JP2020001283A - Molding system, information processor, molding device, method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a molding system, an information processor, a molding device, a method and a program for molding a three-dimensional object of a desired shape.SOLUTION: A molding system for molding a three-dimensional object includes: a molding prediction part 322 configured to predict a shape of a three-dimensional object to be molded according to molding data; an interface shape evaluation part 323 configured to evaluate a shape of an interface between a body part and a support part of the three-dimensional object predicted by the molding prediction part 322; and a data correction part 324 configured to correct at least one of model data and a molding condition of the three-dimensional object according to an evaluation result of the interface shape evaluation part 323.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a molding system, an information processing device, a molding device, a method, and a program.

  A modeling apparatus for producing a three-dimensional model based on input three-dimensional shape data (model data) has been developed. In addition, various techniques have been proposed to improve the modeling accuracy of a three-dimensional model.

  For example, in the case of a three-dimensional structure in which the lower structure is not formed and there is a portion where the upper structure protrudes (hereinafter, referred to as “overhang portion”), the overhang portion descends by its own weight, and the three-dimensional structure It is common to provide a support part separately from the main body part of the three-dimensional modeled object because there is a possibility that the external shape of the three-dimensional object is collapsed.

  For the support part, different molding materials are often used for the main body part and the support part in order to improve the removability from the main body part after molding. Japanese Patent No. 5830327 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for reducing the discharge amount of a molding material in order to improve the flatness of a different material interface between a main body portion and a support portion.

  However, the technique described in Patent Literature 1 has a problem that a gap is easily generated between different kinds of materials because the control to reduce the discharge amount of the modeling material is performed, and the outer shape of the three-dimensional model is still collapsed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems in the related art, and has an object to provide a molding system, an information processing device, a molding device, a method, and a program for molding a three-dimensional object having a desired shape.

That is, according to the present invention, it is a modeling system for modeling a three-dimensional model,
Prediction means for predicting the shape of a three-dimensional modeled object based on the modeling data,
Evaluation means for evaluating the shape of the boundary surface between the main body portion and the support portion of the three-dimensional object predicted by the prediction means,
Correction means for correcting at least one of the model data and the molding condition of the three-dimensional object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a modeling system, an information processing apparatus, a modeling apparatus, a method, and a program for modeling a three-dimensional molded article having a desired shape are provided.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of hardware of an entire molding system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration included in the modeling apparatus and the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a software block diagram included in the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. The figure which shows the example which models the three-dimensional molded item which has an overhang part. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a data flow of a process according to the embodiment. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the information processing apparatus according to the embodiment. 4 is an example of a correspondence coordinate table.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. In each of the drawings referred to below, the same reference numerals are used for common elements, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an entire molding system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates, as an example, a modeling system 100 in which a modeling apparatus 110 and an information processing apparatus 120 are connected via various networks such as the Internet and a LAN. The number of modeling apparatuses 110 and information processing apparatuses 120 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1, and the number of modeling apparatuses 110 included in the modeling system 100 is not limited. The modeling device 110 and the information processing device 120 may be directly connected without going through a network. The modeling device 110 may include some of the functions included in the information processing device 120, or may include all of the functions included in the information processing device 120.

  The modeling device 110 is a device that executes a modeling process. For example, it receives modeling data for modeling a desired three-dimensional modeled object from the information processing apparatus 120 via a network, and executes a modeling process.

  Various shaping methods have been proposed for three-dimensional shaping. For example, FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication, hot melt filament manufacturing method), SLS (Selective Laser Sintering, powder sintering and layering method), MJ (Material Jetting, material jetting) ), EBM (Electron Beam Melting), SLA (Stereolithography Apparatus, stereolithography), and the like. The embodiment of the present invention can be applied regardless of the shaping method, but is particularly effective for a shaping method that requires the formation of a support portion in the forming process.

  Although the configuration of the modeling apparatus 110 varies depending on the modeling method, for example, in the case of the FFF method, it includes a heating mechanism for melting the modeling material, a nozzle for discharging the modeling material, and the like. Hereinafter, a case where the present invention is applied to the FFF system will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment.

