JP2017213735A - Three-dimensional molding apparatus, and three-dimensional molding method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a three-dimensional molding apparatus for preparing a three-dimensional structure in a short time using a thermofusion lamination molding method, or, a three-dimensional molding method therefor.SOLUTION: Provided is a three-dimensional molding apparatus 100 that includes: a cylinder 206 for storing a molding material for molding a three-dimensional molded article; a molding material supply unit 200 having a delivery part for melting the molding material arranged in the cylinder 206 and delivering and a discharge part 210 for discharging the molding material delivered by the delivery part; a molding stage 301 provided with a molding surface on which the molding material discharged from a discharge part is stacked; and a relative displacement mechanism for three-dimensionally and relatively displacing the molding stage 301 and the molding material supply unit 200, in which the relative displacement mechanism includes a first displacement mechanism configured such that the molding stage rotates with an axis vertical to the a molding surface as a center.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a three-dimensional modeling apparatus, for example, an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional structure by an additive manufacturing method such as a hot melt additive manufacturing method. Or it is related with the method for forming a three-dimensional structure using this apparatus.

  As one of methods for producing a three-dimensional structure, a hot melt lamination method is known. In an apparatus based on the hot melt lamination method, a long solid resin called a filament is sent to a discharge part equipped with a heater by a delivery part such as a drive roller, and the molten resin discharged from the discharge part is laminated on the stage. To form a three-dimensional structure. According to the apparatus by this hot melt lamination method, a three-dimensional molded item can be modeled with a simple apparatus configuration.

  On the other hand, as a technique for discharging molten resin from a discharge unit using a delivery unit equipped with a screw and laminating the molten resin on a stage, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. Patent Document 1 discloses a modeling apparatus and a modeling method for producing a three-dimensional structure by intermittently discharging molten thermoplastic resin droplets from a discharge unit.

Special table 2015-501738 gazette

  One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional modeling apparatus for producing a three-dimensional structure in a short time using a hot melt layered modeling method or a three-dimensional modeling method therefor.

  A three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cylinder for storing a modeling material for modeling a three-dimensional modeled object, and a sending for melting and sending the modeling material arranged in the cylinder. A modeling stage provided with a modeling surface on which a modeling material to be discharged from the discharging unit is stacked, and a modeling material supply unit having a discharging unit for discharging the modeling material sent out by the sending unit, A relative movement mechanism that relatively moves the modeling stage and the modeling material supply unit in three dimensions is provided, and the relative movement mechanism is configured to rotate the modeling stage around an axis perpendicular to the modeling surface. It has a moving mechanism.

  The three-dimensional modeling method which is one of the embodiments of the present invention is a method of modeling a three-dimensional model using a three-dimensional modeling apparatus. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus includes a cylinder for storing a modeling material for modeling a three-dimensional modeled object, a sending unit for melting and sending the modeling material arranged in the cylinder, and a modeling unit sent by the sending unit. A modeling material supply unit having a discharge unit for discharging material, a modeling stage having a modeling surface on which modeling materials discharged from the discharge unit are stacked, and a modeling stage and a modeling material supply unit are tertiary A relative movement mechanism that relatively moves originally is provided. The relative movement mechanism includes a first movement mechanism configured to rotate the modeling stage about an axis perpendicular to the modeling surface. A three-dimensional object is modeled by laminating the modeling material discharged from the discharge unit on the modeling surface of the modeling stage.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The upper surface schematic diagram of the three-dimensional model | molding apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. The side surface schematic diagram of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. The front schematic diagram of the three-dimensional model | molding apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. The side surface schematic diagram of the discharge part of the three-dimensional model | molding apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. The side surface schematic diagram of the discharge part of the three-dimensional model | molding apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. The schematic diagram of the discharge part shape of the discharge part of the three-dimensional model | molding apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. The upper surface schematic diagram and side surface schematic diagram of the modeling stage control part of one Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart of the control method of the three-dimensional model | molding apparatus of one Embodiment of this invention. The side surface schematic diagram of the modeling stage control part of one Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof, and is not construed as being limited to the description of the embodiments exemplified below.

