JP7221107B2 - Apparatus for manufacturing three-dimensional model and method for manufacturing three-dimensional model - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus and a three-dimensional structure manufacturing method.

2. Description of the Related Art Laminated molding apparatuses are known that sinter metal powder existing in spot-like regions by irradiating the metal powder with spot-like laser light. As a result, the metal powder is sequentially irradiated with spot-shaped laser light to manufacture a metal three-dimensional structure. Also disclosed is a layered manufacturing apparatus that simultaneously sinters the metal powder present in the line-shaped region by irradiating the metal powder with a line-shaped laser beam using a Grating Light Valve (GLV: registered trademark). (See Patent Document 1, for example). As a result, the line-shaped laser beam is sequentially irradiated onto the metal powder, thereby manufacturing a metal three-dimensional model at high speed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-80604

However, when a line-shaped laser beam is applied to metal powder, a three-dimensional model having a desired shape cannot be manufactured. In order to solve the above problems, the present inventors studied a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional structure having a desired shape when a linear laser beam is irradiated onto metal powder. Therefore, it has been found that the metal material melted by the laser beam flows in a predetermined area. For example, when the predetermined region includes a plurality of unit spaces, the first metal material existing in the first unit space and the second metal material existing in the second unit space are sintered in each unit space. Instead, the first metal material and the second metal material were mixed between the first unit space and the second unit space. In particular, the temperature between the first metal material existing in the first unit space located in the end portion and the second metal material existing in the second unit space located in the central portion of the predetermined area was A difference was created and the temperature difference caused convection between the first metal material and the second metal material.

Moreover, surface tension was generated at the interface between the first metal material and the second metal material that were mixed together, and the first metal material and the second metal material flowed due to the surface tension. For example, the interface shape of the first metallic material and the second metallic material became spherical rather than planar. Therefore, the present inventors have found that a line-shaped laser beam has an intensity distribution based on convection information and/or surface tension information. For example, the intensity of the laser light with which the first metal material is irradiated is increased, and the intensity of the laser light with which the second metal material is irradiated is decreased. That is, the present inventors have found that the modeling material is irradiated with a laser beam using an intensity distribution created based on flow information including convection information and/or surface tension information.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus and a three-dimensional structure manufacturing method capable of quickly manufacturing a three-dimensional structure having a desired shape. be.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus manufactures a three-dimensional structure in a predetermined modeling space including a plurality of unit spaces. A three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus includes a beam irradiation unit and a control device. The beam irradiation unit irradiates the modeling material with a beam. The controller controls the beam irradiation unit. The beam irradiation section can direct the beams having different intensities to at least two unit spaces among the plurality of unit spaces. The control device has an irradiation control unit that controls the beam irradiation unit so as to irradiate the modeling material with the beam having the intensity distribution created based on the flow information. The flow information includes information on how the modeling material flows between the at least two unit spaces when the at least two unit spaces are adjacent to each other.

In the three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the beam irradiation unit includes a laser light source, an optical modulator that simultaneously guides the beam to the plurality of unit spaces arranged in a predetermined direction, and oscillation from the laser light source. and an illumination optical system that shapes the laser beam thus obtained into a line beam extending in the predetermined direction and guides it to the optical modulator.

In the three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the optical modulator has a base, a fixed member having a fixed reflecting surface, and a movable member having a movable reflecting surface. The movable members are arranged in the predetermined direction, the plurality of fixed members are fixed to the base, and the plurality of movable members are perpendicular to the fixed reflecting surface and the movable reflecting surface. It is preferably movable in a direction.

In the three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, the control device creates exposure data representing the intensity distribution based on modeling data representing the shape of the three-dimensional structure and the flow information. The irradiation control unit preferably irradiates the modeling material with the beam based on the exposure data.

The apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional structure according to the present invention preferably further includes a scanning unit that sequentially guides the beam emitted from the beam irradiation unit to a predetermined unit space selected from among the plurality of unit spaces. .

In the three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the scanning unit has a galvano-mirror, and the galvano-mirror changes the traveling direction of the beam emitted from the beam irradiation unit.

