JP2018052026A - Method for three-dimensional modeling - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for three-dimensional modeling that forms a high precision object even when parallel accuracy between a modeling stage and a roller.SOLUTION: The method for three-dimensional modeling forms an object by laminating a model material and a support material, and includes: 1) a step for forming a support layer on the upper face of a modeling stage 10, 2) a step for forming an object layer above the support layer. The step 1) includes: a) a step for forming the support layer at least an upper face of which is formed of the support material, and b) a step for flattening the upper face of the support layer. The step 2) includes: c) a step for forming the object layer 9 by discharging the model material and the support material above the support layer formed in the step 1), d) a step for flattening the upper face of the object layer 9, e) a step for removing the support material on the modeling stage 10 after repeating the step c) and the step d) one time or plural times.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a three-dimensional modeling method in which a model material and a support material are stacked to form a modeled object.

  In recent years, three-dimensional modeling techniques such as 3D printing are rapidly spreading. Modeled objects obtained by three-dimensional modeling are used for, for example, prototypes of industrial products, exhibits, and medical models. As a three-dimensional modeling method, an inkjet method, an optical modeling method, a powder method, and the like are known.

  Generally, an inkjet three-dimensional modeling apparatus forms a model material layer by ejecting a model material from an ejection head, and manufactures a modeled object having a specified three-dimensional shape by stacking the model material layers. . Specifically, the model material layer is formed by discharging an ultraviolet curable model material onto the modeling stage. Then, the model material layer is cured by irradiating the model material layer with ultraviolet rays. By repeating the discharging process of the model material and the ultraviolet irradiation process by the irradiation unit, a modeled object is formed on the modeling stage. The ink jet three-dimensional modeling technique is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

  The three-dimensional modeling system described in Patent Literature 1 includes a three-dimensional modeling apparatus that forms a three-dimensional modeled object, and a setting data creation apparatus that sends setting data to the three-dimensional modeling apparatus. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus includes a nozzle that discharges the model material and the support material, a roller unit that scrapes off the excess from the discharged modeling material and smoothes the surface, and a head unit that includes a curing unit that cures the modeling material, In order to discharge the modeling material to an appropriate position of the modeling plate, a horizontal driving unit that moves the head unit and a vertical driving unit that moves the relative position of the head unit and the modeling plate in the height direction are included.

  In addition, the setting data creation device includes an input unit that acquires three-dimensional data such as CAD data, a calculation unit that calculates an optimum position and orientation of an object according to the three-dimensional data, and an optimum position and optimum calculated by the calculation unit. Adjustment means for the user to finely adjust the orientation or manually adjust the desired position and orientation, and data for driving the 3D modeling apparatus according to the determined position and orientation are directed to the 3D modeling apparatus Output means for outputting.

JP 2012-096426 A

  In the three-dimensional modeling apparatus of Patent Document 1, the surface is smoothed by bringing the roller portion into contact with the surface of the discharged model material and support material and scraping off the surplus. However, if the upper surface of the modeling plate for laminating the model material and the support material and the roller portion are not arranged parallel to each other in the horizontal direction, the scraping amount varies in the initial stage of the lamination, and the lower surface is inclined. There is a risk that a shaped object with low accuracy may be formed.

  Generally, when forming a three-dimensional structure, high accuracy in units of μm is required. However, it is difficult to adjust the positional relationship between the modeling stage, the roller, and the like with high accuracy of μm only by mechanical adjustment.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and provides a three-dimensional modeling method capable of forming a modeled object with high accuracy even when the parallelism between the modeling stage and the roller is low. With the goal.