  In order to make the explanation clearer, the drawings may be schematically represented with respect to the width, thickness, shape, and the like of each part as compared to the actual embodiment, but are merely examples and limit the interpretation of the present invention. Not what you want. In this specification and each drawing, elements having the same functions as those described with reference to the previous drawings may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description may be omitted.

  In the present specification and claims, in expressing a mode of disposing another structure on a certain structure, when simply describing “on top”, unless otherwise specified, It includes both the case where another structure is disposed immediately above and a case where another structure is disposed via another structure above a certain structure.

(First embodiment)
In the present embodiment, the structure and operation of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

[1. overall structure]
A perspective view of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 is shown in FIG. 2, 3, and 4 show a schematic top view, side view, and front view of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100, respectively. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 mainly includes a material supply unit 200 and a modeling stage control unit 300. In addition, as an arbitrary configuration, a support base 400 that supports the material supply unit 200 and a frame 500 that supports the modeling stage control unit 300 can be provided.

[2. Material supply unit]
FIG. 5 shows a schematic sectional view of the material supply unit 200. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the material supply unit 200 which is a part of a cross section taken along the chain line AB in FIG. The material supply unit 200 includes, as main components, a cylinder 206 for storing a modeling material for modeling a three-dimensional modeled object, and a sending unit 223 for melting and sending the modeling material arranged in the cylinder 206. And the discharge part 210 for discharging the modeling material sent out by the sending part 223 is provided.

  The cylinder 206 is provided horizontally or substantially horizontally. Inside the cylinder 206, a screw 224 having a mountain 226 formed in a spiral shape as a delivery part 223 and a motor part 202 for rotating the screw 224 are provided. The screw 224 has a fixed position in the horizontal direction and is configured to rotate inside the cylinder 206 around the central axis of the cylinder 206. The screw 224 is rotated by the motor 230 in the motor unit 202. The motor unit 202 may be installed on the support base 400.

  An opening 222 is provided in the cylinder 206, and the opening 222 is connected to a space 228 between the cylinder 206 and the screw 224. The opening 222 may be provided with a hopper 204 as an arbitrary configuration. The hopper 204 facilitates the input of the modeling material that is input to the opening 222.

  The cylinder 206 is provided with a heater 220. The heater 220 heats the cylinder 206, and heats and melts the modeling material to be input. In the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 5, the heater 220 is provided on the side near the inner wall of the cylinder 206, but the heater 220 may be provided on the side near the outer wall of the cylinder 206 or on the outer side of the cylinder 206. Pressure is applied to the melted modeling material on the side of the connector 212 connected to the cylinder 206 by the helical movement of the mountain 226 accompanying the rotation of the screw 224. As a result, the melted modeling material is transported to the discharge unit 210 through the connector 212.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the material supply unit 200 is further provided with a material supply control unit 234 that controls the operation of the delivery unit 223. The material supply control unit 334 is configured to control the operation of the sending unit 223 based on the control data of the material supply control unit 234 generated from the three-dimensional data of the three-dimensional structure. Specifically, when increasing the discharge amount of the modeling material from the discharge unit 210, the rotation number of the motor 230 is increased and the rotation number of the screw 224 is increased. Conversely, when reducing the discharge amount, the rotational speed of the motor 230 is decreased and the rotational speed of the screw 224 is decreased. The material supply control unit 234 can also be configured to control the temperature in the cylinder 206.

  As described above, the modeling material is melted by the heater 220 of the cylinder 206, and pressure is applied to the fluid modeling material by the spiral movement of the screw 224, and the pressure causes the discharge port of the discharge unit 210 to discharge. Material is discharged from 218. The pressure applied to the modeling material can be adjusted by the rotational speed of the screw 224, and thereby the ejection amount of the modeling material can be controlled. Therefore, the discharge amount of the material does not depend on the size and shape of the input material. In addition to the pressure described above, the discharge amount can be adjusted by the size (for example, inner diameter) of the cylinder 206. For example, a screw 224 having a screw diameter of 14 mm is used, and ABS resin (acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene) is used as a material. When a copolymer) is used, it is possible to discharge 20 g of material per minute.

