JP2001334580A - Apparatus and method for three-dimensional molding - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a time required for molding and an amount of a powder in the case of three-dimensional molding for generating a three-dimensional molding by using the powder. SOLUTION: An apparatus 100 for three-dimensional molding generates the three-dimensional molding 91 in a molding space 300 in a molding body 31 by discharging a binder from a nozzle head 22 at each time of forming a powder layer by a molding unit 30, and can horizontally move a moving wall member 312 by a driver 35. A size of an upper surface of a molding stage 32 of a layer forming region on which a layer is laminated in the space 300 is changed in association with a movement of the member 312. Thus, the size of the layer forming region can be altered to match the size or the shape of the molding 91, and the time required for molding and the amount of the powder can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a three-dimensional printing technique, and more particularly to a three-dimensional printing technique for producing a three-dimensional printing article by applying a binder to bind powder. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a three-dimensional model of a modeling object has been obtained by sequentially bonding thin layers of powder corresponding to respective cross sections obtained by cutting a three-dimensional modeling object by a plurality of parallel surfaces with a binder. 2. Description of the Related Art A technique for generating a shaped object is known.

[0003] Such a technique can be used for component prototyping called rapid prototyping, such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2729110. The specific procedure of this three-dimensional modeling will be described below.

First, a thin layer of powder is spread evenly on a flat surface by a blade mechanism. Next, a binder (binder) is discharged by scanning the nozzle head to a predetermined region in the thin layer of the powder. The powder material in the region from which the binder has been discharged is brought into a bonding state and is also bonded to the already formed lower layer. Then, the steps of sequentially depositing the powder layer on the upper portion and discharging the binder are repeated until the entire model is completed. Finally, the region to which the binder has not been adhered is separated by dropping when the molded object is taken out of the apparatus, since the powder is in an independent state, that is, in a state of being unbonded to each other. As described above, a desired three-dimensional structure can be obtained.

[0005]

By the way, in the conventional three-dimensional modeling apparatus, the horizontal dimension of the modeling space in which the powder layers are sequentially stacked is fixed as a size inherent to the apparatus. That is, regardless of the size or shape of the modeled object, the modeling is performed by laminating a powder layer having a constant size (width) in the horizontal direction. Therefore, it is necessary to form a powder layer having a fixed size even when the projected area of the model on the horizontal plane is small. As a result, even when a small molded object is generated, it is necessary to form an unnecessarily large powder layer, which sometimes takes a long time for molding or uses a large amount of powder that does not contribute to molding.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to reduce the molding time and the amount of powder used in three-dimensional molding using powder.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a three-dimensional printing apparatus for producing a three-dimensional printing object corresponding to a printing object by applying a bonding agent to a powder material to bond the powder material. Layer forming means for sequentially stacking and forming layers of the powder material on a layer forming region extending perpendicularly to a predetermined stacking direction in a forming space in which a three-dimensional structure is generated,
By applying a material containing a binder to the layer each time the layer forming means forms the layer, bonding of the powder material corresponding to a cut surface obtained by cutting the modeling object along a plurality of parallel surfaces. An applying means for sequentially forming a body, and a shaping portion capable of forming the shaping space and changing the size of the layer forming region are provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the modeling section has a region changing means for changing a size of the layer forming region.

The invention according to claim 3 is the three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the layer forming means is used for forming the layer according to the size of the layer forming region. Change the supply of powder material.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the three-dimensional printing apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the size of the layer forming region required for generating the three-dimensional structure is minimized. As described above, the image forming apparatus further includes posture determining means for determining a posture of the three-dimensional structure in a rotation direction about the axis facing the stacking direction in the modeling space.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the modeling portion includes a stage on which the layers are stacked, and a stage surrounding the stage. And a wall portion surrounded by a wall perpendicular to the stacking direction. The wall portion has a main wall member fixedly installed and a movable wall member movable in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction.

The invention according to claim 6 is the three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the stage moves in the stacking direction along the wall, and the stage moves in accordance with the movement of the moving wall member. The size changes.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a three-dimensional molding method for generating a three-dimensional molded object corresponding to an object to be molded by applying a binder to a powder material and binding the same. A step of changing the size of a layer forming region extending perpendicularly to a predetermined stacking direction in a molding space in which a product is generated; and (b) a step of forming a layer of a powder material on the layer forming region. (C) applying a material containing a binder to the layer to form a combined body of the powdered material corresponding to a cut surface obtained by cutting the modeling object on one surface; (d) By repeating the steps (b) and (c),
A step of sequentially forming and laminating a combined body of the powder material corresponding to a cut surface obtained by cutting the modeling object by a plurality of parallel surfaces to generate the three-dimensional modeling object.