The three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus of the present invention preferably further includes a stage to which the modeling material is supplied, and the scanning section moves the stage.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional structure manufactures a three-dimensional structure in a predetermined modeling space including a plurality of unit spaces. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional structure includes a control process and a production process . The control step irradiates the modeling material with a beam having an intensity distribution created based on the flow information. In the manufacturing step, a sintered body having a substantially constant height is manufactured by the controlling step. The flow information includes information on how the modeling material flows between the at least two unit spaces when the at least two unit spaces are adjacent to each other.

According to the present invention, a three-dimensional structure having a desired shape can be quickly manufactured.

It is a figure which shows the manufacturing apparatus of the three-dimensional structure of embodiment which concerns on this invention. (a) is a diagram showing an example of exposure data in a predetermined direction according to the embodiment, and (b) is a diagram showing the shape of a sintered body produced based on the exposure data shown in (a). . (a) is a diagram showing an example of exposure data in a predetermined direction according to a comparative example, and (b) is a diagram showing the shape of a sintered body produced based on the exposure data shown in (a). . 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the control device according to the embodiment; It is a top view which shows the optical modulator which concerns on this embodiment. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the optical modulator according to this embodiment; FIG. It is a sectional view showing an example of an optical modulator concerning this embodiment. It is a sectional view showing other examples of an optical modulator concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the optical path in the manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the optical path in the manufacturing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the manufacturing apparatus of the three-dimensional structure of other embodiment which concerns on this invention. (a) is a diagram showing an example of exposure data in a predetermined direction according to another embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a sintered body produced based on the exposure data shown in (a). It is a figure which shows a shape. It is a top view which shows another example of the optical modulator which concerns on this embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated. Also, even though the descriptions below may use the terms "upper", "lower", "left" or "right" to refer to specific positions and directions, these terms are They are used for convenience in order to facilitate understanding of the contents of the embodiments, and are irrelevant to the direction in which they are actually implemented.

<Embodiment>
A three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus and a three-dimensional structure manufacturing method according to the present embodiment will be described below.

An embodiment of a three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus 100 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. In the specification of the present application, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis that are orthogonal to each other are sometimes described. The X and Y axes are horizontally parallel, and the Z axis is vertically parallel.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a beam irradiation section 40 and a control device 20 . The beam irradiation unit 40 irradiates the modeling material with a beam L32. The control device 20 controls the beam irradiation section 40 . Specifically, the control device 20 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

The manufacturing apparatus 100 further includes a scanning mechanism (scanning section) 19 , a supply mechanism 16 and a storage section 30 . Storage unit 30 includes a storage device. Specifically, the storage unit 30 includes a main storage device such as a semiconductor memory, and an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory and/or a hard disk drive.

The manufacturing apparatus 100 manufactures a three-dimensional modeled object in a predetermined modeling space SP. The predetermined modeling space SP is a three-dimensional space. The predetermined modeling space SP includes a plurality of unit spaces. For example, the plurality of unit spaces each have a cubic shape with the same volume. For example, the plurality of unit spaces includes unit spaces of N rows×M columns×S layers. At least one of N, M and S represents an integer of 2 or more. The plurality of unit spaces are arranged in order from the first row to the Nth row in the Y direction, arranged in order from the first column to the Mth column in the X direction, and arranged in order from the first layer to the Sth layer in the Z direction. The storage unit 30 stores data in which the predetermined modeling space SP is set in the predetermined space of the supply mechanism 16 .

A three-dimensional modeled object is manufactured into a desired shape using a modeling material. The modeling materials are powders or pastes, such as metal powders, engineering plastics, ceramics, and synthetic resins. The metal powder is titanium, aluminum or stainless steel. A plurality of types of modeling materials may be included in the modeling materials for manufacturing the three-dimensional modeled object.

A modeling material is supplied to a predetermined unit space by, for example, a supply mechanism 16 . Then, when the beam L32 is irradiated, the temperature of the modeling material rises, the surface or the entirety of the modeling material melts, and when the irradiation with the beam L32 is stopped, the modeling material becomes a sintered body. Moreover, the desired shape is not particularly limited. Modeling data indicating a desired shape is stored in the storage unit 30 by the manufacturer, for example. The modeling data is, for example, CAD (Computer Aided Design) data.

