JP2018008393A - Shaping device and shaping method - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to suppress deformation during lamination and improve the quality and accuracy of a three-dimensional object.
A modeling apparatus for producing a three-dimensional solid object by stacking modeling materials, the supporting body having a supporting surface for supporting a material layer formed of the modeling material based on slice data, and the supporting A stage having a laminated surface on which the material layers carried on the surface are laminated, and parallel maintaining means for changing the distance between the laminated surface and the carrying surface while keeping the laminated surface and the carrying surface parallel to each other And controlling the parallel maintaining means to keep the laminated surface and the carrying surface on which the material layer is carried in parallel while reducing the distance between the laminated surface and the carrying surface, Control means for laminating the material layer on the laminated surface or a three-dimensional object on the laminated surface.
[Selection] Figure 9

Description

  The present invention relates to a modeling apparatus and a modeling method.

In recent years, three-dimensional modeling techniques called additive manufacturing (AM), three-dimensional printers, and the like have attracted attention (in this specification, these techniques are collectively referred to as AM techniques). AM technology slices the three-dimensional shape data of a three-dimensional model to generate a plurality of slice data. Based on the slice data, the three-dimensional object (three-dimensional object) is sequentially laminated and fixed on the stage. ).
In Patent Document 1, a toner image (material layer) of a chargeable powder is prepared by electrophotography on a dielectric surface formed on a carrier, and the toner image is heated and pressed by a temperature control plate. A modeling method is disclosed in which a three-dimensional object is modeled by transferring onto a stage and laminating.

JP 2003-53849 A

However, in the conventional technology, there is a concern that the shaped article may be deformed when the material layer is stacked on the shaped article on the stage.
In the method of Patent Document 1, it is difficult to pressurize while maintaining a parallel relationship between an endless belt or a temperature control plate and a stage or a laminate laminated on the stage. This is because the endless belt easily takes a convex shape toward the temperature control plate by the heat of the temperature control plate. In addition, when the modeled object on the stage is laminated at a position away from the center of the temperature control plate, the temperature control plate is inclined by contact during pressure lamination, and it is difficult to perform lamination while maintaining a parallel relationship. . Furthermore, it is very difficult in terms of mechanical accuracy to move the temperature control plate or the stage while maintaining the parallelism between the temperature control plate, which is a member provided independently, and the stage. When trying to move the temperature control plate or stage during stacking while maintaining this parallel state, only a part of the shaped object is pressurized during stacking, so that excessive pressure is applied to the part. There is a risk that the shaped object will be deformed.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the above situations, and it aims at suppressing the deformation | transformation in the case of lamination | stacking and improving the quality and precision of a solid thing.

The first aspect of the present invention is:
A modeling apparatus for producing a three-dimensional solid object by stacking modeling materials,
A carrier having a carrying surface carrying a material layer formed of a modeling material based on slice data;
A stage having a laminated surface on which the material layer carried on the carrying surface is laminated;
Parallel maintaining means for changing the distance between the laminated surface and the carrying surface while keeping the laminated surface and the carrying surface parallel,
By controlling the parallel maintaining means, the distance between the laminated surface and the carrying surface is reduced while keeping the laminated surface and the carrying surface on which the material layer is carried in parallel. Control means for laminating the material layer on the laminated surface or a three-dimensional object on the laminated surface;
The modeling apparatus characterized by having is provided.

The second aspect of the present invention is:
A modeling method by a modeling apparatus that creates a three-dimensional solid object by stacking modeling materials,
The modeling apparatus is
A carrier having a carrying surface carrying a material layer formed of a modeling material based on slice data;
A stage having a laminated surface on which the material layer carried on the carrying surface is laminated;
Parallel maintaining means for changing the distance between the laminated surface and the carrying surface while keeping the laminated surface and the carrying surface parallel,
Have
Sandwiching the parallel maintaining means, the step of making the laminated surface parallel to the support surface on which the material layer is supported;
By controlling the parallel maintaining means, the distance between the laminated surface and the carrying surface is reduced while keeping the laminated surface and the carrying surface on which the material layer is carried in parallel. Laminating the material layer on the laminated surface or a three-dimensional object on the laminated surface;
The modeling method characterized by including this is provided.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to suppress the deformation | transformation in the case of lamination | stacking and to improve the quality and precision of a solid thing.

