JP6699255B2 - Additive manufacturing apparatus and additive manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a three-dimensional additive manufacturing technique, and more particularly, to an additive manufacturing apparatus and an additive manufacturing method that perform molding using a plurality of materials.

  A method of dividing a three-dimensional CAD (Computer Aided Design) data into layers, and adhering the layers while adding a material so that the layers are stacked on each of the divided layers to manufacture a three-dimensional structure from a numerical expression is It is defined by the International Standard as Additive Manufacturing. This manufacturing method invented in the 1980s is generally called a 3D printer (three-dimensional printer). 3D printers have been attracting attention as a new manufacturing method in recent years because they can easily manufacture complex shapes without using a mold if they have three-dimensional CAD data.

  Unlike a removal process by cutting or a molding process in which a material is poured into a mold to be solidified, a 3D printer can easily and accurately manufacture a shape that was once difficult to manufacture, such as a mesh shape or a porous shape. Furthermore, it is also expected to facilitate modeling by freely disposing a plurality of types of materials in the same layer. This is because a three-dimensional structure having a new function that takes advantage of the characteristics of each material can be realized by modeling using a plurality of materials.

  For example, a composite of a conductive material and an insulating material realizes a three-dimensional structure having a function of an electronic circuit. In addition, by combining a hard material and a flexible material, a three-dimensional structure having a function that achieves both strength and flexibility is realized. And these functions can be easily realized without developing a new material.

Special table 2004-532753 gazette

  Patent Document 1 discloses a method of forming materials having different characteristics in the same layer. According to this method, the first thermosetting material in the molten form is supplied in a predetermined pattern at the first extrusion temperature to define the three-dimensional structure, and at the same time, the second thermosetting material in the molten form is provided. At a second extrusion temperature to define a support structure for the three-dimensional structure.

  However, in the method of Patent Document 1, when a material having a high melting point is melted and solidified due to a difference in melting point of each material, an adjacent material having a low melting point is redissolved, and a desired shape is obtained. Cannot be obtained accurately. That is, in the method of Patent Document 1, when the respective materials are formed adjacent to each other, a material having a low melting point undergoes warpage, deformation, or deterioration due to heat, so that a structure or a warp that requires dimensional accuracy is generated. There is a problem that it cannot be applied to modeling of a thin-walled structure that is likely to be deformed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to suppress warpage, deformation, and deterioration due to heat in three-dimensional layered modeling in which a plurality of materials are modeled and laminated in the same layer. It is to enable accurate modeling.

  In the layered manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, a first material supply unit that supplies a first material to a predetermined position in a layer and a second material that has a lower melting point than the first material in the same layer. And a third material supply portion for supplying a third material into the same layer on the surface of the second material.

  In the additive manufacturing method of the present invention, a first material is supplied to a predetermined position in a layer, and a second material having a lower melting point than the first material is supplied to another predetermined position in the same layer. And a third material is provided in the same layer on the surface of the second material.

  According to the present invention, in three-dimensional layered modeling in which a plurality of materials are modeled and laminated in the same layer, accurate modeling in which warpage, deformation, and deterioration due to heat are suppressed can be achieved.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the additive manufacturing apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the additive manufacturing apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the detailed structure of the layered modeling apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the process of modeling a three-dimensional structure with the additive manufacturing apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the process of modeling a three-dimensional structure with the additive manufacturing apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the process of modeling a three-dimensional structure with the additive manufacturing apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the process of modeling a three-dimensional structure with the additive manufacturing apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the process of modeling a three-dimensional structure with the additive manufacturing apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the process of modeling a three-dimensional structure with the additive manufacturing apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure which has the surface treatment part of the additive manufacturing apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure which has a cutting mechanism of the layered modeling apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure which has a cutting mechanism of the layered modeling apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure which has a discharge mechanism of the layered modeling apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure which has a discharge mechanism of the layered modeling apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below have technically preferable limitations for carrying out the present invention, but the scope of the invention is not limited to the following.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the additive manufacturing apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention. The additive manufacturing apparatus 10 of the present embodiment includes a first material supply unit 11 that supplies the first material to a predetermined position in the layer. Furthermore, it has the 2nd material supply part 12 which supplies the 2nd material whose melting|fusing point lower than the said 1st material to another predetermined position in the same said layer. Furthermore, it has the 3rd material supply part 13 which supplies 3rd material in the same said layer on the surface of said 2nd material.

