JP2024072880A - Molding apparatus and molding method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To form a three-dimensional object with good processing accuracy. [Solution] The modeling apparatus includes a moving system for moving a target surface TAS, a measuring system for acquiring position information of the target surface TAS while it is movable by the moving system, a beam modeling system 500 having a beam irradiation unit 520 and a material processing unit 530 for supplying modeling material to be irradiated with a beam LB from the beam irradiation unit 520, and a control device. The control device controls the moving system and the beam modeling system 500 based on 3D data of the three-dimensional object to be modeled and position information of the target surface TAS acquired using the measuring system so that modeling is performed on a target area TA on the target surface TAS by supplying modeling material while moving the target surface TAS and the beam LB from the beam irradiation unit 520 relatively. Therefore, it is possible to form a three-dimensional object with good processing accuracy. [Selected Figure] Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a modeling apparatus and a modeling method, and more specifically to a modeling apparatus and a modeling method for forming a three-dimensional object on a target surface. The modeling apparatus and the modeling method according to the present invention can be suitably used for forming a three-dimensional object by rapid prototyping (also called 3D printing, additive manufacturing, or direct digital manufacturing).

The technology to generate 3D (three-dimensional) shapes directly from CAD data is called rapid prototyping (sometimes called 3D printing, additive manufacturing, or direct digital manufacturing, but hereafter, rapid prototyping will be used as a general term), and has contributed to the production of prototypes with an extremely short lead time, mainly for the purpose of confirming the shape. When modeling devices that form three-dimensional objects by rapid prototyping, such as 3D printers, are classified according to the material they handle, they can be broadly divided into those that handle resin and those that handle metal. Unlike resin-made three-dimensional objects, metal three-dimensional objects produced by rapid prototyping are used exclusively as actual parts. In other words, they function not as prototype parts for shape confirmation, but as part of an actual mechanical structure (whether it is a mass-produced product or a prototype). There are two well-known types of existing metal 3D printers (hereafter, abbreviated as M3DP (Metal 3D Printer)): PBF (Powder Bed Fusion) and DED (Directed Energy Deposition).

In PBF, sintered metal powder is thinly layered on a bed on which the workpiece is placed, and then a high-energy laser beam is scanned over it using a galvanometer mirror or similar device, melting and solidifying the areas where the beam hits. When drawing of one layer is complete, the bed is lowered by the thickness of one layer, and sintered metal powder is spread over that area again, and the same process is repeated. In this way, the desired three-dimensional shape is obtained by repeating the process of forming one layer at a time.

Because of its manufacturing principle, PBF inherently has several problems, including (1) insufficient manufacturing precision of parts, (2) poor surface roughness of the finished product, (3) slow processing speed, and (4) cumbersome and time-consuming handling of sintered metal powder.

DED uses a method in which molten metal material is attached to the workpiece. For example, powdered metal is sprayed near the focal point of a laser beam focused by a condenser lens. The powdered metal is then melted and liquefied by the laser irradiation. If the workpiece is located near the focal point, the liquefied metal adheres to the workpiece, cools, and solidifies again. This focal point becomes a kind of pen tip, and "lines with thickness" can be drawn one after another on the surface of the workpiece. The desired shape is created by appropriately moving one of the workpiece and the processing head (laser, powder spray nozzle, etc.) relative to the other based on CAD data (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

As can be seen from this, with DED, powder material is sprayed from the processing head only in the amount required when needed, so there is no waste and there is no need to process in the midst of large amounts of excess powder.

As mentioned above, DED has been improved compared to PBF in terms of handling the powdered metal used as raw material, but there are still many areas that need improvement.

In light of this, there is a strong demand for improvements in the convenience of machine tools used to create three-dimensional objects, and ultimately, improvements in the economic rationality of manufacturing.

US Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0206820

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a modeling device for forming a three-dimensional object on a target surface, the modeling device comprising: a beam modeling system having a movement system for moving the target surface; a measurement system for acquiring position information of the target surface while movable by the movement system; a beam irradiation unit for emitting a beam; and a material processing unit for supplying modeling material to be irradiated with the beam from the beam irradiation unit; and a control device for controlling the movement system and the beam modeling system based on 3D data of a three-dimensional object to be formed on the target surface and position information of the target surface acquired using the measurement system so that a target portion on the target surface is modeled by supplying the modeling material from the material processing unit while moving the target surface and the beam from the beam irradiation unit relatively.

Here, the target surface is the surface on which the target part for modeling is set.

This makes it possible to form three-dimensional objects with good processing accuracy on the target surface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a modeling method for forming a three-dimensional object on a target surface, the modeling method including measuring position information of the target surface, and, based on 3D data of the three-dimensional object to be formed on the target surface and the measured position information of the target surface, moving the target surface and the beam relatively to each other while supplying a modeling material to be irradiated by the beam to model a target portion on the target surface.

This makes it possible to form three-dimensional objects with good processing accuracy on the target surface.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a molding apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a moving system together with a measurement system. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a moving system on which a workpiece is mounted. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the beam shaping system together with a table on which a workpiece is mounted. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a light source system that constitutes a part of a beam irradiation unit included in the beam shaping system. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which a parallel beam from a light source system is irradiated onto a mirror array, and the angle of incidence of the reflected beam from each of a plurality of mirror elements with respect to a focusing optical system is individually controlled. 1 shows a material processing section of a beam shaping system together with a focusing optical system. 4 is a diagram showing a plurality of supply ports formed in a nozzle of a material processing section and opening/closing members for opening and closing each of the plurality of supply ports. FIG. 9A is an enlarged view of the inside of circle A in FIG. 4, and FIG. 9B is a diagram showing the relationship between the one-character region shown in FIG. 9A and the scanning direction. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a beam irradiation area formed on a modeling surface. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing input/output relationships of a control device that is a central component of a control system of the molding apparatus. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement of measuring devices on a table. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing components that configure the measuring device and are arranged inside a table, together with a measuring member. FIG. 14(A) is a diagram showing the optical arrangement when measuring the intensity distribution of a beam on the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system, and FIG. 14(B) is a diagram showing the optical arrangement when measuring the intensity distribution of a beam on the pupil plane. 4 is a flowchart corresponding to a series of processing algorithms of the control device. 16A and 16B are diagrams for explaining one effect of the modeling apparatus according to the embodiment in comparison with the conventional technology. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a measurement device for measuring the intensity distribution of a beam on a modeling surface. 18A and 18B are diagrams for explaining an example in which the thickness of the coating layer is increased by slightly increasing the width of the single character region.

One embodiment will be described below with reference to Figs. 1 to 18(B). Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of the overall configuration of a molding device 100 according to one embodiment.

The modeling device 100 is a DED type M3DP. The modeling device 100 can be used to form a three-dimensional object on a table 12 (described later) by rapid prototyping, but can also be used to perform additional processing on a workpiece (e.g., an existing part) by three-dimensional modeling. In this embodiment, the explanation focuses on the latter case of performing additional processing on a workpiece. In actual manufacturing sites, it is common for parts created using a different manufacturing method, using a different material, or using a different machine tool to be further processed repeatedly to create the desired part, and the requirements for additional processing using three-dimensional modeling are potentially the same.

The modeling apparatus 100 includes four systems, a moving system 200, a transport system 300, a measurement system 400, and a beam modeling system 500, and a control device 600 that includes these systems and controls the modeling apparatus 100 as a whole. Of these, the transport system 300, the measurement system 400, and the beam modeling system 500 are arranged at a distance from each other in a predetermined direction. In the following description, for the sake of convenience, the transport system 300, the measurement system 400, and the beam modeling system 500 are assumed to be arranged at a distance from each other in the X-axis direction (see FIG. 2) described below.

Figure 2 shows a schematic configuration of the moving system 200 together with the measurement system 400. Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the moving system 200 with the workpiece W mounted thereon. In the following description, the left-right direction on the paper in Figure 2 is the Y-axis direction, the direction perpendicular to the paper is the X-axis direction, the direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis is the Z-axis direction, and the directions of rotation (tilt) around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are the θx, θy, and θz directions, respectively.

The movement system 200 changes the position and attitude of the target surface TAS (here, the surface on which the target part TA on the workpiece W is set) to be modeled (see, for example, Figures 4 and 9(A)). Specifically, the position of the target surface in the six degrees of freedom is changed by driving the workpiece having the target surface and the table on which the workpiece is mounted, which will be described later, in six degrees of freedom directions (X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θx, θy, and θz directions). In this specification, the positions of the table, workpiece, target surface, etc. in the three degrees of freedom directions, θx, θy, and θz directions, are collectively referred to as "attitudes" as appropriate, and the positions of the remaining three degrees of freedom directions (X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions) are collectively referred to as "positions" as appropriate.

The moving system 200 is equipped with a Stewart platform type six-degree-of-freedom parallel link mechanism as an example of a drive mechanism for changing the position and attitude of the table. Note that the moving system 200 is not limited to one that can drive the table in six degrees of freedom.

The moving system 200 (excluding the stator of the planar motor described later) is placed on a base BS that is installed on a floor F so that its upper surface is approximately parallel to the XY plane, as shown in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the moving system 200 has a slider 10 that is a regular hexagon in a plan view and constitutes a base platform, a table 12 that constitutes an end effector, six extendable rods (links) 14 ₁ to 14 ₆ that connect the slider 10 and the table 12, and telescopic mechanisms 16 ₁ to 16 _{6 (not shown in Fig. 3, see Fig. 11) that are provided on the rods 14 1 to 14 6 and extend} or retract each of the rods. The moving system 200 is structured so that the movement of the table 12 can be controlled with six degrees of freedom in three-dimensional space by independently adjusting the lengths of the rods 14 ₁ to 14 ₆ with the telescopic mechanisms 16 ₁ to 16 ₆ . The moving system 200 is equipped with a Stewart platform type six-degree-of-freedom parallel link mechanism as a drive mechanism for the table 12, and is therefore characterized by high precision, high rigidity, large support force, and easy inverse kinematics calculation.

In the modeling device 100 according to this embodiment, during additional processing of the workpiece, the position and orientation of the workpiece (table 12) are controlled by the beam modeling system 500, more specifically, the beam from the beam irradiation unit described below, in order to form a model of a desired shape on the workpiece. In principle, the beam from the beam irradiation unit may be movable, or both the beam and the workpiece (table) may be movable. As described below, the beam modeling system 500 has a complex configuration, so it is simpler to move the workpiece.

Here, the table 12 is made of a plate member shaped like an equilateral triangle with each apex cut off. The workpiece W to be processed is placed on the upper surface of the table 12. The table 12 is provided with a chuck mechanism 13 (not shown in FIG. 3, see FIG. 11) for fixing the workpiece W. The chuck mechanism 13 may be, for example, a mechanical chuck or a vacuum chuck. The table 12 is also provided with a measuring device 110 (see FIGS. 12 and 13) including a measuring member 92 that is circular in plan view as shown in FIG. 3. The measuring device 110 will be described in detail later. The shape of the table 12 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 3, and may be any shape, such as a rectangular plate or a disk.

3, both ends of each of the rods 14 ₁ to 14 ₆ are connected to the slider 10 and the table 12 via universal joints 18. Rods 14 ₁ and 14 ₂ are connected to the vicinity of one vertex of a triangle of the table 12, and are arranged so that the slider 10 and the rods 14 ₁ and 14 ₂ roughly form a triangle. Similarly, rods 14 ₃ and 14 ₄ and rods 14 ₅ and 14 ₆ are connected to the vicinity of the remaining vertices of the triangle of the table 12, and are arranged so that the slider 10 and the rods 14 ₃ and 14 ₄ and the rods 14 ₅ and 14 ₆ roughly form a triangle.

Each of these rods _14.sub.1 to _14.sub.6 has a first shaft member 20 and a second shaft member 22 that are relatively movable in their respective axial directions, as representatively shown for rod _14.sub.1 in FIG. 3, and one end (lower end) of the first shaft member 20 is attached to the slider 10 via a universal joint 18, and the other end (upper end) of the second shaft member 22 is attached to the table 12 via a universal joint.

A stepped cylindrical hollow section is formed inside the first shaft member 20, and a bellows-type air cylinder, for example, is housed at the lower end of this hollow section. A pneumatic circuit and an air pressure source (neither shown) are connected to this air cylinder. The internal pressure of the air cylinder is controlled by controlling the air pressure of the compressed air supplied from the air pressure source via the pneumatic circuit, thereby causing the piston of the air cylinder to reciprocate in the axial direction. In the air cylinder, the return stroke utilizes gravity acting on the piston when incorporated into a parallel link mechanism.

In addition, an armature unit (not shown) consisting of multiple armature coils arranged in the axial direction is disposed at the upper end side of the hollow portion of the first shaft member 20.

On the other hand, one end (lower end) of the second shaft member 22 is inserted into the hollow portion of the first shaft member 20. A small diameter portion having a smaller diameter than the other portions is formed at one end of the second shaft member 22, and a cylindrical movable member yoke made of a magnetic material is provided around this small diameter portion. A hollow cylindrical magnet body made of a plurality of permanent magnets of the same dimensions is provided on the outer periphery of the movable member yoke. In this case, a hollow cylindrical magnet unit is formed by the movable member yoke and the magnet body. In this embodiment, a shaft motor, which is a type of electromagnetic linear motor, is formed by the armature unit and the magnet unit. In the shaft motor configured in this manner, a sinusoidal driving current with a predetermined period and a predetermined amplitude is supplied to each coil of the armature unit, which is the stator, and the second shaft member 22 is driven axially relative to the first shaft member 20 by the Lorentz force (driving force) generated by electromagnetic interaction, which is a type of electromagnetic interaction between the magnetic pole unit and the armature unit.

That is, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned air cylinder and shaft motor are used to relatively drive the first shaft member 20 and the second shaft member 22 in the axial direction to form the aforementioned extension and contraction mechanisms _16-1 to _16-6 (see Figure 11), which extend and contract each of the rods _14-1 to _14-6 .

The magnet unit, which is the mover of the shaft motor, is supported in a non-contact manner with respect to the armature unit, which is the stator, via an air pad provided on the inner circumferential surface of the first shaft member 20.

3, absolute type linear encoders ₂₄₁ to ₂₄₆ are provided on the rods 141 to 146, respectively, for detecting the axial position of the second shaft member 22 relative to the first shaft _member 20, and the outputs of these linear encoders ₂₄₁ to ₂₄₆ are supplied to the control device 600 (see FIG. ₁₁ ). The axial position of the second shaft member 22 detected by the linear encoders ₂₄₁ to ₂₄₆ corresponds to the length of each of the rods ₁₄₁ to ₁₄₆ .

The telescopic mechanisms _16-1 to _16-6 are controlled by a control device 600 based on the outputs of the linear encoders _24-1 to _24-6 (see FIG. 11). Details of the configuration of a parallel link mechanism similar to the movement system 200 of this embodiment are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 6,940,582, and the control device 600 controls the position and attitude of the table 12 via the telescopic mechanisms _16-1 to _16-6 using inverse kinematics calculations in a manner similar to that disclosed in the above U.S. patent.

In the moving system 200, _the telescopic mechanisms _16-1 to 16-6 provided on the rods _14-1 to _14-6 respectively have air cylinders and shaft motors, which are a type of electromagnetic linear motor, arranged in series (or parallel) with each other, so that the control device 600 can drive the table 12 roughly and widely by pneumatic control of the air cylinders, and can move it finely and slightly by the shaft motor. As a result, it becomes possible to accurately control the position of the table 12 in six degrees of freedom (i.e., position and attitude) in a short time.

