JPWO2019058497A1 - Method of forming structure and method of inspecting structure - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method of forming a structure and a method of inspecting a structure, which can confirm whether a completed structure is appropriately formed. The method for forming a structure according to the present disclosure includes an ejection step of ejecting a curable viscous fluid, and a curing step of curing the curable viscous fluid ejected in the ejection step, and repeatedly executes the ejection step and the curing step. This forms a structure in which a cured layer obtained by curing the curable viscous fluid is laminated in the laminating direction. Then, a mark portion is formed in the discharging step. The mark portion is provided so as to extend in the stacking direction, is constituted by a plurality of cured layers, and is in a state where it can be visually recognized from the outside in the structure.

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a forming method for forming a structure by an additive manufacturing method, and an inspection method for inspecting the structure.

  As a method of forming a structure, there is an additive manufacturing method in which a layered material formed by dividing the structure into a plurality of layers is sequentially stacked to manufacture a three-dimensional structure. As the additive manufacturing method, for example, a stereolithography method (SL: Stereo Lithography), a powder sintering method (SLS: Selective Laser Sintering), a hot melt laminating method (FDM: Fused Deposition Molding) and the like are known. For example, the following Patent Document discloses a technique for forming a large structure by combining a plurality of parts formed by a forming apparatus for performing additive manufacturing. Each part is formed with an uneven shape for correctly combining the parts. By combining the parts, a large structure exceeding the size of the forming apparatus is configured.

JP-A-2006-68297

  As noted above, there is a need for structures that exceed the size of the forming device. When the size of each part, that is, the structure formed by a single additive manufacturing process, increases, the time required for the additive manufacturing operation increases. On the other hand, the thickness of one layer obtained by slicing the structure may be, for example, several μm (micrometers) or less than 1 μm. For this reason, it may take several days until one additive manufacturing is completed.

  The longer the continuous working time of the forming apparatus, the higher the possibility of occurrence of electrical or physical troubles such as malfunction of data processing and clogging of nozzles of the inkjet head. For this reason, in the operation of the additive manufacturing, there is a possibility that the operation is continued and the structure is completed even though one or more layers are not properly formed. The present disclosure has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a method of forming a structure and a method of inspecting a structure that can confirm whether a completed structure is appropriately formed. .

In order to solve the above problem, a method for forming a structure according to the present disclosure includes a discharging step of discharging a curable viscous fluid, and a curing step of curing the curable viscous fluid discharged in the discharging step. By repeatedly performing the ejection step and the curing step, a method for forming a structure that forms a structure in which a cured layer obtained by curing the curable viscous fluid is laminated in a lamination direction, wherein the ejection step The mark is provided so as to extend in the laminating direction, is constituted by a plurality of the cured layers, and forms a mark portion of the structure that is visible from the outside.
Further, the contents of the present disclosure can be implemented not only as a method of forming a structure but also as a method of inspecting a structure.

  In the method of forming a structure and the method of inspecting a structure according to the present disclosure, the mark portion extends in the stacking direction and is configured by a plurality of cured layers. Further, the mark portion is visible from outside the structure. Therefore, by confirming the mark portion from the outside, it can be confirmed whether or not the plurality of cured layers constituting the mark portion are appropriately formed. If one hardened layer falls off and it is found that the mark portion is not formed correctly, it can be confirmed that the completed structure is not properly formed.

It is a figure showing the structure forming device of a 1st embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state where an ultraviolet curable resin is being discharged from an inkjet head. It is a figure showing the state where an insulating insulating layer is formed as a hardened layer. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which metal ink is being ejected from an inkjet head. It is a figure showing the state where metal wiring is formed as a hardened layer. It is a block diagram which shows a control apparatus. It is a schematic diagram which shows a structure. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure provided with the mark part. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process of formation and inspection of a structure. It is a front view of an outer peripheral surface, and is a schematic diagram which shows the mark part of a normal state and an abnormal state. It is a schematic diagram which shows the mark part of another example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the mark part of another example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the mark part of another example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the mark part of another example. It is a mimetic diagram showing the structure provided with the mark part of a 2nd embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the mark part of another example.

  FIG. 1 shows a structure forming apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment that embodies the forming apparatus of the present application. The structure forming apparatus (hereinafter, may be abbreviated as “forming apparatus”) 10 of the present embodiment includes a transport device 20, a molding unit 22, a mounting unit 23, an inspection unit 24, and a control device (see FIG. 6). ) 26. The transport device 20, the modeling unit 22, and the like are arranged on a 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, the short direction of the base 28 is orthogonal to both the Y-axis direction, and both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The direction will be described as a Z-axis direction.

