Developer regulating member and method of molding the same

• Main Author: KURODA MASAAKI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 04.03.2003
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; HOLOGRAPHY; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; MAGNETOGRAPHY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHYSICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A metal thin plate and thermoplastic elastomer have largely different coefficients of linear expansion. When the thermoplastic elastomer is injected into a mold, in which the metal thin plate is mounted and arranged in advance, to integrally mold an elastic blade, since shrinkage of the thermoplastic elastomer during cooling solidification is much larger than that of the metal thin plate, the thermoplastic elastomer on the metal thin plate is fixed to the metal thin plate, and distortion during molding remains near the gate. Distortion occurs between the metal thin plate and gate in a direction perpendicular to the long side of the elastic blade. This appears as streaking nonuniformity in the coating on a sleeve produced by partial defective urging. A resin flow changes its flowing direction after it abuts against the long side, on the metal thin plate side, of the elastic blade. A flow mark is consequently formed on the surface of the elastic blade. In order to solve these problems, in a developer regulating member obtained by integrally forming a metal thin plate with spring elasticity and an elastic blade by injection molding or injection compression molding, a resin injection gate for the elastic blade is formed on a short-side end face of the elastic blade.