Sealing member having internal lubricant additives
View Patent ↗A sealing member for use in an electrophotographic image forming device according to one example embodiment includes a molded body formed of an elastomer material and internal lubricant additives. The lubricant additives include at least about 20% by weight of the molded body. The lubricant additives include a wet lubricant, a dry lubricant and rounded beads.
1. A sealing member for use in an electrophotographic image forming device, comprising:
a molded body formed of an elastomer material and internal lubricant additives,
wherein the lubricant additives comprise at least about 20% by weight of the molded body and include:
a wet lubricant;
a dry lubricant; and
rounded beads.
2. The sealing member of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant additives comprise at least about 30% by weight of the molded body.
3. The sealing member of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant additives include:
at least about 15% of the dry lubricant by weight of the molded body;
at least about 5% of the wet lubricant by weight of the molded body; and
at least about 3% of the rounded beads by weight of the molded body.
4. The sealing member of claim 1 , wherein the dry lubricant includes tungsten disulfide.
5. The sealing member of claim 1 , wherein the dry lubricant includes at least one of graphite, boron nitride, and polytetrafluoroethylene.
6. The sealing member of claim 1 , wherein the wet lubricant includes silicone oil.
7. The sealing member of claim 1 , wherein the rounded beads include glass beads.
8. The sealing member of claim 1 , wherein the dry lubricant and the rounded beads have a particle size no greater than about 15 μm.
9. The sealing member of claim 1 , wherein a shore hardness of the sealing member is no greater than about 85 Shore A.
10. The sealing member of claim 1 , wherein the sealing member is a J-shaped seal for sealing an interface between a developer roll, a doctor blade positioned against the developer roll and a housing containing the developer roll and the doctor blade.
11. A replaceable unit for use in the electrophotographic image forming device including the sealing member of claim 10 .
12. A sealing member for use in an electrophotographic image forming device, comprising:
a molded body formed of an elastomer material and internal lubricant additives,
wherein the lubricant additives include:
at least about 15% tungsten disulfide by weight of the molded body;
at least about 5% silicone oil by weight of the molded body; and
at least about 3% glass beads by weight of the molded body.
13. The sealing member of claim 12 , wherein the lubricant additives include:
about 20% of the tungsten disulfide by weight of the molded body;
about 7% of the silicone oil by weight of the molded body; and
about 5% of the glass beads by weight of the molded body.
14. The sealing member of claim 12 , wherein the tungsten disulfide and the glass beads have a particle size no greater than about 15 μm.
15. The sealing member of claim 12 , wherein the glass beads have a size of about 10 μm.
16. The sealing member of claim 12 , wherein a shore hardness of the sealing member is no greater than about 85 Shore A.