Subsequently, the details of the beam irradiation unit 40 that irradiates the beam L32 onto the modeling material will be described. The beam irradiation section 40 has a laser light source 10 , an illumination optical system 11 , an optical modulator 14 and a projection optical system 18 .

The laser light source 10 oscillates a laser beam L30 to the illumination optical system 11. FIG. The laser light source 10 is, for example, a fiber laser light source. The wavelength of the laser light L30 is, for example, 1064 nm. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the laser beam L3 in a plane perpendicular to the traveling direction of the laser beam L30 is substantially circular. In addition, the cross-sectional dimension of the laser beam L3 on a plane perpendicular to the traveling direction of the laser beam L30 increases as it travels in the traveling direction.

The illumination optical system 11 shapes the laser beam L30 into a line beam L31 and guides the line beam L31 to the optical modulator 14 . Specifically, the illumination optical system 11 includes a plurality of lenses. For example, the line beam L31 is parallel light whose size is constant even if it travels in the direction of travel on a plane perpendicular to the direction of travel of the line beam L31. Also, the line beam L31 has a substantially uniform intensity on the vertical plane. For example, the line beam L31 has a substantially rectangular shape elongated in a predetermined direction on the vertical plane. The predetermined direction is, for example, the Y-axis direction.

The optical modulator 14 modulates the line beam L31 into a beam L32 and emits the beam L32 to the projection optical system 18 . The optical modulator 14 is, for example, GLV (registered trademark), PLV (registered trademark) (Planar Light Valve), or DMD (Digital Mirror Device). Optical modulator 14 is controlled by controller 20 . As a result, the beam L32 has different intensity distributions at least in certain directions.

After forming an intermediate image with the beam L32, the projection optical system 18 emits the beam L32 to the scanning mechanism 19. FIG. For example, the projection optical system 18 comprises multiple lenses.

Next, the details of the scanning mechanism 19 will be described. The scanning mechanism 19 reflects the beam L32 to irradiate the modeling material with the beam L32. The scanning mechanism 19 has, for example, a galvanomirror. The galvanomirror rotates, for example, about a predetermined direction as a rotation axis.

Specifically, the scanning mechanism 19 directs beams L32 having different intensities to at least two unit spaces among the plurality of unit spaces. Specifically, the scanning mechanism 19 guides the beam L32 to a plurality of unit spaces arranged in a predetermined direction. For example, a beam L32 having a first intensity is directed to a first unit space. Also, a beam L32 having a second intensity is guided to the second unit space. As a result, when the modeling material is supplied to a plurality of unit spaces, the beam L32 having the first intensity is applied to the modeling material existing in the first unit space, and the modeling material existing in the second unit space. is irradiated with a beam L32 having a second intensity.

Further, the scanning mechanism 19 sequentially guides the beam L32 to a plurality of predetermined unit spaces selected from among the plurality of unit spaces. That is, the scanning mechanism 19 scans the beam L32. For example, the galvanomirror changes the traveling direction of the beam L32 emitted from the beam irradiation section 40 . Specifically, the galvanomirror rotates to scan the beam L32 in the scanning direction. The scanning direction is a direction perpendicular to a predetermined direction, such as the X-axis direction. Specifically, the beam L32 is directed to a plurality of unit spaces in the m-th column. For example, directing a beam L32 having a first intensity for the unit space of the m-th column and the n-th row, and at the same time directing a beam having a second intensity for the unit space of the m-th column and the (n+1)-th row Guide L32. After that, the beam L32 is directed to a plurality of unit spaces in the (m+1)th column. For example, for the unit space at column (m+1), row n, a beam L32 having a third intensity is directed, while for the unit space at column (m+1), row (n+1), a fourth beam L32 is directed. A beam L32 having an intensity is directed.

Next, the details of the supply mechanism 16 that supplies the modeling material to a plurality of unit spaces will be described. Specifically, the supply mechanism 16 sequentially forms modeling material layers in a plurality of predetermined unit spaces selected from among the plurality of unit spaces. A modeling material layer consists of modeling materials. For example, a first modeling material layer is formed in a plurality of unit spaces of the s-th layer. After that, a second modeling material layer is formed in the plurality of unit spaces of the (s+1)th layer. Specifically, the supply mechanism 16 includes a part cylinder 16A, a feed cylinder 16B, and a squeegee 16D.

