JP7272039B2 - METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING CYLINDRICAL COATING MEMBER, ROLL, AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a cylindrical covering member, a roll, and an image forming apparatus.

Patent Document 1 discloses a method for manufacturing a fixing member having a cylindrical elastic layer and a fluororesin tube covering the peripheral surface of the cylindrical elastic layer. forming a fluororesin tube having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the elastic layer; (2) enlarging the diameter of the fluororesin tube to cover the cylindrical elastic layer; and (3) the cylindrical elastic layer. stretching the fluororesin tube covered with the fixing member in the longitudinal direction, and heat-treating the fluororesin tube while maintaining that state.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-143118

Here, in a structure in which the core body is covered with the cylindrical body by inserting the core body into a cylindrical body such as a tube whose diameter is expanded by the pressure difference between the inside and the outside and eliminating the pressure difference, the core body and the cylindrical body Air may remain between

The present invention suppresses air remaining between the core and the cylinder, compared to the case where the core is covered with the cylinder whose diameter is expanded due to the pressure difference between the inside and the outside by simply eliminating the pressure difference. intended to

A first aspect includes a first step of housing a first cylindrical body in a container and holding one end of the first cylindrical body on the opening edge of the container, sucking the gas in the container, and An insert body having a core and a second cylinder arranged on the outer circumference of the core while maintaining the first cylinder in a diameter-expanded state by a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the body is attached to the first cylinder. A second step of inserting one end into the first cylinder, a third step of stopping the suction to eliminate the pressure difference and covering the insert with the first cylinder, and the second cylinder a fourth step of pulling out from between the core and the first cylinder and covering the core with the first cylinder.

In the second aspect, a fifth step is performed after the third step and before the fourth step, in which the holding of one end of the first cylindrical body covering the insert is released in the third step. Prepare.

In the third aspect, in the fifth step, after releasing the holding of the one end of the first cylindrical body, the one end is held again.

In the fourth aspect, in the fifth step, after the holding of the one end of the first cylindrical body is released, the one end is held again after being left in the released state for a predetermined time.

A fifth aspect is performed after the third step and before the fourth step, and in the third step, the core body is and a sixth step of depressurizing the inside of another container communicating with the gap between the first cylindrical body and the first cylinder.

In the sixth aspect, in the fourth step, the second cylindrical body is placed between the core and the first cylindrical body while the pressure inside the other container is maintained in the sixth step. and cover the core with the first cylinder.

A seventh aspect includes a core body and a first cylindrical body covering the outer surface of the core body, and the second cylindrical body is pulled out from between the outer surface of the core body and the inner surface of the first cylindrical body. This is a roll used in an image forming apparatus, in which a pull-out mark is formed on at least one of the outer surface of the core body and the inner surface of the first cylindrical body.

In the eighth aspect, the withdrawal marks are formed on both the outer surface of the core body and the inner surface of the first cylindrical body.

In a ninth aspect, the withdrawal marks are regularly formed on the outer surface of the core along the circumferential direction of the core.

A tenth aspect comprises a transfer unit that transfers an image onto a recording medium, and a fixing device that fixes the image onto the recording medium using the fixing roll as the roll according to any one of the seventh to ninth aspects.

According to the first aspect, compared to the case where the core is covered with the first cylindrical body whose diameter is expanded due to the pressure difference between the inside and the outside, the gap between the core and the first cylinder is reduced only by eliminating the pressure difference. It is suppressed that air remains in the

According to the second aspect, compared to the case where the fourth step is performed while the first cylindrical body whose one end is held in the first step maintains the held state, the first cylindrical body coated with the core is Reduces wrinkles that occur.

According to the third aspect, compared to the case where the fourth step is performed while the first cylinder whose one end is released in the fifth step maintains the released state, the first cylinder coated with the core Reduces wrinkles on the body.

According to the fourth aspect, compared to the case where the first cylindrical body whose one end is released in the fifth step is not left in the released state and the one end is held again and the fourth step is performed, Wrinkles generated in the first cylindrical body covering the core are suppressed.

According to the fifth aspect, air remaining between the core body and the first cylindrical body is suppressed compared to the case where the inside of the other container is kept at normal pressure.

According to the sixth aspect, when the inside of another container is in a state of normal pressure, the second cylinder is pulled out from between the core and the first cylinder, and the core is Air is suppressed from remaining between the core and the first cylindrical body, as compared with the case of covering the .

According to the seventh aspect, compared to the case where both the outer surface of the core body and the inner surface of the first cylindrical body are smooth surfaces, it is suppressed that air remains between the core body and the first cylindrical body. .

According to the eighth aspect, compared to the case where at least one of the outer surface of the core body and the inner surface of the first cylindrical body is a smooth surface, it is suppressed that air remains between the core body and the first cylindrical body. be.

According to the ninth aspect, the first cylinder covering the outer surface of the core body and the core body, compared to the case where the withdrawal traces are irregularly formed on the outer surface of the core body along the circumferential direction of the core body. variation in the circumferential direction of the adhesive force of is suppressed.

According to the tenth aspect, image defects are suppressed as compared with the case of using a fixing roll in which both the outer surface of the core body and the inner surface of the first cylindrical body are smooth surfaces.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the tube covering roll according to the present embodiment; It is a front cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment. It is a front view which shows the roll body which concerns on this embodiment, a diameter-expansion member, and a fitting member. It is a perspective view which shows the conveying apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the lower end portion of the insert according to the present embodiment (cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 8); FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the upper portion of the insert according to the present embodiment (cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 8); FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the tube is held in the insert according to the present embodiment; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a lower holding mechanism according to the embodiment; FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which an inflatable portion is inflated in the configuration shown in FIG. 9; FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the lower holding mechanism according to the embodiment; It is a front view showing the configuration of an upper holding mechanism according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the configuration of an upper holding mechanism according to the embodiment; FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the claw portion of the upper holding mechanism according to the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which a tube is conveyed inside a container in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 3 ; 16 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which the lower end of the tube is held in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 15; FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the outer circumference of the upper end portion of the tube is sucked by the suction pad of the present embodiment; FIG. 17 is a front view showing a state in which the distal end portion of the claw portion is inserted into the tube after the inserter is extracted from the tube in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 16 ; FIG. 19 is a front view showing a state in which the diameter of the tube is expanded in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 18; FIG. 20 is a front view showing a state in which the tube is folded back in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 19; 21 is a front view showing a state in which the tube is held by the container in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 20; FIG. FIG. 22 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which insertion of an inserter into a tube is started in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 21; 23 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which the insertion body has been completely inserted into the tube in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 22; FIG. 24 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which the insert is covered with a tube in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 23; FIG. 25 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which the holding of the upper end portion of the tube is released in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 24; FIG. 26 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which the upper end of the tube is held again in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 25; FIG. 27 is a front cross-sectional view showing a state in which the outer cylinder is pulled out from between the roll body and the tube to cover the roll body with the tube in the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 26. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a process of expanding a tube and a process of contracting the expanded tube; 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an image forming apparatus; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a calculation formula for measuring air layer capacity; It is a table|surface which shows an evaluation result.

