CN114618987A

CN114618987A - Three-dimensional layered structure forming device and three-dimensional layered structure forming method

Info

Publication number: CN114618987A
Application number: CN202111098605.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 山崎徹也
Original assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Priority date: 2020-12-10
Filing date: 2021-09-18
Publication date: 2022-06-14
Also published as: JP2022092230A

Abstract

The present invention is a three-dimensional laminated molding device, comprising: a molding table on which powder is disposed; a powder layer forming unit for supplying powder to the shaping table to form a powder layer; a curing agent applying unit that applies a curing agent to a main body portion constituting a main body of a three-dimensional layered object and a contour portion provided on the outer periphery of the main body portion and constituting an outer shape of the three-dimensional layered object, the main body portion and the contour portion being portions constituting a molding layer in a powder layer formed on a molding table; and an inspection paint application unit that applies an inspection paint to the outline portion, the inspection paint being visually distinguishable from the powder and the main body portion.

Description

Three-dimensional laminated object molding device and method for molding three-dimensional laminated object

Technical Field

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

Background

Conventionally, there is known a three-dimensional modeling apparatus for modeling a three-dimensional modeled object by forming modeling layers by solidifying powder layers and forming the modeling layers by overlapping in a stacking direction. When the formation of all the molding layers is completed by the three-dimensional molding apparatus, it is necessary to remove the three-dimensional molding powder (hereinafter, referred to as "uncured powder") remaining around the molding layers without being cured.

For example, in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus described in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2014-65180, the three-dimensional modeled object is modeled inside a bottomed recess where uncured powder easily remains, and after the three-dimensional modeled object and the modeling of the removed modeled object are completed by the three-dimensional modeling apparatus, the removed modeled object is removed, thereby removing the uncured powder inside the recess.

Disclosure of Invention

The removal of the uncured powder after the shaping is performed by, in addition to the above description, air blowing for the three-dimensional shaped object, manual work by visual observation and touch feeling, mechanical removal by comparison with data by a noncontact shape measuring instrument, or the like.

However, in either case, the boundary between the final shape of the shaped object and the uncured powder is not clear, and it is difficult to determine whether the shaped object is a cured powder or an uncured powder, and there is a problem that the uncured powder is removed and remains, and the cured powder is scraped.

The present invention can be realized as follows.

(1) According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a three-dimensional laminated shaped object shaping apparatus that shapes a three-dimensional laminated shaped object by forming a shaping layer in a laminating direction by superposing, the shaping layer being formed by solidifying a powder layer, which is a layer of powder, with a curing agent. The three-dimensional layered molding device comprises: a powder storage unit that stores the powder therein; a molding table on which the powder is disposed; a powder layer forming unit configured to supply the powder to the shaping table to form the powder layer; a curing agent applying unit that applies the curing agent to at least a main body portion of the main body of the three-dimensional layered object and a contour portion provided on an outer periphery of the main body portion and constituting an outer shape of the three-dimensional layered object, the main body portion and the contour portion being portions constituting the molding layer in the powder layer formed on the molding table; and an inspection paint application unit that applies an inspection paint to the outline portion, the inspection paint being visually distinguishable from the powder and the main body portion, and the formation of the powder layer, the application of the curing agent, and the application of the inspection paint being repeatedly performed each time the molding layer is formed.

According to the three-dimensional layered structure forming apparatus of the above aspect, in the formed layered structure, the outline portion containing the inspection paint is formed between the main body portion constituting the forming layer and the uncured powder to which the curing agent is not applied. The outline portion can be visually distinguished from the powder and the main body portion. Therefore, in the subsequent operation of removing the uncured powder, the outline portion colored in the predetermined color and the portion not colored in the predetermined color are distinguished by color, and the removal residue of the uncured powder can be suppressed. Further, since the outline portion and the main body portion can be visually distinguished, the occurrence of scraping of the solidified powder when removing the uncured powder can be suppressed.

Here, the "inspection paint capable of visually distinguishing the outline portion from the powder and the main body portion" means a paint such as a pigment colored in a color different from the color of the powder and the color of the main body portion, and also includes a fluorescent paint capable of visually distinguishing the outline portion from the powder and the main body portion by emitting light by absorbing ultraviolet rays, visible light, or the like.