  In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is a three-dimensional modeling method in which a model material and a support material are stacked to form a modeled object, and 1) a step of forming a support layer on the upper surface of the modeling stage; 2) forming the model layer on top of the support layer, and the process 1) includes a) only the model material and the support material or the support material toward the modeling stage. A step of forming a support layer having at least an upper surface made of the support material, and b) contacting the upper surface of the support layer with an outer peripheral surface of the roller rotating at a predetermined height. A step of relatively moving the modeling stage in the horizontal direction to flatten the upper surface of the support layer, and the step 2) is performed before c) in the step 1). A step of discharging the model material and the support material to the upper part of the support layer to form a modeled object layer; and d) contacting the outer peripheral surface of the roller with the upper surface of the modeled object layer being in contact with the roller. The step of relatively moving the modeling stage to flatten the upper surface of the modeled object layer, e) performing the step c) and the step d) one or more times, and then performing the process on the modeling stage Removing the support material.

  The second invention of the present application is the three-dimensional modeling method of the first invention, wherein the height of the modeling stage is constant in the step 1).

  The third invention of the present application is the three-dimensional modeling method of the first invention or the second invention. In the step 2), each time the step c) and the step d) are executed, the modeling stage is moved downward. Move.

  4th invention of this application is the three-dimensional modeling method of any one invention from 1st invention to 3rd invention, Comprising: The lowest layer of the said support layer consists only of the said model material.

  5th invention of this application is the three-dimensional modeling method of any one invention from 1st invention to 3rd invention, Comprising: The lowest layer of the said support layer consists of the said model material and the said support material.

  6th invention of this application is the three-dimensional modeling method of any one invention from 1st invention to 5th invention, Comprising: In the said process 1), contact of the upper surface of the said support layer and the outer peripheral surface of the said roller is carried out. Presence / absence is determined based on an image obtained by the monitoring camera.

  According to the first to sixth inventions of the present application, by forming a support layer in advance on the upper surface of the modeling stage and bringing the support layer and the roller into contact with each other, the upper surface of the support layer is flat and parallel to the roller. By doing so, a highly accurate shaped article can be formed.

  Moreover, a modeling thing can be easily removed from a modeling stage by making at least the upper surface of the support layer interposed between a modeling stage and a modeling object into the layer which consists only of support materials.

It is the figure which showed the structure of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus. It is the figure which showed the structure of the lamination apparatus. It is a front view of a modeling stage, a raising / lowering mechanism, and a moving mechanism. It is a side view of a modeling stage, a raising / lowering mechanism, and a moving mechanism. It is the block diagram which showed the connection of a control part and each part in a lamination apparatus. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a modeling stage, a roller, and a support layer. It is the flowchart which showed the process of the three-dimensional modeling of an inkjet system. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the modeling stage and support layer which concern on a modification. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the modeling stage and support layer which concern on a modification.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this specification,
The positional relationship of each part of the modeling stage that reciprocates along the horizontal direction will be described with the forward direction being the front and the backward direction being the rear.

<1. Configuration of 3D modeling equipment>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 2 includes a carry-in device 3, a stacking device 1, a transport device 4, a cleaning device 5, and a carry-out device 6.

  The carry-in device 3 is a device that conveys a modeling stage 10 to be described later to the stacking device 1. The carry-in device 3 has a transport mechanism 301. The transport mechanism 301 is configured by, for example, a robot mechanism, a roller mechanism, or the like. However, the transport mechanism 301 may be configured by other mechanisms. When the modeling stage 10 is carried into the carry-in device 3 from the outside, the modeling stage 10 is carried to the stacking device 1 by the carrying mechanism 301. The configuration of the stacking apparatus 1 will be described later.

  The transport device 4 is a device that transports the modeling stage 10 from the stacking device 1 to the cleaning device 5. The transport device 4 has a transport mechanism 401. The transport mechanism 401 is configured by, for example, a robot mechanism, a roller mechanism, or the like. However, the transport mechanism 401 may be configured by other mechanisms. When the three-dimensional object including the material layer 9 is formed on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 by the laminating apparatus 1, the modeling stage 10 is transported to the cleaning device 5 by the transport mechanism 401.

  The cleaning device 5 is a device that removes the support material from the three-dimensional object composed of the material layer 9. The cleaning device 5 includes a treatment tank 501 filled with a chemical solution 502. When the modeling stage 10 is carried into the cleaning apparatus, the three-dimensional object is immersed in the chemical solution 502 of the processing tank 501. Thereby, the support material is removed from the three-dimensional object. As a result, a molded article 91 made of a model material is formed on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10. Thereafter, the modeling stage 10 is carried out of the apparatus by the transport mechanism 601 of the carry-out apparatus 6.