An example of an embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the dimensional ratios in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions of each part of each member shown in each drawing, and the dimensional ratios in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions of each member may differ from the actual dimensional ratios. There is

(Manufacturing device 10)
First, the manufacturing apparatus 10 will be described. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a manufacturing apparatus according to this embodiment.

The manufacturing apparatus 10 is an apparatus for manufacturing the tube covering roll 100 (an example of the cylindrical body covering member) shown in FIG. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing apparatus 10 includes a lower container 20, an upper container 80, an outer cylinder 56, a diameter expanding member 50, a conveying device 300 (see FIG. 5), and a lower container. A holding mechanism 200 (see FIG. 9), an upper holding mechanism 400 (see FIG. 12), an upper suction mechanism 40, a lower suction mechanism 70, and an insertion mechanism 90 are provided. A specific configuration of the tube coating roll 100 and a specific configuration of each part of the manufacturing apparatus 10 will be described below.

(Tube covering roll 100)
As shown in FIG. 2, the tube covering roll 100 to be manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 10 includes a roll body 110 (an example of a core) and a tube 120 (an example of a first cylindrical body) covering the roll body 110. ,have. That is, the tube covering roll 100 is a roll configured by covering a roll body 110 with a tube 120 . The tube 120 is cylindrical (tubular) and adhered to the roll body 110 with an adhesive 130 .

The roll body 110 has a cylindrical or columnar shaft portion 112 and a cylindrical (tubular) elastic body 114 formed on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 112 . Both ends of the shaft portion 112 are supported portions 116 supported by bearings.

A metal material is used for the shaft portion 112 as an example. A rubber material such as silicone rubber is used for the elastic body 114, for example. The tube 120 has elasticity (flexibility), and is made of, for example, a fluororesin such as PFA or PTFE.

(Lower container 20)
The lower container 20 shown in FIG. 1 is an example of a "container." The lower container 20 accommodates the tube 120 (see FIG. 22). Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the lower container 20 includes a body portion 24, a bottom portion 22 disposed below the body portion 24, and a top portion disposed above the body portion 24. 30 and .

The trunk portion 24 is formed in a cylindrical shape with both ends (upper and lower ends) in the axial direction opened. The body portion 24 constitutes a side wall of the lower container 20 together with a side wall portion 32 of the top portion 30, which will be described later. Further, the trunk portion 24 is formed with a suction port 24E to which a suction pipe 76 (described later) of the lower suction mechanism 70 is connected.

The bottom portion 22 is formed in a disc shape. The bottom portion 22 is fixed to the lower end portion of the trunk portion 24 . As a result, the bottom portion 22 closes the lower open portion of the body portion 24 and constitutes the bottom wall of the lower container 20 .

The top portion 30 has a cylindrical side wall portion 32 , an annular (ring-shaped) annular wall portion 34 , and a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 38 .

Specifically, the annular wall portion 34 is a plate-like wall portion having a thickness in the vertical direction, and is annularly formed in a plan view. This annular wall portion 34 constitutes the upper wall of the lower container 20 .

The side wall portion 32 is formed to extend downward from the outer peripheral edge of the annular wall portion 34 . A lower end portion of the side wall portion 32 is attached to an upper end portion of the body portion 24 .

The peripheral wall portion 38 is formed to rise upward from the inner peripheral edge of the annular wall portion 34 . An inner peripheral space on the inner peripheral side of the peripheral wall portion 38 and the annular wall portion 34 constitutes the opening 20A of the lower container 20 . The peripheral wall portion 38 has an opening edge 20B where the upper end portion (an example of one end portion) of the tube 120 is held.

Inside the lower container 20, the body portion 24, the bottom portion 22 and the top portion 30 form a closed space that is open only at the opening 20A and the suction port 24E.

(Upper container 80)
The upper container 80 shown in FIG. 1 is an example of "another container." The upper container 80 is arranged above the lower container 20 . Specifically, the upper container 80 has a body portion 84 and a top portion 82 arranged above the body portion 84, as shown in FIGS.

The trunk portion 84 is formed in a cylindrical shape with both ends (upper and lower ends) in the axial direction opened. As shown in FIG. 1, the trunk portion 84 is formed with a suction port 84E to which a later-described suction pipe 46 of the upper suction mechanism 40 is connected.

The top portion 82 is formed in a disc shape. The top portion 82 is fixed to the upper end portion of the trunk portion 84 . Thus, the top portion 82 closes the upper open portion of the body portion 84 and constitutes the top wall (that is, the upper wall) of the upper container 80 .

In addition, the upper container 80 has, for example, an opening/closing portion (not shown) in the body portion 84 . In the state in which the opening/closing portion is opened, the tube 120, the roll body 110, and the outer cylinder 56 can be accommodated in the upper container 80, and the manufactured tube covering roll 100 can be taken out. Further, the inside of the upper container 80 becomes a closed space when the opening/closing portion is closed. 9, 10, 15, 16, 18 to 21, illustration of the upper container 80 is omitted.

(Diameter expansion member 50)
The diameter expanding member 50 is mounted coaxially with the roll body 110 on the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the roll body 110, as shown in FIGS. Specifically, the diameter expanding member 50 is attached to the supported portion 116 (shaft portion 112 ) on the lower side of the roll body 110 .

The enlarged diameter member 50 gradually increases in diameter from the insertion direction (downward) to the opposite direction (upward) to the tube 120 and then gradually decreases in diameter. That is, the diameter expanding member 50 is formed in a tapered shape that has a maximum diameter at the center in the vertical direction and tapers upward and downward from the center in the vertical direction.

Moreover, the diameter expanding member 50 has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the roll body 110 . Specifically, the diameter expanding member 50 has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the roll body 110 including the adhesive 130 applied to the roll body 110 before the tube 120 is coated. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the diameter expanding member 50 at the upper and lower ends is the same as the outer diameter of the roll body 110 . Note that the outer diameter of the diameter expanding member 50 in the entire vertical direction including the outer diameter at the upper and lower ends may be larger than the outer diameter of the roll body 110 . Further, the outer diameter of the diameter expanding member 50 at the upper and lower ends may be smaller than the outer diameter of the roll body 110 . As described above, the diameter expanding member 50 may have an outer diameter equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the roll body 110, and at least a part of the diameter expanding member 50 may have an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the roll body 110. good.

