JP6909870B2 - Method of forming a support member and method of forming a structure - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a method of forming a support member that supports a structure by a layered manufacturing method, and a method of forming a structure that forms a structure using the support member.

As a method for forming a structure, there is a layered manufacturing method in which layered materials formed by dividing a structure into a plurality of layers are sequentially stacked to produce a three-dimensional structure. Examples of the additive manufacturing method include a fused deposition modeling method, an inkjet method, a stereolithography method, and a powder sintering method. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technique for forming a support member that supports a structure by a fused deposition modeling method. In Patent Document 1, a mesh-like base is formed as a support member of a structure.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-165814

By the way, in laminated modeling, for example, when a protruding portion such as a so-called overhang is formed on a structure, a support material may be used as a support member for supporting the protruding portion of the structure. The support material is used, for example, to shape the outer shape of the protruding portion. Among the materials used for this support material, there is a material having a melting point lower than that of an ultraviolet curable resin used for modeling a structure. Therefore, when heat is generated in the formation of the structure, the support material may be melted at the interface between the structure and the support material. Alternatively, a difference in shrinkage rate due to heat may occur between the structure and the support material. As a result, the adhesion between the structure and the support material is lowered, and there is a risk that the structure may be peeled off from the support material.

The present disclosure has been made in view of such circumstances, and is a method for forming a support member using a support material, which can stably support a structure even when heat is generated. And to provide a method for forming a structure.

In order to solve the above problems, the main opening is to form a support member that forms a support member that supports the structure when the curable viscous fluid is discharged from the discharge device onto the stage to form the structure. In the method, the support member has a viscous fluid material formed of the same curable viscous fluid as the structure and a support material, and the method of forming the support member is described from the discharge device. a first discharge step of discharging a curable viscous fluid, anda curing step Ru curing the curable viscous fluid discharged repeatedly executes a first discharge step and the curing step, and the stage form form the viscous fluid material for supporting the structure against the stage and connecting the structure, method of forming the support member, ejecting the support material from the discharge apparatus, the viscous fluid material the support member that forms the shape of the forming step including contacting at least a portion, discloses a method of forming a support member.
Further, the content of the present disclosure can be implemented not only as a method for forming a support member but also as a method for forming a structure.

According to the method for forming the support member and the method for forming the structure of the present disclosure, the viscous fluid material is connected to both the stage and the structure, and has a structure that supports the structure with respect to the stage. Therefore, even when heat is generated in the formation of the structure and the adhesion between the structure and the support material is lowered, the structure can be stably supported with respect to the stage by the viscous fluid material provided in the support member. ..

It is a figure which shows the structure forming apparatus of an embodiment. It is a block diagram of a structure forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the state which discharges the ultraviolet curable resin in the formation of a support member. It is a figure which shows the state which cures an ultraviolet curable resin by an irradiation apparatus. It is a figure which shows the state which discharges a support material in the formation of a support member. It is a figure which shows the support member formed on the stage. It is a figure which shows the state which discharges the ultraviolet curable resin in the formation of a structure. It is a figure which shows the state which cures an ultraviolet curable resin by an irradiation apparatus. It is a figure which shows the state which ejects a metal ink in the formation of a structure. It is a figure which shows the state which the metal ink is fired and cured by the irradiation apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows the support member and structure formed on a stage. It is a schematic diagram which shows the support member and the structure in the state where the support material is melted. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state which removes a structure from a support member. It is an enlarged view which shows the cross section of a resin connection point. It is an enlarged view which shows the cross section of the resin connection point of another example. It is an enlarged view which shows the cross section of the resin connection point of another example. It is an enlarged view which shows the cross section of the resin connection point of another example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the support member and structure of another example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the support member of another example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the support member of another example.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a structure forming apparatus 10 of an embodiment to which the method for forming a support member of the present application is applied. The structure forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment (hereinafter, may be abbreviated as "forming apparatus 10") includes a conveying device 20, a modeling unit 22, a mounting unit 23, a support material removing unit 24, and a cutting unit 25. And a control device 26 (see FIG. 2). The transfer device 20, the modeling unit 22, and the like are arranged on the base 28 of the forming device 10. The base 28 has a generally rectangular shape, and in the following description, the longitudinal direction of the base 28 is orthogonal to the X-axis direction, and the lateral direction of the base 28 is orthogonal to both the Y-axis direction, the X-axis direction, and the Y-axis direction. The direction will be described as the Z-axis direction.

The transport device 20 includes an X-axis slide mechanism 30 and a Y-axis slide mechanism 32. The X-axis slide mechanism 30 has an X-axis slide rail 34 and an X-axis slider 36. The X-axis slide rail 34 is arranged on the base 28 so as to extend in the X-axis direction. The X-axis slider 36 is slidably held in the X-axis direction by the X-axis slide rail 34. Further, the X-axis slide mechanism 30 has an electromagnetic motor 38 (see FIG. 2), and the X-axis slider 36 is moved to an arbitrary position in the X-axis direction by driving the electromagnetic motor 38.

