WO2017098968A1 - Shaping apparatus - Google Patents

Shaping apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2017098968A1
WO2017098968A1 PCT/JP2016/085437 JP2016085437W WO2017098968A1 WO 2017098968 A1 WO2017098968 A1 WO 2017098968A1 JP 2016085437 W JP2016085437 W JP 2016085437W WO 2017098968 A1 WO2017098968 A1 WO 2017098968A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
conveying body
stacking
belt
shaping
shaping apparatus
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/JP2016/085437
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Kenji Karashima
Tatsuya Tada
Hirokazu Usami
Takashi Kase
Satoru Yamanaka
Yuji Wakabayashi
Original Assignee
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Canon Kabushiki Kaisha filed Critical Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Publication of WO2017098968A1 publication Critical patent/WO2017098968A1/en

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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C64/00—Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
    • B29C64/10—Processes of additive manufacturing
    • B29C64/141—Processes of additive manufacturing using only solid materials
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
    • G03G15/22—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern involving the combination of more than one step according to groups G03G13/02 - G03G13/20
    • G03G15/221—Machines other than electrographic copiers, e.g. electrophotographic cameras, electrostatic typewriters
    • G03G15/224—Machines for forming tactile or three dimensional images by electrographic means, e.g. braille, 3d printing

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a shaping apparatus.
  • the AM technology is a technology for to shaping a solid object by generating a plurality of shape data obtained by slicing three-dimensional shape data of the solid object, forming layers with a shaping material on the basis of the slice data, and sequentially stacking and firmly attaching the layers of the shaping material.
  • As a main shaping system there are the following systems according to the definition of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM): vat photopolymerization (VP), material extrusion (ME), fused deposition modeling (FDM), sheet lamination (SL), and the like.
  • the AM technology of the sheet lamination type there is known a powdery three-dimensional shaping method employing an electrophotographic image forming method.
  • images are respectively formed on photosensitive bodies for each shaping material and the images are sequentially transferred onto a belt made of a material such as resin to finish the images made of the shaping materials into one (one layer) image.
  • PTL 2 describes a method of transferring an image on a photosensitive body onto a dielectric belt made of a material having high heat resistance and stacking the image on the dielectric belt.
  • PTL 2 describes a configuration in which a belt, on the surface of a conductive base layer of which a dielectric layer is provided, also functions as a photosensitive body and a stacking belt.
  • PTL 1 describes a configuration in which an image is transferred from a photosensitive body onto a stacking belt, a base layer of which is made of metal or polymer and a surface layer is coated with Teflon (registered trademark) in order to impart flexibility.
  • Teflon registered trademark
  • a belt used in a stacking section is requested to have sufficient heat resistance.
  • a belt is manufactured using a resin material as a main material.
  • the belt cannot endure temperature at the time when a shaping material is melted or, even if there is no problem in instantaneous or short-term use, the belt stretches in long-time continuous use. Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a belt used in the stacking section (hereinafter, stacking belt) separately from a belt used in an image forming section that forms an image for one layer (hereinafter, intermediate transfer belt).
  • An object of the present invention is to improve, in a shaping apparatus including a first conveying body that conveys a material layer formed by an image forming section and a second conveying body that conveys the material layer, which is transferred from the first conveying body, toward a stage, transferability of the material layer from the first conveying body to the second conveying body.
  • the present invention is a shaping apparatus that forms a three-dimensional solid object by stacking material layers each made of a shaping material on a stage, the shaping apparatus comprising: an image forming section that forms the material layers on the basis of given image data; a first conveying body that conveys the material layers formed by the image forming section; a second conveying body that conveys the material layers, which are transferred from the first conveying body, to the stage in a nip section formed between the second conveying body and the first conveying body; and a voltage applying unit that applies, to the nip section, a voltage for transferring the material layers from the first conveying body to the second conveying body, wherein the second conveying body includes a base layer having electric conductivity and a surface layer having an insulating property.
  • a shaping apparatus including a first conveying body that conveys a material layer formed by an image forming section and a second conveying body that conveys the material layer, which is transferred from the first conveying body, toward a stage, transferability of the material layer from the first conveying body to the second conveying body.
  • Fig 1 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of a shaping apparatus according to a first embodiment.
  • Fig. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing a stacking belt in the first embodiment.