  According to the additive manufacturing apparatus 10, when the first material having a low melting point and the third material having a high melting point are molded in the same layer, the second material having a lower melting point than the first material is the first material. Since the layers of the third material are connected to each other, the three-dimensional structure can be formed below the melting point of the first material. Therefore, the three-dimensional structure is suppressed from being warped, deformed, or deteriorated by heat.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in three-dimensional layered modeling in which a plurality of materials are modeled and laminated in the same layer, it is possible to perform accurate modeling while suppressing warpage, deformation, and deterioration due to heat. .
(Second embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the additive manufacturing apparatus of the second embodiment of the present invention. The layered modeling apparatus 20 of the present embodiment is a layered modeling apparatus that stacks layers to model a three-dimensional structure, and includes a first material supply unit 21, a second material supply unit 22, and a third material supply unit. The unit 23, the heating unit 24, the modeling stage 25, and the control unit 26 are included.

  The first material supply unit 21 supplies the first material to a predetermined position in a layer stacked on the modeling stage 25. The second material supply unit 22 supplies a second material having a lower melting point than the first material to another predetermined position in the same layer as the first material. The third material supply unit 23 supplies the third material on the surface of the second material into the same layer as the first material.

  The melting point of the third material is higher than that of the first material. In addition, the second material is assumed to have fluidity. In addition, the first material has an insulating property, and the second material and the third material have a conductive property.

  The heating unit 24 supplies the second material or the third material to the second material at a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point of the first material when the second material or the third material is supplied to a predetermined position in the layer. Heat above the melting point of. As a result, the second material is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point of the second material. Further, when the third material is heated, the temperature of the interface portion of the second material with the third material can be set to be equal to or higher than the melting point of the second material. As described above, the entire second material or the surface portion in contact with the third material is melted, so that the close contact between the second material and the third material can be strengthened.

  Further, at this time, since the temperature of the first material does not exceed the melting point of the first material, warpage, deformation, or deterioration of the first material due to heat is suppressed. Further, since the second material has fluidity, it is possible to ensure the close contact between the second material and the third material without heating the heating unit 24.

  The modeling stage 25 is a stage for stacking layers having the above-described first material, second material, and third material to model a predetermined three-dimensional structure. The modeling stage 25 can be equipped with an actuator for performing a necessary operation for modeling a three-dimensional structure, that is, a back-and-forth, a left-right, a vertical movement, and a tilt. Each layer laminated on the modeling stage 25 does not always need to have the first material, the second material, and the third material, and for example, a predetermined layer is formed of only the first material. Alternatively, another layer may be formed of only the third material.

  The control unit 26 controls and cooperates with the first material supply unit 21, the second material supply unit 22, the third material supply unit 23, the heating unit 24, and the modeling stage 25 in order to model the three-dimensional structure. It has the function of That is, the type of material to be supplied to the modeling stage 25, the supply amount, the supply position and the supply timing, the heating temperature, the position and the time, the vertical movement amount of the modeling stage 25 corresponding to the modeling, the movement amount to the front and rear, the left and right, the inclination, and the like. Performs control related to additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional structure.

  The control unit 26 can be realized by operating an information processing device such as a server by a program. The operation by this program is set based on the three-dimensional CAD data of the modeled object. A three-dimensional structure can be formed by stacking layers based on this setting.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of the additive manufacturing apparatus 20 of the present embodiment. In the following description, it is assumed that a three-dimensional structure having the function of an electronic circuit is manufactured as the three-dimensional structure, and the first material, the second material, and the third material corresponding thereto are taken as examples. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the three-dimensional structure has a portion made of the first material and portions made of the second and third materials. The portion made of the first material has an insulating property, and the portions made of the second and third materials have a conductive property. The second material and the third material are alternately laminated and closely attached. The second material has a role as an adhesion layer, and the third material has a main conductivity. Therefore, the second material may be thinner than the third material.

