JP6916749B2 - Modeling method for three-dimensional structures, modeling equipment for three-dimensional structures - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for forming a three-dimensional structure and a device for forming a three-dimensional structure, and more particularly to a technique for forming a three-dimensional structure by sintering powder.

Modeling that generates modeling information for a three-dimensional structure based on three-dimensional image data, discharges materials such as resin and metal powder based on the modeling information, and solidifies and sintered it to form a three-dimensional structure. The device is known.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a metal powder is placed flat on a support table to form a metal powder layer, and the metal powder layer is irradiated with laser light to melt the sintered layer. A technique for forming a three-dimensional structure by repeatedly forming a metal powder layer and a sintered layer by adjusting the height of the support table after forming the metal powder layer is disclosed.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique in which a metal powder discharged from a nozzle is instantaneously melted by a laser, brought into contact with a support, and then rapidly solidified to occur to form a model.

When a three-dimensional structure is formed using the technique of Patent Document 1, a three-dimensional structure is formed between the support and the three-dimensional structure in order to maintain the desired shape of the three-dimensional structure during the modeling process. Support members may be formed to support the shape of the object. This support member has a problem that it needs to be removed from the three-dimensional structure after the formation of the sintered layer in Patent Document 1 or after the melting and solidification of the metal powder in Patent Document 2. Further, since the portion where the support member is removed from the surface of the three-dimensional structure has irregularities, there is a problem that it is necessary to perform a surface smoothing treatment.

When forming a three-dimensional structure using the technique of Patent Document 2, the metal powder is discharged and landed at a desired position on the support based on the modeling information of the three-dimensional image data. Due to the fluidity of the metal powder, there is a problem that the particles of the metal powder deviate from the landing position before being irradiated with the laser and sintered. Further, since sintering is performed by laser irradiation, there is a problem that a laser having a high output (for example, an output of 1 KW or more) must be used.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, using a low-power laser without using a support member to support the shape of the three-dimensional structure during the shaping process of the three-dimensional structure. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for forming a three-dimensional structure at high speed and directly for accurately forming the three-dimensional structure, and a device for forming the three-dimensional structure.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention relates to a first layer of a molding material containing at least a powder and a resin binder, and at least the powder, in a method for molding a three-dimensional structure. The step of forming the layers of the second molding material containing different powders as the same layer, and the layer of the first molding material and the second molding material at a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition point of the resin binder. or heating the layer, or by light irradiation to the resin binder, fixing powder to fix the powder contained in each of the first layer of build material and the second layer of build material by the resin binder It is characterized by including at least a body layer forming step and a sintering step of sintering a predetermined region of the fixed powder layer formed in the fixed powder layer forming step.

Further, according to the present invention, in a three-dimensional structure forming apparatus for forming a three-dimensional structure, at least a layer of a first modeling material containing a powder and a resin binder and at least a powder having a composition different from that of the powder are used. A means for forming the layers of the second modeling material including the same layer, and heating the layer of the first modeling material and the layer of the second modeling material at a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition point of the resin binder, or Alternatively, the resin binder has at least a means for irradiating the resin binder with light and a means for heating the layer or sintering a predetermined region of the fixed powder layer formed by the means for irradiating the light, and the layer. after heating or irradiation of light, the powder contained in each of the first molding material layer and the second layer of build material is fixed by the resin binder, the fixed powder that is fixed by the resin binder A predetermined area of the layer is sintered .

According to the present invention, in the molding process of a three-dimensional structure, the three-dimensional structure is formed at high speed and directly by using a low-power laser without using a support member for supporting the shape of the three-dimensional structure. It is possible to provide a method for forming a three-dimensional structure and a device for forming a three-dimensional structure.

