JP2002324108A - Offering system for operating time - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an offering system for operating time capable of purchasing operating time of apparatuses themselves as much as necessary and using the apparatuses if necessary via a communication means such as Internet. SOLUTION: In the system, customers 7 can purchase the time of a group 3 of apparatuses presented by a sales means as much as necessary and operate apparatuses of the group 3 by transmitting molding data and the like via a communication means 6 if necessary. And the customers 7 controls the time sold by a control means and selects the apparatuses to operate by an operating means, so that the apparatuses can be operated with avoiding waste.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an operating time providing system that sells operating times of a plurality of modeling apparatuses, for example, optical forming apparatuses, through communication means such as the Internet for a time required by a customer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An optical molding apparatus disclosed in, for example, JP-A-6-198747 and JP-A-2000-158543 is used for, for example, an external design, a part assembling mechanism, a test, and a die manufacturing. It has been used to form the three-dimensional model used. However, due to the high unit price per unit, companies that use it less frequently are hesitant to purchase the device itself, and work that can further operate the device Since it takes time and money to train members, it is necessary to take a method of outsourcing the production of a three-dimensional model to a production company or the like that owns these devices.

[0003]

As described above, since molding equipment and manufacturing equipment are expensive and require training for workers who operate them, it is unnecessary to purchase the equipment when the frequency of use is low. But many difficult. In addition, when manufacturing is requested to a production company that owns these devices, there is a problem that the cost presented by the other party must be accepted as it is, and there is a problem that the cost increases.

[0004] Therefore, the present invention is to provide an operation time providing system that can purchase the operation time of the apparatus itself as necessary through communication means such as the Internet and use the apparatus when necessary. is there.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a device group comprising at least one device, sales means for presenting the operating time of this device group to a customer through communication means, and selling the device. Management means for managing the operating time sold by the means, and when the customer requests the operation via communication means, based on the operating time purchased by the customer,
Operating means for selecting and operating the devices of the device group.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the customer
The operating time of the device group presented by the selling means is purchased only for a necessary time, and the device of the device group can be operated by transmitting the molding data and the like via the communication means when necessary, which is expensive. The above object can be achieved because there is no need to purchase a suitable device and the device is not left unnecessarily. Further, the operating time sold by the managing means is managed, and the devices of the device group are selected and operated by the operating means, so that the devices of the device group can be operated without waste.

It is preferable that at least one device constituting the device group is a molding device, and the molding device is an optical molding device. The stereolithography device is suitable as the device of the present invention because it is expensive and requires a high level of skill in the work.

Further, it is desirable that the communication means is the Internet. Information desired by the customer can be provided via the Internet, and information can be easily provided to the customer using E-mail.

Further, a plurality of the device groups may exist. This is based on the assumption that a plurality of companies or the like that provide devices are provided, instead of a single company.
In this case, when the expensive device is purchased but the operation time is left, the expensive device can be operated without waste by providing the operation time.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the operating time providing system 1 has a device group 3 having a plurality of optical shaping devices 2. It has an operation management system 4 for managing.

The optical molding apparatus 2 is an apparatus for irradiating a photocurable resin with light energy by a semiconductor laser or the like to cure the resin to form a desired shape.

The server 5 is provided with an operation time and an operation status of each optical molding apparatus 2 transmitted from the operation management system 4 and an operation time created based on information such as the standard, characteristics, and capabilities of the optical molding apparatus itself. Information such as the Internet 6
To the customer, for example, on the screen.

A customer 7 who wants to create a three-dimensional model based on information provided through the Internet 6
Purchase uptime according to the number of orders in the conventional year. At this time, if the exact operation time is not known, the required operation time may be presented based on the conditions presented by the customer, for example, the conventional order quantity, solid shape, and the like.

The operation of the operating time providing system will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. First, a client (CLIENT) 7 purchases a predetermined operating time via the Internet (block 100). The purchase data, for example, the customer name, the purchased operation time, and the like are stored in the data storage 54 via the data processing 52, and are stored in the record 56.
Will be recorded.