In addition, each of the rods _14-1 to _14-6 has air pads that support the magnet unit, which is the movable part of the shaft motor, without contacting the armature unit, which is the stator. This makes it possible to avoid friction, which becomes a nonlinear component when controlling the extension and retraction of the rods by the extension and retraction mechanism, and thereby makes it possible to control the position and attitude of the table 12 with even greater precision.

In addition, in this embodiment, shaft motors are used as _the electromagnetic linear motors that constitute the extension and contraction mechanisms _16-16-6 , and in these shaft motors, magnet units using cylindrical magnets on the movable member side are used, so that magnetic flux (magnetic field) is generated in all directions in the radial direction of the magnet, and this omnidirectional magnetic flux can be made to contribute to the generation of Lorentz force (driving force) due to electromagnetic interaction. For example, a significantly larger thrust can be generated compared to a normal linear motor, and it is easier to make it smaller than a hydraulic cylinder, etc.

Therefore, the movement system 200, in which each rod includes a shaft motor, can simultaneously achieve small size and light weight while improving output, and can be suitably applied to the modeling device 100.

In addition, the control device 600 can suppress low-frequency vibrations by controlling the air pressure of the air cylinders that make up each of the extension and contraction mechanisms, and can isolate high-frequency vibrations by controlling the current to the shaft motor.

The moving system 200 further includes a planar motor 26 (see FIG. 11). The bottom surface of the slider 10 is provided with a mover of the planar motor 26, which is made of a magnet unit (or a coil unit), and the base BS accommodates a stator of the planar motor 26, which is made of a coil unit (or a magnet unit). The bottom surface of the slider 10 is provided with a plurality of air bearings (hydrostatic air bearings) surrounding the mover, and the slider 10 is supported by the plurality of air bearings in a floating manner with a predetermined clearance (gap or gap) on the top surface (guide surface) of the base BS, which is finished to a high degree of flatness. The slider 10 is driven in the XY plane without contact with the top surface of the base BS by the electromagnetic force (Lorentz force) generated by the electromagnetic interaction between the stator and mover of the planar motor 26. In this embodiment, the moving system 200 can freely move the table 12 between the positions of the measurement system 400, the beam shaping system 500, and the transport system 300, as shown in FIG. 1. The moving system 200 may include a plurality of tables 12 on each of which a workpiece W is mounted. For example, while processing a workpiece held on one of the tables using the beam shaping system 500, measurement may be performed on a workpiece held on another table using the measurement system 400. Even in such a case, each table can be freely moved between the positions of the measurement system 400, the beam shaping system 500, and the transport system 300. Alternatively, when a table that holds a workpiece when measuring using the measurement system 400 and a table that holds a workpiece when processing using the beam shaping system 500 are provided, and a configuration is adopted in which the workpiece can be carried in and out of the two tables by a work transport system or the like, each slider 10 may be fixed on the base BS. Even when a plurality of tables 12 are provided, each table 12 is movable in six degrees of freedom, and the position in the six degrees of freedom can be controlled.

The planar motor 26 is not limited to an air levitation type, and a magnetic levitation type planar motor may be used. In the latter case, there is no need to provide an air bearing on the slider 10. The planar motor 26 may be either a moving magnet type or a moving coil type.

The control device 600 controls at least one of the magnitude and direction of the current supplied to each coil of the coil unit that constitutes the planar motor 26, thereby allowing the slider 10 to be freely driven in two dimensions, X and Y, on the base BS.

In this embodiment, the moving system 200 includes a position measurement system 28 (see FIG. 11) that measures position information of the slider 10 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. A two-dimensional absolute encoder can be used as the position measurement system 28. Specifically, a two-dimensional scale having a strip-shaped absolute code of a predetermined width over the entire length in the X-axis direction is provided on the upper surface of the base BS, and an X head and a Y head are provided on the bottom surface of the slider 10 corresponding to the two-dimensional scale, which are constituted by a light source such as a light-emitting element, and a one-dimensional light-receiving element array arranged in the X-axis direction and a one-dimensional light-receiving element array arranged in the Y-axis direction, respectively, that receive reflected light from the two-dimensional scale illuminated by the light beam emitted from the light source. As the two-dimensional scale, for example, a non-reflective base material (reflectance 0%) is used in which a plurality of square reflective parts (marks) are two-dimensionally arranged at a constant period along two mutually orthogonal directions (X-axis direction and Y-axis direction), and the reflective characteristics (reflectance) of the reflective parts have gradations according to a predetermined rule. The two-dimensional absolute encoder may have a configuration similar to that of the two-dimensional absolute encoder disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0070073. An absolute type two-dimensional encoder having a configuration similar to that of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0070073 can measure two-dimensional position information with high accuracy equivalent to that of a conventional incremental encoder. Since it is an absolute encoder, it does not require origin detection, unlike an incremental encoder. The measurement information of the position measurement system 28 is sent to the control device 600.

In this embodiment, as described later, the measurement system 400 measures position information (shape information in this embodiment) of at least a part of the target surface (e.g., the upper surface) on the workpiece W mounted on the table 12 in a three-dimensional space, and additional processing (shaping) is performed on the workpiece W after the measurement. Therefore, when the control device 600 measures the shape information of at least a part of the target surface on the workpiece W, the control device 600 can associate the position and orientation of the target surface on the workpiece W mounted on _the table ₁₂ with the reference coordinate system (hereinafter referred to as the table coordinate system) of the molding device 100 by associating the measurement result with the measurement results of the linear encoders 24 ₁ to 24 ₆ provided on the rods 14 1 to 14 6 and the measurement result of the position measurement system 28 at the time of the measurement. As a result, it is possible to control the position of the target surface TAS on the workpiece W in the six degrees of freedom directions relative to the target value by open-loop control of the position of the table 12 in the six degrees of freedom directions based on the measurement results of the linear encoders 24 ₁ to 24 ₆ and the position measurement system 28. In this embodiment, absolute type encoders are used as the linear encoders 24 ₁ to 24 ₆ and the position measurement system 28, so resetting is easy since there is no need to return to the origin. Note that the position information in the above-mentioned three-dimensional space to be measured by the measurement system 400, which is used to enable position control in six degrees of freedom directions relative to target values of the target surface on the workpiece W by open-loop control of the position of the table 12 in the six degrees of freedom directions, is not limited to the shape, and three-dimensional position information of at least three points according to the shape of the target surface is sufficient.

In this embodiment, the planar motor 26 is used as a drive device for driving the slider 10 in the XY plane. However, a linear motor may be used instead of the planar motor 26. In this case, instead of the two-dimensional absolute encoder described above, a position measurement system that measures the position information of the slider 10 may be configured using an absolute linear encoder. Also, the position measurement system that measures the position information of the slider 10 is not limited to an encoder, and may be configured using an interferometer system.

In addition, in this embodiment, the mechanism for driving the table is configured using a planar motor that drives the slider in the XY plane and a Stewart platform type six-degree-of-freedom parallel link mechanism in which the slider forms the base platform. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the mechanism for driving the table may be configured using other types of parallel link mechanisms or mechanisms other than the parallel link mechanism. For example, a slider that moves in the XY plane and a Z-tilt drive mechanism that drives the table 12 on the slider in the Z-axis direction and in the tilt direction relative to the XY plane may be adopted. One example of such a Z-tilt drive mechanism is a mechanism that supports the table 12 from below at each apex position of a triangle via, for example, a universal joint or other joint, and has three actuators (such as voice coil motors) that can drive each support point independently in the Z-axis direction. However, the configuration of the mechanism for driving the table of the movement system 200 is not limited to these, and any configuration is sufficient as long as it can drive the table (movable member) on which the workpiece is placed in at least five degrees of freedom, including three degrees of freedom in the XY plane, the Z-axis direction, and the inclination direction relative to the XY plane, and does not have to include a slider that moves within the XY plane. For example, the movement system may be composed of a table and a robot that drives the table. In either configuration, resetting can be made easier by configuring the measurement system that measures the position of the table using a combination of an absolute type linear encoder, or a combination of the linear encoder and an absolute type rotary encoder.

In addition, instead of the moving system 200, a system capable of driving the table 12 in at least five degrees of freedom, i.e., three degrees of freedom in the XY plane, the Z-axis direction, and the tilt direction (θx or θy) relative to the XY plane, may be used. In this case, the table 12 itself may be supported (non-contact supported) by air levitation or magnetic levitation via a predetermined clearance (gap or space) on the upper surface of a support member such as the base BS. When such a configuration is adopted, the table moves without contacting the member supporting it, which is extremely advantageous in terms of positioning accuracy and contributes greatly to improving the molding accuracy.

The measurement system 400 measures the three-dimensional position information of the workpiece, for example the shape, to associate the position and orientation of the workpiece mounted on the table 12 with the table coordinate system. As shown in FIG. 2, the measurement system 400 includes a laser non-contact three-dimensional measuring machine 401. The three-dimensional measuring machine 401 includes a frame 30 installed on a base BS, a head unit 32 attached to the frame 30, a Z-axis guide 34 attached to the head unit 32, a rotation mechanism 36 provided at the lower end of the Z-axis guide 34, and a sensor unit 38 connected to the lower end of the rotation mechanism 36.

The frame 30 consists of a horizontal member 40 extending in the Y-axis direction and a pair of column members 42 that support the horizontal member 40 from below at both ends in the Y-axis direction.

The head portion 32 is attached to the horizontal member 40 of the frame 30.

The Z-axis guide 34 is attached to the head unit 32 so as to be movable in the Z-axis direction, and is driven in the Z-axis direction by a Z drive mechanism 44 (not shown in FIG. 2, see FIG. 11). The position of the Z-axis guide 34 in the Z-axis direction (or the displacement from the reference position) is measured by a Z encoder 46 (not shown in FIG. 2, see FIG. 11).

The rotation mechanism 36 drives the sensor unit 38 to rotate continuously (or in predetermined angular steps) around a rotation axis parallel to the Z axis within a predetermined angle range (e.g., a range of 90 degrees (π/2) or 180 degrees (π)) relative to the head unit 32 (Z-axis guide 34). In this embodiment, the rotation axis of the sensor unit 38 rotated by the rotation mechanism 36 coincides with the central axis of a line of light irradiated from an irradiation unit (described later) that constitutes the sensor unit 38. The rotation angle of the sensor unit 38 rotated by the rotation mechanism 36 from a reference position (or the position of the sensor unit in the θz direction) from the reference position is measured by a rotation angle sensor 48 (not shown in FIG. 2, see FIG. 11), such as a rotary encoder.

The sensor unit 38 is mainly composed of an irradiation unit 50 that irradiates a line of light for optical cutting onto a test object (workpiece W in FIG. 2) placed on the table 12, and a detection unit 52 that detects the surface of the test object on which an optical cutting surface (line) appears as a result of the line of light being irradiated. In addition, a calculation processing unit 54 that determines the shape of the test object based on image data detected by the detection unit 52 is connected to the sensor unit 38. In this embodiment, the calculation processing unit 54 is included in a control device 600 that provides overall control of each component of the molding device 100 (see FIG. 11).

The irradiation unit 50 is composed of a cylindrical lens (not shown) and a slit plate having a thin strip-shaped notch, and generates a fan-shaped line light 50a by receiving illumination light from a light source. As the light source, an LED, a laser light source, or an SLD (super luminescent diode), etc. can be used. When an LED is used, the light source can be formed inexpensively. In addition, when a laser light source is used, since it is a point light source, it is possible to create a line light with little aberration, and since it has excellent wavelength stability and a small half-width, and a filter with a small half-width can be used to cut stray light, the influence of disturbance can be reduced. In addition, when an SLD is used, in addition to the characteristics of the laser light source, the coherence is lower than that of laser light, so the occurrence of speckles on the surface of the test object can be suppressed. The detection unit 52 is for imaging the line light 50a projected on the surface of the test object (workpiece W) from a direction different from the light irradiation direction of the irradiation unit 50. In addition, the detection unit 52 is composed of an imaging lens, a CCD, etc. (not shown), and is configured to image the test object (workpiece W) every time the line light 50a is scanned at a predetermined interval by moving the table 12 as described later. The positions of the irradiation unit 50 and the detection unit 52 are determined so that the direction of incidence of the line light 50a on the surface of the test object (workpiece W) to the detection unit 52 and the light irradiation direction of the irradiation unit 50 form a predetermined angle θ. In this embodiment, the predetermined angle θ is set to, for example, 45 degrees.

Image data of the test object (workpiece W) captured by the detection unit 52 is sent to the calculation processing unit 54, where a predetermined image calculation process is performed to calculate the height of the surface of the test object (workpiece W) and obtain the three-dimensional shape (surface shape) of the test object (workpiece W). The calculation processing unit 54 calculates the height of the test object (workpiece W) surface from a reference plane for each pixel in the longitudinal direction along which the light section (line) (line light 50a) extends using the principle of triangulation based on the position information of the light section (line) of the line light 50a deformed in accordance with the unevenness of the test object (workpiece W) in the image of the test object (workpiece W), and performs calculation processing to obtain the three-dimensional shape of the test object (workpiece W).

In this embodiment, the control device 600 moves the table 12 in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the line light 50a projected on the test object (workpiece W), thereby causing the line light 50a to scan the surface of the test object (workpiece W). The control device 600 detects the rotation angle of the sensor unit 38 by the rotation angle sensor 48, and moves the table 12 in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the line light 50a based on the detection result. In this manner, in this embodiment, the table 12 is moved when measuring the shape of the test object (workpiece W), and therefore, as a prerequisite, when the table 12 holds the workpiece W and moves below the sensor unit 38 of the measurement system 400, the position and attitude (position in the six degrees of freedom direction) of the table 12 are always set to a predetermined reference state. The reference state is, for example, a state in which the rods _14.sub.1 to _14.sub.6 are all at a length equivalent to the neutral point of the extension stroke range (or the minimum length), and at this time, the positions of the table 12 in the Z axis, θx, θy, and θz directions (Z, θx, θy, θz)=(Z.sub.0, ₀ , 0, 0).In addition, in this reference state, the position (X, Y) of the table 12 in the XY plane coincides with the X, Y positions of the slider 10 measured by the position measurement system 28.

Thereafter, the above-mentioned measurement of the test object (workpiece W) is started, and the position of the table 12 in the six degrees of freedom directions, including during this measurement, is managed on the table coordinate system by the control device 600. That is, the control device 600 controls the planar motor 26 based on the measurement information of the position measurement system 28, and also controls the extension mechanisms _16-1 to _16-6 based on the measurement values of the linear encoders _24-1 to _24-6 , thereby controlling the position of the table 12 in the six degrees of freedom directions.

When using the light cutting method as in the three-dimensional measuring machine 401 according to this embodiment, it is desirable to arrange the line light 50a irradiated from the irradiation unit 50 of the sensor unit 38 to the test object (workpiece W) in a direction perpendicular to the relative movement direction between the sensor unit 38 and the table 12 (test object (workpiece W)). For example, in FIG. 2, when the relative movement direction between the sensor unit 38 and the test object (workpiece W) is set to the Y-axis direction, it is desirable to arrange the line light 50a along the X-axis direction. This is because, during measurement, relative movement with respect to the test object (workpiece W) can be performed effectively using the entire area of the line light 50a, and the shape of the test object (workpiece W) can be optimally measured. A rotation mechanism 36 is provided so that the direction of the line light 50a and the above-mentioned relative movement direction can always be perpendicular to each other.