In this embodiment, the tube 120 is expanded in its elastic range by inserting the diameter-expanding member 50 into the tube 120 . As an example, the diameter expanding member 50 is made of a resin material such as fluororesin.

(Outer cylinder 56)
The outer cylinder 56 is an example of a "second cylinder". The outer cylinder 56 is formed in a cylindrical shape with both ends (upper and lower ends) in the axial direction opened. The inner diameter of the outer cylinder 56 is larger than the outer diameter of the roll body 110 . The axial length of the outer cylinder 56 is the same as the axial length of the elastic body 114 of the roll body 110 . Note that the axial length of the outer cylinder 56 may be longer than the axial length of the elastic body 114 . Further, in a state where the tube 120 is covered with the outer cylinder 56 in the first covering step described later (see FIG. 24), the external The axial length of the tube 56 may be shorter than the axial length of the elastic body 114 .

The outer cylinder 56 is made of, for example, a resin material or a metal material. It is preferable that the outer cylinder 56 has good slidability (that is, slidability) on the inner surface and the outer surface. The inner surface of the outer cylinder 56 may have a release layer or the like in order to suppress adhesion of the adhesive 130 applied in advance to the outer peripheral surface of the elastic body 114 of the roll body 110 .

The outer cylinder 56 is arranged on the outer periphery of the roll body 110, as shown in FIG. An insert 59 is composed of the outer cylinder 56 and the roll body 110 . The insert 59 is then inserted into the tube 120 . In other words, the roll body 110 is inserted into the tube 120 integrally with the outer cylinder 56 in a state where the outer cylinder 56 is arranged on the outer periphery.

Specifically, the outer cylinder 56 is arranged on the outer periphery of the roll body 110 with a gap with respect to the roll body 110 . More specifically, the outer cylinder 56 is supported by a support portion 94 of the insertion mechanism 90 at a position having a gap with respect to the roll body 110 .

(Conveyor 300)
The transport device 300 is a device that transports the tube 120 into the lower container 20 . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the conveying device 300 has an insertion body 390 inserted along the axial direction inside the tube 120, a suction part 382, and a moving mechanism 349. ing.

The insert 390 has a length along the vertical direction (insertion direction with respect to the tube 120). As shown in FIG. 6, the lower end portion 391 of the insert 390 has a circular cross-section when viewed in the direction of inserting the tube 120 (the axial direction of the tube 120). 5, the lower end portion 391 has a constant portion 391A with a constant outer diameter along the longitudinal direction of the insert 390 and a tapered portion 391B that gradually tapers. . The fixed portion 391A is formed in a cylindrical shape. Note that the constant portion 391A may be cylindrical. The outer circumference (outer circumference length) of the constant portion 391A is shorter than the inner circumference (inner circumference length) of the tube 120 .

As shown in FIG. 7, an upper portion 393 of the insert 390 excluding the lower end portion 391 has a concave portion formed on the outer periphery in a cross section viewed in the inserting direction (the axial direction of the tube 120) with respect to the tube 120. 392. The four concave portions 392 are arranged at equal intervals (every 90 degrees) along the circumferential direction of the insert 390 in the cross section described above. As a result, the upper portion 393 is formed in a substantially cross shape in the cross section described above. In addition, the circumference including the concave portion 392 (concave surface) of the insert 390 is longer than the inner circumference of the tube 120 . Note that the circumference of the insert 390 that does not include the concave portion 392 (concave surface) (the circumference of the shortest distance formed by the outer edge of the insert 390, that is, the circumference indicated by the dashed-dotted line 392S) is the inner diameter of the tube 120. shorter than the circumference. In the above cross section, the longest distance 393L from the center 393C of the upper portion 393 to the outer edge of the insert 390 and the radius of the fixed portion 391A of the lower end portion 391 are, for example, the same. Note that the radius and the longest distance 393L may have different lengths.

A hole 394 that opens at the recess 392 is formed in the upper portion 393 . Aperture 394 communicates with a passageway 396 formed in upper portion 393 along the length of insert 390 . Passage 396 communicates with suction portion 382 at its upper end. The tube 120 is sucked through the hole 394 by operating the suction part 382 while the insert 390 is inserted inside the tube 120 . Thereby, as shown in FIG. 8 , the tube 120 is attracted to the outer circumference of the insert 390 and the tube 120 is held on the outer circumference of the insert 390 .

The moving mechanism 349 (see FIG. 5) is composed of, for example, a three-axis robot that moves the insert 390 vertically and horizontally (horizontally).

(Lower holding mechanism 200)
The lower holding mechanism 200 is a mechanism that holds the lower end of the tube 120 . Specifically, the lower holding mechanism 200, as shown in FIGS. It has an expansion part 216 such as an air picker and a guide cone 220 (fitting part).

The main body part 212 is fixed to the central part of the disk-shaped bottom part 22 in a state in which it penetrates vertically through the central part in plan view. Further, the body portion 212 is formed in a cylindrical shape protruding upward from the bottom portion 22 .

The movable portion 214 is formed in a cylindrical shape and supported inside the main body portion 212 so as to be vertically movable. Also, the movable portion 214 can be fixed to the main body portion 212 by a fixing mechanism (not shown). That is, the movable portion 214 is switched between a free state in which it can move vertically with respect to the body portion 212 and a fixed state in which it is fixed with respect to the body portion 212 . Further, the movable portion 214 is moved downward by a driving mechanism (see the drawing) in a free state.

The movable portion 214 is formed with a passage 214A having one end opened at the upper end portion of the movable portion 214 and the other end opened at the side portion of the movable portion 214 and having an L shape in a side sectional view. there is The passageway 214A communicates with a passageway 212A passing through the main body portion 212 in its radial direction. The passages 214A and 212A allow the internal space of the lower container 20 and the internal space of the tube 120 to communicate with each other even when the inflatable portion 216 holds the inner peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the tube 120 from the inside. Even when the movable portion 214 moves, the passage 214A of the movable portion 214 and the passage 212A of the main body portion 212 are maintained in a communicated state.

The inflatable portion 216 is formed in an annular shape (donut shape) having a circular hole 216A in the center in a plan view. The inflatable portion 216 is composed of an elastic film such as rubber covering the upper portion of the movable portion 214 in the circumferential direction. The inner peripheral end of the expanding portion 216 is fixed to the upper end of the movable portion 214 , and the outer peripheral end of the expanding portion 216 is fixed to the upper peripheral wall of the movable portion 214 . Thereby, it is configured in a bag shape having an internal space.