The feed cylinder 16B has a lower surface inside the feed cylinder 16B. The lower surface is movable in the Z-axis direction inside the feed cylinder 16B. Inside the feed cylinder 16B, the upper part of the lower surface contains a molding material. On the other hand, the part cylinder 16A has a lower surface inside the part cylinder 16A. The lower surface is movable in the Z-axis direction inside the part cylinder 16A. A predetermined modeling space SP is set in the upper part of the lower surface inside the part cylinder 16A.

A molding material is supplied from the feed cylinder 16B to the inside of the part cylinder 16A. Specifically, the lower surface of the part cylinder 16A is lowered by a predetermined distance. On the other hand, the lower surface of the feed cylinder 16B is raised by a predetermined distance. Then, the squeegee 16D is moved from the feed cylinder 16B toward the part cylinder 16A. As a result, a predetermined amount of build material moves from the inside of feed cylinder 16B to the inside of part cylinder 16A.

Next, details of the control device 20 will be described. The control device 20 controls the beam irradiation section 40 and the supply mechanism 16 . Specifically, the control device 20 includes an irradiation control section 21 . The processor of the control device 20 functions as the irradiation control section 21 by executing the computer program stored in the storage device of the storage section 30 .

The irradiation control section 21 controls the beam irradiation section 40 . Specifically, the irradiation control section 21 has a laser control section 20C and a modulation control section 20A.

A laser control unit 20C controls the laser light source 10 . Specifically, the laser control unit 20C causes the laser light source 10 to oscillate the laser light L30.

The modulation control unit 20A controls the light modulator 14 so as to irradiate the modeling material with the beam L32. Beam L32 has an intensity distribution. An intensity distribution is created based on the build data and flow information. The flow information includes information on how the modeling material flows between at least two unit spaces when at least two unit spaces are adjacent to each other. Flow information includes, for example, convection information and/or surface tension information. Flow information may include information on the type of build material. Also, when a gap (space) is formed between two unit spaces, the two unit spaces are included in adjoining when the modeling material moves between the two unit spaces.

Data indicating the intensity distribution is stored in the storage unit 30 as exposure data (exposure intensity profile) BP. That is, the modulation control unit 20A creates a beam L32 having an intensity distribution created based on the modeling data and the flow information by controlling the optical modulator 14 based on the exposure data BP.

Subsequently, the exposure data BP will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of exposure data BP in a predetermined direction according to the embodiment. In FIG. 2(a), the vertical axis indicates the exposure intensity, and the horizontal axis indicates the predetermined direction position in the predetermined modeling space SP. FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing the shape of a sintered body produced based on the exposure data BP shown in FIG. 2(a). In FIG. 2(b), the vertical axis indicates the height of the sintered body, and the horizontal axis indicates the predetermined direction position in the predetermined molding space SP. A plurality of unit spaces are arranged in order from the first unit space in a predetermined direction.

As shown in FIG. 2(a), the beam L32 is guided to the fourth to eleventh unit spaces. The fourth to eleventh unit spaces are continuous in a predetermined direction so that the fourth unit space and the fifth unit space are adjacent, and the fifth unit space and the sixth unit space are adjacent. . The fourth, fifth, tenth and eleventh unit spaces are located at the ends of the eight unit spaces. A beam L32 having a strong exposure intensity is guided to the fourth, fifth, tenth and eleventh unit spaces. On the other hand, the sixth to ninth unit spaces are located in the center of the eight unit spaces. A beam L32 having a weak exposure intensity is guided to the sixth to ninth unit spaces. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the temperature difference between the end portion and the central portion was suppressed, so that the convection of the modeling material between the fourth to eleventh unit spaces was suppressed. Since the convection was suppressed, the height of the sintered body was substantially constant in the fourth to eleventh unit spaces.