The above-mentioned three-dimensional measuring machine 401 is configured in the same manner as the shape measuring machine disclosed in, for example, US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0105867. However, the difference is that the scanning of the test object with the line light in a direction parallel to the X-Y plane is performed by moving the sensor unit in the machine described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0105867, whereas the scanning is performed by moving the table 12 in this embodiment. Note that in this embodiment, when scanning the test object with the line light in a direction parallel to the Z-axis, either the Z-axis guide 34 or the table 12 may be driven.

In the measurement method using the three-dimensional measuring device 401 according to this embodiment, a light-section method is used to project a line-shaped projection pattern consisting of a single line of light onto the surface of the test object, and each time the line-shaped projection pattern is scanned across the entire surface of the test object, the line-shaped projection pattern projected onto the test object is imaged from an angle different from the projection direction. Then, from the image of the test object surface that has been imaged, the height of the test object surface from a reference plane is calculated for each pixel in the longitudinal direction of the line-shaped projection pattern using the principle of triangulation or the like, and the three-dimensional shape of the test object surface is obtained.

In addition, a device having a similar configuration to the optical probe disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,009,717 can be used as a three-dimensional measuring device constituting the measurement system 400. This optical probe is composed of two or more optical groups and includes two or more viewing directions and two or more projection directions. One optical group includes one or more viewing directions and one or more projection directions, at least one viewing direction and at least one projection direction differs between the optical groups, and data obtained by a viewing direction is generated only by a pattern projected by the projection direction of the same optical group.

Instead of the above-mentioned three-dimensional measuring machine 401, or in addition to the above-mentioned three-dimensional measuring machine, the measurement system 400 may be equipped with a mark detection system 56 (see FIG. 11) that optically detects alignment marks. The mark detection system 56 can detect, for example, alignment marks formed on a workpiece. The control device 600 calculates the position and attitude of the workpiece (or table 12) by accurately detecting the center positions (three-dimensional coordinates) of at least three alignment marks using the mark detection system 56. Such a mark detection system 56 can be configured to include, for example, a stereo camera. The mark detection system 56 may optically detect at least three alignment marks formed in advance on the table 12.

In this embodiment, the control device 600 uses the three-dimensional measuring device 401 to scan the surface (target surface) of the workpiece W as described above and obtains the surface shape data. The control device 600 then performs least squares processing using the surface shape data to associate the three-dimensional position and orientation of the target surface on the workpiece with the table coordinate system. Here, the position of the table 12 in the six degrees of freedom directions, including during the above-mentioned measurement of the test object (workpiece W), is managed on the table coordinate system by the control device 600. Therefore, after the three-dimensional position and orientation of the workpiece are associated with the table coordinate system, all control of the position (i.e., position and orientation) of the workpiece W in the six degrees of freedom directions, including during additional processing by three-dimensional modeling, can be performed by open-loop control of the table 12 according to the table coordinate system.

The measurement system 400 of this embodiment is used not only to measure the position of a workpiece before additional processing begins, but also to inspect the shape of a part (workpiece) after additional processing, as will be described later.

In FIG. 4, the beam shaping system 500 is shown together with a table 12 on which a workpiece W is mounted. As shown in FIG. 4, the beam shaping system 500 includes a light source system 510, and is equipped with a beam irradiation unit 520 that emits a beam, a material processing unit 530 that supplies powdered shaping material, and a water shower nozzle 540 (not shown in FIG. 4, see FIG. 11). Note that the beam shaping system 500 does not necessarily have to include the water shower nozzle 540.

As shown in FIG. 5, the light source system 510 includes a light source unit 60, a light guide fiber 62 connected to the light source unit 60, a double fly's eye optical system 64 arranged on the exit side of the light guide fiber 62, and a condenser lens system 66.

The light source unit 60 comprises a housing 68 and a plurality of laser units 70 housed inside the housing 68 and arranged in a matrix in parallel to one another. The laser units 70 can be light source units such as various lasers that perform pulsed or continuous wave oscillation, for example, carbon dioxide lasers, Nd:YAG lasers, fiber lasers, or GaN-based semiconductor lasers.

The light guide fiber 62 is a fiber bundle formed by randomly bundling a large number of optical fiber strands, and has a number of entrances 62a individually connected to the emission ends of the laser units 70, and an emission section 62b having a number of emission outlets greater than the number of entrances 62a. The light guide fiber 62 receives a number of laser beams (hereinafter abbreviated as "beams") emitted from each of the laser units 70 through each entrance 62a, distributes the beams to a number of emission outlets, and emits at least a portion of each laser beam from a common emission outlet. In this way, the light guide fiber 62 mixes and emits the beams emitted from each of the laser units 70. This allows the total output to be increased according to the number of laser units 70 compared to the case of using a single laser unit. However, if a sufficient output can be obtained with a single laser unit, it is not necessary to use multiple laser units.

The exit section 62b has a cross-sectional shape similar to the overall shape of the entrance end of the first fly-eye lens system that constitutes the entrance end of the double fly-eye optical system 64 described below, and the exit ports are arranged approximately evenly within the cross section. Therefore, the light guide fiber 62 also serves as a shaping optical system that shapes the beam mixed as described above so that it is similar to the overall shape of the entrance end of the first fly-eye lens system.

The double fly's eye optical system 64 is intended to uniformize the cross-sectional intensity distribution of the beam (illumination light), and is composed of a first fly's eye lens system 72, a lens system 74, and a second fly's eye lens system 76, which are arranged in sequence on the beam path (optical path) of the laser beam behind the light guide fiber 62. An aperture is provided around the second fly's eye lens system 76.

In this case, the entrance surface of the first fly-eye lens system 72 and the entrance surface of the second fly-eye lens system 76 are set optically conjugate to each other. Also , the exit side focal plane of the first fly-eye lens system 72 (where a surface light source described later is formed), the exit side focal plane of the second fly-eye lens system 76 (where a surface light source described later is formed), and the pupil plane (entrance pupil) PP of the focusing optical system described later are set optically conjugate to each other. In this embodiment, the pupil plane (entrance pupil) PP of the focusing optical system 82 coincides with the front focal plane (see, for example, Figures 4, 6, 7, etc.).

The beam mixed by the light guide fiber 62 enters the first fly-eye lens system 72 of the double fly-eye optical system 64. As a result, a surface light source, i.e. a secondary light source consisting of a large number of light source images (point light sources), is formed on the exit focal plane of the first fly-eye lens system 72. The laser light from each of these many point light sources enters the second fly-eye lens system 76 via the lens system 74. As a result, a surface light source (tertiary light source) in which a large number of tiny light source images are uniformly distributed within an area of a predetermined shape is formed on the exit focal plane of the second fly-eye lens system 76.

The condenser lens system 66 outputs the laser light emitted from the tertiary light source as a beam with a uniform illuminance distribution.

By optimizing the area of the entrance end of the second fly-eye lens system 76, the focal length of the condenser lens system 66, and other factors, the beam emitted from the condenser lens system 66 can be considered a parallel beam.

The light source system 510 of this embodiment includes an illuminance homogenizing optical system that includes a light guide fiber 62, a double fly's eye optical system 64, and a condenser lens system 66. Using this illuminance homogenizing optical system, the beams emitted from the multiple laser units 70 are mixed to generate a parallel beam with a homogenized cross-sectional illuminance distribution.

The illuminance homogenizing optical system is not limited to the above-mentioned configuration. The illuminance homogenizing optical system may be configured using a rod integrator, a collimator lens system, etc.

The light source unit 60 of the light source system 510 is connected to a control device 600 (see FIG. 11), and the control device 600 individually controls the on/off of the multiple laser units 70 that make up the light source unit 60. This adjusts the amount of light (laser output) of the laser beam irradiated from the beam irradiation section 520 to the workpiece W (upper target surface).

As shown in FIG. 4, the beam irradiation unit 520 includes a light source system 510, a beam cross-sectional intensity conversion optical system 78 and a mirror array 80, which is a type of spatial light modulator (SLM), sequentially arranged on the optical path of the parallel beam from the light source system 510 (condenser lens system 66), and a focusing optical system 82 that focuses the light from the mirror array 80. Here, a spatial light modulator is a general term for an element that spatially modulates the amplitude (intensity), phase, or polarization state of light traveling in a specified direction.

The beam cross-sectional intensity conversion optical system 78 converts the intensity distribution of the cross section of the parallel beam from the light source system 510 (condenser lens system 66). In this embodiment, the beam cross-sectional intensity conversion optical system 78 converts the parallel beam from the light source system 510 into a donut-shaped (annular) parallel beam in which the intensity of the area including the center of the cross section is almost zero. In this embodiment, the beam cross-sectional intensity conversion optical system 78 is composed of, for example, a convex conical reflector and a concave conical reflector arranged sequentially on the optical path of the parallel beam from the light source system 510. The convex conical reflector has a conical reflecting surface on the outer circumferential surface on the light source system 510 side, and the concave conical reflector is made of an annular member whose inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the convex conical reflector, and has a reflecting surface facing the reflecting surface of the convex conical reflector on its inner circumferential surface. In this case, when viewed in any cross section passing through the center of the concave conical reflector, the reflecting surface of the convex conical reflector and the reflecting surface of the concave conical reflector are parallel. Therefore, the parallel beam from the light source system 510 is radially reflected by the reflecting surface of the convex conical reflector, and this reflected beam is then reflected by the reflecting surface of the concave conical reflector, converting it into an annular parallel beam.

In this embodiment, the parallel beam that has passed through the beam cross-sectional intensity conversion optical system 78 is irradiated onto the workpiece via the mirror array 80 and the focusing optical system 82, as described below. By converting the cross-sectional intensity distribution of the parallel beam from the light source system 510 using the beam cross-sectional intensity conversion optical system 78, it is possible to change the intensity distribution of the beam incident on the pupil plane (entrance pupil) PP of the focusing optical system 82 from the mirror array 80. In addition, by converting the cross-sectional intensity distribution of the parallel beam from the light source system 510 using the beam cross-sectional intensity conversion optical system 78, it is also possible to change the intensity distribution of the beam emitted from the focusing optical system 82 at the exit surface of the focusing optical system 82.

The beam cross-sectional intensity conversion optical system 78 is not limited to a combination of a convex conical reflector and a concave conical reflector, but may be configured using a combination of a diffractive optical element, an afocal lens, and a conical axicon system, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0030852. The beam cross-sectional intensity conversion optical system 78 may be configured in various ways as long as it converts the cross-sectional intensity distribution of the beam. Depending on the configuration of the beam cross-sectional intensity conversion optical system 78, it is possible to make the intensity of the collimated beam from the light source system 510 in the area including the center of the cross-section not nearly zero, but smaller than the intensity in the area outside the center.

In this embodiment, the mirror array 80 has a base member 80A having a surface (hereinafter, for convenience, referred to as a reference surface) that forms an angle of 45 degrees (π/4) with the XY plane and the XZ plane, for example, M (=P×Q) mirror elements 81 _p,q (p=1 to P, q=1 to Q) arranged in a matrix of, for example, P rows and Q columns on the reference surface of the base member 80A, and a drive unit 87 (not shown in FIG. 4, see FIG. 11) including M actuators (not shown) that individually drive each mirror element 81 _p, q. The mirror array 80 can substantially form a large reflecting surface parallel to the reference surface by adjusting the inclination of the many mirror elements 81 _p,q with respect to the reference surface.

Each mirror element 81p _,q of the mirror array 80 is configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis parallel to one diagonal of each mirror element 81p _,q , and the inclination angle of the reflecting surface with respect to a reference plane can be set to any angle within a predetermined angle range. The angle of the reflecting surface of each mirror element is measured by a sensor that detects the rotation angle of the rotation axis, for example, a rotary encoder _83p,q (not shown in FIG. 4, see FIG. 11).

The driving unit 87 includes, for example, an electromagnet or a voice coil motor as an actuator, and the individual mirror elements 81 _{p, q} are driven by the actuator and operate with extremely high response.

Of the multiple mirror elements constituting the mirror array 80, each of the mirror elements 81p _,q illuminated by the annular parallel beam from the light source system 510 emits a reflected beam (parallel beam) in a direction corresponding to the inclination angle of its reflecting surface, and causes the reflected beam to be incident on the light collecting optical system 82 (see FIG. 6). Note that in this embodiment, the reason for using the mirror array 80 and the reason for causing the annular parallel beam to be incident on the mirror array 80 will be described later, but it is not necessarily required to have an annular shape, and the cross-sectional shape (cross-sectional intensity distribution) of the parallel beam incident on the mirror array 80 may be made different from the annular shape, and the beam cross-sectional intensity conversion optical system 78 may not be provided.

The focusing optical system 82 is an optical system with a high NA, for example, 0.5 or more, preferably 0.6 or more, and low aberration. The focusing optical system 82 has a large aperture, low aberration, and high NA, so it can focus multiple parallel beams from the mirror array 80 on the rear focal plane. Details will be described later, but the beam irradiation unit 520 can focus the beam emitted from the focusing optical system 82, for example, in a spot shape or a slit shape. In addition, since the focusing optical system 82 is composed of one or more large-diameter lenses (one large-diameter lens is representatively illustrated in FIG. 4, etc.), the area of the incident light can be increased, and thus a larger amount of light energy can be taken in than when a focusing optical system with a small numerical aperture N.A. is used. Therefore, the beam focused by the focusing optical system 82 according to this embodiment is extremely sharp and has a high energy density, which directly leads to improved processing accuracy in additional processing by molding.

In this embodiment, as described later, the table 12 is moved in a scanning direction parallel to the XY plane (in FIG. 4, the Y-axis direction is an example), and the beam and the workpiece W having the target surface TAS at the upper end are scanned relative to each other in the scanning direction (scanning direction) to perform modeling (processing). It goes without saying that during modeling, the table 12 may be moved in at least one of the X-axis direction, Z-axis direction, θx direction, θy direction, and θz direction while the table 12 is moving in the Y-axis direction. Also, as described later, the powdered modeling material (metal material) supplied by the material processing unit 530 is melted by the energy of the laser beam. Therefore, as described above, if the total amount of energy taken in by the focusing optical system 82 is increased, the energy of the beam emitted from the focusing optical system 82 is increased, and the amount of metal that can be melted per unit time is increased. If the supply amount of modeling material and the speed of the table 12 are increased accordingly, the throughput of modeling processing by the beam modeling system 500 is improved.

However, even if the total output of the laser is greatly increased by the above-mentioned method, in reality, the scanning operation of the table 12 cannot be made infinitely fast, so that a throughput that fully utilizes the laser power cannot be realized. In order to solve this problem, in the molding device 100 of this embodiment, as described later, a slit-shaped beam irradiation area (hereinafter referred to as a single character area (see symbol LS in FIG. 9B)) is formed on the surface (hereinafter referred to as a molding surface) MP (see, for example, FIGS. 4 and 9A) to which the target surface TAS of the molding should be aligned, and molding (processing) can be performed while scanning the workpiece W relative to the beam (hereinafter referred to as a single character beam) that forms the single character area LS in a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal direction. This makes it possible to process a much larger area (for example, an area several times to several tens of times larger) at once compared to the case of scanning the workpiece with a spot-shaped beam. As described below, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned printing surface MP is the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82 (see, for example, Figures 4 and 9(A)), but the printing surface may be a surface in the vicinity of the rear focal plane. Also, in this embodiment, the printing surface MP is perpendicular to the optical axis AX on the exit side of the focusing optical system 82, but it does not have to be perpendicular.

