Cleaning blade for an image forming apparatus featuring a supporting portion and a cleaning portion having specified hardness and friction properties for the portions

An image forming apparatus comprising:

• toner image forming means for forming a toner image on an image bearing member;
• an intermediate transfer member, which bears a toner image transferred from said image bearing member and has a surface layer having a releasing ability;
• a cleaning blade including, a plate-shaped base member having an elasticity and a hardening-processed portion in which an end portion of said base member extending from a face of said base member on a side of said intermediate transfer member to a face opposite to said face is hardening-processed with an isocyanate compound, said cleaning blade being configured to clean toner on said intermediate transfer member by said hardening-processed portion abutting against said surface layer, a hardness of said hardening-processed portion being higher than a hardness of said base member, and a dynamic coefficient of friction of said hardening-processed portion with respect to polyethylene terephthalate, which has a dynamic coefficient of friction of 0.4, being larger than 0 and not larger than 1.0;
• and
• cleaning blade abutting means for making said cleaning blade, which is separated from said intermediate transfer member, abut against said intermediate transfer member during a rotation of said intermediate transfer member, an abutment pressure of said cleaning blade being not less than 5 g/cm but not more than 70 g/cm.