Optimizing the time and heating rate in fabrication of laser-jet printing toner

Toner acts as the image producer in digital electrophotographic printing methods. There are several ways for the fabrication of toners that one new method among them is the emulsion aggregation technique. The control and tuning of toner shape, its size, and size distribution is a key in producing toner. The aim of this work is to study the effect of processing variables including mixing speed, mixing time, and heating rate on the shape, size, and particle size distribution of toners synthesize by emulsion aggregation method. The quality of resulting toner is evaluated based on its size and colorimetric study. Optimization of process employing Response Surface Methodology by designing and performing 15 experiments was carried out varying processing variables and the trends in the size and color of produced toner was detected to give a deep understanding of production process. The main practical aspect of this research was attributed to reduction in the size of toner particles over increasing mixing intensity.