The figure which shows one Embodiment of the modeling apparatus which concerns on this invention The figure shown about the structure of the temperature control board of embodiment The figure for demonstrating the lamination | stacking procedure of the comparative example 1 The figure which shows the variable-type temperature control board which can change the inclination with respect to a support shaft The figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the temperature control board shown in FIG. The figure for demonstrating the lamination | stacking procedure of the comparative example 2 The figure for demonstrating the subject of the comparative example 2 The figure explaining the stage of Example 1, a parallel maintenance member, and a raising / lowering mechanism. The figure for demonstrating the lamination | stacking procedure of Example 1. FIG. The figure for demonstrating the lamination | stacking procedure of Example 2. FIG. The figure for demonstrating the predominance with respect to the comparative example 2 in Example 2.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be exemplarily described with reference to the drawings. However, unless otherwise specified, various control procedures, control parameters, target values, etc., such as dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the members described in the following embodiments are described in the present invention. It is not intended to limit the scope of the above to only those.
The present invention relates to an additive manufacturing technique (AM technique), that is, an apparatus for forming a three-dimensional object (three-dimensional object) by two-dimensionally arranging modeling materials and laminating them in layers.
As the modeling material, various materials can be selected according to the application, function, purpose, etc. of the three-dimensional object to be produced. In this specification, a material constituting a three-dimensional object for modeling is referred to as “structural material”, and a portion formed of the structural material is referred to as a structure. A material that constitutes a support body (for example, a column that supports the overhang portion from below) for supporting the structure being manufactured is referred to as a “support material”. When it is not necessary to distinguish between the two, the term “modeling material” is simply used. As the structural material, for example, a thermoplastic resin such as PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), ABS, PS (polystyrene) can be used. As the support material, a material having thermoplasticity and water solubility can be preferably used in order to simplify the removal from the structure. Examples of the support material include carbohydrates, polylactic acid (PLA), PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), and PEG (polyethylene glycol).

Further, in this specification, digital data obtained by slicing three-dimensional model data of a three-dimensional model intended for modeling into a plurality of layers along the stacking direction is referred to as “slice data”. The slice data is generated by adding information such as support material data as necessary. A layer formed of a modeling material based on slice data is referred to as a “material layer”. This material layer is composed of an image formed by one or a plurality of image forming units (image forming means), and an image formed by each image forming unit is referred to as a “material image”. In other words, the “material layer” is a layer of particles formed by combining one or a plurality of material images according to the type of modeling material to be used.
A three-dimensional model (that is, a three-dimensional object represented by three-dimensional model data given to the modeling apparatus) to be manufactured using the modeling apparatus is referred to as a “modeling object”. A three-dimensional object (three-dimensional object) produced (output) by the modeling apparatus is referred to as a “modeled object”. In the case where the modeled object includes the support body, a portion excluding the support body becomes a “structure” constituting the modeled object.

[Overall configuration of the device]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a modeling apparatus according to the present invention.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the modeling apparatus 100 includes a modeling unit 200, a control unit 300, a parameter setting unit 400, and a user interface 500.
The parameter setting unit 400 has a function of setting parameters used when performing processing for generating slice data of each layer, processing for calculating a pressure setting value at the time of stacking, and the like based on the three-dimensional model data.
The control unit 300 performs a modeling operation by controlling each unit of the modeling apparatus 100 based on the parameters set by the parameter setting unit 400.

The modeling unit 200 includes a modeling material supply unit 1, a photosensitive drum 3, a first transport body 4, an intermediate transfer body 8, a heater 9, a temperature control plate 13, a stage 14, and a second transport body (supporting body) 15. Based on the slice data, using the modeling material 2 accommodated in the modeling material supply unit 1, the material layer 10 formed by an electrophotographic process as described later includes the first transport body 4, the intermediate transfer body 8, and the second transfer material. It is laminated on the stage 14 (on the lamination surface) via the carrier 15. In this way, the model 11 is modeled on the stage 14. In FIG. 1, four modeling material supply units 1 are shown, and each modeling material supply unit 1 accommodates a structural material 20 or a support material 21 made of a chargeable powder as the modeling material 2.
In the present embodiment, the orthogonal direction (stacking direction) orthogonal to the stacking surface 14a of the stage 14 will be described as the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) in FIG. 1, and the left-right direction in FIG. Note that the orthogonality herein may include an error in a range of ± 10 °. In some cases, an X axis and a Y axis orthogonal to each other are shown in a plane orthogonal to the Z axis. In the present embodiment, the projection surface when projected in the vertical direction is preferably the upper surface of the stage 14, but may be a virtual surface.

[Outline of modeling operation]
Below, modeling operation | movement is demonstrated using FIG.
First, a material image made of the structural material 20 or the support material 21 is formed on the photosensitive drum 3 based on slice data generated using the parameters set by the parameter setting unit 400 by an electrophotographic process.