  The information processing device 120 is a control device that controls various processes executed by the modeling device 110. Examples of the information processing device 120 include a server device and a personal computer terminal. In addition, the information processing apparatus 120 performs creation of model data as data indicating the shape of the three-dimensional object to be modeled, conversion of the model data into a format that can be processed by the modeling apparatus 110, setting of modeling conditions of the modeling apparatus 110, and the like. be able to. The molding conditions include, for example, nozzle temperature, lower surface temperature (build plate), environmental temperature (air, inside the chamber), nozzle movement speed, material discharge speed, tool path (how to draw nozzle trajectory), lamination thickness (one layer) Height), material properties (Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, rigidity (transverse elastic modulus), linear expansion coefficient, density, specific heat, thermal conductivity, etc.).

  Next, hardware configuring the modeling system 100 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration included in the modeling apparatus 110 and the information processing apparatus 120 according to the present embodiment. 2A illustrates the hardware configuration of the modeling apparatus 110, and FIG. 2B illustrates the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 120.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the modeling apparatus 110 includes a CPU 211, a RAM 212, a ROM 213, an interface 214, a modeling unit 215, and a shape sensor 216. Each hardware is connected via a bus. The modeling device 110 may include a storage device corresponding to the HDD 225 described later.

  The CPU 211 is a device that executes a program for controlling the operation of the modeling device 110 and performs a predetermined process. The RAM 212 is a volatile storage device for providing an execution space for a program executed by the CPU 211, and is used for storing and expanding programs and data. The ROM 213 is a non-volatile storage device for storing programs executed by the CPU 211, firmware, and the like.

  The interface 214 is, for example, a communication interface for connecting to the information processing device 120, a network, an external storage device, and the like. The modeling apparatus 110 can transmit and receive various data such as control data of a modeling operation, model data of a three-dimensional modeled object, and set modeling conditions via an interface 214.

  The modeling unit 215 is a device for modeling a three-dimensional model by molding a modeling material into a desired shape. The shaping unit 215 includes a head, a stage, and the like, and is configured according to a shaping method.

  Next, a hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 120 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2B, the information processing device 120 includes a CPU 221, a RAM 222, a ROM 223, an interface 224, and an HDD 225. Each hardware is connected via a bus. Note that the CPU 221, the RAM 222, the ROM 223, and the interface 224 correspond to the hardware of the modeling apparatus 110 described above, and thus description thereof will be omitted.

  The HDD 225 is a readable and writable non-volatile storage device that stores an OS for operating the information processing apparatus 120, various applications, setting information, various data, and the like. The HDD 225 may store data such as an application for controlling the operation of the modeling apparatus 110, model data, and modeling conditions. Note that the HDD 225 is an example of a storage device, and may be another storage device, for example, a storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive).

  Next, functional units executed by hardware included in the modeling system 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a software block diagram included in the modeling system 100 of the present embodiment.

  In the present embodiment, the modeling apparatus 110 includes a modeling unit 311 that executes a modeling operation based on modeling data. The modeling unit 311 models the three-dimensional model having a desired shape by controlling the modeling unit 215.

  The information processing device 120 includes a modeling data generation unit 321, a modeling prediction unit 322, a boundary shape evaluation unit 323, and a data correction unit 324.

  The modeling data generation unit 321 is a unit that generates modeling data as data obtained by converting model data into a format that can be processed by the modeling apparatus 110. The molding data is generated based on the model data and the setting data of the molding condition. For example, the shaping data includes various information such as a shaping material to be used, a discharge nozzle, and a tool path for shaping a shaping layer, and is output in a form called GCode as slice data obtained by dividing a three-dimensional shaping object horizontally. . Note that the model data may be created on the information processing device 120, or model data created by another device may be input to the information processing device 120.

  In addition, the modeling data generation unit 321 may appropriately add a support unit according to the shape of the three-dimensional modeled object. For example, when an overhang portion is included in the three-dimensional structure, the formation data generation unit 321 can generate the formation data to which a support unit that supports the overhang portion is added. Hereinafter, the structure forming the three-dimensional structure is distinguished into a “main body” and a “support” for convenience.