  The transfer 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 provided on the base 28 so as to extend in the X-axis direction. The X-axis slider 36 is held by the X-axis slide rail 34 so as to be slidable in the X-axis direction. Further, the X-axis slide mechanism 30 has an electromagnetic motor (see FIG. 6) 38, and by driving the electromagnetic motor 38, moves the X-axis slider 36 to an arbitrary position in the X-axis direction.

  The Y-axis slide mechanism 32 includes a Y-axis slide rail 50 and a stage 52. The Y-axis slide rail 50 is disposed 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. Thus, the Y-axis slide rail 50 can move in the X-axis direction with the sliding movement of the X-axis slider 36. The stage 52 is held by a Y-axis slide rail 50 so as to be slidable in the Y-axis direction. Further, the Y-axis slide mechanism 32 has an electromagnetic motor (see FIG. 6) 56, and by driving the electromagnetic motor 56, moves the stage 52 to an arbitrary position in the Y-axis direction. Thus, the stage 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 stage 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 base material (see FIG. 2) 70 is placed on the upper surface. The holding devices 62 are provided on both sides of the base 60 in the X-axis direction. Then, both edges of the base material 70 placed on the base 60 in the X-axis direction are sandwiched by the holding device 62, so that the base material 70 is fixedly held on the base 60. The elevating device 64 is disposed below the base 60 and moves the base 60 up and down in the Z-axis direction.

  The modeling unit 22 is a unit that models a structure on a base material 70 placed on the base 60 of the stage 52, and includes a printing unit 72 and a curing unit 74. The printing unit 72 has an inkjet head 76 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, and discharges a curable viscous fluid 77 in a thin film onto a base material 70 placed on a 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 an ultraviolet curable resin and a metal ink. The ultraviolet curable resin is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet light. The metal ink is obtained by dispersing metal fine particles in a solvent, and is fired and cured by heat.

  FIG. 2 shows a state in which the ultraviolet curable resin 77 </ b> A is being discharged from the inkjet head 76. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the metal ink 77B is being ejected from the inkjet head 76. When the curable viscous fluid 77 is the ultraviolet curable resin 77A shown in FIG. 2, the inkjet head 76 discharges the ultraviolet curable resin 77A from a plurality of nozzles by a piezo method using a piezoelectric element, or the ultraviolet curable resin. The ultraviolet curing resin 77A is discharged from a plurality of nozzles by a thermal method in which the resin 77A is heated to generate bubbles and discharge from the nozzles. When the curable viscous fluid 77 is the metal ink 77B shown in FIG. 4, the inkjet head 76 discharges the metal ink 77B from a plurality of nozzles by, for example, a piezo method using a piezoelectric element. The ejection device is not limited to the inkjet head 76 having a plurality of nozzles, and may be, for example, a dispenser having one nozzle. In addition, the inkjet head 76 may separately include a nozzle that discharges the metal ink 77B and a nozzle that discharges the ultraviolet curable resin 77A, or may share a nozzle that discharges the two curable viscous fluids 77. .

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the curing unit 74 includes a flattening device 78 and an irradiation device 82. The flattening device 78 flattens the upper surface of the curable viscous fluid 77 discharged onto the base material 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 the surface of the flowable curable viscous fluid 77 (ultraviolet curable resin 77A or metal ink 77B) under the control of the flattening device 78 to move the surface. Flatten. The recovery unit 80 has, for example, a blade protruding toward the surface of the roller 79, and stores and discharges the curable viscous fluid 77 scraped off by the blade. The recovery unit 80 discharges, for example, the recovered curable viscous fluid 77 to a waste liquid tank. The flattening device 78 flattens the surface of the curable viscous fluid 77 by scraping off the surplus curable viscous fluid 77 while leveling the surface of the curable viscous fluid 77. Note that the recovery unit 80 may return the recovered curable viscous fluid 77 to the supply tank again. The flattening by the flattening device 78 does not have to be performed every time the curable viscous fluid 77 is discharged. For example, planarization may be performed only when a specific layer is formed.