The invention according to claim 8 is the three-dimensional printing method according to claim 7, wherein before the step (a), (e) the layer forming area necessary for generating the three-dimensional printing object is provided. And determining a posture of the three-dimensional structure with respect to a rotation direction about an axis facing the stacking direction in the modeling space so that the size of the three-dimensional structure is minimized.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS <1. First Embodiment><1.1 Main Configuration of Three-Dimensional Modeling Apparatus> FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment. In FIG. 1, XYZ directions defined for the sake of explanation are also indicated by arrows. In addition, the detailed cross section is illustrated without parallel diagonal lines.

The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 includes a control unit 10 and a binder providing unit 20, a modeling unit 30, a powder supply unit 40, a powder diffusion unit 50, and an infrared lamp 60, which are electrically connected to the control unit 10, respectively. It is configured with.

The control unit 10 includes a computer 11 and a drive control unit 12 electrically connected to the computer 11.

The computer 11 is a general desk-top type computer or the like which is internally provided with a CPU, a memory and the like. The computer 11 converts the shape of the three-dimensional object into model data as model data, and outputs to the drive control unit 12 cross-sectional data obtained by slicing the data into thin parallel cross-sections.

The drive control unit 12 includes a binder applying unit 20,
This is control means for driving each of the modeling unit 30, the powder supply unit 40, and the powder diffusion unit 50. The drive control unit 12
When the section data is acquired from the computer 11, a drive command is given to each of the above-described sections based on the section data, so that an operation of sequentially forming a combined body of powders for each layer of the powder material in the modeling section 30 is generally controlled.

The binder applying section 20 includes a tank section 21 for storing a liquid binder (a material containing a binder and may be an ordinary adhesive), and a nozzle for discharging the binder in the tank section 21. An XY-direction moving unit 23 for moving the head 22 and the nozzle head 22 on a horizontal XY plane,
And a driving unit 24 for driving the XY direction moving unit 23.

The tank section 21 includes a plurality of tanks (four tanks in this example) 211 each containing a binder of a different color. Specifically, each tank 2
11 stores three primary colors of Y (yellow), M (magenta) and C (cyan) colorants and a binder colored in W (white) (hereinafter referred to as “colored binder”). . Here, the colored binder does not discolor even when combined with the powder, and it is desirable to use a binder that does not discolor or fade even after a long time.

The nozzle head 22 includes an XY direction moving section 23
And is movable together with the XY-direction moving unit 23 in the XY plane. The nozzle head 22 has the same number of discharge nozzles 221 as the number of tanks in the tank unit 21, and each discharge nozzle 221 is connected to the tank 211 by four tubes 25. Each discharge nozzle 221 is a nozzle that discharges (spouts) each binder as minute droplets by, for example, an inkjet method. The discharge of the binder by each discharge nozzle 221 is individually controlled by the drive control unit 12, and each discharge nozzle 22
The binder discharged from 1 adheres to the powder layer of the modeling section 30 provided at a position facing the nozzle head 22.

The XY-direction moving unit 23 includes a moving unit main body 23a.
And a guide rail 23b. Moving unit body 2
3a is capable of reciprocating movement in the X direction along the guide rail 23b, and is capable of reciprocating movement in the Y direction. That is, the nozzle head 22 can be moved by the XY-direction moving unit 23 in a plane defined by the X axis and the Y axis. Thereby, the nozzle head 22 can be moved to an arbitrary position within the driving range on the plane based on the driving command from the driving control unit 12.

The shaping section 30 includes a shaping section main body 31 having a concave portion at the center, a shaping stage 32 provided inside the concave portion of the shaping section main body 31, and a driving section 34 for moving the shaping stage 32 in the Z direction. Prepare.

The modeling unit main body 31 serves to provide a work area for generating a three-dimensional modeled object. Moreover, the modeling part main body 31 has a powder temporary placement part 31b which temporarily holds the powder supplied from the powder supply part 40 at the upper part.

The molding stage 32 has a rectangular shape in the XY section, and its side surface is in contact with the vertical inner wall 31 a of the concave portion in the molding portion main body 31. Then, the rectangular parallelepiped three-dimensional space formed by the modeling stage 32 and the vertical inner wall 31a of the modeling unit main body 31 becomes the modeling space 300 in which the three-dimensional modeled object 91 is generated. That is, the powder is joined on the modeling stage 32 by the binder discharged from each of the discharge nozzles 221 to form a modeled object. The details of the modeling unit 30 will be described later.

The powder supply section 40 includes a tank section 41, a cutoff plate 42 provided at the outlet of the tank section 41, and a drive section 43 for sliding the cutoff plate 42 according to a command from the drive control section 12.

The tank 41 contains white powder. This powder is a material for forming a three-dimensional structure, and for example, (cellulose-) starch powder, gypsum powder, resin powder and the like are used.

The shut-off plate 42 is slidable in the horizontal direction (X direction), and supplies and stops the powder stored in the tank portion 41 to the powder temporary placing portion 31b of the modeling portion 30. .

