JPH03224726A - Forming method for three-dimensional shape and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the generation of overlapped curved surfaces and sagging deformation, and form a three-dimensional shape without deviation in height by sinking the three- dimensional shape on its way to be formed and peripheral walls to encircle the same in a photo-setting resin liquid reservior in respective stages of photo-setting layer formation constituting the three-dimensional shape provided in the photo-setting resin liquid reservoir and then lifting the same up. CONSTITUTION:A forming table 50 is immersed in photo-setting resin liquid 20 in a tank 14 and lifted up, and a resin liquid thin layer of uniform thickness is formed and excessive resin liquid 20 is recovered in the tank 14. Then, scanning exposure is carried out by laser beam 30 to photo-set the resin liquid thin layer, and a frame-shaped second photo-setting layer 43 consisting of a first photo-setting layer 40 and peripheral walls 46 constituting the three-dimensional shape 45 is formed. The liquid 20 which has not been exposed is stored on the inside of said photo-setting layer 43. Then, the forming table 50 is again immersed in the resin liquid 20 to form resin liquid thin layers 21 of uniform thickness (t) on the surfaces of the photo-settling layers 40 and 43 and also the liquid 20 between said two layers, and excessive liquid 20 is flowed to the outside of the three-dimensional shape 45. Similarly scanning exposure of the laser beam 30 is carried out, and a new photo-setting layer 40 is formed on the preceding photo-setting layer 40, outside of which the frame-shape second photo-setting layer 43 is formed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for obtaining a desired three-dimensional shape using a photocurable resin that is cured by irradiation with light.

[Conventional technology]

The method of forming three-dimensional shapes using photocurable resin is a method that can easily and accurately form complex three-dimensional shapes without using molds or special processing tools. It is considered to be used in the production of Specifically, for example, JP-A-61-11481
There are methods disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 141724/1983.

The method described in JP-A-61-114817 is carried out as follows. A photocurable resin liquid is supplied into a container to form a resin liquid layer of a certain thickness, and this resin liquid layer is irradiated with laser light from above the liquid surface to partially photocure this resin liquid layer. . At that time, by sequentially moving the focal position of the laser beam, a photocured layer having a predetermined pattern can be formed. Next, a new resin liquid is supplied onto this photocured layer to form a new resin liquid layer, and this resin liquid layer is again irradiated with laser light. By repeating such steps and sequentially stacking the photocured layers, a resin product having a desired three-dimensional shape can be obtained.

However, this method has a problem in that it is difficult to accurately and quickly set the thickness of the thin resin liquid layer that determines the thickness of the photocured layer. That is, in this prior art, since the thickness of the thin layer of resin liquid is determined by the amount of resin liquid supplied to the storage container, the amount of resin liquid supplied must be controlled extremely accurately. However, it is very difficult to control the amount of resin liquid supplied with high precision, and variations in the thickness of the resin liquid thin layer inevitably occur. If there is variation in the thickness of the resin liquid thin layer, naturally there will be variation in the thickness of the photocured layer that is formed, and the accuracy of the three-dimensional shape will decrease.

On the other hand, the method described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 63-141724 is carried out as follows, and therefore does not require control of the amount of resin liquid supplied as in the above method. That is,
In this method, as shown in FIG. 11, a photocurable resin liquid 20 is stored in a tank 10 and a molding table 50 is provided which can be raised and lowered. When the molding table 50 is once submerged slightly below the liquid level and then raised to a position slightly below the resin liquid level, a thin photocurable resin liquid layer 21 having a thickness corresponding to the required thickness is deposited on the molding table 50. is formed naturally, where
This photocurable resin liquid thin layer 21 is irradiated with laser light 30 . As a result, the first photocured layer 4 is formed on the molding table 50.
0 is formed. Next, when the molding table 50 is submerged below the liquid level again and lifted to a position slightly below the tip below the liquid level, the second layer is formed on top of the photocuring layer 40 formed earlier. A new photocurable resin liquid thin layer 21 having the same thickness is formed. Then, the next photocured layer 40 is formed on the previous photocured layer 40 by irradiating the laser beam 30 again. Then, after submerging the molding table 50 again, lift it up to a position slightly below the liquid level, and apply the second photocuring layer 40.
Laser light 30 is irradiated to a new photocurable resin liquid thin layer 21 having a thickness corresponding to the third layer formed above, and the next photocuring layer 40 is placed on top of the second photocuring layer 40. Laminated. Thereafter, by repeating this process as many times as necessary, the molding table 50
A desired three-dimensional shape 45 is obtained on the top.

