JP2016087906A - Method and device for producing steric structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method capable of applying a photoreactive resin on a stage in a short time.SOLUTION: There are provided a method and device for producing a steric structure. The method comprises: dropping a prescribed amount of a photoreactive resin on a stage 6 from a discharge device 8; spreading the dropped photoreactive resin on the periphery of the stage 6 using a centrifugal force by rotation of the stage 6 and applying the resin on the stage 6 to form a photoreactive resin layer 28a on the stage 6; irradiating the photoreactive resin layer 28a applied on the stage 6 with a light from a light irradiation device 12 to react the photoreactive resin layer 28a on the basis of data representing the cross-sectional shape of the steric structure to be produced; and laminating the reacted resin layer sequentially on the stage 6 to produce a steric structure.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional structure that uses a rotary table that supplies photoreactive resin by coating by rotating a stage and forms a three-dimensional object.

  In additive manufacturing equipment using light (including UV and ultraviolet) curable resins and other materials, materials are supplied layer by layer to cure necessary parts, and then the materials are placed. The next material is supplied after raising and lowering the table and the like, and the operation is repeated to perform three-dimensional three-dimensional modeling (see, for example, Patent Document 4). There are various structures in the material supply method, and the material is linearly supplied from a supply device extending in the radial direction above the rotating table, and the material is moved to the table by moving the place by rotating the table. Structures that supply the whole are known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3).

JP 2005-59477 A JP 2005-534543 A JP 2001-347572 A JP-T 6-504209

In the modeling of three-dimensional objects using layered modeling equipment (three-dimensional printers, etc.), modeling methods using powder materials such as metal and gypsum, dissolved plastics, and photo-curing resins have been proposed or put into practical use. The majority of this is accounted for by lamination processes such as material supply and curing, and table vertical movement.
In the material supply by the supply device extending in the radial direction using the rotary table, it is possible to speed up the material supply by increasing the rotation speed. However, if the supply by the supply device extending in the radial direction is used, Since the rotational speed is different between the inner side and the outer side, if the material is uniformly supplied in the radial direction, there is a possibility that the material is not uniformly supplied to the entire surface. Therefore, it is necessary to always smooth the surface after the supply.
In other words, the conventional additive manufacturing apparatus has a problem that it takes a long modeling time and an additional process for smoothing the surface.
The present invention aims to solve the above problems.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus for creating a three-dimensional object by irradiating light to a layer of a photoreactive resin applied on a stage and laminating the resin layer while reacting. The stage is connected to a rotational drive device, and the photoreactive resin discharged from the discharge device onto the stage is spread from the dropping point to the periphery by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the stage. A photoreactive resin is applied to the substrate.
Further, the invention is characterized in that the dropping portion of the photoreactive resin is a central portion of the stage.
In the present invention, the rotational speed of the stage is variable, and the thickness of the photoreactive resin film formed by the rotational acceleration of the stage can be changed by changing the rotational speed of the stage. It is characterized by.
Further, the present invention is characterized in that the number of rotations of the stage is changed in accordance with the viscosity of the photoreactive resin, and the film thickness of the photoreactive resin on the stage is controlled.
Further, the present invention is characterized in that a coloring device is provided above the stage to color the photoreactive resin on the stage.
The present invention is also a method for producing a three-dimensional structure in which a photoreactive resin is applied on a stage, the photoreactive resin layer is irradiated with light and laminated while reacting the resin layer to create a three-dimensional object. The photoreactive resin is dropped on the stage, the dropped photoreactive resin is spread around the stage by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the stage, and a layer of the photoreactive resin is formed on the stage. It is characterized by that.

  In the present invention, the photoreactive resin dropped on the stage can be spread and uniformly supplied on the stage by centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the stage, and the photoreactive resin can be applied quickly on the stage. The modeling time can be shortened. Moreover, since it spreads on a stage with a centrifugal force, even a highly reactive photoreactive resin can be easily supplied by controlling the rotation speed. And since it can supply with a fixed film thickness on a stage, the work of leveling, such as a recoater, becomes unnecessary, and it becomes possible to further shorten modeling time.