(2) In the above aspect, the curing agent applying section applies the curing agent to both of the main body portion and the outline portion, and the inspection paint applying section applies a paint having no curing agent function as the inspection paint to the outline portion. According to this aspect, since the curing agent is applied to both the body portion and the contour portion by the curing agent application portion, the inspection paint can be implemented as a paint having no curing agent function.

(3) In the above aspect, the curing agent applying section applies the curing agent only to the main body portion, and the inspection paint applying section applies a paint having a curing agent function as the inspection paint to the contour portion. According to this aspect, the entire portion constituting the molding layer can be cured by first applying the curing agent only to the main body portion and then applying the paint having the curing agent function to the outline portion.

(4) In the above aspect, the curing agent application part and the inspection paint application part may be integrally formed. According to this aspect, the curing agent application part and the inspection paint application part can be integrally moved with respect to the powder layer, so that the curing agent application and the inspection paint application can be performed as a single step, and the molding time can be shortened.

(5) The present invention can be realized as a method for forming a three-dimensional layered formed object, which has a mode other than the three-dimensional layered formed object forming apparatus, such as a powder layer forming step, a curing agent applying step, and an inspection paint applying step.

(6) In the method of forming a three-dimensional layered shaped object, the method further includes an uncured powder removal step of removing uncured powder remaining on the surface of the three-dimensional layered shaped object to be formed after the inspection paint application step. Since the uncured powder is removed, the surface of the three-dimensional layered structure formed of the cured powder can be made clear. Further, since the outline portion can be visually distinguished from the powder and the main body portion, the work of the uncured powder removal step can be efficiently performed.

(7) In the method of forming a three-dimensional layered formed object, the method further includes: an imaging step of imaging the three-dimensional layered structure; and a color recognition step of recognizing the outline portion and other portions of the three-dimensional layered shaped object by color based on the captured image. According to this aspect, the outline portion of the shaped object can be easily recognized by color in the color recognition step based on the data captured in the imaging step. That is, a portion not having the color of the outline portion can be easily recognized as the remaining or scraping of the uncured powder.

(8) In the method of forming a three-dimensional layered formed object, the inspection paint is a paint in which the outline portion is colored in a color different from the color of the powder and the color of the body portion. According to this aspect, since the outline portion is directly colored by the paint, it can be easily distinguished from other portions by color in the presence of visible light.

(9) In the above aspect of the method for forming a three-dimensional layered formed article, the inspection paint is an organic pigment for inkjet. According to this aspect, since the organic pigment for inkjet hardly penetrates into the powder, the contour portion is clearly colored, and can be easily distinguished from other portions.

(10) In the above aspect of the method for forming a three-dimensional layered formed article, the powder is sand, and the inspection paint is a paint that thermally decomposes when heated at a predetermined temperature lower than the melting point of the sand. According to this aspect, when the three-dimensional layered structure is disassembled by thermal regeneration and reused, the inspection paint can be removed from the sand.

Drawings

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional layered object molding apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a main flowchart showing a processing procedure of the method of forming a three-dimensional layered structure according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining each step of the method of forming a three-dimensional layered formed object.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining each step of the method of forming a three-dimensional layered formed object.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining each step of the method of forming a three-dimensional layered formed object.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining each step of the method of forming a three-dimensional layered formed object.

Fig. 7 is a side view schematically showing the sand mold taken out of the molding machine.

Fig. 8 is an overall view schematically showing the inspection apparatus and the object to be inspected.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the inspection process.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional layered object forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a main flowchart showing a processing procedure of the method of forming a three-dimensional layered structure according to the second embodiment.

Detailed Description

A. The first embodiment:

A1. the integral structure of the three-dimensional laminated modeling object molding device: fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional laminated object forming apparatus (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "forming apparatus") 101 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, sand G (see fig. 4) is used as the powder, and the formation of the sand layer 41 (see fig. 4) as the powder layer and the solidification in the molding range are repeated to produce a three-dimensional layered molded article (hereinafter, also simply referred to as "molded article").

