film thickness uniformity is very high, and the film thickness dimension of the overlapping portion of the sheet-like film is the same as that of the other portions. High-quality images could be formed without uneven transmission, and offset did not occur.

Comparative Example 1 (Comparison with Embodiment 1) The same as Embodiment 1 except that the outer surface Rz of the cylindrical member was 3.3 μm and the inner surface Rz of the tubular member was 3.2 μm. A tubular film was manufactured using the cylindrical member, the film and the tubular member.

Release force A = 1.5 kg, release force B = 20.
It was 0 kg. This releasing force is larger in both A and B than that in the first embodiment, and a load of 20 kg is applied to the film when releasing the film. This load may be higher than the tensile strength of the resin film, which causes breakage (breakage) of the film. For example, assuming that the tensile strength of the film is 5 kg / mm ² , in the systems of Embodiment 1 and Comparative Example 1, the film cross-sectional area ≈ 3.6 mm ² , so the release resistance is 5 × 3.6 = 18 kg. is there. Therefore, in this case, the releasing force is preferably less than 18 kg, and if the releasing force is 20 kg, the film is broken.

Embodiment 2 The feature of this embodiment is that Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member or the inner surface of the tubular member is controlled to be as small as possible.
This is because the releasability of the tubular film has been remarkably improved.

Aluminum was used for the columnar member and Invar material (Fe-36Ni alloy) was used for the tubular member.
The thermal expansion coefficient of the cylindrical member is 2.4 × 10 ^-5 (/ ° C), and the thermal expansion coefficient of the tubular member is 5.0 × 10 ^-6 (/ ° C).
It is. The dimensions of the diameter of the cylindrical member and the inner diameter of the tubular member are set so that the difference in size when heated to 370 ° C is 100μ.
It was set to be m. Further, Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is 0.45 μm, and Rz of the inner surface of the tubular member is 0.
It was 40 μm. The sheet-like film was obtained by cutting PEEK having a thickness of 50 μm into the same size as in the first embodiment.

Embodiment 1 using this sheet-like film
By the same method as above, the thickness of the film is 50 ± 5μ
m tubular film was obtained. When the releasing force of the tubular film was measured, the releasing force A = 0.5 kg and the releasing force B = 7.5.
kg. By setting both Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member and the inner surface of the tubular member to be less than 0.5 μm, the releasability of the tubular film is remarkably improved.

Embodiment 3 The feature of this embodiment is that when a resin having a relatively small heat shrinkage rate is used for the film, the degree of adhesion of the resulting tubular film to the mold can be freely controlled to form the film into a desired mold. The object is to improve the operability in the mold release process by bringing the (columnar member) into close contact with the product and taking it out.

Aluminum was used for the cylindrical member and Invar material (Fe-36Ni alloy) was used for the tubular member.
The thermal expansion coefficient of the cylindrical member is 2.4 × 10 ^-5 (/ ° C), and the thermal expansion coefficient of the tubular member is 5.0 × 10 ^-6 (/ ° C).
It is. The dimensions of the diameter of the cylindrical member and the inner diameter of the tubular member are set so that the dimensional difference when both members are heated to 300 ° C is 100.
It was set to be μm. Further, Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is 2.0 μm, and Rz of the inner surface of the tubular member is 1.
It was set to 0 μm. As the sheet-like film, one obtained by cutting polyether sulfone (PES) having a thickness of 50 μm into the same size as that of the first embodiment was used. The thermal shrinkage of PES is considerably smaller than that of PEEK. That is, in the obtained tubular film made of PES, the degree of non-sticking to the outer surface of the cylindrical member and the inner surface of the tubular member is more controlled by the surface roughness thereof.

Using this sheet-like film, 300 ° C.
A tubular film having a wall thickness of 50 ± 5 μm was obtained by the same method as in Embodiment 1 except that the heating was carried out at.

Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is 2.0 μm,
By setting Rz on the inner surface of the tubular mold member to 1.0 μm, the anchor effect between the film and the cylindrical mold member becomes larger than that between the film and the tubular mold member in the mold release step of the tubular film. As a result, the adhesion between the film and the cylindrical member becomes stronger than the adhesion between the film and the tubular member. Therefore, the film comes out along with the cylindrical member, and the release of the film becomes easy. It is easier to release the film from the columnar member than to release the film from the tubular member. Further, when the releasing force of the obtained tubular film was measured, the releasing force A was 8.5 kg and the releasing force B was 10.5 kg.

As described above, when a resin having a relatively small heat shrinkage ratio of the film is used for the film, the Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is set to a value not less than the Rz of the inner surface of the tubular member. The operability of the mold release process can be improved.

Comparative Example 2 (Comparison with Embodiment 3) Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member was 1.0 μm and Rz of the inner surface of the tubular member was 2.0 μm, except that the operation of the mold releasing step was different. A tubular film was manufactured by the same method as in the third embodiment.

In the releasing step, the tubular film adhered to the inner surface of the tubular mold member when the cylindrical mold member and the tubular mold member were removed. Next, when the tubular film was released from the tubular mold member, it was difficult to hold the end portion of the tubular film, and the end surface of the tubular film was broken. When the releasing force was measured, the releasing force A was 9.0.
kg, the releasing force B = 10.0 kg.

As described above, Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is
By making Rz smaller than Rz of the inner surface of the tubular mold member, the film must be released from the tubular mold member in the mold release step, and from the difficulty of the mold release, the yield rate of the obtained tubular film is good. Will be lowered.

Embodiment 4 A feature of this embodiment is that the inner surface of the cylindrical member and the outer surface of the tubular member are plated to improve the releasability of the tubular film.

The thermal expansion coefficient of the cylindrical member is 2.4 × 10 ^−5.
Aluminum of (/ ° C.) was used, and stainless steel having a coefficient of thermal expansion of 1.2 × 10 ⁻⁵ (/ ° C.) was used for the tubular mold member. The dimension settings of the diameter of the cylindrical member and the inner diameter of the tubular member were the same as in Embodiment 1, and were set so that the dimensional difference when both members were heated to 370 ° C. was 100 μm.

The outer surface (1a) of the cylindrical member and the inner surface (2a) of the tubular member were each subjected to electroless chemical nickel plating to form a plating having a thickness of 10 μm (FIGS. 11 and 12). ). The outer surface of the cylindrical member had an Rz of 4.5 μm, and the inner surface of the tubular member had an Rz of 4.0 μm.

Using the same sheet-like film made of PEEK as in the first embodiment, a tubular film having a thickness of 50 ± 5 μm was obtained by the same method as in the first embodiment. When the releasing force of this tubular film was measured, the releasing force A = 0.4k
g, the releasing force B = 14.0 kg.

As described above, by plating both the outer surface of the cylindrical member and the inner surface of the tubular member (chemical nickel treatment), even if the Rz exceeds 3 μm (however, 5.0 μm). The same release effect as that when Rz is 3 μm or less can be obtained without plating.

In the same system as this embodiment, the same effect was exhibited even when the hard chrome plating treatment was applied instead of the chemical nickel plating.

Comparative Example 3 (Comparison with Embodiment 4) Same as Embodiment 4 except that the outer surface Rz of the cylindrical member was 5.5 μm and the inner surface Rz of the tubular member was 6.0 μm. To produce a tubular film. When the releasing force was measured, the releasing force A was 0.3 kg and the releasing force B was 21.0.
kg.

As described above, also in the system subjected to the plating treatment, if the Rz of the surface to which the film adheres is set to 5 μm or more, the releasing force becomes large and the resulting tubular film is easily broken (broken).

Fifth Embodiment A feature of this embodiment is that the outer surface of the cylindrical member or the inner surface of the tubular member is plated, and the surface roughness thereof is set to less than Rz = 0.5 μm. The reason is that the releasability of the film has been remarkably improved.

The outer surface of the cylindrical member and the inner surface of the tubular member were subjected to electroless chemical nickel plating to obtain a thickness of 2
A tubular film having a thickness of 50 ± 5 μm was formed in the same manner as in Embodiment 4 except that 0 μm plating was formed and Rz on the outer surface of the cylindrical member and Rz on the inner surface of the tubular member were both 0.4 μm. Manufactured.