  The irradiating device 82 irradiates the curable viscous fluid 77 discharged onto the base material 70 with light. The curable viscous fluid 77 is cured by light irradiation, and becomes a cured layer 86 having a thin film shape. Specifically, FIG. 3 shows a state in which an insulating insulating layer 86A is formed as the cured layer 86, for example. When the curable viscous fluid 77 is an ultraviolet curable resin 77A, the irradiation device 82 irradiates the ultraviolet curable resin 77A with ultraviolet light. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, first, the inkjet head 76 discharges the ultraviolet curable resin 77A on the base material 70 in a thin film shape. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the irradiation device 82 irradiates the ultraviolet curable resin 77A spread in a thin film shape with ultraviolet light, thereby curing the ultraviolet curable resin 77A and forming an insulating layer 86A (cured layer 86). I do.

  FIG. 5 shows a state where the metal wiring 86B is formed as the hardened layer 86. When the curable viscous fluid 77 is the metal ink 77B, the irradiation device 82 irradiates the metal ink 77B with a laser beam. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the inkjet head 76 ejects the metal ink 77B in a thin film on the cured insulating layer 86A. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the irradiation device 82 irradiates the metal ink 77B spread in a thin film shape with a laser beam, thereby firing and curing the metal ink 77B. The firing of the metal ink 77B is a phenomenon in which, by applying energy, vaporization of a solvent, decomposition of a metal fine particle protective film, and the like are performed, and the metal fine particles contact or fuse to increase conductivity. . Therefore, the irradiation device 82 can form the hardened layer 86 made of metal, that is, the metal wiring 86B, by firing the metal ink 77B.

  The mounting unit 23 shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, a unit for mounting various electronic components connected to the metal wiring 86B formed by the modeling unit 22, and includes a mounting unit 83 and a supply unit 84. . The mounting section 83 has, for example, a suction nozzle (not shown) for sucking an electronic component, and mounts the electronic component held by the suction nozzle. The supply unit 84 has, for example, a plurality of tape feeders that feed out the taped electronic components one by one, and supplies the electronic components to the mounting unit 83. The supply unit 84 is not limited to a tape feeder, and may be a tray-type supply device that picks up and supplies electronic components from a tray.

  For example, when the substrate 70 moves to a position below the mounting section 83 with the movement of the stage 52, the mounting unit 23 moves the mounting section 83 to the component supply position of the supply section 84, and The part 84 is driven to supply necessary parts. Then, the mounting section 83 sucks and holds the electronic component from the component supply position of the supply section 84 by the suction nozzle, and arranges the electronic component on the hardened layer 86 formed on the base material 70.

  The inspection unit 24 is a unit that inspects a structure formed by the modeling unit 22 and the mounting unit 23. The inspection unit 24 has an imaging unit 88 and a jig movable unit 89. The imaging unit 88 is used, for example, to image a mark formed on a completed structure described later. The jig movable section 89 has, for example, a robot arm that moves across the jig, and fits the jig into a cutout formed in a completed structure.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the control device 26 includes a controller 102, a plurality of drive circuits 104, a storage device 106, and an image processing device 108. The plurality of drive circuits 104 are connected to the electromagnetic motors 38 and 56, the holding device 62, the lifting device 64, the inkjet head 76, the flattening device 78, the irradiation device 82, the mounting portion 83, the supply portion 84, and the jig movable portion 89. Have been. The controller 102 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like, 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 for controlling the forming apparatus 10. The controller 102 can control the operations of the transport device 20, the modeling unit 22, and the like by executing the control program 107 by the CPU. Further, the controller 102 is also connected to the image processing device 108. The image processing device 108 is a device for performing image processing on image data captured by the image capturing unit 88. Thereby, the controller 102 acquires the shape and the like of the mark portion (including the notch portion) formed on the structure based on the imaging data.

  The forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment forms the cured layer 86 such as the insulating layer 86A and the metal wiring 86B by curing the ultraviolet curable resin 77A and the metal ink 77B as the curable viscous fluid 77 by the above-described configuration. The forming apparatus 10 can form a structure having an arbitrary shape by stacking a plurality of cured layers 86. Further, the forming apparatus 10 mounts the electronic component by the mounting unit 23 in the process of laminating the cured layer 86. For example, in the control program 107, three-dimensional data of each layer obtained by slicing the structure is set. The controller 102 discharges and cures the curable viscous fluid 77 based on the data of the control program 107 to form a structure. Further, the controller 102 detects information such as a layer and a position at which the electronic component is arranged based on the data of the control program 107, and mounts the electronic component based on the detected information.