The modeling apparatus 101 of the present embodiment is an inkjet 3D printer. As shown in fig. 1, the molding machine 101 mainly includes an outer frame portion 11, a tank 12, a mixing portion 13, a sand layer forming portion 14 (sand supply portion 35, coating portion 36), a container 15, a molding table 16, a head guide 17, a curing agent printing head 18, an inspection paint printing head 19, and a molding PC 21.

The outer frame 11 has four

legs

23, 24, 25, 26 and two

side rails

27, 28. The four

legs

23, 24, 25, and 26 stand on the floor surface and form a rectangle that is long in the left-right direction in plan view. The right side rail 27 is fixed across the upper ends of the right front leg portion 23 and the right rear leg portion 24. The left side rail 28 is bridged and fixed to the upper ends of the left front leg portion 25 and the left rear leg portion 26. The

side rails

27, 28 are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction, and are fixed to the

leg portions

23, 24, 25, 26 in a state where the longitudinal direction is aligned with the front-rear direction.

Each of the

side rails

27, 28 is a plate-like member having an L-shaped cross section. Each

side rail

27, 28 has a bottom portion 31 and a wall portion 32 provided upright from the bottom portion 31. The bottom 31 is a horizontal plane. The bottom portion 31 engages with the left and right end portions of the sand layer forming portion 14 (coating portion 36 described later). The right side rail 27 is fixed in a posture in which the wall portion 32 is connected to the right end of the bottom portion 31 and extends upward. The left side rail 28 is fixed in a posture in which the wall portion 32 is connected to the left end of the bottom portion 31 and extends upward. The side rails 27 and 28 guide the scanning in the front-rear direction of the sand layer forming section 14 and the printing heads 18 and 19.

The tank 12 stores therein sand G. The mixing section 13 mixes the sand G supplied from the tank 12 with the curing accelerator. The sand layer forming section 14 has a sand supply section 35 and a coating section 36. The sand layer forming section 14 has a function of supplying the sand G onto the modeling table 16 and spreading the sand G on the modeling table 16. The sand supply unit 35 is located below the mixing unit 13, and receives and passes the sand G mixed with the curing accelerator discharged from the mixing unit 13. The sand supply portion 35 is a container-shaped member having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape whose outer shape is contracted downward.

The coating section 36 flattens the sand G on the modeling table 16. That is, the coating portion 36 is a leveling mechanism portion, and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape long in the left-right direction and short in the front-rear direction. The length of the coating portion 36 in the left-right direction is substantially the same as the length of the installation interval of the side rails 27, 28 in the left-right direction. In fig. 1, although the configuration around the coating portion 36 is partially simplified, the molding machine 101 is provided with a mechanism or the like for moving the sand supply portion 35 above the coating portion 36 in the left-right direction along the groove formed in the coating portion 36. That is, the coater section 36 also functions as a carriage belt for the sand supply section 35.

The coating portion 36 is bridged between the left and right of the two

side rails

27, 28. The longitudinal (left-right) ends of the coated portion 36 are supported by the bottom portions 31 of the side rails 27, 28. By the coating portion 36 moving in the front-rear direction, the sand layer forming portion 14 is guided by the side rails 27, 28 as a whole and can move in the front-rear direction. The sand layer forming section 14 corresponds to a "powder layer forming section".

The container 15 is placed inside the outer frame 11 and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The container 15 is of a size to be accommodated inside the outer frame 11. The molding table 16 and the lifting mechanism 37 are housed inside the container 15. The modeling stage 16 is a rectangular plate-like member, and the upper surface is flat. The elevating mechanism 37 is provided below the modeling table 16. The modeling table 16 can be moved up and down in the container 15 by the lifting mechanism 37. The uppermost position of the modeling table 16 is lower than the positions of the ejection ports, not shown, formed on the lower surfaces of the side rails 27, 28 and the respective printing heads 18, 19.

The head guide 17 is a rod-shaped member long in the left-right direction. The length of the head guide 17 in the left-right direction is substantially the same as the length of the installation interval of the side rails 27, 28 in the left-right direction. The head guide 17 is bridged between the left and right of the side rails 27, 28. The head guide 17 is located in front of the sand layer forming portion 14. The head guide 17 extends in a direction orthogonal to the side rails 27, 28. The right end of the head guide 17 is engaged with the right side rail 27 so as to be relatively movable. The left end of the head guide 17 is relatively movably engaged with the left side rail 28. In this way, the respective end portions of the head guide 17 in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) are supported by the bottom surfaces of the side rails 27, 28, whereby the head guide 17 is guided by the side rails 27, 28 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction.