  The discharge unit 210 has a discharge port 218 for discharging the modeling material delivered by the delivery unit 223 at the lower end, and the material transported to the discharge unit 210 is discharged through the discharge port 218. The shape of the discharge port 218 is arbitrary, and as shown in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C, it can have a circular shape, a star shape, or a polygonal shape.

  The discharge unit 210 is provided with an opening / closing mechanism 215 that opens and closes the discharge port 218. The opening / closing mechanism 215 includes a pin 216 that opens / closes the discharge port 218 and an actuator 217 that moves the pin 216 under the control of the operation by the opening / closing mechanism control unit 236 shown in FIG. The pin 216 retreats from the lower end of the discharge unit 210 to open the discharge port 218, while approaching the lower end of the discharge unit 210 and closes the discharge port 218. The pin 216 has a thin tip, and the tip 216 may be adjusted so as to be inserted into the discharge port 218.

  The opening / closing mechanism control unit 236 is configured to control the operation of the opening / closing mechanism based on the opening / closing mechanism control data generated from the three-dimensional data of the three-dimensional structure. Specifically, when the modeling material is discharged from the discharge portion 210, the discharge port 218 is opened by operating the actuator 217 to retract the pin 216 from the discharge tip. On the other hand, the opening / closing mechanism control unit 236 closes the discharge port 218 by causing the pin 216 to approach the lower end of the discharge unit 210 when temporarily stopping the discharge of the modeling material from the discharge unit 210. As shown in FIG. 6, by stopping the insertion / resumption of material discharge (that is, on-off) can be easily and quickly switched by inserting the tip portion into the discharge port 218 or withdrawing from the discharge port 218. it can. Further, the discharge unit 210 may be provided with a heater 232, whereby the material can be prevented from solidifying in the discharge unit 210.

  The material supply unit 200 may have one or a plurality of blowers 214 as an arbitrary configuration (see FIG. 4). The blower 214 has an opening at the end, and has a function of blowing a gas such as air fed from a compressor (not shown). By using the blower 214, the material discharged from the discharge port 218 and stacked on the modeling stage 301 can be cooled. The material supply unit 200 may include a protective cover 208 as an arbitrary configuration (see FIG. 1). For convenience of explanation, the protective cover 208 and the frame 500 are not drawn in FIGS.

  Although not shown, the material supply unit 200 may include a plurality of cylinders 206 to which the discharge unit 210 is connected. With such a configuration, for example, a three-dimensional structure including a plurality of modeling materials or modeling materials having different colors can be manufactured. Alternatively, one cylinder 206 may be provided with a plurality of discharge units 210. By setting it as such a structure, the modeling speed at the time of producing a three-dimensional structure can be improved further.

[3. Modeling stage control unit]
As illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 4, the modeling stage control unit 300 includes a modeling stage 301 and a relative movement mechanism 302 that moves the modeling stage 301 with respect to the material supply unit 200. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 includes the cylinder 206 for storing the modeling material and the sending unit 223 for melting and sending the modeling material in the material supply unit 200, and thus moves the modeling stage 301. Thus, the position for discharging the modeling material can be accurately moved at high speed with high accuracy, and a three-dimensional structure can be formed with high accuracy and in a short time.

  The modeling stage 301 includes a modeling surface 301 a on which modeling materials supplied from the material supply unit 200 are stacked. The shape of the modeling surface 301a is arbitrary, and may be circular or elliptical.

  The relative movement mechanism 302 includes a first movement mechanism 304 that rotates the modeling stage 301 in the in-plane direction of the modeling surface 301a, and a direction parallel to the modeling surface 301a of the modeling stage 301 (hereinafter, “X-axis direction”). The modeling stage 301 in a direction perpendicular to the modeling surface 301a of the modeling stage 301 (hereinafter also referred to as “Z-axis direction”). A third moving mechanism 308 for moving 301 linearly is provided.