It is explanatory drawing of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of this invention. It is an operation explanation flowchart of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of other embodiment of this invention.

The modeling apparatus 2 using the photoreactive resin according to the present invention includes, as a basic form, a container 4, a stage 6 for applying a centrifugal force, a stage rotation drive shaft 14, a photoreactive resin ejection apparatus 8, exposure or drawing. And at least a drive device (not shown) that drives the light irradiation device 12 in synchronization with the rotation angle of the rotary drive shaft 14.
And as a desirable basic form, the stage 6 that applies centrifugal force is a stage that also applies rotational acceleration.
Further, as a form of application, in particular, in order to uniformly apply the photoreactive resin, the modeling apparatus 2 is provided with the air flow control device 30 in addition to the above basic form.
Further, as another application form, in addition to the basic form described above, in order to uniformly apply the photoreactive resin, the modeling apparatus is provided with a leveling means 10.
As another application form, in addition to the basic form described above, a stage lifting mechanism (not shown), a leveling mechanism lifting mechanism (20), or a photoreaction is used in order to produce a particularly high-shaped object. It is the modeling apparatus provided also with the raising / lowering rotation part (16) of the discharge apparatus of a functional resin.
Hereinafter, the configuration of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 4 are shown as application forms including the basic configuration of the present invention, and the photoreactive resin used will be described as a photo-curing resin, that is, a resin that is cured from a liquid to a solid by light.
The modeling apparatus 2 using the photocurable resin according to the present invention includes a container 4, a discharge device 8, a leveling means 10, and a light irradiation device 12 by exposure or drawing. The stage 6 is disposed inside the cylindrical container 4, has a disc-shaped stage main body 6a, and a flat surface for applying a resin is formed on the upper surface of the main body 6a.

At the center of the lower surface of the main body 6a, the upper end of a drive shaft 14 connected to a rotation and lift drive device (not shown) is fixed. At the tip of the arm portion 8a of the discharge device (dispenser) 8, a discharge portion 8b for discharging a predetermined amount of photocurable resin is provided toward the center of the stage 6. The photo-curing resin used is a liquid that can be discharged, but there is no problem even if the viscosity is high as long as it can be discharged. The arm portion 8a of the discharge device 8 is connected to the rotating shaft 16a of the lifting / lowering rotating portion 16 via a connecting body 18 so as to be movable up and down and rotatable.

The connecting body 18 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating shaft 16a by a screw and nut configuration (not shown) and an operation switching mechanism (not shown) formed between the rotating shaft 16a and the connecting body 18. Alternatively, it can be moved up and down along the rotation shaft 16a as the rotation shaft 16a rotates. The discharge part 8b at the tip of the arm part 8a is connected to a resin supply pipe (not shown) provided in the arm part 8a, and is configured so that uncured photocurable resin is supplied from the resin supply pipe. . The apparatus is provided with a resin supply tank (not shown), and the resin in the tank is supplied to the discharge part 8b through the resin supply pipe by a pump (not shown).

The leveling means 10 includes a known molding tool such as a recoater or a roller knife. In this embodiment, a recoater is used. The leveling means 10 is connected to a rotating shaft 20a of the lifting / lowering rotating part 20 via a connecting body 22 so that the leveling means 10 can be moved up and down and can be rotated in the horizontal direction. The coupling body 22 is rotated in the horizontal direction in conjunction with the rotation of the rotary shaft 20a by a rotation and elevation transmission mechanism (not shown) and an operation switching mechanism (not shown) including a screw and a nut or the like. It is comprised so that it can raise / lower along the rotating shaft 20a with rotation of 20a.