The internal space of the expansion portion 216 communicates with passages 214B and 212B formed in the movable portion 214 and the body portion 212, respectively. Passages 214B and 212B are passages separated from passages 214A and 212A. A supply unit 213 that supplies air is connected to the passage 212B. The supply portion 213 supplies air to the inside of the inflatable portion 216 through the passages 214B and 212B, so that the inflatable portion 216 is inflated as shown in FIGS. Hold the peripheral surface from the inside.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the guide cone 220 has a lower end portion at the expansion portion 216 with respect to the open end 112A (fitted portion) on the lower end side of the shaft portion 112 (supported portion 116) of the roll body 110. It is a member that fits along the axial direction of the tube 120 in the held state. The guide cone 220 has a fitting portion 222 fitted to the open end 112A of the shaft portion 112, and a fixed shaft portion 224 projecting downward from the fitting portion 222 and fixed to the upper end portion of the movable portion 214. are doing.

The fitting portion 222 has a cylindrical surface 222A fitted inside the open end 112A and a conical surface 222B whose outer diameter gradually decreases upward from the upper end of the cylindrical surface 222A. The outer diameter of the cylindrical surface 222A is the same as the inner diameter of the shaft portion 112 of the roll body 110 or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the shaft portion 112 . The guide cone 220 is fixed to the movable portion 214 coaxially with the expansion portion 216 by a fixed shaft portion 224 . Thereby, the cylindrical surface 222A and the outer peripheral surface of the expansion portion 216 are arranged coaxially.

In the lower holding mechanism 200, the movable portion 214 is movable with respect to the main body portion 212. However, the movable portion 214 is fixed to the main body portion 212, and the main body portion 212 is in a free state and a fixed state with respect to the lower container 20. and may be switched. A specific holding operation by the lower holding mechanism 200 will be explained in the manufacturing method described later.

(Upper holding mechanism 400)
The upper holding mechanism 400 shown in FIG. 12 is a mechanism that holds the upper end (an example of one end) of the tube 120 together with the lower container 20 . Specifically, the upper holding mechanism 400 has a function of holding the upper end of the tube 120 housed in the lower container 20 on the opening edge 20B of the lower container 20 . More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the upper holding mechanism 400 includes a plurality of (specifically, four) suction pads 410 (an example of a suction mechanism) and a plurality of (specifically, four) suction pads. 4) claw portions 420 .

Above the top portion 30 (see FIG. 12), the four suction pads 410 are arranged along the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 38 (tube 120) at regular intervals of 90 degrees as shown in FIG. there is A suction port 412 of the suction pad 410 is directed radially inward of the peripheral wall portion 38 . The suction pad 410 sucks through the suction port 412 to suck the outer circumference of the upper end portion (one end portion) of the tube 120 housed in the lower container 20 that protrudes from the opening of the peripheral wall portion 38 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the suction pad 410 can be moved radially inward and radially outward of the peripheral wall portion 38 as indicated by an arrow Y by a moving mechanism 415 . A cylinder, for example, is used as the moving mechanism 415 .

Above the top portion 30 (see FIG. 12), the four claw portions 420 are arranged between the four suction pads 410 in plan view, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the four claw portions 420 are arranged at regular intervals of 90 degrees along the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 38 .

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, the four claw portions 420 are L-shaped when viewed from the side. Each claw portion 420 has a claw portion main body 422 extending radially inward of the peripheral wall portion 38 and a distal end portion 424 protruding downward from the radially inner end portion of the claw portion main body 422 .

As shown in FIG. 14, a plurality of grooves 427 are formed along the circumferential direction of the peripheral wall portion 38 (tube 120) on the contact surface 423 on the radially outer side (on the claw portion main body 422 side) of the distal end portion 424. . Specifically, for example, three grooves 427 are arranged vertically.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12 , the claw portion 420 can be moved radially inward and outward of the peripheral wall portion 38 as indicated by arrow Y by a moving mechanism 425, and can move vertically. It is movable. A biaxial robot, for example, is used as the moving mechanism 425 . The four claw portions 420 sandwich and hold the upper end portion of the tube 120 with the peripheral wall portion 38 of the lower container 20 . A specific holding operation by the upper holding mechanism 400 will be described later in the manufacturing method.

(Upper suction mechanism 40)
The upper suction mechanism 40 has a suction pump 42, a regulator 44, and a suction tube 46, as shown in FIG. The suction pipe 46 has one end connected to the suction pump 42 and the other end connected to the suction port 84E of the upper container 80 . The regulator 44 is arranged in the middle of the suction tube 46 .

In the upper suction mechanism 40, the gas (air) inside the upper container 80 is sucked through the suction pipe 46 by driving the suction pump 42, and the pressure inside the upper container 80 is reduced. The regulator 44 has a pressure regulating function of regulating the pressure inside the upper container 80 . A specific suction operation by the upper suction mechanism 40 will be described later in the manufacturing method.

(Lower suction mechanism 70)
The lower suction mechanism 70 has a suction pump 72, a regulator 74, and a suction tube 76, as shown in FIG. The suction pipe 76 has one end connected to the suction pump 72 and the other end connected to the suction port 24E of the lower container 20 . A regulator 74 is arranged in the middle of the suction tube 76 .

In the lower suction mechanism 70 , the gas (air) inside the lower container 20 is sucked through the suction pipe 76 by driving the suction pump 72 , and the pressure inside the lower container 20 is reduced. The regulator 74 has a pressure regulating function of regulating the pressure inside the lower container 20 .

Then, the lower suction mechanism 70 sucks the gas inside the lower container 20, so that the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the tube 120 held by the upper holding mechanism 400 (hereinafter, the "pressure difference between the inside and outside of the tube 120" is called " The tube 120 is maintained in the expanded state by the internal/external pressure difference. A specific suction operation by the lower suction mechanism 70 will be described later in the manufacturing method.

(Insertion mechanism 90)
The insertion mechanism 90 shown in FIG. 23 and the like is a mechanism for inserting the insert 59 into the tube 120 held in the lower container 20 . Specifically, the insertion mechanism 90 includes a support member 96 having a shaft portion 93 and a support portion 94 and a drive portion 98 .

The shaft portion 93 extends along the vertical direction. The shaft portion 93 passes through the top portion 82 of the upper container 80 and is supported by the top portion 82 so as to be vertically movable.

The support portion 94 is fixed to the lower end portion of the shaft portion 93 . This support portion 94 has the function of supporting the upper portion of the insert 59 . Specifically, the support portion 94 independently supports the supported portion 116 on the upper side of the roll body 110 and the upper portion of the outer cylinder 56 . More specifically, the support portion 94 independently supports the supported portion 116 and the upper portion of the outer cylinder 56 so that there is a gap between the roll body 110 and the outer cylinder 56 . Furthermore, the support portion 94 can support only the outer cylinder 56 . The driving portion 98 is configured by an actuator or the like that moves the shaft portion 93 in the vertical direction.