  In the following description, a case where the three-dimensional structure 91 shown in FIG. 7 is formed will be described as an example. As shown in FIG. 7, the structure 91 includes a plurality of (five in the illustrated example) insulating layers 86A, metal wirings 86B, and electronic components 93. Note that the line indicating the insulating layer 86A shown in FIG. 7 is a line shown for convenience to indicate the position of each layer, and is not a line drawn on the outer peripheral surface of the actual completed structure 91. Also, in FIG. 8 and subsequent figures, a line is shown for each layer to indicate the position of each layer of the insulating layer 86A. In the following description, the case where the controller 102 controls each device by executing the control program 107 may be simply referred to as “device”. For example, "the transfer device 20 moves the base 60" means "the controller 102 controls the operation of the transfer device 20 by executing the control program 107, and moves the base 60 by the operation of the transfer device 20." It means that.

  First, the base material 70 is set on the base 60 of the stage 52. The transfer device 20 moves the stage 52 on which the base material 70 is set below the modeling unit 22. The inkjet head 76 of the printing unit 72 discharges an ultraviolet curable resin 77A as a curable viscous fluid 77 onto the base material 70 (see FIG. 2). The irradiation device 82 irradiates ultraviolet rays to the ultraviolet curing resin 77A on the base material 70 to cure the ultraviolet curing resin 77A (see FIG. 3). The controller 102 stacks the insulating layer 86A having a desired thickness in the Z-axis direction (an example of a stacking direction) by repeatedly performing the ejection process and the curing process.

  Further, when the insulating layer 86A is laminated to a predetermined height in the Z-axis direction, the controller 102 discharges the metal ink 77B onto the insulating layer 86A by the inkjet head 76 (see FIG. 4). The irradiator 82 irradiates the metal ink 77B discharged onto the insulating layer 86A with a laser beam and sinters it to form a metal wiring 86B on a predetermined layer (see FIG. 5).

  Further, the controller 102 arranges the electronic component 93 at a position connected to the metal wiring 86B, for example. The mounting unit 83 holds the electronic component 93 supplied from the supply unit 84 with a suction nozzle, and arranges the electronic component 93 on the insulating layer 86A. Then, the controller 102 further drives the modeling unit 22 and stacks the insulating layer 86A in the Z-axis direction to form the structure 91 shown in FIG.

  Here, in the process of forming the above-described structure 91, the forming apparatus 10 may have a possibility that an error in data occurs, for example, in data processing based on the control program 107, and the insulating layer 86A and the metal wiring 86B cannot be appropriately formed. is there. In addition, for example, the clogging of the nozzles of the inkjet head 76 may cause the forming apparatus 10 to be unable to appropriately form the insulating layer 86A and the metal wiring 86B. As a result, there is a possibility that the work may be continued and the structure 91 may be completed even though the one or more insulating layers 86A have not been appropriately formed. FIG. 7 illustrates a simplified structure 91 including five simplified insulating layers 86A for convenience of explanation. However, in the actual structure 91, the thickness of each layer may be several μm or less than 1 μm. For this reason, even if an arbitrary layer is missing in the completed structure 91, it is difficult to confirm it from the outside.

  Thus, as shown in FIG. 8, the controller 102 of the present embodiment forms a circular mark 95 on the outer peripheral surface 91A of the structure 91. The mark part 95 is formed of, for example, a part of the insulating layer 86A and is formed in a color different from that of the other part of the insulating layer 86A. Then, the controller 102 determines whether or not the structure 91 is appropriately formed by checking the mark portion 95 of the completed structure 91. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the process of forming and inspecting the structure 91. For example, when receiving a command to start manufacturing the structure 91 from the management device, the controller 102 executes the control program 107 and starts the processing shown in FIG.

  First, in step (hereinafter simply referred to as S) 11 shown in FIG. 9, the controller 102 acquires three-dimensional data of the structure 91 to be manufactured from the control program 107. Next, the controller 102 determines a position where the mark portion 95 is formed (S13). For example, upon receiving a command to form the mark portion 95 from a user or the like prior to the formation of the structure 91, the controller 102 adds a step of forming the mark portion 95 and executes the process in S13.

  Here, the mark part 95 is for confirming whether or not each layer has been appropriately formed, as described above. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the controller 102 determines the outer peripheral surface 91A of the structure 91 extending in the Z-axis direction, that is, the stacking direction, as a position where the mark portion 95 is formed. As a result, the mark portion 95 including all the insulating layers 86A in the Z-axis direction can be formed. The mark part 95 is formed so as to extend in the Z-axis direction. The shape of the outer peripheral surface 91A shown in FIG. 8 is an example. For example, the outer peripheral surface 91A forming the mark portion 95 is not limited to a plane along the Z-axis direction, but may be a slope forming a predetermined angle with respect to the Z-axis direction. Further, the outer peripheral surface 91A may have an uneven shape on the surface.