The releasing force of the obtained tubular film was measured. The releasing force A was 0.4 kg and the releasing force B was 5.0 kg.
Met.

By thus subjecting both the outer surface of the cylindrical member and the inner surface of the tubular member to the plating treatment (chemical nickel treatment) and setting the Rz to 0.5 μm, the tubular film obtained was obtained. The mold releasability was remarkably improved, the workability of the mold releasing process was increased, and the non-defective rate was almost 100%.

Regarding the above Embodiments 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 to 3, the material of the film, the presence or absence of plating, the coefficient of thermal expansion,
Table 1 summarizes Rz, releasing force and releasing condition. In addition, regarding the releasing condition, extremely good is indicated by "⊚", good is indicated by "○", and the case where the film is broken is indicated by "x".

[0092]

[Table 1] Embodiment 6 Stainless steel having a thermal expansion coefficient of 1.5 × 10 ⁻⁵ (/ ° C.) is used for the cylindrical member, and thermal expansion coefficient is 8.0 × for the tubular member.
An invar material (Fe-36Ni alloy) of 10 ⁻⁶ (/ ° C.) was used. Also, the diameter of the cylindrical member is 24.00m.
m, the inner diameter of the tubular mold member was set to 24.16 mm, and the dimensional difference between the diameter of the cylindrical mold member and the inner diameter of the tubular mold member was set to 100 μm when both members were heated to 370 degrees. Otherwise, a tubular film was produced in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Since the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the columnar member and the tubular member is large as described above, the dimensional difference between the diameter of the cylindrical member and the inner diameter of the tubular member can be set to 160 μm, and the sheet film can be installed. It has become much easier. Further, the columnar member could be easily detached from the tubular member.

Embodiment 7 Stainless steel having a coefficient of thermal expansion of 2.4 × 10 ⁻⁵ (/ ° C.) is used for the cylindrical member and 5.0 × for the tubular member.
10 ^-6 (/ ° C) Super Invar material (Fe-32Ni
-5Co alloy) was used. The diameter of the cylindrical member is 24.00 mm, and the inner diameter of the tubular member is 24.2.
6 mm, and when both members are heated to 370 degrees, the dimensional difference between the diameter of the cylindrical member and the inner diameter of the tubular member is 100 μm.
It was set to become. Otherwise, a tubular film was produced in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Since the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the cylindrical member and the tubular member is large as described above, the dimensional difference between the diameter of the cylindrical member and the inner diameter of the tubular member can be set to 260 μm, and the sheet-shaped film can be installed. Became much easier. Further, the columnar member could be easily detached from the tubular member.

Embodiment 8 A cylindrical member has a coefficient of thermal expansion of 10.0 × 10 ⁻⁵ (/ ° C.).
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) resin of Nobinite (manufactured by Enomoto Iron Works, austenitic Ni-Co) with a thermal expansion coefficient of 5.0 × 10 ^-6 (/ ° C) for the tubular member.
Alloy cast iron) was used. The diameter dimension of the cylindrical member is 24.
The inner diameter of the tubular mold member was set to 00 mm, the inner diameter of the tubular mold member was set to 24.97 mm, and the dimensional difference between the diameter of the cylindrical member and the inner diameter of the tubular mold member was set to 800 μm when both members were heated to 290 ° C. Otherwise, a tubular film was produced in the same manner as in the first embodiment. In the cooling step, cooling was performed at a rate of 270 ° C / min.

By doing so, a tubular film having a thickness of 400 ± 40 μm, which could not be obtained by the conventional manufacturing method, was obtained.

Comparative Example 4 Stainless steel having a thermal expansion coefficient of 1.4 × 10 ⁻⁵ (/ ° C.) was used for the cylindrical member, and the thermal expansion coefficient was 1. for the tubular member.
0 × 10 ⁻⁵ (/ ° C.) Invar material (Fe-36Ni alloy) was used.