The material image formed on the photosensitive drum 3 is transferred to the first transport body 4 by the primary transfer unit 5. The material image sent to the secondary transfer unit 6 by the first transport body 4 is the intermediate transfer body 8 and the first transport body 4.
Are transferred onto the intermediate transfer member 8 by an electric field applied between the two. The material layer 10 transported to the tertiary transfer unit 7 by the rotation of the intermediate transfer body 8 is transferred to the second transport body 15 by the applied electric field in the same manner as the secondary transfer unit 6. In the present embodiment, an endless metal belt provided with an insulating coat is used as the second carrier 15, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a metal cylindrical drum having an insulating coat on the surface thereof is used. May be used. Thereafter, the material layer 10 moves to the heating unit with the rotation of the second conveyance body 15, is heated and melted by the heater 9 to form a sheet, and is conveyed to the stacking unit 12. The stage 14 and the temperature control plate 13 are arranged in parallel with the second transport body 15 in between, and both can move in the vertical direction. A pressure sensor 19 to be described later is attached to the temperature control plate 13 so that a load on the temperature control plate 13 can be measured.

When the heated and melted material layer 10 reaches the laminated portion 12, the material layer is interposed between the second carrier 15 and the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 by the rising of the stage 14 and the lowering of the temperature control plate 13. 10 is sandwiched and pressurized.
At this time, when the detection value of the pressure sensor 19 attached to the temperature control plate 13 exceeds the pressure setting value calculated by the parameter setting unit 400, the stage 14 is raised and stopped so as to stop the pressurization of the material layer 10. / Or the lowering of the temperature control plate 13 is controlled.

The pressurized material layer 10 is heated by the temperature control plate 13 via the second carrier 15 to melt the material layer 10 and adhere to the uppermost layer portion of the modeled object 11 on the stage 14. . By being heated and pressurized in this way, the material layer 10 and the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 are melted and bonded, and the one material layer 10 is added to the modeled object 11 on the stage 14.
Thereafter, the uppermost layer portion of the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 (the portion of the shaped article 11 including the melted material layer 10) is cooled, and between the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 and the second transport body 15. Is peeled off.
In this manner, the material layers 10 of the layers are sequentially stacked on the modeled object 11 on the stage 14, and the modeled object 11 is modeled on the stage 14.

Next, the structure of the temperature control plate 13 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
The temperature control plate 13 is disposed at a position facing the stage 14 with the second transport body 15 interposed therebetween. The temperature control plate 13 heats the material layer 10 on the support surface 15a (on the support surface) of the second transport body 15 via the second transport body 15 and between the modeling object 11 on the stage 14. A laminating operation is performed by applying pressure. For example, the temperature control plate 13 may perform temperature control by flowing warm water inside the temperature control plate 13. A pressure sensor 19 is attached to the support shaft 131 that supports the temperature control plate 13, and when the pressure is applied, the movement control in the vertical direction of the temperature control plate 13 and / or the stage 14 is performed using the detection result by pressure detection. Is called.

Further, the temperature control plate 13, the second transfer body 15, and the stage 14 are shown in parallel with each other in FIG. 2, but in an actual machine, the temperature control plate 13, the second transport body 15 and the stage 14 may be arranged with an inclination of mm order due to machine design tolerances. is there. Since the thickness of the material layer 10 is several μm to several tens of μm, the lamination is insufficient when the temperature control plate 13, the second transport body 15 and the stage 14 are pressed and laminated while being inclined. There is concern about becoming.
Therefore, when viewed from the viewpoint of lamination, it is extremely important to maintain the parallelism among the temperature control plate 13, the second transport body 15, and the stage 14.

[Comparative Examples / Examples]
In the modeling apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15 is pressed and stacked on the stage 14 or the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 in the following state in the stacking unit 12. It is configured as follows. That is, the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15 is placed on the stage 14 or the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 in a state where the laminated surface 14a of the stage 14 and the support surface 15a of the second transport body 15 are maintained in parallel. It is configured to be pressed and laminated.
With such a configuration, since there is an inclination between the second transport body 15 and the stage 14, the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15 with respect to the stage 14 or the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 at the time of stacking. It can reduce that only a part of touches. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a strong pressure from being applied to a part of the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15 and a part of the modeled object 11 on the stage 14, and a more stable stacking can be achieved. Can be realized.
In the following description, first, a lamination method used at the time of conventional lamination will be described as a comparative example. After that, examples embodying the present embodiment will be described, and the comparative advantage over the comparative examples in each example will be described. In the following comparative examples and examples, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those in the above-described embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[Comparative Example 1]
3A to 3D are diagrams for explaining the stacking procedure of Comparative Example 1. FIG.
In Comparative Example 1, as shown in FIG. 3A, first, the temperature control plate 13 is lowered to press against the second transport body 15, and the second transport body 15 and the temperature control plate 13 are brought into close contact with each other. 10 is heated (FIG. 3B). Thereafter, the stage 14 is raised. At this time, the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15 comes into contact with the end portion 11a of the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 (FIG. 3C). When the stage 14 is further raised after the contact with the end portion 11 a, the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 is further pushed toward the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15. Then, finally, as shown in FIG. 3D, the stacked surface 14a of the stage 14, the support surface 15a of the second carrier 15 and the pressing surface 13a of the temperature control plate 13 become parallel to each other.