Perspective view showing the modeling apparatus of the three-dimensional structure according to the present embodiment. A block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a control device included in the modeling device according to the present embodiment. A block diagram showing a functional configuration of a modeling apparatus according to this embodiment. Flow chart showing the flow of modeling processing according to the first embodiment Explanatory drawing which shows the modeling process which concerns on 1st Embodiment Explanatory drawing which shows the modeling process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment Explanatory drawing which shows the modeling process which concerns on 3rd Embodiment

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, in a three-dimensional structure modeling device (hereinafter abbreviated as "modeling device") for modeling a three-dimensional structure, powder composed of the composition of the three-dimensional structure is placed on a support. The gist is that it is placed, fixed to the support with a fixing material, and then sintered. First, the structure of the modeling apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional structure modeling apparatus according to the present embodiment. In the following, the three-dimensional real space will be described using Cartesian coordinates consisting of three axes, the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. Further, the process of modeling a three-dimensional structure is called a three-dimensional print process (hereinafter, the three-dimensional print is abbreviated as "3D print"), and the mechanism for executing the three-dimensional print process is called a "3D print engine". ..

As shown in FIG. 1, the modeling device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a gantry 10, a Y-axis drive device 11, a stage 12, a substrate 13, an X-axis drive device 14, a support frame 15, and a first Z-axis drive device. 16. The second Z-axis drive device 17, the discharge head 20 that discharges the modeling material that is the material for modeling the three-dimensional structure, and the laser that irradiates the modeling material with laser light to perform the sintering process. The device 30 is provided. That is, the discharge head 20 corresponds to the discharge portion, and the laser device 30 corresponds to the sintered portion.

The gantry 10 is configured by using a plate-shaped member to be placed on the floor surface. Then, each component of the modeling apparatus 1 is installed on the upper surface of the gantry 10. The upper surface of the gantry 10 is provided with a Y-axis drive device 11 that moves the stage 12 along the Y-axis direction. The stage 12 is a member on which the substrate 13 is mounted, and includes a suction device (not shown) using vacuum, static electricity, or the like. Then, the substrate 13 can be fixed by this suction device. Further, the stage 12 is equipped with a Z-axis drive device (not shown) that rotates about the Z-axis so that the relative inclination between the discharge head 20 and the laser device 30 and the substrate 13 can be corrected. You may. The substrate 13 is a flat plate-like member for laminating the modeling materials constituting the three-dimensional structure discharged on the upper surface thereof. Further, the stage 12 has a built-in heating device 50 for heating and melting the fixing material contained in the modeling material discharged to the substrate 13. That is, the heating device 50 corresponds to the fixed powder layer forming portion.

Further, in the modeling device 1, a support frame body 15 is erected on the upper surface of the gantry 10. The support frame 15 supports an X-axis drive device 14 that moves the discharge head 20 and the laser device 30 along the X-axis direction. The X-axis drive device 14 includes an X-axis rail 14R having an axial direction parallel to the X-axis, and along the X-axis rail 14R, a first Z-axis drive device 16 and a second Z-axis drive device 17 To move. As a result, the first Z-axis drive device 16 and the second Z-axis drive device 17 move along the X-axis direction.

A head base 22 that supports the discharge head 20 is attached to the first Z-axis drive device 16. The first Z-axis drive device 16 includes a Z-axis rail 16R having an axial direction parallel to the Z-axis, and moves the head base 22 along the Z-axis rail 16R. As a result, the discharge head 20 moves along the Z-axis direction. A tank 21 for storing the modeling material is provided on the upper portion of the Z-axis rail 16R. The tank 21 and the discharge head 20 are connected via a raw material supply pipe (not shown). Then, the modeling material in the tank 21 is supplied to the discharge head 20 via the raw material supply pipe, and the modeling material is discharged from the discharge head 20 toward the substrate 13. When the modeling material contains metal powder, it is preferable to use an extrusion type or an injection type as the discharge method of the discharge head because the metal powder is heavy. The tank 21 may be equipped with a modeling material storage container containing the modeling material so that the storage container itself functions as the tank 21, or the modeling material which is the content of the storage container is used as the tank 21. It may be configured to be transferred to.

A laser support member 31 that supports the laser device 30 (light irradiation device) is attached to the second Z-axis drive device 17. The laser device 30 may be a continuous irradiation laser device or a pulse irradiation laser device. The second Z-axis drive device 17 includes a support column 17P having an axial direction parallel to the Z-axis, and moves the laser support member 31 along the support column 17P. As a result, the laser device 30 moves along the Z-axis direction.