At this time, the diameter dimension of the cylindrical member is 24.
The inner diameter of the tubular mold member was set to 24.13 mm so that the desired dimensional difference (100 μm) was obtained when heated to a desired temperature (370 ° C.).

However, in this case, the dimensional difference between the inner diameter of the tubular member and the diameter of the cylindrical member is 130 μm (at room temperature).
Then, it is not possible to wind a sheet-like film having a thickness of 50 μm with the ends thereof overlapped.

[0101]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the releasability of the tubular film at the time of production is controlled by controlling the Rz of the inner surface of the tubular die member and the outer surface of the cylindrical die member and performing the plating treatment. Can be improved, or it can be attached to an arbitrary mold and taken out. Further, when the plating treatment is performed, sufficient releasability can be obtained even with Rz (5 μm or less) larger than when the plating treatment is not performed.

According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, by controlling the size of the mold members and the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the mold members, not only the tubular film of an arbitrary shape, but also the films can be bonded well. A highly accurate tubular film having a uniform film thickness can be obtained.

Further, since the dimensional difference between the mold members can be increased by controlling the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the mold members, the sheet-like film can be easily installed in the gap between the mold members, It becomes easy to separate the members from each other, and it becomes possible to manufacture a tubular film having a thickness that could not be manufactured conventionally.

As described above, since the operability of the film installation and the mold releasing process is remarkably improved and the non-defective rate is also improved, the productivity is increased and the tubular film can be manufactured at low cost. Further, it is possible to provide a highly accurate tubular film having a desired size / shape and a uniform film thickness.

Furthermore, when the tubular film of the present invention is used as a fixing film of a fixing device provided in an image forming apparatus, offset can be prevented and an image of excellent image quality can be formed.

Further, as a conveyor belt or a hermetically sealed body for general use in an image forming apparatus or the like, a desired thickness can be obtained at low cost, and excellent functions such as cost reduction, weight reduction and energy saving can be achieved. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a state where a sheet-shaped film is wound around a cylindrical member in the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of essential parts of a superposed portion of both ends of a sheet-like film wound around a cylindrical member in the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a tubular mold member used in the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view showing a state in which a sheet-shaped film is wound around a cylindrical member and a tubular member is fitted on the outer side thereof in the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view (longitudinal sectional view) of the inside of the heating furnace in the heating step of the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an overheated state in the heating step of the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a cooling step of the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a mold releasing step of the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a mold releasing step of the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a fixing device including the tubular film (fixing film) of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a state where a sheet-shaped film is wound around a cylindrical member in the manufacturing method of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a tubular mold member used in the manufacturing method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cylindrical member 1a Plated region of a cylindrical member 2 Tubular member 2a Plated region of a tubular member 3 Sheet film 3a, 3b Film end part 4 Support 51 Space 52 Heater 53 Support stand 71 Cooling tank 72 Cooling water 101 Fixing film 102 heater 103 heater holder 104 stay member 105 pressure roller 106 image transfer material 107 toner L ₁ , L ₂ , L ₃ gap between columnar member and tubular member

Claims (21)

