Can somebody tell me how static electricity is used in photocopiers?

Question

My homework is to create a poster on the uses of static electricity and I've chosen how it is used in photocopying.
I know roughly how it works but I'd love for somebody to go through it simply for me so that I can get it? I'm going to draw a diagram of the stages of photocopying and state whats happening when but I need some more information.

I've put down
'Photocopiers use static electricity to copy prints on to a page. One type of photocopier works by ink being electrically charged so that it will stick to the paper in the right places, another uses charges to stick the ink to a drum which transfers it on to the paper.'

as an introduction but I'm not sure if that's right or is I need to put more in?

Thanks

Answer 1

They all use a drum system although the size varies greatly.

The drum is made of a semiconductor called selenium. A device next to the drum called a cortron has electricity pass through it which causes a high static charge. The selenium drum gets this charge on it's surface. The image to be copied is scanned with reflected light hitting the drum. Selenium is a photoconductor, it looses the charge on it's surface; except where the reflected light levels equal an image. Ok, so now the image is on the drum in a static form. The drum now passes by the ink which is attracted by the static charge. Now there is a static created ink image on the drum. A sheet of paper is made to pass over the drum; and it get the ink pressed on. While the paper with the ink is going thru a heater to get the image baked on; the drum is being made blank or picking up more ink.

The amazing part of any copier is how all the processes (mechanical, electrical, and chemical) rely on perfect time sequences in order to get the image aligned to the paper.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

There are many products that make use of static electricity, however this isn't always obvious, bellow are examples: 1) Photocopier: Inside a photocopier is a drum that is statically charged and this is what makes a negative of the image that you are copying. This charge is then passed onto the paper so that the toner can be attracted to the paper to form the image. When you get a copy is grainy the drum isn't being charged properly. 2) Printers: This works in the same manner as a photocopier 3) Electric Generators: Some sort of fuel is used to (usually petrol). This fuel is burned to cause the motor to turn which in turn results in a static charge; the electrical energy is then stored and released as electricity when required. 4) Air filters in most “Cooker Hoods” use the principle of electric charge to attract smoke particles along with other airborne debris. The filter is charged and attracts the debris which is of an opposite charge. 5) Car filters: Work in a similar manner to point 4 about “Cooker Hood” 6) Spray Paining: In spray painting, the object to be painted is given an electrostatic charge. The paint spray is made of very small droplets. In the same way that small pieces of paper can be attracted to an electrostatically charged object (pen, ruler or something similar), these paint droplets are attracted to the charged object. 7) Industrial Chimney: Static electricity can also be used to reduce air pollution. Smoke is made from very small solid particles. If charged plates are placed inside of a chimney, the smoke particles will be attracted. The smoke therefore does not end up in the atmosphere. The plates can then be removed from time to time for cleaning Hope these are of some use, if you want to know more let me know. Good luck.

Answer 3

The Correct answer is static electricity is used to charge toner in a photocopier. This is achieved via stirring the toner.