  The modeling predicting unit 322 is means for predicting what shape of a three-dimensional model is to be formed when model data is modeled based on the set modeling conditions. The prediction result of the modeling prediction unit 322 is output as prediction data. Note that the modeling prediction unit 322 may predict the shape of a three-dimensional modeled object based on the modeling data acquired from the modeling data generation unit 321.

  The boundary shape evaluation unit 323 is means for evaluating the state of the predicted shape of the boundary between the main body and the support of the three-dimensional structure. The boundary shape evaluation unit 323 compares the prediction data with the model data, and determines whether or not the difference in the shape of the boundary is larger than a threshold. When the difference is larger than the threshold value, the evaluation data is output to the data correction unit 324 in order to correct the model data, the molding condition, and the like. The evaluation data includes a correction parameter for appropriately forming the boundary surface shape.

  The data correction unit 324 is a unit that corrects model data, molding conditions, and the like based on the evaluation data. The corrected data is output to the modeling device 110. The data correction unit 324 corrects the modeling data as a result of correcting the model data and the molding conditions. However, the data correction unit 324 may be configured to directly correct and output the modeling data. Further, based on the model data or the shaping condition corrected by the data correcting unit 324, the shaping predicting unit 322 may predict the shape of the three-dimensional structure to be formed again and evaluate the predicted data.

  The above-described software blocks correspond to functional units realized by causing the CPUs 211 and 221 to execute the programs of the present embodiment to cause the hardware to function. Further, all of the functional units described in the embodiments may be implemented by software, or some or all of them may be implemented as hardware that provides equivalent functions. Further, all of the above-described functional units do not necessarily have to be included in the configuration as shown in FIG. 3. In another preferred embodiment, each of the functional units is provided between the modeling device 110 and the information processing device 120. It may be realized by cooperation.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of forming a three-dimensional structure having an overhang portion OH. In the present embodiment, a case where a three-dimensional structure having the shape shown in FIG. 4 is formed will be described as an example. In FIG. 4, the main body portion M is shown in a light color, and the support portion S is shown in a dark color. FIG. 4A shows a three-dimensional structure having a desired shape, and has an overhang portion OH such as a region surrounded by a broken line. In order to form a three-dimensional object having such a shape, it is preferable to add a support portion S in order to prevent the overhang portion OH from dropping during the molding process.

  FIG. 4B shows a three-dimensional structure formed by adding the support portion S. As shown in FIG. 4B, the support portion S is formed below the overhang portion OH. By providing the support portion S, the body portion M can restrict the descent of the overhang portion OH, and can be a three-dimensional structure having a desired shape.

  On the other hand, if the overhang portion OH is formed with the shaping accuracy of the support portion S being low and the outer shape is broken, the outer shape of the main body portion M may be affected. For example, as shown in FIG. 4C, when the flatness of the upper surface of the support portion S is impaired, the shape of the overhang portion OH of the main body portion M that is in contact with the corresponding portion is also broken. Further, if the upper layer of the main body portion M is further formed while the shape of the overhang portion OH is collapsed, the collapse of the shape spreads to the upper layer, and as a result, the entire outer shape of the main body portion M collapses.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, before modeling a three-dimensional molded object, the shapes of the main body M and the support S are predicted by simulation, and it is determined whether the shape of the boundary surface between the main body M and the support S is appropriate. evaluate.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data flow of processing according to the present embodiment. The modeling data generation unit 321 receives model data and modeling condition data of a three-dimensional molded object. The shaping data generation unit 321 generates shaping data for shaping a three-dimensional object having a shape according to the model data under the set shaping conditions. The shaping data includes shaping data for shaping the support unit S as needed. For example, when the desired three-dimensional structure has an overhang portion OH, it is preferable that the support portion S is added to perform modeling.

  The modeling data is output to the modeling prediction unit 322. The modeling prediction unit 322 simulates what shape of a three-dimensional model is formed when the modeling is performed based on the modeling data. As an example of the simulation method, the shape related to the molding data is divided into fine polyhedral objects and generated as a polygon mesh. Then, the shape of the three-dimensional object can be obtained by calculating how each polygon mesh is deformed by various conditions such as heat. The modeling prediction unit 322 outputs the result of the simulation as prediction data.