  The first moving mechanism 304 is configured to rotate the modeling stage 301 around a rotation axis 310 perpendicular to the modeling surface 301a. In the first moving mechanism 304, for example, a motor 314 such as a stepping motor can be installed. By engaging the rotation axis of the motor 314 and the teeth of the gear 312 provided on the lower surface of the modeling stage 301, the modeling stage 301 can rotate around the rotation axis 310 as shown by the curved arrow in FIG. .

  The second moving mechanism 306 is configured to linearly move the modeling stage 301 in a direction parallel to the modeling surface 301a. Specifically, the center of the modeling surface 301a, the discharge port 218, It is comprised so that the modeling stage 301 may be moved along the linear direction which ties. The second moving mechanism 306 can include, for example, two pulleys 316 and a timing belt 318 (see FIG. 3), and the modeling stage 301 can be moved by rotating the pulley 316 with a stepping motor or the like. . The second moving mechanism 306 is adjusted so that the discharge port 218 of the discharge unit 210 is positioned at least between the end point on the material supply unit 200 side of the modeling stage 301 and the center of the modeling stage 301.

  The third moving mechanism 308 is configured to linearly move the modeling stage 301 in a direction perpendicular to the modeling surface 301a. The third moving mechanism 308 includes, for example, a shaft screw 320 that is parallel to the rotating shaft 310 (see FIG. 2), and the moving member 309 moves in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 310 (Z-axis direction (up and down)). ) Can be moved along. The moving member 309 is configured to move in a direction parallel to the rotation shaft 310 by the third moving mechanism 308.

  The modeling stage 301 has a function of supporting the produced three-dimensional structure, and can be formed of a material such as metal, glass, or plastic. Although not shown, a heater that can heat the modeling stage 301 or a cooling device that can cool the modeling stage 301 may be provided under the modeling stage 301.

  The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 includes a relative movement mechanism control unit 330 that controls the operation of the relative movement mechanism 302. The relative movement mechanism control unit 330 controls the relative movement mechanism 302 generated from the three-dimensional data of the three-dimensional object. The operation of the relative movement mechanism 302 is controlled based on the data. Specifically, the relative movement mechanism 302 is configured to control a rotation amount and a rotation speed when the first movement mechanism 304 rotationally drives the modeling stage 301 in the in-plane direction of the modeling surface 301a. The relative movement mechanism 302 is configured to control the movement amount and movement speed when the second movement mechanism 306 moves the modeling stage 301 linearly in a direction parallel to the modeling surface 301a. Furthermore, the relative movement mechanism 302 is configured to control a movement amount and a movement speed when the third movement mechanism 308 linearly moves the modeling stage 301 in a direction perpendicular to the modeling surface 301a.

[4. operation]
By using the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 of this embodiment, a large three-dimensional structure can be produced in a short time. Hereinafter, the operation method will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8B is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the chain line CD in FIG.

  First, a modeling material is put into the cylinder 206 through the hopper 204 and the opening 222. The material for modeling is not particularly limited as long as it can model a three-dimensional model, but a material that melts by heating and solidifies by cooling and functions as a molding material is usually used. Specifically, a thermoplastic resin can be used because of its excellent formability, and examples thereof include polylactic acid, ABS resin, and thermoplastic elastomer. Examples of thermoplastic elastomers include urethane thermoplastic elastomers, polybutadiene thermoplastic elastomers, styrene / butadiene thermoplastic elastomers, and styrene / isoprene thermoplastic elastomers. As a thermoplastic resin, it is preferable that melting | fusing point is 40 to 200 degreeC, for example. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to this embodiment can improve the modeling speed even when a soft material such as a thermoplastic elastomer is used, and can be suitably used.

  The shape of the modeling material is not particularly limited, but is preferably a pellet shape from the viewpoint of ease of charging into the opening 222 and melting. The size of the modeling material is not particularly limited as long as it is a size that can be input from the opening 222, but the long side is usually 5 μm or more and 20 mm or less. In the three-dimensional modeling apparatus of this embodiment, since the shape and size of the modeling material can be selected as appropriate, the modeling material once discharged can be cut into an appropriate size and reused. is there.