According to this method, in the process of lifting the molding table 50, most of the resin liquid 20 located on the three-dimensional shape 45 that is being formed is naturally removed to the outside of the three-dimensional shape 45, and There is a thickness t between the photocuring layer 40 and the resin liquid surface, which is determined by the surface tension, viscosity, specific gravity of the resin liquid, and the interfacial tension between the photocuring layer (or molding table) and the resin liquid.
Since the resin liquid thin layer 21 is formed naturally, there is no need to control the resin liquid supply amount as in the prior art described above.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, it has been found that this method also has various problems as described below.

That is, when the three-dimensional shape 45 in the process of being formed is lifted up to just below the liquid surface by the forming table 50, the three-dimensional shape 45
The upper resin liquid 20 is lifted up by the three-dimensional shape 45 and removed from above the three-dimensional shape 45, but the resin liquid 20
Since is a liquid with high viscosity, the three-dimensional shape 45
It is only slowly removed from above. Therefore, the new resin liquid thin layer 21 formed on the three-dimensional shape 45 immediately after lifting is affected by surface tension, etc., as shown in FIG. 12(a) - Enlarged view of part A in FIG. 11 - As seen in the figure, the shoulders 21a are slightly raised from the surrounding area, and the shoulders 21a,
21a is rounded and does not have the same thickness as its inner portion 21b. This condition will not go away until a considerable amount of time has passed. Therefore, the influence of this state still remains at the stage of irradiating the laser beam, and the laminated structure of the three-dimensional shape 45 is changed to the planar photocured layer 40 as shown in FIG. 12(b).
The first problem is that the photocured layers 40 are stacked with bent shoulders 40a, as shown in FIG.

When a three-dimensional shape that is in the process of being formed is moved up and down in a resin liquid pool, a phenomenon occurs in which the resin liquid flows upward or downward relative to the three-dimensional shape when viewed from the side of the three-dimensional shape. There was also the problem that the three-dimensional shape was distorted by the flow. This sagging deformation is most likely to occur when the thickness of the three-dimensional shape is thin or when the three-dimensional shape has a protruding part such as an eaves. Conventionally, when there is a protruding part in a three-dimensional shape, a support is purposely provided on the protruding part in order to avoid the occurrence of such sagging deformation. There is a problem in that complicated control is required to form a laminated layer of photocurable layers.

The three-dimensional shape has portions 451.45 each having a large and small upper surface area, as shown in the three-dimensional shape 45 shown in FIG.
Some have 2. When such a three-dimensional shape 45 is placed on the molding table 50 and raised inside the resin pool,
Thickness 1 of the resin liquid thin layer 21 remaining on the portions 451 and 452
．． ．． 1, a difference occurs in that the thickness tl on the large area portion 451 is larger than the thickness t2 on the small area portion 452. This is due to the following reasons. When the upper end of the three-dimensional shape 45 rises to a predetermined position below the liquid level, the amount of resin on the image area is such that the amount on the large area 451 is the same as the amount on the small area 452. greater than quantity. In both parts, the resin liquid 20 that cannot be held due to surface tension etc. flows out from above each part.
The flow rate at this time is extremely small because the viscosity of the resin liquid 2o is high. Therefore, at the time of laser beam irradiation, there is still a large difference in the amount of remaining resin liquid on the image areas 451 and 452, and this appears as a difference in the thickness of the resin liquid thin layer 2I in the image area. When forming a three-dimensional shape having portions with large and small horizontal cross-sectional areas, in this way, at the formation stage of each photo-cured layer, the difference in the thickness of the photo-cured layer between the portions with large and small horizontal cross-sectional areas is As a result, as the photocured layer is laminated, this difference in thickness is accumulated, resulting in a problem that the height of each part of the three-dimensional shape does not match the design.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for forming a three-dimensional shape that does not cause the above-mentioned stacking of curved surfaces, sagging deformation, and deviation in height.

[Means to solve the problem]

Therefore, the method for forming a three-dimensional shape according to the present invention that solves the above problems is to irradiate a photocurable resin liquid with light to form a photocured layer of a predetermined shape, and to form a photocured layer in a plurality of layers. In the method of stacking layers to form a desired three-dimensional shape, the height of the photo-curing layer at each stage corresponds to the formation of the photo-curing layer at each stage constituting the three-dimensional shape at a position surrounding the formation position of the three-dimensional shape. It is also possible to provide a peripheral wall that rises in stages to be flush with the surface of the layer.

In this case, a photocurable resin liquid reservoir is provided, and at each stage of forming the first photocured layer constituting the three-dimensional shape, the three-dimensional shape that is being formed and the surrounding wall are once exposed to light. By sinking it into a curable resin liquid pool and then raising it, it is also possible to form a photocurable resin liquid layer that will become the first photocurable layer on the three-dimensional shape that is being formed.

