Patent ID: 8676101

Claim:
A fixing device comprising: a tubular, stationary metal pipe subjected to heating; a flexible fuser belt looped for rotation around the metal pipe to transfer heat radially outward from the heated metal pipe; a rotatable pressure member extending opposite the metal pipe with the fuser belt interposed between the metal pipe and the pressure member; a fuser pad held stationary inside the loop of the fuser belt to press against the pressure member through the fuser belt to form a fixing nip through which a recording medium is passed to fix a toner image thereupon under heat and pressure; and a lubricant of a given particle size deposited between the metal pipe and the fuser belt, wherein a surface of the metal pipe includes a rough section which exhibits a surface roughness equal to or greater than the particle size of the lubricant, and wherein the rough section exhibits a surface roughness in a range of approximately 2 μm to approximately 5 μm.