Rochester Business Journal

A team of Xerox Corp. engineers in Webster played an integral role in the development of a chemical armor that company officials say can extend the lifespan of some printer components.

Xerox announced Thursday a group of its scientists had developed a new chemical armor that protects photoreceptors, which are the light-sensitive elements in xerographic machines. The armor can nearly double the usable life of the photoreceptors, Xerox said.

"The long life of the photoreceptor reduces the need for replacement cartridges, enabling a 33 percent reduction in waste," said Yonn Rasmussen, vice president of the xerographic component systems group, in a statement.

Photoreceptors are multilayer thin film devices that convert light into electrostatic images. They must be replaced periodically due to surface wear and scratches that can affect image quality, Xerox said. The goal is to develop photoreceptors that will last the entire life of the machine and equip them with self-healing capabilities.

A team from the Xerox Research Centre of Canada, the xerographic component systems group engineering team in Webster, and the manufacturing team in Venray, the Netherlands, moved the project from the pilot plant stage in Canada to production in Venray in less than one year, the company said.

The engineering team in Webster was tasked with how to engineer the chemical armor to fit the machines, and make it happen manufacturing-wise in a timely manner, company officials said.

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