The powder diffusion unit 50 includes a blade 51, a guide rail 52 for regulating the operation of the blade 51, and a driving unit 53 for moving the blade 51.

The blade 51 is elongated in the Y direction and has a blade-like shape with a sharp lower end. The length of the blade 51 in the Y direction is a length capable of covering the width of the molding space 300 in the Y direction. I have. In addition, a vibration mechanism for giving a minute vibration to the blade may be added so that the powder can be smoothly diffused by the blade 51.

The drive unit 53 has a vertical drive unit 53a for vertically moving the blade 51 in the vertical direction (Z direction) and a horizontal drive unit 53b for reciprocating the blade 51 in the horizontal direction (X direction). Then, the drive control unit 12
The vertical drive unit 53a and the horizontal drive unit 53b are driven based on the command from the controller 51, and the blade 51 moves in the X and Z directions.

The infrared lamp 60 is for evaporating water or a solvent contained in the binder to promote the binding of the powder to which the binder has been applied. Drive control unit 12
, The infrared lamp 60 is turned on and off. When a thermosetting binder is used, the infrared lamp 60 functions as a means for curing the binder. Further, a microwave generator may be provided instead of the lamp 60.

<1.2 Configuration of Modeling Portion> FIGS. 2 and 3 are a front view and a plan view of the modeling portion 30, respectively. FIG.
As shown in the figure, the modeling part 30 is a rectangular modeling stage 32.
And a modeling part main body 31 surrounding the modeling stage 32,
Inner wall 31a vertically contacting the four sides of modeling stage 32
Of the three parts, the main body member 311 forming three surfaces and the moving wall member 312 forming one surface form the shaping portion main body 31.
Is configured.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main wall member 311 is fixed on the base plate 313, and is fixedly installed on the entire three-dimensional printing apparatus 100. On the other hand, the moving wall member 312 is connected to the driving unit 35 via the shaft 35a, and is movable in the X direction.

The molding stage 32 has a main stage 321 and a sub-stage 322. The sub-stage 322 is urged toward the moving wall member 312 by a compression spring 323 attached to the main stage 321. As a result, there is no gap between the modeling stage 32 and the inner wall 31a, and the leakage of powder from the modeling stage 32 during modeling is suppressed. The support rod 3 is provided on the lower surface of the main stage 321.
The support rod 33 is moved up and down in the Z direction by the drive unit 34. With such a configuration, an appropriate modeling space 300 is formed by the modeling stage 32 and the modeling unit main body 31, and the modeling stage 32 can be moved up and down along the inner wall 31a.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are views showing a state where the moving wall member 312 has moved in the (-X) direction from the state shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. The movement of the moving wall member 312 is performed by changing the amount of extension of the shaft 35a from the driving unit 35. When the moving wall member 312 moves in the (-X) direction, the moving wall member 312 pushes the sub-stage 322,
The spring 323 is compressed and contracted. Thereby, the length in the X direction of the modeling stage 32 indicated by reference numeral 301 in FIG. 3 is reduced as shown in FIG. As a result, the main stage 321
The overlapping area between the main stage 321 and the sub-stage 322 increases, and a surface 302 (a surface on which a powder layer is formed, surrounded by a thick line formed by the main stage 321 and the sub-stage 322;
It is called a “layer formation region”. ) Is reduced from the size shown in FIG. 3 to the size shown in FIG.

As described above, in the shaping section 30, the moving wall member 312 is moved by moving the moving wall member 312 in the direction perpendicular to the Z direction, which is the direction in which the powder layer is stacked on the shaping stage 32. (Moving wall member 31
The size of the modeling stage 32 (that is, the size of the layer forming region 302) can be easily changed (in accordance with the position of No. 2). Also, in the state shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the sub-stage 322 is
When the support rod 33 is moved up and down by the drive unit 34 while the state of being biased to the 12 side is maintained, the modeling stage 32 smoothly moves along the inner wall 31 a of the modeling unit main body 31.

<1.3 Configuration of Computer> FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the computer 11 of the control unit 10 together with peripheral devices. The computer 11 has a configuration similar to that of a general-purpose computer, and is connected to a display 111 for displaying various information as a peripheral device, and an input unit 112 such as a keyboard and a mouse for receiving a user's operation.

In the computer 11, a program for causing the computer 11 to execute various operations related to three-dimensional printing via the recording medium 8 such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a memory card is installed in advance.

As shown in FIG. 6, the computer 11 stores a CPU 101 for performing various arithmetic processing, a ROM 102 for storing a basic program, an operation program 141, setting data 131 and section data 132 to be described later, and a work for the arithmetic processing. The configuration is such that the RAM 103 and the like as areas are connected to bus lines. The bus line includes a display 111, an input unit 112, a fixed disk 104 for storing various programs including the program 141, model data 142 indicating the shape of the object to be molded, and the like, and a reading unit 105 for reading programs and the like from the recording medium 8. ,and,
Communication unit 1 that exchanges information with drive control unit 12
06 is appropriately connected via an interface (I / F).