On the other hand, FIG. 3A is a diagram showing an example of exposure data BP in a predetermined direction according to a comparative example. In FIG. 3A, the vertical axis indicates the exposure intensity, and the horizontal axis indicates the predetermined direction position in the predetermined modeling space SP. FIG. 3(b) is a diagram showing the shape of a sintered body produced based on the exposure data BP shown in FIG. 3(a). In FIG. 3(b), the vertical axis indicates the height of the sintered body, and the horizontal axis indicates the predetermined direction position in the predetermined molding space SP.

As shown in FIG. 3A, laser beams having the same exposure intensity are guided to eight unit spaces. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3(b), the temperature of the modeling material existing in the fourth, fifth, tenth and eleventh unit spaces and the temperature of the modeling material existing in the sixth to ninth unit spaces The difference from the temperature was large, and the modeling material violently convected between the 4th to 11th unit spaces. As a result, the height of the sintered body was low in the 4th, 5th, 10th and 11th unit spaces, and high in the 6th to 9th unit spaces.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the beam L32 is guided to at least two adjacent unit spaces. The modeling material flows between at least two unit spaces, and since the beam L32 having the intensity distribution created based on the flow information is applied to the modeling material, it is possible to quickly manufacture a three-dimensional model having a desired shape. .

The details of the control device 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 again. As shown in FIG. 1, the control device 20 further has a scanning control section 20B. The scanning control section 20B controls the scanning mechanism 19 and the supply mechanism 16 based on the exposure data BP. Specifically, the scanning control unit 20B controls the scanning mechanism 19 and the supply mechanism 16 so as to sequentially guide the beam L32 to predetermined unit spaces selected from among the plurality of unit spaces. Specifically, the scan controller 20B scans the beam L32 in the scanning direction by rotating the galvanomirror. In addition, the scanning control unit 20B sequentially forms modeling material layers in a plurality of predetermined unit spaces by moving the part cylinder 16A, the feed cylinder 16B, and the squeegee 16D.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the beam L32 having the intensity distribution created based on the flow information is irradiated to the modeling material, a sintered compact having a desired height can be manufactured. As a result, even if it repeats producing a sintered body on a sintered body, it is possible to manufacture a three-dimensional structure with high accuracy. Therefore, a three-dimensional structure having a high height can be manufactured with high accuracy.

The control device 20 further has a data acquisition section 20D and an exposure data creation section 20E.

The data acquisition unit 20D stores data in the storage unit 30 by receiving data from an external device or a storage medium, for example. Specifically, by receiving the exposure data BP from an external device or a storage medium, the exposure data BP is stored in the storage unit 30 . For example, the exposure data BP are created based on simulation or calculation. Specifically, computer software is used to simulate the convection that occurs when a given volume of molten build material is provided with a given temperature distribution. As a result, the distribution of temperatures at which convection is suppressed is determined. Then, exposure data BP that gives the temperature distribution is created. Furthermore, the exposure data BP may be created by actually irradiating the modeling material with the beam and repeating the measurement of the shape of the sintered body.

Further, the data acquisition unit 20D stores the modeling data and the flow information in the storage unit 30 by receiving the modeling data and the flow information from the external device or the storage medium. Note that the flow information may be stored in the storage unit 30 in advance.

The exposure data creation unit 20E creates exposure data BP based on the modeling data and flow information. Specifically, when modeling data and flow information are received without receiving exposure data BP from an external device or storage medium, exposure data BP is created based on the modeling data and flow information. For example, the exposure data creation unit 20E determines whether or not a plurality of unit spaces are continuous in a predetermined direction based on modeling data. As a result, the exposure data BP is created when the exposure data creating section 20E determines that a plurality of unit spaces are continuous in a predetermined direction. The exposure data BP is such that a beam L32 having a strong exposure intensity is guided to unit spaces positioned at the ends of a plurality of unit spaces, and a beam L32 having a weak exposure intensity is guided to a unit space positioned at the center. indicates that the Also, the exposure data creation unit 20E may create the exposure data BP based on the accumulated data. For example, the relationship between the exposure data BP and the shape of the produced sintered body is accumulated. As a result, the exposure data generator 20E may generate the exposure data BP based on the relationship between the number of unit spaces and the shape of the manufactured sintered body.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the exposure data creating section 20E creates the exposure data BP based on the modeling data and flow information. As a result, according to this embodiment, it is possible to manufacture a three-dimensional model having a desired shape when modeling data and flow information are received.

