Metal frame of image forming apparatus and image forming apparatus

A metal frame of an image forming apparatus including an image forming unit which forms an image on a sheet, comprising:

• a first support which supports the image forming unit;
• a second support which is arranged with an interval from the first support and supports the image forming unit together with the first support;
• a third support which connects the first support and the second support to each other;
• a first sheet metal which is provided in the first support and includes a first plate portion in which a first through-hole is formed and an engaged portion which is adjacent to the first through-hole and is bent and raised in a direction vertical to a flat surface of the first plate portion;
• a second sheet metal which is provided in the second support and includes a second plate portion in which a second through-hole is formed and a protrusion portion which protrudes in a plate thickness direction of the second plate portion;
• and
• a third sheet metal which is provided in the third support, has one end portion inserted into the first through-hole, and includes a third plate portion in which a third through-hole is formed, a first engaging portion which is bent and raised with respect to the third plate portion and engages with the engaged portion, and a second engaging portion which is inserted into the second through-hole and engages with the second plate portion,
• wherein the engaged portion is sandwiched between the first engaging portion and the third plate portion in a plate thickness direction of the third plate portion,
• wherein the third through-hole of the third sheet metal is provided on the other end portion side of the third sheet metal opposite to the one end portion side of the third sheet metal with respect to a center of the third sheet metal in the vertical direction and at a position adjacent to the second engaging portion,
• wherein the protrusion portion of the second sheet metal is inserted into the third through-hole of the third sheet metal, and
• wherein V1>V3 and V2>V3 is satisfied, in which V1 is an engagement length of the first engaging portion with the engaged portion in the vertical direction, V2 is an engagement length of the second engaging portion with the second plate portion in the vertical direction, and V3 is a distance between the protrusion portion and an inner wall of the through-hole in the vertical direction.