Fusing process and device

Abstract

Abstract A PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR FUSING POWDERED THERMOPLASTIC MARKING MEDIA IMAGES TO THE SURFACE OF A RECEPTOR SHEET, E.G. IN A COPYING MACHINE. THE FUSER DEVICE HAS A FUSER ROLL WITH A RADIANT ENERGY TRANSMISSIVE DRUM COVERED BY A RADIANT ENERGY TRANSMISSIVE RESILIENTLY COMPRESSIBLE LAYER WHICH IS COATED WITH A RADIANT ENERGY ABSORBING OUTER SKIN. A STATIONARY SOURCE OF RADIANT ENERGY AND A REFLECTOR THEREFOR ARE MOUNTED WITHIN THE FUSER ROLL TO PROVIDE A BAND OF INTENSE RADIATION FOCUSED UPON THE SKIN AT A LOCATION GENERALLY CORRESPONDING TO THE ZONE OF RECEPTOR CONTACT. THE PROCESS INVOLVES THE STEPS OF APPLYING A THERMOPLASTIC TONER POWDER IMAGE TO THE FUSER ROLL, CONTACTING THE POWDERED IMAGE WITH A RECEPTOR SURFACE, AND SIMULTANEOUSLY FOCUSING INTENSE RADIANT ENERGY ON THE RADIANT ENERGY ABSORBING LAYER BEARING THE CONTACTED IMAGE UNTIL THE POWDER FUSES AND ADHERES TO THE RECEPTOR SURFACE, AND SEPARATING THE RECEPTOR FROM THE ROLL. A POWDERED IMAGE CAN ALSO BE TRANSFERRED, E.G., FROM A SEMICONDUCTIVE IMAGE SOURCE, TO THE SURFACE OF THE ROLL BY SIMPLY PASSING THE ROLL OVER THE SOURCE BEARING THE POWDERED IMAGE.

Inventors

• 👤 James F Sanders
• 👤 Ronald R Baumgartner
• 👤 Laszlo D Farago

Bibliographic Details