Further, the Y-axis slide mechanism 32 has a Y-axis slide rail 50 and a movable base 52. The Y-axis slide rail 50 is arranged on the base 28 so as to extend in the Y-axis direction. One end of the Y-axis slide rail 50 is connected to the X-axis slider 36. As a result, the Y-axis slide rail 50 can be moved in the X-axis direction as the X-axis slider 36 slides. The movable base 52 is slidably held in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis slide rail 50. Further, the Y-axis slide mechanism 32 has an electromagnetic motor 56 (see FIG. 2), and the movable base 52 is moved to an arbitrary position in the Y-axis direction by driving the electromagnetic motor 56. As a result, the movable base 52 can be moved to an arbitrary position on the base 28 by driving the X-axis slide mechanism 30 and the Y-axis slide mechanism 32.

The movable base 52 has a base 60, a holding device 62, and an elevating device 64. The base 60 is formed in a flat plate shape, and a stage 70 (see FIG. 3) is placed on the upper surface thereof. The holding devices 62 are provided on both sides of the base 60 in the X-axis direction. Then, both edges of the stage 70 placed on the base 60 in the X-axis direction are sandwiched by the holding device 62, so that the stage 70 is fixedly held with respect to the base 60. Further, the elevating device 64 is arranged below the base 60, and raises and lowers the base 60 in the Z-axis direction.

The modeling unit 22 is a unit that forms a structure 132 (see FIG. 11) on a stage 70 mounted on a base 60 of a movable table 52, and has a printing unit 72 and a curing unit 74. There is. As shown in FIG. 3, the printing unit 72 has an inkjet head 76, and discharges the curable viscous fluid 77 into a thin film on the stage 70 placed on the base 60. The curable viscous fluid 77 is a viscous fluid that is cured by heat, light, or the like. Examples of the curable viscous fluid 77 include ultraviolet curable resin 77A and metal ink 77B (see FIG. 9). The ultraviolet curable resin 77A is a resin that is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays. The metal ink 77B is, for example, an ink containing metal nanoparticles in which fine particles of metal (silver or the like) are dispersed in a solvent, and is cured by firing with heat.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the ultraviolet curable resin 77A is discharged in the formation of the support member 131 (see FIG. 6). FIG. 7 shows a state in which the ultraviolet curable resin 77A is discharged in the formation of the structure 132 (see FIG. 11). FIG. 9 shows a state in which the metal ink 77B is ejected in the formation of the structure 132. When the curable viscous fluid 77 is the ultraviolet curable resin 77A shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the inkjet head 76 ejects the ultraviolet curable resin 77A from a plurality of nozzles by, for example, a piezo method using a piezoelectric element. Alternatively, when the curable viscous fluid 77 is an ultraviolet curable resin 77A, the inkjet head 76 is ultraviolet cured from a plurality of nozzles by, for example, a thermal method in which the ultraviolet curable resin 77A is heated to generate bubbles and discharged from the nozzles. Discharge the resin 77A. When the curable viscous fluid 77 is the metal ink 77B shown in FIG. 9, the inkjet head 76 ejects the metal ink 77B from a plurality of nozzles by, for example, a piezo method using a piezoelectric element.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the printing unit 72 ejects the support material 81 from the inkjet head 76 onto the stage 70 in the form of a thin film. As the support material 81, for example, a material that dissolves in a specific liquid such as water or a chemical (wax-based material, resin-based material, or the like) can be used. Further, as the support material 81, a material that is melted by heat can be used. The support material 81 includes a material that is cured by irradiating light such as ultraviolet rays and a material that is cured by applying heat. In addition, some of the support materials 81 are naturally cured with the passage of time after being discharged to the stage 70. For example, by discharging and curing the ultraviolet curable resin 77A along a part of the support material 91 in which the support material 81 is cured, the structure 132 that follows the shape of the support material 91 can be formed (FIG. FIG. 11). Then, by removing the support material 91 from the integral body of the support material 91 and the structure 132 using a chemical or the like, it is possible to form the structure 132 having an overhang portion.

The inkjet head 76 supports from a plurality of nozzles by, for example, a piezo method using a piezoelectric element to discharge the support material 81 from a plurality of nozzles, or a thermal method in which the support material 81 is heated to generate bubbles and discharged from the nozzles. The material 81 is discharged. The ejection device of the present application is not limited to the inkjet head 76 provided with a plurality of nozzles, and may be, for example, a dispenser provided with one nozzle. Further, the inkjet head 76 may separately include a nozzle for discharging the metal ink 77B, a nozzle for discharging the ultraviolet curable resin 77A, and a nozzle for discharging the support material 81, and the nozzles for discharging the three fluids are shared. But it's okay.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the curing portion 74 includes a flattening device 78, an irradiation device 82, and a heater 83. The flattening device 78 flattens the upper surface of the curable viscous fluid 77 and the support material 81 discharged onto the stage 70 by the inkjet head 76. The flattening device 78 has a roller 79 and a collecting unit 80. The roller 79 has a cylindrical shape and moves while rotating on the surfaces of the curable viscous fluid 77 (ultraviolet curable resin 77A and metal ink 77B) and the support material 81 in a fluid state under the control of the flattening device 78. And flatten the surface. The recovery unit 80 has, for example, a blade that projects toward the surface of the roller 79, and stores and discharges the curable viscous fluid 77 and the support material 81 scraped off by the blade. The recovery unit 80 discharges the recovered curable viscous fluid 77 or the like to the waste liquid tank, for example. The flattening device 78 flattens the surface of the curable viscous fluid 77 or the like by scraping off the excess curable viscous fluid 77 or the like while leveling the surface of the curable viscous fluid 77 or the like. The recovery unit 80 may return the recovered curable viscous fluid 77 and the support material 81 to the supply tank again. Further, the flattening by the flattening device 78 does not necessarily have to be performed in each step. For example, the flattening device 78 may flatten only the ultraviolet curable resin 77A. Further, the flattening device 78 may not perform flattening for each discharge of the curable viscous fluid 77, but may perform flattening only when a specific layer is formed.