Next, an example of processing of the control device 20 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the control device 20. As shown in FIG. The processing of the control device 20 according to this embodiment includes steps S101 to S103.

First, in step S101, the data acquisition unit 20D stores data in the storage unit 30 by receiving data from an external device or a storage medium, for example. Then, the process proceeds to step S102.

Next, in step S102, the laser controller 20C controls the laser light source 10. FIG. Then, the process proceeds to step S103.

Finally, in step S103, the modulation control unit 20A controls the light modulator 14 to irradiate the modeling material with the beam L32. The beam L32 has an intensity distribution created based on modeling data and flow information. Then the process ends.

Here, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, a GLV will be described as the optical modulator 14 that simultaneously guides beams to a plurality of unit spaces arranged in a predetermined direction. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the optical modulator 14. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing a part of the optical modulator 14. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the optical modulator 14 has a base 2 and an optical modulation element group 4 .

The upper surface of the base 2 has a common electrode 3 .

The light modulation element group 4 has a plurality of movable ribbons 1a as movable members and a plurality of fixed ribbons 1b as fixed members. A plurality of fixed ribbons 1 b are fixed to the base 2 with a predetermined distance from the common electrode 3 . A fixed reflecting surface is provided on the upper surface of the fixed ribbon 1b. A plurality of movable ribbons 1a are movable with respect to the base 2 in a direction perpendicular to the movable reflecting surface while keeping a predetermined distance from the common electrode 3 . A movable reflecting surface is provided on the upper surface of the movable ribbon 1a. A plurality of movable ribbons 1a and a plurality of fixed ribbons 1b are alternately arranged in parallel in a predetermined direction.

In the optical modulator 14, if one movable ribbon 1a and one fixed ribbon 1b are used as grating elements, a pair of the movable ribbon 1a and the fixed ribbon 1b serves as a modulation element corresponding to one unit space.

The modulation control section 20A displaces the movable ribbon 1a toward the common electrode 3 by applying a voltage (potential difference) between the movable ribbon 1a and the common electrode 3 . Specifically, the modulation control section 20A applies a voltage to each movable ribbon 1a. Furthermore, the modulation control unit 20A adjusts the amount of displacement of the movable ribbon 1a by adjusting the voltage applied to the movable ribbon 1a.

Next, the operation of the optical modulator 14 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the optical modulator 14. As shown in FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the optical modulator 14. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the common electrode 3, the position of the movable ribbon 1a and the position of the fixed ribbon 1b are at the same height. As a result, the phase difference between the light reflected by the movable ribbon 1a and the light reflected by the fixed ribbon 1b is 0 (zero). Assume that the exposure intensity of the light reflected when the position of the movable ribbon 1a and the position of the fixed ribbon 1b are at the same height is 100%.

As shown in FIG. 8, the movable ribbon 1a is lowered. The light reflected by the movable ribbon 1a and the fixed ribbon 1b are reflected based on the incident angle α of the light to the optical modulator 14 and the height difference Df between the position of the movable ribbon 1a and the position of the fixed ribbon 1b. The optical path difference (2Df·cos α) with light is shown.

The height difference Df is adjusted so that the optical path difference (2Df·cosα) between the light reflected by the movable ribbon 1a and the light reflected by the fixed ribbon 1b is, for example, (m+1/4)·λ. m is an integer greater than or equal to 0, and λ is the wavelength of light. In other words, the height difference between the position of the movable ribbon 1a and the position of the fixed ribbon 1b is adjusted so that the phase difference between the light reflected by the movable ribbon 1a and the light reflected by the fixed ribbon 1b is π/2 rad. Df is adjusted. The exposure intensity of the reflected light with a phase difference of π/2 rad is 50%.

The exposure intensity of the light reflected when the phase difference is 1.16 rad is 70%, and the exposure intensity of the light reflected when the phase difference is 1.26 rad is 65%. is 1.37 rad, the exposure intensity of the reflected light is 60%.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the GLV can be controlled to accurately produce the beam L32 having the intensity distribution. As a result, a three-dimensional structure having a desired shape can be quickly manufactured.

