Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Nec Lcd Technologies, Ltd.

Zuiko Corporation

Nec Corporation

The Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.

Furukawa Automotive Systems Inc.

National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Incorporated

Udc Ireland Limited

Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Tokai Carbon Company, Ltd.

Telnite Co., Ltd.

Tokyo Zairyo Co., Ltd.

Toteku Co., Ltd.

Daisuke Inoue

Yuusuke Furuichi

Masahiro Samei

Yukimichi Someya

Junichi Awamura

Osamu Uchinokura

Tomoya Adachi

Takamasa Hase

Daisuke Ito

Satoshi Kojima

Satoshi Ogawa

Takahiro Honda

Teruki Kusahara

Hiroyuki Shimada

Yoshiharu Takahashi

Mamoru Hozumi

Satoshi Tohkai

Yumiko Hayashi

Arinobu Yoshiura

Rintaro Takahashi

Tomoki Murayama

Kentaro Yamashita

Yohichi Kitagawa

Syouko Satoh

Hiroshi Yoshinaga

Hideki Ito

Hiroshi Seo

Ryota Inoue

Tsuneyasu Nagatomo

Yutaka Naitoh

Yoshihiro Fukuhata

Minoru Toyoda

Tomohiko Fujii

Masana Shiba

Mitsuaki Hirose

Akio Takei

Shogo Nakamoto

Kenji Komito

Kouji Utani

Takashi Kamino

Yoshitsugu Kimura

Hiromitsu Tanaka

Mototaka Iwama

Kenichi Mori

Michiaki Sakamoto

Shinichi Nishida

Masaki Watanabe

Masayoshi Suzuki

Takashi Fujita

Tamotsu Ikeda

Wataru Sotoyama

Hiroshi Nagai

Tsuyoshi Sugimoto

Naohiro Watanabe

Jun Okamoto

Yoshihiko Hirai

Hideya Murai

Kazumi Kobayashi

Shingo Sakashita

Toshiya Ishii

Hiroaki Matsuyama

Seiji Saitoh

Kenichirou Naka

Toshiharu Hachisuka

Yasuharu Kawarasaki

Masahiro Kuroda

Naohiro Funada

Naotaka Uchino

Yoichi Iso

Ryuuta Yoshida

Yutaka Aso

Masayuki Nagata

Kiwako Hirohara

Tomoo Asami

Masayuki Ukigaya

Nobutake Orime

Masao Katoh

Shoko Sato

Kenji Ishii

Takahiro Imada

Yoshiki Yamaguchi

Shinya Nakayama

Takayuki Seki

Takashi Seto

Toshiyuki Kabata

Hiroshi Yamada

Kenichi Hasegawa

Teppei Kawata

Hideki Sugiura

Takayuki Andoh

Takahiko Watanabe

Fumihiro Sasaki

Masami Okamoto

Kenichi Maruhashi

Ken Tanaka

Takaaki Tawada

Tomomi Suzuki

Masahiro Ohmori

Masaru Kinoshita

Takayuki Itoh

A toner includes toner particles. Each of the toner particles includes a toner base particle including a binder resin, resin particles covering the toner base particle, and zinc stearate particles serving as an external additive. In each of the toner particles, a coverage rate of the toner base particle with the resin particles is 30% or greater and 70% or less. The zinc stearate particles have a volume average particle diameter of 3 μm or greater and 20 μm or less.

Toner, developer, toner storage unit, image forming apparatus, and image forming method

A fixing device includes a fixing rotator rotatable in a rotation direction, a heat source to heat the fixing rotator, a pressure rotator contacting the fixing rotator, a nip formation pad to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator, a slide sheet, and an adhesive part. The slide sheet between the fixing rotator and the nip formation pad contacts an inner circumferential face of the fixing rotator. The slide sheet has a center part and both end parts in an axial direction orthogonal to the rotation direction. The adhesive part bonds the slide sheet to the nip formation pad. The adhesive part includes a first adhesive part on the center part and a second adhesive part on one of the end parts. The first adhesive part has a first area, and the second adhesive part has a second area smaller than the first area.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus incorporating the same including a slide sheet with adhesive to bond the slide sheet

A fixing device includes a fixing rotator to fix an unfixed image on a recording medium, a pressure member disposed opposite the fixing rotator to press an outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotator; a heating source disposed inside an inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator to heat the fixing rotator, and a composite member disposed inside the inner circumferential surface. The composite member includes a first member, a second member attached to the first member, and an inspection region for measurement of glossiness. The first member and the second member have a difference in glossiness. The inspection region allows identification of which one of the first member and the second member is present on a surface of the inspection region based on the glossiness of the inspection region, and determination of that the fixing device has a desired fixing configuration based on a result of the identification.

Fixing device, image forming apparatus, and inspection method

A toner is provided. The toner comprises toner particles each comprising a toner base particle and an external additive. The toner base particle comprises a binder resin and a colorant. The toner satisfies the following conditions (a) and (b):

Toner, developer, toner accommodating unit, image forming apparatus, and image forming method

A fixing device includes a first rotator and a second rotator that form a nip therebetween and fix an image on a recording medium that enters the nip. A heater heats at least one of the first rotator or the second rotator. A controller controls the heater to switch between a first heating and a second heating, to switch from the first heating to the second heating before the recording medium enters the nip, to start the second heating at a time prior to a nip entry time at which the recording medium enters the nip by a delay time period taken for the heater to conduct heat to the nip, and to continue the first heating before the second heating for at least one control cycle at a duty cycle of power supplied to the heater. The duty cycle is not greater than 40%.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus with a controller to switch between a first heating and a second heating

A toner is provided. The toner comprises toner base particles, resin particles adhered to surfaces of the toner base particles, and an external additive adhered to the surfaces of the toner base particles. The toner base particles each comprising a binder resin, a colorant, and a wax. The toner has a storage elastic modulus G' of 4.0×10or less at 70° C. An embedment degree of the external additive is from 15% to 40%, as the embedment degree is measured by stirring 10 g of the toner and 20 g of a carrier in a 50-mL vial at 67 Hz for 60 minutes using a rocking mill.