Further, the irradiation device 82 irradiates the curable viscous fluid 77 and the support material 81 discharged onto the stage 70 with light. The irradiation device 82 irradiates the ultraviolet curable resin 77A with ultraviolet rays, for example, when the curable viscous fluid 77 is an ultraviolet curable resin 77A. Further, the irradiation device 82 irradiates the support material 81 with ultraviolet rays, for example, when the support material 81 is a material that is cured by ultraviolet rays. Further, for example, when the curable viscous fluid 77 is the metal ink 77B, the irradiation device 82 irradiates the metal ink 77B with a laser beam. By curing the ultraviolet curable resin 77A and the metal ink 77B, the forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment can form, for example, metal wiring on an insulating resin, as will be described later.

The heater 83 is a device that heats and dries the metal ink 77B discharged onto the stage 70. The heater 83 vaporizes the solvent that disperses the metal fine particles contained in the metal ink 77B by applying heat to the metal ink 77B. The device for vaporizing the solvent of the metal ink 77B is not limited to the heater 83, and may be, for example, a hot air device that blows warm air to heat the metal ink 77B or a device that irradiates microwaves to heat the metal ink 77B.

Further, the mounting unit 23 shown in FIG. 1 is a unit for mounting various electronic components 135 (see FIG. 11) connected to the metal wiring formed by the modeling unit 22, for example, the mounting unit 85 and the supply unit 86. And have. The mounting unit 85 has, for example, a suction nozzle (not shown) that sucks the electronic component 135, and mounts the electronic component 135 held by the suction nozzle on the structure. The supply unit 86 has, for example, a plurality of tape feeders that send out the taped electronic components 135 one by one, and supplies the electronic components 135 to the mounting unit 85. The supply unit 86 is not limited to the tape feeder, and may be a tray-type supply device that picks up and supplies the electronic component 135 from the tray.

For example, when the stage 70 moves to a position below the mounting unit 85 with the movement of the movable base 52, the mounting unit 23 moves the mounting unit 85 to the component supply position of the supply unit 86 and supplies the mounting unit 85. The unit 86 is driven to supply the necessary electronic component 135. Then, the mounting unit 85 attracts and holds the electronic component 135 from the component supply position of the supply unit 86 by the suction nozzle, and arranges the electronic component 135 in the structure 132 formed on the stage 70 or on the structure 132.

The support material removing unit 24 is a unit that removes the support material 91 (see FIG. 6) formed by the modeling unit 22. The support material removing unit 24 is, for example, when the support material 91 is a material that dissolves in water, a robot arm for immersing the support member 131 and the structure 132 (see FIG. 11) on the stage 70 in a water tank, or a robot arm on the stage 70. It has a nozzle device for wiping water against the support member 131 formed in the above. Further, the support material removing unit 24 includes, for example, a heater or a microwave generator that applies heat to the support member 131 on the stage 70 when the support material 91 is a material that is melted by heat. Therefore, the configuration of the support material removing unit 24 is appropriately changed according to the type of the support material 91.

Further, the cutting unit 25 is a device for separating the structure 132 formed on the stage 70 and the support member 131. The cutting unit 25 includes, for example, two chucks 143 and 144 (see FIG. 13). The cutting unit 25 sandwiches the structure 132 with one chuck 143 and sandwiches the support member 131 with the other chuck 144, and cuts the connecting portion between the structure 132 and the support member 131. As a result, the cutting unit 25 forms the structure 132 separated from the support member 131.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 26 includes a controller 102, a plurality of drive circuits 104, and a storage device 106. The plurality of drive circuits 104 include the above-mentioned electromagnetic motors 38 and 56, holding device 62, elevating device 64, inkjet head 76, flattening device 78, irradiation device 82, heater 83, mounting unit 85, supply unit 86, and support material removal. It is connected to the unit 24 and the cutting unit 25. The controller 102 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and is mainly a computer, and is connected to a plurality of drive circuits 104. The storage device 106 includes a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk, and the like, and stores a control program 107 that controls the forming device 10. The controller 102 can control the operation of the transfer device 20, the modeling unit 22, and the like by executing the control program 107 on the CPU.

The forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment forms the support member 131 (see FIG. 10) by curing the support material 91 and the ultraviolet curable resin 77A according to the above-described configuration. Further, the forming apparatus 10 forms the insulating layer 93 and the metal wiring 95 (see FIG. 10) by curing the ultraviolet curable resin 77A and the metal ink 77B as the curable viscous fluid 77, and the plurality of insulating layers 93 and the metal. By stacking the wirings 95, it is possible to form a structure 132 (see FIG. 11) having an arbitrary shape. Further, the forming apparatus 10 mounts the electronic component 135 (see FIG. 11) by the mounting unit 23 in the process of forming the structure 132. For example, in the control program 107, three-dimensional data of each layer obtained by slicing the support member 131 and the structure 132 is set. Based on the data of the control program 107, the controller 102 discharges and cures the support material 81 and the curable viscous fluid 77 to form the support member 131 and the structure 132. Further, the controller 102 detects information such as a layer and a position where the electronic component 135 is arranged based on the data of the control program 107, and mounts the electronic component 135 on the structure 132 based on the detected information.

