Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation

Takaaki Karube

Yoshiyuki Matsunaga

Tsuyoshi Ono

Shigehiro Sato

A fixing heater comprises a substrate having an insulative property and a heat generating member with electrical resistance printed on a surface of the substrate. The heat generating member is a film-like shape having a direction and a pair of edge portions opposing one another, wherein one of the edge portions is trimmed in the direction. The heat generating member has a heat generating portion having opposing one and another edge portions, wherein one of the edge portions is trimmed in the direction throughout the heat generating portion. The heat generating portion is trimmed so as to provide the trimmed edge having partially different width along the direction. The fixing heater is manufactured by trimming one edges of the heat generating member in the direction throughout the heat generating portion and further trimming the trimmed edge on the basis of an amount of a resistance value change of the heat generating member before and after or during the former trimming step to obtain a predetermined resistance value or resistance value distribution. The triming steps are performed by means of laser beam. A generating temperature controlling portion may be formed to the heat generating member.

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Yokohama, Japan

Takaaki Karube