[Claims] 1. A thermoplastic sheet-like film is wound around a cylindrical member, a winding start portion and a winding end portion of the film are overlapped with each other, and then a tubular molding member is fitted on the outside of the film, and at least the film is heated. And a method of forming the sheet-like film into a tubular film by joining the overlapping portions, wherein the ten-point average roughness Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is 3 μm or less. Film manufacturing method. 2. A thermoplastic sheet-like film is wound around a cylindrical member, the winding start portion and the winding end portion of the film are overlapped, and then a tubular molding member is fitted on the outside of the film, and at least the film is heated. A method of forming the sheet-like film into a tubular film by joining the overlapping portions, wherein the film is attached to the side of the cylindrical member when the cylindrical member is detached from the tubular member. A material having a relatively large heat shrinkage rate is used for the film, and the ten-point average roughness R of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is used.
A method for producing a tubular film, wherein z is 3 μm or less. 3. A thermoplastic sheet-like film is wound around a cylindrical member, the winding start portion and the winding end portion of the film are overlapped, and then a tubular molding member is fitted on the outside of the film, and at least the film is heated. A method of forming the sheet-like film into a tubular film by joining the overlapping portions, wherein the film is attached to the side of the cylindrical member when the cylindrical member is detached from the tubular member. , Using a material having a relatively small heat shrinkage rate for the film, and measuring the ten-point average roughness R of the outer surface of the cylindrical member.
z is 10-point average roughness Rz or more of the inner surface of the tubular mold member,
Furthermore, the ten-point average roughness Rz of the outer surface of the cylindrical member is 3 μm.
A method for producing a tubular film, characterized in that: 4. A thermoplastic sheet-like film is wound around a cylindrical member, the winding start portion and the winding end portion of the film are superposed, and then a tubular molding member is fitted on the outside of the film, and at least the film is heated. A method of forming the sheet-like film into a tubular film by joining the overlapping portions, wherein the film is attached to the side of the cylindrical member when the cylindrical member is detached from the tubular member. A method for producing a tubular film, characterized in that a material having a relatively large heat shrinkage rate is used for the film, the outer surface of the cylindrical member is plated, and the ten-point average roughness Rz of the plated surface is 5 μm or less. . 5. A thermoplastic sheet-like film is wound around a cylindrical member, the winding start portion and the winding end portion of the film are overlapped with each other, and then a tubular member is fitted on the outside of the film, and at least the film is heated. A method of forming the sheet-shaped film into a tubular film by joining the overlapping parts, wherein the film is attached to the side of the cylindrical member when the cylindrical member is detached from the tubular member. , Using a material having a relatively small heat shrinkage rate for the film, and measuring the ten-point average roughness R of the outer surface of the cylindrical member.
z is 10-point average roughness Rz or more of the inner surface of the tubular mold member,
Further, the outer surface of the cylindrical member is plated, and the ten-point average roughness Rz of the plated surface is 5 μm or less. 6. The ten-point average roughness Rz of the inner surface of the tubular mold member.
Is 5 μm or less, the method for producing a tubular film according to claim 1. 7. The method for producing a tubular film according to claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the tubular mold member is plated, and the ten-point average roughness Rz of the plated surface is 7 μm or less. 8. The method for producing a tubular film according to claim 4, 5 or 7, wherein the plating is electroless nickel or hard chromium. 9. The sheet-shaped film and the entire mold member are heated, and the coefficient of thermal expansion of the columnar member is larger than that of the tubular mold member. The method for producing a tubular film according to. 10. The sheet-shaped film and the entire mold member are added.
And the coefficient of thermal expansion of the cylindrical member is the heat of the tubular member.
Greater than expansion coefficient, the difference is 5.0 × 10 ^-6(/ ° C)
It is above, It is any one of Claims 1-8 characterized by the above-mentioned.
The method for producing a tubular film according to item. 11. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the tubular mold member is 1.5 × 1.
The method for producing a tubular film according to claim 9, which is less than 0 ⁻⁵ (/ ° C.). 12. The thermal expansion coefficient of the cylindrical member is 1.5 × 1.
The method for producing a tubular film according to claim 9, 10 or 11, which is 0 ^-5 (/ ° C) or more. 13. A tubular mold member comprising stainless steel, invar material (Fe—Ni containing alloy) or austenitic Ni.
-The manufacturing method of the tubular film according to any one of claims 1 to 12, which uses a Co alloy cast iron. 14. The method for producing a tubular film according to claim 1, wherein fluorocarbon resin, aluminum or stainless steel is used for the columnar member. 15. A tubular film produced by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14. 16. A fixing film for an image forming apparatus, which comprises a tubular film manufactured by the method according to claim 1. 17. A fixing device for fixing an image by passing an image transfer material between the tubular film manufactured by the method according to claim 1 and a pressure roller. 18. An image forming apparatus comprising the fixing device according to claim 17. 19. A conveyor belt made of a tubular film produced by the method according to claim 1. 20. A transport device using a transport belt made of a tubular film produced by the method according to claim 1. 21. A film for a hermetically-sealed package, which comprises a tubular film produced by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.