  Next, the controller 102 forms the structure 91 including the mark part 95 (S15). As described above, the controller 102 controls the modeling unit 22 and the mounting unit 23 to form the structure 91. Further, the controller 102 forms the mark part 95 in each layer of the insulating layer 86A. For example, as the ultraviolet curable resin 77A forming the mark part 95, an ultraviolet curable resin 77A of a different color from the ultraviolet curable resin 77A of the other part of the insulating layer 86A is used. For example, in the formation process of S15, the controller 102 switches the ultraviolet curable resin 77A discharged from the inkjet head 76 at a position where the mark portion 95 of each layer is formed, and discharges the ultraviolet curable resin 77A of a different color. In addition, the inkjet head 76 may include a nozzle for discharging the ultraviolet curable resin 77A of the mark portion 95 separately from a nozzle for discharging the ultraviolet curable resin 77A of the insulating layer 86A. In this case, the controller 102 may switch the nozzle instead of switching the curable viscous fluid 77.

  Further, the curing of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A constituting the mark portion 95 may be performed simultaneously with the insulating layer 86A, or may be performed separately from the insulating layer 86A. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, the mark portion 95 is formed on the outer peripheral surface 91A in a color different from the other portions. The position where the mark portion 95 is formed may be set in the control program 107 in advance. In this case, the controller 102 may form the mark portion 95 at a preset position without executing the process of S13.

  Next, the controller 102 determines whether or not the structure 91 is appropriately formed (S17). The controller 102 moves the stage 52 on which the completed structure 91 is mounted to the position of the inspection unit 24. As shown in FIG. 8, the controller 102 captures an image of the mark section 95 using the image capturing section 88. The controller 102 performs image processing on the image data captured by the image capturing unit 88 using the image processing device 108 (see FIG. 6), and detects the shape of the mark unit 95 formed on the structure 91. As described above, the mark portion 95 is formed in a different color from the other portions of the insulating layer 86A. For this reason, the image processing device 108 can detect the shape of the mark part 95 by executing image processing based on the color of the mark part 95, for example. That is, by forming the mark portion 95 in a color different from that of the other portions of the structure 91, detection of the mark portion 95 becomes easy. The controller 102 determines whether or not the detected shape of the mark portion 95 matches a target shape set for forming the mark portion 95 (S17). The target shape is set in the control program 107 in advance, for example.

  FIG. 10 is a front view of the outer peripheral surface 91 </ b> A, and shows a mark portion 95 in a normal state and an abnormal state. In the example illustrated in FIG. 10, the abnormal state indicates the third stage from the bottom in the Z-axis direction, that is, the state where the middle insulating layer 86A is not formed. When the structure 91 cannot be formed according to the original three-dimensional data, the shape of the formed mark portion 95, that is, the shape of the mark portion 95 detected by the image processing is different from the target shape. For example, when a perfect circle shape is set as the circular mark part 95, the abnormal mark part 95 in FIG. 10 has a different diameter length and curvature depending on the position of the circumference. Therefore, the controller 102 determines whether or not the mark portion 95 is appropriately formed by determining the diameter of the shape of the mark portion 95 detected by the image processing, that is, whether or not the structure 91 is appropriately formed. Can be determined.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the mark portion 95 of the present embodiment is circular and has a shape that is continuous in the Z-axis direction. Thereby, when the insulating layer 86A comes off, it is possible to confirm that the shape of the mark portion 95 is abnormal, that is, that the completed structure 91 is not properly formed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the mark portion 95 of the present embodiment is formed on the outer peripheral surface 91 </ b> A of the structure 91. For example, if the ultraviolet curable resin 77A is transparent, the mark portion 95 in the structure 91 can be confirmed by image processing or the like (see FIG. 16). On the other hand, by forming the mark portion 95 on the outer peripheral surface 91A of the structure 91, even if the ultraviolet curable resin 77A is opaque, the mark portion 95 can be confirmed from the outside of the structure 91.