The curing agent printing head 18 is mounted on the head guide 17 to be relatively movable in the left-right direction. The curing agent printing head 18 discharges the curing agent H (see fig. 5) to the sand layer 41 formed on the modeling table 16. As the curing agent H, xylene sulfonic acid, ethyl benzene sulfonic acid, or the like having a sulfonic acid group can be used, for example. The curing agent printing head 18 and the molding PC21 correspond to a "curing agent applying section".

The inspection paint print head 19 is mounted on the head guide 17 to be relatively movable in the left-right direction. The inspection paint print head 19 is located to the left of the curing agent print head 18. The inspection paint head 19 discharges the inspection paint P (see fig. 6) to the sand layer 41 formed on the modeling table 16. The inspection paint P used in the present embodiment is a yellow organic pigment for inkjet, and does not have a curing agent function. The inspection dope P is thermally decomposed when heated at a predetermined temperature lower than the melting point of the sand G. The inspection paint P colors the outline portion of the shaped object described later to a color different from the color of the sand G and the color of the main body portion of the shaped object. The inspection paint print head 19 and the build PC21 correspond to an "inspection paint application section".

As described above, the print heads 18 and 19 can perform the relative movement in the left-right direction with respect to the head guide 17 and the forward-backward movement accompanying the movement of the head guide 17 itself in the forward-backward direction. That is, each of the print heads 18 and 19 can scan at a desired position on the modeling table 16. The operation of the printing heads 18 and 19, the head guide 17, and the sand layer forming portion 14 in the front-rear and left-right directions is driven by a driving mechanism such as a known stepping motor.

The modeling PC21 generates stack data from the three-dimensional data of the modeled object. The lamination data includes the thickness of the layer, the number of layers, discharge position information of the curing agent H, discharge position information of the inspection paint P, and the like. The modeling PC21 controls the position and driving of the modeling stage 16, the head guide 17, the curing agent print head 18, and the inspection paint print head 19 based on the lamination data.

A2. A method for molding a three-dimensional laminated molded article:

next, a method of forming a three-dimensional layered object using the three-dimensional layered object forming apparatus 101 will be described with reference to fig. 2 to 9. The molding apparatus 101 gradually lowers the molding table 16 and simultaneously superimposes the molding layer 42, which is obtained by curing the sand layer 41 (see fig. 4 to 6) with the curing agent H, in the stacking direction, thereby molding the three-dimensional layered molded object. In the present embodiment, a sand mold 50 is produced as a shaped object (see fig. 3, 7, and 8). The sand mold 50 (core) is a mold which is inserted as a portion corresponding to the cavity into a mold when a casting having the cavity is manufactured.

Fig. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the method of forming a three-dimensional layered formed object according to the first embodiment. As shown in fig. 2, first, in step 100 (hereinafter, step is abbreviated as "S"), the build PC21 generates lamination data. When the stack data is formed, in S200, the sand layer 41 is formed on the modeling table 16 by the sand layer forming section 14. Thereafter, in S300, the curing agent H is applied to the sand layer 41 by the curing agent print head 18.

Then, in S400, the inspection paint P is applied to the sand layer 41 by inspecting the paint print head 19. Next, in S500, it is determined whether or not stacked data remains. When the lamination data remains (no in S500), the process returns to S200 to form the sand layer 41 of the next layer, and the processes of applying the curing agent (S300) and applying the inspection paint (S400) are repeated. Further, when returning to S200 to enter the stage of forming the next sand layer 41, the modeling table 16 is lowered one layer.

The process of forming the sand layer in S200 corresponds to the "powder layer forming step". The curing agent application process in S300 corresponds to the "curing agent application step". The process of inspecting paint application in S400 corresponds to an "inspection paint application process". The respective processes of S200 to S400 are executed based on the read data of the corresponding layer. Hereinafter, each step is described in detail in order.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining each step of the method of forming a three-dimensional layered shaped object according to the first embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating a stacking data generation step in each step of the method of forming a three-dimensional stacked structure. In fig. 3, the layered data is represented two-dimensionally as an image, but is actually data including information corresponding to three dimensions. Further, the shape is different from an actual product shape because of schematic illustration.

