METHOD AND DEVICE FOR REMOVING JOINT STRESS FOR FLEXIBLE ELECTROSTATIC PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE FORMING BELT

• Main Authors: QUINN LEONARD F, MISHRA SATCHIDANAND, YU ROBERT C U, VONHOENE DONALD C, CEGLINSKI BARBARA D, DARCY JOHN J III, HSIEH BING R, ROETKER MICHAEL S, THOMSEN KARL V, GRABOWSKI EDWARD F, POST RICHARD L, HORGAN ANTHONY M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 28.09.1999
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; BELTS, CABLES, OR ROPES, PREDOMINANTLY USED FOR DRIVINGPURPOSES; BLASTING; CHAINS; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; FITTINGS PREDOMINANTLY USED THEREFOR; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; HOLOGRAPHY; LIGHTING; MAGNETOGRAPHY; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHYSICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent deterioration in electrophotographic image quality caused by occurrence of cracks and peeling, etc., on the joint of a belt for forming an electrostatic image. SOLUTION: As to the method for removing stress, the image forming belt 10 is wound to an arcuate support shaft 90 having the curvature radius of 9.5 mm to 50 mm, the joint 30 is irradiated with infrared rays from a heat source 103, this heating spot is moved across and along the joint 30, polymer matrix being the image forming layer of the belt 10 is heated to a glass transition temperature, then rapidly cooled by the heat capacity of the shaft 90.