Pressure roller for fixing device and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

A pressure roller for a fixing device is manufactured by extruding silicone rubber on a shaft, foaming the extruded silicone rubber, subjecting the foamed silicone rubber to primary and secondary heat treatments, polishing the heat-treated silicone rubber, and then disposing the polished silicone rubber in a resin tube. In accordance with one embodiment, the pressure roller includes a shaft, a first silicone rubber layer formed on the shaft so as to surround the shaft, a resin tube formed on the first silicone rubber layer so as to surround the shaft, the resin tube having extensions at opposite ends thereof, each extension extending beyond the opposite ends of the first silicone rubber layer, and second silicone rubber layers formed at respective opposite ends of the first silicone rubber layer between the extensions of the resin tube and the shaft. The second silicone rubber layers serve to couple the first silicone rubber layer to the resin tube. In accordance with another embodiment, the pressure roller includes a shaft, a silicone rubber layer extruded on the shaft using an extruder so as to surround the shaft, and foamed so as to have a number of pores, and a resin tube bonded to the silicone rubber layer while surrounding the silicone rubber layer by use of adhesive.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.