Method for producing a replaceable fuser member
View Patent ↗A method for producing a replaceable fuser member including a thin, seamless or welded high temperature nickel sleeve, a base cushion positioned around the sleeve and an outside topcoat applied over the base cushion elastomer layer. The sleeve is replaceable on a machine mandrel positioned in an electrophotographic copying machine in a fuser section of the electrophotographic copying machine. The method includes the use of a mandrel having a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to that of the sleeve to support the sleeve during positioning of a cured base cushion layer around the sleeve and a cured topcoat layer over the cured base material.
1. A method for producing a replaceable fuser roller member, the replaceable fuser member being adapted to be positioned on a machine mandrel in a fuser system of an electrophotographic machine to function as a roller in the electrophotographic machine, the method comprising:
a) mounting a high temperature nickel sleeve having an inside and an outside on a mandrel having an outside, being configured to receive the sleeve over the outside of the mandrel and having a coefficient of thermal expansion equal to from about 80 to about 120 percent of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the sleeve in a temperature range from about 20 to about 325° C.;
b) applying a coating of a primer comprising a silane coupling agent that contains epoxies to the outside of the sleeve;
c) applying a coating of a base cushion elastomer around the outside of the sleeve;
d) curing the base cushion elastomer;
e) machining the coating of the cured base cushion elastomer to a desired thickness;
f) applying a topcoat layer over the machined coating of the base cushion;
g) curing the topcoat layer; and
h) removing the replaceable fuser member from the mandrel.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said primer contains at least one of the group consisting of, (3 glycidoxypropyl)bis(trimethylsiloxy)methylsilane, 3-glycidoxypropyldimethylethoxysilane, (3-glycidoxypropyl)methyldiethoxysilane, 3-glycidoxypropylmethyl-di-isopropenoxysilane, 3-glycidoxypropylpentamethyl-disiloxane, and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said primer contains at least one of the group consisting of, (3-glycidoxypropyl)bis(trimethylsiloxy)methylsilane and (3-glycidoxypropyl)dimethylethoxysilane.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said mandrel has a coefficient of thermal expansion equal to from greater than 90 to 110% of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the sleeve.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said sleeve is of a thickness from about 0.001 to about 0.05 inches.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said desired thickness of the coating of the cured base cushion layer is from about 0.6 to about 50 mm.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said base cushion coating is selected from the group consisting of silicone rubbers, silicon polymers, silicone rubbers containing fillers and silicone polymers containing fillers.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said base cushion coating contains at least one filler and is thermally conductive.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said base cushion is cured at a temperature up to about 205° C.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said sleeve is removed from the mandrel by selectively cooling the mandrel.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said sleeve is removed from the mandrel by selectively heating the replaceable fuser member.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said topcoat layer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic fluorocarbon polymers and thermoplastic fluorocarbon random copolymers.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said topcoat layer is a thermoplastic fluorocarbon random copolymer containing a bisphenol curing agent residue, a particulate filler containing zinc oxide and an aminosiloxane.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein said topcoat layer is a thermoplastic fluorocarbon random copolymer containing a bisphenol curing agent residue, a particulate filler containing zinc oxide, an aminosiloxane and antimony-doped tin oxide particles.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said sleeve is of the same material as the machine mandrel.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein said mandrel comprises at least one of high temperature nickel, carbon steel and copper/zinc alloys.
17. The method of claim 5 , wherein said sleeve is of the same material as the machine mandrel.
18. The method of claim 5 , wherein said mandrel comprises at least one of high temperature nickel, carbon steel and copper/zinc alloys.
19. The method of claim 5 , wherein said mandrel has a coefficient of thermal expansion equal to from 90 to 110% of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the sleeve.