<2. Configuration of laminating apparatus>
Then, the structure of the lamination apparatus 1 is demonstrated. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of the laminating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. The laminating apparatus 1 is an apparatus that forms a three-dimensional object composed of a model material and a support material in the manufacturing process of the three-dimensional modeling 91. The model material and the support material of the present embodiment are both ultraviolet curable materials. The model material is a material that constitutes a target modeled object. The support material is a material that supports the model material in order to prevent the model material from collapsing or bending during the manufacturing of the modeled article. The three-dimensional object is formed by laminating a material layer 9 made of a support material and a model material. As will be described later, the material layer 9 includes a modeling object layer 90 for forming the modeling object 91 and a support layer 92 interposed between the modeling object layer 90 and the modeling stage 10.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the stacking apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a modeling stage 10, a discharge head 20, an irradiation unit 30, a roller 40, an elevating mechanism 50, a moving mechanism 60, and a control unit 80.

  The modeling stage 10 is a support base that supports the material layer 9. The modeling stage 10 has an upper surface that extends horizontally. As shown by the arrows and broken line arrows in FIG. 2, the modeling stage 10 is sequentially stacked and formed on the upper surface while moving in the front-rear direction and downward. Thereby, a three-dimensional object is formed on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10. In addition, in order to suppress reflection of ultraviolet rays described later, the surface of the modeling stage 10 may be subjected to an antireflection treatment such as a black film treatment or a black film sticking.

  The discharge head 20 forms the material layer 9 on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 by discharging the support material and the model material. The discharge head 20 is disposed above the modeling stage 10. In the present embodiment, the ejection head 20 includes a first ejection head 21 that ejects a model material and a second ejection head 22 that is disposed in front of the first ejection head 21 and ejects a support material. The first discharge head 21 selectively discharges droplets of a model material onto the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 that moves in the front-rear direction. The second ejection head 22 selectively ejects droplets of the support material onto the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 that moves in the front-rear direction.

  The irradiation unit 30 is a mechanism that irradiates the material layer 9 formed on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 with ultraviolet rays. The irradiation unit 30 has its irradiation timing and light emission intensity controlled by a control unit 80 described later. A UV lamp is used as the light source of the irradiation unit 30 of this embodiment. However, a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp, an LED lamp, or the like may be used as the light source of the irradiation unit 30. As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, one irradiation unit 30 is arranged near the center in the front-rear direction of the stacking apparatus 1. Specifically, one irradiation unit 30 is disposed above the modeling stage 10 and between the first ejection head 21 and the second ejection head 22.

  The roller 40 is a rotating body having a cylindrical outer peripheral surface. As the material of the roller 40, for example, a metal such as SUS having a hardness higher than that of the material layer 9 is used. As shown in FIG. 2, the roller 40 of the present embodiment includes a first roller 41 disposed behind the first ejection head 21, and a second disposed between the irradiation unit 30 and the second ejection head 22. And a roller 42. As shown in FIG. 2, the roller 40 is supported so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft extending horizontally. In the present embodiment, two rollers 40 are provided. However, the number of rollers 40 may be one or three or more.

  For example, the roller 40 is connected to a drive source such as a motor (not shown). And if the said motor is driven, the roller 40 will rotate centering around a rotating shaft with the output shaft of the said motor. As will be described later, after the model material and the support material are discharged toward the modeling stage 10, the upper surface of the laminated material layer 9 is flattened by the roller 40. When performing the flattening process, the modeling stage 10 is moved in the front-rear direction, and the roller 40 is rotated while the roller 40 is in contact with the upper surface of the material layer 9. Thereby, the upper surface of the material layer 9 is planarized.

