Seiko Epson Corporation

Seiko Epson Corporation, a Corporation of Japan

Masanao Kunugi

Yoshiro Koga

Shinji Yasukawa

Yoichi Yamada

Katsumi Okamoto

Tomohiro Aruga

Tahei Ishiwatari

Nobuhiro Miyakawa

Satomi Yoshioka

Hajime Kurihara

Tsuneo Handa

Noboru Sakurai

Teruyuki Mizumoto

Mamoru Egi

Hiroshi Kato

Nobumasa Abe

Takuya Kadota

Hidehiro Takano

Shuhei Mohri

Yujiro Nomura

Hiroshi Ito

Yoshinori Miyazawa

Tomoe Aruga

Takatomo Fukumoto

Atsunori Kitazawa

Hidetsugu Shimura

Hidenori Kin

Hiroshi Toyama

Yuya Kataoka

Mikio Furumizu

Hiroyuki Kusumoto

Mitsutaka Nishikawa

Noriyoshi Chiba

Hiroshi Itoh

Masanobu Motoki

Koichi Higashimura

Atsushi Uchino

Junichi Nakahara

A processing device has a fibrillation portion fibrillating fiber-containing materials containing fibers in the air, a particle supply portion supplying particles having Mohs' hardness of 2 or more and 5 or less to the fiber-containing materials during or after the fibrillating at the fibrillation portion for collision of the particles and the fiber-containing materials, and a particle removal portion removing the particles from the fiber-containing materials to which the particles are supplied.

Processing device, sheet manufacturing device, processing method, and method for manufacturing sheet

Provided is a processing device which includes a fluffing section for fluffing fibers contained in a sheet-like material, the fibers being at least near a surface of the sheet-like material, and a particle supplying section for supplying particles having Mohs hardness of 2 to 5 to the fluffed fibers. In addition, in such processing device, the particle supplying section preferably has an ejecting portion for ejecting the particles.

Processing device, sheet manufacturing apparatus, processing method, and manufacturing method of sheet

A processing device, a sheet manufacturing apparatus, a processing method, and a sheet manufacturing method enable quickly removing color material when color material is contained in a material containing fiber. A processing device has a defibrator configured to defibrate, in air, fibrous material containing fiber; and a particle supply device configured to supply particles of dry ice to the material containing fiber during defibration or after defibration. The material containing fiber contains color material; and the particles work to separate the color material for the fibers by colliding with the color material contained in the material containing fiber.

Processing device, sheet manufacturing apparatus, processing method, and sheet manufacturing method

A robot includes a first member, a second member provided to be capable of turning with respect to the first member, and a gear device configured to transmit a driving force from one side to the other side of the first member and the second member. The gear device includes an internal gear, an external gear having flexibility and configured to partially mesh with the internal gear, a wave generator configured to be in contact with the external gear and move a meshing position of the internal gear and the external gear in a circumferential direction, and lubricant disposed in at least one of a meshing section of the internal gear and the external gear and a portion where the external gear and the wave generator are in contact with each other. A last non-seizure load of the lubricant is 300 N or more.

Robot, gear device, and manufacturing method for gear device

A robot includes a first member, a second member that is provided so as to be movable around the first member, and a gear device that transmits driving force from one of the first member and the second member to the other. The gear device includes a contact portion where two surfaces come into contact with each other and a lubricant, which is disposed on the contact portion and of which a change rate of worked penetration caused by a worked stability test is within a range of &#x2212;16% to +16% inclusive.

Robot and gear device

A developing device includes a toner particle-bearing roller that bears toner particles on its surface and develops a latent image borne by an image-bearing member with those toner particles, the toner particle-bearing roller has a projection portion disposed on its surface, the projection portion having a top surface having a flat portion, and a width of the top surface being equal to or more than a volume average particle diameter of the toner particles.

Toner-particle bearing roller, developing device, and image forming apparatus

A method for manufacturing a developing agent carrier of a hollow or solid cylindrical shape having an outer peripheral surface and an irregularity section formed on the outer peripheral surface to carry a developing agent is provided. The method comprises a step of preparing a base material of a hollow or solid cylindrical shape which is to become the developing agent carrier, the base material having an outer peripheral surface; and a step of forming the irregularity section by pressing dice for formation of the irregularity section against the outer peripheral surface of the base material. The irregularity section forming step comprises a first step of forming a plurality of first depression portions on the outer peripheral surface of the base material by use of a die and a second step of forming a plurality of second depression portions on the outer peripheral surface of the base material by use of a die identical with or different from the die used in forming the first depression portions, in such a manner that the second depression portions are dislocated from the first depression portions.

Developing agent carrier manufacturing method, developing agent carrier, developing device and image forming apparatus

A developing device includes a container that contains toner particles that are for developing a latent image borne by an image bearing body, and a toner-particle bearing roller that has a helical groove portion on a surface thereof that is for bearing the toner particles, the helical groove portion having an inclination with respect to an axial direction and a circumferential direction of the toner-particle bearing roller and being formed having a uniform pitch in the axial direction.