  In the case of the comparative example 1, in the state shown in FIG. 3C, the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 comes into contact with the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15 only at the end 11a, so that the contact portion has a large contact. There is a concern that pressure is applied and the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 is deformed. When the stage 14 is further raised from the state shown in FIG. 3C, the temperature control plate 13 is elastically deformed, so that the parallel state shown in FIG. 3D can be obtained. However, since the inclination of the temperature control plate 13 is changed, a stress is generated between the temperature control plate 13 and the support shaft 131, and the stress may affect the value of the pressure sensor 19. Further, since this stress acts as a moment on the surface of the modeled object 11 on the stage 14, the stress is uniformly applied to the adhesion surface between the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 and the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15. There is a concern that it is impossible to apply an appropriate pressure.

[Comparative Example 2]
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the variable temperature control plate 13 whose inclination with respect to the support shaft 131 can be changed.
In Comparative Example 2, as shown in FIG. 4, the temperature control plate 13 is used that is swingably supported by the support shaft 131 by being attached to the support shaft 131 via the rotating ball grip 133. A support plate 132 for supporting the temperature control plate 13 is fixed to the support shaft 131 together with the support shaft 131. Both ends of the support plate 132 are temperature controlled in the left-right direction (Y direction) in FIG. Both ends of the plate 13 are connected by springs 18 respectively.
With such a configuration, the temperature control plate 13 can freely change its inclination according to the inclination of the contacted surface to be contacted.

5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the temperature control plate 13 shown in FIG.
Here, the case where the temperature control plate 13 is brought into contact with the flat plate 30 will be described. 5A shows a temperature control plate 13 in which the spring 18 is in a natural length state, and a flat plate 30 that is inclined with respect to the temperature control plate 13 and fixed. When the temperature control plate 13 is moved toward the flat plate 30 from the state of FIG. 5A, the temperature control plate 13 and the flat plate 30 come into contact at a contact point 31 (FIG. 5B). When the temperature control plate 13 is pressed against the flat plate 30 from the state shown in FIG. 5B, the temperature control plate 13 is inclined around the rotating ball grip until the temperature control plate 13 is tilted and contacts the entire flat plate 30 with the contact point 31 as a fulcrum. (FIG. 5C).

6A to 6D are diagrams for explaining the stacking procedure of Comparative Example 2. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6A, also in the comparative example 2, first, the temperature control plate 13 is lowered to press against the second transport body 15 so that the second transport body 15 and the temperature control plate 13 are in close contact with each other. Layer 10 is heated (FIG. 6B). Thereafter, the stage 14 rises. At this time, the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15 comes into contact with the end portion 11a of the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 (FIG. 6C). When the stage 14 is further raised after the contact with the end portion 11 a, the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 is further pushed toward the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15. Then, finally, as shown in FIG. 6D, the stacked surface 14 a of the stage 14, the shaped article 11 on the stage 14, the second transport body 15, and the pressing surface 13 a of the temperature control plate 13 are parallel to each other. It becomes a state.

In Comparative Example 2, unlike Comparative Example 1, the temperature control plate 13 is configured so that its inclination can be easily changed. Therefore, when the state shown in FIG. 6C is changed to the state shown in FIG. 6D, that is, when the temperature control plate 13 contacts the entire upper surface of the molded article 11 on the stage 14 while changing the inclination, the molded article on the stage 14. No large pressure is applied to 11. After the state shown in FIG. 6D and the temperature control plate 13 and the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 are parallel, the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 is further passed through the second carrier 15. By pushing into the temperature control plate 13, a large pressure is applied for the first time.
Therefore, in the comparative example 2, lamination is performed in a state where the upper surface of the molded article 11 on the stage 14 receives a uniform pressure over the entire surface, and the temperature control plate fixed to the support shaft 131 as in the comparative example 1. As compared with the case of using 13, the lamination can be performed more favorably.