The light irradiation device 12 is a drawing device composed of a laser 24 and a laser scanner 26 (see FIG. 2), an exposure device such as a DLP (digital light processor) device, or a projector composed of a polarization unit such as liquid crystal. It is comprised by. And the light irradiation apparatus 12 is connected with the modeling data generation apparatus (illustration omitted) which outputs modeling data for every time, and the output data of the modeling data generation apparatus is input. Further, in synchronization with the rotation angle of the stage 6, 6 a or the rotation drive shaft 14, a synchronization signal is given to the modeling data generation device so as to output appropriate modeling data, and the light irradiation device 12 drives the light irradiation device 12 according to the rotation angle. A device driving device (not shown) is provided. The light irradiation device 12 is supported by the machine body of the present apparatus with the irradiation unit facing the upper surface of the stage 6. When the stage 6 is fixed in the vertical direction, the irradiation unit can be moved up and down so that the distance from the stage 6 is controlled to be constant. A pipe (not shown) for returning the resin to a resin supply tank (not shown) is attached to the bottom of the container 4. On the peripheral wall of the container 4, a relief mechanism is provided that allows the arm 8 a and the leveling means 10 to move in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction with respect to the stage 6.

The control device (not shown) of this apparatus includes a light irradiation device 12, a discharge device 8, drive devices for the rotation shafts 16 a and 20 a, a drive device for a pump that supplies photocurable resin to the discharge device 8, and a leveling means 10. It connects to a control part and is comprised so that these may be controlled. In the figure, reference numeral 30 denotes an airflow control device (fan) that sends gas (air, nitrogen, etc.) into the container 4.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
In the initial state of the modeling operation, the leveling means 10 is set at a raised position separated from the surface of the stage 6 and moved to the side of the stage 6 (step 1). Further, the discharge unit 8 b of the discharge device 8 is set at a position facing the center of the stage 6 with a predetermined interval. In the initial setting state, first, the stage 6 is rotated at a predetermined speed (step 2).

Next, a predetermined amount of uncured photo-curing resin is dropped from the discharge unit 8b onto the center of the stage 6 while the stage 6 is rotated at a predetermined speed (step 3). Next, the stage 6 is rotated by an appropriate rotation program obtained experimentally to determine the relationship between the resin and the thickness at which the resin is laminated. The photo-curing resin 28 dropped onto the center of the stage 6 spreads uniformly from the center to the periphery due to centrifugal force and acceleration, and a thin coating film 28 a of the photo-curing resin 28 is formed over the entire area of the stage 6. An uncured photo-curing resin is applied to (step 4). When the photo-curing resin application operation is completed, the rotation of the stage 6 stops (step 5).

Next, the leveling means 10 is moved onto the stage 6, the leveling means 10 is brought into contact with the resin film 28a, and is rotated in the case of a roller cutter. At the same time, the stage 6 is rotated at a predetermined rotational speed, the photo-curing resin applied on the stage 6 is made to have a more uniform thickness, and an uncured photo-curing resin molding film on the rotating stage 6 is molded (step) 6).

Uncured photocured resin scraped from the stage 6 by the leveling means 10, resin that has flowed down from the end due to the rotation of the stage, etc. falls to the container 4 and is stored in the bottom of the container 4. When the leveling operation of the photocurable resin on the stage 6 is completed, the stage 6 stops. In carrying out the present invention, the leveling can be omitted, and it is not essential to provide the leveling means 10 in the apparatus.