Inside the support frame body 15, a control device 40 that executes control processing for each component of the modeling device 1 is built. The X-axis drive device 14 moves the first Z-axis drive device 16 and the second Z-axis drive device 17 to predetermined positions on the X-axis according to the control signal from the control device 40, and further moves the first Z-axis drive device 14 to a predetermined position on the X-axis. The drive device 16 moves the head base 22 and the second Z-axis drive device 17 moves the laser support member 31 to a predetermined position on the Z axis, so that the distance between the discharge head 20 and the laser device 30 and the substrate 13 is reached. Can be controlled.

In FIG. 1, the stage 12 has one degree of freedom in the Y direction, and the discharge head 20 and the laser device 30 have one degree of freedom in the X direction and one degree of freedom in the Z direction. Although shown, it is not limited to this form. For example, the stage 12 may have two degrees of freedom in the X and Y directions, and the discharge head 20 and the laser device 30 may have one degree of freedom in the Z direction. Further, the stage 12 has a degree of freedom of one axis in the Y direction, includes a plurality of discharge heads 20 and a laser device 30, arranges them in a line in the X-axis direction, and has a degree of freedom of one axis in the Z direction. May be configured.

Further, the substrate 13 may be fixed, and the discharge head 20 and the laser device 30 may have three degrees of freedom in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction. Further, the X-axis and the Y-axis do not need to be orthogonal if one plane can be represented by the X-axis vector and the Y-axis vector. For example, the X-axis vector and the Y-axis vector have angles of 30, 45, and 60 degrees. May have.

The control device 40 controls the discharge conditions of the modeling material of the discharge head 20 and the laser irradiation conditions of the laser device 30. Further, the control device 40 may have a recording unit (not shown), and may record the state of the modeling material after heat treatment, the optimum irradiation conditions of the laser, and the like in the recording unit. Hereinafter, the internal configuration of the control device 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a control device included in the modeling device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 40 has the same configuration as an information processing device such as a general server or a PC (Personal Computer). That is, the control device 40 included in the modeling device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 41, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 42, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 43, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 44, and an I. / F (Interface) 45 is connected via the bus 48. Further, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 46 and an operation unit 47 are connected to the I / F 45.

The CPU 41 is a calculation means and controls the operation of the entire modeling device 1. The RAM 42 is a volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information at high speed, and is used as a work area when the CPU 41 processes the information. The ROM 43 is a read-only non-volatile storage medium, and stores programs such as firmware.

The HDD 44 is a non-volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing information, and stores an OS (Operating System), various control programs, application programs, and the like. The I / F 45 connects and controls the bus 48 with various hardware, networks, and the like. The LCD 46 is a visual user interface for the user to confirm the state of the modeling device 1. The operation unit 47 is a user interface such as a keyboard and a mouse for the user to input information to the modeling device 1.

In such a hardware configuration, a program stored in a recording medium such as a ROM 43, an HDD 44, or an optical disk (not shown) is read into the RAM 42 and operates according to the control of the CPU 41 to form a software control unit. The combination of the software control unit and the hardware configured in this way constitutes a functional block that realizes the function of the modeling apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the functional configuration of the modeling apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the modeling apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the modeling apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a controller 100, a display panel 110, a 3D print engine 120, a communication I / F 130, and a three-dimensional image data storage unit (hereinafter, three-dimensional). The image data is abbreviated as "3D image data") 140. The 3D print engine 120 is a general term for devices that are driven during the modeling process of a three-dimensional structure, and is a Y-axis drive device 11, an X-axis drive device 14, a first Z-axis drive device 16, and a second Z. The shaft drive device 17, the discharge head 20, the laser device 30, and the heating device 50 are included.