As shown on the left side in fig. 3, the sand mold 50 is composed of a main body portion 51 and a contour portion 52. The body portion 51 constitutes an inner body of the three-dimensional layered structure. The outline portion 52 is provided on the outer periphery of the body portion 51, and constitutes the outer shape of the three-dimensional layered shaped object. In the generation of the stacking data, the stacking data in which the cross-sectional data is converted for each layer is formed from the three-dimensional data M of the sand mold 50.

The lamination data includes curing agent application data a and inspection paint application data B. The curing agent application data a is data in which the ejection position information of the curing agent H for each layer, which is the position where the curing agent H is applied, is stored. The curing agent application data a corresponds to a portion including the main body portion 51 and the outline portion 52, that is, the entire sand mold 50. The inspection paint application data B is data in which ejection position information of the inspection paint P for each layer, which is a portion where the inspection paint P is applied, is stored. Inspection paint application data B corresponds to contour portion 52.

Fig. 4 to 6 are schematic diagrams for explaining respective steps of the method of forming a three-dimensional layered shaped object according to the first embodiment. In fig. 4 to 6, the solidified molding layer 42 is shown by hatching, and the uncured sand layer 41 is shown by dots. In addition, the left-to-right direction indicated by the hollow arrows in fig. 4 to 6 corresponds to the left-to-right direction in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the sand layer forming step (S200) in each step of the method of forming a three-dimensional layered structure. In the sand layer forming step (S200), the sand supply unit 35 scans the molding table 16 with a fixed amount from left to right as indicated by the open arrow, and supplies the sand G. Further, by moving the coating section 36 (see fig. 1) from the rear to the front, a predetermined amount of sand G is supplied to the entire modeling table 16, and the sand layer 41 on the modeling table 16 is leveled into a predetermined shape. The thickness of one sand layer 41 is about 0.3 mm.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the curing agent application step (S300) in each step of the method for forming a three-dimensional layered formed object. As shown in fig. 5, in the solidifying agent applying process (S300), the solidifying agent printing head 18 scans from the left to the right and from the front to the back of the molding machine 101 on the sand layer 41 formed on the molding table 16. In the curing agent applying step (S300), the curing agent H is applied by the curing agent print head 18 in accordance with the curing agent applying data a. In a range to be a core later, the curing agent H is applied to a position including the body portion 51 and the outline portion 52 in the sand layer 41. The sand layer 41 is cured by being mixed with the curing agent H ejected from the curing agent print head 18.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating the inspection paint application step (S400) in each step of the method of forming a three-dimensional layered formed object. As shown in fig. 6, in the inspection paint application process, the inspection paint head 19 scans the sand layer 41 formed on the modeling table 16 from left to right and from front to back of the modeling apparatus 101. In the inspection paint application process (S400), the inspection paint P is applied by the inspection paint print head 19 based on the inspection paint application data B. That is, the inspection paint P is applied to a portion of the modeling layer 42 corresponding to the contour portion 52. Through this process, the outline portion 52 of the sand mold 50 is colored in a color different from the color of the sand G and the body portion 51 of the sand mold 50.

In the present embodiment, the outline portion 52 after completion of S400 is yellow, the sand G is gray close to white, and the main body portion 51 is gray close to black. That is, the outline portion 52, the sand G, and the main body portion 51 are visually distinguishable from each other by different colors.

Reference is again made to fig. 2. After checking the paint application, it is judged in S500 whether or not there is lamination data. If the stacking data does not remain in S500 (yes in S500), that is, if the molding of all the layers is completed, the process proceeds to S600, and the molded sand mold 50 is taken out from the molding machine 101. Fig. 7 is a side view schematically showing the sand mold 50 taken out from the molding machine 101. As shown in fig. 7, uncured sand G remains around the sand mold 50 after removal. In particular, the uncured sand G is likely to remain in the concave portion 53 of the sand mold 50. The "sand" is substantially the same as the "uncured sand", and the same symbol "G" is used in the following description.