As a method for setting or changing the intensity distribution of the beam on the printing surface MP (for example, a method for forming a single character region as described above), for example, a method for controlling the incidence angle distribution of multiple parallel beams entering the focusing optical system 82 can be adopted. In a lens system that focuses parallel light to a single point, such as the focusing optical system 82 of this embodiment, the focusing position at the rear focal plane (focusing surface) is determined by the incidence angle of the parallel beam LB (see, for example, Figures 4 and 6) at the pupil plane (entrance pupil) PP. Here, the angle of incidence is determined from: a. the angle α (0≦α<90 degrees (π/2)) that the collimated beam incident on the pupil plane PP of the focusing optical system 82 makes with an axis parallel to the optical axis AX of the focusing optical system 82; and b. the angle β (0≦β<360 degrees (2π)) with respect to a reference axis (e.g., X-axis (X≧0)) on the two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system (X, Y) of the orthogonal projection onto the pupil plane PP (XY coordinate plane) of the collimated beam incident on the pupil plane PP when a two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system (X, Y) orthogonal to the optical axis (AX) is set on the pupil plane with a point on the optical axis (AX) as the origin. For example, a beam incident perpendicularly (parallel to the optical axis) on the pupil plane PP of the focusing optical system 82 will be projected on the optical axis AX with respect to the focusing optical system 82 (optical axis AX). A beam that is slightly tilted relative to the axis AX is focused at a position slightly shifted from the optical axis AX. By utilizing this relationship, when the parallel beam from the light source system 510 is reflected and made incident on the focusing optical system 82, the incident angle (incident direction) of the multiple parallel beams LB incident on the pupil plane PP of the focusing optical system 82 can be appropriately distributed, thereby arbitrarily changing at least one of the beam intensity distribution within the printing surface MP, for example, the position, number, size, and shape of the irradiation area on the printing surface. Therefore, for example, a one-character area, a three-row area, a missing one-character area, etc. (see FIG. 10) can be easily formed, and it is also easy to form a spot-shaped irradiation area.

In the present embodiment, the focusing optical system 82 is configured so that its pupil plane (entrance pupil) PP coincides with the front focal plane, so that the focusing position of the multiple parallel beams LB can be accurately and easily controlled by changing the angle of incidence of the multiple parallel beams LB using the mirror array 80. However, the pupil plane (entrance pupil) of the focusing optical system 82 does not have to coincide with the front focal plane.

In addition, if the shape and size of the irradiation area formed on the modeling surface are not variable, a solid mirror of the desired shape can be used to control the angle of incidence of a single parallel beam incident on the pupil plane of the focusing optical system 82, thereby changing the position of the irradiation area.

However, when performing additional processing (shaping) on a workpiece, the area of the target surface where the target part of the shaping is set is not always a flat surface. In other words, it is not always possible to perform relative scanning with a single character beam. In the vicinity of the contour edge of the workpiece or the boundary between the solid area and the hollow area, the boundary is slanted, narrow, or has an R, making it difficult to apply relative scanning with a single character beam. For example, it is difficult to fill such an area with a wide brush, so a narrow brush or a thin pencil is required accordingly, so it is desirable to be able to freely use a brush and a thin pencil in real time and continuously. Similarly, in the vicinity of the contour edge of the workpiece or the boundary between the solid area and the hollow area, there is a demand to change the width of the beam irradiation area in the scanning direction (relative movement direction), or to change the size (for example, the length of the single character beam), number, or position (position of the beam irradiation point) of the irradiation area.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a mirror array 80 is adopted, and the control device 600 controls the incidence angles of the multiple parallel beams LB incident on the pupil plane PP of the focusing optical system 82 by operating each mirror element 81 _p,q with very high response. This sets or changes the intensity distribution of the beam on the printing surface MP. In this case, the control device 600 can change at least one of the intensity distribution of the beam on the printing surface MP, for example, the shape, size, and number of the irradiation area of the beam, during the relative movement between the beam and the target surface TAS (a surface on which the target part TA of the printing is set, which is a surface on the workpiece W in this embodiment). In this case, the control device 600 can continuously or intermittently change the intensity distribution of the beam on the printing surface MP. For example, it is also possible to continuously or intermittently change the width of the one-character area in the relative movement direction during the relative movement between the beam and the target surface TAS. The control device 600 can also change the intensity distribution of the beam on the printing surface MP according to the relative position between the beam and the target surface TAS. The control device 600 can also change the intensity distribution of the beam on the printing surface MP according to the required printing accuracy and throughput.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control device 600 detects the state of each mirror element (here, the tilt angle of the reflective surface) using the rotary encoders 83 _{p, q} described above, thereby monitoring the state of each mirror element in real time, so that the tilt angle of the reflective surface of each mirror element of the mirror array 80 can be accurately controlled.

As shown in Figure 7, the material processing section 530 has a nozzle unit 84 having a nozzle member (hereinafter abbreviated as nozzle) 84a provided below the emission surface of the focusing optical system 82, a material supply device 86 connected to the nozzle unit 84 via piping 90a, and multiple, for example two, powder cartridges 88A, 88B each connected to the material supply device 86 via piping. Figure 7 shows the portion below the focusing optical system 82 in Figure 4 as viewed from the -Y direction.

The nozzle unit 84 includes a nozzle 84a extending in the X-axis direction below the focusing optical system 82 and having at least one supply port for supplying the powdered modeling material, and a pair of support members 84b, 84c that support both longitudinal ends of the nozzle 84a and have their upper ends connected to the housing of the focusing optical system 82. One end (lower end) of the material supply device 86 is connected to one support member 84b via a pipe 90a, and a supply path that connects the pipe 90a and the nozzle 84a is formed inside. In this embodiment, the nozzle 84a is disposed directly below the optical axis of the focusing optical system 82, and a plurality of supply ports, which will be described later, are provided on the lower surface (bottom surface). Note that the nozzle 84a does not necessarily need to be disposed on the optical axis of the focusing optical system 82, and may be disposed at a position slightly shifted from the optical axis to one side in the Y-axis direction.

Pipes 90b and 90c are connected to the other end (upper end) of the material supply device 86 as supply paths to the material supply device 86, and powder cartridges 88A and 88B are connected to the material supply device 86 via the pipes 90b and 90c, respectively. One of the powder cartridges, 88A, contains powder of a first modeling material (e.g., titanium). The other powder cartridge, 88B, contains powder of a second modeling material (e.g., stainless steel).

In this embodiment, the modeling device 100 is equipped with two powder cartridges to supply two types of modeling materials to the material supply device 86, but the modeling device 100 may be equipped with only one powder cartridge.

The supply of powder from the powder cartridges 88A and 88B to the material supply device 86 may be made to have the function of forcibly supplying powder to each of the powder cartridges 88A and 88B, but in this embodiment, the material supply device 86 has the function of switching between the pipes 90b and 90c, as well as the function of sucking powder from one of the powder cartridges 88A and 88B using a vacuum. The material supply device 86 is connected to the control device 600 (see FIG. 11). During modeling, the control device 600 switches between the pipes 90b and 90c using the material supply device 86, and the powder of the first modeling material (e.g. titanium) from the powder cartridge 88A and the powder of the second modeling material (e.g. stainless steel) from the powder cartridge 88B are alternatively supplied to the material supply device 86, and the powder of one of the modeling materials is supplied to the nozzle 84a from the material supply device 86 via the pipe 90a. In addition, by changing the configuration of the material supply device 86, if necessary, the first modeling material from the powder cartridge 88A and the second modeling material from the powder cartridge 88B can be simultaneously supplied to the material supply device 86, and a mixture of the two modeling materials can be supplied to the nozzle 84a via the pipe 90a. In addition, a nozzle connectable to the powder cartridge 88A and another nozzle connectable to the powder cartridge 88B can be provided below the focusing optical system 82, and powder can be supplied from either one of the nozzles or from both nozzles during modeling.

The control device 600 can also adjust the amount of modeling material supplied per unit time from the powder cartridges 88A and 88B to the nozzle 84a via the material supply device 86. For example, by adjusting the amount of powder supplied from at least one of the powder cartridges 88A and 88B to the material supply device 86, the amount of modeling material supplied per unit time to the nozzle 84a via the material supply device 86 can be adjusted. For example, by adjusting the level of vacuum used to supply powder from the powder cartridges 88A and 88B to the material supply device 86, the amount of modeling material supplied per unit time to the nozzle 84a can be adjusted. Alternatively, a valve that adjusts the amount of powder supplied from the material supply device 86 to the pipe 90a can be provided to adjust the amount of modeling material supplied per unit time to the nozzle 84a.

Here, although not shown in FIG. 7, in reality, a plurality of, for example, N supply ports 91 _i (i=1 to N) are formed at equal intervals in the X-axis direction on the lower surface (bottom surface) of the nozzle 84a as shown in FIG. 8, and each supply port 91 _i can be opened and closed individually by an opening and closing member 93 _i . Note that in FIG. 8, for convenience of illustration, 12 supply ports 91 _i are shown as an example, and both are shown so that the relationship between the supply ports and the opening and closing member can be understood. However, in reality, more than 12 supply ports are formed, and the partition portion between adjacent supply ports is narrower. However, as long as the supply ports are arranged over almost the entire length of the nozzle 84a in the longitudinal direction, any number of supply ports may be used. For example, the supply port may be a single slit-shaped opening over almost the entire length of the nozzle 84a in the longitudinal direction.

The opening/closing member 93 _i can be slidably driven in the +Y direction and the −Y direction, as representatively shown by the arrows for the k-th opening/closing member 93 _k in Fig. 8, and opens and closes the supply port 91 _i . The opening/closing member 93 _i is not limited to being slidably driven, and may be configured to be rotatable in the tilt direction around one end.

Each opening/closing member 93 _i is driven and controlled by the control device 600 via an actuator (not shown). The control device 600 controls the opening and closing of each of the multiple, for example, N, supply ports 91 i using each opening/closing member 93 _i in accordance with the setting (or change) of the intensity distribution of the beam on the modeling surface, for example, the shape, size, arrangement, etc. of the irradiation area of the beam formed on the modeling surface. This controls the supply operation of the modeling material by the material processing unit _530. In this case, at least one supply port of the multiple supply ports 91 _i is selected by the control device 600, and only the opening/closing member 93 _i closing the selected at least one supply port is controlled to open, for example, driven in the -Y direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, the modeling material can be supplied from only a part of the multiple, for example, N, supply ports 91 _i .

The control device 600 can also adjust the supply amount of the modeling material per unit time from the supply port 91 i opened and closed by the opening and closing member 93 _i by at least one of controlling the supply amount per unit time of the modeling material supplied to the nozzle 84 a via the material supply device ₈₆ described above and controlling the opening and closing using the optional opening and closing member 93 _i . The control device 600 determines the supply amount of the modeling material per unit time from any supply port 91 _i according to the setting (or change) of the intensity distribution of the beam on the modeling surface, for example, the shape, size, arrangement, etc. of the irradiation area of the beam formed on the modeling surface. The control device 600 determines the supply amount per unit time from each supply port 91 _i based on, for example, the width of the above-mentioned single character area in the scanning direction.

The opening degree of each supply port 91 _i may be adjustable by each opening/closing member 93 _i . In this case, the control device 600 may adjust the opening degree of each supply port by each opening/closing member 93 _i in accordance with, for example, the width of the one-character region in the scanning direction.

In addition, at least one supply port for supplying the powdered modeling material may be movable. For example, a single slit-shaped supply port extending in the X-axis direction may be formed on the underside of the nozzle 84a, and the nozzle 84a may be configured to be movable, for example, in at least one of the X-axis and Y-axis directions relative to the pair of support members 84b, 84c, and the control device 600 may move the nozzle 84a with the supply port formed on the underside in response to changes in the intensity distribution of the beam on the modeling surface, i.e., changes in the shape, size, and position of the beam irradiation area. Note that the nozzle 84a may also be movable in the Z-axis direction.

Alternatively, the nozzle 84a may be composed of a main body and at least two movable members that can move relative to the main body in at least one of the X-axis and Y-axis directions within the XY plane, for example, and have a supply port formed on their bottom surfaces, and at least a portion of the movable members may be moved by the control device 600 in response to changes in the intensity distribution of the beam on the printing surface. In this case, at least a portion of the movable members may also be movable in the Z-axis direction.

Furthermore, one of the multiple supply ports may be configured to be movable relative to another supply port. Alternatively, for example, the position of the one supply port in the Y-axis direction may be different from the position of the other supply port in the Y-axis direction. Alternatively, the position of the one supply port in the Z-axis direction may be different from the position of the other supply port in the Z-axis direction.

The movement of at least one supply port may be performed not only in accordance with the setting or change of the beam intensity distribution, but also for another purpose.

As described above, the multiple supply ports 91 _i provided in the nozzle 84a are arranged at equal intervals over the entire length of the nozzle 84a in the X-axis direction perpendicular to the optical axis of the focusing optical system 82, and there is only a small gap between adjacent supply ports 91 _i . Therefore, as shown by the black arrows in FIG. 9A, if the powdered modeling material PD is supplied directly below from each of the multiple supply ports 91 _i of the nozzle 84a along the Z-axis direction parallel to the optical axis AX of the focusing optical system 82, the modeling material PD will be supplied to the above-mentioned one-character region LS (the irradiation region of the one-character beam) directly below the optical axis AX of the focusing optical system 82. In this case, the modeling material PD can be supplied from the nozzle 84a by utilizing the weight of the modeling material PD itself or by ejection with a slight ejection pressure. Therefore, there is no need for a complex mechanism such as a gas flow generating mechanism for guiding the supply of the modeling material, as in the case of supplying the modeling material from an oblique direction to the target surface of the modeling. Furthermore, being able to supply the modeling material perpendicularly to the workpiece at close range as in this embodiment is extremely advantageous in terms of ensuring processing accuracy during modeling.

The nozzle 84a may be provided with a gas supply port. The gas supplied from the gas supply port may be supplied to guide the supply of the modeling material, or may be supplied for another purpose, such as a gas that contributes to modeling.

In this embodiment, since an annular parallel beam is irradiated onto the mirror array 80, the reflected beam from the mirror array 80 is incident on a partial area (a partial area with a large N.A.) near the periphery of the focusing optical system 82, and is condensed onto the forming surface MP of the focusing optical system 82 (which coincides with the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82 in this embodiment) via the peripheral area away from the optical axis of the terminal lens located at the exit end of the focusing optical system 82, i.e., the exit end of the beam irradiation unit 520 (see FIG. 4). That is, for example, a single character beam is formed only by the light passing through the portion near the periphery of the same focusing optical system 82. Therefore, it is possible to form a high-quality beam spot compared to the case where light passing through separate optical systems is condensed onto the same area to form a beam spot (laser spot). In addition, in this embodiment, it is possible to limit the irradiation of the beam to the nozzle 84a provided below the center of the exit surface (lower end surface) of the focusing optical system 82. For this reason, in this embodiment, all of the reflected beams from the mirror array 80 can be used to form spots, and there is no need to provide a light-shielding member or the like to limit the beam from being irradiated onto the nozzle 84a in the portion of the light-collecting optical system 82 that corresponds to the nozzle 84a on the incident surface side. For these reasons, the mirror array 80 is illuminated with an annular parallel beam.