In addition, at each stage of forming the first photocured layer constituting the three-dimensional shape, by supplying a photocurable resin liquid into the peripheral wall surrounding the three-dimensional shape in the middle of formation, the three-dimensional shape in the middle of formation can be It is also possible to form a photocurable resin liquid layer thereon, which becomes the first photocurable layer.

The three-dimensional shape forming apparatus according to the present invention includes, firstly, a tank storing a photocurable resin liquid, a first photocurable layer forming a three-dimensional shape in the tank, and a peripheral wall surrounding the first photocuring layer. a lifting means for placing a second photocuring layer on which the second photocuring layer is placed and moving it up and down to immerse the three-dimensional shape in the process of being formed and the peripheral wall surrounding it in the photocurable resin liquid; and a laser generating means for irradiating light onto the photocurable resin liquid layer formed by the above-mentioned immersion on a peripheral wall surrounding the first photocurable layer, which surrounds the first photocurable layer constituting a three-dimensional shape and its surroundings. an elevating means for placing a second photocurable layer serving as a peripheral wall and moving it up and down; a means for supplying a photocurable resin liquid from above into the peripheral wall surrounding a three-dimensional shape that is in the process of being formed; and a laser generating means for irradiating light to the photocurable resin liquid layer formed by the above-mentioned supply on the circumferential wall surrounding the shape, and thirdly, a laser generating means provided at a position surrounding the formation position of the three-dimensional shape. a surrounding wall, a lifting means disposed within the surrounding wall so as to be movable up and down, a photocurable resin liquid pool consisting of a space surrounded by the lifting means and the surrounding wall, and an area above the photocurable resin liquid pool. and a laser generating means for irradiating light into the photocurable resin liquid pool.

The peripheral wall may be made of any material and structure as long as the photocurable resin liquid can be stored inside the peripheral wall.

The peripheral wall is provided so as to surround the three-dimensional shape in a rod shape at a position outside the outer shape of the three-dimensional shape to be formed. It is generally preferable that the size of the inner area of the surrounding wall be approximately the same at any height of the surrounding wall, but It can also have a horizontal cross-sectional shape.

The peripheral wall can be formed from a resin liquid at the same time as the three-dimensional shape is formed, as described below. According to this, the height of the peripheral wall can be increased in accordance with the height of the three-dimensional shape. However, in cases where such a method is not used, the peripheral wall can be raised in stages. Alternatively, the surrounding wall may be fixed and the forming table may be lowered in stages to make the surrounding wall relatively taller. It may be raised and lowered by a target or electric drive means.In order to accurately set the height of the peripheral wall or the molding table, a sensor means for detecting the surface position of the photocuring layer may be provided.

In the present invention, the peripheral wall can be formed by the same molding method at the same time as the three-dimensional shape is molded. That is, it is also possible to form a peripheral wall made of a photocurable layer by irradiating the photocurable resin liquid with light. To describe this in detail, first, a photocurable resin liquid is supplied onto a flat surface such as a molding table. In this way, a thin layer of resin liquid is formed on the flat surface with a thickness that is naturally determined by the action of surface tension and the like.

Once the first stage of the resin liquid thin layer is formed in this manner, this resin liquid thin layer is then irradiated with light to form a photocured layer constituting the desired three-dimensional shape. At this time,
A rod-shaped second photocured layer is also formed at a position surrounding the outer periphery of the photocured layer for three-dimensional shape formation, that is, the first photocured layer. Both photo-cured layers formed from the same resin liquid thin layer are naturally formed at the same surface height, and uncured resin liquid remains between both photo-cured layers at the same surface height.

The width and shape of the second photocurable layer can be set arbitrarily as long as the remaining photocurable resin liquid can be stored inside the second photocurable layer. When new resin liquid is supplied to the surfaces of both photocured layers and the resin liquid, a thin layer of resin liquid is naturally formed with a thickness determined by the action of surface tension and the like. Therefore, light is irradiated onto the first photo-cured layer and the second photo-cured layer to form the next first photo-cured layer.
, a second photocurable layer is laminated thereon. Thereafter, this process is repeated as many times as necessary. In this method, as described above, the first photocured layer forming the three-dimensional shape and the second photocuring layer forming the peripheral wall are used.
By simultaneously forming the photo-cured layer, it is possible to increase the height of the peripheral wall in stages.

