A heating device includes a planar heater, a rotator, a pressure rotator, a heating device frame, a resistor, and a discharger. The pressure rotator has a conductive outer surface and presses the rotator. The heating device frame holds the pressure rotator. The discharger is in contact with the conductive outer surface of the pressure rotator and grounded via the resistor and the heating device frame.

In an image forming device, a first fixing member has a roller. A second fixing member has a belt to form a nip together with the first fixing member. A first motor drives the roller. A pressure modifying mechanism modifies a nip pressure at the nip to selected one of a first nip pressure and a second nip pressure smaller than the first nip pressure. A controller starts driving the first motor to drive the roller in a case where a print command is received in a state that the nip pressure is the second nip pressure. The controller modifies the nip pressure from the second nip pressure to the first nip pressure after the driving is performed and fixes the developer image on the sheet in a state that the nip pressure is the first nip pressure.

A heater is to face a pressure element via a belt and is to heat the belt. The pressure element sandwiches and conveys a sheet together with the belt. The heater includes a substrate, a heat generating element, and a protective layer. The heat generating element is on the substrate. The protective layer covers the heat generating element and the substrate and whose surface is concave with respect to the pressure element. In the protective layer, a curvature of a top surface of an upstream end in a conveyance direction of the sheet is smaller than a curvature of a top surface of a downstream end in the conveyance direction.

A fixing device includes a rotating body, an endless belt, a base material of the endless belt being made of a heat-resistant resin having a glass transition temperature of 140° C. or more, a heater configured to heat at least one of the rotating body and the endless belt, a sliding sheet contacting an inner circumferential surface of the endless belt, a base material of the sliding sheet being made of a heat-resistant resin having a glass transition temperature of 140° C. or more, a pressure pad, the endless belt and the sliding sheet being interposed between the pressure pad and the rotating body, and grease provided between the endless belt and the sliding sheet. The grease includes a base oil made of a fluorine oil and a thickener made of a solid lubricant containing fluorine. The consistency of the grease is 330 to 385 at 25° C.

An endless belt includes a metal substrate, and a heat-resistant resin layer that is disposed as an innermost layer on an inner peripheral surface of the metal substrate and that contains a resin and a thermally conductive filler having an aspect ratio of 20 or more. In the heat-resistant resin layer, an orientation ratio of the thermally conductive filler with respect to a circumferential direction of the endless belt is 20% or more.

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 fixing apparatus includes an endless first rotary member, a heating element, a second rotary member configured to form a nip portion, and a nip member configured to receive radiant heat from the heating element and heat the nip portion. The nip member includes a main-body portion that contains aluminum or aluminum alloy and a protective layer that includes an oxide film formed on a surface of the main-body portion. The main-body portion contains a heat receiving surface that faces the heating element and receives radiant heat from the heating element, and a rubbed surface that is rubbed against the inner circumferential surface of the first rotary member. The protective layer contains coloring agent that causes an emissivity of the heat receiving surface and the rubbed surface to be higher than an emissivity of a natural color oxide film.

A heater is to face a pressure element via a belt and is to heat the belt. The pressure element sandwiches and conveys a sheet together with the belt. The heater includes a heat generating element, a couple of electrodes, and a protective layer. there are the electrodes on both sides of the heat generating element in a conveyance direction of the sheet. Both sides of the heat generating element in the conveyance direction are connected to adjacent electrodes.

A fixing device for an image forming apparatus has a tubular fixing member that has a lubricant-coated inner surface. A rotating member contacts an outer surface of the fixing member. A heater is on an inner surface side of the fixing member at a first position. A pressing member presses against the inner surface of the fixing member at a second position. The pressing member extends beyond the outer edges of the fixing member and includes first grooves in an outward facing surface that contacts the inner surface of fixing member. At least one first groove has end portion that extends beyond an outer edge of the fixing member, an inner portion inside the outer edges of the fixing member, and connecting portion connecting the two other portions. The connector portion is angled inward toward a center of the fixing member and crosses the outer edge of the fixing member.

A device includes a rotator having a rotation axis, a belt, a nip forming member surrounded by the belt, a first stay surrounded by the belt and extending in a width direction parallel to the rotation axis, a holder holding the nip forming member, and an urging member urging the first stay toward the rotator. The nip forming member is configured to, with the rotator, pinch the belt to form a nip. The first stay includes a first end and a second end. The holder includes a first engaging portion positioned at a first end of the holder, and a second engaging portion positioned at a second end of the holder. The first engaging portion engages the first end of the first stay. The second engaging portion engages the second end of the first stay.