The optical member located at the exit end of the focusing optical system 82 needs to have an optical surface formed at least in an area away from the optical axis of the exit side surface, and be able to focus the beam on the modeling surface (rear focal plane) via the optical surface. Therefore, in the area including the optical axis, at least one of the exit surface and the entrance surface of this optical member may be a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the focusing optical system 82, or a hole may be formed in the area including the optical axis. The optical member located at the exit end of the focusing optical system 82 may be configured using a donut-shaped focusing lens with a hole in the central area including the optical axis.

In order to limit the beam incident on the nozzle 84a from the focusing optical system 82, a limiting member 85 shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 7 may be provided on the entrance surface side (e.g., pupil plane PP) of the focusing optical system 82. The limiting member 85 limits the beam from the focusing optical system 82 from entering the nozzle 84a. The limiting member 85 may be a light-shielding member, but may also be a neutral density filter or the like. In such a case, the parallel beam incident on the focusing optical system 82 may be a parallel beam with a circular cross section or a parallel beam with an annular cross section. In the latter case, the beam is not irradiated on the limiting member 85, so that all of the reflected beams from the mirror array 80 can be used to form a spot.

It is not necessary to completely block the beam entering the nozzle 84a from the focusing optical system 82, but in order to prevent the beam from the focusing optical system 82 from entering the nozzle 84a, the beam may be emitted only from separate peripheral regions (e.g., two arc regions) on both sides of the optical axis in the Y-axis direction on the exit surface of the terminal lens of the focusing optical system 82.

The water shower nozzle 540 (see FIG. 11) is used in so-called hardening. The water shower nozzle 540 has a supply port for supplying a cooling liquid (cooling water) and sprays the cooling liquid onto the object to be cooled. The water shower nozzle 540 is connected to the control device 600 (see FIG. 11). During hardening, the control device 600 controls the light source unit 60 to adjust the thermal energy of the beam from the beam irradiation unit 520 to a value appropriate for hardening. The control device 600 can perform hardening by irradiating the surface of the workpiece with a beam to heat it to a high temperature, and then spraying the cooling liquid onto the high-temperature part through the water shower nozzle 540 to rapidly cool it. In this case, it is also possible to perform the hardening process simultaneously with additional processing on the workpiece by three-dimensional modeling. When performing the hardening process simultaneously with additional processing, it is desirable to use a metal with good hardenability as the modeling material.

In this embodiment, during additional processing of the workpiece, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 9A which shows an enlarged view of the circle A in FIG. 4, a beam (shown as beams LB1 1 and LB1 2 for convenience in FIG. 9A) that passes through the vicinity of the peripheral portion of the focusing optical system 82 and passes through the optical path on the + _Y side and -Y side (front and rear of the scanning direction of the workpiece W (table ₁₂ )) of the nozzle 84a is focused directly below the nozzle 84a, and a single character area LS having a longitudinal direction in the X-axis direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 9A) is formed on the forming surface (see FIG. 9B), and a powdered forming material _PD is supplied to the single character beam that forms the single character area LS along the Z-axis parallel to the optical axis AX of the focusing optical system 82 (along the XZ plane including the optical axis AX) via a plurality of supply ports 91 i of the nozzle 84a. As a result, a linear molten pool WP extending in the X-axis direction is formed directly below the nozzle 84a. The formation of the molten pool WP is performed while scanning the table 12 in the scan direction (+Y direction in FIG. 9A ). This makes it possible to form a bead (molten and solidified metal) BE of a predetermined width that spans the length of the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) of the single character beam (molten pool WP).

In this case, for example, if the angle of incidence of the parallel beams LB incident on the focusing optical system 82 is adjusted so that the width of the single character beam in the X-axis direction, the width of the single character beam in the Y-axis direction, or both, gradually narrows without reducing the number of parallel beams LB incident on the focusing optical system 82, the beam focusing density (energy density) increases. Therefore, by increasing the supply amount of powder (molding material) per unit time and increasing the relative movement speed of the target surface TAS accordingly, it is possible to keep the thickness of the layer of the bead BE formed constant and maintain a high level of throughput. However, this adjustment method is not limited to this, and other adjustment methods can be used to keep the thickness of the layer of the bead BE formed constant. For example, the laser output (energy amount of the laser beam) of at least one of the multiple laser units 70 may be adjusted according to the width of the single character beam in the X-axis direction, the width of the Y-axis direction, or both widths, or the number of parallel beams LB incident on the focusing optical system 82 from the mirror array 80 may be changed. In this case, the throughput is somewhat lower than in the above-mentioned adjustment method, but the adjustment is simple.

The modeling apparatus 100 according to this embodiment is provided with a measuring device 110 that receives the beam from the focusing optical system 82 and performs measurement processing. For example, the measuring device 110 can receive the beam from the focusing optical system 82 and measure the optical characteristics of the beam. In this embodiment, the measuring device 110 is used to manage the intensity distribution of the beam. In this embodiment, the measuring device 110 measures the intensity distribution of the beam at the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82 (which coincides with the modeling surface MP in this embodiment) and the intensity distribution of the beam at the pupil plane PP of the focusing optical system 82 (which coincides with the front focal plane in this embodiment).

As shown in FIG. 12, the measuring device 110 has a measuring member 92 that forms part of the upper surface of the table 12, and the remaining components are housed inside the table 12.

In FIG. 13, a part of the measuring device 110, which is a component arranged inside the table 12, is shown in a perspective view together with the measuring member 92. As shown in FIG. 13, the measuring device 110 includes the measuring member 92, a first optical system 94, an optical system unit 95, and a light receiver 96.

The measuring member 92 is placed in a circular opening formed on the top surface of the table 12 with its top surface being flush (on the same plane) with the rest of the table 12. The measuring member 92 has a base material made of, for example, quartz, which is capable of transmitting the beam from the focusing optical system 82, and a light-shielding film that also serves as a reflective film is formed on the surface of the base material by deposition of a metal such as chromium, and a circular opening 92a is formed in the center of the light-shielding film. Therefore, the top surface of the measuring member 92 includes the surface of the light-shielding film and the base material surface in the opening 92a. Note that the light-shielding film is formed very thin, and in the following description, the surface of the light-shielding film and the base material surface in the opening 92a are assumed to be located in the same plane. In addition, it is not necessary to form a light-shielding film, but by forming a light-shielding film, it is expected that the effect of suppressing the influence of flare, etc. during measurement can be suppressed.

The first optical system 94 is disposed below the measurement member 92. The beam passing through the opening 92a of the measurement member 92 is incident on the first optical system 94. Note that in this embodiment, the first optical system 94 is a collimator optical system, but it does not have to be a collimator optical system.

The optical system unit 95 has a circular rotating plate 101 with a rotating shaft 101a at its center. An opening 97 and a lens (second optical system) 98 are arranged on the rotating plate 101 at a predetermined angular interval centered on the rotating shaft 101a. By rotating the rotating shaft 101a, i.e., by rotating the rotating plate 101, either the opening 97 or the lens 98 can be selectively positioned on the optical path of the light passing through the first optical system 94 (at a position corresponding to the optical axis AX1). The rotation of the rotating shaft 101a is performed by a driving device 102 (not shown in FIG. 13, see FIG. 11) under the command of the control device 600.

The opening 97 allows the parallel light emitted from the first optical system 94 to pass through as is. By arranging this opening 97 on the optical path of the beam passing through the focusing optical system 82 and moving the first optical system 94 or at least one optical element that constitutes the first optical system 94, the receiver 96 can measure the intensity distribution of the beam at the pupil plane (entrance pupil) PP of the focusing optical system 82 (which coincides with the front focal plane in this embodiment). Note that the measurement device 110 does not need to be able to measure the intensity distribution at the pupil plane (entrance pupil) PP of the focusing optical system 82. In this case, the lens 98 may be fixed.

The lens 98, together with the first optical system 94, constitutes a relay optical system, and optically conjugates the upper surface of the measuring member 92 in which the opening 92a is formed with the light receiving surface of the light receiving element (described below) of the receiver 96.

The light receiver 96 has a light receiving element (hereinafter referred to as "CCD") 96a consisting of a two-dimensional CCD or the like, and an electric circuit 96b such as a charge transfer control circuit. It goes without saying that a CMOS image sensor may be used as the light receiving element 96a. The light receiving result (light receiving data) of the light receiver 96 is output to the control device 600 (see FIG. 11). The CCD 96a has an area sufficient to receive all the parallel light that enters the first optical system 94 through the opening 92a, exits from the first optical system 94, and passes through the opening 97. In addition, the light receiving surface of the CCD 96a is optically conjugate with the upper surface (the surface on which the opening 92a is formed) of the measuring member 92 by the relay optical system consisting of the first optical system 94 and the lens 98. In addition, each pixel of the CCD 96a has a size that includes multiple pixels within the irradiation area of the beam converged through the above-mentioned relay optical system. One or more reference pixels are defined in the CCD 96a, and the positional relationship between the reference pixel and a reference point, such as the center point, of the table 12 is known. Therefore, the control device 600 can know the positional relationship between the beam incident on the CCD 96a and the reference pixel from the output of the photoreceiver 96, and can obtain position information of the beam in the table coordinate system (for example, information on the focused position of the beam).

The light receiving surface of the CCD 96a is conjugate with the pupil plane of the focusing optical system 82 when the upper surface (substrate surface) of the measuring member 92 coincides with the rear focal plane (printing surface MP) of the focusing optical system 82 and the opening 97 is positioned on the optical path of the beam passing through the opening 92a and the first optical system 94.

In addition, instead of the opening 97, an optical system (optical member) may be placed on the rotating plate 101 to conjugate the light receiving surface of the CCD 96a with the pupil plane of the focusing optical system 82. In addition, during measurement, the upper surface of the measurement member 92 may be positioned at a position shifted in the optical axis AX direction from the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82.

Furthermore, the optical system unit 95 is not limited to the one described above. For example, instead of using the rotating plate 101, the lens 98 may be held by a movable member, and the lens 98 may be inserted or removed by moving the movable member in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis (for example, along the X-axis direction).

As is clear from the above description, in this embodiment, the measuring device 110 including the measuring member 92 is mounted on a table 12 that is freely movable in six degrees of freedom. Therefore, the measuring member 92 that functions as the light receiving unit of the measuring device 110 can receive the beam from the focusing optical system 82 while moving in at least one of the directions of the Z axis parallel to the optical axis AX on the exit surface side of the focusing optical system 82, the X axis perpendicular to the optical axis AX, and the Y axis.

The measurement of the beam intensity distribution at the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82 is performed, for example, as follows.

The control device 600 first controls the planar motor 26 and the telescopic mechanisms _16-1 to _16-6 based on known target values (such as design information) to move the table 12 and position the opening 92a of the measurement member 92 at a position on the optical axis AX of the focusing optical system 82, based on the measurement values of the position measurement system ₂₈ and _the linear encoders 24-1 to 24-6.

The control device 600 also rotates the rotating plate 101 via the driving device 102, and positions the lens 98 on the optical path of the beam passing through the opening 92a and the first optical system 94. In this state, the control device 600 measures the intensity distribution of the beam at the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82 based on the light reception data (LRD1, see FIG. 11) which is the result of receiving the beam converged by the lens 98 on the light receiving surface of the CCD 96a.

14A shows an optical arrangement for measuring the beam intensity distribution on the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82, developed along the optical axis AX1 of the measuring device 110 and the optical axis AX of the focusing optical system 82 (however, the portion upstream of the focusing optical system 82 is not shown). At this time, the reflecting surfaces of the mirror elements _{81p, 81q} of the mirror array 80 are set at a design angle that provides a desired beam intensity distribution (shape, size, arrangement, etc. of the beam irradiation area) on the rear focal plane.

14A, when the control device 600 causes at least one laser unit 70 of the light source unit 60 to emit a laser beam and a parallel beam is emitted from the light source system 510, the parallel beam is reflected by each of the multiple mirror elements 81p _{, q} of the mirror array 80, and becomes multiple parallel beams that enter the focusing optical system 82. The multiple parallel beams that enter the focusing optical system 82 are focused on the rear focal plane by the focusing optical system 82, and enter an opening 92a located on or near the rear focal plane.

The light passing through the opening 92a is focused on the optically conjugate surface of the measuring member 92, i.e., the light receiving surface of the CCD 96a, by a relay optical system consisting of the first optical system 94 and the lens 98. Therefore, the intensity distribution on the light receiving surface of the CCD 96a becomes the intensity distribution of the beam on the upper surface of the measuring member 92. The beam having this intensity distribution is received by the CCD 96a, and the light receiving data LRD1 obtained by photoelectric conversion is transmitted from the light receiver 96 (electrical circuit 96b) to the control device 600 (see FIG. 11).

Therefore, the control device 600 takes in _the light receiving data LRD1 while stepping the table ₁₂ in the Z-axis direction via the extension and contraction mechanisms _16-1-16-6 based on the measurement values of the linear encoders _24-1-24-6 , and finds, for example, a position in the Z-axis direction at which the area of the irradiation region of the beam formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD 96a is smallest based on the taken in light receiving data LRD1. The area of the irradiation region of the beam formed on the light receiving surface of the CCD 96a is smallest when the upper surface of the measuring member 92 coincides with the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82 and the sharpest irradiation region of the beam is formed within the opening 92a. Therefore, based on the light receiving data LRD1 from the light receiver 96, the control device 600 can determine that the Z position of the table 12 at which the number of pixels receiving the beam is smallest is the Z position at which the upper surface of the measuring member 92 coincides with the rear focal plane. In this embodiment, since the rear focal plane is the printing surface MP, the control device 600 can obtain the beam intensity distribution (shape, size, arrangement, etc. of the beam irradiation area) on the printing surface MP based on the light receiving data LRD1 at the Z position. If the beam intensity distribution (shape, size, arrangement, etc. of the beam irradiation area) on the printing surface MP is different from a desired state, the control device 600 adjusts the angles of at least a part of the multiple mirror elements 81p _,q of the mirror array 80, for example, to adjust the beam intensity distribution on the printing surface MP to a desired state.

In addition, when the upper surface of the measuring member 92 and the rear focal plane are aligned, the position of the beam irradiation area on the printing surface MP (the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82) on the table coordinate system can be calculated from the positional relationship between the beam intensity distribution on the light receiving surface of the CCD 96a and one or more reference pixels.

Note that if the Z position of the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82 is known and it can be determined that the Z position has not changed, there is no need to perform step movement in the Z axis direction.

In this embodiment, the control device 600 measures the beam intensity distribution (shape, size, arrangement, etc. of the beam irradiation area) on the above-mentioned printing surface MP, and then measures the beam intensity distribution on the pupil plane (entrance pupil) PP of the focusing optical system 82, which will be described next.

The measurement of the beam intensity distribution at the pupil plane (entrance pupil) PP of the focusing optical system 82 (which coincides with the front focal plane in this embodiment) is performed, for example, as follows.

After completing the measurement of the beam intensity distribution (shape, size, arrangement, etc. of the beam irradiation area) on the printing surface MP described above, the control device 600 rotates the rotating plate 101 via the drive device 102 while maintaining the position of the table 12 so that the upper surface of the measurement member 92 (the formation surface of the opening 92a) is on the optical axis AX of the focusing optical system 82 and at the same height as the printing surface MP, and positions the opening 97 on the optical path of the beam via the opening 92a and the first optical system 94. Then, in this state, the beam intensity distribution on the pupil plane PP is measured.