When the sand mold 50 is taken out, as shown in fig. 2, the uncured sand G is removed in S700. The uncured sand G is manually worked by, for example, a brush to remove the uncured sand G remaining in the concave portion 53 and the like. At this time, since the contour portion 52 is visually distinguishable from the uncured sand G in color, the operator can visually and intensively clean the portion of the uncured sand G in color, and can efficiently perform the work so that the entire contour portion 52 is colored.

The removal process of the uncured sand G in S700 corresponds to the "uncured powder removal step". Next, in S800, the finished product is inspected. This inspection is mainly performed to inspect the remaining uncured sand G and to inspect the shape accuracy due to the scraping of the sand mold 50 generated when removing the uncured sand G.

Fig. 8 is an overall view schematically showing the inspection apparatus 60 and the object to be inspected (sand mold 50). As shown in fig. 8, the inspection apparatus 60 mainly includes an inspection PC61, a cleaning robot 62, a camera 63, and a monitor 64. The cleaning robot 62, the camera 63, and the monitor 64 are electrically connected to an inspection PC 61. The inspection apparatus 60 can capture an image of the sand mold 50 with the camera 63 and display the captured image on the monitor 64.

In the inspection PC61, the colors of the outline portion 52, the uncured sand G, and the body portion 51 are stored in advance as data. The inspection PC61 recognizes the outline portion 52 and other portions by color based on comparison between the captured image and data stored in advance. Then, based on the color recognition result, the abnormal portion, that is, the remaining portion of the uncured sand G and the scraped portion of the main body portion 51 are recognized. The cleaning robot 62 receives the remaining part of the uncured sand G from the inspection PC61 in conjunction with the inspection PC61, and removes the uncured sand G adhering to the surface of the sand mold 50 with the brush 65 attached to the tip.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the inspection process. As shown in fig. 9, first, in S801, the completed sand mold 50 is photographed by the camera 63. Then, in S802, by checking the PC, the outline portion 52 and other portions are recognized in color from the captured image. In the case of the present embodiment, since the colors of the outline portion 52, the uncured sand G, and the body portion 51 are different from each other, it is recognized which color is selected from the outline portion 52, the uncured sand G, and the body portion 51 based on the color data stored in advance. Next, in S803, it is determined whether or not the result of color recognition is abnormal.

In the abnormality determination in S803, if the outer shape color of the sand mold 50 in the captured data is the same as the color of the outline portion 52 colored by the inspection paint P, it is determined that there is no abnormality (S803: yes). However, when a portion that is not the color of the inspection paint P is detected, it is considered that the main body portion 51 is exposed due to the remaining of the uncured sand G or scraping at the time of removing the uncured sand G, and it is determined that there is an abnormality.

If it is determined that there is an abnormality (no in S803), the process proceeds to S804, where an abnormality handling process is executed. As the abnormality coping process in S804, for example, if the color of the uncured sand G is detected, the removal process of the uncured sand G is performed again for the abnormal portion by the cleaning robot 62. Further, if the color of the body portion 51 is detected, it is determined as a defective product in shape accuracy depending on the degree of the range of the detected color of the body portion 51. After the abnormality coping process, the present inspection processing procedure is completed. That is, in the present embodiment, when the color of the uncured sand G is detected, the removal work of the uncured sand G is performed again, and when the color of the body portion 51 is detected, it is determined that the shape is defective, and the processing is completed. The imaging process of the sand mold 50 in S801 corresponds to an "imaging step". The process of color recognition in S802 corresponds to a "color recognition step".

The sand mold 50 molded by the above molding method is, for example, arranged in a mold in combination of a plurality of molds. The sand mold 50 after casting is disassembled, and the sand constituting the sand mold 50 is thermally regenerated and reused. During thermal regeneration, the removal of the coating material P was checked.

(1) According to the molding machine 101 and the molding method of the first embodiment described above, in the inspection paint application step (S400), the outline portion 52 is colored in the color of the inspection paint P by the inspection paint print head 19. That is, the outline portion 52 containing the inspection paint P is formed between the main body portion 51 constituting the molding layer 42 and the uncured sand G to which the curing agent H is not applied.