The controller 100 includes a main control unit 101, an engine control unit 102, an input / output control unit 103, an image processing unit 104, and an operation display control unit 105. The display panel 110 is an output interface that visually displays the state of the modeling device 1, and is an input interface (operation) when the user directly operates the modeling device 1 or inputs information to the modeling device 1 as a touch panel. Department). The communication I / F 130 is an interface for the modeling device 1 to communicate with another device by wire communication or wireless communication, and a USB interface is used.

The controller 100 is composed of a combination of software and hardware. Specifically, a control program such as firmware stored in a non-volatile storage medium such as ROM 43 or HDD 44 is loaded into the RAM 42, and a software control unit and an integrated circuit configured by the CPU 41 performing an operation according to those programs. The controller 100 is configured by such hardware. The controller 100 functions as a control unit that controls the entire modeling device 1.

The main control unit 101 plays a role of controlling each unit included in the controller 100, and gives a command to each unit of the controller 100. The engine control unit 102 plays a role as a driving means for controlling or driving the 3D printed engine 120. The input / output control unit 103 inputs signals and commands input via the communication I / F 130 to the main control unit 101. Further, the main control unit 101 controls the input / output control unit 103 and accesses other devices via the communication I / F 130 and the network.

The image processing unit 104 generates modeling information to be output to the 3D print engine 120 under the control of the main control unit 101. More specifically, the 3D image data stored in the 3D image data storage unit 140 is analyzed, and the orthogonal three-axis coordinates (x, y, z) on the three-dimensional image are calculated. Next, the orthogonal three-axis coordinates (x, y, z) on the image data are converted into three-dimensional real-space coordinates (X, Y, Z) used for modeling and outputting the three-dimensional structure. This is because the discharge head 20, the laser device 30, and the substrate 13 move relative to each other according to the coordinates defined in the three-dimensional real space coordinates. The image processing unit 104 outputs the real space coordinates (X, Y, Z) to the engine control unit 102. The engine control unit 102 relatively moves the substrate 13, the discharge head 20, and the laser device 30 so as to match the three-dimensional real space coordinates (X, Y, Z) with respect to the 3D printing engine 120, and performs 3D printing processing. To execute.

The 3D image data storage unit 140 stores 3D image data for modeling and outputting a 3D structure. As an example of 3D image data, for example, a three-dimensional medical image obtained by imaging a subject with a medical image imaging device such as an X-ray CT device (X-ray Computed Tomography), a magnetic resonance imaging device, or an ultrasonic diagnostic device. It may be data or three-dimensional CAD data (CAD: Computed Design) of parts and prototypes in industrial fields such as aviation, automobiles, electronics, and mold molding.

The operation display control unit 105 displays information on the display panel 110 or notifies the main control unit 101 of the information input via the display panel 110.

<First Embodiment>
The first embodiment is an embodiment in which a powder having a fixing material adhered to the surface of the metal powder is used as the modeling material. In this embodiment, a resin binder is used as the fixing material. First, with reference to FIG. 4, the overall flow of the modeling process according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the modeling process according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, the main control unit 101 reads out the 3D image data stored in the 3D image data storage unit 140, and the image processing unit 104 analyzes the 3D image data to generate modeling information (S401).

The generated modeling information is output to the 3D print engine 120 via the engine control unit 102 (S402). The modeling information is output in order from the XY plane having the smallest coordinates in the Z-axis direction among the 3D image data. This is because in the modeling method in the present embodiment, the three-dimensional structures are modeled in order from the bottom layer.

The 3D printing engine 120 discharges the modeling material to a predetermined position on the substrate 13 based on the modeling information (S403). This step S403 corresponds to the discharge step. In this ejection step, the modeling material is ejected only on the substrate 13 (XY plane) where the composition of the three-dimensional structure is formed.

Next, the heat of the heating device 50 melts the resin binder contained in the modeling material, and the metal powder is fixed to the substrate 13 which is the support (S404). This step S404 corresponds to the fixed powder layer forming step.

Next, the fixed powder layer is sintered by the laser device 30 to form a sintered layer (S405). This step S405 corresponds to the sintering step.

