Low Energy Printing: an Exploration in Cold Pressure Fusing

1. ABSTRACT The primary goal of this Senior Design project is to examine a low energy, non-thermal fuser that is capable of fusing toner to paper without the use of heat. This fuser will use pressure only and be able to be retrofitted to existing printers to be used in locations where power supply is limited. Two fuser assemblies will be constructed for evaluation. The first design will be a four-roller cold pressure fuser that applies the pressure using parallel rollers. The second design will also be a four-roller cold pressure fuser however the pressure will be applied using two skewed rollers. These two different designs will help determine the most effective way to apply a uniform pressure across the nip without damaging the paper as it passes through the fusing system. This paper’s purpose is to thoroughly explain the concept selection and design process used as well as our testing and validation method.