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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing an endless belt member in a cylindrical shape made of a thermoplastic resin material to be abutted against a cleaning blade in an image forming apparatus, the method comprising:
 a first process of forming an endless belt member in a cylindrical shape;   a second process of mechanically polishing an outer surface of the endless belt member after the first process to form circumferentially extending stripes on an outer surface of the endless belt member, the stripes being formed with burrs; and   a third process of heating the endless belt member after the second process, so that the burrs on the stripes are melted in a state that the stripes formed in the second process are maintained.   
     
     
         2 . The method of manufacturing an endless belt member according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the third process, the endless belt member is heated from a side of the outer surface. 
     
     
         3 . The method of manufacturing an endless belt member according to  claim 2 , wherein, in the third process, the outer surface of the endless belt member is heated by an outer mold disposed on the outer surface of the endless belt member. 
     
     
         4 . The method of manufacturing an endless belt member according to  claim 3 , wherein, in the third process, the endless belt member is heated by the outer mold disposed on the outer surface of the endless belt member in a state that the endless belt member is in contact with the outer mold. 
     
     
         5 . The method of manufacturing an endless belt member according to  claim 4 , wherein, in the third process, the endless belt member is heated in a state that the endless belt member is pressed between the outer mold and an inner mold disposed on an inner surface of the endless belt member. 
     
     
         6 . The method of manufacturing an endless belt member according to  claim 5 , wherein the inner mold comprises a cylindrical metal member. 
     
     
         7 . The method of manufacturing an endless belt member according to  claim 5 , wherein the outer mold comprises circumferentially extending mold stripes on an inner surface of the outer mold, the mold stripes being thermally transferred to the outer surface of the endless belt member to form stripes in the third process, the stripes formed in the third process being stripes without burrs. 
     
     
         8 . The method of manufacturing an endless belt member according to  claim 7 , wherein, in the third process, the mold stripes are thermally transferred to a plurality of partial portions of the outer surface of the endless belt member. 
     
     
         9 . The method of manufacturing an endless belt member according to  claim 1 , wherein the second process is a process of abutting the endless belt member against a lapping tape, the endless belt member being moved in one direction at a fixed speed. 
     
     
         10 . The method of manufacturing an endless belt member according to  claim 1 , wherein, in the first process, the endless belt member is formed by extruding a thermoplastic resin in a cylindrical shape and cutting the extruded thermoplastic resin to a predetermined length.