14B shows the optical arrangement when the intensity distribution of the beam on the pupil plane PP is measured, developed along the optical axis AX1 of the measuring device 110 and the optical axis AX of the focusing optical system 82 (however, the portion upstream of the focusing optical system 82 is not shown). As shown in FIG. 14B, in this state, an opening 97 is arranged on the optical path of the beam, so that the parallel light through the first optical system 94 is directly incident on the CCD 96a constituting the light receiver 96. In this case, the light receiving surface of the CCD 96a can be considered to be arranged in a position conjugate with the pupil plane PP of the focusing optical system 82, and it is possible to receive a light beam corresponding to the intensity distribution of the beam on the pupil plane PP. Therefore, the control device 600 takes in the light receiving data (LRD2, see FIG. 11) of the light receiver 96 and obtains the intensity distribution of the beam on the pupil plane PP based on the light receiving data LRD2. Then, the obtained intensity distribution data is stored in a memory.

The control device 600 can adjust, for example, the angles of at least a portion of the multiple mirror elements 81 _{p, q} of the mirror array 80 based on the intensity distribution of the beam on the pupil plane PP.

The control device 600 may measure the beam intensity distribution at the pupil plane PP each time it measures the beam intensity distribution at the printing surface MP, or it may measure the beam intensity distribution at the printing surface MP once a predetermined number of times.

Figure 11 shows a block diagram showing the input/output relationship of the control device 600, which is the central component of the control system of the molding device 100. The control device 600 includes a workstation (or a microcomputer) and the like, and controls each component of the molding device 100.

The basic function of the molding device 100 according to this embodiment configured as described above is to add a desired shape to an existing part (workpiece) by three-dimensional modeling. The workpiece is input into the molding device 100, and after the desired shape has been accurately added, it is removed from the molding device 100. At this time, the actual shape data of the added shape is sent from the device to an external device, such as a higher-level device. The series of operations performed by the molding device 100 is automated, and the supply of workpieces can be input in lot units, with a fixed amount collected on a pallet being considered as one lot.

Figure 15 shows a flowchart corresponding to a series of processing algorithms of the control device 600. The processing (including judgment) of each step in the following flowchart is performed by the control device 600, but explanations of the control device 600 will be omitted below unless specifically necessary.

When a start command is input to the control device 600 from outside, processing begins according to the flowchart in Figure 15.

First, in step S2, the count value n of the counter indicating the workpiece number in the lot is initialized (n←1).

In the next step S4, a pallet (not shown) on which one lot of workpieces before additional processing is mounted is carried from the outside to a predetermined carry-in/out position in the molding device 100. This carrying is performed by a carry-in/out device (not shown) in response to an instruction from the control device 600. Here, one lot is, for example, i x j pieces, and i x j pieces of workpieces are mounted on the pallet in a matrix arrangement of i rows and j columns. That is, the mounting positions (mounting positions) of the workpieces are determined on the top surface of the pallet in a matrix arrangement of i rows and j columns, and the workpieces are mounted (placed) on each mounting position. For example, each mounting position is marked, and the position of each mark on the pallet is known. In the following, one lot is, for example, 4 x 5 = 20 pieces, and marks are placed on the top surface of the pallet in a matrix arrangement of 4 rows and 5 columns, and the workpieces are mounted on each mark. For example, the first through fifth workpieces in a lot are placed in positions 1st row, 1st column to 1st row, 5th column, respectively, the sixth through tenth workpieces are placed in positions 2nd row, 1st column to 2nd row, 5th column, respectively, the eleventh through fifteenth workpieces are placed in positions 3rd row, 1st column to 3rd row, 5th column, respectively, and the sixteenth through twentieth workpieces are placed in positions 4th row, 1st column to 4th row, 5th column, respectively.

In the next step S6, the nth workpiece in the lot is removed from the pallet and mounted on the table 12. At this time, the moving system 200 is in a loading/unloading position set in the vicinity of the position where the transport system 300 is installed in the molding apparatus 100. Also, at this time, the table 12 is in the above-mentioned reference state (Z, θx, θy, θz) = (Z0, ₀ , 0, 0), and its XY position coincides with the X, Y position of the slider 10 measured by the position measurement system 28.

Specifically, the control device 600 refers to the count value n to identify the position (i, j) on the pallet of the workpiece to be removed, and instructs the transport system 300 to remove the workpiece at the identified position (i, j). In response to this instruction, the transport system 300 removes the workpiece from the pallet and places it on the table 12. For example, when n=1, the workpiece located at the first row, first column position on the pallet is removed and placed on the table 12.

Next, in step S7, the table 12 with the workpiece mounted thereon is moved below the measurement system 400 (sensor unit 38). This movement of the table 12 is performed by the control device 600 controlling the planar motor 26 based on the measurement information of the position measurement system 28 to drive the movement system 200 in the X-axis direction (and Y-axis direction) on the base BS. Even during this movement, the table 12 maintains the reference state described above.

In the next step S8, the measurement system 400 is used to measure the position information (three-dimensional shape information in this embodiment) in three-dimensional space of at least a portion of the target surface on the workpiece mounted on the table 12 in the reference state. After this, based on the measurement results, the position of the target surface on the workpiece in the six degrees of freedom directions can be managed by open-loop control on the table coordinate system (reference coordinate system).

In the next step S9, the table 12 carrying the workpiece, for which measurement of the position information (shape information) of at least a portion of the target surface has been completed, is moved below the beam shaping system 500 (nozzle unit 84) in the same manner as described above.

In the next step S10, additional processing is performed using three-dimensional modeling to add a shape corresponding to the 3D data to the workpiece on the table 12. This additional processing is performed as follows.

That is, the control device 600 converts the three-dimensional CAD data of the shape to be added by the additional processing (the shape obtained by subtracting the shape of the workpiece to be added from the shape of the object created after the additional processing) into, for example, STL (Stereo Lithography) data as data for three-dimensional modeling, and further generates data for each layer sliced in the Z-axis direction from this three-dimensional STL data. Then, the control device 600 controls the movement system 200 and the beam modeling system 500 to perform additional processing on each layer of the workpiece based on the data of each layer, and repeats the formation of the above-mentioned single character area and the formation of a linear molten pool by supplying modeling material from the nozzle 84a to the single character beam while scanning the table 12 in the scan direction for each layer. Here, the position and posture of the target surface on the workpiece during the additional processing are controlled taking into account the position information (shape information in this embodiment) of the target surface measured previously. For example, the position information (shape information) of the target surface TAS of the workpiece W acquired using the measurement system 400 is used to align the target area TA on the target surface TAS of the workpiece W with the beam irradiation area on the printing surface MP. In addition, the control device 600 also controls the beam printing system 500 based on the position information (shape information) of the target surface TAS of the workpiece W acquired using the measurement system 400. The contents of this control include all of the various controls of the beam irradiation unit 520 described above as a method for setting or changing the beam intensity distribution on the printing surface, for example, the shape, size, arrangement, etc. of the beam irradiation area formed on the printing surface, and the various controls related to the supply operation of the printing material by the material processing unit 530, which were described above as being performed in response to the setting or change of the beam intensity distribution.

Here, in the above description, it is assumed that the target surface (e.g., the upper surface) TAS on which the target area TA of the workpiece W for additional processing is set is a plane that is set to a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the focusing optical system 82 (a plane parallel to the XY plane) by adjusting the inclination of the table 12, and modeling is performed with the scanning operation of the table 12. However, the target surface on which the target area of the workpiece for additional processing is set is not necessarily a plane on which a single character beam can be used. However, the modeling device 100 according to this embodiment is equipped with a moving system 200 that can arbitrarily set the position in six degrees of freedom of the table 12 on which the workpiece is mounted. In this case, the control device 600 controls the moving system 200 and the beam irradiation unit 520 of the beam modeling system 500 based on the three-dimensional shape of the work measured using the measurement system 400, and adjusts the width of the beam irradiation area on the modeling surface MP in the X-axis direction so that the target surface (e.g., the top surface) of the work W aligned with the modeling surface MP can be considered flat enough to be additionally processed within the beam irradiation area on the modeling surface MP, while opening and closing each supply port 91 _i via each opening and closing member 93 _i of the nozzle 84a, and supplies modeling material from the necessary supply port to the beam irradiated to the irradiation area. This allows modeling to be performed on the necessary part even if the top surface of the work (target surface) is not flat.

In addition, when performing modeling by stacking beads, additional processing (bead formation) may be performed with a beam with a small width in the X-axis direction of the irradiation area on the modeling surface to form a relatively large surface area, and then additional processing (bead formation) may be performed on the surface using a single-character beam with a larger width in the X-axis direction of the irradiation area on the modeling surface. For example, when performing modeling on an uneven target surface, additional processing (bead formation) may be performed to fill in the recesses using a beam with a small width in the X-axis direction of the irradiation area on the modeling surface to form a surface, and then additional processing (bead formation) may be performed on the surface using a single-character beam with a larger width in the X-axis direction of the irradiation area on the modeling surface MP. Even in such a case, it goes without saying that the powder of the modeling material is supplied from one or more supply ports selected according to the change in size (width) of the irradiation area of the beam on the modeling surface MP.

After additional processing of the workpiece is completed, in step S11, the table 12 carrying the processed workpiece W is moved below the measurement system 400.

In the next step S12, the three-dimensional measuring machine 401 of the measurement system 400 is used to inspect the shape of the workpiece on the table 12. Specifically, the control device 600 uses the three-dimensional measuring machine 401 to measure the three-dimensional shape of the workpiece after additional machining while the workpiece is still mounted on the table 12, and determines the dimensional error of the measured three-dimensional shape of the workpiece relative to the three-dimensional shape of the workpiece after additional machining that is determined from the design values. Here, the workpiece after additional machining (the workpiece on the table 12) to be inspected includes both workpieces that have been subjected to only the initial additional machining and workpieces that have been subjected to the corrective machining described below after the additional machining.

After the inspection is completed, in the next step S14, a pass/fail judgment is made for the additional processing, that is, whether or not the part has passed the inspection, by determining whether or not the dimensional error obtained by the inspection is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value. If the judgment in step S14 is positive, that is, if the part has passed the inspection, the process proceeds to step S15.

On the other hand, if the judgment in step S14 is negative, i.e., if the workpiece is not passed, the process proceeds to step S19, where the table 12 carrying the workpiece is moved below the beam modeling system 500, and then in step S20, the workpiece mounted on the table 12 is corrected. This correction process is performed, for example, based on the dimensional error previously obtained by inspection, by forming a molten pool while moving the table 12 in a stationary state or at a very low speed using a beam (e.g., a spot-shaped beam) from the beam irradiation unit 520 of the beam modeling system 500, in the same manner as in modeling with a normal 3D printer, so that the dimensional error is reduced to as close to zero as possible. In this case, if the dimensional error obtained as a result of the inspection is a positive value, i.e., if a shape that is thicker than necessary has been added to the target surface of the workpiece by additional processing, it is necessary to remove the excess modeling material. In this embodiment, the control device 600 does not supply the modeling material, but irradiates the beam from the beam irradiation unit 520 of the beam modeling system 500 to an excess shape portion on the target surface of the workpiece to melt the modeling material in that portion, and moves the table 12 while rapidly accelerating and decelerating to remove the melted modeling material from the target surface of the workpiece. In addition to or instead of moving the table 12 while rapidly accelerating and decelerating, a compressed air blowing device that blows off the melted modeling material may be provided in the beam modeling system 500. Alternatively, a removal device having a blade or the like that mechanically removes the excess modeling material without melting the modeling material with the beam may be provided in the beam modeling system 500. In any case, it is preferable to provide a recovery device in the beam modeling system 500 that recovers the modeling material removed from the target surface of the workpiece (melted modeling material or mechanically removed modeling material). The recovery device may be provided completely separate from the nozzle 84a, but if a recovery port is provided in the nozzle for excess powdered modeling material that has not melted, that recovery port may also be used as a recovery port for the removed modeling material.

When the above-mentioned correction processing is completed, the process returns to step S11, and the table 12 carrying the corrected workpiece is moved below the measurement system 400. In the next step S12, the shape of the workpiece on the table 12 is inspected using the three-dimensional measuring device 401 of the measurement system 400. Then, in step S14, a pass/fail judgment is made for the additional processing, that is, whether or not it passes. If the judgment in step S14 is again negative (if it fails), the process (including judgment) of the loop of steps S19, S20, S11, S12, and S14 is repeated thereafter until the judgment in step S14 is positive, that is, until the inspection result of the shape after the correction processing passes, and any further correction processing required is performed.

In step S15, the table 12 on which the workpiece that has undergone additional processing (including modified processing) is mounted is moved to the loading/unloading position described above.

In the next step S16, the nth workpiece in the processed lot mounted on the table 12 is returned to the pallet. Specifically, the control device 600 refers to the count value n to identify the position on the pallet, and issues an instruction to the transport system 300 to return the workpiece to the identified position on the pallet. In response to this instruction, the transport system 300 removes the workpiece that has been subjected to additional processing from the table 12 and returns it to the identified position on the pallet. Around the same time as issuing the instruction to the transport system 300, the control device 600 sends actual shape data of the added shape obtained in the workpiece shape inspection performed immediately before in step S12 to an external device, for example a higher-level device.

After the process of step S16 is executed, the process proceeds to step S22. At this point, there is no work on the table 12. In step S22, the counter value n is incremented by 1 (n←n+1).

In the next step S24, it is determined whether the count value n exceeds N (N is the number of workpieces in one lot; in this embodiment, N=20). If the determination in step S24 is negative, i.e., if there are workpieces in the lot that have not been processed, the process returns to step S6, and steps S6 to S24 are repeated until the determination in step S24 is positive. This causes the above-mentioned series of processes (including determination) to be performed on the second and subsequent workpieces in the lot. When the processing of all workpieces in the lot is completed and the determination in step S24 is positive, the process proceeds to step S26, where an instruction is given to a loading/unloading device (not shown) to unload the pallet on which the processed workpieces are mounted outside the device, and the series of processes in this routine is then terminated.

In the above description, after the additional processing of the workpiece is completed, the table 12 carrying the additionally processed workpiece W is moved below the measurement system 400, and the shape of the workpiece on the table 12 is inspected using the three-dimensional measuring device 401 of the measurement system 400. However, without such inspection, after the additional processing of the workpiece is completed, the table 12 carrying the additionally processed workpiece W may be moved to the loading/unloading position in order to return the processed workpiece to the pallet. In other words, the shape inspection of the additionally processed workpiece and the above-mentioned correction processing using the inspection result do not necessarily have to be performed. Alternatively, after the additional processing of the workpiece is completed, the table 12 carrying the additionally processed workpiece W may be moved below the measurement system 400, and the shape of the workpiece on the table 12 may be inspected using the three-dimensional measuring device 401 of the measurement system 400, and regardless of the inspection result, the table 12 carrying the additionally processed workpiece may be moved to the loading/unloading position in order to return the additionally processed workpiece to the pallet without performing correction processing. In this case, the actual shape data of the added shape obtained as a result of the inspection is sent by the control device 600 to an external device, for example, a higher-level device. Also, if correction processing has been performed, it is not necessary to inspect the shape of the workpiece. In other words, after step S20, the process may proceed to step S15, and the table 12 on which the corrected workpiece is mounted may be moved to the loading/unloading position described above.