The outline portion 52 is a color different from the color of the uncured sand G and the color of the main body portion 51. That is, the boundary between the outer shape of the sand mold 50 and the uncured sand G can be clearly recognized as a color in the presence of visible light. Therefore, in the subsequent uncured sand removal step (S700), the outline portion 52 colored in the color of the inspection paint P and the portion not colored in the color of the inspection paint P are discriminated by color, and the removal residue of the uncured sand G can be suppressed. Further, since the contour portion 52 is also different in color from the main body portion 51, the scraping can be suppressed from occurring when the uncured sand G is removed.

(2) According to the modeling method of the first embodiment, as the inspection paint P, an organic pigment for inkjet is used. Since the organic pigment for inkjet hardly penetrates into the sand, the outline portion 52 is clearly colored, and can be easily distinguished from other portions.

(3) Further, the organic pigment for inkjet is thermally decomposed when heated at a predetermined temperature lower than the melting point of the sand G. Therefore, when the sand mold 50 is disassembled by thermal regeneration and reused, the inspection paint P can be removed from the sand G.

(4) In the molding method according to the first embodiment, in the inspection stage, the outline portion 52 of the sand mold 50 is color-recognized in the color recognition step (S802) based on the data captured in the capturing step (S801). That is, the portion not colored by the outline portion 52 can be easily recognized as the remaining or scraping of the uncured powder.

(5) Further, since the image determination is performed not by visual observation but by the inspection PC61, the inspection of the sand mold 50 is automated, and the work efficiency and the inspection accuracy can be improved.

B. Second embodiment:

next, a three-dimensional layered structure molding apparatus 102 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 10 and 11. Note that, substantially the same configurations as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional layered object molding apparatus 102 according to a second embodiment. As shown in fig. 10, the second embodiment is different from the three-dimensional layered molded object molding apparatus 101 of the first embodiment in that the curing agent print head 18 is formed integrally with the inspection paint print head 19.

The curing agent print head 18 and the inspection paint print head 19 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the head guide 17. The curing agent print head 18 and the inspection paint print head 19 may be integrally scannable.

Fig. 11 is a main flowchart showing a processing procedure of the method of forming a three-dimensional layered structure according to the second embodiment. The first embodiment (see fig. 2) differs only in that the process of S301 is performed instead of S300. According to the molding machine 102 of the second embodiment, as shown in fig. 11, in S301, the curing agent application and the inspection paint application are performed as a single step.

According to the molding machine 102 of the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the molding machine 101 of the first embodiment are exhibited, and further, the curing agent H and the inspection paint P can be simultaneously applied by scanning of one step of the integrated printing heads 18 and 19, so that the molding time can be shortened.

C. Other embodiments are as follows:

(C1) in the above embodiments, the colors of the uncured sand G and the body portion 51 may be different from each other, but may be the same. The color of the uncured sand G and the body portion 51 may be visually distinguishable from the contour portion 52. When the color of the uncured sand G is the same as that of the body portion 51, for example, in S804, the cleaning process is performed again, and thereafter, the processes in S801 to S804 are repeated until it is determined in S803 that there is no abnormality. Further, although the uncured sand G is removed again in S804, when an abnormality is detected again in a plurality of processing procedures, it may be determined that the main body portion 51 is exposed by scraping, that is, the shape accuracy is poor in S803 after the predetermined number of procedures, and the present processing procedure may be completed.

(C2) In the above embodiments, the sand G is used as the powder, but the powder may not be sand. The

molding machine

101 or 102 may be made of gypsum, resin, or ceramics, as long as the material is suitable for use.

(C3) The inspection paint P in each of the above embodiments is an organic pigment for inkjet, but is not limited thereto. The inspection paint P may be a luminescent paint that can visually distinguish the outline portion 52 from the sand G (powder) and the main body portion 51, in addition to coloring the outline portion 52 in a color different from the color of the sand G (powder) and the color of the main body portion 51. In the case of using a luminescent paint, the outline portion 52 and other portions are recognized as substantially the same color under visible light. However, since only the outline portion 52 can be made to emit light by irradiating ultraviolet rays with the ultraviolet ray irradiation device, the outline portion 52 can be distinguished from the uncured sand G and the main body portion 51, and inspection can be performed.