  The prediction data and model data are input to the boundary shape evaluation unit 323. The boundary shape evaluation unit 323 compares the prediction data with the model data, and evaluates the shape of the boundary between the predicted main body portion M and the support portion S of the three-dimensional structure. In FIG. 5, the boundary surface between the main body portion M and the support portion S is shown in a dark color. If the boundary surface shape evaluation unit 323 determines that the shape of the boundary surface is not allowed, the evaluation result is output to the data correction unit 324.

  The data correction unit 324 corrects the shape and modeling conditions of the model data of the three-dimensional object based on the evaluation result. Accordingly, since modeling can be performed using the data corrected based on the prediction result, a three-dimensional model having a desired shape can be modeled.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing executed by the information processing apparatus 120 according to the present embodiment. The information processing apparatus 120 starts processing from step S1000. In step S1001, the modeling data generation unit 321 generates modeling data of the three-dimensional object based on the model data of the three-dimensional object and the set molding condition data. The shaping data is output in a format such as slice data as an example, and includes shaping data for shaping the main body portion M and the support portion S according to the shape of the three-dimensionally shaped object.

  In step S1002, the modeling prediction unit 322 predicts the shape of the three-dimensional model based on the modeling data. The prediction data is output to the boundary surface shape evaluation unit 323. In steps S1003 to S1005, the boundary shape evaluation unit 323 compares the shape of the three-dimensional object based on the prediction data with the shape of the three-dimensional object according to the model data, and evaluates the prediction result.

  In step S1003, the boundary surface shape evaluation unit 323 extracts a boundary surface between the main unit M and the support unit S. The extraction of the boundary surface can be performed based on modeling data, prediction data, and the like. Since the molding material of the main body M and the molding material of the support portion are generally different from each other, the main body portion M and the support portion S are distinguished by information such as the molding material included in the molding data or the prediction data. it can. In addition, the extraction of the boundary surface can also be performed based on information on a discharge nozzle used for modeling, in addition to information on the modeling material.

  In step S1004, the boundary surface shape evaluation unit 323 evaluates the shape of the extracted boundary surface. The evaluation of the shape of the boundary surface can be performed by generating and comparing polygon meshes for the prediction data and the model data. The boundary surface shape evaluation unit 323 extracts a corresponding polygon mesh from the generated polygon mesh and compares the coordinates.

  FIG. 7 is an example of the coordinate association table 400. The boundary shape evaluation unit 323 generates a coordinate association table 400 as shown in FIG. 7 based on the prediction data and the model data. The coordinate correspondence table 400 includes mesh coordinates of the shape of the model data stored in the field 402 and mesh coordinates of the shape of the prediction data stored in the field 404. The boundary surface shape evaluation unit 323 specifies the boundary surface between the main body M and the support unit S, and evaluates the shape of the boundary surface based on the value of each field of the three-dimensional structure that comes into contact with the boundary surface.

  The description returns to FIG. In step S1005, the boundary surface shape evaluation unit 323 determines whether or not the boundary surface shape of the prediction data is within an allowable range, and branches the processing. For example, the shape of the prediction data is compared with the shape of the model data, and if the difference between the coordinates of each boundary surface is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the shape of the boundary surface of the prediction data is within the allowable range (YES ), The process proceeds to step S1008, and the process ends. If the difference between the coordinates of the respective boundary surfaces is larger than the predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the shape of the boundary surface of the prediction data is not within the allowable range (NO), and the process proceeds to step S1006.

  The method for evaluating the prediction data is not limited to the above method, and may be another method. For example, as another method of evaluating the prediction data, there is a method of associating the predicted shape of the support unit S with the shape of the model data. In this case, it is possible to evaluate the shape of the boundary surface by searching for a place where the predicted support part S and the model data overlap the polygon mesh and for the presence or absence of a gap between the polygon meshes. it can.

  In step S1006, the data correction unit 324 corrects the shape and the molding conditions of the three-dimensional object. The data correction unit 324 can correct data based on the evaluation result, and corrects one or both of the shape of the three-dimensional object and the molding conditions.