In the following description, as an example, a case where the three-dimensional structure 132 is formed on the support member 131 as shown in FIG. 10 will be described. The shapes and structures of the support member 131 and the structure 132 shown in FIGS. 3 and 3 are examples. The directions shown in FIGS. 3 to 10 (X-axis direction, etc.) are examples. Further, in the following description of FIGS. 3 to 10, in order to make the explanation easier to understand, a case where a cylindrical support member 131 is formed and a structure 132 is formed on the formed support member 131 will be described. In a configuration such as the support member 131 and the structure 132 of FIG. 11 described later, in which the structure 132 is inserted according to the shape of the support member 131, the support member 131 and the structure 132 are laminated while being alternately formed. There is also.

Further, in the following description, the fact that the controller 102 executes the control program 107 to control each device may be simply described as "the device". For example, "the transfer device 20 moves the base 60" means that "the controller 102 executes the control program 107 to control the operation of the transfer device 20 and moves the base 60 by the operation of the transfer device 20". It means that.

First, the stage 70 is set on the base 60 of the movable base 52. The transfer device 20 moves the movable base 52 on which the stage 70 is set below the modeling unit 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the inkjet head 76 of the printing unit 72 discharges the ultraviolet curable resin 77A as the curable viscous fluid 77 onto the stage 70. The inkjet head 76 ejects the ultraviolet curable resin 77A into a thin film on the stage 70.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the irradiation device 82 irradiates the ultraviolet curable resin 77A on the stage 70 with ultraviolet rays to cure the ultraviolet curable resin 77A. The irradiation device 82 cures the ultraviolet curable resin 77A by irradiating the ultraviolet curable resin 77A spread in a thin film with ultraviolet rays to form a cured layer. The flattening device 78 of the curing portion 74 appropriately flattens the ultraviolet curable resin 77A discharged to the stage 70.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the inkjet head 76 of the printing unit 72 ejects the support material 81 onto the stage 70. The inkjet head 76 ejects the support material 81 into a thin film so as to fill the periphery of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A cured on the stage 70, for example. The support material 81 is cured on the stage 70 with the passage of time, for example, to form a cured layer around the ultraviolet curable resin 77A. The controller 102 has a step of discharging the ultraviolet curable resin 77A of FIG. 3 (an example of a first discharge step), a step of curing the ultraviolet curable resin 77A of FIG. 4 (an example of a curing step), and a support material 81 of FIG. The step of discharging and curing (an example of the forming step) is repeatedly executed. As a result, the controller 102 stacks a plurality of layers in the Z direction to form the cylindrical support member 131 shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the support member 131 formed on the stage 70. As shown in FIG. 6, the support member 131 has a plurality of pillar portions 92 and a support member 91. The pillar portion 92 is formed by laminating a cured layer obtained by curing the ultraviolet curable resin 77A. The support material 91 is formed by laminating a cured layer obtained by curing the support material 81. The pillar portion 92 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape extending along the Z-axis direction. The plurality of pillar portions 92 are arranged at equal intervals in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The support member 91 has a cylindrical shape extending in the Z-axis direction. The plurality of pillar portions 92 are formed so as to be embedded in the support member 91. In other words, the support member 91 is formed so as to fill the space between the plurality of pillar portions 92. The support member 91 and the pillar portion 92 have the same length in the Z-axis direction, for example. The support member 131 has a cylindrical shape as a whole.

Next, the controller 102 forms a structure 132 (see FIG. 10) on the support member 131. As shown in FIG. 7, the inkjet head 76 of the printing unit 72 discharges the ultraviolet curable resin 77A onto the support member 131. Next, as shown in FIG. 8, the irradiation device 82 irradiates the ultraviolet curable resin 77A discharged on the support member 131 with ultraviolet rays to cure the ultraviolet curable resin 77A. The controller 102 repeatedly executes the ejection step of FIG. 7 and the curing step of FIG. 8 to stack the insulating layer 93 (see FIG. 8) having a desired thickness in the Z-axis direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, when the controller 102 stacks the insulating layer 93 up to a predetermined height in the Z-axis direction, the inkjet head 76 ejects the metal ink 77B onto the insulating layer 93. The inkjet head 76 ejects the metal ink 77B in a thin film on the cured insulating layer 93.

As shown in FIG. 10, the curing portion 74 drives the heater 83 to apply heat to the metal ink 77B discharged onto the insulating layer 93 to vaporize the solvent contained in the metal ink 77B. Further, the irradiation device 82 of the curing unit 74 fires and cures the metal ink 77B by irradiating the metal ink 77B with a laser beam. The firing of the metal ink 77B is a phenomenon in which energy is applied to vaporize the solvent, decompose the protective film of the metal fine particles, and contact or fuse the metal fine particles to increase the conductivity. The irradiation device 82 forms the metal wiring 95 by firing and curing the metal ink 77B. The controller 102 repeatedly executes the discharging step shown in FIG. 9 (an example of the second discharging step) and the firing step shown in FIG. 10 (an example of the firing step) to obtain a metal wiring 95 having a desired thickness. To form.