  The inputted modeling material is melted and fluidized by the heater 220. Then, the motor 230 is driven to rotate the screw 224. At this time, the screw 224 does not move in the horizontal direction. Thereby, pressure is applied to the material for modeling melted by the spiral mountain 226, and the material for modeling is transported in the direction of the discharge unit 210. The modeling material filled in the discharge unit 210 is subsequently discharged from the discharge port 218 by the pressure generated by the rotation of the screw 224. At the same time, the motor 314 provided under the modeling stage 301 is driven to rotate the modeling stage 301. If necessary, the second moving mechanism 306 is operated to move the modeling stage 301 in the X-axis direction as indicated by an arrow in FIG. As described above, the relative movement mechanism control unit 330 is configured to control the operation of the relative movement mechanism 302 based on the control data of the relative movement mechanism 302 generated from the three-dimensional data of the three-dimensional structure. . The rotation speed, rotation direction, and movement speed and direction in the X-axis direction of the modeling stage 301 are adjusted, and the discharged modeling material is stacked (see FIGS. 8A and 8B). Since the height of the three-dimensional structure increases as the stacking of the modeling material proceeds, the distance between the discharge port 218 and the three-dimensional structure stacked on the modeling stage 301 is constant between 5 μm and 10 mm. The modeling stage 301 is moved along the direction of the rotation axis 310 using the third moving mechanism 308. Thereby, a three-dimensional structure can be produced. If necessary, solidification of the modeling material may be promoted by blowing a gas such as air from the blower 214 onto the three-dimensional structure and cooling the three-dimensional structure.

  In the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the three-dimensional structure can be formed on the modeling stage 301. The modeling stage 301 can rotate around the rotation axis 310. Therefore, a three-dimensional structure having a smooth curved shape can be formed. In contrast, when the modeling stage 301 is linearly moved in the X-axis and Y-axis directions within the modeling surface 301a without rotating the modeling stage 301, or the modeling stage 301 is fixed and the discharge unit 210 is set to X When modeling by moving in the axis-Y-axis direction, it is necessary to move the modeling stage 301 or the discharge unit 210 by combining movement in the X-axis direction and linear movement in the Y-axis direction in order to produce a curved shape. . In this case, since the motor such as the stepping motor for moving the modeling stage 301 and the discharge unit 210 has a large step angle of the rotation axis, the movement distance in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction with one-step axis rotation is relatively long large. For this reason, the curved shape is formed by a set of a plurality of straight lines, and the curved shape is expressed by fine irregularities. However, in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, a continuous rotational motion can be given to the modeling stage 301 without depending on the step angle of the motor, and thus a three-dimensional structure having a smooth curved shape is formed. be able to. Therefore, this method is suitable for forming a three-dimensional structure having many curved shapes such as a living organ or a plant model.

  The modeling stage 301 that can be rotated is moved at different speeds depending on the distance from the center. For example, when the rotational speed of the modeling stage 301 is constant, the movement speed is larger in the outer peripheral region than in the vicinity of the center, and the difference is proportional to the distance (radius) from the center. In order to stack the material at a uniform height on both the area moving at high speed and the area moving at low speed, adjust either the rotation speed of the modeling stage 301 or the discharge speed of the material or both. Done in By adjusting the rotation speed of the modeling stage 301 and the discharge speed of the material, each layer of the material can be formed at a uniform height over the entire region of the modeling stage 301.

  When adjusting the rotation speed of the modeling stage 301, for example, when discharging material near the end of the modeling stage 301, the rotation speed of the modeling stage 301 is set to maintain the amount of material discharged per unit area. Can be reduced. In this case, it is possible to improve the modeling accuracy by reducing the rotation speed of the modeling stage 301. On the other hand, in order to maintain the amount of the material discharged per unit area, the material discharge speed can be increased. In this case, it is possible to improve the modeling speed by increasing the material discharge speed. In particular, when producing a large three-dimensional structure, it is preferable to adjust the discharge rate of the material from the viewpoint of improving the modeling speed.