As a means for supplying the photocurable resin liquid, in addition to a method of dipping the molding table, a coating method such as spray coating can also be used. Spray coating is a preferred method because it can supply the resin liquid quickly and in various thicknesses, but flow coating and other various liquid supply means can also be employed. The resin liquid that has flowed down to the outside of the peripheral wall can be recovered by an appropriate recovery means.

The thickness of the resin liquid thin layer 21 formed is determined to be a constant thickness depending on the properties of the resin liquid, such as the magnitude of surface tension. but,
If this thickness is too thick, you can thin it by scraping off the resin liquid with a doctor knife or the like.

In the method of the present invention, configurations other than those described above, such as the material of the resin liquid and the light irradiation means, are carried out in the same configuration as in a normal three-dimensional shape forming method.

[For production]

As shown in Figure 1, a portion of the photocurable resin liquid supplied onto the three-dimensional shape, the peripheral wall, and the surface of the resin liquid remaining inside the peripheral wall by the dipping method or the spray method, etc. , becomes a photocurable resin liquid thin layer 21 having a thickness t determined by the action of surface tension, etc., and remains on the surface of the resin liquid 20 remaining on the three-dimensional shape 45, on the peripheral wall 46, and inside the peripheral wall 46, The rest flows out to the outside of the surrounding wall. At this time,
As shown in FIG. 1, on the peripheral wall 46 located at the outer peripheral edge of the photocurable resin liquid thin layer 21, the shoulder portion 21a of the resin liquid thin layer 21 is rounded, but on the three-dimensional shape 45, , since the peripheral wall 46 is provided on the outside of the three-dimensional shape 45 and the outer peripheral edge of the photocurable resin liquid thin layer 21 extends to the peripheral wall 46, the photocurable resin liquid thin layer 21 in this part This kind of roundness does not occur at all.

In this case, the thickness t of the photocurable resin liquid thin layer 210, which is determined by the surface tension, etc., differs depending on the size of the area on which the resin liquid 20 is applied, as described above.

Therefore, when supplying resin liquid onto a three-dimensional shape without providing a peripheral wall around the three-dimensional shape, the thickness of the thin layer of resin liquid varies depending on the size of each area inside the three-dimensional shape. It will be different. As the number of laminations of the photocuring layer increases,
These subtle thickness errors accumulate and cannot be ignored. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 2(a), the three-dimensional shape 4
5 is surrounded by a peripheral wall 46, and the inner bottom of the peripheral wall is made into a stand 50 without an opening.
As shown in b), the resin liquid 20 is always stored above the peripheral wall 46 to a thickness t. This thickness t is determined depending on the size of the inner region of the peripheral wall 46 and is not related to the horizontal cross-sectional area of each inner portion of the three-dimensional shape 45. That is, within the three-dimensional shape 45 there is a portion 451 with a large upper surface area.
Even if there is a small portion 452, the thickness 1+ and 1* of the resin liquid thin layer 21 on each corresponds to the thickness t, and there is no difference between the two. Even when the inside of the reservoir is moved up and down, the peripheral wall 46 is filled with the resin liquid 20 in a stationary state, so that the resin liquid does not flow with respect to the three-dimensional shape 45.

When a peripheral wall 46 is provided around the three-dimensional shape 45, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the size of the inner area of the peripheral wall 46 is approximately the same regardless of the height of the peripheral wall. If they are made to be the same, the thickness of the photocurable resin liquid thin layer 21 will always be a constant value determined by the inner cross-sectional area S of the peripheral wall 46, and the accumulation of the above-mentioned thickness errors can be avoided.

As a result, a thin resin liquid layer 21 having a uniform thickness can be formed on the three-dimensional shape 45 at least in the area S0.

By forming the peripheral wall with the photocurable resin liquid simultaneously with the progress of forming the three-dimensional shape, it is possible to reliably and easily provide the peripheral wall with exactly the same height as the three-dimensional shape that is being formed.

When forming a three-dimensional shape having a protruding portion in the direction of the circumferential wall, at the same time as forming a photocured layer that constitutes the protruding portion and each part of the circumferential wall, a thin connecting layer connecting the protruding portion and the circumferential wall is formed. If a photocured layer is also formed, a three-dimensional shape having a portion protruding in the direction of the peripheral wall can be easily produced.

When simultaneously forming the peripheral wall from a photocurable resin liquid, the first photocuring layer is
If the distance between the photo-cured layer and the second photo-cured layer constituting the peripheral wall is made constant, the control data for three-dimensional shape formation plus a constant value will be added to the peripheral wall. It can be used as control data for formation.

