A fixing device includes a fixing belt that is endless and rotatable in a rotation direction and a nip former stretching the fixing belt and including an elastic layer as a surface layer. A pressure rotator presses against the nip former via the fixing belt to form a fixing nip between the fixing belt and the pressure rotator, through which a recording medium is conveyed. A presser is disposed downstream from an exit of the fixing nip in a recording medium conveyance direction. The presser brings the fixing belt into contact with the pressure rotator.

A fixing device includes a fixing belt that is endless and rotatable in a rotation direction and a nip former stretching the fixing belt. A pressure rotator presses against the nip former via the fixing belt to form a fixing nip between the fixing belt and the pressure rotator, through which a recording medium is conveyed. A presser is disposed downstream from an exit of the fixing nip in the rotation direction of the fixing belt. The presser brings the fixing belt into contact with the pressure rotator. A mover is coupled to the presser to move the presser between a contact position where the presser brings the fixing belt into contact with the pressure rotator and an isolation position where the presser isolates the fixing belt from the pressure rotator.

A fixing device includes fixing rotator, a heater to heat the fixing rotator, a pressure rotator disposed opposite an outer circumferential surface of the fixing rotator, a pressure pad disposed opposite an inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator, a support to support the pressure pad, and a thermal conduction aid to conduct heat in an axial direction of the fixing rotator. The pressure pad presses against the pressure rotator via the fixing rotator to form a fixing nip between the fixing rotator and the pressure rotator. The pressure pad includes a nip-side face disposed opposite the inner circumferential surface of the fixing rotator. The thermal conduction aid covers the nip-side face of the pressure pad. The nip-side face of the pressure pad includes at least one mouth therein defining a non-contact area in which the pressure pad does not contact the thermal conduction aid.

According to an aspect of the invention, a fixing member includes a base material; an elastic layer that is provided on the base material and is made from a cured material of a silicone rubber composition containing a heat active catalyst and an ultraviolet ray active catalyst; and a surface layer provided on the elastic layer.

A fixing member includes a base material, an elastic layer that is provided on the base material, and contains a cured material of a composition including thermosetting type silicone rubber, an adhesion layer that is provided on the elastic layer, and contains a cured material of a composition including an ultraviolet ray curing type silicone rubber and a surface layer provided on the adhesion layer.

A fixing apparatus a tubular film, a nip forming member that contacts an inner surface of the film, and a roller that forms a nip portion together with the nip forming member via the film. The nip portion is an area where the film and the roller are in contact with each other and where a recording material is conveyed. The nip forming member has a protruding portion, protruding toward the roller and extending in a generatrix direction, that is provided on at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side in the nip in a conveying direction of the recording material. In the conveying direction of the recording material, an end portion of the protruding portion in the generatrix direction is arranged at a location different from a central portion of the protruding portion in the generatrix direction.

A fixing device includes a rotatably-supported first fixing member and a second fixing member pressed against the first member. The second member includes a belt-shaped component, a support component, and a pressing component. The belt-shaped component extends in a width direction of a medium passing through a contact region between the belt-shaped component and the first member. The support component is disposed opposite the first member with the belt-shaped component interposed therebetween. The pressing component has a base end supported by the support component and a free end extending toward the contact region and presses the belt-shaped component against the first member. The pressing component has biasing portions arranged apart in the width direction and elastically deformable in correspondence with the medium thickness. The biasing portions are connected in the width direction by the free end. The free end is disposed at an upstream side in a medium transport direction.

A fixing belt and a fixing device suppress charging of the fixing belt and permit securing of a withstand voltage of secondary parts of the fixing belt are provided in addition to a heater. The fixing belt is formed of a tubular endless fixing film including, in order from an inner peripheral side of the film, abase layer, an elastic layer, and a release layer. A surface resistivity of the fixing belt measured from the base layer side is 7 [LOG Ω/sq.] or more and 10 [LOG Ω/sq.] or less.

A thermal fixing apparatus, including a rotatable first member; a heater heating the first member; a rotatable second member forming a nip portion with the first member; and a pressurizing member disposed inside the first member, and having a contact surface with an inner surface of the first member. The pressurizing member includes a surface layer constituting the contact surface, and the surface layer comprises a diamond-like carbon film containing a hydrogen atom (H), a carbon atom (C) and a silicon atom (Si). 100×(H)/((H)+(C)) is 5 or less. 100×(Si)/((Si)+(C)) is 1 to 20. Between the contact surface and an inner circumferential surface of the first member, an oil film containing a fluorinated oil and a silicone oil is present.

An electroconductive elastic body includes: a cross-linked product of a first ionic electro-conductive rubber, a cross-linked product of a second ionic electro-conductive rubber, and at least one of a fatty acid and a fatty acid metal salt; wherein the electroconductive elastic body has a matrix that includes the cross-linked product of the first ionic electro-conductive rubber, and a domain that includes the cross-linked product of the second ionic electro-conductive rubber;

the cross-linked product of the second ionic electro-conductive rubber includes a polyether skeleton; an electrical resistance of the domain is lower than an electrical resistance of the matrix; in a waveform separation profile of the elastic body as obtained by a small-angle X-ray scattering method, A2 and A1 satisfy a relationship expressed by the following expression (1):

0.005≤(A2×C2/A1×C1)≤0.030  (1).