  • Fig. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an overall configuration of a shaping apparatus according to a second embodiment.
  • the present invention relates to a shaping apparatus employing an AM technology, that is, a technology for manufacturing a three-dimensional solid object (shaping object) by stacking thin layers on which shaping materials are two-dimensionally arranged or thin films obtained by melting the shaping materials.
  • an AM technology that is, a technology for manufacturing a three-dimensional solid object (shaping object) by stacking thin layers on which shaping materials are two-dimensionally arranged or thin films obtained by melting the shaping materials.
  • the shaping material it is possible to select various materials in accordance with the use, function, and purpose of a solid object to be fabricated.
  • a material constituting a three-dimensional object as a shaping target is referred to as “a build material”.
  • a portion formed of the build material may be referred to as a build body hereinafter.
  • a material constituting a support body for supporting the build body in the process of fabrication e.g., build supporting an overhang portion from below
  • a support material e.g., build supporting an overhang portion from below
  • shapeing material is simply used.
  • the build material it is possible to use thermoplastic resins such as, e.g., polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), ABS, and polystyrene (PS).
  • the support material in order to facilitate removal from the build body, it is possible to use a material having thermoplasticity and water solubility preferably.
  • the support material include carbohydrate, polylactic acid (PLA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and polyethylene glycol (PEG).
  • shape data digital data used for formation of an image for one layer
  • material layer An image for one layer made of a shaping material on the basis of the slice data
  • the image for one layer is configured by images formed by a plurality of image forming sections. The images formed by the image forming sections are sometimes referred to as “material images”.
  • a structure i.e., an object represented by image data (there-dimensional shape data) given to the shaping apparatus
  • shape target object An object (a solid object) manufactured (output) by the shaping apparatus.
  • Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the shaping apparatus according to this embodiment.
  • a shaping apparatus 1 schematically includes a control unit U1, an image forming unit U2, and a stacking unit U3.
  • the control unit U1 is a unit that performs processing for generating slice data of a plurality of layers from three-dimensional shape data of a shaping target object, control of sections of the shaping apparatus 1, and the like.
  • the image forming unit U2 is a unit that forms a material layer made of a shaping material using an electrophotographic process.
  • the stacking unit U3 is a unit that forms a shaping object by stacking and firmly attaching, in order, material layers of a plurality of layers formed by the image forming unit U2. Note that the unit configuration shown in Fig. 1 is only an example. The present invention can also be suitably applied in a shaping apparatus employing another configuration.
  • control unit U1 includes, as functions thereof, a three-dimensional-shape-data input section U10, a slice-data calculating section U11, an image-forming-unit control section U12, and a stacking-unit control section U13.
  • the three-dimensional-shape-data input section U10 includes a function of receiving three-dimensional shape data of a shaping target object from an external apparatus (e.g., a computer).
  • an external apparatus e.g., a computer.
  • a file format of the three-dimensional shape data may be any format. However, for example, a stereolithography (STL) file format is desirably used.
  • the slice-data calculating section U11 includes a function of slicing, at a predetermined pitch, the shaping target object represented by the three-dimensional shape data to calculate sectional shapes of layers and generating, on the basis of the sectional shapes, data (slice data) used for image formation in the image forming unit U2. Further, the slice-data calculating section U11 analyzes the three-dimensional shape data or slice data of upper and lower layers, determines presence or absence of an overhang section (a portion floating in the air), and includes data used for formation of the support body in the slice data according to necessity.
  • the image-forming-unit control section U12 includes a function of controlling an image forming process in the image forming unit U2 on the basis of the slice data generated by the slice-data calculating section U11.
  • the stacking-unit control section U13 includes a function of controlling a stacking process in the stacking unit U3.
  • control unit U1 includes an operation section, a display section, and a storing section as well.
  • the operation section includes a function of receiving an instruction from a user. For example, ON/OFF of a power supply, various kinds of setting of the apparatus, an operation instruction, and the like can be input to the operation section.
  • the display section includes a function of performing information presentation to the user. For example, the display section can present various setting screens, error messages, an operation status, and the like.
  • the storing section includes a function of storing three-dimensional shape data, slice data, and various setting values.
  • the control unit U1 can be configured by, in terms of hardware, a computer including a central processing unit (CPU), a memory, an auxiliary storage device (a hard disk, a flash memory, etc.), an input device, a display device, and various I/Fs.