The program 141 is fetched from the reading unit 105 to the fixed disk 104, and the program 141
Is copied to the RAM 103. And the CPU 101
Performs arithmetic processing in accordance with the program 141, so that the configuration centered on the computer 11 functions as a part of the control unit 10.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a main functional configuration of the computer 11. In FIG. 7, the posture determining unit 18
1 and the cross-section data generation unit 182 correspond to the CPU 10 in FIG.
1 shows a function realized by performing arithmetic processing according to the program 141. Some or all of these functional components may be configured as a dedicated electric circuit, and the computer 11 may be a dedicated computer for three-dimensional printing. The details of each functional configuration will be described later together with the description of the operation of the three-dimensional printing apparatus 100.

<1.4 Operation of Three-Dimensional Modeling Apparatus> FIGS. 8 and 9 are flowcharts for explaining the outline of the operation of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100. Hereinafter, the operation of the three-dimensional printing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. 7 to 9.

In step S11, the computer 11
Creates model data 142 representing a three-dimensional object having a color pattern or the like on its surface. The model data 142 that is the basis for modeling includes a general three-dimensional C
Color three-dimensional model data created by AD modeling software can be used. It is also possible to use data and texture of a three-dimensional shape measured by the three-dimensional shape input device. The generated model data 142 is stored on the fixed disk 104 as appropriate.

In the model data 142, there are data in which color information is provided only on the surface of the three-dimensional model or data in which color information is provided up to the inside of the model. In the latter case, it is possible to use only the color information of the model surface at the time of modeling, and it is also possible to use the color information inside the model. For example, when generating a three-dimensional structure such as a human body model, there is a case where it is desired to apply a different color to each internal organ, and in that case, color information inside the model is used.

When the model data 142 is prepared, information on the layer thickness of the powder (slice pitch at the time of generating the cross-sectional data) and the number of laminations (the number of cross-sectional data sets) at the time of forming the modeling object are set data. 131 is input via the input unit 112 and stored in the RAM 103 (step S12). Note that the pitch for slicing can be changed within a predetermined range (a range of a thickness capable of binding the powder).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG.
42 is input to the posture determination unit 181 and the modeling space 300
The posture of the three-dimensional structure 91 (see FIG. 1) to be generated is determined (step S13). In addition, the molding space 300 here is the molding space 30 when the molding is completed.
0 means space required for modeling.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are diagrams for explaining the state of the processing performed in the posture determining section 181. FIG. In addition,
FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a rectangular parallelepiped as the model 901 indicated by the model data 142 for ease of illustration. The X and Z directions shown in these figures correspond to the X and Z directions in FIG. 1, and the Z direction is the direction in which the powder layers are stacked in the modeling space 300.

FIG. 10 shows a state in which only the vertical orientation of the model 901 has been determined in advance by the operator. In this orientation, the width in the X direction is L. Therefore, when the model 901 in this posture is directly formed, the length 30 in the X direction of the layer formation region 302 shown in FIG.
A minimum length of L is required as 1.

Here, a rotation axis 902 pointing in the Z direction with respect to the model 901 is appropriately set, and the model 901 is
When the model 2 is rotated about 2, the orientation of the model 901 and the minimum value of the width in the X direction that minimize the width in the X direction are obtained. FIG. 11 shows a state of the model 901 in which the posture is determined so that the width in the X direction becomes the minimum value Lmin. Thereby, the length 3 in the X direction of the layer forming region 302 at the time of modeling is
If 01 is at least Lmin, the model 901 can be theoretically formed.

The posture determining section 181 further calculates the actual required layer forming area 30 from the minimum value Lmin of the width in the X direction.
2 is determined in the X direction.
31 is added. Specifically, a value obtained by adding twice the length of the predetermined offset value to the minimum value Lmin is obtained as the length of the layer forming region 302 in the X direction (step S13). Thereby, a gap having a width of the offset value is provided on the (+ X) direction and the (−X) direction side of the three-dimensional structure 91 generated in the forming space 300.

As described above, the posture determining section 181 determines the layer forming area 302 necessary for generating the three-dimensional structure 91.
The orientation of the three-dimensional structure 91 in the rotation direction about the axis 902 in the Z direction is determined so that the size of the three-dimensional object 91 is minimized.

Next, the section data generation unit 182 generates the setting data 131, the model data 142, and the posture determination unit 18
Model data 1 based on the posture information determined in 1.
Cross-sectional data 132 for each cross-section obtained by slicing the modeling object in the horizontal direction is generated from 42 and stored in the RAM 103 (step S14). The cross-sectional data 132 is generated from the model data by cutting out a cross-sectional body sliced at a pitch corresponding to the thickness of one layer of the powder to be laminated, and as shape data and coloring data indicating a region where the cross section exists.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the state of the generation of the cross-sectional data in step S14. First, FIG.
FIG. 12 includes color information from the model data shown in FIG.
The cross section shown in (b) is cut out and subdivided into a grid.
It is treated in the same way as a two-dimensional image bitmap.
As shown in FIG. 2 (c), it is converted into bitmap information for each color. This bitmap information is information taking into account the gradation and the like. In FIG. 12C, shape data is data indicating an area where a cross section exists, and Y data, C data, M data, and W data correspond to chromatic data.