Further, the controller 102 arranges the electronic component 135 (see FIG. 11) at a position connected to the metal wiring 95, for example. The mounting unit 85 holds the electronic component 135 supplied from the supply unit 86 with a suction nozzle, and arranges the electronic component 135 on the insulating layer 93. Then, the controller 102 further drives the modeling unit 22 to stack the insulating layers 93 in the Z-axis direction to form the desired structure 132.

Here, in the formation of the metal wiring 95 described above, heat is generated when the solvent is vaporized by the heater 83 or when the metal ink 77B is fired by the laser. If heat is generated in the formation of the structure 132, the support member 91 may melt at the interface between the structure 132 and the support member 91 of the support member 131. Alternatively, there is a possibility that a difference in shrinkage rate due to heat may occur between the structure 132 and the support material 91. As a result, the adhesion between the structure 132 and the support material 91 is lowered, and the structure 132 may be peeled off from the support material 91. On the other hand, the support member 131 of the present embodiment has a pillar portion 92 (see FIG. 9) formed of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A, which is the same material as the structure 132. The ultraviolet curable resin 77A is a material used for the structure 132 having the metal wiring 95, and there is a high possibility that a material having high heat resistance is selected so as not to melt when the metal wiring 95 is formed. Since the pillar portion 92 is formed of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A, the heat resistance is higher than that of the support material 91. The pillar portion 92 connects the stage 70 provided at the lower part of the support member 131 and the structure 132 provided at the upper part of the support member 131. As a result, even if the structure 132 and the support material 91 are separated from each other, the structure 132 can be supported by the column portion 92 with respect to the stage 70. In addition, the support material 91 can form a desired shape such as an overhang.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the support member 131 and the structure 132 formed on the stage 70, and schematically shows the cross section of the support member 131 and the structure 132. The portion shown with hatching in FIG. 11 indicates the support material 91, that is, the portion formed of the support material 81. As shown in FIG. 11, the support member 131 is provided with a plurality of pillar portions 92 formed along the Z-axis direction. The plurality of pillars 92 are connected to the humanoid structure 132 at the upper end in the Z direction. For example, the pillar portion 92 and the structure 132 are connected at the resin connection point 137 shown in FIG. Further, the support material 91 is formed so as to fill the space between the plurality of pillar portions 92.

In FIG. 11, in order to show the boundary between the structure 132 and the column portion 92, the boundary line is shown for convenience. However, the structure 132 and the column portion 92 are made of the same material (ultraviolet curable resin 77A) as described above. Therefore, in reality, since the pillar portion 92 and the resin portion of the structure 132 are formed as a continuous object, no line is formed at the boundary portion. Further, the structure 132 shown in FIG. 11 is formed so as to enter the support member 131. Therefore, as described above, in the step of forming the support member 131 and the structure 132, for example, in the step of discharging the ultraviolet curable resin 77A, both the pillar portion 92 and the structure 132 may be formed. That is, unlike the above-mentioned examples of FIGS. 3 to 10, the structure 132 is also formed while forming the support member 131.

Further, as described above, in the method for forming the support member 131 of the present embodiment, the ultraviolet curable resin 77A is formed as a columnar column portion 92 extending from the stage 70 toward the structure 132, and a plurality of column portions 92 are formed. Form. According to this, a plurality of pillar portions 92 standing on the stage 70 are formed as the viscous fluid material of the present application. As a result, the structure 132 can be supported more stably by the plurality of column portions 92.

Further, in the method of forming the support member 131 of the present embodiment, the support member 91 is formed as a portion that fills the space between the plurality of pillar portions 92. According to this, the support material 91 is formed so as to fill the space between the plurality of pillar portions 92. In other words, the plurality of pillar portions 92 are embedded in the support material 91. In this structure, as will be described later, when the support material 91 is melted, the melted support material 91 can flow out to the outside through the gap between the pillar portions 92. Therefore, the support material 91 can be easily removed.

In the example shown in FIG. 11, the plurality of pillar portions 92 are connected to each other by the connecting resin 139 at the lower end portion. The connecting resin 139 is formed so as to spread over the entire upper surface of the stage 70. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 11, the support member 131 is in contact with the stage 70 by the ultraviolet curable resin 77A (connecting resin 139). The pillar portion 92 is connected to the stage 70 via a connecting resin 139. The structure of the support member 131 shown in FIG. 11 is an example, and the support member 131 may have a structure in which the support member 91 is brought into contact with the stage 70 at least a part of the lower end portion.

Further, the structure 132 shown in FIG. 11 has a human shape and incorporates an electronic component 135 and a metal wiring 95 for connecting the electronic component 135. As described above, heat is generated when the metal wiring 95 is formed. As a result, for example, a part of the support material 91 is melted at the boundary portion 141 which is the boundary portion between the support material 91 and the structure 132 shown in FIG. Therefore, if all the support members 131 are formed of the support material 91, the support member 131 and the structure 132 may be separated when the metal wiring 95 is formed. Therefore, in the support member 131 of the present embodiment, a pillar portion 92 is provided as a part of the support member 131, and the structure 132 is supported by the pillar portion 92.

