COATING APPARATUS, METHOD FOR PRODUCING ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC PHOTOSENSITIVE MEMBER AND METHOD FOR MASS-PRODUCING ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHIC PHOTOSENSITIVE MEMBERS

• Main Authors: KAWASE SHOJI, SHIMADA AKIRA
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 23.02.2012
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TOSURFACES, IN GENERAL; APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TO SURFACES, IN GENERAL; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROCESSES FOR APPLYING LIQUIDS OR OTHER FLUENT MATERIALS TOSURFACES, IN GENERAL; SPRAYING OR ATOMISING IN GENERAL; TRANSPORTING

Provided is a coating apparatus that suppresses the phenomenon in which a semisolid film is retained on the upper-end edge portion of the coating bath even after the circulation of the coating liquid is resumed, resulting in the occurrence of coating defects, and a method for producing an electrophotographic photosensitive member using the coating apparatus. The upper-end portion of the coating bath includes a first upper-end surface, a second upper-end surface that is positioned below the first upper-end surface and has an outer diameter larger than that of the first upper-end surface, and a step surface that interconnects the first upper-end surface and the second upper-end surface. The coating liquid is capable of overflowing from the coating bath, flowing along the second upper-end surface, and flowing while wetting the whole area of the step surface when the circulation is resumed.