Method of manufacturing a belt member and the belt member

Abstract

A tube material is formed by continuously extruding a thermoplastic resin material in the shape of a cylinder that has a thickness of 100 μm and a circumferential length of 800 mm. After that, in a polishing process, the tube material is rubbed with a lapping tape of #2000 while being rotated in one direction at a fixed speed, so that circumferential stripes are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the tube material. Then, the circumferential stripes are thermally transferred by pressing the outer circumferential surface of the heated tube material against a mold surface that is finished in the shape of circumferential stripes by a thermal transfer process.

1 - 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . A belt member comprising:
 an endless belt member in cylindrical shape made of a thermoplastic resin material;   first stripes formed in a circumferential direction of the belt member with mechanical polish; and   second stripes formed after formation of the first stripes formed in a circumferential direction of the belt member with heating and pressing.   
     
     
         9 . The belt member of  claim 8 , wherein burrs formed by the mechanical polish on the first stripes are melted by the heating and pressing on the second stripes. 
     
     
         10 . The belt member of  claim 8 , wherein the second stripes are formed by heating and pressing on a mold on which stripes are made. 
     
     
         11 . The belt member of  claim 8 , wherein a ten-point average roughness Rz in the width direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the belt member is controlled between 0.3 and 1.0 μm 
     
     
         12 . The belt member of  claim 8 , wherein the thermoplastic resin material is a material capable of extrusion molding process. 
     
     
         13 . The belt member of  claim 12 , wherein the thermoplastic resin material is polyetheretherketone.