If the modeling process on the XY plane at all positions in the Z-axis direction is not completed (S406 / No), the 3D printing engine 120 sets the distance between the substrate 13 and the discharge head 20 and the laser device 30 as follows. The relative movement is performed so that the distance is suitable for forming the sintered layer (S407). Then, the process returns to step S402, and the modeling information of the XY plane at the position in the next Z-axis direction is output. In the second and subsequent rounds executed after returning to step S402, the modeling material is discharged onto the sintering layer formed in the sintering step performed immediately before, and the modeling material comes into contact with the sintering layer. The metal powder is fixed to the sintered layer by the resin binder contained in. Therefore, in the second and subsequent rounds, the sintered layer formed immediately before or the sintered layer with which the discharged molding material comes into contact corresponds to the support to which the metal powder is fixed. If the modeling process on the XY plane at all positions in the Z-axis direction is completed (S406 / Yes), the process is completed.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the details of the discharge step, the fixed powder layer forming step, and the sintering step will be described. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a modeling process according to the first embodiment.

(Discharge process)
As shown in FIG. 5, in the step of forming the bottom layer of the three-dimensional structure (first round), the substrate 13 fixedly placed on the stage 12 (see FIG. 1) is used as a support. While the substrate 13 and the stage 12 and the discharge head 20 are relatively moved, the modeling material is discharged from the discharge head 20 to a desired position on the substrate 13. In the present embodiment, as the modeling material, a metal powder 501, for example, a modeling material 503 in which a resin binder 502 is attached to the surface of SUS powder (SUS: stainless steel) is used. The "desired position on the substrate 13" refers to the position where the sintered layer in which the metal powder is sintered exists in the three-dimensional structure to be modeled. Therefore, when the three-dimensional structure 513 includes the structure 511 in which the sintered layers are laminated and the empty region 512 that does not include the sintered layer, the molding material is located at the position on the substrate 13 corresponding to the empty region 512. Do not eject 503. As a result, after the modeling material is heat-treated (sintered), it is not necessary to cut the sintered layer in order to form an empty region, and waste of the modeling material can be eliminated.

(Fixed powder layer forming process)
In the fixed powder layer forming step, the resin binder is heated by the heating device 50 to be melted and then vitrified to fix the metal powder 501 to the substrate 13 and form the fixed powder layer 504. The heating device 50 performs heat treatment so that the surface temperature of the modeling material 503 becomes the glass transition point of the resin binder 502, for example, 60 ° C. or higher. As the heating device, for example, a hot plate may be integrally formed on the stage 12, or may be formed separately from the stage 12 to heat the substrate 13 placed on the stage 12. In the fixed powder layer forming step of FIG. 5, only one layer of the modeling material 503 is shown, but after arranging a plurality of layers of the modeling material 503, the resin binder 502 may be melted and vitrified.

(Sintering process)
While the substrate 13 and the stage 12 (see FIG. 1) and the laser apparatus 30 are relatively moved, the fixed powder layer 504 is irradiated with laser light to form the sintered layer 505. As the laser device 30, for example, a CO ₂ laser (carbon dioxide laser: Carbon dioxide laser) device may be used. The resin binder 502 is melted and removed by the heat of the laser beam, and the metal powder 501 is sintered to connect the particles of the metal powder 501 to form a sintered layer. Since the resin binder 502 absorbs the laser beam in this sintering step, the metal powder 501 can be melted to form a sintered layer even by using a _{low-power laser, for example, a 50 W CO 2 laser device.} ..

After that, the ejection step, the fixed powder layer forming step, and the sintering step are repeated, and the molding material 503 is discharged to the sintered layer formed immediately before to form the fixed powder layer, which is irradiated with laser light. Perform sintering process. As a result, the sintered layers are laminated to form the three-dimensional structure 513. In the second and subsequent rounds of the fixed powder layer forming step, the resin binder 502 may be melted and vitrified by using the residual heat generated when the sintered layer is formed and fixed to the sintered layer.

According to the present embodiment, after the powder molding material is discharged, the powder is fixed and then the laser is irradiated. Therefore, the powder is radiated from a predetermined position on the substrate due to the fluidity of the powder before the laser irradiation. Can be prevented from shifting. Therefore, the modeling accuracy of the three-dimensional structure can be improved. In addition, instead of uniformly discharging the modeling material onto the substrate and then cutting, it is only necessary to discharge the modeling material to the position corresponding to the structure of the three-dimensional structure on the substrate, so that the waste of the modeling material can be eliminated. It can improve the smoothness of the surface.

Further, since the resin binder absorbs the laser light, it can be modeled by using a low-power laser. Further, instead of scanning while aligning the focus of the laser beam with the ejection position of the metal powder, the fixed powder layer is formed and then sintered, so that the scanning speed of the laser beam can be made relatively high. can.

<Second embodiment>
The second embodiment is an embodiment in which a plurality of types of modeling materials are used properly to form a composite three-dimensional structure including a plurality of types of sintered layers. Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a modeling process according to the second embodiment.

In the following, a case where the modeling process is performed using two types of modeling materials will be described as an example, but three or more types of modeling materials may be used. As shown in FIG. 6, the first modeling material 603 used in the second embodiment uses metal powder 601 and a resin binder 602 is attached to the surface thereof. As the metal powder 601 for example, nickel powder, SUS powder, copper powder, aluminum powder and the like can be used.

Further, the second modeling material 613 used in the second embodiment uses non-metal powder 611, and the resin binder 612 is adhered to the surface thereof. As the non-metal powder 611 _{, ceramics such as silicon nitride (Si 3} N ₄ ), aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ; also called alumina), and titanium oxide (TiO ₂ ) powder can be used. Further, as the non-metallic powder, silicon carbide (SiC) having a semiconducting property may be used. The types of the resin binder used for the first modeling material and the second modeling material may be the same or different. In the present embodiment, ceramic powder is used as the second modeling material to form a composite three-dimensional structure 623 containing ceramic and metal.

The image processing unit 104 (see FIG. 3) analyzes the three-dimensional image data, determines the region where the first modeling material 603 or the second modeling material 613 is used, and provides information indicating the type of the modeling material and the modeling material thereof. It is generated in the modeling information including the information indicating the discharge position of the above, and is output to the 3D print engine 120 via the engine control unit 102.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when a composite three-dimensional structure 623 in which a non-metal 622 is arranged in a central portion and a metal layer 621 is arranged around the non-metal 622 is formed, a second second in the central portion of the substrate 13 is formed in the ejection process. The molding material 613 and the first molding material 603 are discharged and landed around the molding material 613.

In the modeling apparatus according to the present embodiment, two tanks 21 for storing each of the first modeling material 603 and the second modeling material 613 are mounted on the head base 22. Then, each tank 21 and the discharge head 20 are connected by a raw material supply pipe (not shown), and a valve for switching the supply path of each tank 21 is provided. It may be configured so that the modeling material is supplied from one of them. In this case, the valve is opened and closed based on the modeling information from the engine control unit 102, the first modeling material 603 or the second modeling material 613 is discharged from the discharge head 20 and landed at a predetermined position on the substrate 13. Let me. Alternatively, two discharge heads 20 may be provided, and each of the discharge heads 20 and each of the two tanks 21 may be connected by two pipes for supplying raw materials.

Next, in the fixed powder layer forming step, the resin binders 602 and 612 are melted and vitrified using the heating device 50 (see FIG. 1) to vitrify the first fixed powder layer 604 and the second fixed powder. Form layer 614.

Next, in the sintering step, the laser device 30 and the substrate 13 are relatively moved to sinter the first molding material 603 and the second molding material 613, and the first sintering layer 605 and the second molding material 605 are used. The sintered layer 615 is formed. At this time, the laser output may be changed depending on the type of the modeling material.

For example, when the melting points of the metal powder 601 contained in the first modeling material 603 and the non-metal powder 611 contained in the second modeling material 613 are different, the laser output required for sintering each is obtained. different. Therefore, the output value of the laser device 30 may be increased or decreased according to the first modeling material 603 and the second modeling material 613, or a plurality of laser devices 30 having different output levels may be mounted to form the first modeling material 603 and The sintering process may be performed using an output level suitable for the second modeling material 613. In this embodiment, a semiconductor laser having a wavelength of 980 nm is used, and the laser output is adjusted and irradiated in the ceramic region and the metal region.