  After correcting the data in step S1007, the process may return to step S1002 and repeat the process of predicting and evaluating again based on the corrected data. The repetition processing may be repeated with a predetermined number of times as an upper limit, or may be repeated until it is determined in step S1005 that the number is within the allowable range. By repeating the prediction and the correction of the data in this manner, the accuracy of forming a three-dimensional structure can be improved.

  Thereafter, the data correction unit 324 outputs the data corrected in step S1007, and ends the processing in step S1008.

  By performing the processing in FIG. 7, the information processing apparatus 120 can predict and evaluate whether the shape of the boundary surface between the main body portion M and the support portion S is appropriate before forming the three-dimensional structure. In addition, as a result of the evaluation, if the shape of the boundary surface is not appropriate, the model data and the shaping conditions can be corrected, so that a three-dimensional structure having a desired shape can be formed.

  According to the embodiments of the present invention described above, it is possible to provide a modeling system, an information processing apparatus, a modeling apparatus, a method, and a program for modeling a three-dimensional molded article having a desired shape.

  Each function of the above-described embodiment of the present invention can be realized by a device-executable program described in C, C ++, C #, Java (registered trademark), or the like. It can be stored and distributed on a device-readable recording medium such as a ROM, an MO, a DVD, a flexible disk, an EEPROM, and an EPROM, and can be transmitted via a network in a format that can be used by other devices.

  As described above, the present invention has been described with the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and as long as the functions and effects of the present invention are achieved within the range of an embodiment that can be estimated by those skilled in the art. Are included in the scope of the present invention.

Reference numeral 100: molding system, 110: molding device, 120: information processing device, 211, 212: CPU, 212, 222: RAM, 213, 223: ROM, 214, 224: interface, 215: molding unit, 225: HDD, 311 ... Modeling part, 321 ... Modeling data generation part, 322 ... Modeling prediction part, 323 ... Boundary surface shape evaluation part, 324 ... Data correction part

Japanese Patent No. 5830327

Claims (7)

A modeling system for modeling a three-dimensional object,
Prediction means for predicting the shape of a three-dimensional modeled object based on the modeling data,
Evaluation means for evaluating the shape of the boundary surface between the main body portion and the support portion of the three-dimensional object predicted by the prediction means,
Correcting means for correcting at least one of the model data and the forming condition of the three-dimensional object based on the evaluation result of the evaluating means. Further including a generating means for generating the modeling data based on model data and modeling conditions,
The modeling system according to claim 1, wherein the generation unit generates the modeling data of a shape including a support unit according to a shape of the model data. The evaluation means,
The boundary surface is specified based on information indicating a modeling material used for modeling the main body portion and information indicating a modeling material used for modeling the support portion, which is included in the modeling data. The modeling system according to claim 1. An information processing device for controlling a modeling device for modeling a three-dimensional molded object,
Prediction means for predicting the shape of a three-dimensional modeled object based on the modeling data,
Evaluation means for evaluating the shape of the boundary surface between the main body portion and the support portion of the three-dimensional object predicted by the prediction means,
Correction means for correcting at least one of the model data and the modeling condition of the three-dimensional object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means. A modeling device for modeling a three-dimensional molded object,
Prediction means for predicting the shape of a three-dimensional modeled object based on the modeling data,
Evaluation means for evaluating the shape of the boundary surface between the main body portion and the support portion of the three-dimensional object predicted by the prediction means,
Correcting means for correcting at least one of the model data and the forming condition of the three-dimensional object based on the evaluation result of the evaluating means. A method of forming a three-dimensional object,
Predicting the shape of a three-dimensional modeled object based on the modeling data;
Evaluating the shape of the boundary surface between the main body portion and the support portion of the three-dimensional object predicted in the predicting step,
Modeling the three-dimensional modeled object based on the modeling data modified based on the evaluation result in the evaluating step. A program executed by an information processing apparatus that controls a modeling apparatus that models a three-dimensional molded object, the information processing apparatus including:
Prediction means for predicting the shape of a three-dimensional modeled object based on the modeling data,
Evaluation means for evaluating the shape of the boundary surface between the main body part and the support part of the three-dimensional object predicted by the prediction means,
A program functioning as correction means for correcting at least one of model data and modeling conditions of a three-dimensional object based on the evaluation result of the evaluation means.