In the structure 132 forming step, as shown in FIG. 11, when the formation of the structure 132 is completed, the controller 102 removes the support material 91. The transport device 20 moves the movable base 52 on which the support member 131 and the structure 132 are placed to the support material removing unit 24 (see FIG. 1). The support material removing unit 24, for example, irradiates the support member 131 with microwaves to heat the support member 91 to melt the support material 91. The support material 91 of the present embodiment is formed so as to fill the space between the columnar column portions 92 as described above. Therefore, the molten support material 91 flows out between the pillar portions 92. On the other hand, the non-melting column 92 supports the structure 132 with respect to the stage 70. As shown in FIG. 12, the structure 132 is in a state of being supported by the plurality of pillars 92 with respect to the stage 70.

Next, the controller 102 separates the remaining pillar portion 92 of the support member 131 from the structure 132. The transport device 20 moves the movable base 52 to the cutting unit 25 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 13, the cutting unit 25 cuts the resin connection point 137 using, for example, two chucks 143 and 144. For example, one chuck 143 sandwiches a part of the structure 132 near the resin connection point 137. Further, a part of the support material 91 close to the resin connection point 137 is sandwiched by the other chuck 144. Then, the cutting unit 25 cuts the resin connection point 137 by moving the two chucks 143 and 144 so as to separate the structure 132 and the support member 91. The cutting unit 25 may include a plurality of sets of chucks 143 and 144 that sandwich the structure 132 and the pillar portion 92. Further, the cutting unit 25 may include a cutter or a drill for cutting the resin connection point 137. By separating the structure 132 and the pillar portion 92 by the cutting unit 25, the structure 132 having a desired shape can be manufactured. The cutting unit 25 removes the separated support member 131 from above the stage 70, and arranges the structure 132 on the stage 70. Alternatively, the cutting unit 25 may be discarded together with the stage 70 on which the support member 131 is placed. In this case, the cutting unit 25 may arrange a new stage 70 on the base 60 and arrange the structure 132 on the stage 70. The transport device 20 moves the stage 70 on which the structure 132 is placed to a predetermined discharge position. As a result, the user can acquire the completed structure 132. The work of separating the support member 131 and the structure 132 may be performed manually by a person.

Here, the support member 131 of the present embodiment has a structure that is easy to cut at the resin connection point 137, which is the connection point of the structure 132 with the resin portion. FIG. 14 is an enlarged view showing a cross section of the resin connection point 137. FIG. 14 schematically shows a resin connection point 137 at a connection portion between the tip end portion of the hand of the structure 132 and the upper end portion of the pillar portion 92. As shown in FIG. 14, the pillar portion 92 is formed by, for example, laminating a plurality of resin layers 92A. Further, the support material 91 is formed by laminating a plurality of support material layers 91A. The boundary line of each layer shown in FIG. 14 is shown for convenience of explanation.

As shown in FIG. 14, in the pillar portion 92, a fragile portion 147 is formed at a resin connection point 137 which is a boundary portion with the structure 132. The fragile portion 147 is formed so that the cross-sectional area is smaller than that of the other portions of the pillar portion 92. The fragile portion 147 is formed, for example, in a rectangular parallelepiped column portion 92 in which the tip portion thereof is thinned. Therefore, the fragile portion 147 has a thinner columnar shape than the other portions of the pillar portion 92. Therefore, the pillar portion 92 is easily broken at the fragile portion 147. In this configuration, by applying an external force to the resin connection point 137, the fragile portion 147 can be cut and the structure 132 and the column portion 92 can be easily separated.

Further, the fragile portion 147 of the present embodiment has a structure in which a part of the pillar portion 92 is thinned. In this configuration, in the formation of the pillar portion 92, the fragile portion 147 in which the connecting portion is thinned by reducing the ejection amount of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A ejected from the inkjet head 76 or by temporarily stopping the ejection itself of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A. Can be easily formed.