Next, the customer 7 sends modeling data (CAD data, etc.) to the server 5 via the Internet 6 when modeling such as a three-dimensional model is required. In the server 5, in the data processing 52, the completion time prediction 58 is performed based on the received molding data, and the completion time predicted by the completion time prediction 58 and the data accumulation 5
4. An estimate is created in the estimate creation 60 from the customer data accumulated in 4 and past records, etc., and E-mail,
The estimate is notified to the customer 7 by facsimile or the like. Customer 7
Examines this estimate and returns a notice of approval to the server 5.

When the reply of the estimate approval is received, the molding data such as CAD data is converted into STL data which is a general format in the optical molding industry in the data processing 52, and further, the slice data (slice data) is converted based on the STL data. ) Is created and transmitted to the operation management system 4 of the modeling apparatus group 3. Further, in the selection 62 of the operating device,
Modeling data and data storage 54 from the data processing 52
The device 2 to be used is selected based on the past data accumulated in and the operation status of the operation management system 4, and the selection information and the like are transmitted to the operation management system 4. Thereby, the optical shaping apparatus 2 starts the shaping of the product.

The operation management system 4 outputs a production progress status 66 and an operation status 68, and
After being stored at 4, it is recorded in record 56. Then, the progress status 66 of the production is formed as notification data by the notification process 64 and transmitted to the customer 7 as a notification of the progress status. Incidentally, the data of the progress status 66 may be stored on the Internet without directly transmitting the data to the customer, and the customer 7 may retrieve the data by accessing the Internet as needed. In addition, the operation time until the completion of modeling of the product is accumulated and recorded.

The notification process 64 reports the completion to the customer when the modeling of the product is completed. The report should include at least the uptime and remaining time spent on product modeling. It should be noted that the remaining time can be confirmed at any time by accessing via the Internet. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the product
Delivered directly to customer 7.

Further, a plurality of the device groups 3 may be provided. This allows a company that has purchased the stereolithography device 2 to register the surplus time in the server 5 and sell it. Thereby, the companies having the stereolithography apparatus 2 having the surplus time become the respective device groups 3 and the surplus time can be sold to the customer, so that the apparatus of each company is not wasted. is there.

In this embodiment, the device group 3 is provided by devices that perform the same operation. However, for a product manufactured by a plurality of processes, a first process that performs one process is performed.
Equipment group and a second work group for performing the next process are provided.
A series of operations may be provided every required time.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, the operation time of an expensive device can be purchased as needed and used as its own device, which is cost effective and wasteful. Can be omitted.

Further, since the operation time purchased by the customer can be allocated to each device, the inspection and maintenance time for each device can be obtained reliably.
The life of the device itself can be extended, and unnecessary operation can be prevented, so that economic efficiency can be improved.

As described above, in this system,
Both the customer side and the molding side can perform work without waste as a whole, and the mutual economic efficiency is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an operation time providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of information transmission between a customer and a server.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing contents of a server and a relationship between the server and an operation management system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operating time provision system 2 Stereolithography device 3 Device group 4 Operation management system 5 Server 6 Internet 7 Customer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) B29C 67/00 B29C 67/00 // G07F 17/00 G07F 17/00 Z

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A device group comprising at least one device, sales means for presenting and operating the operating time of this device group to a customer via communication means, and managing the operating time sold by the selling means. Management means; and operating means for selecting and operating the devices of the device group based on the operating time purchased by the customer when the customer requests the operation via the communication means. The operating time providing system which is the feature. 2. The operating time providing system according to claim 1, wherein at least one device constituting the device group is a modeling device. 3. The operating time providing system according to claim 2, wherein said molding apparatus is an optical molding apparatus. 4. The operating time providing system according to claim 1, wherein said communication means is the Internet. 5. The operating time providing system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said device groups exist. 6. The operating time of a device group comprising at least one device is sold to a plurality of customers according to the required time, and the devices of the device group are selected and activated based on data transmitted from the customer when necessary. Operating time providing system.