However, in Comparative Example 2, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C, when the modeling object 11 on the stage 14 does not overlap with the support shaft 131 when projected in the axial direction (vertical direction) of the support shaft 131. Is concerned about the following. 7A to 7C are diagrams for explaining the problem of the second comparative example.
When the stage 14 rises from the state before lamination shown in FIG. 7A, as shown in FIG. 7B, the temperature control plate 13 and the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 are in contact with each other once. However, when the stage 14 is further raised, as shown in FIG. 7C, the temperature control plate 13 rotates and tilts around the rotating ball grip, and eventually the material layer 10 on the second carrier 15 and the stage 14 The upper shaped object 11 comes into contact with only one place.
Furthermore, since the pressure detected by the pressure sensor 19 at this time is not the pressure applied to the entire upper surface of the molded article 11 on the stage 14, there is a concern that the pressure sensor 19 cannot perform accurate pressure management. The

[Example 1]
Example 1 will be described below.
The modeling apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment sets the distance between the stacked surface 14a and the support surface 15a while keeping the stack surface 14a of the stage 14 and the support surface 15a supporting the material layer 10 of the second transport body 15 in parallel. It has the parallel maintenance part 101 which can be changed, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. The parallel maintaining unit 101 includes a parallel maintaining member 17 and an elevating mechanism 16. The parallel maintaining member 17 functions as an abutting portion that abuts on the carrying surface 15 a of the second transport body 15. In addition, the lifting mechanism 16 has a function of moving the stage 14 in the vertical direction while keeping the stacked surface 14a and the support surface 15a parallel to the parallel maintaining member 17 in contact with the second transport body 15. Have.

The parallel maintaining unit 101 of this embodiment will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.
8A to 8C are views for explaining the stage 14, the parallel maintaining member 17, and the elevating mechanism 16 applied in the present embodiment, FIG. 8A is a front view, FIG. 8B is a side view, and FIG. 8C is a top view. The figure is shown.
The parallel maintaining member 17 is supported by an elevating mechanism 16 disposed on the stage 14 as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. The upper surface 17a of the parallel maintaining member 17 is attached in a state where the parallel relationship with the laminated surface 14a of the stage 14 is maintained. The upper surface 17a of the parallel maintaining member 17 is controlled using the elevating mechanism 16 so as to be positioned above or at the same height as the uppermost surface of the model 11 on the stage 14.
The elevating mechanism 16 has a function of automatically expanding and contracting the distance between the parallel maintaining member 17 and the stage 14 in the vertical direction, and can raise and lower the position of the stage 14 relative to the parallel maintaining member 17.

In the present embodiment, when the lifting operation is performed at the time of stacking, the parallel maintaining member 17 that is in contact with the second transport body 15 is in a fixed state, and only the stage 14 is lifted and lowered by the lifting mechanism 16. Although the structure at this time is not specifically limited, the following structures can be illustrated. For example, when a moving means for moving the stage 14 is provided, the parallel maintaining member 17 is set in a fixed state by synchronizing the moving operation of the stage 14 by the moving means and the lifting operation by the lifting mechanism 16. Only the stage 14 can be raised and lowered. Further, a moving means for moving the parallel maintaining member 17 may be provided, and the stage 14 may be suspended from the parallel maintaining member 17 using the lifting mechanism 16.
The elevating mechanism 16 is not particularly limited as long as such a function is realized, but in this embodiment, a pantograph type elevating type Z stage is used, and the elevating operation is controlled by the control unit 300. ing. Because of the pantograph type, the distance between the two members in the Z direction can be expanded and contracted while maintaining the parallel relationship between the upper surface 17a of the parallel maintaining member 17 and the laminated surface 14a of the stage 14 on the order of μm.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8C, the parallel maintaining member 17 is arranged so that the projection area when projected in the vertical direction is not overlapped with the shaped article 11 on the stage 14.
Here, the parallel maintaining member 17 is disposed so that the projection area when projected in the vertical direction is located outside the stackable area where the material layer 10 can be stacked on the stacking surface 14a of the stage 14. It should be a thing. In the present embodiment, the parallel maintaining member 17 is arranged in a frame shape so that the projection area surrounds the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 over the entire circumference, and this frame-shaped portion contacts the second transport body 15. Although it is set as the structure which touches, it is not restricted to this. The parallel maintaining member 17 may be any member as long as the second transport body 15 can maintain a parallel state with respect to the stage 14, and may not be an integrated part. You may contact | abut in the part more than a location. Further, as will be described later, since the parallel maintaining member 17 also supports the temperature control plate 13 via the second transport body 15, the number and position thereof are set so that the temperature control plate 13 can be supported. Good.
Regarding the positional relationship between the temperature control plate 13 and the parallel maintaining member 17, it is preferable that the projection region of the temperature control plate 13 includes the entire projection region of the parallel maintaining member 17 when projected in the vertical direction. The position of the temperature control plate 13 at this time is indicated by a dotted line 134 in FIG. 8C. However, the positional relationship between the temperature control plate 13 and the parallel maintaining member 17 is not limited to this, and even if the projection region of the temperature control plate 13 does not include a part of the projection region of the parallel maintaining member 17, The parallel maintaining member 17 may be in any form that can support the temperature control plate 13. For example, as in the case of the temperature control plate 13 indicated by a dotted line 135 in FIG. 8C, if the projection area of the temperature control plate 13 straddles the projection area of the parallel maintaining member 17 in one direction, the projection of the temperature control plate 13 is performed. The area may not include a part of the projection area of the parallel maintaining member 17.