  The lifting mechanism 50 is a mechanism that moves the modeling stage 10 up and down. FIG. 3 is a front view of the modeling stage 10, the lifting mechanism 50 and the moving mechanism 60. FIG. 4 is a side view of the modeling stage 10, the lifting mechanism 50 and the moving mechanism 60. The lifting mechanism 50 of the present embodiment uses a mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the motor into a straight motion via a ball screw. The modeling stage 10 is supported on the holding unit 51. The holding portion 51 is attached to the ball screw so as to mesh with a spiral screw groove provided on the outer peripheral surface of the ball screw. When a motor (not shown) is driven, the ball screw rotates about its axis. Thereby, the holding | maintenance part 51 and the modeling stage 10 move to an up-down direction along a ball screw. However, another mechanism such as a linear motor may be used for the lifting mechanism 50.

  The moving mechanism 60 is a mechanism that reciprocates the modeling stage 10 in the front-rear direction. A linear motor mechanism is used for the moving mechanism 60 of the present embodiment. The moving mechanism 60 includes a guide 61, a drive unit 62, and a connection unit 63. The connection unit 63 connects the drive unit 62 and the casing of the lifting mechanism 50. When the linear motor is driven, the drive unit 62 moves back and forth along the guide 61. Thereby, the elevating mechanism 50 and the modeling stage 10 connected to the driving unit 62 move in the front-rear direction along the guide 61 as a unit. However, other mechanisms such as a ball screw may be used for the moving mechanism 60.

  The control unit 80 is means for controlling the operation of each unit in the stacking apparatus 1. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing connections between the control unit 80 and each unit in the stacking apparatus 1. As conceptually shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 80 is configured by a computer having an arithmetic processing unit 81 such as a CPU, a memory 82 such as a RAM, and a storage unit 83 such as a hard disk drive. In the storage unit 83, a computer program P for executing each process by the stacking apparatus 1 is installed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 80 is communicably connected to the ejection head 20, the irradiation unit 30, the roller 40, the lifting mechanism 50, and the moving mechanism 60. The control unit 80 temporarily reads the computer program P and data stored in the storage unit 83 into the memory 82, and the arithmetic processing unit 81 performs arithmetic processing based on the computer program P, whereby each of the above-described units is performed. Control the operation. Thereby, the conveyance process of the modeling stage 10, the discharge process of the model material and the support material, the ultraviolet irradiation process, and the flattening process proceed.

<3. Composition of material layer>
Next, the configuration of the material layer 9 will be described. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the modeling stage 10, the roller 40, and the support layer 92 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the laminating apparatus 1 forms a support layer 92 in advance between the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 and a modeled object layer 90 for forming a modeled object 91.

  As will be described later, when the support layer 92 is formed on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10, the modeling stage 10 is moved in the front-rear direction while the support layer 92 and the roller 40 are in contact with each other. Thereby, the upper surface of the support layer 92 is made flat and parallel to the roller 40. Then, the modeled object layer 90 is formed on the support layer 92, and the modeled object layer 90 is planarized using the roller 40 parallel to the upper surface of the support layer 92. Thereby, the modeling thing 91 with high precision can be formed.

  Note that the support layer 92 is formed by discharging one or more support agents on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 and performing a planarization process and an ultraviolet irradiation process. However, the support layer 92 may be formed by discharging not only the support material but also the model material in addition to the support material onto the modeling stage 10. However, the uppermost layer including at least the upper surface of the support layer 92 is formed of only the support material. The upper surface of the support layer 92 is a surface that contacts the lower surface of the modeled object layer 90. By bringing a support material that can be easily removed using a cleaning liquid or the like into contact with the entire lower surface of the modeled object layer 90, it becomes easy to finally remove the modeled article 91 from the modeling stage 10.

<4. Lamination process>
Next, the lamination process by the above-described lamination apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the process of the three-dimensional modeling process. When performing the three-dimensional modeling process, first, design data of each layer of the material layer 9 is prepared. Then, based on the design data, the support layer 92 is first formed on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10, and the modeled object layer 90 is formed on the support layer 92.

