| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixing liquid discharge means superior in uniform spray performance, a fixing device which is provided with the fixing liquid discharge means and is superior in fixing quality, and an image forming apparatus provided with the fixing device. SOLUTION: The fixing liquid discharge means uses a fixing liquid 66 which comprises a softener such as a fatty acid ester for softening a toner and a solvent such as water for dispersing or dissolving the softener and is odorless preferably and is harmless to humans, and discharges the fixing liquid to stick it to a unfixed toner, whereby the unfixed toner is dissolved or half-dissolved by the softener to fix the unfixed toner onto a recording medium such as paper, cloth, and an OHP film. The fixing discharge means is provided with an ultrasonic transducer 54 comprising a horn member 52 being a vibrator and a piezo-electric element 53 attached to the horn member 52, and a porous member 60 such as a sponge to which the fixing liquid is supplied is pressed around a tip end part of the horn member of the ultrasonic transducer so as to project from the tip end face of the horn member. COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT
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