Next, optical paths in the manufacturing apparatus 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9 and 10 are diagrams showing optical paths in the manufacturing apparatus 100. FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing optical paths in the ZX plane. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing optical paths on the XY plane.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the illumination optical system 11 guides the laser light L30 emitted from the laser light source 10 to the optical modulator . The illumination optical system 11 includes a lens 11a and a lens 11b, and shapes the laser light L30 into a line beam L31, which is linear light, by each lens, and outputs the line beam L31. As such lenses, for example, a collimator lens, a Powell lens, or the like can be used. The illumination optical system 11 does not necessarily have to be configured as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and other optical elements may be added.

The projection optical system 18 guides the light (beam L 32 ) modulated by the optical modulator 14 to the scanning mechanism 19 . The projection optical system 18 includes a lens 18a, and forms an intermediate image and enlarges the cross-sectional dimension of incident light. As such a lens, for example, a collimator lens, a telecentric lens, or the like can be used. Note that the projection optical system 18 does not necessarily have to be configured as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and a plurality of other optical elements may be added.

The scanning mechanism 19 has, for example, a galvanomirror 19a and an fθ lens 19b. The galvanomirror 19a reflects incident light. The fθ lens 19b maintains the cross-sectional dimension of incident light in the Y direction and reduces it in the Z direction. The scanning mechanism 19 does not necessarily have to be configured as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and other optical elements may be added.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 10). However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various aspects without departing from the scope of the invention (for example, (1) to (3) shown below). In order to facilitate understanding, the drawings schematically show each component mainly, and the thickness, length, number, etc. of each component illustrated are different from the actual ones due to the convenience of drawing. . In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiment are examples and are not particularly limited, and various changes are possible within a range that does not substantially deviate from the effects of the present invention. be.

(1) The scanning mechanism 19 has a galvanometer mirror that rotates about a rotation axis in a predetermined direction, and the supply mechanism 16 includes a part cylinder 16A, a feed cylinder 16B, and a squeegee 16D, but the present invention is not limited to this. . FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the supply mechanism 16 has a table (stage) 16C. The table 16C moves in the X-axis direction. Specifically, a layer of modeling material is formed on the upper surface of the table 16C, and the table 16C moves in the X-axis direction to position the area irradiated with the beam L32 on the upper surface of the table 16C. Note that the table 16C may be movable in the Y-axis direction.
A beam member may be provided on the supply mechanism 16 or the table 16C to move the beam irradiation unit 40 in the X-axis direction and/or the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the configuration of moving the table 16C, the configuration of using the galvanomirror, and the configuration of moving the beam irradiation unit 40 may be combined.

(2) A beam L32 having a strong exposure intensity is guided to the fourth, fifth, tenth, and eleventh unit spaces located at the ends of the eight unit spaces, and the central portion of the eight unit spaces Although the sixth to ninth unit spaces located at , the exposure data BP leading to the beam L32 having the weak exposure intensity are shown, the present invention is not limited to this. FIG. 12A is a diagram showing another example of exposure data BP in a predetermined direction according to another embodiment. In FIG. 12(a), the vertical axis indicates the exposure intensity, and the horizontal axis indicates the predetermined direction position in the predetermined modeling space SP. FIG. 12(b) is a diagram showing the shape of a sintered body produced based on the exposure data BP shown in FIG. 12(a). In FIG. 12(b), the vertical axis indicates the height of the sintered body, and the horizontal axis indicates the predetermined direction position in the predetermined modeling space SP.

As shown in FIG. 12(a), a beam L32 having a strong exposure intensity is guided to the fourth, sixth, ninth and eleventh unit spaces. On the other hand, a beam L32 having a weak exposure intensity is guided to the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth unit spaces. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12(b), the beam L32 having the exposure intensity having a plurality of unevenness is irradiated, so that the convection of the modeling material between the fourth to eleventh unit spaces is reduced. Since the convection is reduced, the height of the sintered body is substantially constant in the fourth to eleventh unit spaces.