  When the modeling object layer 90 is stacked, the modeling stage 10 is moved downward each time the modeling stage 10 is reciprocated in the front-rear direction. However, when the support layer 92 is stacked, the support layer 92 is stacked on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 in a state where the modeling stage 10 is not lowered and maintained at a predetermined height. In the control unit 80, the number of times of stacking “N” until the upper surface of the support layer 92 contacts the roller 40 is set in advance. However, during the stacking process of the support layer 92, the modeling stage 10 may be lowered once or more.

<4-1. Support layer lamination process>
The process of forming the support layer 92 on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 will be specifically described. As shown in FIG. 7, first, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 from the rear end (see FIG. 2), which is the start position, toward the front. Then, the modeling stage 10 passes below the first roller 41. At this stage, the modeling stage 10 passes below the first roller 41 without contacting the outer peripheral surface of the first roller 41. Subsequently, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further forward, and passes below the first ejection head 21, below the irradiation unit 30, and below the second roller 42. At this stage, the droplet of the model material is not discharged toward the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 and the ultraviolet ray is not irradiated by the irradiation unit 30. Further, it does not contact the outer peripheral surface of the second roller 42.

  Subsequently, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further forward and passes below the second ejection head 22. Then, the second ejection head 22 ejects droplets of the support material toward the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 that passes below (step S1). As a result, one support material layer of the support layer 92 is formed. When the support material layer for one layer is formed, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 to the front end.

  Next, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 backward, and again passes below the second ejection head 22. The second ejection head 22 ejects droplets of the support material toward the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 that passes below (step S2). As a result, a second support material layer is formed.

  Subsequently, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further rearward. Then, the modeling stage 10 passes below the second roller 42. When the number of times of stacking “N” until the upper surface of the support layer 92 contacts the roller 40 is greater than 2, the modeling stage 10 moves below the second roller 42 without contacting the outer peripheral surface of the second roller 42. Pass (step S3).

  Subsequently, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further rearward and passes below the irradiation unit 30. The irradiation unit 30 irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the modeling stage 10 that passes below (step S4). Thereby, the two layers of the support material formed on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 are cured.

  Subsequently, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further to the rear, and passes below the first ejection head 21 and below the first roller 41. At this stage, the droplet of the model material is not discharged toward the upper surface of the modeling stage 10. Further, when the number of times of lamination “N” until the upper surface of the support layer 92 contacts the roller 40 is greater than 2, the modeling stage 10 does not contact the outer peripheral surface of the first roller 41 and the first roller 41 Pass below.

  Next, the control unit 80 checks whether or not there is a next support material layer to be laminated (step S5). If there is a next support material layer to be laminated, the process returns to step S1 and the steps of steps S1 to S4 are repeated to further laminate the support material layer.

  When N layers of support materials are stacked on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10, when the modeling stage 10 moves backward by the moving mechanism 60, the upper surface of the support material layer and the outer peripheral surface of the second roller 42 Touch. As a result, the upper surface of the support material layer is flattened by the second roller 42 (step S3). At this time, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2, the second roller 42 rotates in a direction opposite to the backward movement direction of the modeling stage 10. Thereby, the layer of support material can be effectively planarized.

  In this way, the modeling stage 10 is moved relative to the roller 40 in the horizontal direction while the upper surface of the support material layer is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roller 40 rotating at a predetermined height. By flattening the upper surface, the formation of the support layer 92 is completed. Thereafter, the modeling stage 10 is returned to the rear end by the moving mechanism 60.

  In the present embodiment, the number of times of lamination “N” until the upper surface of the support layer 92 contacts the roller 40 is set in advance. However, whether or not the upper surface of the support layer 92 has contacted the roller 40 in the process of repeating steps S1 to S4 may be determined based on an image obtained by the monitoring camera. For example, the control unit 80 may automatically determine the presence or absence of contact based on an image obtained by a monitoring camera, and determine whether or not the step of forming the support layer 92 has been completed.

<4-2. About the lamination process of the modeled object layer>
Next, the process of forming the molded article layer 90 on the support layer 92 will be specifically described.

