Ricoh Company, Ltd.

Katsunori Suto

Toshihiro Kanematsu

Norihiko Aze

Takeshi Endoh

Masayuki Kami

Toru Kobayashi

Kohta Shiodera

Tomohiro Harada

A fixing-unit roller includes: a core bar; and an elastic layer formed on an outer peripheral surface of the core bar. The elastic layer is formed from a porous material that contains a plurality of cells. Cells in a cross section obtained by cutting across the porous material are 0.1 &#x3bc;m or greater and 50 &#x3bc;m or less in size. A ratio of an area occupied by composite cells, which are made of partially-overlapping spherical cells, in a 200-&#x3bc;m square in the cross section to an area of the square is 60% or greater and 70% or less.

Fixing-unit roller, fixing unit, and image forming apparatus including an elastic layer

A method of manufacturing a cell array structure includes a first step of laminating a deformable layer capable of causing plastic deformation on a substrate, the substrate being formed with plural, mutually separated depressions on a top surface thereof, such that the deformable layer forms a mutually isolated space in each of the plural depressions; and a second step of extending the space in each of the plural depressions by causing plastic deformation in the deformable layer, such that there are formed plural columnar cells respectively in correspondence to the plural depressions.

Miniature cell array structure and manufacturing method of miniaturized composite component using such a miniature cell array structure

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Kanagawa, Japan

Katsunori Suto