In the above explanation, after the additional processing of the workpiece is completed, the table 12 carrying the processed workpiece W is moved below the measurement system 400 to inspect the shape of the processed workpiece in order to determine whether or not corrective processing is necessary. However, this is not limited to the above, and the table 12 carrying the workpiece W may be moved below the measurement system 400 during the additional processing of the workpiece, and after obtaining position information (shape information) of the target surface including the added portion, the table 12 carrying the workpiece W may be moved again below the beam forming system 500, and forming may be resumed based on the obtained position information (shape information) of the target surface including the added portion.

As explained in detail above, according to the modeling apparatus 100 and the modeling method executed by the modeling apparatus 100 of this embodiment, it is possible to use the measurement system 400 to measure the three-dimensional shape of the target surface of the workpiece that has been subjected to additional processing while it is still mounted on the table 12 without removing it from the table 12, and based on the measurement results, it is possible to determine, for example, whether the shape after processing is OK/NG. If it is rejected, it is also possible to perform corrective processing using the beam modeling system 500 while the workpiece is still mounted on the table 12, which is extremely efficient.

In addition, in the process of mass-producing parts, manufacturing parts and inspecting their dimensions on the spot is extremely convenient for controlling quality. This is because drift is inherent in the precision of the device due to various factors. By inspecting on the spot, the control device 600 can sense the tendency of this drift, and based on the results, it becomes possible to provide feedback to the processing precision. In other words, the control device 600 can determine the tendency of the device to drift during modeling based on the position information (shape information) of the target surface of the workpiece obtained using the measurement system 400, and adjust at least one of the measurement system 400, beam modeling system 500, and movement system 200 according to the determined results, thereby making it possible to suppress dimensional fluctuations and improve yield and quality variation.

The control device 600 may adjust at least one of the measurement system 400, the beam shaping system 500, and the movement system 200 based on the position information (shape information) of the target surface of the workpiece acquired using the measurement system 400, not limited to determining the drift tendency of the device during shaping. In this case, the workpiece includes at least one of the workpiece before additional processing is performed, the workpiece after additional processing is performed, and the workpiece after corrective processing.

In the case of the molding device 100 according to this embodiment, as can be seen from the above explanation, there is almost no reaction force associated with processing, so unlike machine tools such as machining centers in which the fixed state of the workpiece is directly related to the processing accuracy and finish, there is no need to firmly fix the workpiece on the table 12. In addition, since the molding device 100 is equipped with a measurement system 400, even if the workpiece is loaded somewhat roughly on the table 12 by the transport system 300, the position relative to the coordinate system is later determined by the measurement system 400, so there is no problem. Because the measurement system 400 performs three-dimensional shape measurement (one aspect of three-dimensional alignment), it is possible to automate a series of operations, including loading the workpiece onto the table 12 and unloading the workpiece from the table 12 after additional processing by the transport system 300, and efficient production is possible.

Furthermore, with the modeling apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the beam intensity distribution within the modeling surface MP can be changed continuously, if necessary, not only before modeling begins through the relative movement between the beam and the target surface TAS, but also during the relative movement between the beam and the target surface TAS, and can be changed according to the relative position between the target surface TAS and the beam, and according to the required modeling accuracy and throughput. This makes it possible for the modeling apparatus 100 to form a model on the target surface TAS of the workpiece W with high processing accuracy and high throughput, for example, by rapid prototyping.

In addition, in the modeling device 100, when performing additional processing (modeling) of a relatively large area on a flat target surface TAS, a method is adopted in which a powdered modeling material PD is supplied from the nozzle 84a to the one-character beam described above to form a linear molten pool WP directly below the nozzle 84a, and the formation of the molten pool WP is performed while scanning the table 12 in the scan direction (+Y direction in FIG. 4). With this method, a shape that could not be generated by a conventional 3D printer or the like without moving a spot-shaped beam back and forth dozens of times as shown in FIG. 16(B) can be generated by moving the table 12 back and forth several times with respect to the one-character beam as shown in FIG. 16(A). According to this embodiment, it is possible to form a model on the target surface of the work in a significantly shorter time than in the case of a conventional modeling using a spot-shaped beam, which is a one-stroke modeling. In other words, this also makes it possible to improve throughput.

In addition, according to the modeling device 100 of this embodiment, the beam intensity distribution in the modeling surface of the focusing optical system 82 is changed by changing the inclination angle of the reflecting surface of each mirror element of the mirror array 80, so that the intensity distribution can be changed by easily changing at least one of the position, number, size, and shape of the irradiation area of the beam in the modeling surface. Therefore, for example, by setting the irradiation area to a spot shape, slit shape (line shape), etc., and performing three-dimensional modeling on the target surface on the workpiece using the above-mentioned method, it becomes possible to form a highly accurate three-dimensional object.

The molding device 100 according to this embodiment has a plurality of, for example, two, powder cartridges 88A and 88B, and powder of a first molding material (for example, titanium) and powder of a second molding material (for example, stainless steel) are contained inside the powder cartridges 88A and 88B, respectively. During additional processing (molding), the control device 600 switches the powder supply path to the nozzle unit 84 using the material supply device 86, that is, the piping 90b and 90c. As a result, the powder of the first molding material (for example, titanium) from the powder cartridge 88A and the powder of the second molding material (for example, stainless steel) from the powder cartridge 88B are alternatively supplied to the nozzle unit 84. Therefore, by simply switching the powder material supplied by the control device 600 according to the location, it is possible to easily generate a joint shape of different materials. Moreover, the switching can be performed almost instantly. Furthermore, it is possible to mix and supply different materials to create an "alloy" on the spot, or to change the composition depending on the location or create a gradation.

In the modeling apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, the control device 600 can use the measuring device 110 to measure the beam intensity distribution within the modeling surface MP at an appropriate frequency using the method described above, and perform the necessary calibration. For example, the control device 600 can adjust the beam intensity distribution within the modeling surface MP by controlling the mirror array 80, etc., based on the measurement results of the beam intensity distribution within the modeling surface MP using the measuring device 110.

The control device 600 may also use the measurement device 110 to measure the beam intensity distribution within the modeling surface MP, for example, prior to modeling processing (additional processing) of the workpiece, and adjust at least one of the beam modeling system 500 and the movement system 200 during the modeling processing based on the measurement results. In this case, following the measurement of the beam intensity distribution within the modeling surface MP, the control device 600 may also measure the beam intensity distribution at the pupil plane PP, and adjust (control) at least one of the beam modeling system 500 and the movement system 200 during the modeling processing based on the measurement results.

In this case, the adjustment (control) of the movement system 200 typically involves controlling the position of the table 12 to align the target area TA on the target surface TAS of the workpiece W with the beam irradiation area on the printing surface MP.

The adjustment (control) of the beam shaping system 500 includes all of the various controls of the beam irradiation unit 520, which were previously described as a method for setting or changing the beam intensity distribution on the shaping surface, such as the shape, size, and arrangement of the irradiation area of the beam formed on the shaping surface, and the various controls related to the supply operation of shaping material by the material processing unit 530, which were previously described as being performed in response to the setting or change of the beam intensity distribution.

In addition, when the measurement of the beam intensity distribution on the printing surface MP cannot be performed all at once by the photodetector 96 while the table 12 is stationary, for example, when the range of the beam irradiation area on the printing surface MP is wide, the measurement of the beam intensity distribution on the printing surface MP is performed while moving the table 12 (opening 92a of the measuring member 92) in at least one of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction within the XY plane.

In the molding apparatus 100 according to this embodiment, all components of the measuring device 110 are provided on the table 12, but this is not limited thereto. As long as an optically conjugate relationship is maintained between the light receiving surface of the CCD 96a and the formation surface of the opening 92a of the measuring member 92 that functions as the light receiving section, the components of the measuring device 110 other than the measuring member 92 may be provided outside the table 12.

In addition, a sensor device similar to the measuring device 110 described above may be mounted on a movable member that can move independently of the table 12, and may be provided separately from the table 12. In this case, the movable member may be movable in the three axial directions of X, Y, and Z, and the control device 600 may adopt a configuration that allows the control device 600 to control (manage) the position of the movable member and the sensor on the table coordinate system. Using the sensor device, the control device 600 can measure the intensity distribution of the beam on the above-mentioned modeling surface. In this case, the intensity distribution of the beam on the pupil plane PP may also be measured. In this case, the control device 600 may adjust at least one of the beam modeling system 500 and the moving system 200 described above during the modeling process based on the intensity distribution of the beam in the modeling surface MP measured using the sensor device. In addition, the control device 600 can measure the intensity distribution of the beam on the above-mentioned modeling surface using the sensor device in parallel with measuring the work on the table 12 using the measurement system 400.

As can be seen from the above explanation, the measuring device 110 can also be used as an unevenness sensor that detects unevenness (intensity distribution) within the irradiation area of the beam intensity.

The wavefront aberration of the focusing optical system 82 may also be measured using the measuring device 110. For example, a microlens array in which a plurality of microlenses that optically conjugate the formation surface of the opening 92a and the light receiving surface of the CCD 96a are arranged in a matrix may be arranged in the free area of the rotating plate 101 shown in FIG. 13, for example, in the area within the circle of the virtual line (two-dot chain line) in FIG. 13. In this case, it is also possible to configure a Shack-Hartmann type wavefront aberration measuring instrument capable of measuring the wavefront aberration of the focusing optical system 82 by rotating the rotating plate 101 to position the microlens array on the optical path of the parallel light emitted from the first optical system 94, and arranging a pattern plate on which a pinhole pattern is formed as a light transmitting portion, for example, on the exit side of the second fly-eye lens system 76. In this case, the pattern plate is configured to be insertable and detachable from the exit side of the second fly-eye lens system 76. When a configuration capable of measuring wavefront aberration is adopted, even if the position of the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82 changes, the position of the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82 after the change can be measured from the wavefront aberration measurement result, and based on that, the position of the printing surface MP can be changed or the position of the upper surface of the measurement member 92 during the measurement process by the measurement device 110 can be adjusted. In addition, when a configuration capable of measuring wavefront aberration is adopted, the focusing optical system 82 may also be configured to be adjustable in optical characteristics. For example, the focusing optical system 82 may be configured to be composed of multiple lenses, and some of the lenses may be configured to be drivable in the optical axis AX direction and in the tilt direction relative to the plane perpendicular to the optical axis AX by a driving element such as a piezoelectric element. In such a case, the optical characteristics of the focusing optical system 82 can be adjusted by driving the movable lens in at least one of the axis AX direction and the tilt direction.

In addition, instead of the above-mentioned measuring device 110, as shown in FIG. 17, the above-mentioned light receiver 96 may be arranged on the top surface of the table 12 so that the light receiving surface of the CCD 96a is flush with the other parts of the table 12. The light receiver 96 may then measure the intensity distribution of the beam on the printing surface MP. In this case, it is possible to eliminate the influence of the finite number of pixels of the CCD and mirror array and obtain correct measurement results by enabling not only measurement when the table 12 is stopped but also scan measurement that measures the intensity distribution of the beam while the table 12 is moving. In this way, by measuring the intensity distribution of the beam with a sensor that receives the beam from the focusing optical system 82, it is possible to manage the intensity distribution of the beam taking into account fluctuation factors such as thermal aberration of the focusing optical system 82. In addition, by controlling the mirror array 80 based on the results, the intensity distribution of the beam on the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system 82 can be set to a desired state with high accuracy.

In the above embodiment, the beam shaping system 500 forms an irradiation area of a single linear beam (single character beam), and the workpiece W is scanned in the scanning direction (e.g., Y-axis direction) with the single character beam. However, as described above, the beam shaping system 500 can freely change the intensity distribution of the beam on the printing surface MP by providing an appropriate angular distribution to the incident angle of the multiple parallel beams LB incident on the focusing optical system 82. Therefore, the printing device 100 can change at least one of the position, number, size, and shape of the beam irradiation area on the printing surface MP, and as described above, it is also possible to form, for example, a single character area, a three-row area, a missing single character area, etc. (see FIG. 10) as the beam irradiation area.

Up until now, explanations have been given on the premise that by making the character area as thin and sharp as possible, the energy density of the beam irradiated to that character area drops sharply when it is defocused, and this is used to maximize control over the thickness of the molten pool (coating layer). However, in this case, the thickness of the coating layer becomes very thin, and when adding layers of the same thickness, the additive processing (shaping) must be performed in many separate layers (multiple overcoats must be applied), which is disadvantageous in terms of productivity.

Therefore, it may be necessary to increase the thickness of the coating layer while considering the balance between the required modeling accuracy and throughput. In such a case, the control device 600 changes the intensity distribution of the beam in the modeling surface according to the required modeling accuracy and throughput, specifically, the inclination angle of each mirror element 81 _{p, q} of the mirror array 80 is controlled to make the width of the one-character region a little wider. For example, the one-character region LS shown in FIG. 18(B) changes to the one-character region LS'. In this way, the change in energy density when defocused becomes gentle, and the thickness h of the high energy area in the vertical direction becomes thicker as shown in FIG. 18(A), thereby making it possible to increase the thickness of the layer that can be generated in one scan, thereby improving productivity.

As described above, the molding device 100 according to this embodiment has the major feature of being equipped with many conveniences and solutions that meet the requirements of actual processing sites, compared to conventional metal 3D printers.

In the above embodiment, as an example, a case has been described in which a certain amount collected on a pallet is considered as one lot, and workpieces are processed in lot units, but this is not limiting, and workpieces may be processed one by one. In this case, the conveying system 300 loads the unmachined workpiece received from the external conveying system onto the table 12, and unloads the machined workpiece from the table and passes it to the external conveying system.

In the above embodiment, the mirror array 80 is used as the spatial light modulator. Alternatively, a large-area digital mirror device may be used that is made up of a large number of digital micromirror devices (DMD (registered trademark)) fabricated by MEMS technology arranged in a matrix. In such a case, it is difficult to measure the state (e.g., tilt angle) of each mirror element using an encoder or the like. In such a case, a detection system may be used that irradiates the surface of the large-area digital mirror device with detection light, receives reflected light from the many mirror elements that make up the digital mirror device, and detects the state of each mirror element based on the intensity distribution. In this case, the detection system may detect the state of each of the many mirror elements based on image information obtained by capturing an image formed by the digital mirror device using an imaging means.

In addition, in the molding apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment, a detection system 89 shown by virtual lines in Fig. 11 may be used together with the rotary encoder _83p,q . As the detection system 89, a detection system that irradiates detection light onto the surface of the mirror array 80, receives reflected light from the multiple mirror elements 81p _,q that constitute the mirror array 80, and detects the state of each mirror element 81p _,q based on the intensity distribution of the light may be used. As the detection system, for example, a system having a configuration similar to that disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 8,456,624 may be used.

In the above embodiment, the mirror array 80 is exemplified as being capable of changing the inclination angle of the reflecting surface of each mirror element 81 _p,q with respect to the reference plane. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a mirror array having a structure in which each mirror element is inclined with respect to the reference plane and displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the reference plane may be adopted. Also, each mirror element does not necessarily have to be inclined with respect to the reference plane. A mirror array that is displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the reference plane in this way is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 8,456,624. In addition, a mirror array in which each mirror element is rotatable around two mutually perpendicular axes parallel to the reference plane (i.e., the inclination angle in two perpendicular directions can be changed) may be adopted. A mirror array that is capable of changing the inclination angle in two perpendicular directions in this way is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Patent No. 6,737,662. In these cases, the state of each mirror element can be detected using the detection system disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Patent No. 8,456,624.