Further, only the fixed metal powder layer formed by fixing the first molding material 603 using the metal powder is sintered to form the metal powder sintered layer, and the non-metal powder is used. The molding material 613 of the above forms a fixed non-metal powder layer fixed by vitrification of a resin binder. Then, a composite three-dimensional structure including a metal powder sintered layer and a fixed non-metal powder layer may be formed. That is, in the molding process of this composite three-dimensional structure, only a part of the fixed powder layer (metal powder region) is sintered, and the non-metal powder region is fixed by vitrification of the resin binder to obtain metal. A composite three-dimensional structure is formed by laminating a sintered layer and a fixed non-metal powder layer.

By repeating the discharge step, the fixed powder layer forming step, and the sintering step, a composite three-dimensional structure 623 composed of a ceramic layer (non-metal layer) 622 at the center and a metal layer 621 at the periphery thereof is formed. can do.

In the above, the embodiment in which the composite three-dimensional structure is formed by using the first modeling material using the metal powder and the second modeling material using the non-metal powder has been described, but the combination of the modeling materials has been described. Is not limited to this. For example, a composite three-dimensional structure may be modeled using a plurality of types of modeling materials using metal powders having different main compositions. For example, an iron-based metal powder, for example, SKD61 (one of JIS standard alloy tool steel materials) may be used as the first modeling material, and a copper-based metal powder may be used as the second modeling material. Further, the composite three-dimensional structure may be formed by using a plurality of types of modeling materials using non-metal powders having different main compositions. For example, ceramic powder may be used as the first modeling material, and silicon carbide powder may be used as the second modeling material.

<Third Embodiment>
The third embodiment is an embodiment in which the molding material is more firmly fixed to the support using the cross-linking material, and then the sintering treatment is performed. Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a modeling process according to the third embodiment.

In the following description, a modeling material 703 in which a resin binder 702 is attached to the surface of the metal powder 701, for example, a modeling material in which a resin binder is attached around the SUS316 powder will be described as an example. , Non-metal powder may be used.

In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the fixed powder layer 704 and the sintered layer 705 are formed by repeating the discharge step, the fixed powder layer forming step, and the sintering step, and the three-dimensional structure 713 is formed. To model. Among these steps, the fixed powder layer forming step is particularly characteristic of this embodiment. More specifically, after the discharge step, the modeling material 703 is placed in contact with the upper surface of the substrate 13. In this state, the modeling material 703 is immersed in the aqueous solution 706 of the cross-linking material. As a result, the molding material 703 is provided with the aqueous solution 706 of the cross-linking material. As an example of the cross-linking material, an aqueous solution of zirconium oxychloride octahydrate may be used. Then, the modeling material 703 is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin binder 702, for example, 80 ° C. After that, the sintering process is performed as in the first embodiment. After that, the three-dimensional structure 713 is formed by repeating the discharge treatment, the fixed powder layer forming step, and the sintering step.

According to the present embodiment, the molding material is immersed in an aqueous solution of a cross-linking material and heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition temperature of the resin binder to evaporate water and cross-link the resin binder in a liquid or rubber state. And the powder can be firmly fixed by the support. This prevents the powder from shifting from the desired position and improves the shape accuracy of the three-dimensional structure.