  After the support layer 92 is formed, the elevating mechanism 50 moves the modeling stage 10 by the height of two layers of the modeling object layer 90 until the support layer 92 does not contact the first roller 41 and the second roller 42. Lower (step S6). Then, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 from the rear end toward the front. Then, the modeling stage 10 passes below the first roller 41. Here, the modeling stage 10 is lowered by the height of two layers of the modeled object layer 90. For this reason, the modeling stage 10 and the support layer 92 pass below the first roller 41 without contacting the outer peripheral surface of the first roller 41. Then, the first discharge head 21 discharges the droplet of the model material toward the upper surface of the support layer 92 that passes below based on the design data (step S7). Thereby, one layer of model material corresponding to the shape of the design data is formed.

  Subsequently, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further forward and passes below the irradiation unit 30. The irradiation unit 30 irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the modeling stage 10 that passes below (step S8). Thereby, the model material layer formed on the upper surface of the support layer 92 is cured.

  Subsequently, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further forward. Then, the modeling stage 10 passes below the second roller 42. Here, the modeling stage 10 is lowered by the height of two layers of the modeled object layer 90. Therefore, the model material layer for one layer formed on the upper surface of the support layer 92 passes below the second roller 42 without contacting the outer peripheral surface of the second roller 42.

  Subsequently, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further forward and passes below the second ejection head 22. Based on the design data, the second ejection head 22 ejects droplets of the support material toward the upper surface of the support layer 92 that passes below (step S9). As a result, one layer of support material corresponding to the shape of the design data is formed. When the support material layer for one layer is formed, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 to the front end.

  Next, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 backward, and again passes below the second ejection head 22. Based on the design data, the second discharge head 22 discharges droplets of the support material toward the upper surface of the support layer 92 that passes below (step S10). As a result, a second support material layer corresponding to the shape of the design data is formed.

  Subsequently, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further rearward. As a result, the upper surface of the second support material layer and the outer peripheral surface of the second roller 42 come into contact with each other. As a result, the upper surface of the support material layer is flattened by the second roller 42 (step S11). At this time, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2, the second roller 42 rotates in a direction opposite to the backward movement direction of the modeling stage 10. Thereby, the layer of support material can be effectively planarized. In this way, the modeling stage 10 is moved relative to the second roller 42 while bringing the upper surface of the support material layer for two layers into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the second roller 42, thereby supporting the support material for two layers. The upper surface of the layer is planarized.

  Subsequently, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further rearward and again passes below the irradiation unit 30. The irradiation unit 30 irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the modeling stage 10 passing below (step S12). As a result, the two support material layers formed on the upper surface of the support layer 92 are cured.

  Subsequently, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further rearward, and again passes below the first ejection head 21. Based on the design data, the first ejection head 21 ejects droplets of the model material toward the upper surface of the support layer 92 that passes below (step S13). As a result, a second model material layer corresponding to the shape of the design data is formed.

  Subsequently, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further rearward. As a result, the upper surface of the second model material layer and the outer peripheral surface of the first roller 41 come into contact with each other. As a result, the upper surface of the model material layer is flattened by the first roller 41 (step S14). At this time, as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2, the first roller 41 rotates in a direction opposite to the backward movement direction of the modeling stage 10. Thereby, the model material layer can be effectively flattened. In this way, the modeling stage 10 is moved relative to the first roller 41 while the upper surface of the layer of the model material for two layers is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the first roller 41, so that the model material for two layers is obtained. The upper surface of the layer is planarized. When the model material layer is flattened, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 to the rear end.

  Next, the control unit 80 checks whether or not there is a next model material or support material layer to be laminated (step S15). If there is a next layer to be stacked, the process returns to step S <b> 6, and the lifting mechanism 50 lowers the modeling stage 10 by the height of two layers of the modeling object layer 90. Thus, whenever the process of step S7 to S14 is performed, the modeling stage 10 is moved below. And each layer of the molded article layer 90 is further laminated | stacked by repeating the process of step S7-S14.