  If the controller 102 determines in S17 that the structure 91 has been properly formed (S17: YES), the process illustrated in FIG. 9 ends. In this case, it can be confirmed that the structure 91 has a desired shape or the like. On the other hand, if the controller 102 determines that the structure 91 has not been properly formed (S17: NO), it notifies an error (S19). The controller 102 displays, for example, that a failure has occurred on the display screen of the forming apparatus 10 or the display screen of the management apparatus connected to the forming apparatus 10. Thereby, the user of the forming apparatus 10 can recognize that the structure 91 has not been formed properly. For example, when the forming process takes many days, the user checks the display screen several days later to determine whether the structure 91 is properly formed without inspecting the completed structure 91 or the like. Can be determined.

  In the above-described example, a circle is adopted as the mark part 95, but the shape of the mark part 95 is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the mark portion 95 may have a shape formed of a straight line like a letter H. Also in this case, for example, if an arbitrary insulating layer 86A cannot be formed, the shape around the middle horizontal bar 95A becomes distorted, the middle horizontal bar 95A disappears, or the vertical direction of the mark portion 95 is reduced. When an abnormality such as a shortened length occurs, it can be determined that the structure 91 is not properly formed.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, the mark portion 95 may be a straight line extending in a direction forming a predetermined angle with respect to the Z-axis direction. In the example shown in FIG. 12, crosses are employed. Also in this case, an abnormality such as a change in the shape of the continuous oblique bar occurs, so that it can be determined that the structure 91 is not properly formed. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the mark portion 95 is not limited to a figure, and may be a character. As shown in FIG. 13, the character “A” can be used as the mark portion 95. Also in this case, the structure 91 cannot be appropriately formed due to occurrence of an abnormality such as the shape of the formed “A” being distorted compared to the target “A” shape. Can be determined.

  Further, in the examples shown in FIGS. 10 to 13 described above, a continuous shape is adopted as the mark portion 95, but the mark portion 95 of the present application may have a discontinuous shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the mark portion 95 may be formed by a plurality of dots arranged at predetermined intervals. In this case, for example, the interval between the dots of the completed mark portion 95 is detected by image processing, and whether or not the structure 91 is appropriately formed is determined based on whether or not the detected interval matches a preset interval. Can be determined.

As described above, the first embodiment has the following advantages.
The controller 102 of the forming apparatus 10 repeatedly performs the discharging step (see FIG. 2) for discharging the ultraviolet curable resin 77A and the curing step (see FIG. 3) for curing the ultraviolet curable resin 77A, thereby forming the insulating layer 86A. A structure 91 laminated in the Z-axis direction is formed. The controller 102 forms a mark portion 95 on the outer peripheral surface 91A of the structure 91. The mark part 95 is formed so as to extend in the Z-axis direction, and includes a plurality of insulating layers 86A. In addition, the mark part 95 is in a state where the completed structure 91 can be visually recognized from the outside.

  According to this, by checking the mark portion 95 from the outside, it is possible to check whether the plurality of insulating layers 86A forming the mark portion 95 are appropriately formed. If one insulating layer 86A falls off and the mark portion 95 is found not to be formed correctly, it can be confirmed that the completed structure 91 is not properly formed. Here, when looking at the appearance of the completed structure 91, it is difficult to determine whether or not a small layer such as several μm is correctly formed. On the other hand, in the process of additive manufacturing, confirming whether a layer is appropriately formed each time one layer is formed increases the working time. On the other hand, according to the method of forming the structure, by checking the mark portions 95 of the completed structure 91, it is relatively easy to check whether the completed structure 91 is appropriately formed.

  Further, the controller 102 of the first embodiment detects the shape of the mark portion 95 from the image data obtained by imaging the mark portion 95 with the image pickup section 88 in the determination processing of S17 in FIG. Then, the controller 102 determines whether or not the detected shape of the mark portion 95 matches the target shape of the mark portion 95. Thus, by determining whether or not the detected shape of the mark portion 95 matches the target shape, it is possible to confirm whether or not the structure 91 is appropriately formed.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present application will be described. In the following description, the same components as those in the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. In the first embodiment described above, the mark portion 95 is formed using the ultraviolet curing resin 77A of a different color, but the configuration of the mark portion 95 is not limited to this. FIG. 15 shows a structure 91 provided with a mark portion 95 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, the mark part 95 may be a cutout part in which the outer peripheral surface 91A is dented. The mark portion 95 is formed, for example, as a groove that recesses the outer peripheral surface 91A at a predetermined depth and extends along the Z-axis direction.

