A nip formation member is configured to be disposed inside a loop of a rotatable belt. The nip formation member includes a base, a thermal equalizer, an attachment, and a fastener. The base has a bottomed fastening hole. The thermal equalizer is configured to face the belt and a surface of the base not having the bottomed fastening hole. The thermal equalizer has a higher thermal conductivity than the base. The attachment has a fastening hole and face another surface of the base having the bottomed fastening hole. The attachment is configured to fix and position the base and the thermal equalizer. The fastener is fastened to the bottomed fastening hole of the base through the fastening hole of the attachment from the attachment.

A nip forming member includes a base material and a thermal conductive member that overlaps the base material and has a higher thermal conductivity than a thermal conductivity of the base material. The base material has protrusions projecting to one side or another side in a short direction on a part of a longitudinal direction on both sides in the short direction. The thermal conductive member has fitting holes into which the protrusions are fitted in both sides in the short direction.

A nip formation member is configured to be disposed inside a loop of a rotatable belt. The nip formation member includes a base, a thermal equalizer, an attachment, and a fastener. The base has a bottomed fastening hole. The thermal equalizer is configured to face the belt and a surface of the base not having the bottomed fastening hole. The thermal equalizer has a higher thermal conductivity than the base. The attachment has a fastening hole and face another surface of the base having the bottomed fastening hole. The attachment is configured to fix and position the base and the thermal equalizer. The fastener is fastened to the bottomed fastening hole of the base through the fastening hole of the attachment from the attachment.

A fuser has a heater, a heat roller, an endless belt, a pressure pad, and a slidable sheet. The pressure pad forms a nipping portion to nip the endless belt between the pressure pad and the heat roller. The slidable sheet is interposed between an inner circumferential surface of the endless belt and the pressure pad in the nipping portion. The slidable sheet includes a plurality of dents and a plurality of projections on a surface contacting the inner circumferential surface of the endless belt. The plurality of dents are arranged in a first part of the surface of the slidable sheet. The first part is located in a range corresponding to the nipping portion. The plurality of projections are arranged in a second part of the surface of the slidable sheet. The second part is located in a range corresponding to a portion different from the nipping portion.

There is provided a heater according to an embodiment including a heat generating unit configured to generate heat by electric conduction; and a plurality of electrodes configured to be respectively disposed at facing side edges of the heat generating unit so as to be electrically connected to the heat generating unit and at least one side of the side edges is formed by cutting out a part thereof.

A fixing device includes a cylindrical film, a support member disposed on an inner peripheral surface of the film, a heating member supported by the support member and provided slidably with the film, and a pressing member that forms a pressure contact portion together with the heating member through the film. The fixing device heats a recording medium while pressing the recording medium at the pressure contact portion. A first thermally conductive member and a second thermally conductive member are provided between the heating member and the support member. The first and second thermally conductive members having thermal conductivity higher than that of the support member are configured to engage with each other.

An image heating apparatus includes a rotatable endless belt; a rotatable member, a plate-like heater, a holding member, a connector, movable in a first direction and a fixing member. The fixing member is mountable to and dismountable from the connector and the holding member by being moved in a second direction different from the first direction. The fixing member is mountable after the connector is mounted to the heater and the holding member, and the connector is dismountable after the fixing member is dismounted from the holding member.

A fixing device includes a heating unit, a pressure unit, a moving unit, and a controller. The heating unit is configured to heat a toner on a recording medium. The pressure unit is configured to transport the recording medium while sandwiching the recording medium in a nip that the pressure unit and the heating unit form. The moving unit is configured to change a nip state of the pressure unit with respect to the heating unit by moving the heating unit or the pressure unit. The controller is configured to, when plural recording media are transported continuously, control the moving unit so that the moving unit moves the heating unit or the pressure unit in a separation direction so as to reduce a nip width at a recording medium interval between the recording media.

A device includes a rotator having a rotation axis, a belt, a belt support surrounded by the belt, and a sliding sheet configured to be pinched at the nip between an inner peripheral surface of the belt and the belt support. The belt support is configured to form a nip with the rotator. One of the belt support and the sliding sheet includes a hook engaging portion. The hook engaging portion includes an aperture. The other of the belt support and the sliding sheet includes a hook engaged to the aperture.

A plurality of electric conductors provided on a substrate of a heater of an image heating device has a conductor group A including a plurality of first electric conductors and a conductor group B including a plurality of second electric conductors. The plurality of first electric conductors each have a first portion having a width W1 and a second portion having a width W2 smaller than the width W1, are provided on the substrate to be arranged side by side in a width direction. The plurality of second electric conductors each have a width W3 larger than the width W2, are provided on the substrate to be arranged side by side in a width direction so as to partially overlap the second portion.