In the insertion mechanism 90 , while the supporting portion 94 supports the supported portion 116 on the upper side of the roll body 110 and the upper portion of the outer cylinder 56 , the shaft portion 93 is lowered by the driving portion 98 and expanded by the lower suction mechanism 70 . An insert 59 is inserted into the tube 120 from the upper end of the tube 120 which is maintained in diameter. A specific operation of the insertion mechanism 90 will be described later in the manufacturing method.

(Manufacturing method of tube covering roll 100 using manufacturing apparatus 10)
Next, a method for manufacturing the tube covering roll 100 using the manufacturing apparatus 10 will be described.

This manufacturing method includes a preparation step, a conveying step, a holding step (an example of the first step), an inserting step (an example of the second step), a fitting step, and a first covering step (an example of the third step ), a reholding step (an example of the fifth step), a decompression step (an example of the sixth step), a second covering step (an example of the fourth step), a removing step, and a cutting step. ing. The preparing process, the conveying process, the holding process, the inserting process, the fitting process, the first coating process, the re-holding process, the decompression process, the second coating process, the removing process, and the cutting process are performed in this order, for example.

(Preparation process)
In the preparation step, the above-described manufacturing apparatus 10 for manufacturing the tube coating roll 100 is prepared.

(Conveyance process)
The transporting step is a step of transporting the tube 120 into the lower container 20 . Specifically, the transfer process is performed as follows. That is, in the transporting step, as shown in FIG. 5, first, the suction part 382 of the transporting device 300 is operated while the insertion body 390 of the transporting device 300 is inserted inside the tube 120 . As a result, the tube 120 is attracted to the outer circumference of the insert 390, and the tube 120 is held on the outer circumference of the insert 390 (see FIG. 8).

Next, the insertion member 390 is lowered into the lower container 20 through the opening 20A of the lower container 20 by the moving mechanism 349, thereby conveying the tube 120 into the lower container 20 as shown in FIG. be. Specifically, the tube 120 is conveyed into the lower container 20 in a state in which the lower end protrudes below the insertion body 390, and the protruding lower end is attached to the inner peripheral side of the lower holding mechanism 200. of the expansion part 216 is inserted.

(Holding process)
The holding step is a step of holding the tube 120 . The holding process specifically includes a lower end holding process and an upper end holding process. The lower end holding step and the upper end holding step will be described below.

(Lower end holding step)
The lower end holding step is a step of holding the lower end of the tube 120 . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, in the lower end holding step, the supply portion 213 supplies air to the inside of the expansion portion 216 through the passages 212B and 214B. As a result, the expansion portion 216 expands and holds the inner peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the tube 120 from the inside. At this time, the movable portion 214 to which the expansion portion 216 is attached is in a fixed state in which it is fixed to the main body portion 212 .

(Upper edge holding process)
The upper end holding step is a step of holding the upper end of the tube 120 in the lower container 20 . Specifically, the upper end portion holding step is performed as follows. That is, in the upper end holding step, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the four suction pads 410 suck through the suction ports 412, thereby causing the upper end (one end) of the tube 120 to protrude from the opening of the peripheral wall portion 38. part) is adsorbed. Note that when the suction of the suction pad 410 is started, the suction by the suction portion 382 of the insert 390 is stopped. Also, the insert 390 may stop sucking and blow air through the hole 394 . This makes it easier for the tube 120 to separate from the insert 390 .

18, the insert 390 is raised to withdraw the insert 390 from the tube 120. As shown in FIG. Next, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 13, the four claws 420 are lowered by the movement mechanism 425 from the position above the tube 120 in which the outer periphery of the upper end is sucked by the four suction pads 410. By doing so, the distal end portion 424 is inserted inside the upper end portion of the tube 120 .

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 19, the four claw portions 420 are moved radially outward of the peripheral wall portion 38 by the moving mechanism 425 while the contact surface 423 is in contact with the inner circumference of the tube 120 . As a result, the diameter of the upper end of the tube 120 is expanded. Note that when the four claw portions 420 move radially outward of the peripheral wall portion 38 , the suction pad 410 is moved radially outward of the peripheral wall portion 38 by the moving mechanism 415 . Therefore, suction pad 410 does not interfere with tube 120 . Note that the suction pad 410 is moved, for example, before or at the same time as the claw portion 420 is moved.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 20, the four claws 420 are moved downward by the movement mechanism 425 on the outer peripheral side of the peripheral wall 38, thereby folding back the upper end of the tube 120, and then folding the tube 120 as shown in FIG. It moves radially inwardly of the peripheral wall portion 38 so that it can be As a result, the upper end of the tube 120 is pressed against the outer wall of the peripheral wall portion 38 by the four claws 420 to hold the upper end of the tube 120 . By holding the upper end of the tube 120 between the four claws 420 and the peripheral wall 38 of the lower container 20 in this manner, the tube 120 is held by the opening edge 20B of the peripheral wall 38 .

(Insertion process)
The inserting step is a step of inserting the insert 59 into the tube 120 whose upper end and lower end are held. Specifically, the insertion process is performed as follows. That is, in the insertion step, first, the suction pump 72 of the lower suction mechanism 70 is driven to start sucking the air inside the lower container 20 .

Here, the movable portion 214 to which the expansion portion 216 is attached is in a free state in which it can move vertically with respect to the main body portion 212 . In this state, as shown in FIG. 22, the insertion member 59 with the diameter expanding member 50 attached to the lower end of the roll body 110 is inserted into the tube 120 by the insertion mechanism 90 .

When the insert 59 is inserted into the upper end of the tube 120 and the diameter expanding member 50 seals the upper opening of the tube 120, the pressure inside the lower container 20 is reduced, and the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the lower container 20 causes the insert 59 to move. A downward (insertion direction) pulling force acts on it. In this embodiment, the inserting body 59 descends due to the pushing force by the insertion mechanism 90, the pulling force due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the lower container 20, and gravity, and the inserting body 59 moves from the upper end to the lower end of the tube 120. inserted.

As shown in FIG. 23, when the diameter-expanding member 50 passes through each part of the tube 120, the tube 120 is expanded in diameter and shrinks in the axial direction (see FIG. 28A), but the inflatable portion 216 remains free. Therefore, the lower end portion of the tube 120 is held while the tube 120 is lifted.

When the insert 59 descends, the diameter of the tube 120 is expanded in the elastic region where the diameter expanding member 50 has passed. The diameter-expanded portion is maintained in the diameter-expanded state due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the tube 120 (see FIG. 23).