〔Example〕

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

3 and 4 show the overall structure of the apparatus used for carrying out the present invention, and in the tank 14, for example, modified polyurethane methacrylate, oligoester acrylate, urethane acrylate, epoxy acrylate, photosensitive polyimide, A photocurable resin liquid 20 such as amino alkyd is stored. The molding table 50 on which the three-dimensional shape (molded product) 45 is placed and formed is made of a plate without an opening,
It is connected to an elevating mechanism (not shown) via an elevating arm 51, and can be moved up and down. A peripheral wall 46 is provided on the molding table 50 so as to surround the three-dimensional shape 45 . A laser irradiation mechanism (not shown) is provided above the molding table 50 so that the laser beam 30 can be irradiated onto the molding table 50. The structure of the laser irradiation mechanism can be the same as that of a normal three-dimensional shape forming apparatus. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a laser generator 31, a shutter 32, a condensing lens 33, and a reflecting mirror 34 are one example.

A method for forming a three-dimensional shape using such an apparatus will be described.

The molding table 50 is slightly immersed in the photocurable resin liquid 20 in the tank 14 and lifted to form a thin layer of the resin liquid with a -like thickness on its flat surface. Excess resin liquid 20 flows down from the outer edge of molding table 50 and is collected in tank 14. Next, the resin liquid thin layer is photocured by scanning exposure with a laser beam 30 to form a first photocured layer 40 forming a three-dimensional shape 45 . At this time, the laser beam 30 is also scanned and exposed in a frame shape of a constant width at a position slightly outside of a position substantially corresponding to the outer shape of the three-dimensional shape on the outside of the first photocuring layer 40, so that the peripheral wall 46 A frame-shaped second photocuring layer 43 is formed. The resin liquid 2o, which has not been exposed to light, remains inside the photocured layer 43. Next, the molding table 5o is immersed in the resin liquid 20 again, and both photocured layers 4o are
, 43 and the surface of the resin liquid 20 between them, as described above,
A resin liquid thin layer 21 having a thickness L is formed. At this time,
The excess resin liquid 20 flows down to the outside of the three-dimensional shape 45. Then, similarly to the above, scanning exposure with the laser beam 30 is performed to form a new photocured layer 40 on top of the previous photocured layer 4°.
form. Also at this time, the second photocured layer 43 is formed outside the first photocured layer 40 in a frame shape.

Note that when the molding table 50 is submerged in the photocurable resin liquid 2o in the tank 14 and then lifted to form a new resin liquid thin layer 21 on the previous photocurable layer 40, the steps shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, by bringing the upper end of the three-dimensional shape 45 in the middle of formation to a position slightly below the liquid level and stopping it, a new thin resin liquid layer 21 can be formed thereon. The same applies when forming the resin liquid thin Fi21 on the molding table 50.

As shown in FIG. 5, the peripheral wall 46 is formed so that its shape resembles the outer shape of the three-dimensional shape, that is, the distance between both photocured layers 40 and 43 is determined by the formation stage of each photocured layer. It can also be formed so that it is always constant.

By repeating these steps, the first photocured layer 4 is formed on the molding table 50 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5.
The zeros are stacked to form the desired three-dimensional shape 45. A peripheral wall 46 made of a second photocurable layer 43 is formed on the outside of the three-dimensional shape 45 . Once the three-dimensional shape 45 is completed, the peripheral wall 46 may be discarded.

In the above process, there is always resin liquid 2 inside the peripheral wall 46.
0 and completely covers the entire three-dimensional shape 45, the thickness of the resin liquid thin layer 21 on the surface of each part inside the three-dimensional shape 45 is uniform.

This invention can also be implemented as shown in FIG. That is, first, when the resin liquid 20 is sprayed from the spray nozzle 60 onto the surface of the molding table 50, the resin liquid 20 is sprayed onto the surface of the molding table 50.
0 spreads on the molding table 50 to a -like thickness to form a thin layer of resin liquid. Excess resin liquid 20 flows down from the outer edge of the molding table 50 and is collected in the resin reservoir 14. Next, the resin liquid thin layer is photocured by scanning exposure with a laser beam 30 to form a first photocured layer 40 forming a three-dimensional shape. At this time, the laser beam 30 is scanned and exposed in a frame shape of a constant width on the outside of the first photocuring layer 40 at a position that approximately corresponds to the outer shape of the three-dimensional shape or a position that is slightly outside, thereby forming a peripheral wall. A frame-shaped second photocuring layer 43 is formed. At this time as well, the unexposed resin liquid 20 is inside the second photocuring layer 43.
remains accumulated. Next, when the resin liquid 20 is sprayed again from the spray nozzle 60, a thin resin liquid layer with a thickness t of - is formed on both the photocured layers 40, 43 and the surfaces of the resin liquid 20 between them, and the excess The resin liquid 20 flows down to the outside of the second photocuring layer 43. At this time, the spraying by the spray nozzle 60 may be started not from the peripheral wall of the tank 14 but from the position of the second photocurable layer 43. After spraying, scanning exposure with laser light 30 is performed in the same manner as described above. Also at this time, a frame-shaped second photocuring layer 43 is formed outside the photocuring layer 40 .

