Tribological Effects on the Wear Life of a Coating-Protected OPC Drum with Regard to Temperature,Load, and Rotation Speed

Greatly improved technology in laser printers requires that companies innovate to provide consumers with high-quality printed images, durable equipment, and low costs. The toner cartridge of a laser printer is where the organic photoconductor drum, also known as the OPC drum, is located, which is the central feature of the printer responsible for reproducing what has been created accurately on paper. However, with continuous printing, constant contact between the OPC drum and the paper, toner, and doctor blade causes wear and thus the quality of the image deteriorates and eventually will cause the equipment to fail, which then costs the consumer for repairs. In this study, we conducted a friction/wear test on the OPC drum to determine the relationships between temperature, load input, and rotational speed in the deterioration of an OPC drum, causing the end of its service life. Test results showed that load input with respect to increasing rotational speed increased the temperature in the OPC drum's surface during operation. With the increase in temperature, the average amount of wear on the surface of the drum increases. However, toner dispersion greatly influences the temperature increase in the OPC surface.