In the present embodiment, the parallel maintaining member 17 functions as an abutting portion that abuts on the second conveyance body 15, but is not limited thereto. For example, if the upper part of the lifting mechanism 16 is configured to move in the vertical direction, this upper part can be applied as a contact part that contacts the second transport body 15. Thereby, it is not necessary to provide the parallel maintaining member 17 separately. As such an elevating mechanism, for example, a shaft member whose tip portion moves up and down by rotating, or a guide device capable of linearly moving the contact portion may be used.
Further, the lifting mechanism 16 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the stage 14 and the parallel maintaining member 17. With such a configuration, even if the elevating mechanism 16 is driven and the distance between the stage 14 and the parallel maintaining member 17 changes, the parallel maintaining member 17 and the elevating mechanism 16 come into contact with the modeled object 11 on the stage 14. There is no.

The stacking procedure of this example is shown in FIGS. 9A to 9F.
In the present embodiment, the temperature control plate 13 described with reference to FIG.
First, the temperature control plate 13 is lowered toward the stage 14 (FIG. 9A). The upper surface 17a of the parallel maintaining member 17 on the stage 14 is disposed above the upper surface of the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 at the start of lamination.
Next, the temperature control plate 13 is brought into contact with the second transport body 15 and the temperature control plate 13 is further pushed down to stretch the second transport body 15 bent by thermal deformation, thereby reducing surface irregularities ( FIG. 9B). At this time, the material layer 10 on the 2nd conveyance body 15 is heated with the temperature control board 13, and is formed into a sheet.

Next, the stage 14 is raised toward the temperature control plate 13 while maintaining the distance from the parallel maintaining member 17. Then, the end of the parallel maintaining member 17 comes into contact with the temperature control plate 13 via the second transport body 15 (FIG. 9C). When the temperature control plate 13 is further pushed up after the contact, the temperature control plate 13 is elastically deformed with respect to the support shaft 131 and comes into contact with the parallel maintaining member 17 in parallel (FIG. 9D). At this time, the parallel maintaining member 17 supports the temperature control plate 13 via the second transport body 15. Thereby, the parallel state of the temperature control plate 13 with respect to the stage 14 is also realized. At this time, the value of the pressure sensor 19 is once offset to zero.
Next, the stage 14 is moved toward the parallel maintaining member 17 (FIG. 9E). At this time, the position of the parallel maintaining member 17 is assumed to be fixed. Then, the upper surface of the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 comes into contact with the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15 and pressure lamination is performed. During pressure lamination, the stage 14 is controlled to rise based on an increment to the offset value of the pressure sensor 19 in the state shown in FIG. 9D.
After the stacking, the stage 14 is lowered with respect to the parallel maintaining member 17, and the molded article 11 on the stage 14 is detached from the second transport body 15 (FIG. 9F).

The lamination method of this example is superior to the lamination method of Comparative Example 1 in that pressure application and pressure management can be accurately performed.
In the present embodiment, the laminated surface 14a of the stage 14, the support surface 15a of the second carrier 15 and the pressing surface 13a of the temperature control plate 13 are all in a parallel state (FIG. 9D), and then the modeling on the stage 14 is performed. Stacking is performed when the object 11 approaches the second carrier 15 (FIG. 9E).
As described above, in this embodiment, the parallel maintaining member 17 is provided, so that the model 11 on the stage 14 and the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15 are brought into contact with each other after the parallel state shown in FIG. Pressure lamination can be performed. Thereby, it is possible to perform lamination while applying pressure uniformly to the contact surface between the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 and the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15. Therefore, it becomes possible to prevent an excessive pressure from being applied to a part of the adhesion surface of the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 during the lamination, and a more accurate lamination can be realized.
Further, the value of the pressure sensor 19 is offset in the parallel state shown in FIG. 9D. For this reason, the force detected when pressing and laminating after the parallel state of FIG. 9D is the force applied to press the temperature control plate 13 and the second carrier 15 against the parallel maintaining member 17 in parallel. Only the pressure at the time of pressure lamination in a parallel state is detected by the pressure sensor 19 without being included.