Note that before irradiating the laser beam 30, the molding table 50 is lowered by a height corresponding to the thickness t of the thin resin liquid layer 21. This is because if the molding table 50 remains fixed, each time a thin resin liquid layer is stacked and formed, the position of the uppermost resin liquid thin layer becomes higher, and the focal position of the laser beam 30 is raised accordingly. However, if the molding table 50 is lowered in stages, the position of the thin resin liquid layer will always be at a constant height, and the laser beam 30 will be at a constant height.
Also in this case, there is no need to change the focal position of
By repeating such steps, as shown in FIG. 6, the first photocured layer 40 is stacked on the molding table 50, and a desired three-dimensional shape 45 is formed. On the outside of the three-dimensional shape 45, a peripheral wall 4 made of a second photocuring layer 43 is provided.
6 is formed. Once the three-dimensional shape 45 is completed, the peripheral wall 46 may be discarded. In the above process, since the inner side of the peripheral wall 46 made of the second photo-cured layer 43 has a flat surface having a substantially constant area, both the photo-cured layers 40, 43 and the resin liquid 20 are The thickness L of the resin liquid thin layer formed by the resin liquid 20 sprayed on the surface is always constant.

In the embodiment, the resin liquid 20 is sprayed through the spray nozzle 6.
Since the resin liquid is supplied by spray coating with 0, even if a high viscosity resin liquid 20 is used, the resin liquid spreads quickly and a uniform and thin resin liquid layer can be formed in a short time. If the resin liquid 20 is roughly supplied to the surfaces of the photocured layers 40 and 43 when they are in a semi-cured state, there is a risk that the photocured layers 40 and 43 will be deformed by the impact and pressure when the resin liquid 20 collides with them. However, with spray coating, there is less impact and pressure during supply, and there is no need to worry about deforming the semi-cured photocured layer 40, 43. Note that instead of the spray nozzle 60, a plurality of shower nozzles may be lined up, or a flow coater may be used to spray the resin liquid 2.
It is also possible to supply 0.

Next, FIG. 7 shows an apparatus partially different from the embodiment described above.

The molding table 53 for forming the three-dimensional shape 45 has an elevating shaft 54 connected to its lower surface so that it can be moved up and down. A sliding packing 59 is provided on the outer periphery of the molding table 53.
A cylindrical peripheral wall 57 is fixedly installed therebetween. The molding table 53 moves up and down inside this peripheral wall 57. Peripheral wall 5
On the upper part of the molding table 53 surrounded by 7, a photocurable resin liquid 2 is placed.
0 is stored. That is, the space above the molding table 53 constitutes a photocurable resin liquid pool.

A skirt portion 58 is provided in the middle of the outer peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 57 and is curved outward so as to guide the resin liquid 20 flowing down along this surface. The resin liquid 20 that has flowed down along the skirt portion 58 is transferred to the resin reservoir 1 of the embodiment described above.
It is collected by a collection method such as 4. A method of forming a three-dimensional shape using the above-mentioned apparatus in which a spray nozzle 60 similar to that described above is provided above the forming table 53 will be described.

First, in the first stage, the molding table 53 is raised to the same level as the upper end of the peripheral wall 57. When the resin liquid 20 is supplied from the spray nozzle 60 onto the molding table 53, the resin liquid 20 spreads over the surface of the molding table 53 to form a thin layer of resin liquid. Thereafter, a laser beam 30 is scanned and exposed to form a photocured layer 40 that forms a three-dimensional shape. In addition, in this example, the second photo-cured layer (photo-cured layer for peripheral wall) 4 as in the previous example is used.
3 does not need to be formed at the same time. Next, the molding table 53 is lowered so that the surface of the photocured layer 40 and the upper end of the peripheral wall 57 are at the same height. The uncured resin liquid 20 remains in the area inside the peripheral wall 57 where the photocured layer 40 is not present, and together with the photocured layer 40 and the peripheral wall 57 forms a flat surface.

When the spray nozzle 60 is operated again to supply the resin liquid 20, a new resin liquid thin layer is formed on the surface of the peripheral wall 57 and the like. By repeating these steps, a three-dimensional shape 45 in which the photocured layers 40 are stacked is formed.

