New Fixing System Which can Reduce Warm-up Time Remarkably

Abstract

A new fixing system has been developed. This system is employed in Canon's portable copying machine, the FC-2. Using this system, zero warm-up time and reduced power consumption have been realized. This system consists of a fusing film in the shape of a seamless tube and a heater with a low heat capacity. We named this system “SURF.”
In this paper, we will describe the construction of this system, the effect of film thickness on power consumption, and the temperature control system. By reducing the thickness of the film from 50 to 30 micrometers, we were able to reduce power consumption by 15%. Through the use of a multiple level temperature regulation system, the degree of fluctuation in heater temperature was reduced, resulting in improved nxability. We will also describe the features of the SURF system in comparison with a heated roller type fusing system.