  On the other hand, when the lamination of all the layers of the modeled object layer 90 is completed, the elevating mechanism 50 lowers the modeled stage 10 to a height at which the modeled object layer 90 does not contact the first roller 41 and the second roller 42. (Step S16). Then, the moving mechanism 60 moves the modeling stage 10 further forward and passes below the irradiation unit 30. The irradiation unit 30 irradiates ultraviolet rays toward the modeling stage 10 passing below (step S17). Thereby, the last model material layer formed on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 is cured. As a result, a three-dimensional object that is a multilayer body including the model material and the support material is formed on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10.

  Thereafter, the three-dimensional object is moved to the cleaning device 5, and the three-dimensional object is immersed in the cleaning liquid. As a result, the support material is removed from the multilayer body including the model material and the support material (step S18). If it does so, only the part of a model material will remain among a model material and a support material, and the modeling thing 91 of the shape according to design data will be obtained. In addition, the modeling object 91 can be easily separated from the modeling stage 10 by having the support layer 92 having at least the upper surface made of only the support material between the modeling object layer 90 and the modeling stage 10.

  As described above, in the laminating apparatus 1, the support layer 92 is first formed on the upper surface of the modeling stage 10, and after the upper surface of the support layer 92 is planarized by the roller 40, the modeled object layer 90 is formed. For this reason, even if the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 is inclined with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the roller 40, the upper surface of the support layer 92 is formed in parallel with the outer peripheral surface of the roller 40. That is, errors in parallelism between the upper surface of the modeling stage 10 and the outer peripheral surface of the roller 40 are offset by forming the support layer 92. Therefore, the modeled object layer 90 can be formed on a surface parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the roller 40. In this way, the bottom surface of the model 91 is not inclined, and the model 91 with high accuracy can be formed.

  Further, in the laminating apparatus 1, the support material and the model material can be cured by the single irradiation unit 30 disposed between the first ejection head 21 and the second ejection head 22. Therefore, the number of expensive irradiation parts can be suppressed. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the laminating apparatus and the three-dimensional modeling apparatus can be reduced. Furthermore, the stacking apparatus and the three-dimensional modeling apparatus can be reduced in size.

  Further, in this laminating apparatus 1, after two layers of model material or support material are formed, the flattening process is performed only on the return path of the modeling stage 10. Thereby, the roller 40 between the 1st discharge head 21 and the irradiation part 30 is omissible. Further, the roller 40 in front of the second ejection head 22 can be omitted. For this reason, the number of rollers 40 of the laminating apparatus 1 can be suppressed. As a result, the stacking apparatus 1 can be reduced in size. Moreover, the manufacturing cost of the laminating apparatus 1 can be reduced. Furthermore, the number of times of flattening processing by the roller 40 can be suppressed. For this reason, the frequency | count of maintenance of the roller 40 by chemical | medical solution washing | cleaning etc. can be reduced. As a result, the manufacturing cost of a model can be reduced.

  In steps S11 and S14, the flattening process is performed only when the modeling stage 10 is moved backward. For this reason, the surface of the material layer 9 can be effectively flattened without changing the rotation direction of the roller 40. As a result, the control in the three-dimensional modeling process can be simplified.

  Note that the ultraviolet irradiation processing in steps S4, S8, and S12 may be appropriately performed when the modeling stage 10 passes under the irradiation unit 30, and is not necessarily performed every time it passes. Further, the order of the planarization process and the ultraviolet irradiation process may be changed. As a good example, it is desirable to perform the ultraviolet irradiation process immediately after the model material or the support material discharged onto the modeling stage 10 is flattened by the roller 40.

<5. Modification>
As mentioned above, although main embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to said embodiment.

  FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the modeling stage 10B and the support layer 92B according to the modification. The support layer 92B may be formed using a model material in addition to the support material. In the example of FIG. 8, the lowermost layer 920B including the lower surface of the support layer 92B in contact with the upper surface of the modeling stage 10B is formed using a model material (shown in black in FIG. 8). As described above, by providing the model material layer between the support layer 92B and the modeling stage 10B, even when the support layer 92B is heated, the support layer 92B is formed by the curing or contraction of the support material. It can suppress that it peels from.

  FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modeling stage 10C and a support layer 92C according to a modification. As shown in FIG. 9, the layer 921C including the lower surface of the support layer 92C may be formed using a model material (shown in black in FIG. 9) and a support material. For example, when viewed from above the modeling stage 10C, the model material and the support material may be alternately arranged at a position where the pattern or the check pattern can be seen. In this way, even when the support layer 92C is heated, it is possible to prevent the support layer 92C from being peeled off from the modeling stage 10C due to curing or shrinkage of the support material.

  In the above embodiment, the first head that discharges the model material is disposed behind the second head that discharges the support material. However, the first head may be disposed in front of the second head. The number of first heads and second heads may be plural.

  In the above embodiment, the number of irradiation units is one. However, the number of irradiation units may be two or more.

  In the above embodiment, the model material is an ultraviolet curable material. However, the model material may be an energy curable material that is cured by energy other than ultraviolet rays, such as heat, infrared rays, laser, and X-rays. And an irradiation part may irradiate energy rays, such as a heat | fever, infrared rays, a laser, and an X-ray | X_line. Furthermore, the model material and the support material may be materials having thermoplasticity.

  Further, the detailed shape and structure of the laminating apparatus and the three-dimensional modeling apparatus may be different from the shapes and structures shown in the drawings of the present application. Moreover, you may combine suitably each element which appeared in said embodiment and modification in the range which does not produce inconsistency.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Laminating apparatus 2 Three-dimensional modeling apparatus 3 Carrying-in apparatus 4 Conveying apparatus 5 Cleaning apparatus 6 Unloading apparatus 9 Material layer 10, 10B, 10C Modeling stage 20 Discharge head 21 1st discharge head 22 2nd discharge head 30 Irradiation part 40 Roller 41 1st 1 roller 42 second roller 50 lifting mechanism 51 holding unit 60 moving mechanism 61 guide 62 drive unit 63 connection unit 80 control unit 81 arithmetic processing unit 82 memory 83 storage unit 90 modeling object layer 91 modeling object 92, 92B, 92C support layer 301 Transport mechanism 401 Transport mechanism 501 Processing tank 502 Chemical solution 601 Transport mechanism P Computer program

Claims (6)

A three-dimensional modeling method in which a model material and a support material are stacked to form a modeled object,
1) forming a support layer on the upper surface of the modeling stage;
2) forming the shaped article layer on the support layer;
Have
The step 1)
a) discharging only the model material and the support material or the support material toward the modeling stage, and forming a support layer having at least an upper surface made of the support material;
b) The upper surface of the support layer is moved relative to the roller in a horizontal direction while bringing the upper surface of the support layer into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roller rotating at a predetermined height, A planarization step;
Have
The step 2)
c) discharging the model material and the support material to the upper part of the support layer formed in the step 1) to form a shaped article layer;
d) The step of flattening the upper surface of the modeled object layer by moving the modeling stage relative to the roller while bringing the upper surface of the modeled object layer into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the roller;
e) a step of removing the support material on the modeling stage after performing the step c) and the step d) one or more times;
A three-dimensional modeling method. The three-dimensional modeling method according to claim 1,
A three-dimensional modeling method in which the height of the modeling stage is constant in the step 1). The three-dimensional modeling method according to claim 1 or 2,
In the step 2), a three-dimensional modeling method in which the modeling stage is moved downward each time the step c) and the step d) are executed. It is the three-dimensional modeling method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The three-dimensional modeling method, wherein the lowermost layer of the support layer is made of only the model material. It is the three-dimensional modeling method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The three-dimensional modeling method, wherein the lowermost layer of the support layer includes the model material and the support material. It is the three-dimensional modeling method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
In the step 1), a three-dimensional modeling method in which the presence or absence of contact between the upper surface of the support layer and the outer peripheral surface of the roller is determined based on an image obtained by a monitoring camera.

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