Toner, method for manufacturing the toner, toner accommodating unit, image forming apparatus, and image forming method

A fixing device includes an endless fixing rotator, a slide aid, a pressure rotator, a nip formation plate, a support, a heat source, and a reflector. The endless fixing rotator has flexibility. An inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator slides over the slide aid. The pressure rotator contacts an outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotator. The nip formation plate is disposed inside the fixing rotator to contact the pressure rotator via the fixing rotator and the slide aid to form a nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. The nip formation plate has a thermal conductivity equal to or greater than 10 W/mK. The support supports the nip formation plate. The heat source is disposed inside the fixing rotator to heat the fixing rotator. The reflector reflects radiant heat from the heat source.

Fixing device including nip formation plate having a plurality of protruding portions and image forming apparatus incorporating same

The present apparatus for manufacturing an article includes a velocity-changing device that changes velocity so that circumferential velocity of a holding pad is continuously decelerated or continuously accelerated during a period from a first start time, at which hand-over of a workpiece of a first size at an upstream position as a hand-over position on a circling path is started, to a second start time, at which hand-over of a workpiece of a second size at a downstream position as the hand-over position downstream of the upstream position on the circling path is started.

Apparatus and method for manufacturing absorbent article

A heating device includes a rotator, a heating source, a reflector, a shield, a rotator holder, and a liquid or semi-solid substance. The rotator is rotatably held. The heating source heats the rotator. The reflector reflects radiant heat emitted from the heating source. The shield is disposed closer to a longitudinal end portion of the rotator than to a longitudinal center portion of the rotator to shield, between the heating source and the rotator, the radiant heat emitted from the heating source. The shield has a reflectance lower than a reflectance of the reflector. The rotator holder holds the longitudinal end portion of the rotator. The liquid or semi-solid substance has lubricity and adheres to the rotator holder.

Heating device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus including a rotator holder and reflector

A belt device includes a secured member, a belt, a pressure rotator, and lubricant. The belt has an endless shape and slides on a slide surface of the secured member. The belt has an inner portion having an elastic power of 55% or more and a sliding surface sliding on the slide surface of the secured member. The sliding surface has a surface roughness smaller than a surface roughness of the slide surface of the secured member. The pressure rotator presses the secured member via the belt to form a nip between the belt and the pressure rotator. The lubricant is interposed between the sliding surface of the belt and the slide surface of the secured member.

Belt device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

A belt device includes a belt, a secured member, a pressure rotator, and lubricant. The belt is rotatable and has an endless shape. The belt includes an inner portion having an inner circumferential surface. The inner portion has an elastic power of 55% or more. The inner circumferential surface of the belt slides on the secured member. The pressure rotator includes a porous elastic body and presses the secured member via the belt to form a nip between the belt and the pressure rotator. The lubricant is interposed between the inner circumferential surface of the belt and the secured member.

A pressing device includes a rotator, a secured member, a pressure rotator, and lubricant. The rotator has flexibility and a sleeve form and includes an inner portion having a sliding surface. The inner portion has an elastic power of 55% or more. The secured member is inside a loop of the rotator and has a slide surface on which the sliding surface of the rotator is to slide. The slide surface has a smaller surface roughness than a surface roughness of the sliding surface. The pressure rotator presses the rotator against the secured member and forms a nip between the rotator and the pressure rotator. The lubricant between the rotator and the secured member has a consistency of 275 or less.

Pressing device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

A conveying method includes first and second pads conveying workpieces with speeds of the first and second pads being varied; circumferential velocities of the first pads and the second pads are accelerated by variable speed mechanisms; the first and second pads move and separate in a state in which a distance between the first pad and the second pad, whose speeds were increased, is increased; the circumferential velocities of the first pads and the second pads are decelerated by the variable speed mechanisms; and a first slider and a second slider, which were subjected to deceleration, overlap each other in a part in a circumferential direction, which causes the first pad and the second pad to approach each other, and the first pad and the second pad move and approach each other in this state in which the first pad and the second pad have approached each other.

Conveying apparatus and method

A nip former that forms a nip between an endless belt and a pressure rotator includes a base that is made of aluminum and has a nip forming face disposed opposite the nip. An anodic oxidation coating is treated with sealing and coats at least the nip forming face. The anodic oxidation coating has a thickness that is not smaller than 22 &#x3bc;m and is not greater than 45 &#x3bc;m and a variation in thickness that is not greater than 20 percent. The base and the anodic oxidation coating define a nip forming portion that is disposed opposite the nip. The nip forming portion has a thickness that is not smaller than 0.40 mm and is not greater than 1.20 mm.

Nip former, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

A fixing device includes a rotator, a secured member, a pressure rotator, and lubricant. The rotator has flexibility and a sleeve form. The rotator includes an inner portion having a sliding surface. The inner portion has an elastic power of 55% or more. The secured member is disposed inside a loop of the rotator and has a slide surface on which the sliding surface of the rotator is to slide. The slide surface has a smaller surface roughness in a sliding direction of the rotator than a surface roughness of the sliding surface in the sliding direction of the rotator. The pressure rotator presses the rotator against the secured member and forms a nip between the rotator and the pressure rotator. The lubricant is provided between the rotator and the secured member.

Fixing device and image forming apparatus incorporating same

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Daisuke Inoue