  FIG. 3 shows a state in which a modeling layer is newly stacked on the portion made of the first material and the portions made of the second and third materials. The modeling layer has a laminated region of the first material and a laminated region of the second and third materials.

  The first material has an insulating property. Plastic is a typical example of this material. Specific examples thereof include, but are not limited to, ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), polycarbonate, polylactic acid, acryl, polyetherimide, polyphenyl sulfone, nylon, polyethylene, silicone, epoxy, and the like.

  As a method for laminating the first material, a method classified by ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) as an Additive Manufacturing method can be used. For example, a material extrusion method in which the molten first material is extruded from the first material supply unit 21 and deposited on the modeling stage 25 can be used. Further, as another method, there is a material jetting method (Material jetting) in which droplets of the first material are jetted from the first material supply unit 21 and selectively cured and deposited.

  Regarding the melting and curing of the first material, if it is a thermoplastic resin, it is possible to supply the molten material to a predetermined position in a predetermined amount and to cure it by air cooling. In the case of a thermosetting or photocurable resin, a droplet of a material is jetted, and if the thermosetting resin is heated, it is heated, and if the photocurable resin is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the first material is laminated. can do.

  The second material has conductivity. Further, the melting point of the second material can be lower than the melting point of the first material. Examples of this material include, but are not limited to, silver nanopaste and silver nanoink.

  The second material supply unit 22 includes a heating unit 24 and can heat the second material. That is, when the second material supply unit 22 supplies the second material, the second unit is heated by the heating unit 24 to increase the fluidity of the second material, and the second material is laminated. Can be supplied to the area. By heating, the close contact between the second material and the third material can be strengthened.

  The third material has conductivity. This material includes, but is not limited to, copper, silver, and aluminum. When the third material is a metal, its melting point is typically higher than that of the first material. Also, the third material can be granular. The third material may also be processed into powder, filler, wire, plate or the like.

  The third material supply unit 23 has a function of adsorbing and conveying the third material at its tip. As an adsorption method, a method of adsorbing by sucking air or a method of adsorbing by static electricity is possible. When the third material is a ferromagnetic material, it can be attracted by magnetic force.

  As a heating method of the heating unit 24, radiant heat from a heater or laser irradiation can be used. Further, although the heating unit 24 is incorporated in the second material supply unit 22 in FIG. 3, the heating unit 24 is not limited to this. The heating unit 24 may be provided not only for heating the second material but also for heating the third material when the third material is supplied.

  Next, the operation of forming the first material, the second material, and the third material on the forming layer will be described. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4F are views for explaining the process of modeling a three-dimensional structure by the layered modeling apparatus 20 of this embodiment.

  In FIG. 4A, in the step of modeling a new modeling layer on the parts made of the first material and the parts made of the second and third materials that have already been laminated and shaped, first the first material supply unit 21 supplies the first material to the layered region of the first material. FIG. 4A shows a state in which the first material is supplied to the laminated region of the first material.

  Subsequently, in FIG. 4B, the second material supply unit 22 is aligned with the stacked region of the second material that supplies the second material.

  Subsequently, in FIG. 4C, the second material supply unit 22 supplies the second material to the stacked region of the second material. At this time, the heating unit 24 can heat the second material to a temperature below the melting point of the first material and above the melting point of the second material. By heating, the fluidity of the second material is increased, and the close contact between the second material and the third material can be strengthened.

  FIG. 4D shows a state in which the second material is supplied to the laminated region of the second material.

  Subsequently, in FIG. 4E, the third material supply unit 23 is aligned with the stacked region of the third material that adsorbs the third material and supplies the third material.

  FIG. 4F shows a state in which the third material is supplied to the stacked region of the third material. At this time, the heating unit 24 may heat the third material to a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point of the first material and equal to or higher than the melting point of the second material. By heating, the close contact between the second material and the third material can be further strengthened.

  When the third material supply unit 23 supplies the third material to the layered region of the third material, the third material supply unit 23 or a separately provided pressurizing unit supplies the third material with the third material. The pressure may be supplied to the layered region of the third material while applying pressure. By applying pressure, the close contact between the second material and the third material can be further strengthened.