One fragile portion 147 may be provided in one pillar portion 92, or a plurality of fragile portions 147 may be provided in one pillar portion 92. Further, the configuration of the vulnerable portion 147 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the fragile portion 147 may have a tapered portion 147A. The tapered shape portion 147A is inclined so as to approach the center of the pillar portion 92 from the lower side to the upper side in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, the fragile portion 147 becomes thinner toward the tip of the pillar portion 92. The fragile portion 147 has a smaller cross-sectional area than the other portions of the pillar portion 92, and is easily broken. For example, the tapered shape portion 147A can be formed by shortening the irradiation time of ultraviolet rays in the curing step or weakening the intensity of the irradiated ultraviolet rays when the fragile portion 147 is formed of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A. By shortening the irradiation time or weakening the intensity, the curing of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A becomes insufficient. As a result, the hardness of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A is lowered, so that the fragile portion 147 is formed with a tapered portion 147A that extends outward. In this configuration, instead of adjusting the discharge amount of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A to form the fragile portion 147 as in the configuration shown in FIG. 14, the fragility is achieved by changing the curing conditions such as the irradiation time of ultraviolet rays. Part 147 can be formed. In other words, in this configuration, even if the discharge amount is the same, the fragile portion 147 having the tapered shape portion 147A can be formed only by changing the curing conditions.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 16, the fragile portion 147 may be formed by shifting the positions where the pillar portion 92 and the structure 132 are formed. The pillar portion 92 shown in FIG. 16 is formed at a position deviated from the tip end portion of the structure 132. In the fragile portion 147, the resin layer 92A on the structure 132 side and the resin layer 92A on the pillar portion 92 side are arranged at positions shifted in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the upper resin layer 92A is offset to the right with respect to the lower resin layer 92A. Therefore, the fragile portion 147 has a smaller cross-sectional area than the other portion of the pillar portion 92 in a part thereof, and is easily broken. In this configuration, the fragile portion 147 can be formed by shifting the position where the pillar portion 92 is formed with respect to the structure 132.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, the fragile portion 147 may have a configuration in which a hollow portion 147B is formed in a part of the pillar portion 92. A plurality of hollow portions 147B are formed in the fragile portion 147 shown in FIG. The hollow portion 147B is formed, for example, by penetrating the pillar portion 92 in the X-axis direction, and is an empty space not filled with the ultraviolet curable resin 77A, the metal ink 77B, and the support material 81. Therefore, the fragile portion 147 has a hollow portion formed in a part thereof, has a smaller cross-sectional area than the other portions of the pillar portion 92, and is easily broken. In this configuration, in the formation of the pillar portion 92, the fragile portion 147 having the hollow portion 147B can be formed by temporarily stopping the ejection of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A from the inkjet head 76. As described above, the fragile portion 147 can adopt various configurations as long as the cross-sectional area of the pillar portion 92 is reduced and the fragile portion 147 is easily broken.

Incidentally, in the above embodiment, the inkjet head 76 is an example of a ejection device. The UV curable resin 77A is an example of a curable viscous fluid. The pillar portion 92 is an example of a viscous fluid material. The metal ink 77B is an example of a conductive material.

According to the above-described embodiment, the following effects are obtained.
The method for forming the support member 131 of the present embodiment includes a first ejection step (see FIG. 3) in which the ultraviolet curable resin 77A is ejected from the inkjet head 76, and the ejected ultraviolet curable resin 77A is cured to cure the stage 70 and the structure 132. A curing step (see FIG. 4) of forming a pillar portion 92 that supports the structure 132 with respect to the stage 70 by connecting the above and the support material 81 from the inkjet head 76 and contacting at least a part of the pillar portion 92. A forming step (see FIG. 5) of forming the support member 91 to be formed and forming the support member 131 having the pillar portion 92 and the support member 91 is included.

According to this, the support member 131 that supports the structure 132 includes a pillar portion 92 formed of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A and a support material 91. The support member 91 can be used to form, for example, a protruding portion such as an overhang on the structure 132 (see FIG. 11). Further, the pillar portion 92 is connected to both the stage 70 and the structure 132, and has a structure that supports the structure 132 with respect to the stage 70. Therefore, even when heat is generated in the formation of the structure 132 and the adhesion between the structure 132 and the support member 91 is reduced, the pillar portion 92 provided on the support member 131 causes the structure 132 to be attached to the stage 70. Can be stably supported.

Further, the method for forming the structure 132 of the present embodiment includes a second ejection step (see FIG. 9) of ejecting the metal ink 77B from the inkjet head 76 and firing of the ejected metal ink 77B to one of the structures 132. A firing step (see FIG. 10) of forming the metal wiring 95 in the portion is included.

According to this, the metal wiring 95 is formed in the structure 132. When forming the metal wiring 95, heat is generated by firing the metal ink 77B. As a result, there is a high possibility that the adhesion between the structure 132 and the support material 91 will decrease. Therefore, when forming the structure 132 having the metal wiring 95, it is extremely effective to support the structure 132 by the support member 131 having the support material 91 and the pillar portion 92.

As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 102 of the control device 26 has a first discharge unit 110, a curing unit 112, a forming unit 116, a second discharge unit 118, and a firing unit 120. .. The first discharge unit 110 and the like are processing modules realized by executing the control program 107 in the CPU of the controller 102, for example. Further, the first discharge unit 110 and the like may be configured by hardware instead of being configured by software.

The first ejection unit 110 is a functional unit that ejects the ultraviolet curable resin 77A from the inkjet head 76. The cured portion 112 is a functional portion in which the discharged ultraviolet curable resin 77A is cured by the irradiation device 82 to form the pillar portion 92. The forming unit 116 is a functional unit that ejects the support material 81 from the inkjet head 76 to form the support material 81. The second ejection unit 118 is a functional unit that ejects the metal ink 77B from the inkjet head 76. The firing unit 120 is a functional unit that fires the discharged metal ink 77B with the irradiation device 82 to form the metal wiring 95.

Incidentally, in the above embodiment, the step executed by the first discharge unit 110 is an example of the first discharge step. The step executed by the curing section 112 is an example of the curing step. The process executed by the forming unit 116 is an example of the forming process. The step executed by the second discharge unit 118 is an example of the second discharge step. The step executed by the firing unit 120 is an example of the firing step.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be carried out in various modes with various changes and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the pillar portion 92 is formed along the Z-axis direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, the pillar portion 92 may be formed in an arch shape. Further, the pillar portion 92 may have a shape that becomes thinner from the base end portion toward the resin connection point 137 which is the tip end portion. That is, the pillar portion 92 may have a structure in which the thickness changes. The cross-sectional area of the column portion 92 becomes smaller at the tip portion. The tip functions as a fragile portion 147 (see FIG. 14). Therefore, the viscous fluid material of the present application can adopt various structures capable of supporting the structure 132 with respect to the stage 70. In other words, the structure of the viscous fluid material can be appropriately changed as long as the structure can support the structure 132.

