Xerox Corporation

Joseph L Leonardo

Joo T Chung

Hui Chang

Brian J Andaya

Fumii Higuchi

Timothy L Lincoln

John J Ianni

Santiago Faucher

Shigang S Qiu

J Stephen Kittelberger

Zhen Lai

Mark E Mang

Michael G Hawkins

Chieh-Min Cheng

Yuhua Tong

Allan K Chen

Dongming Li

Eugene Frederick Young

Jeffrey H Sokol

Yelena Lipovetskaya

Fraser S Smith

Yvonne M Kenney

Jennifer E Dewan

Robert Heim

Edward Graham Zwartz

Rina Carlini

Michael Steven Hawkins

Scott M Silence

Enno Eric Agur

Samir Kumar

John L Pawlak

James M Proper

D Paul Casalmir

Paul Lynn Jacobs

Gerald Philip Cox

Anthony Uttaro, Jr

Daniel Raymond Knopp

Dennis J O'Keefe

Christine L Demay

Louis Joseph Kurtic, Jr

Robert Edward Lutz

Kiran B Sheth

Daniel Andrew Harrington

Linda A Flannery

Allison G Thomas

Nilmarie Santos-Roman

Laura A Williams

Derrick Black

Christine Louise DeMay

Mark V Devlin

Anthony T Burroughs

Emine Irmak Serifoglu

The continuous process for manufacturing toners disclosed herein includes continuously feeding components of a toner composition into a feed section of a screw extruder at a controlled rate. The continuous process for manufacturing toners may include feeding the components of a toner composition into the feed section of a screw extruder without performing an external or secondary dispersion step. That is to say, the components of the toner composition may be fed directly into the extruder without using dispersions of individual components as used in batch processes. Rather, the toner components are added to the extruder in dry form, melt-mixed, and may be dispersed in aqueous form in the extruder. The process may produce micron-sized toner particles, thus no further size reduction may be necessary.

Continuous process for manufacturing toners

A process for making a latex emulsion suitable for use in a toner composition includes contacting at least one amorphous polyester resin with a viscosity reducing additive in the absence of an organic solvent to form a resin mixture either via an extruder or batch process, and adding a surfactant, neutralizing agent, and deionized water to the resin mixture.

Processes for producing polyester latexes via solvent-free emulsification

A screw extruder is presented including a feed hopper for receiving materials and a body member having at least one supply port and at least one outlet port. The screw extruder also includes a screw positioned within the body member and movable along a channel defining a longitudinal axis. The screw extruder further includes a drive shaft for rotatably driving the screw along the channel. The screw extruder may be configured to mix the materials received via the feed hopper with a series of one or more forward, neutral, and reverse kneading elements.

Screw extruder for continuous and solvent-free resin emulsification

Processes for continuously forming latex emulsions useful in preparing toners are provided which do not require the use of solvents.

Latex processes

The present disclosure provides processes for producing toner particles, and toner particles produced by such processes. The processes of the present disclosure combine melt-mixing and grinding of toner components to produce toner particles, followed by a coalescing treatment which provides toner particles having desirable spherical properties.

Toner compositions

A process for making a self-emulsifying composite suitable for use in forming latex emulsions includes contacting a resin with a solid or highly concentrated surfactant, a solid neutralizing agent in the absence of water and an organic solvent to form a mixture, melt mixing the mixture, and forming a self-emulsifying composite of the melt mixed mixture such as a granule. Self-emulsifying granules are also provided and configured to form a latex emulsion when added to water, which may then be utilized to form a toner.

Self emulsifying granules and solvent free process for the preparation of emulsions therefrom

A process for making a latex emulsion suitable for use in a toner composition includes contacting a resin with a solid neutralizing agent in the absence of an organic solvent to form a mixture either via a co-feeding process or a pre-blend mixture, and adding a solid or aqueous surfactant to the pre-blend mixture or prior to melt mixing the mixture.

Various solvent-assisted extrusion processes are disclosed that are suitable for forming high yield, low coarse content, polyester latexes that may be utilized in forming a toner.

Solvent-assisted continuous emulsification processes for producing polyester latexes

The presently disclosed embodiments relate in general to toners for use in electrophotographic apparatuses, such as printers and copiers. More particularly, a toner formulation of at least one binder, at least one colorant, and an embrittling agent, and methods for making the same, is provided wherein the embrittling agent increases grinding rate of the toner formulation.

Toner additives

Processes for preparing toner compositions used with electrostatographic imaging members. The processes utilize screw extruders to facilitate continuous dispersion and aggregation of toner components, such as color pigments and wax. The continuous dispersion produces the toner components with more control and better product yield. The products produced are also improved in quality.

Processes for aggregating toner components

A process for preparing toner compositions using a dry pigment is provided. The process comprises combining a base toner resin composition, a dry pigment, and dispersion agent in a one step process, without the need any pre-processing of the pigments such as by, for example, flushing. The process includes combining the base toner resin, dry pigment and dispersion agent in a processing apparatus such as an extruder. The process may also comprise preparing the toners via an extrusion process utilizing a screw having a configuration designated herein as a Type C screw.

Process for forming toners from dry pigments

Toner particles are prepared by a process comprising providing an extrusion apparatus; adding resin particles and additive particles to a supply means in the extrusion apparatus; adding the resin particles and the additive particles to a blending chamber in the extrusion apparatus, which blending chamber is maintained at a temperature of from about 50&#xb0; C. to about 120&#xb0; C.; blending the resin particles and the additive particles to form a mixture; extruding the resin particles to form extruded material; injecting liquid substances, which have a lower boiling point than the melt temperature of the resin particles, into the blending chamber during extrusion without the application of a vacuum to remove the liquid substances prior to extrusion; and grinding the extruded material to form toner particles.

Process for preparing toner particles and toner particles

A process including: introducing and continuously melt mixing in an extruder a mixture of a first resin feed and a second resin feed; measuring within the extruder the melt rheology of the resulting melt mixture of the first and second resins; determining the relative ratio of the first resin and a second resin from the melt rheology in the resulting melt mixture; and adjusting the relative feed ratio of the first resin and second resin feeds introduced to the extruder.

Method for controlling melt rheology of resin mixtures

Cross-linked toner resin having linear portions and cross-linked portions of high density microgel particles, where the toner resin is an unsaturated polyester resin, is prepared using a liquid chemical initiator such as 1,1-bis(t-butyl peroxy)-3,3,5-trimethylcyclohexane so that the cross-linked resin achieved contains less than 0.20 percent by weight of acids. In particular, the cross-linked toner resin is free of benzoic acid. The method of making the cross-linked toner resin includes (a) spraying the liquid chemical initiator onto the unsaturated polyester resin prior to, during or subsequent to melting of the unsaturated polyester resin to form a polymer melt; and (b) subsequently cross-linking the polymer melt under high shear to form the cross-linked toner resin.

Cross-linked polyester toners and process of making such toners

A die for the preparation of a toner resin in an extruder having a housing defining a housing aperture therein and a conveyor for conveying the resin through the housing aperture to form a stream of resin is provided. The die includes a member connected to a first end of the housing. The member defines an opening therethrough. The cross sectional area of the opening is progressively reduced in the direction of the stream of resin for at least a substantial portion of the opening.

Extruder die insert plate system

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Penfield, NY, United States of America

Joseph L Leonardo