  Further, when the third material supply unit 23 supplies the third material to the stacked region of the third material, the third material supply unit 23 or the vibrating unit provided in the modeling stage 25 causes The material may be supplied while being vibrated. The vibrating section can use, for example, an ultrasonic oscillator, and the ultrasonic oscillator can generate vibration to vibrate the third material. By vibrating, the close contact between the second material and the third material can be further strengthened.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration in which the layered manufacturing apparatus 20 of the present embodiment has the surface treatment unit 27. The surface treatment unit 27 can surface-treat the surface of the third material to form irregularities on the surface or to make the surface chemically active. The surface treatment method may be anchor treatment, blast treatment, chemical treatment, plasma treatment, or the like, but is not limited to these methods. By the surface treatment of the surface of the third material, the adhesion between the second material and the third material, which are further laminated on the surface-treated third material, can be made stronger.

  FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B are diagrams illustrating a configuration in which the layered manufacturing apparatus 20 of the present embodiment has the cutting mechanism 28. The cutting mechanism 28 cuts the rod-shaped or filament-shaped solid third material of the third material supply unit 23 and supplies the cut third material to the stacked region of the third material. The cutting mechanism 28 includes a blade and can cut the third material by a predetermined amount. Further, the cutting tool may have corrugations or rectangular irregularities so that the cut surface of the third material can be cut so as to have corrugations or rectangular irregularities. As a result, unevenness is formed on the surface of the third material after cutting, so that the close contact with the second material can be further strengthened.

  The method of supplying the third material by the third material supply unit 23 having the cutting mechanism 28 is as follows. That is, the third material supply unit 23 sends out a predetermined amount of the solid third material such as a rod or a filament (FIG. 6A). Subsequently, the cutting mechanism 28 cuts the third material by a predetermined amount and supplies it to a predetermined position of the modeling layer (FIG. 6B).

  7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating a configuration in which the layered manufacturing apparatus 20 of the present embodiment has a discharge mechanism 29. When the stack area of the third material is sufficiently smaller than the stack area of the first material, the discharge mechanism 29 discharges the third material by the discharge when the third material is supplied from the third material supply unit 23. It is provided to melt and supply the material of No. 3. By dissolving the third material, the close contact between the second material and the third material can be made stronger. At this time, the temperature of the third material becomes equal to or higher than the melting point of the first material, but since the area of the third material is sufficiently small, the warpage, deformation, and alteration due to heat in the first material area can be ignored. Can be Arc discharge or the like is possible as a discharge method.

  The discharge mechanism 29 also heats the third material to a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point of the first material and higher than or equal to the melting point of the second material by discharging when the third material is supplied to the stacked region of the third material. can do. This makes it possible to strengthen the adhesion between the second material and the third material.

  The third material supply method of the third material supply unit 23 having the discharge mechanism 29 is as follows. That is, the third material supply unit 23 sends out a predetermined amount of a solid third material such as a rod-shaped or filament-shaped material, and the discharged third material is melted by electric discharge (FIG. 7A). Then, the melted 3rd material is supplied to the predetermined position of a modeling layer (FIG. 7B).

  According to the layered modeling apparatus 20 of the present embodiment, when the first material having a low melting point and the third material having a high melting point are molded in the same layer, the second material having a lower melting point than the first material is used. Since this material connects the layers of the third material, it is possible to form a three-dimensional structure below the melting point of the first material. Therefore, the three-dimensional structure modeled by the layered modeling apparatus 20 is suppressed from being warped, deformed or altered by heat.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in three-dimensional layered modeling in which a plurality of materials are modeled and laminated in the same layer, it is possible to perform accurate modeling while suppressing warpage, deformation, and deterioration due to heat. .

