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Inside a photocopier is a drum, which can be charged with static electricity, and photocopier toner, which is a fine black powder. When parts of the drum are charged, the toner is attracted to them. Light is moved across the document to be copied, and where blank paper is found, reflected back onto the drum. This cancels out the charged parts, and the toner is then spread over the drum, sticking to any parts left. (i.e., the black parts on the original document.) Paper passed through the photocopier machine is then charged so that the toner on the drum is attracted to it. The paper is then heated so that it fuses to the paper to form a replica of the original document.

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15y ago
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8y ago

How a photocopier works

1. Image to be copied placed on glass plate

2. Light projected onto image reflects via a series of mirrors on the surface of a photoconductive drum this is a negative image

3. The photo conductive drum is pre-charged and any light from the reflected image discharges to create the negative image on the drum

4. The drum rotates and passes the toner cartridge here small plastic beads are mixed with toner (very small plastic powder) the toner cartridge creates a high -Ve charge on the toner power which is attracted to the drum as it passes.

5. Paper is passed between the photo drum and positive charged wires. the image in the form of tone is attracted to the paper (now in a positive image)

6. The paper passes through a fuse unit at very high temperature, the small toner beads are fused (melted) onto the paper to create the photo copied image.

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14y ago

The electrostatic photocopier illustrates the basic properties of electric charges. The central device in the process is an aluminum drum covered with a fine layer, less than 50 mm thick, of the photoconductive metal selenium.

Photoconductors are materials that act as a conductor when exposed to light and as an insulator in the dark.When the copier is being set up to make a copy, an electrode, called a corotron, deposits a positive charge, in darkness, uniformly over the entire surface of the selenium (step 1).

The selenium will retain this charge unless exposed to light, in which case electrons from the underlying aluminum-an excellent conductor-roam through the selenium, neutralizing the positive charge. When the copier lamp comes on and the actual copying begins, light is reflected from the document through a series of lenses and mirrors onto the selenium (step 2).

In places where the document is white, light is strongly reflected onto the selenium drum surface, causing it to act as a conductor and lose its charge.Where the document is black, no light is reflected onto the drum, causing the charge to be retained.An electrical image of the document is thus created on the drum-neutral where the original is white, positively charged where the original is black. This image will persist as long as the drum is kept dark.

The electrical image on the drum is developed into a dry copy, using a dry black

powder called "toner." Toner particles, made of plastic, are first given a negative charge, and then spread over the rotating drum (step 3). The particles are attracted to the charged areas of the drum but not to the neutral areas. Powder that does not adhere to the drum falls into a collecting bin for reuse.

To create a copy of this image, the toner must be transferred to paper. To do this, a

second corotron gives a sheet of paper a positive charge greater than the charge on the selenium (step 4).

As the drum rolls across this paper, toner particles that a moment ago adhered to the drum are attracted to the paper, forming an image on it. If you were to rub your finger across the paper at this stage, the toner would smudge.

To "fix," or immobilize, the image, heat from pressure rollers melts the plastic toner particles, fusing them to the paper (step 5).

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15y ago

In general, a photocopier has a imaging drum made of a material known as a photoconductor. The drum is initially charge with a negative charge. When you put the document and hit the photocopy button, light pass through those portion that do not have text on the document. When light hits the negatively charge drum, thoes portions of the drum expose by the light will be disharge as those portion are now conductive. The result is the drum having negative charges that resembles the texts of the documents. The toner is then charge positively and will be attracted to the negative portion of the drum. The feeder will then draw a new paper from the paper tray and in the process charge the paper more negetively as compared to the drum. As the paper presses over the drum, the toner powder will get attracted and be transfered to the paper since the electrostatic attraction of the paper is higher as compared to the drum. The paper will now contain the copy of the original document. P.s: a photoconductor is a material that becomes a conductor in the presence of light.

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14y ago

The photoconductor drum is charged. The drums is designed so that light causes it to discharge. The areas of charge and discharge are isolated so that patterns can be made. This light and dark areas of the original are transferred as patterns of no-charge and charge to the drum. The toner is a fine powder of microencapsulated ink. It is reverse charged and allowed to get close to the drum. Areas that are charged will pick up the toner, since particles of opposite charge attract each other - areas that are not charged will not pick up the toner. The paper is then charged in the same direction as the drum, but to a higher potential. The paper rolls against the drum, and the particles of toner transfer to the paper, again in the pattern of the original. At this point, the toner can be wiped off the paper, but it goes to the fuser first. The paper is passed through a fuser, which is hot. Under pressure and temperature, the particles of toner melt and fuse to the paper, setting the image.

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10y ago

Photocopiers use static electricity by charging the drum with the original image and then charge the toner powder with opposite charges. Since opposite charges attract the toner is attracted to the drum then applied to the paper using the same principle. A roller called a fuser then "irons" the toner to the paper.

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11y ago

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15y ago

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Q: How does the photocopier use static electricity?
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