  However, in a conventional three-dimensional modeling apparatus that supplies a filament-like material having a diameter of about 1.75 mm to 3.0 mm to a hot end using an extruder, melts the filament, and sends it out, the supply amount of the material There is a limit. For example, if the rotation rate of the extruder roller is increased to increase the filament supply rate, it is difficult to balance the filament supply rate and the filament melting rate in the hot end, and the filament is sent out stably. I can't. Further, when the supply amount is increased, the filament consumption is inevitably increased, and therefore, the filament replacement frequency is increased and it is difficult to continuously form the three-dimensional structure. Moreover, since solidification of the modeling material discharged during filament replacement proceeds, even if the discharge is resumed and a new modeling material is laminated, the adhesion with the lower modeling material is reduced. Therefore, the conventional three-dimensional modeling apparatus has a limit in the supply amount of the modeling material.

  On the other hand, as described above, in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, by providing the material supply control unit 234, it is possible to easily control the discharge amount of the modeling material. The material supply control unit 234 changes the discharge amount of the material by controlling the rotational speed of the screw 224 of the sending unit 223 based on the sending unit control data generated from the three-dimensional data of the three-dimensional structure. be able to. Since the modeling material is previously melted in the cylinder 206 and discharged by the rotation of the screw 224, the amount of modeling material discharged can be easily controlled by controlling the rotational speed of the screw 224 of the delivery unit 223. Can do.

  Moreover, in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the start and stop of the modeling material discharge can be easily controlled by including the opening / closing mechanism control unit 236. The opening / closing mechanism control unit 236 controls the opening / closing operation of the pin 216 constituting the opening / closing mechanism at the discharge port 218 based on the control data of the material supply generated from the three-dimensional data of the three-dimensional modeled object. The discharge can be started and stopped.

  Furthermore, since the discharge amount does not depend on the shape of the modeling material, and is substantially determined by the size of the cylinder 206 and the screw 224, the number of rotations of the screw 224, and the like, the size of the cylinder 206 and the screw 224, and the screw 224 By increasing the rotation speed, a large discharge speed can be obtained. Furthermore, the modeling material can be supplied at any time without stopping the ejection of the modeling material. Therefore, by using the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to stack a sufficient amount of material on a region that moves at high speed, and a large three-dimensional structure can be formed in a short time.

  Conversely, when the modeling material is stacked near the rotation axis 310 of the modeling stage 301, the rotation speed of the modeling stage 301 can be increased in order to maintain the amount of material discharged per unit area. In this case, it is possible to improve the modeling speed by increasing the rotation speed of the modeling stage 301. On the other hand, in order to maintain the amount of material ejected per unit area, the material ejection speed can be reduced. In this case, it is possible to improve modeling accuracy by reducing the material discharge speed. In order to reduce the material discharge speed, for example, the material discharge amount may be reduced by reducing the rotational speed of the screw 224, for example. In particular, when producing a large three-dimensional structure, it is preferable to adjust the discharge rate of the material from the viewpoint of improving the modeling speed.

(Second Embodiment)
In this embodiment, the control method of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 described in the first embodiment will be described. Description of the contents described in the first embodiment may be omitted.

  First, three-dimensional data (3D data) of a three-dimensional structure is created (step 120). The 3D data is composed of, for example, vertices and line segments that express an outline, a wire frame that is a solid body that does not have a volume, a surface that is a solid body that does not have a thickness and does not have a volume, or a vertex. What is necessary is just to comprise with the solid etc. which are comprised with a line segment and a surface, and are solid with a volume. The 3D data may be created using software, or the target object may be scanned three-dimensionally to obtain 3D data. These data are stored in an STL (Standard Triangulated Language) format or an AMF (Active Manufacturing File) format.

  Next, 3D data is set (step 122). For example, 3D data is moved and rotated on a modeling table, and the position where material lamination is started is determined. At the same time, the filling rate inside the created three-dimensional structure is set, and if necessary, the support that becomes the support material of the material to be laminated, or the raft that is first formed on the modeling stage 301 in order to stably laminate the material Etc. may be set.

