A flow passage forming member includes flow passage forming member main bodies 140 and 146 that are formed of a resin material and define at least a part of a flow passage, a metal protective film 200 that is provided on a surface of the flow passage forming member main body 140 and a surface of the flow passage forming member main body 146 defining at least the flow passage and is formed of a metal material, and a protective film 210 that is laminated on the metal protective film 200 and contains an oxide or a nitride of at least on element selected from the group consisting of tantalum (Ta), titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), niobium (bib), vanadium (V), hafnium (Hf), silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), tungsten (W), and yttrium (Y).

A nip former that forms a nip between an endless belt and a pressure rotator includes a base that is made of aluminum and has a nip forming face disposed opposite the nip. An anodic oxidation coating is treated with sealing and coats at least the nip forming face. The anodic oxidation coating has a thickness that is not smaller than 22 μm and is not greater than 45 μm and a variation in thickness that is not greater than 20 percent. The base and the anodic oxidation coating define a nip forming portion that is disposed opposite the nip. The nip forming portion has a thickness that is not smaller than 0.40 mm and is not greater than 1.20 mm.

A rotatable fixing member includes an elastic layer, a primer layer provided on the elastic layer, and a parting layer provided on the primer layer. The primer layer contains a crystalline fluorocarbon polymer having a functional group and has a thickness of 850 nm or less. The parting layer is a coating layer of a crystalline fluorocarbon polymer.

A fluorocarbon resin composite includes a fluorocarbon resin layer on a base, in which a fluorocarbon resin constituting the fluorocarbon resin layer is crosslinked by electron beam irradiation, and the base has a desired shape obtained by machining. The fluorocarbon resin is composed of a tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoro(alkyl vinyl ether) copolymer, polytetrafluoroethylene, or a mixture of the tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoro(alkyl vinyl ether) copolymer and polytetrafluoroethylene. A fluorocarbon resin composite, cookware, and a roller and a belt for use in office automation equipment are each produced by applying an uncrosslinked fluorocarbon resin on a base, subjecting the fluorocarbon resin to electron beam irradiation in a low-oxygen atmosphere to crosslink the fluorocarbon resin while the temperature of the fluorocarbon resin is maintained at a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the fluorocarbon resin, and machining the base into a desired shape. There is also provided methods for producing them.

An image-forming apparatus includes a motor, a photosensitive drum, a developing roller, and a separation mechanism for moving the developing roller relative to the photosensitive drum. The separation mechanism includes: an end cam rotatable in a rotational direction; and a cam follower movable in accordance with a rotation of the end cam. The end cam includes a first surface, a second surface, a first sloped surface connecting the second surface to the first surface, and a second sloped surface connecting the first surface to the second surface in the rotational direction. The second sloped surface includes: a steep slope surface connected to the second surface; and a gentle slope surface connecting the first surface to the steep slope surface. The gentle slope surface slopes relative to the first surface by an angle smaller than an angle by which the steep slope surface slopes relative to the first surface.

A fixing belt includes a substrate layer including a first base resin and a first thermally conductive filler dispersed in the first base resin; and a release layer provided on the substrate layer, wherein the first base resin includes at least one selected from a polyimide, a polyamide, and a polyamideimide, and the first thermally conductive filler includes at least one selected from carbon black, graphite, boron nitride (BN), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and carbon fibers, and the substrate layer has a thermal conductivity in a thickness direction of about 1.5W/m-K or more.

A tubular fuser device rotates and is in contact with a sheet on which a positively charged toner image is formed to fix the toner image to the sheet. The fuser device includes a tubular substrate made of a metal, a rubber layer covering the outer periphery of the substrate, an adhesion layer covering the outer periphery of the rubber layer, and a surface layer made of a resin covering the outer periphery of the adhesion layer. In the fuser device, a charge decay ΔV at a moment 120 seconds after end of charging a surface of the surface layer to −1 kV is zero, and an electrostatic capacity per unit area C in a thickness direction of the fuser device is equal to or less than 3.30 pF/cm.sup.2.

A fixing belt includes a substrate layer inducting a first base resin and a first thermally conductive filler dispersed in the first base resin; and a release layer provided on the substrate layer, wherein the first base resin includes at least one selected from a polyimide, a polyamide, and a polyamideimide and the first thermally conductive filler includes at least one selected from carbon black, graphite, boron nitride (BN), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and carbon fibers, and the substrate layer has a thermal conductivity in a thickness direction of about 1.5 W/m.Math.K or more.

A tubular fuser device rotates and is in contact with a sheet on which a positively charged toner image is formed to fix the toner image to the sheet. The fuser device includes a tubular substrate made of a metal, a rubber layer covering the outer periphery of the substrate, an adhesion layer covering the outer periphery of the rubber layer, and a surface layer made of a resin covering the outer periphery of the adhesion layer. In the fuser device, a charge decay ΔV at a moment 120 seconds after end of charging a surface of the surface layer to −1 kV is zero, and an electrostatic capacity per unit area C in a thickness direction of the fuser device is equal to or less than 3.30 pF/cm.sup.2.

A polymer material molded product includes a polymer material and a porous carbon material having an X-ray diffraction spectral characteristic shown in the following (1) or (2), (1): a peak derived from a (002) plane of carbon is observed, a half width of the peak derived from the (002) plane of carbon is 5° or more, and a half width of a peak derived from a (10) plane of carbon is 3.2° or less, and (2): the peak derived from the (002) plane of carbon is not observed, and the half width of the peak derived from the (10) plane of carbon is 3.2° or less.