  On the other hand, in the case of the comparative example 1 in which the parallel maintaining member 17 does not exist, in the process of changing the inclination of the temperature control plate 13 with respect to the support shaft 131 from FIG. 3C to FIG. A very large pressure will be applied to the end face of 11. Thereby, there exists a possibility of causing plastic deformation in the molded article 11 itself on the stage 14. Further, the value of the pressure sensor 19 measured in FIG. 3D includes stress due to the change in the inclination of the temperature control plate 13. For this reason, pressure cannot be uniformly applied to the adhesion surface between the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 and the material layer 10 on the second carrier 15, and pressure management is performed accurately as in this embodiment. I can't do it.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, pressure lamination is performed in a state in which the lamination surface 14a of the stage 14, the support surface 15a of the second carrier 15 and the pressing surface 13a of the temperature control plate 13 are maintained in parallel. Can do. Thereby, since it can prevent beforehand that the material layer 10 contacts only a part of the modeling object 11 on the stage 14 at the time of lamination | stacking and a strong pressure is loaded, the modeling object 11 on the stage 14 will deform | transform. This makes it possible to achieve extremely stable lamination. Therefore, it is possible to improve the quality and accuracy of the shaped object.

[Example 2]
Example 2 will be described below.
Also in the present embodiment, the parallel maintaining member 17 described with reference to FIG. Further, the temperature control plate 13 supported on the support shaft 131 via the rotating ball grip 133 described with reference to FIG. 4 is used. The stacking procedure of this example is shown in FIGS. 10A to 10F.
First, the temperature control plate 13 is lowered toward the stage 14 (FIG. 10A). The upper surface 17a of the parallel maintaining member 17 on the stage 14 is disposed above the upper surface of the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 at the start of lamination.

Next, the temperature control plate 13 is brought into contact with the second transport body 15 and the temperature control plate 13 is further pushed down to stretch the second transport body 15 bent by thermal deformation, thereby reducing surface irregularities ( FIG. 10B). At this time, the material layer 10 on the 2nd conveyance body 15 is heated with the temperature control board 13, and is formed into a sheet.
Next, the stage 14 is raised toward the temperature control plate 13 while maintaining the distance from the parallel maintaining member 17. Then, the end of the parallel maintaining member 17 comes into contact with the temperature control plate 13 via the second transport body 15 (FIG. 10C). When the temperature control plate 13 is further pushed up after the contact, the inclination of the temperature control plate 13 is easily changed by the rotating ball grip 133 and comes into contact with the parallel maintaining member 17 in parallel (FIG. 10D). At this time, the value of the pressure sensor 19 is once offset to zero.

Next, the stage 14 is moved toward the parallel maintaining member 17 (FIG. 10E). At this time, the position of the parallel maintaining member 17 is assumed to be fixed. Then, the upper surface of the shaped article 11 on the stage 14 comes into contact with the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15 and pressure lamination is performed.
During the pressure lamination, the raising of the stage 14 is controlled based on the increment with respect to the offset value of the pressure sensor 19 in the state shown in FIG. 10D.
After the stacking, the stage 14 is lowered with respect to the parallel maintaining member 17, and the molded article 11 on the stage 14 is detached from the second transport body 15 (FIG. 10F).

The lamination method of this example is superior to the lamination method of Comparative Example 2 in that pressure application and pressure management can be accurately performed.
In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the temperature control plate 13 can be easily changed in inclination by the rotating ball grip 133 to be parallel to the parallel maintaining member 17. Thus, in the process of changing the inclination of the temperature control plate 13 relative to the support shaft 131 from FIG. 10C to FIG. 10D, a large pressure is not applied to the end surface of the molded article 11 on the stage 14, and the pressure sensor 19. There will be no great force applied. And since the lamination surface 14a of the stage 14, the temperature control plate 13 and the second transport body 15 can be started in a parallel state, the pressure is detected in a state where inaccuracies due to the inclination of the temperature control plate 13 are removed. And a more accurate detection value can be obtained.

Further, since the temperature control plate 13 is maintained in a state parallel to the parallel maintenance member 17 by the parallel maintenance member 17, the temperature control plate 13 is not inclined even if it is pushed by the support shaft 131 from this parallel state. Absent.
Therefore, even when the support shaft 131 and the modeled object 11 on the stage 14 do not overlap when projected in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 11, the temperature control plate 13 pushed into the support shaft 131 is inclined. There is no end to it.
Thus, in the present embodiment, it is possible to prevent the temperature control plate 13 pushed into the support shaft 131 from being inclined as shown in FIG. 7 in the comparative example 2 in which the parallel maintaining member 17 does not exist.