(3) Also, with reference to FIG. 13, a case where a PLV is used as the optical modulator 14 will be described. Note that PLV is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-514203, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 13, the PLV 4a includes a substrate, a planar fixed member 41a fixed to the substrate, and an opening formed in the fixed member 41a and a movable member 41b formed in the opening. A fixed reflecting surface is provided on the upper surface of the fixed member 41, and a movable reflecting surface is provided on the upper surface of the movable member 41b. Also, the fixed member 41a and the movable member 41b are arranged as one set in two dimensions (M×N).

The fixed member 41a and the movable member 41b form one pair, and one row in which each pair is arranged serves as a modulation element corresponding to one unit space. Therefore, in FIG. 13, it functions as an optical modulator having N modulation elements. Therefore, the cross section of the line beam L31 incident on the PLV 4a is rectangular. When the movable reflecting surface of the movable member 41b moves perpendicularly to the fixed reflecting surface of the fixed member 41 (for example, the movable reflecting surface is lowered with respect to the fixed reflecting surface), incident light is modulated. . Also, the light (beam L32) modulated by the PLV 4a is shaped by the projection optical system 18 into a beam integrated for each row. Therefore, the modeling material can be irradiated with greater light energy.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention is used suitably for the manufacturing apparatus of a three-dimensional structure, and the manufacturing method of a three-dimensional structure.

1a Movable Ribbon 1b Fixed Ribbon 2 Base 10 Laser Light Source 11 Illumination Optical System 14 Light Modulator 16 Supply Mechanism 16C Table 18 Projection Optical System 19 Scanning Mechanism 19a Galvanomirror 20 Controller 20E Exposure Data Creation Section 21 Irradiation Control Section 40 Beam Irradiation Part 100 manufacturing apparatus BP exposure data L30 laser light L31 line beam L32 beam

Claims (9)

A three-dimensional model manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional model in a predetermined modeling space including a plurality of unit spaces,
a beam irradiation unit that irradiates a beam to the modeling material;
A control device for controlling the beam irradiation unit,
The beam irradiation unit
It is possible to guide the beams having different intensities to at least two unit spaces among the plurality of unit spaces,
The control device has an irradiation control unit that controls the beam irradiation unit so as to irradiate the modeling material with the beam having the intensity distribution created based on the flow information,
The flow information includes information about the flow of the modeling material between the at least two unit spaces when the at least two unit spaces are adjacent to each other. The beam irradiation unit
a laser light source;
an optical modulator that simultaneously guides the beams to the plurality of unit spaces arranged in a predetermined direction;
2. The apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, further comprising an illumination optical system that shapes the laser light emitted from the laser light source into a line beam extending in the predetermined direction and guides it to the light modulator. The optical modulator is
a base;
a fixed member having a fixed reflective surface;
a movable member having a movable reflective surface;
the plurality of fixed members and the plurality of movable members are arranged in the predetermined direction,
The plurality of fixing members are fixed to the base,
3. The apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional structure according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of movable members are movable with respect to said fixed reflecting surface in a direction perpendicular to said movable reflecting surface. The control device further has an exposure data creating unit that creates exposure data indicating the intensity distribution based on modeling data indicating the shape of the three-dimensional structure and the flow information,
The three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the irradiation control unit irradiates the modeling material with the beam based on the exposure data. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a scanning unit that sequentially guides the beam emitted from the beam irradiation unit to a predetermined unit space selected from the plurality of unit spaces. Manufacturing equipment for three-dimensional objects. The scanning unit has a galvanomirror,
The three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the galvanomirror changes a traveling direction of the beam emitted from the beam irradiation unit. further comprising a stage to which the modeling material is supplied;
The three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the scanning unit moves the stage. A supply mechanism for supplying the modeling material to the unit space,
The three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the supply mechanism forms a forming material layer in the plurality of unit spaces. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional model for manufacturing a three-dimensional model in a predetermined modeling space including a plurality of unit spaces,
a control step of irradiating the modeling material with a beam having an intensity distribution created based on the flow information ;
A production step of producing a sintered body having a substantially constant height by the control step;
including
A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional structure, wherein the flow information includes information about the flow of the modeling material between at least two unit spaces when at least two unit spaces are adjacent to each other.

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