In this way, while inserting the insert 59 from the upper end to the lower end of the tube 120, the part of the tube 120 whose diameter is expanded by the passage of the diameter expanding member 50 is expanded by the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the tube 120. maintain.

An adhesive 130 (see FIG. 2) is applied in advance to the outer peripheral surface of the elastic body 114 of the roll body 110 before it is inserted into the tube 120 .

(Mating process)
The fitting step is a step of fitting the guide cone 220 to the lower end portion of the roll body 110 of the insert 59 . Specifically, in the fitting step, as shown in FIG. Insert 59 is lowered. As a result, the cylindrical surface 222A of the guide cone 220 fits into the open end 112A on the lower end side of the shaft portion 112 of the roll body 110 . At this fitting position, the lowering of the insert 59 is stopped.

(First coating step)
The first covering step is a step of covering the insert 59 with the tube 120 . Specifically, in the first covering step, the insert 59 is covered with the tube 120 while the guide cone 220 is fitted to the lower end of the roll body 110 . More specifically, the first coating step is performed as follows.

That is, in the first covering step, first, with the guide cone 220 fitted to the lower end portion of the roll body 110, the drive of the suction pump 72 is stopped to open the inside of the lower container 20 to the atmosphere. As a result, the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the tube 120 is eliminated while the diameter expanding member 50 is inside the lower end of the tube 120, and the diameter of the tube 120 is reduced. By reducing the diameter of the tube 120 in this manner, the insert 59 is covered with the tube 120 as shown in FIG. Specifically, the tube 120 covers the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 56 of the insert 59 .

(Re-holding step)
The reholding step is a step of releasing the holding of the upper end of the tube 120 covering the insert 59 and then holding the upper end of the tube 120 again. Specifically, the reholding process is performed as follows.

First, as shown in FIG. 25, the four claws 420 are moved radially outwardly of the peripheral wall 38 of the lower container 20 by the moving mechanism 425 to press the upper end of the tube 120 against the outer wall of the peripheral wall 38. unlock. This releases the upper end of the tube 120 covering the insert 59 from being held. In other words, the upper end of the tube 120 covering the insert 59 is less constrained.

Next, after the tube 120 is released from the upper end portion, it is left in the released state for a predetermined standing time.

The standing time is set, for example, to the time from when the holding is released until the tension in the axial direction acting on the tube 120 is released. Specifically, the standing time is such that the tube 120 does not move in the axial direction when the tube 120 is coated on the outer peripheral surface of the roll body 110 (see the second coating step described later). It is set to the time at which the tension in the axial direction is relieved. In other words, it is not necessary to completely release the tension in the axial direction of the tube 120. When the tube 120 is coated on the outer peripheral surface of the roll body 110, the tension is within a range in which the tube 120 does not move in the axial direction. may be Specifically, the leaving time is, for example, 1 minute.

After being left in the released state for a predetermined standing time, the upper end portion of the tube 120 is held again. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 26, the four claws 420 are moved radially inwardly of the peripheral wall portion 38 of the lower container 20 by a moving mechanism 425, and move the upper end of the tube 120 to the peripheral wall portion 38. As shown in FIG. hold the upper end of the tube 120 against the outer wall of the tube 120 .

(Decompression process)
The depressurizing step is a step of depressurizing the inside of the upper container 80 . Specifically, the suction pump 42 of the upper suction mechanism 40 is driven to start sucking the air inside the lower container 20 . As a result, the pressure inside the upper container 80 is reduced.

Here, the inside of the upper container 80 communicates with the gap between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 at the upper end of the tube 120 covering the insert 59 . Thereby, air is sucked from the gap between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 . In other words, this step can also be said to be a step of sucking air from the gap between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 .

Note that the gap between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 includes the gap between the roll body 110 and the outer cylinder 56 .

(Second coating step)
The second covering step is a step of covering the roll body 110 with the tube 120 . Specifically, in the second covering step, as shown in FIG. 27 , the outer cylinder 56 is pulled out from between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 to cover the roll body 110 with the tube 120 . More specifically, the second coating step is performed as follows.

That is, in the second covering step, first, the support portion 94 of the insertion mechanism 90 supports only the outer cylinder 56 . Next, while the pressure inside the upper container 80 is maintained, the shaft portion 93 of the insertion mechanism 90 is raised by the driving portion 98 (see FIG. 23), and the outer cylinder 56 is moved between the roll body 110 and the tube 120. pull out from between Thereby, the roll body 110 is covered with the tube 120 .

In this embodiment, the outer cylinder 56 is drawn upward from between the roll body 110 and the tube 120, so that the roll body 110 is gradually covered with the tube 120 from the lower end to the upper end.

(Extraction process)
Next, the inflatable portion 216 is deflated to release the holding of the lower end of the tube 120 . Further, the four claws 420 are moved by the moving mechanism 425 in a manner opposite to the moving operation in the upper end holding process. As a result, the holding of the upper end of the tube 120 is released. Then, the roll body 110 is taken out from the inside of the lower container 20 and further taken out from the upper container 80 .

(Cutting process)
After the roll body 110 is removed from the upper container 80 , the excess lower end and upper end of the tube 120 are cut off, and the diameter expanding member 50 is removed from the roll body 110 . Thus, the tube covering roll 100 is manufactured.

(Supplement to tube covering roll 100)
The tube covering roll 100 is used, for example, as a fixing roll of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. An electrophotographic image forming apparatus is an apparatus that forms an image on a recording medium through respective steps of charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing. The tube covering roll 100 may be, for example, a charging roll of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus or a roll used for other purposes.

The tube covering roll 100 is manufactured by the manufacturing method described above, so that the traces of drawing out the outer cylinder 56 from between the outer surface of the roll body 110 and the inner surface of the tube 120 form the outer surface of the roll body 110 and the inner surface of the tube 120 . formed on both the inner surfaces of the Note that the tube covering roll 100 may have a drawing mark formed on one of the outer surface of the roll body 110 and the inner surface of the tube 120 . That is, it is sufficient that the drawing marks are formed on at least one of the outer surface of the roll body 110 and the inner surface of the tube 120 .

More specifically, the pull-out traces are regularly formed on the outer surface of the roll body 110 along the circumferential direction of the roll body 110 . Specifically, the drawing marks are arranged at regular intervals in the circumferential direction of the roll body 110, for example. It should be noted that the inner surface of the outer cylinder 56 may be provided with convex portions regularly along the circumferential direction to intentionally (forcibly) form the withdrawal marks. The traces of drawing can be found by cutting the tube covering roll 100 in the axial direction or the circumferential direction and observing the interface between the outer surface of the roll body 110 and the inner surface of the tube 120 .

