Image forming apparatus including filter for removing particulates

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• an image forming unit configured to form a toner image on a recording material by using toner containing a parting agent;
• a fixing unit provided with a first rotatable member and a second rotatable member contacting said first rotatable member, configured to form a fixing nip portion for fixing the toner image on the recording material by applying heat and pressure while feeding and nipping the recording material;
• a heating portion configured to heat said first rotatable member;
• and
• a removal unit provided in a neighborhood of said fixing unit and configured to remove particulate dust generated due to vaporization of the parting agent by heat in said fixing unit,
• wherein said removal unit includes:
• a sheet-like filter provided with a base layer and a collecting layer laminated on said base layer for collecting dust,
• a holding unit configured to hold said filter in a cylindrical shape, a longitudinal direction of said filter held in the cylindrical shape being along a rotational axis direction of said first rotatable member and the collecting layer being disposed inside of the base layer with respect to a radial direction of said filter held in the cylindrical shape, and
• a fan generating an air flow inside of said cylindrical shape which causes air passing from outside of said filter to inside of said filter to flow with respect to the radial direction of said filter.