  Next, the 3D data is sliced and converted into a control code for controlling the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 (step 124). The control code is generally called a G code. The control code is generated based on the position at which the material is first discharged, the filling rate and size of the three-dimensional structure, and the like. When the obtained control code is generated based on the XY coordinates, it is converted into polar coordinates (r, θ) (step 126).

  Finally, the control code is converted into material supply control data for controlling the material supply control unit 234, opening / closing mechanism control data for controlling the opening / closing mechanism control unit 236, relative movement mechanism control data for controlling the relative movement mechanism 302, and the like. Based on the control data, the material supply control unit 234, the opening / closing mechanism control unit 236, the relative movement mechanism 302, and the like are controlled. (Step 128)

  Specific examples of the material supply control data for controlling the material supply control unit 234 include the number of rotations of the motor 230 that rotates the screw 224, the temperature that controls the temperature in the cylinder 206, and the like.

  Specific examples of the opening / closing mechanism control data for controlling the opening / closing mechanism control unit 236 include operation data of the actuator 217 that moves the pin 216 that opens and closes the discharge port 218 of the discharge unit 210.

  Specifically, as the relative movement mechanism control data for controlling the relative movement mechanism 302, the rotation amount of the motor 314 when the first movement mechanism 304 rotationally drives the modeling stage 301 in the in-plane direction of the modeling surface 301a. And the rotational speed, the rotation amount and rotational speed of the pulley when the second moving mechanism 306 linearly moves the modeling stage 301 in a direction parallel to the modeling surface 301a, and the third moving mechanism 308 includes the modeling surface. Examples include the rotation amount and rotation speed of a motor that rotates the shaft screw 320 when the modeling stage 301 is linearly moved in a direction perpendicular to 301a.

  Through the above steps, the production of the target three-dimensional structure on the modeling stage 301 is controlled.

(Third embodiment)
In the present embodiment, a rotation mechanism of the modeling stage 301 for producing a large three-dimensional structure in a shorter time will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the modeling stage 301 has two gears (a first gear 322 and a second gear 324) below it. The motor 314 is disposed at a position deviated from the rotation shaft 310 of the modeling stage 301, and two gears (a third gear 326 and a fourth gear 328) are provided on the rotation shaft of the motor 314. The number of teeth of the first gear 322 and the number of teeth of the second gear 324 are different from each other, and the number of teeth of the third gear 326 and the fourth gear 328 are also different from each other. The size of the first gear 322 and the size of the second gear 324 may be the same or different from each other, and the sizes of the third gear 326 and the fourth gear 328 may be the same or different from each other. Good. As shown in FIG. 10A, the distance between the first gear 322 and the second gear 324 and the distance between the third gear 326 and the fourth gear 328 may be different.

  As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, when the modeling stage 301 rotates, the combination of the first gear 322, the second gear 324, the third gear 326, and the fourth gear 328 is changed. Can do. For example, in FIG. 10A, the first gear 322 and the third gear 326 are combined, and the rotation of the third gear 326 is transmitted to the first gear 322, whereby the modeling stage 301 rotates. If a faster rotational speed is required, change the gear combination. That is, as shown in FIG. 10B, the combination of the first gear 322 and the third gear 326 is solved, the second gear 324 and the fourth gear 328 are combined, and the rotation of the fourth gear 328 is performed. The combination is changed so as to be transmitted to the second gear 324. The motor 314 can include a mechanism that alternates the combination.

  When the number of teeth is the smallest in the third gear 326, the second gear 324 and the fourth gear 328 are the same, and the first gear 322 is the largest, the combination illustrated in FIG. Even if the rotation shaft 314 rotates once and the third gear 326 rotates once, the modeling stage 301 cannot rotate once. On the other hand, in the combination shown in FIG. 10B, the second gear 324 and the fourth gear 328 also rotate once at the same time as the shaft of the motor 314 rotates once. That is, a larger rotation speed of the modeling stage 301 can be obtained by changing the gear ratio.

  Further, by changing the gear ratio, it is possible to obtain a smoother rotation particularly when the modeling stage 301 is rotated at a low speed.