  • the functions U10 to U13 are realized by the CPU reading and executing a program stored in the auxiliary storage device or the like and controlling necessary devices. However, a part or all of the functions may be configured by circuits such as an ASIC and an FPGA. Alternatively, the control unit U1 may cause other computers to execute the functions using technologies such as cloud computing and grid computing.
  • the configuration of the image forming unit U2 is explained.
  • the image forming unit U2 is a unit that forms a material layer made of a shaping material using an electrophotographic process.
  • the electrophotographic process is a method of forming a desired image by a series of process for charging a photosensitive body (an image bearing body), forming a latent image on the photosensitive body with exposure, depositing developer particles in a latent image portion on the photosensitive body, and forming a developer image on the photosensitive body.
  • a principle of the electrophotographic process in the shaping apparatus is common to a principle used in a 2D printer such as a copying machine. However, characteristics of the shaping material used as the developer in the shaping apparatus are different from characteristics of a toner material. Therefore, process control and member structure in the 2D printer often cannot be directly used in the shaping apparatus.
  • the image forming unit U2 includes a first image forming section 10a, a second image forming section 10b, an intermediate transfer belt 11 functioning as a first conveying body, a belt cleaning device 12, a first transfer device 104a, and a second transfer device 104b.
  • the image forming section 10a and the image forming section 10b are image forming means for forming material images using different shaping materials.
  • the image forming section 10a and the image forming section 10b respectively include photosensitive bodies, charging devices, exposing devices, developing devices, and cleaning devices.
  • the image forming sections 10a and 10b are disposed side by side along the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11.
  • the image forming section 10b is located further on a downstream side than the image forming section 10a in a rotating direction of the intermediate transfer belt 11 (a moving direction of the surface of the intermediate transfer belt).
  • the transfer devices 104a and 104b are transfer means for transferring the material images, which are formed by the image forming sections 10a and 10b, onto the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11.
  • the transfer devices 104a and 104b are disposed on the opposite side of the photosensitive bodies inside the image forming sections 10a and 10b across the intermediate transfer belt 11.
  • a voltage having polarity opposite to charging polarity of the material images on the photosensitive bodies is applied to the transfer devices 104a and 104b, whereby the material images on the photosensitive bodies are electrostatically transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 11 side.
  • the transfer from the photosensitive bodies to the intermediate transfer belt 11 is also referred to as primary transfer.
  • a roller transfer system is used.
  • a transfer system making use of corona discharge and a transfer system other than the electrostatic transfer system may be used.
  • the intermediate transfer belt 11 is a transfer body to which the material images, which are formed by the image forming sections 10, are transferred from the image forming sections 10. After a material image made of the structure material is transferred from the image forming section 10a to the intermediate transfer belt 11, a material image made of a support material is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 11 from the image forming section 10b, which is located further on the downstream side than the image forming section 10a, such that this material image is aligned on the intermediate transfer belt 11 with the material image transferred from the image forming section 10a. Consequently, a material layer for one image (one layer) is formed on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11.
  • the intermediate transfer belt 11 is an endless belt having volume resistivity of approximately 1 ⁇ 10 8 to 10 11 ⁇ cm made of a material such as resin or polyimide. As shown in Fig. 1, the intermediate transfer belt 11 is stretched on a plurality of rollers 110 and 111. Note that a tension roller may be provided besides the rollers 110 and 111 to make it possible to adjust tension of the intermediate transfer belt 11.
  • the roller 111 is a driving roller. During image formation, the intermediate transfer belt 11 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure by a driving force of a not-shown motor.
  • the roller 110 is a roller including an intermediate-resistance elastic layer that forms a transfer nip section (hereinafter, two-dimensional transfer section) N between the roller 110 and a secondary transfer counter roller 31 of the stacking unit U3.
  • the roller 110 is hereinafter referred to as secondary transfer roller 110.
  • the secondary transfer roller 110 is equivalent to a first member.
  • the secondary transfer counter roller 31 is equivalent to a second member.
  • the belt cleaning device 12 is means for cleaning the shaping material remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 11.
  • a cleaning device of a blade type for scraping off a material with a cleaning blade brought into contact with the intermediate transfer belt 11 is adopted.
  • a cleaning device of other types such as a brush type or an electrostatic attraction type may be used.
  • the configuration of the stacking unit U3 is explained.
  • the stacking unit U3 is a unit that receives the material layers formed by the image forming unit U2, and stacks and firmly attaches the material layers in order to thereby form a shaping object.
  • the stacking unit U3 includes the stacking belt 30 functioning as a second conveying body, the secondary transfer counter roller 31, a heater 33, and a stage 34.
  • the configurations of the sections of the stacking unit U3 are explained in detail below.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing the stacking belt 30 in this embodiment.
  • the stacking belt 30 is a member that receives the material layer formed by the image forming unit U2 from the intermediate transfer belt 11 and bears and conveys the material layer to a stacking position.
  • the stacking position is a position where a stacked surface of a shaping object in the process of stacking is brought into contact with the material layers for stacking the material layers (piling up the material layers onto the shaping object in the process of stacking).
  • a portion sandwiched by the heater 33 and the stage 34 of the stacking belt 30 corresponds to the stacking position.
  • the stacking belt 30 is an endless belt, a base layer 30a of which is formed at thickness of 40 to 600 ⁇ m from metal having electric conductivity and relatively high thermal conductivity and a surface layer 30b of which is formed at thickness of 10 to 100 ⁇ m from an insulating resin material or the like.
  • the base layer 30a and the secondary transfer roller 110 are configured to be opposed to each other across the surface layer 30b and the intermediate transfer belt 11.
  • the surface layer 30b of the stacking belt 30 and the intermediate transfer belt 11 are in contact with each other.
  • having electric conductivity means a characteristic having a volume resistivity of 1 ⁇ 10 5 ⁇ cm or less at the room temperature.
  • “Insulating” means a characteristic having a volume resistivity of 1 ⁇ 10 10 ⁇ cm or more at the room temperature.
  • the volume resistivity at the room temperature is desirably equal to or higher than 1 ⁇ 10 5 ⁇ cm and equal to or lower than 1 ⁇ 10 12 ⁇ cm and more desirably equal to or higher than 1 ⁇ 10 6 ⁇ cm and equal to or lower than 1 ⁇ 10 9 ⁇ cm. If the volume resistance of the entire stacking belt is within this range, it is possible to reduce charge-up and leak in the secondary transfer section and suppress image disorder and deterioration in transferability.
  • the base layer 30a more desirably has thickness of 60 to 400 ⁇ m.
  • the surface layer 30b more desirably has thickness of 15 to 80 ⁇ m.
  • the base layer 30a is desirably made of stainless steel, nickel, copper, or the like.
  • the surface layer 30b is desirably made of PTFE, PFA, FEP, ETFE, polyimide, or the like.
  • the PTFE is polytetrafluoro-ethylene
  • the PFA is tetrafluoroethylene-perfluoro alkyl vinyl ether copolymer
  • the FEP is tetrafluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene copolymer.
  • the ETFE is ethylene-tetrafluoroethylne copolymer.
  • the stacking belt 30 is stretched on the secondary transfer counter roller 31 and a plurality of rollers 301, 302, 303, and 304.
  • the rollers 303 and 304 are rollers made of metal.
  • the rollers 303 and 304 are grounded by a not-shown component and disposed to be in contact with the conductive base layer 30a of the stacking belt 30, whereby the base layer 30a of the stacking belt 30 is grounded.
  • At least one of the rollers 301 and 302 are driving rollers.
  • the stacking belt 30 is rotated clockwise in the figure by a driving force of a not-shown motor.
  • the rollers 303 and 304 are a roller pair that plays a role of adjusting the tension of the stacking belt 30 and keeping a portion of the stacking belt 30 passing the stacking position (i.e., the material layers during stacking) flat.
  • the base layer 30a of the stacking belt 30 is made of a material excellent in electric conductivity and is electrically grounded. Consequently, it is possible to cause the stacking belt 30 as a counter electrode in the configuration of the secondary transfer section N that applies a voltage to the secondary transfer roller 110. Further, since the insulating layer is provided on the surface layer 30b of the stacking belt 30, it is possible to suppress occurrence of electric discharge and deterioration in transferability in the secondary transfer section N. Consequently, it is possible to satisfactorily perform transfer of the material layers from the intermediate transfer belt 11 to the stacking belt 30 in the secondary transfer section N.
  • the stacking belt 30 is formed of only insulative resin such as polymer.
  • the heater needs to be set to high temperature more than necessary. There is a concern that the heating takes time.
  • the base layer 30a of the stacking belt 30 in this embodiment is made of a material having high thermal conductivity compared with heat resistant resin or the like. Therefore, the heat from the heater 33 on the rear surface side can be efficiently transferred to the material layer present on the surface layer 30b. Consequently, it is possible to suppress excessive heating and an increase in a heating time in the heater 33.
  • the thermal conductivity of metal is approximately 25 W/m ⁇ K in stainless steel, approximately 26 W/m ⁇ K in nickel, and approximately 370 W/m ⁇ K in copper
  • the thermal conductivity of the insulative resin is approximately 0.3 W/m ⁇ K in polyimide and approximately 0.26 W/m ⁇ K in PEEK.
  • the secondary transfer counter roller 31 is a roller for forming the secondary transfer section N between the intermediate transfer belt 11 and the stacking belt 30.
  • the heater 33 is temperature control means for controlling the temperature of the material layer conveyed to the stacking position.
  • the heater 33 for example, a ceramic heater and a halogen heater can be used.
  • the temperature control means is not limited to the heater for heating and may further include a component for positively reducing the temperature of the material layer through heat radiation or cooling.
  • the lower surface (a surface on a side opposed to the stacking belt 30) of the heater 33 is a plane.
  • the heater 33 also plays roles of a guide for the stacking belt 30 that passes the stacking position and a pressing member that applies equal pressure to the material layer.
  • the stage 34 is a plane table on which the shaping object is stacked.
  • the stage 34 is configured to be capable of moving in the up-down direction (a direction perpendicular to the belt surface of the stacking belt 30 (the stage surface (upper surface)) in the stacking position) by a not-shown actuator.
  • the material layers on the stacking belt 30 carried and conveyed to the stacking position are held between the stage 34 and the heater 33 and heating and pressurization are performed (and heat discharge or cooling is performed according to necessity) to transfer the material layers from the stacking belt 30 side to the stage 34.
  • the material layer of a first layer is directly transferred onto the stage 34.
  • the material layers of second and subsequent layers are piled up on the shaping object on the stage.
  • stacking means for stacking the material layers is configured by the heater 33 and the stage 34.
  • Heating heaters 37a and 37b which are heating means, are mechanisms for adjusting the temperature of the shaping material remaining on the stacking belt 30 in order to remove the shaping material remaining on the stacking belt 30 after the stacking.
  • the heating heaters 37a and 37b are disposed to hold a belt portion stretched between the roller 302 and the secondary transfer counter roller 31 in the stacking belt 30. As a process later than the stacking process, the heating heaters 37a and 37b heat (in the case of ABS, heat to 140°C or more) and melt the shaping material remaining on the stacking belt 30 after the stacking.
  • Web cleaning means 51 includes a web made of nonwoven fabric and removes the shaping material remaining on the stacking belt 30 by scraping the surface of the stacking belt 30 with the web further on the rotating direction downstream side of the intermediate transfer belt 11 than the stacking position.
  • the web cleaning means 51 includes a pair of rollers. The web is wound on one roller of the pair of rollers. One end of the web is fixed to the other roller. The web is disposed to be in contact with the surface of the stacking belt 30. By winding the web while rotating the other roller to fix the speed of the web in a contact section with the surface of the stacking belt 30, the shaping material remaining on the stacking belt 30 is scraped off and removed from the surface of the stacking belt 30.
  • the control unit U1 causes the transfer device 104a primarily transfers a material layer formed by an electrostatic system in the image forming section 10, onto the intermediate transfer belt 11. Two material images formed by the respective image forming sections 10a and 10b are aligned and transferred on the intermediate transfer belt 11, and a material layer for one layer made of a structure material and a support material is formed.
  • the control unit U1 applies a predetermined transfer voltage to the secondary transfer roller 110 according to timing when the front end of the material layer born on the intermediate transfer belt 11 reaches the secondary transfer section N and causes the secondary transfer roller 110 to transfer the material layer to the stacking belt 30.
  • the material layer transferred onto the stacking belt 30 is conveyed to the stacking position by the rotation of the stacking belt 30.
  • the control unit U1 stops the rotation driving of the stacking belt 30 and at timing when the material layer on the stacking belt 30 reaches the stacking position and positions the material layer in the stacking position. Thereafter, the control unit U1 lifts the stage 34 (brings the stage 34 close to the surface of the stacking belt 30) and brings the stage surface (in the case of a first layer) or the upper surface of a shaping object formed on the stage surface (in the case of second or subsequent layers) into contact with the material layer on the stacking belt 30.
  • the control unit U1 controls the temperature of the heater 33 according to a predetermined temperature control sequence. Specifically, first, the control unit U1 performs, for a predetermined time, a first temperature control mode for heating the heater 33 to a first target temperature and thermally melts the shaping material forming the material layer. Consequently, the material layer is softened and the stage surface or the upper surface of the shaping object being shaped and the sheet-like material layer adhere to each other. Thereafter, the control unit U1 performs, for a predetermined time, a second temperature control mode for controlling the heater 33 to reach a second target temperature lower than the first target temperature and solidifies the softened material layer. After the second temperature control mode ends, the control unit U1 lowers the stage 34 (separates the stage 34 from the stacking belt 30). In this way, the stacking of the material layer for one layer is completed.
  • the temperature control sequence, the target temperatures, the heating times, and the like are set according to characteristics of shaping materials used for the image formation.
  • the first target temperature in the first temperature control mode is set to a value higher than a highest temperature of melting points or glass transition points of the shaping materials used for the image formation.
  • the second target temperature in the second temperature control mode is set to a value lower than a lowest temperature of crystallization temperatures of the shaping materials or glass transition points of amorphous materials used for the image formation.
  • the first temperature control mode and the second temperature control mode if a control region of temperatures is too wide, it takes time to stabilize the temperature control. A stacking process time is consumed more than necessary. Therefore, as a control region for the first target temperature, it is desirable to set the highest temperature of the melting points and the glass transition points of the shaping materials used for the image formation as a lower limit temperature and set an upper limit temperature to approximately +50°C of the lower limit temperature. Similarly, as a control region of the second target temperature, it is desirable to set the lowest temperature of the crystallization temperatures of the shaping materials or the glass transition points of the amorphous materials used for the image formation as an upper limit temperature and set a lower limit temperature to approximately -50°C of the upper limit temperature.
  • the temperatures may be set as follows: the control region of the first target temperature may be set to a lower limit 150°C to an upper limit 190°C and the control region of the second target temperature may be set to a lower limit 90°C to an upper limit 130°C.
  • a desired shaping object is formed on the stage 34 by repeating the image forming process and the stacking process a necessary number of times.
  • a desired shaping target object can be obtained by detaching the manufactured shaping object from the stage 34 and removing the water-soluble support body with hot water or the like. After the support body is removed, a final product may be obtained by applying predetermined processing such as surface treatment and assembly to the shaping target object.
  • the stacking belt 30 is formed in a two-layer configuration including the base layer 30a of metal and the surface layer 30b having an insulating property.
  • the base layer 30a With the material excellent in electric conductivity and electrically grounding the base layer 30a in this way, it is possible to cause the stacking belt 30 to function as a counter electrode of the secondary transfer roller 110 in the secondary transfer section N.
  • the surface layer 30b As the insulating layer, it is possible to suppress occurrence of electric discharge and deterioration in transferability in the secondary transfer section N. Consequently, it is possible to satisfactorily perform the transfer of the material layer in the secondary transfer section N.
  • the base layer 30a of the stacking belt 30 is made of metal. Therefore, the stacking belt 30 is excellent in heat resistance. Moreover, heat from the heater 33 on the belt rear surface side can be efficiently transferred to the material layer present on the surface layer 30b. Consequently, it is possible to suppress excessive heating and an increase in a heating time in the heater 33.
  • the base layer 30a of the stacking belt 30 is electrically grounded and a voltage is applied to the secondary transfer roller 110 to transfer the material layer from the intermediate transfer belt 11 to the stacking belt 30.
  • a voltage for transferring the material layer from the intermediate transfer belt 11 to the stacking belt 30 only has to be applied to the secondary transfer section N.
