This article presents an experimentally verified analytical model of a pressure roller's nip when it is pressed against a flat heating element in an on-demand fuser. A cross-section model has been developed for predicting the nip width and deflection of a rigid pressure roller. In the mechanics literature, pressure rollers such as those used in laser printers are known as soft rollers. This model is based on nondimensional results from a finite element analysis that accounts for differences in roller size, rubber material, and load.
W. Sean Harris, Steven W. Beyerlein, Edwin M. Odom, "Nip Width of an On-Demand Fuser: Part I. Cross-section Model" in Journal of Imaging Science and Technology, 1998, pp 276 - 280, https://doi.org/10.2352/J.ImagingSci.Technol.1998.42.3.art00013