Patent ID: 7389079

Claim:
An image heating apparatus, comprising: a flexible sleeve including a flexible stainless base layer; a heater which comes into contact with an inner circumferential surface of said flexible sleeve; and an elastic roller which comes into contact with an outer circumferential surface of said flexible sleeve and forms a nip portion with said heater through said flexible sleeve, wherein the nip portion pinches a recording material bearing an image and heats the recording material bearing the image while conveying the recording material, wherein the flexible stainless base layer has an outer diameter between equal to or more than 18 mm and equal to or less than 24 mm and a thickness between equal to or more than 25 μm and equal to or less than 30 μm, and wherein a blasting process is performed on an area in an outer circumferential surface of the flexible stainless base layer, except both end areas of the flexible stainless base layer in a generatrix direction.