  In S13 of FIG. 9, the controller 102 of the second embodiment determines the position where the mark portion 95, which is a cutout portion, is formed. The controller 102 determines, for example, a part of the structure 91 that forms the outer peripheral surface 91 </ b> A and has a certain thickness as a position where the mark part 95 is formed. Then, in S15 of FIG. 9, the controller 102 stops discharging the ultraviolet curable resin 77A in accordance with the position where the mark portion 95 is formed. Thereby, a cutout portion is formed in the completed structure 91 in accordance with the position where the discharge of the ultraviolet curable resin 77A is stopped. The controller 102 forms the cutout as a mark 95. In this case, the ultraviolet curing resin 77A of a color different from that of the insulating layer 86A becomes unnecessary.

  Next, in S17 of FIG. 9, the controller 102 determines whether or not the structure 91 is appropriately formed using the jig 97 shown in FIG. The jig 97 is formed according to a target shape set for forming the notch of the mark portion 95. For example, the jig 97 is formed as a rectangular parallelepiped extending in the Z-axis direction according to the shape of the mark portion 95 in FIG. Further, the jig movable section 89 of the inspection unit 24 has, for example, a robot arm that can be moved across the jig 97. In S17, the controller 102 moves the jig 97 by the jig movable section 89, and fits the jig 97 into the mark section 95 of the completed structure 91.

  The controller 102 determines whether or not the structure 91 is properly formed by determining whether or not the notch shape of the mark portion 95 matches the shape of the jig 97 when the jig 97 is fitted. I do. For example, when the plurality of insulating layers 86A are not formed, the length of the formed mark portion 95 along the Z-axis direction is the length of the target shape, that is, the length of the jig 97 along the Z-axis direction. It is shorter than it is. When the jig 97 is fitted into the mark 95, the jig 97 protrudes from the mark 95 in the Z-axis direction. The controller 102 captures an image of the jig 97 fitted into the mark section 95 by the image capturing section 88, for example. When the controller 102 detects that a part of the jig 97 protrudes from the mark part 95 from the image processing result of the image data of the imaging unit 88, it determines that the structure 91 is not properly formed. (S17: NO).

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 15, a concave portion 95B which is concave in a cylindrical shape may be formed in the mark portion 95. The concave portions 95B are formed at predetermined intervals in the Z-axis direction. Then, on the surface on the mark portion 95 side of the jig 97, a convex portion 97A protruding in a cylindrical shape is formed in accordance with the target shape and the interval of the concave portion 95B. In a normal state in which the structure 91 is appropriately formed, when the jig 97 is fitted into the mark portion 95, the convex portion 97A enters the concave portion 95B.

  On the other hand, when the structure 91 is not properly formed and the position of the concave portion 95B is shifted, when the jig 97 is fitted into the mark portion 95, the convex portion 97A cannot enter the mark portion 95. The jig 97 cannot enter the mark portion 95 to the position of the normal state. For this reason, the controller 102 can determine whether or not the structure 91 is appropriately formed, for example, by determining whether or not the position of the jig 97 fitted into the mark portion 95 is a normal position.

  Note that the shape of the mark portion 95 described above is an example, and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the mark portion 95 may have a cross-shaped shape. Further, the mark 95 may be shaped like a keyhole. In this case, the shape of the jig 97 may be a shape that matches the shape of the keyhole of the mark portion 95. Further, the mark portion 95 is not limited to a concave shape, and may have a shape protruding from the outer peripheral surface 91A. In this case, the jig 97 may have a concave shape according to the shape of the mark portion 95.

According to the above-described second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
The controller 102 of the second embodiment forms, as the mark part 95, a notch part in which a part of the structure 91 is notched. According to this, it is possible to confirm whether or not the structure 91 is appropriately formed by checking the cutout shape and the like of the mark portion 95.

  Further, the controller 102 of the second embodiment fits the jig 97 having the target shape into the cutout shape of the mark portion 95 in the determination processing of S17 in FIG. Thus, by determining whether or not the shape of the notch matches the shape of the jig 97, it can be confirmed whether or not the structure 91 is appropriately formed.

  The controller 102 of the control device 26 includes, as shown in FIG. 6, a discharge unit 110, a curing unit 112, an imaging unit 116, a determination unit 118, and a fitting unit 120. The ejection unit 110 and the like are processing modules realized by executing the control program 107 in the CPU of the controller 102, for example. Note that the ejection unit 110 and the like may be configured by hardware instead of software.