  Next, light is irradiated from the light irradiation device 12 to the region corresponding to the contour line data on the uncured resin layer on the stage 6 to perform exposure or drawing (steps 7 and 8). At this time, the light irradiation device 12 receives the output data from the modeling data generation device (not shown) that outputs the modeling data every time, and performs exposure or drawing. The exposure or drawing is performed at a predetermined angle (0 to 360 degrees, or 0) by a coordinate system that can treat the position of the stage 6, 6a or the rotation drive shaft 14 as a rotation angle coordinate. ~ 2π). The timing is given to the modeling data generation device by a light irradiation device driving device (not shown). Specifically, the rotation coordinates of the stage stop position in step 6 are read, and the rotation is started again and given as a synchronization signal when the stage reaches a predetermined angle. The modeling data generation device receives the synchronization signal, generates contour line data corresponding to the predetermined rotation angle, and outputs the contour line data to the light irradiation device 12. As a result, a first cured resin layer is formed. The photo-curing resin on the stage 6 is cured at the place where light is applied, and the other portions are cured to such an extent that they are not completely cured, and the next layer is on top. In the case of exposure at the center of the stage 6, the leveling means 10 and the discharge device 8 are moved in a direction away from the exposure area of the stage 6. As described above, the rotation of the stage 6 in the spin coating process may be started before or after the photocuring resin is dripped, or after the photocuring resin is dripped. For convenience of explanation, the rotation is stopped in step 6, but it is not necessary to stop the rotation of the stage 6 for each process. Normally, it is better to proceed to the next process without stopping the rotation of the stage and the modeled object thereon. It does not take any time until the load or rotation stops or the rotation stabilizes. In order to shorten the entire modeling time, it is best that the light irradiation device driving device actively drives both the light irradiation device 12 and the rotary drive shaft 14. A plurality of contour line data corresponding to a predetermined rotation angle may be created, the rotational drive shaft 14 may be rotationally driven, and sequentially sent to the light irradiation device 12 for each predetermined rotation angle. The light irradiation device 12 does not need to be provided at the center, and may be provided at one location that does not overlap the discharge device 8 and the leveling means 10 at a location shifted in the radial direction of the stage, or a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction. In some cases, there is no need to have a structure for evacuating each time by irradiation of the irradiation device. In this case, it is assumed that the irradiation device 12 is provided above the central portion, and a retracting structure is also disclosed so that the operation is possible even in that case.

Next, the process proceeds to the creation of the second layer as described above (step 9), and the stacking operation is sequentially performed. Light irradiation is performed every predetermined angle, that is, every one rotation (360 degrees). If it is every predetermined angle, it will not restrict to this, You may light-irradiate every n rotation (n is an integer greater than or equal to 1).
When the creation of the final layer is completed, the modeling operation is completed. The discharge device 8 is raised with respect to the stage 6 by a predetermined pitch every time the photo-curing resin is applied and exposed or drawn. When the height of the discharge device 8 is set at a fixed position, the stage 6 is lowered by a predetermined pitch with respect to the discharge device 8.
In addition, as mentioned above, the raising of the discharge device and the lowering of the stage are not essential. This is not necessary especially when the height of the modeled object is small. In addition, even when the height of the modeled object is high, the focal length of the light irradiation device 12 can be changed according to the number of modelings (modeling height) and set to always form an image on the stage 6. It is possible to perform modeling similar to the layer.

  In the above embodiment, the spin coating material supplied to the stage 6 is a photoreactive resin for convenience of explanation. However, the material is not limited to visible light and ultraviolet light, but is not limited to visible light, ultraviolet rays, or the like from the outside. A polymer material that is cured or dissolved by a chemical reaction caused by the applied energy is used, and a phenol resin, an acrylic resin, an epoxy resin, or the like is used. The material for spin coating need not be one kind, and a modeling (exposure or drawing) control material may be added to the material for resin coating. A solvent may be added for viscosity adjustment. The photoreactive resin on the stage 6 that has been laminated is removed from the stage. Since the part that is exposed to light and the other part are still in the same state, remove only the part that has not been exposed to light or the part that has been exposed to light with a solvent that dissolves unnecessary parts. Then, the final three-dimensional structure is taken out.