In this embodiment, since the color of the powder is white, no coloring is necessary for the white portion. However, a binder was required for modeling, and a white binder was applied to this portion, and W data was given. When there is no color information inside the three-dimensional model, W data is also added to a portion corresponding to the inside. Therefore, when the OR of the YCMW data is ORed, the entire cross-sectional shape is filled.

FIGS. 13 (a) to 13 (c) are views showing an example of a state of generation of cross-sectional data in step S14, similarly to FIG. In FIG. 13 (c), the illustration of the coloring data is omitted, and the shape data shows only the region where the cross section exists. In FIG. 13 (c), a part that does not contribute to three-dimensional modeling, that is, a part corresponding to an internal region that does not appear in the outer shape, is deleted from the shape data as a modeling unnecessary part in the model data. As a result, the operation of combining the powder with the binder is not performed in the modeling unnecessary part, and the binder can be saved.

Setting data 131 and section data 132
Is completed, the setting data 131 is transferred from the communication unit 106 of the computer 11 to the drive control unit 12 (step S15). Thus, the amount of powder supplied from the powder supply unit 40 per one time, the amount of movement of the blade 51, and the like are set. Further, if necessary, a signal is sent from the drive control unit 12 to the drive unit 35 to move the movable wall member 312 (step S16), and the width in the X direction of the layer forming area 302, which is the upper surface of the modeling stage 32 Is the setting data 131
Will be changed according to

Since the amount of powder required for one layer formation changes according to the area of the layer formation area 302, the setting data 131 is set every time the moving wall member 312 is moved.
(That is, according to a change in the size of the layer forming region 302), the supply amount of the powder is changed.

The following steps S21 onward are modeling operations performed by the drive control unit 12 controlling each unit. FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram illustrating these operations. In FIG. 14, the structure of the modeling stage 32 is omitted.

In step S 21, the molding stage 32 is supported by the support rod 33 to form a combined body of the Nth layer (N = 1, 2,...) Of the powder in the molding stage 32.
4 (a), it is lowered and held by a predetermined distance in the direction of arrow DN. The descending distance is a distance corresponding to the lamination thickness input from the computer 11. As a result, a space SP for forming one new powder layer is formed above the powder layer that has been deposited on the modeling stage 32 and has completed the necessary bonding. Where N = 1
In this case, the space SP is formed on the upper surface of the modeling stage 32 because it corresponds to the formation of the first layer.

In step S22, a powder as a material in forming a three-dimensional structure is supplied. Here, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4A, the shutoff plate 42 of the powder supply unit 40 slides from the closed position to drop a predetermined amount of powder in the tank unit 41 onto the powder temporary storage unit 31b of the modeling unit main body 31. As the predetermined amount, an amount slightly larger than the volume of the space SP (the required amount of powder in molding) is set.
After the supply of the predetermined amount of powder is completed, the shut-off plate 42 returns to the closed position and stops supplying the powder.

Note that, as shown in FIG.
Since the upper surface of the first layer has some unevenness, more powder than the set value is supplied when the first layer is formed.
Provided by 0.

In step S23, a thin layer is formed using the powder supplied in step S22. Here, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the powder temporary placing section 31
By moving the powder deposited on b in the X direction by the blade 51, the powder enters the space SP on the modeling stage 32, and a thin uniform powder layer is formed. At this time, the lower end of the blade 51 is connected to the uppermost surface 31 c of the modeling unit main body 31.
Move along. As a result, a thin layer of powder having a predetermined thickness is accurately formed on the layer forming region 302 that extends perpendicularly to the laminating direction (Z direction). Then, after the powder layer is formed, the blade 51 is separated from the uppermost surface 31c by the vertical driving unit 53a (see FIG. 1), passes over the powder layer by the horizontal driving unit 53b, and returns to the initial position.

In step S24, the XY direction moving section 23 is driven in accordance with the shape data and coloring data created in step S14, so that the nozzle head 22 is moved in the XY plane as shown in FIG. Let it. At that time, the time is shortened by scanning only the area where the shape data exists. Then, during the movement, the discharge of the colored binder is appropriately performed from each discharge nozzle 221 based on the coloring data. As a result, the powder combination 81
Is generated. The powder 82 to which the binder is not applied
Will be kept independent of each other.

