MANUFACTURING METHOD FOR BELT MADE OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, MANUFACTURING DEVICE FOR BELT MADE OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL, AND BELT MADE OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily manufacture a seamless belt having a uniform thickness which is used for an image forming device or the like.;SOLUTION: A sleeve 13 made of a metal is fitted on the outer peripheral surface 12a of a cylinder 12 made of a metal, and the cylinder 12 is induction-heated. Thus, the outer peripheral surface 13b of the sleeve 13 is heated without a temperature unevenness. Under a state that the outer peripheral surface 13b of the sleeve 13 has been heated to a temperature being higher than the melting point of a material powder G comprising a thermoplastic material, the material powder G is spread evenly on the outer peripheral surface 13b of the sleeve 13 while the cylinder 12 and the sleeve 13 are rotated in the circumferential direction, and the material powder G is heated and molten while rotating the cylinder 12 and the sleeve 13 for a specified time. Thus, a molten film having a uniform thickness is formed on the outer peripheral surface 13b of the sleeve 13, and the molten film is cooled to a temperature lower than the melting point of the material powder G and solidified to form a belt-shaped molded body B. After removing integrally the belt-shaped molded body B and the sleeve 13 from the cylinder 12, the belt-shaped molded body B is removed from the sleeve 13 to obtain this belt.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI