KR20180064332A - 3-dimensional printer where injecting direction of modeling material is able to be variable - Google Patents

Abstract

A three-dimensional printer includes: molding plates disposed on different sides of a frame; a nozzle unit for spraying a molding material; and a transfer unit for moving the nozzle unit to form a molding. The nozzle unit may be supported on the transfer unit or may be displaced by a driving unit such that an injection direction is one of the molding plates. The injection direction of the nozzle unit can be changed corresponding to the selected molding plate, so that sculptures of various scales can be produced by one device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a three-dimensional printer capable of varying the injection direction of a molding material,

The present invention relates to a three-dimensional printer for laminating predetermined molding materials in accordance with a three-dimensional design scheme and outputting three-dimensional molding objects. More specifically, the present invention relates to a three-dimensional printer in which a molding part for spraying a molding material, To an improved three-dimensional printer.

3-dimensional printing refers to a method of outputting a three-dimensional sculpture, unlike conventional printing, which outputs a two-dimensional shape on a sheet of flat paper. The three-dimensional printing includes a modeling process of three-dimensionally rendering a shape of a molding using computer graphic design software, a printing process of forming a molding using a molding material in accordance with the modeling result, And a finishing process for performing post-processing on the image data. The three-dimensional printer collectively refers to an apparatus that performs the printing process in this process.

A three-dimensional printer forms a molding by stacking predetermined molding materials on a plate in a lamination manner in accordance with design data rendered in three dimensions. The molding material may include various materials such as resin or metal in the form of liquid or powder. Examples of the method of laminating the molding material include extrusion, injection, light curing, powder sintering, sheet joining, and the like.

The three-dimensional printer can have various structures depending on the method of forming a molding. For example, in a three-dimensional printer using an FDM (fused deposition modeling) method, a plate and a feed mechanism are supported in a rectangular lattice frame, and the nozzle portion is moved in a space in the frame by a feed mechanism to eject molding material on a plate .

However, since the moving range of the nozzle unit is limited by the size of the frame or the plate, the scale of the sculpture that can be output by the three-dimensional printer is limited by the size of the frame or the plate as a result. That is, the scale of the sculpture that can be output by the three-dimensional printer is smaller than the area of the plate and lower than the height of the frame. If an artifact larger than the area of the plate is to be output, a separate three-dimensional printer having a plate and a frame of a size capable of outputting the artifacts is required. Alternatively, there may be the same problem in the case of outputting a sculpture higher than the height of the frame.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a structure capable of quickly and easily outputting sculptures of various scales by a single three-dimensional printer.

In order to achieve the above object, a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a frame rotatably provided with a plurality of different surfaces and adapted to change a surface facing a gravitational direction; A plurality of shaping plates fixed to at least two surfaces of the plurality of different surfaces of the frame so that the one surface can be changed so as to be directed in the direction of gravity in accordance with the azimuth change of the frame as the frame rotates; A nozzle unit installed in the frame and spraying the molding material; A transfer unit for moving the nozzle unit so that a molding is formed by the molding material ejected from the nozzle unit; A sensing unit including a gravity sensor or an acceleration sensor for sensing whether the ejection direction of the nozzle unit is directed to the gravity direction when the azimuth of the frame changes according to the rotation of the frame; A hinge unit rotatably supporting the nozzle unit with respect to the conveyance unit; A driving unit for driving the hinge unit to rotate; And a control unit for controlling driving of the driving unit such that the hinge unit rotates and rotates the nozzle unit in the direction toward the modified shaping plate with respect to the transporting unit according to the detection result of the gravity sensor or the acceleration sensor of the sensing unit do. Accordingly, as the frame rotates, the user can select any one of a plurality of molding plates having various areas corresponding to the scales of the molding objects, and does not need to manually rotate the nozzle unit, Since the nozzle unit directs the shaping material to be directed toward the shaping plate, it is possible to easily and quickly output the sculptures of various scales desired by the user by one three-dimensional printer.

Here, the three-dimensional printer may further include a latching part installed at the transfer part and supporting the nozzle part to maintain a variable position as the injection direction is changed. As a result, the three-dimensional printer can maintain the position when the nozzle portion is positioned toward one of the shaping plates.

Further, the three-dimensional printer may include at least one motor for driving the conveyance unit; A first main board configured to apply a driving signal corresponding to the first mode; A second main board configured to apply a driving signal corresponding to the second mode; And a switching unit for switching the one or more motors to be selectively connected to any one of the first main board and the second main board corresponding to the change of the shaping plate of the plurality of shaping plates toward the gravity direction, ; ≪ / RTI > Thus, the three-dimensional printer can prevent the firmware or the driver of the main board for driving the conveyance unit from being updated each time the shaping plate whose surface of the plate faces the gravity direction is changed.

According to the present invention, a three-dimensional printer is provided with a plurality of shaping plates having various areas on a frame, and the direction of injection of the nozzle unit can be directly changed corresponding to the modified shaping plate according to the detection of the gravity sensor or the acceleration sensor, It is possible to easily and quickly output the sculptures of various scales with one device.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic view when a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention is in a first output mode.
2 is a perspective view showing a schematic view when the three-dimensional printer according to the embodiment of the present invention is in the second output mode.
3 is a perspective view showing the shape of a nozzle unit applied to a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a side view showing a rotation structure of a nozzle unit applied to a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is an exemplary diagram showing a principle in which a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention varies drive signals of respective motors according to an output mode.
6 is a block diagram illustrating a principle of automatically rotating a nozzle unit in a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiments, only configurations directly related to the concept of the present invention will be described, and description of other configurations will be omitted. However, it is to be understood that, in the implementation of the apparatus or system to which the spirit of the present invention is applied, it is not meant that the configuration omitted from the description is unnecessary. It should be understood that terms such as " comprise "or" have "in the embodiments are intended to specify that there is a feature, number, step, operation, , ≪ / RTI > an operation, an element, or a combination thereof.

In addition, the embodiments described with reference to the drawings are not mutually exclusive unless otherwise specified, and a plurality of embodiments may be selectively implemented in one apparatus. The combination of the plurality of embodiments may be arbitrarily selected and applied in implementing the spirit of the present invention by those skilled in the art.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic view when a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention is in a first output mode.

1, the three-dimensional printer 1 according to the present embodiment includes an output unit 100 that operates to output a modeling object, and an output unit 100 that outputs a driving power and a control signal to the output unit 100, And a control box 200 for controlling the operation of the image forming apparatus 100. The output unit 100 and the control box 200 are separated from each other and a signal from the control box 200 is transmitted through the cable to the output unit 100.

The output unit 100 includes a frame 110 having a rectangular lattice pattern, a plurality of shaping plates 120 and 130 spaced apart from each other on the frame 110, a nozzle unit And a transfer unit 150 installed in the frame 110 and allowing the nozzle unit 140 to move through the space in the frame 110. [

The frame 110 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape formed by a plurality of bars. That is, each corner of the frame 110, which is a rectangular parallelepiped, is formed by a plurality of bars. Each surface of the frame 110 is provided so as to be provided with a plurality of shaping plates 120 and 130 or to allow the shaping on the shaping plates 120 and 130 to be taken out to the outside of the frame 110. The plurality of bars constituting the frame 110 support a conveying unit 150 or a driving mechanism (not shown) for driving the conveying unit 150. [ The internal space of the frame 110 basically provides a range of the space through which the nozzle unit 140 can be moved.

A plurality of shaping plates (120, 130) are installed on a plurality of side surfaces of the frame (110). The molding plates 120 and 130 are configured such that the molding is formed by the molding material sprayed from the nozzle unit 140 on the surface facing the inner space of the frame 110. If the molding surface is flat And a plate made of a metal or resin having a degree of crystallinity.

The number of the molding plates 120 and 130 installed on the frame 110 is two or more and the molding plates 120 and 130 are installed on the frame 110 on mutually different surfaces. The plurality of shaping plates 120 and 130 may include a first shaping plate 120 and a second shaping plate 130. The present invention is not limited thereto and a plurality of shaping plates 120 and 130 ) May be provided in three or more. The first molding plate 120 and the second molding plate 130 are arranged in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the frame 110 in the space of the frame 110 on which the first molding plate 120 and the second molding plate 130 are installed, .

The area of the first molding plate 120 and the area of the second molding plate 130 are different from each other due to the fact that the frame 110 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

Since the frame 110 is structurally separate from the control box 200, it is rotatable by a user or by a separate mechanism. The position of the first shaping plate 120 and the second shaping plate 130 with respect to the mounting surface also changes according to the rotation of the frame 110 and the positions of the first shaping plate 120 and the second shaping plate 130 Any one arranged so that the printing surface faces the Z direction is selected to be used in the molding process.

The nozzle unit 140 moves along the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis by the transfer unit 150 in the space inside the frame 110. During the movement, the nozzle unit 140 heats a molding material such as a filament, which is supplied from the outside, onto the first molding plate 120 or the second molding plate 130 by heating the molding material according to the design drawing .

The conveying unit 150 includes a bar-shaped first rail 151 extending in parallel to the first direction, a bar-shaped second rail 151 movably supporting the first rail 151 and extending in parallel to the second direction, And a bar-shaped third rail movably supporting the second rail 153 and extending in parallel to the third direction. The first direction, the second direction and the third direction are substantially mutually orthogonal. In the case where the frame 110 is arranged so that the plate surface of the first shaping plate 120 faces the Z direction, the first direction is the X direction, the second direction is the Y direction, and the third direction is the Z direction do.

The first rail 151 supports the nozzle unit 140 and guides the nozzle unit 140 to move along the first direction. One or more motors (not shown) are provided at the ends of the first rails 151 to allow the nozzle unit 140 to move by a belt (not shown) coupling between the motor and the nozzle unit 140, The first rail 151 is provided so as to be movable along the second rail 153.

The second rail 153 includes a pair of bars extending in parallel along the second direction and each pair of bars supports the opposite ends of the first rail 151, respectively. The second rail 153 guides the first rail 151 to move along the second direction.

The third rail 155 includes a plurality of bars installed in the frame 110 and extending in parallel along the third direction, and each bar supports both ends of the pair of second rails 153. For example, the third rail 155 may be provided such that four bars support the opposite ends of the pair of second rails 153, respectively. One or more motors (not shown) are provided at the end of the second rail 153 or the end of the third rail 155 so that the second rail 153 can move along the third rail 155.

The number of the first rails 151, the second rails 153 and the third rails 155 in the present embodiment is not limited and is a numerical value that can be changed according to the design direction of the three-dimensional printer 1 .

The moving operation by the transferring unit 150 and the jetting operation of the nozzle unit 140 are performed in accordance with the power and control signal transmitted from the control box 200 through the cable.

The control box 200 includes a housing 210, at least one display unit 220 installed outside the housing 210, and a user input unit 230 for user input.

The display unit 220 displays detailed information about the operation of the three-dimensional printer 1, such as the details of the drawing for forming the molding, the forming process of the molding according to the drawing, the operation of the feeding unit 150 and the nozzle unit 140, . The display unit 220 may include various types of display panels such as a liquid crystal display panel.

The display unit 220 may be provided according to a design method of the three-dimensional printer 1, or two or more may be provided. In this embodiment, two display units 220 are provided, which will be described later.

The user input unit 230 is a user interface provided for the user to control the operation of the three-dimensional printer 1. The user input unit 230 may be implemented in various types and forms such as a key, a button, a touch pad, and a touch screen installed on the housing 210.

Under such a structure, the three-dimensional printer 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention operates as follows.

Due to the structure due to gravity, the plate surface of the molding plate on which the molding is to be formed should face the Z direction. The three dimensional printer 1 according to the present embodiment is installed in the frame 110 such that the first molding plate 120 and the second molding plate 130 are perpendicular to each other while the frame 110 is rotatable . Accordingly, any one of the first shaping plate 120 and the second shaping plate 130 may be oriented in the Z direction in accordance with the azimuthal change of the frame 110 as the frame 110 rotates.

Here, the case where the first molding plate 120 is disposed so as to face the Z direction so that the molding can be formed on the plate surface is referred to as a first output mode, and the second molding plate 130 faces the Z direction And the second output mode is referred to as a case in which the sculpture is arranged so that the sculpture can be formed on the surface thereof. This figure shows a state in which the three-dimensional printer 1 is in the first output mode.

When any one of the first shaping plate 120 and the second shaping plate 130 is selected by the azimuthal change of the frame 110, the shaping material should be jetted from the nozzle unit 140 onto any one selected surface . The nozzle unit 140 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the injection direction of the molding material is variable so that the molding material can be injected onto any one of the plurality of molding plates 120, And is supported by the first rail 151.

Accordingly, the 3D printer 1 according to the present embodiment can form a molding on any one of the first molding plate 120 and the second molding plate 130. The utility that can be provided by this structure is as follows.

When the three-dimensional printer 1 is in the first output mode, for example, the area of the first shaping plate 120 or the maximum range in which the nozzle section 140 can move in the direction parallel to the first shaping plate 120 And the maximum height at which the nozzle unit 140 can move in the normal direction of the plate surface of the first shaping plate 120 is h1. The maximum width of the sculpture that can be output in the first output mode can not exceed S1 and the maximum height of the sculpture can not exceed h1. That is, since the size of the sculpture is limited by the frame 110, the sculpture in the first output mode in the structure as shown in this drawing is narrow in width and long in shape.

By the way, in contrast, the user may require a sculpture having a wide and vertically low profile. If the width of the sculpture desired by the user exceeds S1, it is difficult to output the sculpture in the first output mode.

Thus, the three-dimensional printer 1 according to the present embodiment can respond to the request of the user by shifting from the first output mode to the second output mode.

2 is a perspective view showing a schematic view when the three-dimensional printer according to the embodiment of the present invention is in the second output mode.

As shown in Fig. 2, the output unit 100 of the three-dimensional printer transitions to the second output mode in accordance with the azimuth change of the frame 110. Fig. The rotation of the frame 110 for the orientation change of the frame 110 may be by the user or by a separate driving mechanism (not shown).

When the output section 100 of the three-dimensional printer is in the second output mode, the first shaping plate 120 stands parallel to the YZ sheet surface, while the sheet surface of the second shaping plate 130 faces the Z direction . Thus, in the second output mode, the molding is formed on the second molding plate 130.

Further, the direction of extension or the direction of movement of the first rail 151, the second rail 153, and the third rail 155 changes in accordance with the change of the orientation of the frame 110. In the case of the first output mode, the first direction in which the first rail 151 extends is the X direction, the second direction in which the second rail 153 extends is the Y direction, and the third rail 155 The extending third direction was the Z direction. On the other hand, in the case of the second output mode, the first direction is the Y direction, the second direction is the Z direction, and the third direction is the X direction. Accordingly, the control signal transmitted from the control box in the second output mode is different from the first output mode in the second output mode, since the driving of the conveyance unit must be adjusted corresponding to the change in the position and orientation of the rails 151, 153, Should be. This will be described later.

Then, the direction of ejection of the nozzle unit 140 is finally adjusted in accordance with the azimuthal change of the second shaping plate 130 and the conveyance unit. Since the nozzle unit 140 is basically supported by the first rail 151 of the conveyance unit, the direction of ejection of the nozzle unit 140 corresponds to the transition from the first output mode to the second output mode, The direction of the nozzle unit 140 is changed so as to face the second shaping plate 130. Thereby, the nozzle unit 140 can form the molding by jetting the molding material onto the second molding plate 130 during the second output mode in accordance with the driving signal from the control box.

When the output section 100 of the three-dimensional printer is in the second output mode, for example, the area of the second shaping plate 130 or the nozzle section 140 moves in a direction parallel to the second shaping plate 130 The maximum possible range is S2, and the maximum height at which the nozzle unit 140 can move in the normal direction of the plate surface of the second shaping plate 130 is h2. The maximum width of the sculpture that can be output in the second output mode structurally can not exceed S2, and the maximum height of the sculpture can not exceed h2.

Here, the area S1 of the first shaping plate 120 and the maximum height h1, at which the nozzle 140 can move in the direction normal to the surface of the first shaping plate 120, in the first output mode, S2 and h2. In the characteristic that the frame 110 is a rectangular parallelepiped, S2 is larger than S1 and h2 is smaller than h1. Accordingly, while the three-dimensional printer can output a sculptured shape having a relatively narrow width and a long vertical length in the first output mode, the three-dimensional printer can output a sculptured shape having a relatively wide width and a short vertical length Can be outputted.

That is, if the width of the desired sculpture exceeds S1, the output unit 100 of the three-dimensional printer can output the sculpture by shifting from the first output mode to the second output mode. Conversely, if the height of the sculpture desired by the user exceeds h2, the output unit 100 of the three-dimensional printer can output this sculpture by shifting from the second output mode to the first output mode.

As described above, the three-dimensional printer according to the present embodiment can output the sculptures of various scales according to the demand of the user by one apparatus.

As a method for changing the azimuth of the nozzle unit 140, a manual method and an automatic method are available. Hereinafter, the structure according to each scheme will be described.

3 is a perspective view showing the shape of a nozzle unit applied to a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3, the nozzle unit 300 includes a main body 310, a charging unit 320 formed on the main body 310 to receive the molding material 410 into the main body 310, And a jetting part 330 formed on the lower side of the main body 310 and adapted to inject the molding material 410. Since the shape and structure of the nozzle unit 300 can be changed in various directions according to the designing method, the structure of the nozzle unit 300 in the present embodiment does not limit the spirit of the present invention.

The main body 310 includes at least one roller for conveying the molding material 410 in the form of a filament through the charging part 320 and at least one roller for heating the molding material 410 into a gel or a gel It has a mechanism. The shaped molding material 410 heated in the main body 310 is injected from the jetting part 330 while the nozzle part 300 moves, so that a three-dimensional molding is formed.

The nozzle unit 300 is not directly supported by the first rail but is supported by the conveyance guide member 420 supported by the first rail. The conveying guide member 420 has a hole 421 through which the first rail passes, and is provided so as to be movable along the first rail.

The nozzle unit 300 has a support member 340 for coupling between the main body 310 and the conveyance guide member 420. One end of the support member 340 is coupled to the main body, and the other end of the support member 340 is detachably attached to the conveyance guide member 420. For example, the support member 340 is formed on the end coupled to the conveyance guide member 420 and has at least one first fastening hole 341 for fastening by the screw 430. Here, the support member 340 may further have a hole 345 through which the first rail passes.

Although not shown in the drawing, the conveyance guide member 420 is provided with one or more second fastening holes (not shown) provided corresponding to the first fastening holes 341 and fastened together with the first fastening holes 341 by the screws 430 Not shown). The first fastening hole 341 and the second fastening hole are fastened together so that the nozzle unit 300 is coupled to the conveying guide member 420.

In order to cause the orientation of the nozzle unit 300 to change with respect to the first rail, the user performs the following operations. The user separates the support member 340 from the conveying guide member 420 by first separating the screw 430 from the first fastening hole 341. The user adjusts the position of the nozzle unit 300 to match the direction required by the orientation of the nozzle unit 300, that is, rotates around the first rail to face the required direction of the nozzle unit 300, The first fastening hole 341 and the second fastening hole are fastened together with the screw 430 in conformity with the position where the first fastening hole 341 is formed.

Here, it is preferable that two or more first fastening holes 341 are provided. Even in the case where only one first fastening hole 341 is provided, the idea of the present invention can be established. In this case, however, the nozzle unit 300 may not be stably supported with respect to the conveying guide member 420.

In this way, the nozzle unit 300 can adjust the injection direction of the molding material 410 in a direction desired by the user.

On the other hand, the structure in which the direction of the nozzle unit 300 is variable may be realized by a hinge structure instead of the fastening and separating method of the screw 430.

4 is a side view showing a rotation structure of a nozzle unit applied to a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4, there is a conveyance guide member 520 through which the first rail 510 passes, and a support member 540 to which the nozzle unit 530 is coupled rotates about the first rail 510 And is supported by the conveying guide member 520 so as to be capable of being conveyed.

The supporting member 540 according to the present embodiment is not removable from the conveying guide member 520 but has a structure rotatable relative to the conveying guide member 520. [ The nozzle unit 530 is rotatable about the first rail 510. The nozzle unit 530 has a first position where the injection direction of the nozzle unit 530 is directed downward and a first position where the nozzle unit 530 is directed downward, And the second position facing the left. The positional change of the nozzle unit 530 may be performed by a user or by a separate driving mechanism (not shown).

The structure in which the support member 540 rotates with respect to the conveyance guide member 520 can not be limited by any one structure because there are various design schemes. For example, the support member 540 has a receiving hole 541 at its end, and the conveying guide member 520 is received in the receiving hole 541, thereby rotating the support member 540 in a rotatable manner, (521). The rotation guide member 521 and the receiving hole 541 have mutually corresponding shapes, for example, a generally circular shape, and the nozzle unit 530 is disposed between the first position and the second position about the first rail 510 To rotate.

Here, it is easy to adjust the nozzle unit 530 so that the first position or the second position is accurately positioned when the external force for rotating the nozzle unit 530 is by a user, not by a drive mechanism according to electronic control I can not.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the rotation guide member 521 has a plurality of engagement portions 523 protruding to limit the rotation of the support member 540 when the nozzle portion 530 is in the first position or the second position . The support member 540 includes a plurality of engagement ends 543 which are formed at predetermined positions of the accommodation hole 541 and accommodate the plurality of engagement portions 523 so as to restrict rotation of the support member 540, ).

When the nozzle unit 530 is in the first position, the engaging portions 523 are accommodated in the respective engaging ends 543, thereby restricting the rotation of the supporting member 540. The engaging step 543 restricts the movement of the engaging part 523 so that the nozzle part 530 maintains the first position while no special external force is applied to the nozzle part 530. [

When the user applies an external force and rotates the nozzle unit 530 toward the second position, the external force exceeds the limit that the engagement end 543 limits the movement of the engagement part 523. The support portion 540 rotates around the rotation guide member 521 and the nozzle portion 530 rotates around the first rail 510 2 position.

When the nozzle portion 530 reaches the second position, the engaging portion 523 is received in the engaging end 543. Of course, since the nozzle unit 530 is rotated 90 degrees in the drawing as it moves from the first position to the second position, the engaging ends 543, in which the engaging portions 523 are accommodated, The case of the second position is different. Since the engaging end 543 restricts the movement of the engaging part 523 again, the user can easily recognize that the nozzle part 530 is in the second position. When the user releases the external force to the nozzle unit 530 in this state, the nozzle unit 530 can maintain the second position by the engagement between the engagement end 543 and the engagement part 523.

According to this structure, the three-dimensional printer can provide the nozzle unit 530 to rotate easily.

On the other hand, in the above embodiment, it has been described that the driving method of the conveyance unit must be different when the three-dimensional printer is in the first output mode and in the second output mode. Hereinafter, the driving method of the conveyance unit will be described in detail.

5 is an exemplary diagram showing a principle in which a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention varies drive signals of respective motors according to an output mode.

5, the three-dimensional printer 600 includes a first motor 641 for moving the nozzle unit 610 and a second motor 642 for moving the first rail 620 on which the nozzle unit 610 is supported. A motor 643 and a third motor 645 for moving the second rail 630 on which the first rail 620 is supported.

The three-dimensional printer 600 includes a plurality of main boards 651 and 653 for controlling the motors 641, 643 and 645, a plurality of display units 661 and 663 connected to the main boards, And a switching unit 670 for selectively connecting any one of the plurality of main boards 651 and 653 to the motors 641, 643, and 645, respectively. The plurality of main boards 651 and 653 include a first main board 651 set corresponding to the first output mode and a second main board 653 set corresponding to the second output mode.

In the first output mode, the nozzle unit 610 moves along the X direction, the first rail 620 moves along the Y direction, and the second rail 630 moves along the Z direction . On the other hand, in the case of the second output mode, the nozzle unit 610 moves along the Y direction, the first rail 620 moves along the Z direction, and the second rail 630 moves along the X direction .

The first main board 651 drives the first motor 641 to move the nozzle unit 610 along the X direction and drives the second motor 643 to move the first rail 620 along the Y direction And outputs a driving signal for driving the third motor 645 so that the second rail 630 moves along the Z direction. A first display unit 661 is connected to the first main board 651.

The second main board 653 drives the first motor 641 to move the nozzle unit 610 along the Y direction and drives the second motor 643 so that the first rail 620 moves along the Z direction. And outputs a driving signal for driving the third motor 645 so that the second rail 630 moves along the X direction. And a second display unit 663 is connected to the second main board 653.

The switching unit 670 switches any one of the first main board 651 and the second main board 653 to each of the motors 641, 643, and 645 corresponding to any one of the first output mode and the second output mode. As shown in Fig. That is, when the three-dimensional printer 600 is in the first output mode, the switching unit 670 connects the first main board 651 to the motors 641, 643, and 645, and displays the first display unit 661 And when the three-dimensional printer 600 is in the second output mode, the second main board 653 is connected to each of the motors 641, 643, and 645, and the second display unit 663 is activated to be displayable.

The designation of either the first output mode or the second output mode may be performed by, for example, a user input, or may be performed by a result of detection by a separate sensor (not shown). For example, the sensor is a gravity sensor, and one of the first output mode and the second output mode can be selected depending on the direction in which gravity acts on the sensor.

Here, depending on the design method, one main board may operate corresponding to each of the first output mode and the second output mode. In this case, the main board may have a setting profile for the first output mode and a setting profile for the second output mode, and may be a method for updating the setting of the main board according to any one setting profile corresponding to the selected output mode have.

However, in a manufacturing environment in which the main board manufacturing cost is not a major problem while the electronic fatigue or the time required due to frequent updating of the firmware of the main board may be a problem, a plurality of The main boards 651 and 653 may be provided.

The display units 661 and 663 may also be provided individually corresponding to the plurality of main boards 651 and 653 and one display unit may be provided to display an image processed by each of the plurality of main boards 651 and 653 .

Thus, the three-dimensional printer 600 according to the present embodiment can selectively adjust the driving mode of the conveyance unit in correspondence with each output mode.

On the other hand, the adjustment of the injection direction of the nozzle portion can be performed not only by a manual method but also by an automatic method. Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the injection direction of the nozzle portion is automatically adjusted will be described.

6 is a block diagram illustrating a principle of automatically rotating a nozzle unit in a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, the three-dimensional printer 700 includes an output unit 710 and a control box 720. The output unit 710 includes a nozzle unit 711 and a hinge unit 713 for rotatably supporting the nozzle unit 711. The output unit 710 is coupled to the hinge unit 713 and includes a hinge unit 713, A motor 715 for driving the three-dimensional printer 700 to rotate, and a sensing unit 717 for sensing an output mode of the three-dimensional printer 700. The control box 720 includes a control unit 721 for controlling the driving of the motor 715. The controller 721 may be a main board as described in the previous embodiment.

The sensing unit 717 senses whether the three-dimensional printer 700 is currently in the first output mode or the second output mode, or whether the first output mode or the second output mode is selected, And transmits the result to the control unit 721. [

The control unit 721 applies a drive control signal to the motor 715 to cause the nozzle unit 711 to rotate in a direction corresponding to any one of the first output mode and the second output mode according to the detection result. The motor 715 is driven in response to the drive control signal from the control unit 721 and causes the nozzle unit 711 to rotate around the hinge unit 713. [

Thus, the three-dimensional printer 700 according to the present embodiment can automatically change the injection direction of the nozzle unit 711 in response to the output mode without the user's input.

Various methods can be applied as to how the sensing unit 717 senses. For example, the sensing unit 717 may be a sensor for sensing whether the jetting direction of the nozzle unit 711 is directed toward the gravity direction. Among the first and second molding plates, those used for molding shall be shaped plates whose plane is parallel to the direction of gravity. Therefore, the ejection direction of the nozzle unit 711 should be directed toward the gravity direction, so that the sensing unit 717 can detect whether the nozzle unit 711 is oriented in the gravity direction using a gravity sensor or an acceleration sensor. Alternatively, the sensing unit 717 may be provided to sense the orientation of the frame.

The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative, and various modifications and equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the true scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the invention described in the following claims.

1: 3D printer
100: Output section
110: frame
120: 1st edition plate
130: 2nd edition plate
140:
150:
151: first rail
153: second rail
155: third rail

Claims (3)

A rotatable frame having a plurality of different surfaces, each rotatable so that a surface facing the gravity direction is changed;
A plurality of shaping plates fixed to at least two surfaces of the plurality of different surfaces of the frame so that the one surface can be changed so as to be directed in the direction of gravity in accordance with the azimuth change of the frame as the frame rotates;
A nozzle unit installed in the frame and spraying the molding material;
A transfer unit for moving the nozzle unit so that a molding is formed by the molding material ejected from the nozzle unit;
A sensing unit including a gravity sensor or an acceleration sensor for sensing whether the ejection direction of the nozzle unit is directed toward the gravity direction when the azimuth of the frame changes according to the rotation of the frame;
A hinge unit rotatably supporting the nozzle unit with respect to the conveyance unit;
A driving unit for driving the hinge unit to rotate; And
And a control unit for controlling driving of the driving unit so that the hinge unit rotates and rotates the nozzle unit in the direction toward the modified shaping plate with respect to the conveyance unit in accordance with the detection result of the gravity sensor or the acceleration sensor of the sensing unit Wherein the three-dimensional printer is a three-dimensional printer. The method according to claim 1,
A retaining part installed on the conveying part and supporting the nozzle part to maintain a variable position as the ejecting direction is changed;
Dimensional printer. The method according to claim 1,
One or more motors for driving the conveyance unit;
A first main board configured to apply a driving signal corresponding to the first mode;
A second main board configured to apply a driving signal corresponding to the second mode; And
A switching unit for switching the one or more motors to be selectively connected to any one of the first main board and the second main board corresponding to a change of the shaping plate whose surface of the plurality of shaping plates faces the gravity direction;
Dimensional printer.

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