(C4) In each of the above embodiments, the uncured sand G in S700 was removed by hand work, but may be performed by the cleaning robot 62 in the same manner as the removal process in the inspection step in S800.

(C5) In the first embodiment, the inspection paint application step (S400) is performed after the curing agent application step (S300), but the order of the steps may be reversed as long as the outline portion 52 can be colored.

(C6) In each of the above embodiments, the sand mold 50 is molded as a shaped object, but the shaped object is not limited to the sand mold 50.

(C7) In each of the above embodiments, the inspection paint P does not have a curing agent function, but may have a curing agent function. In this case, the curing agent application data a corresponds to only the body part 51, and in the curing agent application step (S300), the curing agent application data a can be executed so that the curing agent H is applied only to the body part 51.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, technical features in the respective embodiments corresponding to technical features in the respective embodiments described in the summary of the invention may be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve part or all of the problems described above or in order to achieve part or all of the effects described above. Note that, if the technical features are not described as essential in the present specification, they may be deleted as appropriate.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional layered molding device for molding a three-dimensional layered molding by forming a molding layer in a stacking direction by stacking and curing a powder layer as a layer of powder with a curing agent, the three-dimensional layered molding device comprising:

a molding table on which the powder is disposed;

a powder layer forming unit configured to supply the powder to the shaping table to form the powder layer;

a curing agent applying section that applies the curing agent to at least a body portion of the body constituting the body of the three-dimensional layered molding and a contour portion provided on an outer periphery of the body portion and constituting an outer shape of the three-dimensional layered molding, the body portion and the contour portion being portions constituting the molding layer in the powder layer formed on the molding table;

an inspection paint application unit that applies an inspection paint to the outline portion, the inspection paint being capable of visually distinguishing the outline portion from the powder and the main body portion,

the forming of the powder layer, the applying of the curing agent, the applying of the inspection paint are repeatedly performed each time the molding layer is formed.

2. The three-dimensional laminated molding apparatus according to claim 1,

the curing agent applying section applies the curing agent to both the main body portion and the contour portion,

the inspection paint application part applies a paint having no curing agent function as the inspection paint to the contour part.

3. The three-dimensional laminated molding apparatus according to claim 1,

the curing agent applying section applies the curing agent only to the main body section,

the inspection paint application section applies a paint having a curing agent function as the inspection paint to the contour portion.

4. The three-dimensional laminated molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the curing agent applying part and the inspection paint applying part are integrally formed.

5. A method of forming a three-dimensional layered structure by superimposing a forming layer formed by curing a powder layer as a layer of powder with a curing agent in a stacking direction, the method comprising:

a powder layer forming step of forming the powder layer by supplying the powder to the modeling table via a powder layer forming unit;

a curing agent applying step of applying a curing agent to at least a body portion constituting a body of the three-dimensional layered molding and a contour portion provided on an outer periphery of the body portion and constituting an outer shape of the three-dimensional layered molding, the body portion and the contour portion being portions constituting the molding layer in the powder layer formed on the molding table, by a curing agent applying section;

and an inspection paint application step of applying an inspection paint to the outline portion by an inspection paint application unit, the inspection paint being capable of visually distinguishing the outline portion from the powder and the main body portion.

6. The method of molding a three-dimensional layered molding according to claim 5,

and an uncured powder removal step of removing uncured powder remaining on the surface of the three-dimensional layered molded object after the inspection paint application step.

7. The method of molding a three-dimensional layered molding according to claim 5 or 6,

also provided are:

an imaging step of imaging the three-dimensional layered structure;

and a color recognition step of recognizing the outline portion and other portions of the three-dimensional layered shaped object by color based on the captured image.

8. The method of molding a three-dimensional layered molding according to any one of claims 5 to 7,

the inspection paint is a paint in which the outline portion is colored in a color different from the color of the powder and the color of the main body portion.

9. The method of molding a three-dimensional layered molding according to any one of claims 5 to 8,

the inspection paint is an organic pigment for inkjet.

10. The method of molding a three-dimensional layered molding according to any one of claims 5 to 9,

the powder is sand, and the powder is sand,

the inspection paint is a paint that thermally decomposes when heated at a predetermined temperature lower than the melting point of the sand.