  • a voltage may be applied to the secondary transfer counter roller 31 and the secondary transfer roller 110 may be electrically grounded. Voltages may be respectively applied to the secondary transfer roller 110 and the secondary transfer counter roller 31.
  • the voltages are desirably applied to the secondary transfer roller 110 and the secondary transfer counter roller 31 such that a potential difference for transferring the material layer from the intermediate transfer belt 11 to the stacking belt 30 is formed between the rollers.
  • the base layer 30a of the stacking belt 30 is made of metal.
  • the base layer 30a only has to be made of a material excellent in heat resistance and electric conductivity.
  • the belt-like member is used as the first conveying body and the second conveying body.
  • the present invention is not limited to this. Another form such as a drum-like member or a plate-like member may be used.
  • Fig. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of a shaping apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Note that, in this embodiment, since components other than a stacking unit are the same as the components in the first embodiment, components different from the components in the first embodiment are explained. Explanation of components same as the components in the first embodiment is omitted.
  • the secondary transfer counter roller 31 is opposed to and brought into contact with the secondary transfer roller 110 to configure the secondary transfer section N.
  • a grounded roller 35 made of metal is provided instead of the secondary transfer counter roller 31.
  • the roller 35 and the rollers 301, 302, 303, and 304 are equivalent to a tension member.
  • the roller 35 is not opposed to and brought into contact with the secondary transfer roller 110.
  • a portion stretched by the roller 35 and the roller 301 in the stacking belt 30 is opposed to and brought into contact with the secondary transfer roller 110 across the intermediate transfer belt 11 to configure the secondary transfer section N.
  • the conductive base layer 30a of the stacking belt 30 comes into contact with the rollers 35, 303, and 304 to change to a grounded state and function as a counter electrode of the secondary transfer roller 110, whereby secondary transfer is performed.
  • the roller 35 is provided.
  • the present invention is not limited to this.
  • the stacking belt 30 may be stretched by the rollers 301, 302, 303, and 304, and a portion that is stretched between the rollers 301 and 302 may be opposed to and brought into contact with the secondary transfer roller 110 across the intermediate transfer belt 11, to thereby configure the secondary transfer section N. Any configuration may be employed so long as the position of the secondary transfer section N is set in a range in which the influence of heat by the stacking unit U3 does not affect the image forming unit U2.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Materials Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Electrostatic Charge, Transfer And Separation In Electrography (AREA)
  • Combination Of More Than One Step In Electrophotography (AREA)
PCT/JP2016/085437 2015-12-10 2016-11-29 Shaping apparatus WO2017098968A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2015241367A JP2017105088A (ja) 2015-12-10 2015-12-10 造形装置
JP2015-241367 2015-12-10

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WO2017098968A1 true WO2017098968A1 (en) 2017-06-15

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US20220402198A1 (en) * 2021-06-16 2022-12-22 General Electric Company Additive manufacturing system
US11731367B2 (en) 2021-06-23 2023-08-22 General Electric Company Drive system for additive manufacturing
US11813799B2 (en) 2021-09-01 2023-11-14 General Electric Company Control systems and methods for additive manufacturing
US11826950B2 (en) 2021-07-09 2023-11-28 General Electric Company Resin management system for additive manufacturing
US11958250B2 (en) 2021-06-24 2024-04-16 General Electric Company Reclamation system for additive manufacturing
US11958249B2 (en) 2021-06-24 2024-04-16 General Electric Company Reclamation system for additive manufacturing

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JPH08511217A (ja) 1994-03-31 1996-11-26 グレンダ，エドワード・ピー 電子写真、イオノグラフィ法又は同様の方法により三次元対象物を構築する装置及び方法
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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20220402198A1 (en) * 2021-06-16 2022-12-22 General Electric Company Additive manufacturing system
US11951679B2 (en) 2021-06-16 2024-04-09 General Electric Company Additive manufacturing system
US11731367B2 (en) 2021-06-23 2023-08-22 General Electric Company Drive system for additive manufacturing
US11958250B2 (en) 2021-06-24 2024-04-16 General Electric Company Reclamation system for additive manufacturing
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US11826950B2 (en) 2021-07-09 2023-11-28 General Electric Company Resin management system for additive manufacturing
US11813799B2 (en) 2021-09-01 2023-11-14 General Electric Company Control systems and methods for additive manufacturing

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