In the above methods, as shown in FIG. 8, if you want to quickly reduce the thickness of the photocurable resin liquid thin layer 21 to a thickness to that is thinner than the thickness t determined by the surface tension, use a doctor knife 80. The surface layer of the resin liquid may be scraped off.

Among the three-dimensional shapes, there is also a three-dimensional shape 45 having a portion 45a protruding in the direction of the peripheral wall 46, as shown in FIG. 9(a) and FIG. 9(b) showing the main part thereof. In such a device, when the resin liquid 20 is supplied, the portion 45a may be agitated and deformed by the movement of the resin liquid 20, and it is necessary to prevent this.

Therefore, in the present invention, when forming the three-dimensional shape 45, at the same time as forming a photocuring layer that constitutes each part of the protruding portion 45a and the peripheral wall 46, the protruding portion 45a and the peripheral wall 46 are connected. A photocured layer that becomes the thin connection layer 48 is also formed.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 (al), once the three-dimensional shape 45 and the peripheral wall 46 have been formed up to the formation position of the protrusion, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), the connecting layer 4 is formed.
A photocured layer 8 is simultaneously formed so as to be continuous with the first photocured layer forming the three-dimensional shape 45 and the second photocuring layer forming the peripheral wall 46 . The photocured layer serving as the connection layer 48 may have a thickness necessary to function as a support, so when this thickness is reached, the formation of the connection layer 48 is completed. After that, as shown in FIG. 10(C), the protruding portion 45a
After laminating a photocurable layer equivalent to the total thickness of
After supplying the photocurable resin liquid to the desired height, as shown in Fig. 10 (
A three-dimensional shape 45 is obtained as shown in dl. Thereafter, the connecting layer 48 is separated from the three-dimensional shape 45 to obtain the desired three-dimensional shape 45 as shown in FIG. 10fe).

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the method for forming a three-dimensional shape according to the present invention, rounded shoulders do not occur in the thin resin liquid layer on the three-dimensional shape. In addition, the surfaces of the photocured layer, the peripheral wall, and the resin liquid accumulated between them are all always at the same height at each stage of forming each photocured layer, and new resin liquid is supplied on top of them. This resin liquid can form an accurate, uniform, and extremely thin layer of resin liquid due to the effect of surface tension and the like. As a result, the thickness of the photocured layer at each stage is accurate, uniform, and thin, resulting in excellent shape accuracy of the three-dimensional shape, and the difference in level between each photocured layer in the three-dimensional shape becomes less noticeable. .

According to this invention, since the three-dimensional shape that is being formed is buried in the resin liquid that is in a stationary state inside the peripheral wall, even when the three-dimensional shape moves up and down within the resin liquid pool, the resin liquid flows with respect to the three-dimensional shape. does not occur. For this reason, sagging deformation does not occur in the three-dimensional shape.

In this invention, if the circumferential wall is made such that the size of the inner area is approximately the same no matter what height position of the circumferential wall is measured, the three-dimensional shape will always have a uniform thickness. Since a thin layer of resin liquid can be formed, the dimensional accuracy of the three-dimensional shape is improved.

In this invention, by irradiating the resin liquid thin layer with light to obtain the second photocured layer that becomes the peripheral wall, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, the peripheral wall can be formed at exactly the same height as the first photocured layer. can be formed reliably, eliminating the need for parts for the peripheral wall or a mechanism for changing its height. Note that even if a second photocured layer is formed in addition to the first photocured layer, the irradiation range of light is only slightly expanded and the irradiation time does not increase significantly.

This method is much more efficient than operating a peripheral wall.

In this invention, when forming a three-dimensional shape having a protruding part in the direction of the peripheral wall, at the same time as the photocuring layer constituting the protruding part is formed, a thin connecting layer connecting the protruding part and the peripheral wall is formed. A photocured layer can also be formed, thereby making it possible to easily produce a three-dimensional shape having a protruding portion without deformation.