Alternatively, a surface modifier for controlling the next application may be added to the resin application material. It is possible to spread the resin widely and in a short time by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the stage 6, and the film thickness of the photo-curing resin formed on the stage 6 is determined during the rotation application period (step 4) of the stage 6. Control is possible by acceleration and rotation speed. Here, the acceleration means a change in the rotational speed with respect to time during the spin coating period (step 4). When a rotational force that instantaneously changes from a low rotational speed to a high rotational speed is applied, a positive acceleration occurs, The resin can be thinned to a desired thickness and can be spread uniformly. In this spin coating, an optimum rotation speed obtained experimentally is selected as the rotation of the stage, and can be programmed in advance as a change in the number of rotations over time during the spin coating period. It is also possible to control the thickness of the laminated film by changing the number of spin coating rotations for every certain number of laminations.
Depending on the viscosity of the photoreactive resin used, the spreading method and film thickness on the stage 6 after the droplets are dropped also change. Therefore, the rotational speed and acceleration of the stage 6 depend on the viscosity of the photoreactive resin used. Etc. may be changed to necessary values. For example, when a plurality of discharge devices 8 are provided and switching to a different photoreactive resin in the middle of the laminating operation, etc., it may be necessary to change the thickness when it is necessary to have the same film thickness.

The rotation angle of the stage 6, 6a or the rotary drive shaft 14 may be read from the outside by optical means such as laser light reflection, or may be a rotary encoder provided directly to the rotary drive shaft 14.
Further, the method of irradiating light at every predetermined angle is not limited to intermittent repetition of collective light irradiation every rotation (360 degrees). For example, contour line data deformed in accordance with a rotation angle that changes every moment by rotation may be generated and continuously irradiated with light. When light is irradiated in this way, modeling will be advanced in a shorter time.
In the above embodiment, the photoreactive resin applied to the stage 6 is exposed by the light irradiation device 12 after being molded by the leveling means 10 such as a recoater, and after the modeling by exposure, the process proceeds to the next lamination step. As shown in FIG. 4, a coloring device such as a line-type color ink jet head 32 is provided, and the photoreactive resin is applied to the stage 6 while rotating the stage 6 after rotating the photoreactive resin on the stage 6. You may make it perform inkjet drawing with respect to photoreactive resin with the color inkjet head 32 on the surface.

At this time, while rotating the stage 6, the photoreactive resin on the stage 6 is molded by the leveling means 34 such as a rotor knife, and a part of the stage 6 is irradiated with a light irradiation device such as a UV lamp. Alternatively, the photoreactive resin on the stage 6 may be cured and colored on a modeled object that is not colored. Other operations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Modeling apparatus 4 Container 6 Stage 8 Discharge apparatus 8a Arm part 8b Discharge part 10 Leveling means 12 Light irradiation apparatus 14 Drive shaft 16 Lifting rotary part 16a Rotary shaft 18 Connecting body 20 Lifting rotary part 20a Rotary shaft 22 Linking body 24 Laser 26 Laser scanner 28 Light curable resin 30 Fan 32 Color ink jet head 34 Leveling means

Claims (6)

  It is a three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus that creates a three-dimensional object by irradiating light onto a layer of a photoreactive resin applied on a stage and curing the resin layer, and connecting the stage to a rotary drive device, The photoreactive resin discharged on the stage from the discharge device is spread around the dropping site by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the stage, and the photoreactive resin is applied on the stage. The three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.   The three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dropping portion of the photoreactive resin is a central portion of the stage.   The rotation speed of the stage is variable, and the thickness of the photoreactive resin film formed by the rotation of the stage can be changed by changing the rotation speed of the stage. The three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus according to 1.   2. The three-dimensional structure according to claim 1, wherein the number of rotations of the stage is changed according to the viscosity of the photoreactive resin to control the film thickness of the photoreactive resin on the stage. manufacturing device.   The three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a coloring device is provided above the stage to color the photoreactive resin on the stage. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional structure in which a photoreactive resin is applied on a stage, and the resin layer is irradiated with light to be cured and laminated to create a three-dimensional object. A photoreactive resin is dropped, and the dropped photoreactive resin is spread around the stage by a centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the stage, and a layer of a photocurable resin is formed on the stage. Three-dimensional structure manufacturing method.

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