It is also possible to use a detection system that irradiates detection light onto the surface of the mirror array 80 and receives reflected light from the numerous mirror elements _81p,q that constitute the mirror array 80. Alternatively, as the detection system, a sensor that individually detects the tilt angle and spacing of each mirror element with respect to a reference surface (base) may be provided in the mirror array (optical device).

In the above embodiment, the incident angle of the parallel beams incident on the pupil plane of the focusing optical system 82 is individually controlled to change the intensity distribution of the beam on the modeling surface. However, it is not necessary that all the incident angles of the parallel beams incident on the pupil plane of the focusing optical system 82 can be controlled (changed). Therefore, in the case of controlling the incident angle of the parallel beams incident on the focusing optical system 82 using a mirror array as in the above embodiment, it is not necessary that all the mirror elements can change the state of the reflecting surface (at least one of the position and the inclination angle of the reflecting surface). In the above embodiment, the incident angle of the parallel beams incident on the focusing optical system 82 is controlled, that is, the intensity distribution of the beam on the modeling surface is changed. However, instead of the mirror array, a spatial light modulator (non-emissive image display element) described below may be used. Examples of the transmissive spatial light modulator include electrochromic displays (ECDs) in addition to transmissive liquid crystal display elements (LCDs). In addition to the above-mentioned micromirror array, examples of the reflective spatial light modulator include a reflective liquid crystal display element, an electrophoretic display (EPD: Electro Phonetic Display), electronic paper (or electronic ink), and a grating light valve. In the above embodiment, a mirror array (a type of spatial light modulator) is used to change the intensity distribution of the beam on the modeling surface, but the spatial light modulator may be used for other purposes.

As mentioned above, it is preferable that the focusing optical system 82 has a large aperture, but a focusing optical system with a numerical aperture N.A. of less than 0.5 may also be used.

In the above embodiment, the case where titanium and stainless steel powders are used as the molding material is exemplified, but it is also possible to use powders of iron and other metals, as well as powders of nylon, polypropylene, ABS, etc., other than metals. The molding apparatus 100 according to the above embodiment can also be applied when a material other than powder, such as a filler wire used in welding, is used as the molding material. In this case, however, a wire feed device or the like is provided instead of a powder supply system such as a powder cartridge and a nozzle unit.

In the above embodiment, the powdered modeling material PD is supplied from each of the multiple supply ports _91i of the nozzle 84a along the Z-axis direction parallel to the optical axis AX of the focusing optical system 82, but the present invention is not limited to this. The modeling material (powder) may be supplied from a direction inclined with respect to the optical axis AX. The modeling material (powder) may also be supplied from a direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction.

In addition, in the modeling device 100 of the above embodiment, the nozzle 84a provided in the material processing unit may have, in addition to the supply port for the modeling material described above, a recovery port (suction port) for recovering the powdered modeling material that has not been melted.

So far, an example of adding a shape to an existing workpiece has been described, but the use of the modeling device 100 according to this embodiment is not limited to this, and it is also possible to generate a three-dimensional shape by modeling from nothing on the table 12, just like a normal 3D printer. In this case, it is nothing more than performing additional processing on a workpiece that is "nothing". When modeling such a three-dimensional object on the table 12, the control device 600 optically detects at least three alignment marks formed in advance on the table 12 using the mark detection system 56 (see FIG. 11) provided in the measurement system 400, thereby obtaining position information in six degrees of freedom directions of the target surface of the modeling set on the table 12, and based on this result, it is sufficient to perform three-dimensional modeling while controlling the position and attitude of the target surface on the table 12 relative to the beam (irradiation area).

In the above embodiment, as an example, the control device 600 controls each of the components of the moving system 200, the transport system 300, the measurement system 400, and the beam modeling system 500. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the control device of the modeling system may be configured with multiple hardware devices each including a processing device such as a microprocessor. In this case, the moving system 200, the transport system 300, the measurement system 400, and the beam modeling system 500 may each be equipped with a processing device, or a combination of a first processing device that controls at least two of the moving system 200, the transport system 300, the measurement system 400, and the beam modeling system 500 and a second processing device that controls the remaining system may be used, or a combination of a first processing device that controls two of the above four systems and a second and third processing device that individually control the remaining two systems may be used. In either case, each processing device will take on part of the functions of the control device 600 described above. Alternatively, the control device of the modeling system may be configured with multiple processing devices such as microprocessors and a host computer that collectively manages these processing devices.

At least some of the constituent elements of each of the above-mentioned embodiments can be appropriately combined with at least some of the other constituent elements of each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Some of the constituent elements of each of the above-mentioned embodiments may not be used. In addition, to the extent permitted by law, the disclosures of all publications and U.S. patents cited in each of the above-mentioned embodiments are incorporated by reference into the present text.

As described above, the modeling device and modeling method according to the present invention are suitable for forming three-dimensional objects.

12...table, 82...light collecting optical system, 83...rotary encoder, 91...supply port, 85...restriction member, 89...detection system, 92...measuring member, 92a...opening, 100...modeling device, 110...measuring device, 200...moving system, 300...transport system, 400...measuring system, 401...three-dimensional measuring machine, 500...beam modeling system, 520...beam irradiation unit, 530...material processing unit, 600...control device, PD...modeling material, LS...single character area, TA...target part, TAS...target surface, W...workpiece, WP...molten pool.

Claims (65)

A modeling apparatus for forming a three-dimensional object on a target surface, comprising:
a motion system for moving the target surface;
a measurement system for acquiring position information of the target surface while being movable by the moving system;
A beam shaping system including a beam irradiation unit that emits a beam and a material processing unit that supplies a shaping material to be irradiated with the beam from the beam irradiation unit;
a control device that controls the movement system and the beam modeling system based on 3D data of a three-dimensional object to be formed on the target surface and positional information of the target surface acquired using the measurement system, so that a target portion on the target surface is modeled by supplying the modeling material from the material processing unit while moving the target surface and the beam from the beam irradiation unit relatively;
A molding apparatus comprising: The molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement system includes a three-dimensional measuring machine. The molding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the measurement system is capable of measuring positional information of at least three points on the target surface. The modeling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the measurement system is capable of measuring the three-dimensional shape of the target surface. The molding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control device, after the molding, uses the measurement system to obtain position information of at least a portion of the surface of the portion added to the target surface by the molding. The moving system has a movable member capable of holding a workpiece,
The molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the target surface includes at least a part of a surface of the workpiece held by the movable member. Further comprising a conveying system for loading the workpiece before machining onto the movable member and unloading the workpiece from the movable member after machining is completed;
The molding apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the control device controls the transfer system. The molding apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising a sensor that receives the beam at a light receiving portion provided on the movable member. The control device controls the position and attitude of the movable member under a reference coordinate system;
The molding apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the target surface is associated with the reference coordinate system by acquiring the position information. The molding device according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the control device uses the measurement system to obtain positional information of at least a portion of the surface of the portion added to the target surface of the workpiece by the molding while holding the workpiece on which the molding has been performed with the movable member. The molding device according to claim 5 or 10, wherein the control device determines the dimensional error of the added portion based on the position information acquired using the measurement system. The molding device according to claim 11, wherein the control device uses the dimensional error to determine whether additional processing is successful. The modeling device according to claim 12, wherein the control device performs correction processing on a workpiece that is determined to be unacceptable as a result of the pass/fail judgment, while the workpiece is held by the movable member, using the beam modeling system based on the dimensional error. The molding device according to claim 13, wherein the control device performs the correction processing using the beam from the beam irradiation unit. The shaping device according to any one of claims 5, 10 to 14, wherein the control device controls the beam shaping system and the movement system based on position information of at least a portion of the surface of the additional portion to perform shaping on a target portion on a target surface including at least a portion of the surface of the additional portion. The modeling apparatus according to any one of claims 5, 10 to 15, wherein the control device adjusts at least one of the measurement system, the beam modeling system, and the movement system based on position information of at least a portion of the surface of the added portion. The molding apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the control device determines the drift tendency of the apparatus during the molding based on the position information, and adjusts at least one of the measurement system, the beam molding system, and the forward movement system according to the determined result. The molding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a sensor that receives the beam at a light receiving section. The modeling apparatus according to claim 8 or 18, wherein the sensor is capable of measuring the intensity distribution of the beam. The molding device according to any one of claims 8, 18, and 19, wherein the control device receives the beam at the light receiving section of the sensor while moving the light receiving section. The beam irradiation unit has a focusing optical system that emits the beam,
The molding apparatus according to any one of claims 8 and 18 to 20, wherein the light receiving portion of the sensor is capable of receiving the beam emitted from the focusing optical system. The molding apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the light receiving unit is positioned to receive the beam at or near the rear focal plane of the focusing optical system. The molding device according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the light receiving unit is capable of receiving the beam from the focusing optical system while moving in at least one of a direction parallel to the optical axis of the exit surface side of the focusing optical system and a direction perpendicular to the optical axis. The modeling apparatus according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the sensor is capable of measuring the intensity distribution of the beam within a first plane perpendicular to the optical axis on the exit surface side of the focusing optical system. The molding apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the first surface is a rear focal plane of the focusing optical system or a surface in its vicinity. The molding apparatus according to claim 24 or 25, wherein the control device adjusts the intensity distribution of the beam on the first surface based on the result of the measurement using the sensor. The molding device according to any one of claims 21 to 26, wherein the control device adjusts the angle of at least one incident beam that is incident on a second plane perpendicular to the optical axis on the incident surface side of the focusing optical system based on the result of the measurement using the sensor. The modeling apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the second surface includes a front focal plane of the focusing optical system or a surface in its vicinity. The molding apparatus according to claim 27 or 28, wherein the at least one incident beam includes a plurality of beams having different angles of incidence with respect to the second surface. The modeling device according to any one of claims 8, 18 to 29, wherein the control device adjusts at least one of the beam modeling system and the movement system based on the measurement results obtained using the sensor. The modeling apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the adjustment of the beam modeling system based on the measurement results performed using the sensor includes adjustment of the material processing unit. The molding apparatus according to claim 31, wherein the adjustment of the material processing unit includes adjusting the supply operation of the molding material by the material processing unit. The material processing unit has at least one supply port for supplying the modeling material,
The molding apparatus according to claim 31 or 32, wherein a supply state of the molding material from the at least one supply port is adjusted based on a measurement result obtained by using the sensor. the at least one supply port is movable;
34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the at least one inlet is moved based on measurements made using the sensor. The material processing unit has a plurality of supply ports for supplying the modeling material,
At least one supply port is selected from the plurality of supply ports based on a measurement result performed using the sensor;
The molding apparatus according to any one of claims 31 to 34, wherein the molding material is supplied from the selected at least one supply port. The molding device according to any one of claims 33 to 35, wherein the amount of the molding material supplied per unit time from the at least one supply port is adjustable. The molding apparatus according to claim 36, wherein the control device determines the supply amount from the at least one supply port based on the measurement results obtained using the sensor. The beam irradiation unit has a focusing optical system that emits the beam,
A molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 37, wherein the control device adjusts the intensity distribution of the beam within a first plane perpendicular to the optical axis on the exit surface side of the focusing optical system based on the measurement results of the measurement system. The molding apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the first surface is a rear focal plane of the focusing optical system or a surface in its vicinity. The modeling apparatus according to claim 38 or 39, wherein the control device adjusts the intensity distribution of the beam within the first plane by adjusting the angle of at least one incident beam that is incident within a second plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the incident surface side of the focusing optical system. The molding apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the second surface includes a front focal plane of the focusing optical system or a surface in its vicinity. The molding apparatus according to claim 40 or 41, wherein the at least one incident beam includes a plurality of beams having different angles of incidence with respect to the second surface. The modeling device according to any one of claims 1 to 42, wherein the adjustment of the beam modeling system based on the measurement results of the measurement system includes adjustment of the beam irradiation unit. The modeling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 43, wherein the adjustment of the beam modeling system based on the measurement results of the measurement system includes adjustment of the material processing unit. The molding apparatus according to claim 44, wherein the adjustment of the material processing unit includes adjusting the supply operation of the molding material by the material processing unit. The material processing unit has at least one supply port for supplying the modeling material,
The molding apparatus according to claim 44 or 45, wherein a supply state of the molding material from the at least one supply port is adjusted based on a measurement result of the measurement system. the at least one supply port is movable;
47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein a position of the at least one inlet is adjusted based on measurements made using the sensor. The material processing unit has a plurality of supply ports for supplying the modeling material,
The molding apparatus according to claim 46 or 47, wherein at least one supply port is selected from the plurality of supply ports based on a measurement result of the measurement system, and the molding material is supplied from the selected at least one supply port. The molding device according to any one of claims 46 to 48, wherein the amount of the molding material supplied per unit time from the at least one supply port is adjustable. The molding apparatus according to claim 49, wherein the control device determines the supply amount from the at least one supply port based on the measurement results of the measurement system. The modeling device according to any one of claims 1 to 50, which forms a molten pool of the modeling material by supplying the modeling material so that it is irradiated with the beam emitted from the beam irradiation unit. The molding apparatus according to claim 51, in which the target portion is molded by moving the target surface and the beam from the beam irradiation unit relative to each other while forming the molten pool on the target portion. The three-dimensional object is formed by laminating a plurality of layers,
The molding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 52, wherein the control device controls the movement system and the beam molding system based on data of multi-layer stacked cross sections obtained from 3D data of the three-dimensional object. A method for forming a three-dimensional object on a target surface, comprising the steps of:
Measuring position information of the target surface;
Based on 3D data of a three-dimensional object to be formed on the target surface and positional information of the measured target surface, supplying a modeling material to be irradiated by the beam while moving the target surface and the beam relatively to each other, thereby modeling a target portion on the target surface;
A molding method comprising: The modeling method according to claim 54, wherein the measurement measures three-dimensional position information of at least a portion of the target surface. The modeling method according to claim 55, wherein the three-dimensional shape of the target surface is measured as the three-dimensional position information. the target surface includes at least a portion of a surface of a workpiece held by a movable member whose position and orientation are controlled under a reference coordinate system;
The method according to any one of claims 54 to 56, further comprising associating a position and an orientation of the target surface with respect to the reference coordinate system based on the measured position information. The molding method according to claim 57, further comprising measuring positional information of at least a portion of the surface of the portion added to the target surface by the molding while the workpiece on which the molding has been performed is mounted on the movable member. The modeling method according to claim 58, in which a three-dimensional shape is measured as positional information of at least a portion of the surface of the portion added to the target surface by the modeling. The molding method according to claim 58 or 59, further comprising determining a dimensional error of the added portion based on the measured position information. The molding method according to claim 60, further comprising using the dimensional error to determine whether additional processing is acceptable or not. The molding method according to claim 61, further comprising performing correction processing using the beam on the workpiece that is determined to be unsatisfactory as a result of the pass/fail judgment, while the workpiece is held by the movable member, based on the dimensional error. The modeling method according to any one of claims 58 to 62, in which modeling is performed on a target portion on a target surface including at least a portion of the surface of the additional portion based on position information of at least a portion of the surface of the additional portion. the target surface includes at least a portion of a surface of a movable member whose position and orientation are controlled under a reference coordinate system;
The method according to any one of claims 54 to 56, further comprising associating a position and an orientation of the target surface with respect to the reference coordinate system based on the measured position information. The three-dimensional object is formed by laminating a plurality of layers,
The modeling method according to any one of claims 54 to 64, wherein modeling of the target portion on the target surface is performed repeatedly for each layer based on data of a multi-layer stacked cross section obtained from 3D data of the three-dimensional object.