  The ejection unit 110 is a functional unit for ejecting the curable viscous fluid 77 in a thin film shape by the inkjet head 76. The curing unit 112 is a functional unit for curing the curable viscous fluid 77 by the irradiation device 82. The imaging unit 116 is a functional unit for imaging the mark unit 95 by the imaging unit 88 of the mounting unit 23. The determination unit 118 is a functional unit for determining whether or not the structure 91 is appropriately formed based on a result of the image processing and a result of the fitting of the jig 97. The fitting part 120 is a functional part for fitting the jig 97 into the mark part 95 by the jig movable part 89.

  Incidentally, in each of the above embodiments, the process executed by the ejection unit 110 is an example of the ejection process. The process performed by the curing unit 112 is an example of a curing process. The process performed by the imaging unit 116 is an example of an imaging process. The process performed by the image processing device 108 is an example of an image processing process. The process performed by the determination unit 118 is an example of a determination process. The process performed by the fitting unit 120 is an example of a fitting process. The Z-axis direction is an example of the stacking direction.

It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes in which various modifications and improvements are made based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.
For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the mark portion 95 is provided on the outer peripheral surface 91 </ b> A of the structure 91, but is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the mark portion 95 may be provided inside the structure 91. In this case, the structure 91 is preferably formed of a transparent curable viscous fluid 77. The mark portion 95 has, for example, a shape extending in each of the X, Y, and Z axis directions. The mark portion 95 is formed of a curable viscous fluid 77 having a different color from other portions of the structure 91. For example, the mark section 95 in the structure 91 is imaged from outside by the image pickup section 88, and the shape of the mark section 95 is detected by image processing. Then, it may be determined whether or not the shape of the mark portion 95 matches the target shape, and whether or not the structure 91 is appropriately formed.
Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the shape of the mark portion 95 is automatically determined by the controller 102, but is not limited thereto. For example, the user may measure the mark 95 of the completed structure 91 with a measuring device to determine the shape of the mark 95.

Further, in the above-described second embodiment, the cutout shape of the mark portion 95 is determined using the jig 97, but is not limited thereto. For example, the image data of the mark portion 95 may be subjected to image processing to detect and determine the shape of the cutout portion.
The configuration of the forming apparatus 10 described above is an example. For example, the forming apparatus 10 may not include the flattening device 78. Further, for example, the forming apparatus 10 may not include the jig movable unit 89.
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 used.
Further, the additive manufacturing method of the present application is not limited to the optical manufacturing method, but may be another additive manufacturing method such as a powder sintering method or a hot melt laminating method.

77 curable viscous fluid, 86 cured layer, 91 structure, 91A outer peripheral surface, 95 mark section, 97 jig, 108 image processing device (image processing step), 110 discharge section (discharge step), 112 cured section (curing step) ), 116 imaging section (imaging step), 118 determining section (determining step), 120 fitting section (fitting step).

Claims (7)

A discharging step of discharging a curable viscous fluid, and a curing step of curing the curable viscous fluid discharged in the discharging step, wherein the curability is improved by repeatedly performing the discharging step and the curing step. A structure forming method for forming a structure in which a cured layer obtained by curing a viscous fluid is laminated in a laminating direction,
In the discharging step,
A method for forming a structure, wherein the mark is provided so as to extend in the laminating direction, is constituted by a plurality of the cured layers, and forms a mark portion of the structure that is visible from the outside. In the discharging step,
The structure forming method according to claim 1, wherein the mark portion is formed continuously in the stacking direction. In the discharging step,
The method for forming a structure according to claim 1, wherein the mark portion is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the structure. In the discharging step,
The curable viscous fluid having a color different from that of the curable viscous fluid forming another portion of the cured layer other than the mark portion, as the curable viscous fluid forming the mark portion, wherein: A method for forming a structure according to claim 3. A method for inspecting a structure formed by the method for forming a structure according to claim 4,
An imaging step of imaging the mark portion of the structure;
An image processing step of performing image processing on the imaging data captured in the imaging step and detecting a shape of the mark portion formed on the structure;
A determination step of determining whether the detected shape of the mark portion matches a target shape set to form the mark portion,
A method for inspecting a structure, including: In the discharging step,
4. The discharge of the curable viscous fluid is stopped in accordance with a position where the mark portion is formed, and a cutout portion is formed as the mark portion by cutting out a part of the structure. The method for forming a structure according to claim 1. A method for inspecting a structure formed by the method for forming a structure according to claim 6,
A fitting step of fitting a jig formed in accordance with a target shape set to form the cutout into the cutout formed in the structure,
A determining step of determining whether or not the shape of the notch formed in the structure in the fitting step and the shape of the jig match;
A method for inspecting a structure, including:

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