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

The whole or part of the exemplary embodiments disclosed above can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes.
(Appendix 1)
A first material supply section for supplying a first material to a predetermined position in the layer;
A second material supply section for supplying a second material having a lower melting point than the first material to another predetermined position in the same layer;
A third material supply for supplying a third material into the same layer on the surface of the second material;
And an additive manufacturing apparatus.
(Appendix 2)
The additive manufacturing apparatus according to appendix 1, further comprising a heating unit configured to heat the second material or the third material to a temperature equal to or lower than a melting point of the first material and equal to or higher than a melting point of the second material.
(Appendix 3)
3. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to appendix 1 or 2, wherein the second material has fluidity.
(Appendix 4)
The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, wherein the third material has a higher melting point than the first material.
(Appendix 5)
5. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, wherein the first material has an insulating property and the second material and the third material have a conductive property.
(Appendix 6)
The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 5, further comprising a surface treatment unit that performs a surface treatment on the surface of the third material.
(Appendix 7)
The additive manufacturing apparatus according to appendix 6, wherein the surface treatment unit forms unevenness on the surface of the third material.
(Appendix 8)
The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 7, wherein the third material supply unit adsorbs and conveys the third material.
(Appendix 9)
8. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 7, which has a cutting unit that cuts the third material, and the third material supply unit supplies the third material cut by the cutting unit. ..
(Appendix 10)
8. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of appendices 1 to 7, which has a discharge part that melts the third material, and the third material supply part supplies the third material melted by the discharge part. ..
(Appendix 11)
Providing a first material at a predetermined location within the layer,
A second material having a lower melting point than the first material is supplied to another predetermined position in the same layer,
A method of additive manufacturing, wherein a third material is provided on the surface of the second material in the same layer.
(Appendix 12)
The additive manufacturing method according to appendix 11, wherein the second material or the third material is heated to a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point of the first material and equal to or higher than the melting point of the second material.
(Appendix 13)
13. The additive manufacturing method according to appendix 11 or 12, wherein the second material has fluidity.
(Appendix 14)
14. The additive manufacturing method according to any one of appendices 11 to 13, wherein the third material has a higher melting point than the first material.
(Appendix 15)
15. The additive manufacturing method according to any one of appendices 11 to 14, wherein the first material has an insulating property and the second material and the third material have a conductive property.
(Appendix 16)
16. The additive manufacturing method according to any one of appendices 11 to 15, wherein the surface of the third material is surface-treated.
(Appendix 17)
17. The additive manufacturing method according to appendix 16, wherein unevenness is formed on the surface of the third material by the surface treatment.
(Appendix 18)
18. The additive manufacturing method according to any one of appendices 11 to 17, wherein the third material is adsorbed and conveyed.
(Appendix 19)
18. The additive manufacturing method according to any one of appendices 11 to 17, wherein the third material is cut and supplied.
(Appendix 20)
18. The additive manufacturing method according to any one of appendices 11 to 17, wherein the third material is melted and supplied.

10, 20 Layered modeling apparatus 11, 21 First material supply section 12, 22 Second material supply section 13, 23 Third material supply section 24 Heating section 25 Modeling stage 26 Control section 27 Surface treatment section 28 Cutting mechanism 29 Discharge mechanism

Claims (9)

A first material supply unit for supplying the first material to a first position in a predetermined layer forming the additive manufacturing ;
A second material having a melting point lower than the first material, the second material supply section for supplying to the second position before Symbol given layer within
A third material supply unit configured to supply a third material having a higher melting point than the first material onto the surface of the second material in the predetermined layer ;
And an additive manufacturing apparatus.   The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heating unit configured to heat the second material or the third material to a temperature equal to or lower than a melting point of the first material and equal to or higher than a melting point of the second material.   The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second material has fluidity. The first material has an insulating property, and the second material and the third material have a conductive property.
Layered manufacturing device according one of claims 1 3. The third has a surface treatment for surface treating the surface of materials, layered manufacturing device according one of among claims 1 to 4. It said third material supply section, the third material conveyed by adsorbing the layered manufacturing device according one of among claims 1 to 5. Has a cutting unit for cutting the third material, layered manufacturing of the third material supply section for supplying a third material, wherein the cutting portion is cut, wherein one of among claims 1 to 5 apparatus. The layered manufacturing according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , further comprising: a discharge part that melts the third material, wherein the third material supply part supplies the third material in which the discharge part is melted. apparatus. Supplying a first material to a first position within a given layer of additive manufacturing ;
Said second material having a melting point lower than that of the first material is supplied to the second position before Symbol given layer within
A layered manufacturing method , wherein a third material having a melting point higher than that of the first material is supplied onto the surface of the second material in the predetermined layer .

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