As an image forming apparatus 500 in which the tube covering roll 100 is used as a fixing roll (hereinafter referred to as the fixing roll 100), an apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 29 is used. As shown in FIG. 29, the image forming apparatus 500 has an image forming section 502 , a transfer section 504 and a fixing device 506 . The image forming unit 502 forms an image. Specifically, the image forming unit 502 forms an image through each process of charging, exposure and development. A transfer unit 504 transfers the image formed by the image forming unit 502 onto a recording medium P such as paper.

The fixing device 506 has a fixing roll 100 and a pressure roll 508 . In the fixing device 506 , the image transferred to the recording medium P is fixed on the recording medium P by heating with the fixing roll 100 and pressing with the pressure roll 508 . Thus, the fixing device 506 fixes the image on the recording medium P using the fixing roll 100 .

(Action of this embodiment)
In this embodiment, as described above, in the second covering step, as shown in FIG. 27, the outer cylinder 56 is pulled out from between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 to cover the roll body 110 with the tube 120. . Therefore, the roll body 110 is gradually covered with the tube 120 from the lower end toward the upper end. As a result, the air between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 is discharged above the roll body 110 .

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the roll body 110 and the tube 120 are separated from each other in comparison with the case where the tube 120 expanded in diameter due to the pressure difference between the inside and the outside is directly coated on the roll body 110 only by canceling the pressure difference. Remaining air between them is suppressed.

Further, in this embodiment, as described above, in the reholding step, the upper end portion of the tube 120 covering the insert 59 is released from being held.

Here, when the second covering step is performed while the tube 120 whose upper end is held in the holding step maintains the holding state (hereinafter referred to as Comparative Example 1), the tension of the tube 120 covering the roll body 110 is As a result, the tube 120 may shrink in the axial direction and wrinkle.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the tube 120 is less likely to shrink in the axial direction than in Comparative Example 1 described above, and wrinkles occurring in the tube 120 covering the roll body 110 are suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, in the reholding step, after releasing the holding of the upper end of the tube 120, the upper end of the tube 120 is held again.

For this reason, the upper end of the tube 120 is less likely to fall off from the lower container 20, compared to the case where the second covering step is performed while the tube 120, whose upper end is released from the holding state in the reholding step, maintains its released state. , wrinkles generated in the tube 120 due to the falling off are suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, in the reholding step, after the holding of the upper end of the tube 120 is released, the upper end of the tube 120 is again held after being left in the released state for a predetermined time. hold part.

For this reason, in the reholding step, the tube 120 whose upper end has been released from the holding is not left in the released state and the upper end is held again, and the tension of the tube 120 is reduced as compared with the case where the second covering step is performed. As a result, shrinkage in the axial direction is less likely to occur, and wrinkles occurring in the tube 120 covering the roll body 110 are suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, in the depressurization step, the inside of the upper container 80 communicates with the gap between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 at the upper end of the tube 120 covering the insert 59 . The pressure inside the container 80 is reduced.

Therefore, compared to the case where the inside of the upper container 80 is kept at normal pressure, the air in the gap between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 is discharged, and the remaining air between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 is suppressed. be done.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, in the second covering step, the outer cylinder 56 is pulled out from between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 while the pressure inside the upper container 80 is maintained. For this reason, compared to the case where the outer cylinder 56 is pulled out from between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 and the roll body 110 is covered with the tube 120 while the inside of the upper container 80 is in a normal pressure state, the roll body 110 and the tube The air in the gap between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 is discharged, and the remaining air between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 is suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the tube covering roll 100 is manufactured by the above-described manufacturing method, so that the drawing traces of the outer cylinder 56 drawn out from between the outer surface of the roll body 110 and the inner surface of the tube 120 are left on the roll. It is formed on at least one of the outer surface of body 110 and the inner surface of tube 120 .

Therefore, the outer cylinder 56 is in close contact with at least one of the outer surface of the roll body 110 and the inner surface of the tube 120 compared to the case where both the outer surface of the roll body 110 and the inner surface of the tube 120 are smooth surfaces. , air is suppressed from remaining between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 .

Furthermore, since air remains between the roll body 110 and the tube 120, when the tube covering roll 100 is used as a fixing roll, fixing unevenness is suppressed, and image defects are suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, specifically, the drawing traces are regularly formed on the outer surface of the roll body 110 along the circumferential direction of the roll body 110 .

For this reason, the attachment between the tube 120 covering the outer surface of the roll body 110 and the roll body 110 is more difficult than in the case where the drawing traces are irregularly formed on the outer surface of the roll body 110 along the circumferential direction of the roll body 110 . Variation in the applied force in the circumferential direction is suppressed.

(Modification)
Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, in the reholding step, the upper end portion of the tube 120 covering the insert 59 is released from being held, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a manufacturing method may be used in which the second covering step is performed while the tube 120 whose upper end is held in the holding step maintains the held state.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, in the reholding step, the upper end of the tube 120 is held again after the holding of the upper end of the tube 120 is released, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a manufacturing method may be used in which the second covering step is performed while the tube 120 whose upper end portion has been released from being held in the reholding step maintains the released state.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, in the reholding step, after the holding of the upper end of the tube 120 is released, the upper end of the tube 120 is again held after being left in the released state for a predetermined time. However, it is not limited to this. For example, in the reholding step, a manufacturing method may be used in which the upper end portion of the tube 120 whose hold has been released is not left in the released state, and the upper end portion is held again, and the second covering step is performed.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, in the depressurization step, the inside of the upper container 80 communicates with the gap between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 at the upper end of the tube 120 covering the insert 59 . Although the inside of the container 80 is depressurized, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a manufacturing method in which the inside of the upper container 80 is kept at normal pressure may be used. Furthermore, a manufacturing apparatus that does not have the upper container 80 may be used.

Further, in the present embodiment, the tube covering roll 100 is manufactured by the above-described manufacturing method, so that the drawing traces of the outer cylinder 56 drawn out from between the outer surface of the roll body 110 and the inner surface of the tube 120 are left on the roll. Although formed on at least one of the outer surface of the body 110 and the inner surface of the tube 120, it is not limited to this. For example, the tube covering roll 100 may be a roll without drawing traces.

Further, in the present embodiment, specifically, the pull-out traces are regularly formed on the outer surface of the roll body 110 along the circumferential direction of the roll body 110, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the roll may have traces of drawing irregularly formed on the outer surface of the roll body 110 along the circumferential direction of the roll body 110 .

Although the upper end portion of the tube 120 is held by the four claw portions 420 in the present embodiment described above, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the configuration may be such that the upper end portion of the tube 120 is sucked and held by the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion 38 by sucking through a plurality of suction holes formed in the peripheral wall portion 38 .

