Image drum and method for manufacturing the image drum

Abstract

An image drum manufacturing method including: providing a hollow cylindrical mold having a plurality of mold grooves circumferentially cut in its inner circumferential surface and a core portion having a smaller diameter than a hollow of the mold and having a slit-shaped combination groove; filling a conductive material into the mold grooves of the mold; inserting a control unit for individually applying a voltage to each terminal in the combination groove of the core portion, so that a conductive pattern corresponding to the conductive material is partially exposed; inserting the core portion into the mold so that the conductive pattern corresponds to the conductive material filled into each mold groove; and forming a drum body to be integrally formed with the control unit and the conductive material by filling a molten plastic into a space between the mold and the core portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional image-forming element according to a conventional art;

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of the circumference wall of the conventional image-forming element according to the conventional art;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the inner construction of a printer using an image drum according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the image drum according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 5 to 11 are views illustrating a method of manufacturing the image drum according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating an image drum according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the mold shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged perspective view illustrating an image drum manufacturing method according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating the image drum manufacturing method according to the second exemplary embodiment.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an image drum for selectively adsorbing a toner thereon so as to form an image in a printing apparatus, the method comprising: providing a hollow cylindrical mold having a plurality of mold grooves circumferentially cut in its inner circumferential surface;providing a core portion having a smaller diameter than a hollow of the mold and having a slit-shaped combination groove;filling a conductive material into the plurality of mold grooves, respectively, of the mold;inserting a control unit for individually applying a voltage to each terminal in the combination groove of the core portion, so that a conductive pattern corresponding to the conductive material is partially exposed;inserting the core portion into the mold so that the conductive pattern corresponds to the conductive material filled into each one of the plurality mold grooves; andforming a drum body to be integrally formed with the control unit and the conductive material, by filling a molten plastic into an opening between the mold and the core portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the filling of the conductive material, the conductive material fills in the hollow of the cylindrical mold by applying the conductive material and passing a piston body having an identical diameter to an inside diameter of the hollow so as to remove the conductive material except in the mold grooves.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit utilizes a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB), and the conductive pattern corresponding to ring electrodes formed of the conductive material is provided on a surface of the control unit.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a control unit guide is formed in an end portion of the control unit, and the core portion mounted with the control unit guide is inserted into the mold.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving grooves corresponding to the plurality of mold grooves are formed in the control unit guide and the control unit guide is electrically connected with the ring electrodes by initially disposing the receiving grooves in a same position as the plurality of mold grooves and filling the conductive material in the receiving grooves.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the control unit utilizes a printed circuit board (PCB) including the conductive pattern, and the PCB electrically connects the conductive pattern with the ring electrodes by externally exposing the conductive pattern, forming an insulating layer on the conductive pattern and providing connection holes on the insulating layer so as to correspond to the ring electrodes formed from the conductive material.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the drum body is manufactured in the shape of a hollow by removing the core portion, except the control unit, from the drum body.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a mold space, in a shape of a gear, is provided in each end of the mold to be combined with an external gear for rotating the drum body, and the gear is integrally formed in each end of the drum body by filling the molten plastic into the mold space.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the core portion is inserted into the mold so that the control unit contacts the conductive material filled into the mold grooves.

10. A method of manufacturing an image drum for selectively adsorbing a toner thereon so as to form an image in a printing apparatus, the method comprising: providing a hollow cylindrical mold having a plurality of mold grooves circumferentially cut in its inner circumferential surface;providing a core portion inserted into the mold and having a combination groove in a longitudinal direction;providing a control unit provided inside of the core portion and utilizing an FPCB;filling a conductive material into the plurality of mold grooves of the mold;providing a control unit guide in an end of the control unit;inserting the control unit mounted with the control unit guide into the combination groove;inserting the core portion mounted with the control unit into the hollow of the mold; andforming a drum body to be integrally formed with the control unit and the conductive material, by filling a molten plastic in an opening between the mold and the core portion.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of mold grooves corresponding to a plurality of ring electrodes circumferentially formed in an inner circumferential surface of the mold are formed in the control unit guide and filled with the conductive material to be electrically connected with the plurality of ring electrodes.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein a mold space, in a shape of a gear, is provided in each end of the mold to be combined with an external gear, and the gear is integrally formed in each end of the drum body by filling the molten plastic into the mold space.

13. A method of manufacturing an image drum for selectively adsorbing a toner thereon so as to form an image in a printing apparatus, the method comprising: providing a hollow cylindrical mold having a plurality of mold grooves circumferentially cut in its inner circumferential surface;providing a core portion having a smaller diameter than a hollow of the mold, and having a slit-shaped combination groove;filling a conductive material into the plurality of mold grooves of the mold;including a control unit which individually applies a voltage to each terminal of a plurality of terminals and is formed by using a PCB;combining the control unit into the combination groove, so that the control unit is partially exposed from an outside of the core portion;forming a drum body to be integrally formed with the control unit and the conductive material, by initially inserting the core portion into the hollow of the mold and filling a molten plastic into a space between the mold and the core portion;forming an insulating layer in a portion of the mold to contact a surface of the control unit;forming a connection hole which corresponds to each ring electrode of a plurality of ring electrodes formed in the drum body, on the insulating layer; andelectrically connecting each ring electrode of the plurality of ring electrodes and the control unit via the connection hole.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising manufacturing the cylindrical drum body in the shape of a hollow by removing the core portion, except the control unit, from the drum body.

15. An image drum for selectively adsorbing a toner thereon so as to form an image in a printing apparatus, the image drum comprising: a hollow cylindrical drum body;a plurality of ring electrodes which are circumferentially and integrally formed with a drum body in a circumferential surface of the drum body by injection molding and electrically insulated from each other; anda control unit fixed on the drum body to be electrically connected with the plurality of ring electrodes and which individually applies a voltage to each one of the plurality of ring electrodes.

16. The image drum of claim 15, wherein the drum body is formed by using an engineering plastic.

17. The image drum of claim 16, wherein the drum body is formed of any one selected from the group consisting of poly amid imide (PAI), poly imide (PI), polyacetal (POM), PA, PPO, PPE and polycarbonate (PC).

18. The image drum of claim 15, wherein a gear is integrally formed in each end of the drum body to be combined with an external gear.

19. The image drum of claim 15, wherein the control unit utilizes an FPCB, and a conductive pattern is printed on a surface of the control unit in each corresponding position to the plurality of ring electrodes.

20. The image drum of claim 15, wherein the control unit utilizes a PCB and the drum body is manufactured in the shape of a hollow by removing a core portion, except the control unit, from the drum body.