In step S24, when discharging the binder for the portion corresponding to the surface portion of the three-dimensional modeled object, Y and Y are determined based on the coloring data derived from the modeled object.
Control is performed so as to selectively discharge the M, C, and W colored binders. Thereby, color modeling of a three-dimensional model can be performed. On the other hand, in a portion of the three-dimensional structure that does not need to be colored (coloring unnecessary region), the molding is performed by discharging a W colored binder that does not hinder the coloring state of the colored portion.

Further, in order to make the spread of the binder attached to the powder layer uniform and to secure the strength of the formed object, it is preferable to uniformly apply the same amount of binder per unit area to the formed portion. For example, the amount of binder discharged from each discharge nozzle 221 per unit time (for example,
If the value obtained by multiplying by the number of binder droplets is kept constant, the same amount of binder can be uniformly applied per unit area.

After the discharge of the binder is completed, the discharge operation of the binder is stopped, and the XY-direction moving unit 23 is driven.
The nozzle head 22 returns to the initial position.

In step S25, the powder to which the binder has adhered is dried and joined. Drying is performed by irradiating the infrared lamp 60 from above the thinly stretched powder layer. Thereby, the binder adhering to the powder dries quickly. In the case of a binder that is quickly cured by natural drying, irradiation with an infrared lamp or the like is unnecessary. By step S25, the formation of the cross-section of one layer of the three-dimensional structure is completed.

When the formation of one layer is completed, step S26
The drive control unit 12 determines whether or not the processing for the number of layers is completed based on the number of layers indicated by the setting data 131 (that is, determines whether the modeling of the three-dimensional structure is completed). Then, if it is determined to be "NO", the processing from step S21 is repeated, and if it is determined to be "YES", the molding operation ends. When the shaping of the three-dimensional structure is completed, the powder to which the binder is not provided is separated, and a combined body (three-dimensional structure) of the powder bound by the binder is taken out. The unbound powder may be collected and reused as a material.

When the process returns to step S21, an operation of forming a new powder composite of the (N + 1) th layer on the upper side of the (N) th layer is performed. By repeating such an operation by the number of layers, the colorized combined body for each layer is sequentially stacked on the stage 32, and finally, a three-dimensional structure of the object to be formed is formed on the formation stage 32. You.

<1.5 Effect of Reduction of Layer Forming Area> FIG. 15 shows a three-dimensional printing apparatus 100 when a three-dimensional printing object 91 smaller than the three-dimensional printing object 91 shown in FIG. 1 is generated.
It is a figure which illustrates the situation of. FIG. 15 shows only the main components related to the molding operation. As shown in FIG. 15, when the three-dimensional structure 91 is small and the projected area on the horizontal plane is small, the area of the modeling stage 32 (that is, the layer forming region 302 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5) during modeling is reduced. Then, the moving wall member 312 is moved. FIG. 16 shows a three-dimensional printing apparatus 100 when the three-dimensional printing object 91 shown in FIG. 15 is generated in the state shown in FIG.
It is a figure which illustrates the situation of.

As shown in FIG. 16, when the layer formation region 302 is not reduced, powder that does not contribute to the modeling is deposited in all of the parallel shaded spaces 303 compared to the case shown in FIG. Becomes That is, as shown in FIG. 2 to FIG.
By providing a mechanism for changing the size of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the amount of powder used can be reduced.

The movement amount of the blade 51 can be smaller in the state shown in FIG. 15 than in the state shown in FIG. As a result, the time required to form one powder layer is reduced, and rapid generation of the three-dimensional structure 91 is realized.

In the case where control is performed so that the moving section main body 23a scans the entire area on the layer forming area 302 when discharging the binder, the binder is quickly applied by reducing the size of the layer forming area 302. Rapid generation of the three-dimensional structure 91 is realized.

As described above, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 can appropriately reduce the time required for modeling and the amount of powder in accordance with the size and shape of the three-dimensional model 91.

Further, as described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, since the rotation posture of the three-dimensional structure 91 in the molding space 300 in the Z direction can be changed,
The size of the layer forming region 302 is appropriately reduced under conditions where the vertical direction of the three-dimensional structure 91 is determined in advance. In other words, the volume of the space required for modeling can be appropriately reduced. As a result, the time required for modeling and the amount of powder can be further reduced.

<2. Second Embodiment> Next, as a second embodiment, another example of the shaping section 30 will be described. FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 are a plan view and a front side sectional view showing the modeling unit 30 of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a view of the modeling part 3 from the arrow AA in FIG.
FIG. In the following description, the description will be given with the reference numerals used in the description of the first embodiment appropriately attached.

In the second embodiment, the shaping part 30 is
The size of the layer forming region 302 can be changed in the Y direction. As shown in FIG.
1 is one of four surfaces in contact with the periphery of the molding stage 32.
A main wall member 314 that forms a surface on the (+ Y) and (−X) directions side, a moving wall member 315 that forms a surface on the (+ X) direction side, and a movement that forms a surface on the (−Y) direction side. It is composed of a wall member 316. The main wall member 314 is fixed on the base plate 313 as shown in FIG.