Although the roll body 110 having the shaft portion 112 and the cylindrical elastic body 114 formed on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 112 is used as the core body, the core body is not limited to this. As the core body, for example, only the shaft portion 112 may be used.

In the manufacturing apparatus 10, the tubes 120 are arranged along the vertical direction, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the lower container 20 may be installed horizontally, and the tubes 120 may be arranged horizontally.

In the embodiment described above, the tube covering roll 100 was manufactured as an example of the tubular covering member, but the tubular covering member to be manufactured is not limited to this. For example, the tubular body covering member may be a tube covering belt configured by covering a belt body with a tube 120 . In the case of a tube-covered belt, a core body having a core material and a cylindrical belt body (an example of a tubular body) formed around the core material is used. That is, the core body is inserted into the tube 120 in the same manner as the roll body 110 described above, and the tube 120 covers the belt body. After that, the core material is removed from the belt body covered with the tube 120 (an example of the sixth step) to manufacture a tube-covered belt. As the belt body, a resin belt made of polyimide or the like, a metal belt, or the like is used.

In the manufacturing method described above, after the suction pump 72 of the lower suction mechanism 70 is driven to start sucking the air inside the lower container 20 , the roll body 110 with the diameter expanding member 50 attached to the lower end is attached to the tube 120 . Although it is inserted in the upper end, it is not limited to this. For example, after inserting the roll body 110 with the diameter expanding member 50 attached to the lower end into the upper end of the tube 120, the suction pump 72 of the lower suction mechanism 70 is driven to start sucking the air inside the lower container 20. You may

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications, changes, and improvements are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the modifications shown above may be configured by appropriately combining a plurality of them.

(evaluation)
In the examples and comparative examples (see FIG. 31) shown below, the tube coating roll 100 manufactured according to the manufacturing method described above was evaluated. In this evaluation, the tube coating roll 100 was manufactured by partially changing the manufacturing method described above for each of the comparative examples and the working examples. In addition, in this evaluation, the air layer volume, the presence or absence of wrinkles, traces of drawing, and image quality were evaluated by the following evaluation methods.

<Example 1>
A tube coating roll 100 was manufactured using the manufacturing method described above. The standing time in the reholding step was set to 1.0 minute.

<Example 2>
In the manufacturing method described above, the second coating step was performed without performing the decompression step.

<Example 3>
In the manufacturing method described above, the second coating step was performed without performing the reholding step.

<Example 4>
In the manufacturing method described above, the second coating step was performed without performing the decompression step and the reholding step.

<Comparative example>
The tube covering roll 100 was manufactured without using the outer cylinder 56 in the manufacturing method described above. Specifically, in the inserting step of the manufacturing method described above, the roll body 110 was inserted in place of the insert body 59, and the outer peripheral surface of the roll body 110 was covered with the tube 120 in the first covering step. Therefore, the decompression step, the reholding step and the second coating step are not performed.

<Measurement of air layer capacity>
The volume of the roll body 110 before coating the tube 120, the volume of the tube coating roll 100 (the roll body 110 after coating the tube 120), and the volume of the tube 120 stripped from the roll body 110 after coating the tube 120. was measured.
These volumes were calculated based on Equation 1 in FIG. Also, from these volumes, the capacity of the air layer existing between the roll body 110 and the tube 120 was calculated based on Equation 2 in FIG. 30(B).

<Wrinkle evaluation>
The surface straightness of the tube coating roll 100 after coating the tube 120 was measured using a laser outer diameter measuring device (eg ROLL2000 manufactured by Asaka Riken Co., Ltd.) to calculate the maximum amplitude value. It can be evaluated that the larger the maximum amplitude value is, the more wrinkles are generated.

<Extraction marks>
The tube coating roll 100 was cut axially or circumferentially, and the interface between the outer surface of the roll body 110 and the inner surface of the tube 120 was observed with a stereoscopic microscope to confirm the presence or absence of drawing traces.

<Image quality>
Image formation for evaluation was performed under the conditions of a heating roll surface temperature of 175° C. and a process speed of 194 mm/sec in an environment of 22° C./55 RH%. The tube covering rolls 100 of Comparative Example and Examples 1 to 4 were mounted as fixing rolls in the fixing device portion of a C2220 color printer manufactured by Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd., and image quality was evaluated. The evaluation of image quality was performed visually according to the following criteria at the initial stage and after passing 200,000 sheets.
A: No defect such as density unevenness B: Extremely slight density unevenness C: Large density unevenness D: Impractical density unevenness

<Evaluation results>
As shown in the table of FIG. 31, in Examples 1 to 4, the air layer volume was smaller and wrinkles were smaller than in the comparative example. Also, the image quality has improved. Further, in Examples 1 to 4, traces of drawing were confirmed.

20 lower container (an example of a container)
20B opening edge 56 outer cylinder (an example of the second cylinder)
59 insert 80 upper container (an example of another container)
100 tube covering roll (an example of a tubular body covering member)
110 roll body (an example of core body)
120 tube (an example of the first cylindrical body)
500 image forming device 504 transfer section 506 fixing device

Claims (6)

A first step of housing a first cylindrical body in a container and holding one end of the first cylindrical body on the opening edge of the container;
A core and a second cylinder arranged on the outer periphery of the core while sucking the gas in the container and maintaining the first cylinder in a diameter-expanded state by the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the first cylinder a second step of inserting an insert having a into the first cylinder from one end of the first cylinder;
a third step of stopping the suction to eliminate the pressure difference and covering the insert with the first cylinder;
a fourth step of pulling out the second cylinder from between the core and the first cylinder and covering the core with the first cylinder;
A method for manufacturing a cylindrical covering member. 2. A fifth step, which is performed after said third step and before said fourth step, for releasing the holding of one end of the first cylindrical body covering said insert in said third step. A method for manufacturing the cylindrical covering member described. 3. The method of manufacturing a tubular body covering member according to claim 2, wherein in the fifth step, after releasing the holding of the one end of the first tubular body, the one end is held again. 4. According to claim 3, in the fifth step, after the holding of one end of the first cylinder is released, the one end of the first cylinder is held again after being left for a predetermined time while the holding is released. A method for manufacturing the cylindrical covering member described. After the third step and before the fourth step, at the one end of the first cylinder covering the insert in the third step, the core body and the first cylinder 5. The method for producing a tubular body covering member according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a sixth step of depressurizing the inside of another container whose inside communicates with the gap with the body. In the fourth step, the second cylindrical body is pulled out from between the core body and the first cylindrical body while maintaining the pressure-reduced state of the inside of the other container in the sixth step. 6. The method for manufacturing a cylindrical body covering member according to claim 5, wherein the core body is covered with the first cylindrical body.

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