For example, the viscous fluid material of the present application is not limited to the column shape. FIG. 19 shows a top view of the support member 131. For example, the support member 131 may have a configuration in which the plate-shaped support material 91 standing on the stage 70 and the plate-shaped viscous fluid material 151 are alternately arranged. As shown in FIG. 19, the support material 91 and the viscous fluid material 151 have a predetermined thickness in the X-axis direction and have a plate shape extending along the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. The viscous fluid material 151 is formed by laminating a cured layer obtained by curing an ultraviolet curable resin 77A. In the support member 131 having such a configuration, the molten support material 91 flows out between the viscous fluid materials 151 in the Y-axis direction. Further, the structure 132 is supported by the plate-shaped viscous fluid material 151 formed at equal intervals.

Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 20, the support member 131 may have a configuration in which the columnar viscous fluid material 151 is arranged along the direction parallel to the upper surface of the stage 70. In the support member 131 shown in FIG. 20, for example, two viscous fluid materials 151 extending along the X-axis direction and two viscous fluid materials 151 extending along the Y-axis direction are alternately arranged in the Z-axis direction. It is arranged and formed. The viscous fluid material 151 along the X-axis direction is arranged with a gap of one viscous fluid material 151 by sandwiching one viscous fluid material 151 along the Y-axis direction in the Z-axis direction. The support material 91 is formed so as to cover the plurality of stacked viscous fluid materials 151. In the support member 131 having such a configuration, the molten support material 91 flows out through the gap of the viscous fluid material 151. Further, the structure 132 is supported from below by the stacked viscous fluid material 151. In FIG. 20, a part of the viscous fluid material 151 is omitted in order to avoid complicating the drawings.

Further, the method of forming the support member 131 is not limited to the inkjet method. For example, the mesh-like viscous fluid material 151 may be formed by the Fused Deposition Modeling method, and the support material 81 may be filled in the mesh of the viscous fluid material 151 by the Fused Deposition Modeling method or the inkjet method.
Further, in the above embodiment, when the support material 91 is melted, a gap is provided between the pillar portion 92 and the pillar portion 92 so that the melted support material 91 flows out from between the pillar portions 92. Not limited to this. For example, the support member 131 may be formed by a viscous fluid material in which the ultraviolet curable resin 77A is laminated in an annular shape and a support material 91 filled in the annular viscous fluid material. That is, the viscous fluid material may be formed as an outer frame surrounding the support material 91. Then, when the support material 91 is melted, a hole may be formed in a part of the annular viscous fluid material, and the melted support material 91 may be discharged to the outside from the hole. Therefore, a take-out port for taking out the molten support material 91 may be formed later in the viscous fluid material.
Further, the curable viscous fluid 77 of the present application is not limited to the ultraviolet curable resin 77A and the metal ink 77B, and various curable viscous fluids that are cured by light, heat, or the like can be adopted.
Further, the additive manufacturing method of the present application is not limited to the inkjet method, and other additive manufacturing methods such as the Fused Deposition Modeling method may be used.

70 stages, 76 inkjet head (ejection device), 77A UV curable resin (curable viscous fluid), 77B metal ink (conductive material), 81 support material, 91 support material, 92 pillars (viscous fluid material), 95 metal Wiring, 131 support members, 132 structures, 147 fragile parts, 151 viscous fluids.

Claims (6)

It is a method of forming a support member for forming a support member for supporting the structure when a curable viscous fluid is discharged from a discharge device onto a stage to form a structure.
The support member
A viscous fluid material formed by the same curable viscous fluid as the structure,
Support material and
Have,
The method of forming the support member is
The first discharge step of discharging the curable viscous fluid from the discharge device, and
A curing step of Ru curing the discharged said curable viscous fluid,
Including
Said first discharge step, the repeatedly executes a curing step, form the shape of the viscous fluid material for supporting the structure against the stage and connecting the said stage structure,
The method of forming the support member is
Wherein the discharge device discharges the support material, the viscous fluid material forming step including that formed form said support member in contact with at least a portion, the method of forming the support member. In the first discharge step and the curing step,
The method for forming a support member according to claim 1, wherein a fragile portion having a reduced cross-sectional area of the viscous fluid material is formed at a connecting portion of the viscous fluid material with the structure. In the first discharge step and the curing step,
The method for forming a support member according to claim 2, wherein the fragile portion is formed by thinning a part of the viscous fluid material. In the first discharge step and the curing step,
The support member according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the viscous fluid material is formed as a columnar pillar portion extending from the stage toward the structure, and a plurality of the pillar portions are formed. Forming method. In the forming step,
The method for forming a support member according to claim 4, wherein the support material is formed as a portion that fills the space between the plurality of pillars. A method for forming a structure using the support member formed by the method for forming a support member according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
A second discharge step of discharging the conductive material from the discharge device, and
A firing step of firing the discharged conductive material to form metal wiring in a part of the structure.
A method for forming a structure, including.

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