Developing device and image forming apparatus having a toner-particle bearing roller with a helical groove portion

A toner quantity measuring device, a method of measuring toner quantity and an image forming apparatus are provided that can accurately measure the toner quantity in an environmentally friendly manner, without having to make contact with a toner carrier and within a shortened period of time. The toner quantity measuring device is designed to measure the quantity of the toner T on a developing rollerwhich carries coloring agent-containing toner T in the form of a thin layer. The toner quantity measuring device is provided with a chromaticity detectorfor detecting average chromaticity of the light which is irradiated from a light sourceonto the developing rollerand then reflected by the developing roller, and a calculatorfor calculating the toner quantity based on the average chromaticity detected by the chromaticity detector

Toner quantity measuring device, method of measuring toner quantity and image forming apparatus

The invention provides an imaging system wherein toners of two or more colors are used to form toner images and the toner images are successively used to form a color image on a recording material. The imaging system can form an image with high transfer efficiency. An electrostatic latent image is formed on an image carrier. Using developing units for two or more colors, images are formed. Then, the images are successively transferred onto an intermediate transfer medium at a transfer voltage fed from a constant-voltage power supply. The developing units are located such that development occurs in descending toner work function order.

Imaging system

A developing method, including the steps of: carrying one-component non-magnetic toner on a developer carrier; pressing the one-component non-magnetic toner by a regulating member so as to regulate a transporting quantity of the one-component non-magnetic toner so that the one-component non-magnetic toner is charged; forming an electrostatic latent image on an image carrier; providing the one-component non-magnetic toner to the electrostatic latent image so as to convert the electrostatic latent image into a visible toner image; and controlling the one-component non-magnetic toner so that the one-component non-magnetic toner pressed by the regulating member satisfies the following relationship: B/A&#x2266;1, where A represents a width [&#x3bc;m] of a particle size distribution of the one-component non-magnetic toner; and B represents a width [fC] of a charge quantity distribution of the one-component non-magnetic toner.

Developing method and image forming method

A non-magnetic single-component tonerof the present invention has toner mother particlesand external additivescomprising: two hydrophobic silicasof which particle diameters are different from each other, i.e. a mean primary particle diameter of 7 nm to 12 nm and a mean primary particle diameter of 40 nm to 50 nm, and a hydrophobic rutile/anatase type titanium oxidehaving a spindle shape of which major axial diameter is in a range from 0.02 nm to 0.10 nm and the ratio of the major axial diameter to the minor axial diameter is set to be 2 to 8, wherein the external additivesadhere to the toner mother particlesBy the hydrophobic silicashaving work function smaller than the work function of the toner mother particlesthe negative charging property is imparted to the toner mother particlesand the fluidity is also insured. On the other hand, by mixing and using hydrophobic rutile/anatase type titanium oxide particleshaving work function larger than or equal to the work function of the toner mother particlestogether with the hydrophobic silicasthe non-magnetic single-component toneris prevented from excessively charged. Therefore, the amount of fog toner on non-image portions is reduced, the transfer efficiency is further improved, the charging property is further stabilized, and the production of reverse transfer toner is further inhibited.

Non-magnetic single-component toner, method of preparing the same, and image forming apparatus using the same

A carrier carries developer. A regulation member disposed at a lower portion of the carrier to control an amount of the developer carried by the carrier. A first container disposed below the carrier to contain the developer therein. A guiding path guides developer dropped by the regulation member from the carrier, to the first container.

Developing device and image forming apparatus incorporating the same

A non-magnetic single-component tonerof the present invention has toner mother particles, and external additivescomprising: two hydrophobic silicasof which particle diameters are different from each other, i.e. a mean primary particle diameter of 7 nm to 12 nm and a mean primary particle diameter of 40 nm to 50 nm, and a hydrophobic rutile/anatase type titanium oxidehaving a spindle shape of which major axial diameter is in a range from 0.02 nm to 0.10 nm and the ratio of the major axial diameter to the minor axial diameter is set to be 2 to 8, wherein the external additivesadhere to the toner mother particles. By the hydrophobic silicashaving work function smaller than the work function of the toner mother particles, the negative charging property is imparted to the toner mother particlesand the fluidity is also insured. On the other hand, by mixing and using hydrophobic rutile/anatase type titanium oxide particleshaving work function larger than or equal to the work function of the toner mother particlestogether with the hydrophobic silicas, the non-magnetic single-component toneris prevented from excessively charged. Therefore, the amount of fog toner on non-image portions is reduced, the transfer efficiency is further improved, the charging property is further stabilized, and the production of reverse transfer toner is further inhibited.

An image is formed in a receiving sheet by embedding toner in an image receiving layer on a base. The distribution of molecular weight of resin in the image receiving layer measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) of soluble matters of tetrahydrofuran (THF) has at least two peaks or shoulders. And the critical surface tension of the image receiving layer is made to be smaller than the critical surface tension of external additive. Further, the image receiving layer has a thermal characteristic such that a storage modulus (G&prime;) of 1&times;10,Pa to 1&times;10,Pa and a loss modulus (G&Prime;) of 1&times;10,Pa to 1&times;10,Pa at temperatures at which the toner is fixed. Furthermore, the image receiving layer contains an aromatic ester compound, more preferably the aromatic polyester compound being dialkyl phthalate. Still further, the image receiving layer has a Rockwell hardness (R scale) HRa of 121 or lower.

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Nagano-ken, Japan

Masanao Kunugi