METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR EXTERNAL HEATER ROLL CLEANING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a maximum cleaning action.SOLUTION: According to aspects of the embodiments, there is provided an apparatus and method to maintain a clean and effective external heat roll in a printing system. The disclosed embodiment uses a cleaning roller 76 in contact with an external heat roller 9. The cleaning roller 76 is designed to dislodge and displace contamination products that would otherwise accumulate on and in the external heat roller rough surface. The cleaning roller rotates concurrently with a heating roller 2 so as to clean the roller from a picking action as opposed to a wiping motion. This provides a maximum cleaning action in contrast to the conventional method of a wiping motion inducing undesirable phenomena such as wear and tear of the bristles.