Each of the above embodiments is merely an example for carrying out the present invention, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above, as the modeling material, a material in which a resin binder is adhered to the surface of a metal powder or a non-metal powder is used, but the metal powder or the non-metal powder is discharged from the discharge head, and the resin is discharged onto the metal powder or the non-metal powder. The binder may be separately discharged from the discharge head. Thereby, the present invention can also be applied to the case where a three-dimensional structure is formed by using a general modeling material, for example, a modeling material composed of only metal powder or non-metal powder. Further, the molding material may be formed by mixing the powder to which the resin binder is attached and the powder to which the resin binder is not attached. In general, the powder to which the resin binder is attached is more expensive than the powder to which the resin binder is not attached. Therefore, the above mixture is more expensive than the molding material using only the powder to which the resin binder is attached. Can reduce manufacturing costs. In this case, the mixing ratio used is such that the fixing material can fix the powder to the support. Further, in the above, a resin binder was used as a fixing material, and the powder was fixed by using only a thermal reaction or a thermal reaction and a chemical reaction (crosslinking), but only a photoreaction was performed using a resin binder made of an ultraviolet curable resin. Alternatively, a photoreaction and another reaction may be used.

1 Modeling device 10 Stand 11 Y-axis drive device 12 Stage 13 Board 14 X-axis drive device 14R X-axis rail 15 Support frame body 16 First Z-axis drive device 16R Z-axis rail 17 Second Z-axis drive device 17P prop 20 Discharge head 21 Tank 22 Head base 30 Laser device 31 Laser support member 40 Control device 41 CPU
42 RAM
43 ROM
44 HDD
45 I / F
46 LCD
47 Operation unit 48 Bus 50 Heating device 100 Controller 101 Main control unit 102 Engine control unit 103 Input / output control unit 104 Image processing unit 105 Operation display control unit 110 Display panel 120 3D print engine 130 Communication I / F
140 3D image data storage 501 Metal powder 502 Resin binder 503 Modeling material 504 Fixed powder layer 505 Sintered layer 511 Structure 512 Empty area 513 Three-dimensional structure 601 Metal powder 602 Resin binder 603 First modeling material 604 First fixed powder layer 605 First sintered layer 611 Non-metal powder 612 Resin binder 613 Second molding material 614 Second fixed powder layer 615 Second sintered layer 621 Metal layer 622 Non-metal layer 623 Composite three-dimensional structure 701 Metal powder 702 Resin binder 703 Modeling material 704 Fixed powder layer 705 Sintered layer 706 Bridge material aqueous solution 713 Three-dimensional structure

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-73108 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-509523

Claims (6)

Forming three-dimensional structures In the method of modeling three-dimensional structures,
A step of forming a layer of a first modeling material containing at least a powder and a resin binder and a layer of a second modeling material containing at least a powder having a composition different from that of the powder as the same layer.
The first molding material is heated by heating the first molding material layer and the second molding material layer at a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition point of the resin binder, or by irradiating the resin binder with light. And the fixed powder layer forming step of fixing the powder contained in each of the layer of the second molding material and the layer of the second molding material with the resin binder.
A sintering step of sintering a predetermined region of the fixed powder layer formed in the fixed powder layer forming step, and a sintering step.
A method of modeling a three-dimensional structure that includes at least. The sintering step of sintering a predetermined region of the fixed powder layer formed in the fixed powder layer forming step is a step of sintering between the particles of the powder by the laser beam output from the laser apparatus.
The method for modeling a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the output from the laser device is different for the layer of the first modeling material and the layer of the second modeling material. The method for forming a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein a crosslinked material is applied after the step of forming the layer of the first modeling material and the layer of the second modeling material. The modeling method according to claim 1, wherein the resin binder is an ultraviolet curable resin. The method for modeling a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the powder contained in the first modeling material is a metal, and the powder contained in the second modeling material is a ceramic. Modeling of three-dimensional structures In a three-dimensional structure modeling device
A means for forming a layer of a first modeling material containing at least a powder and a resin binder and a layer of a second modeling material containing at least a powder having a composition different from that of the powder as the same layer.
A means for heating the first molding material layer and the second molding material layer at a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition point of the resin binder, or irradiating the resin binder with light.
Means for sintering a predetermined region of the fixed powder layer formed by means for heating the layer or irradiating with light, and
Have at least
After the layer is heated or irradiated with light, the powder contained in each of the first modeling material layer and the second modeling material layer is fixed by the resin binder.
A predetermined region of the fixed powder layer fixed by the resin binder is sintered.
A device for modeling three-dimensional structures.

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