US 12,276,927 B2
Image forming apparatus and image forming method
Yuka Kawamoto, Kanagawa (JP); Kenta Shingu, Kanagawa (JP); Yoshiteru Yamada, Kanagawa (JP); and Daisuke Tano, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by FUJIFILM Business Innovation Corp., Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Feb. 9, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/438,096.
Prior Publication US 2025/0044725 A1, Feb. 6, 2025
Int. Cl. G03G 15/16 (2006.01)
CPC G03G 15/161 (2013.01) [G03G 15/162 (2013.01); G03G 2215/1661 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
an image holder;
a charging unit that charges a surface of the image holder;
an electrostatic charge image forming unit that forms an electrostatic charge image on the charged surface of the image holder;
a developing unit that accommodates an electrostatic charge image developer containing a toner that develops an electrostatic charge image formed on the surface of the image holder as a toner image by the electrostatic charge image developer, the toner having toner particles with a release agent, wherein an amount of the release agent present in a region within 800 nm from a surface of the toner particles is 70% or more of an entire amount of the release agent in the toner particles, and a melting temperature of the release agent is 65° C. or higher and 80° C. or lower;
an intermediate transfer belt that has an outer peripheral surface to which the toner image is to be transferred;
a primary transfer unit that has a primary transfer member performing primary transfer of the toner image formed on the surface of the image holder to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt;
a secondary transfer unit that has a secondary transfer member performing secondary transfer of the toner image transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt by the primary transfer to a surface of a recording medium; and
a cleaning device having a cleaning blade that is brought into contact with and cleans the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate transfer belt and that has a two-layer structure consisting of an edge layer and a back surface layer, in which the edge layer and the back surface layer are constituted of a polyurethane resin, a ratio (Hb/Ha) of a hardness Hb of the edge layer to a hardness Ha of the back surface layer is 0.84 or more and 0.93 or less, and a total amount of F and Si present within 200 nm from a surface of the cleaning blade, which is brought into contact with the intermediate transfer belt of the edge layer, accounts for 75% or more of a total amount of F and Si present within 5 um from the surface.