Patent ID: 6989182

Claim:
A fusing-station roller for use in a fusing station of an electrostatographic machine, said fusing-station roller elastically deformable, said fusing-station roller comprising: a core member, said core member rigid and having a cylindrical outer surface; a resilient layer, said resilient layer formed on said core member; wherein said resilient layer is a fluoropolynier material, said fluoropolymer material made from an uncured formulation by a curing; wherein said uncured formulation includes a fluoroelastomer; wherein said uncured formulation includes microsphere particles, said microsphere particles having flexible walls; wherein said microsphere particles have a predetermined weight percentage in said uncured formulation; and wherein in addition to said microsphere particles, said uncured formulation includes solid filler particles, wherein coated on said resilient layer is a protective layer comprising a fluoropolymer which is a random copolymer, said random copolymer made of monomers of vinylidene fluoride (CH 2 CF 2 ), hexafluoropropylene (CF 2 CF(CF 3 )), and tetrafluoroethylene (CF 2 CF 2 ), said random copolymer having subunits of: —(CH 2 CF 2 ) x -, —(CF 2 CF(CF 3 )) y -, and —(CF 2 CF 2 ) z -, wherein, x is from 1 to 50 or from 60 to 80 mole percent, y is from 10 to 90 mole percent, z is from 10 to 90 mole percent, x+y+z equals 100 mole percent.