The moving wall member 315 is moved by the driving unit 351 to X
The movable wall member 316 is movable in the
2 allows movement in the Y direction. Moving wall member 3
15 is a main moving wall member 3151 and a sub moving wall member 3152
It has an L-shape in FIG. 17 and a compression spring 3153, and the sub-movement wall member 3152 is urged toward the movement wall member 316. Accordingly, the size of the inner wall surface formed by the main moving wall member 3151 and the sub moving wall member 3152 changes with the movement of the moving wall member 316. As a result, there is no gap between the inner walls even when the moving wall members 315 and 316 are moved.

As shown in FIG. 18, similarly to the first embodiment, the modeling stage 32 is moved up and down along the inner wall of the modeling section main body 31 by the driving section 34 via the support rod 33.

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing main components constituting the modeling stage 32. FIG. The modeling stage 32 has two square plate members 324 and 327 and two isosceles triangle plate members 325 and 326, and the lower surface (back surface) of the plate member 327 is connected to the support rod 33. The plate member 324 is 2
There are three pins 3241 and 3242 on the back surface. Plate member 3
25 is a long hole 3251 and a pin 325 provided on the back surface.
2, and the plate member 326 has an elongated hole 3261 and a pin 3262 provided on the back surface. The plate member 327 has two elongated holes 3271 and 3272 formed therein, and has two pins 327.
3,3274 on the back.

These plate members 324 to 327 are
241, 3242, 3252, 3262 are inserted into the slots 3251, 3261, 3271, 3272 respectively. FIG. 20 shows plate members 324-3.
FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a state in which No. 27 is combined. As shown in FIG. 20, a compression spring 3281 is attached between the pin 3252 and the pin 3273, and the pin 3262 and the pin 327 are attached.
2, a compression spring 3282 is also attached. Thereby, the plate members 325 and 326 are urged against the plate member 327 in the (+ Y) direction and the (+ X) direction, respectively. Note that the plate member 32 is provided via the pins 3241 and 3242.
4 with respect to the plate member 327 in the (+ Y) direction and (+ X)
Biased in the direction.

By configuring the molding stage 32 in this manner, when the movable wall member 315 moves in the (-X) direction by the driving unit 351 shown in FIG. 17, the molding stage 32 in the X direction as shown in FIG. The width shrinks. When the moving wall member 316 is moved in the (+ Y) direction by the driving unit 352, the width of the modeling stage 32 in the Y direction is reduced as shown in FIG. Further, when both of the moving wall members 315 and 316 approach the main wall member 314 by the driving units 351 and 352, the width of the modeling stage 32 in the X and Y directions is reduced as shown in FIG.

As described above, according to the movement of the movable wall members 315 and 316 (according to the position of the movable wall member), the modeling portion 3
At 0, the size of the modeling stage 32, that is, the size of the layer forming region 302, is variable in the X and Y directions. Thereby, the layer is formed more appropriately according to the size and shape of the three-dimensional structure 91 (more precisely, the size and shape of the projection surface when projected onto the horizontal plane from the vertical direction) while forming the appropriate formation space 300. The size of the formation region 302 can be set. As a result, for the same reason as in the first embodiment, the time required for molding and the amount of powder can be reduced.

<3. Modifications> While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-discussed preferred embodiments, but allows various modifications.

For example, in the above embodiment, the driving unit 35
Although the size of the layer formation region 302 is automatically changed using the (drive units 351 and 352), the size of the layer formation region 302 may be manually changeable. For example, the mounting position of the moving wall member may be changeable between a plurality of mounting positions, and the modeling unit main body 31 and the modeling stage 32 may be replaceable with one having another size.

The shape of the layer forming region 302 is not limited to a rectangle, but may be any other shape such as a circle, and the shape and size of the layer forming region 302 may be changed in any manner. It may be.

The layer formation region 302 (that is, the upper surface of the molding stage 32) does not need to be horizontal, and may be inclined within a range where layer formation can be performed.

In the above embodiment, the binder may not be discharged to the first several powder layers formed on the molding stage 32. In this case, after a predetermined number of powder layers are stacked, a powder combination is formed each time the powder layers are formed.

The technique of changing the size of the layer forming region can be used for any method of generating a three-dimensional structure while laminating powder. For example, the formation of the powder layer may be performed by a roller, and the bottom surface of the modeling space may serve as a modeling stage (that is, a state where the modeling stage is fixed). . Also, unlike the above embodiment,
The binder may be one type, and the ink and the binder may be separately applied to the powder layer.
Various colors and materials of the powder used for modeling may be used. For example, the powder may be colorless, transparent or chromatic, and a resin, metal, rubber, biodegradable material, or the like may be used as the powder material.

Further, if a CAD / CAM / CAE system is introduced into the computer 11 of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100, it is possible to speed up the modeling and improve the quality of the design.