In this invention, if the peripheral wall is made to match the outer shape of the three-dimensional shape, the control data for forming the three-dimensional shape can be used as the control data for forming the peripheral wall, thereby simplifying the control operation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the invention in detail, and FIG. 2 (a
l (b) is also an explanatory diagram for explaining the invention in detail, and figure (al) is a perspective view showing the three-dimensional shape and the surrounding wall placed on the molding table, and figure ('b) is the molding table with a resin liquid pool. 3(a) is a cross-sectional view and a plan view showing the device used in one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3(C) is a modified example of FIG. 3(al). 4th cross-sectional view showing
The figure is a perspective view of this embodiment, FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 are other examples of the method of forming a thin resin liquid layer according to the present invention. 9(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a three-dimensional shape with a portion protruding in the direction of the peripheral wall; Figure (b) is a plan view of only the three-dimensional shape and the peripheral wall, Figures 10 (a) to (e) are explanatory diagrams sequentially showing the steps of manufacturing the three-dimensional shape of Figure 9, and Figure 11 is a conventional example. A cross-sectional view showing FIG. 12 (al (
b) is an explanatory diagram explaining the conventional problems, and Fig. 13 (al.
(t)) is an explanatory diagram illustrating another problem with the conventional example, in which figure (al is a perspective view showing a state in which a three-dimensional shape is placed on a molding table, and figure (bl) is a perspective view showing a state in which a three-dimensional shape is placed on a molding table. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a raised state.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A method in which a photocurable resin liquid is irradiated with light to form a photocured layer in a predetermined shape, and a plurality of photocured layers are stacked to form a desired three-dimensional shape. As the photo-cured layer of each stage forming the three-dimensional shape is formed at the position surrounding the shape formation position, its height increases step by step so that it becomes the same height as the surface of the photo-cured layer of each stage. A method for forming a three-dimensional shape, characterized by providing a peripheral wall. 2. A photocurable resin liquid reservoir is provided, and at each stage of forming the first photocurable layer constituting the three-dimensional shape, the three-dimensional shape that is being formed and the peripheral wall surrounding it are temporarily coated with the photocurable resin. The three-dimensional shape according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional shape is lowered into the liquid pool and then raised to form a photocurable resin liquid layer that becomes the first photocurable layer on the three-dimensional shape that is being formed. How to form. 3. At each stage of forming the first photocured layer constituting the three-dimensional shape, a photocurable resin liquid is supplied into the peripheral wall surrounding the three-dimensional shape that is in the process of being formed. 2. The method for forming a three-dimensional shape according to claim 1, wherein a photocurable resin liquid layer serving as the first photocurable layer is formed. 4. Simultaneously with the formation of the photocured layer at each stage constituting the three-dimensional shape, light is also irradiated to the photocurable resin liquid at positions surrounding the formation position of the three-dimensional shape to form a second photocured layer that will become the peripheral wall. The method for forming a three-dimensional shape according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising forming a three-dimensional shape. 5. When forming a three-dimensional shape having a protruding part in the direction of the peripheral wall, at the same time as forming a photocured layer that constitutes the protruding part and each part of the peripheral wall, a thin connection is created to connect the protruding part and the peripheral wall. 5. The method for forming a three-dimensional shape according to claim 4, wherein a photocured layer serving as a layer is also formed. 6. The method for forming a three-dimensional shape according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the size of the inner region of the peripheral wall is approximately the same at any height position of the peripheral wall. 7. A claim in which the distance between the first photocured layer and the second photocured layer constituting the peripheral wall is made constant at each stage of forming the first photocured layer constituting the three-dimensional shape. Item 4. The method for forming a three-dimensional shape. 8 A tank storing a photocurable resin liquid, a first photocurable layer constituting a three-dimensional shape, and a second photocurable layer serving as a peripheral wall surrounding the first photocurable layer are placed and moved up and down in the tank. a lifting means for immersing a three-dimensional shape in the middle of formation and a peripheral wall surrounding it in a photocurable resin liquid; A three-dimensional shape forming apparatus comprising a laser generating means for irradiating light onto a resin liquid layer. 9 Lifting means for moving up and down on which a first photocured layer constituting a three-dimensional shape and a second photocured layer serving as a peripheral wall surrounding the first photocured layer are mounted, and a lifting means that moves up and down within the peripheral wall surrounding the three-dimensional shape that is being formed. A tertiary device comprising a means for supplying a photocurable resin liquid from above, and a laser generating means for irradiating light onto a three-dimensional shape in the process of being formed and a photocurable resin liquid layer formed by the supply on a peripheral wall surrounding the three-dimensional shape. Original shape forming device. 10 A peripheral wall provided at a position surrounding a three-dimensional shape formation position, an elevating means disposed within the surrounding wall so as to be movable up and down, and a photocurable resin liquid reservoir consisting of a space surrounded by the elevating means and the surrounding wall. A three-dimensional shape forming apparatus comprising means for supplying a photocurable resin liquid from above to the photocurable resin liquid pool, and a laser generating means for irradiating light into the photocurable resin liquid pool. 11. The three-dimensional shape forming device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the circumferential wall has an inner area whose size is approximately the same at any height position of the circumferential wall.