  The combination of gears can be appropriately performed when the modeling materials are stacked. In the present embodiment, an example in which two gears are provided for each of the modeling stage 301 and the motor 314 is shown, but the number of gears is not limited, and three or more gears are respectively the modeling stage 301 and the motor 314. May be provided. The number of gears may be different from each other.

  The embodiments described above as the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in appropriate combination as long as they do not contradict each other. Based on each embodiment, those in which those skilled in the art appropriately added, deleted, or changed the design of components are also included in the scope of the present invention as long as they have the gist of the present invention.

  Of course, other operational effects that are different from the operational effects provided by the above-described embodiments, which are apparent from the description of the present specification or can be easily predicted by those skilled in the art, are naturally included in the present invention. It is understood that

  100: 3D modeling apparatus, 120: step, 122: step, 124: step, 126: step, 128: step, 200: material supply unit, 202: motor unit, 204: hopper, 206: cylinder, 208: protective cover, 210: Discharge part, 212: Connector, 214: Blower, 215: Opening / closing mechanism, 216: Pin, 217: Actuator, 218: Discharge port, 220: Heater, 222: Opening part, 223: Delivery part, 224: Screw, 226 : Mountain, 230: Motor, 232: Heater, 234: Material supply control unit, 236: Opening / closing mechanism control unit, 300: Modeling stage control unit, 301: Modeling stage, 301a: Modeling surface, 302: Stage relative movement mechanism, 304 : First moving mechanism, 306: second moving mechanism, 308: third moving 309: moving member, 310: rotating shaft, 312: gear, 314: motor, 316: pulley, 318: timing belt, 320: shaft screw, 322: first gear, 324: second gear, 326: Third gear, 328: Fourth gear, 330: Relative movement mechanism control unit, 400: Support base, 500: Frame

Claims (10)

A cylinder for storing a modeling material for modeling a three-dimensional model;
A delivery section for melting and delivering the modeling material disposed in the cylinder;
A modeling material supply unit having a discharge unit for discharging the modeling material delivered by the delivery unit;
A modeling stage having a modeling surface on which the modeling material discharged from the discharge unit is laminated,
A relative movement mechanism for relatively moving the modeling stage and the modeling material supply unit in three dimensions;
The relative movement mechanism is a three-dimensional modeling apparatus having a first movement mechanism configured such that the modeling stage rotates around an axis perpendicular to the modeling surface.   The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relative movement mechanism includes a second driving unit that linearly moves the modeling stage in a direction parallel to the modeling surface.   The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the relative movement mechanism includes a third driving unit that linearly moves the modeling stage in a direction perpendicular to the modeling surface. The discharge part has an opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the discharge port of the discharge part,
The open / close mechanism is configured to close the discharge port when stopping the discharge of the modeling material and open the discharge port when discharging the modeling material. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus in any one of. The opening / closing mechanism is constituted by a pin for closing the discharge port,
5. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the pin is configured to retract from the discharge port to open the discharge port and to approach the discharge port and close the discharge port.   The three-dimensional model | molding apparatus of Claim 1 which further has a transmission which changes the rotational speed of the said modeling stage under the said modeling stage. Furthermore, a relative movement mechanism control unit for controlling the operation of the relative movement mechanism is provided,
The said relative movement mechanism control part controls the operation | movement of the said relative movement mechanism based on the control data of the relative movement mechanism produced | generated from the three-dimensional data of a three-dimensional molded item. Solid modeling device. In addition, a material supply control unit for controlling the operation of the delivery unit,
The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the material supply control unit controls the operation of the sending unit based on material supply control data generated from three-dimensional data of the three-dimensional modeled object. Further, the discharge unit is provided with an opening / closing mechanism control unit for controlling opening / closing of the discharge port,
The three-dimensional model | molding apparatus in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 8 which controls the operation | movement of the said opening / closing mechanism based on the opening-and-closing mechanism control data produced | generated from the three-dimensional data of the three-dimensional molded item. A method for modeling a three-dimensional object using the three-dimensional object modeling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The manufacturing method of a three-dimensional molded item which laminates | stacks the modeling material discharged from the said discharge part on the modeling surface of the said modeling stage, and models a three-dimensional molded item.

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