[0093]

According to the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, the time required for molding and the amount of powder material can be reduced by changing the size of the layer forming region.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the size of the layer forming region can be automatically changed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the amount of the powder material used for forming the layer can be reduced.

According to the fourth and eighth aspects of the present invention, the time required for molding and the amount of powder material can be further reduced.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the size of the layer forming region can be easily changed by using the movable wall member. According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the movable stage and the wall are more suitable. A simple molding space can be formed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a three-dimensional printing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a front side sectional view showing a configuration of a modeling unit.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a modeling unit.

FIG. 4 is a front side sectional view showing a configuration of a modeling unit.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a modeling unit.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a computer.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a computer.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of the operation of the three-dimensional printing apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of the operation of the three-dimensional printing apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for describing processing in a posture changing unit.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for describing processing in a posture changing unit.

FIGS. 12A to 12C are diagrams illustrating an example of a state of generation of cross-sectional data.

FIGS. 13A to 13C are diagrams showing other examples of cross-sectional data (shape data).

FIGS. 14A to 14C are conceptual diagrams illustrating the operation of the three-dimensional printing apparatus.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a state of a three-dimensional printing apparatus when a small three-dimensional printing object is generated.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a state of a three-dimensional printing apparatus when it is assumed that a three-dimensional printing object is generated without reducing a layer formation region.

FIG. 17 is a plan view showing another example of the modeling unit.

FIG. 18 is a front side sectional view of another example of the shaping section.

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a plate member constituting the modeling stage.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a modeling stage.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a modeling stage.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a modeling stage.

FIG. 23 is a view showing a modeling stage.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 Binder provision part 30 Modeling part 31 Modeling part main body 32 Modeling stage 35 Drive part 40 Powder supply part 50 Powder diffusion part 81 Combined body 91 Three-dimensional modeling 100 Three-dimensional modeling apparatus 101 CPU 102 ROM 103 RAM 181 Attitude determination part 300 Modeling Space 302 Layer forming area 311,314 Main wall member 312,315,316 Moving wall member 321 Main stage 322 Substage 324-327 Plate member 902 Axis S13, S16, S21-S26 Step Z direction

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4F213 AC04 WA25 WA53 WA63 WA97 WB01 WL02 WL15 WL26 WL74 WL85

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A three-dimensional modeling apparatus for generating a three-dimensional modeled object corresponding to a modeling object by applying a binder to a powder material and binding the powdered material, wherein a three-dimensional modeled object is generated. A layer forming means for sequentially laminating and forming a layer of the powder material on a layer forming region which extends perpendicularly to a predetermined laminating direction within the layer forming means, and each time the layer forming means forms the layer, By applying a material containing a binder, applying means for sequentially forming a combination of the powder material corresponding to a cut surface obtained by cutting the modeling object by a plurality of parallel surfaces, and forming the modeling space and A modeling unit capable of changing the size of the layer forming region. 2. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the modeling unit includes a region changing unit configured to change a size of the layer formation region. 3. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the layer forming unit supplies the powder material used for forming the layer according to a size of the layer forming region. A three-dimensional printing apparatus characterized by changing the following. 4. The three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shaping is performed such that a size of the layer forming region necessary for generating the three-dimensional printing object is minimized. A three-dimensional modeling apparatus, further comprising: attitude determination means for determining an attitude of the three-dimensional object in a rotation direction about an axis facing the stacking direction in a space. 5. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the modeling unit includes: a stage on which the layers are stacked; and a periphery of the stage perpendicular to the stage. A wall portion surrounded by a wall, wherein the wall portion is a fixedly installed main wall member, and a movable wall member movable in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction.
A three-dimensional printing apparatus characterized by having: 6. The three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the stage moves in the stacking direction along the wall, and the size of the stage changes according to the movement of the moving wall member. A three-dimensional printing apparatus characterized by the following. 7. A three-dimensional modeling method for generating a three-dimensional modeled object corresponding to an object to be modeled by applying a binder to a powder material and bonding the powdered material, wherein (a) the three-dimensional modeled object is generated. Changing the size of a layer forming region extending perpendicularly to a predetermined stacking direction in a molding space to be formed; (b) forming a layer of a powder material on the layer forming region; (c) By applying a material containing a binder to the layer, a step of forming a binder of the powder material corresponding to a cut surface obtained by cutting the modeling object on one surface, (d) the step (b) By repeating and (c), a step of sequentially forming and laminating a combination of the powder material corresponding to a cut surface obtained by cutting the modeling object by a plurality of parallel surfaces, and generating the three-dimensional model, A three-dimensional modeling method characterized by having: 8. The three-dimensional structure forming method according to claim 7, wherein before the step (a), (e) the size of the layer forming region required for generating the three-dimensional structure is minimized. Determining a posture of the three-dimensional structure with respect to a rotation direction about an axis facing the stacking direction in the modeling space.