Here, the projection area when the support portion for supporting the temperature control plate 13 on the side opposite to the second carrier 15, that is, the support shaft 131, more specifically the rotating ball grip 133, is projected in the vertical direction is as follows. It is good if it exists in such a region. That is, it should be present within the projection region of the parallel maintaining member 17 (see FIG. 8C). When the parallel maintaining member 17 is in contact with the second carrier 15 at three or more portions as described above, it is within the maximum virtual region that can be formed by connecting three or more contact portions with straight lines. It should be present in
With such a configuration, the parallel maintaining member 17 can more reliably support the temperature control plate 13, so that the temperature control plate 13 can be prevented from being tilted by being pushed by the support shaft 131. it can. As a result, the material layer 10 can be suitably stacked in at least a part of the stackable region on the stage 14.

The stacking procedure is not limited to the procedure described in the first and second embodiments, and may be the following procedure.
For example, from the state shown in FIG. 9A, the stage 14 first rises while maintaining the distance from the parallel maintaining member 17. Then, the parallel maintaining member 17 comes into contact with the second conveyance body 15 in parallel. Thereafter, the temperature control plate 13 is lowered so that the temperature control plate 13 comes into contact with the second transport body 15. After the contact, the temperature control plate 13 is further pushed down, so that the temperature control plate 13 is supported by the parallel maintaining member 17 via the second transport body 15.
Thus, the stage 14, the 2nd conveyance body 15, and the temperature control board 13 will be in a parallel state (refer FIG. 9D). The subsequent procedure is the same as in the first and second embodiments.

The temperature control plate 13 may be any material that functions as a pressure plate that performs a laminating operation by pressurizing the material layer 10 on the second carrier 15 with the shaped article 11 on the stage 14. It does not have to have a temperature control function. Moreover, although the temperature control board 13 demonstrated the form which heats the material layer 10 on the 2nd conveyance body 15 via the 2nd conveyance body 15, it does not restrict to this. After the lamination of the material layer 10 on the second transport body 15, when the second transport body 15 is separated from the shaped article 11 on the stage 14, the temperature control plate 13 comes into contact with the second transport body 15 to perform the second transport. The form 11 which cools the molded article 11 on the stage 14 via the body 15 may be sufficient.
Moreover, although the form using the temperature control board 13 has been described, the form in which the temperature control board 13 is not provided, that is, between the material layer 10 on the second carrier 15 and the shaped article 11 on the stage 14. The present invention can be suitably applied even in a form in which pressure lamination is performed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Material layer, 14 ... Stage, 14a ... Laminated surface, 15 ... 2nd conveyance body, 15a ... Supporting surface, 16 ... Lifting mechanism, 17 ... Parallel maintenance member, 100 ... Modeling apparatus, 101 ... Parallel maintenance part, 300 ... Control unit

Claims (11)

A modeling apparatus for producing a three-dimensional solid object by stacking modeling materials,
A carrier having a carrying surface carrying a material layer formed of a modeling material based on slice data;
A stage having a laminated surface on which the material layer carried on the carrying surface is laminated;
Parallel maintaining means for changing the distance between the laminated surface and the carrying surface while keeping the laminated surface and the carrying surface parallel,
By controlling the parallel maintaining means, the distance between the laminated surface and the carrying surface is reduced while keeping the laminated surface and the carrying surface on which the material layer is carried in parallel. Control means for laminating the material layer on the laminated surface or a three-dimensional object on the laminated surface;
A modeling apparatus comprising: The parallel maintaining means has an abutting portion that abuts on the carrier in order to make the carrying surface parallel to the laminated surface,
The contact portion is disposed so as to be positioned outside a stackable region where the material layers can be stacked in the stacked surface when projected in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the stacked surface. The modeling apparatus according to claim 1. The modeling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion is disposed so as to surround the stackable region over the entire circumference when projected in the orthogonal direction. The modeling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion is in contact with the carrier at three or more locations. A pressure plate for pressing the material layer on the support surface to the stack surface or a three-dimensional object on the stack surface at the time of stacking is disposed at a position facing the stage across the support. The modeling apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The parallel maintaining means has an abutting portion that abuts on the carrier in order to make the carrying surface parallel to the laminated surface,
The abutting portion is disposed so as to be positioned outside a stackable region where the material layers can be stacked in the stacked surface when projected in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to the stacked surface,
The pressure plate has a size including the stackable region when projected in the orthogonal direction, and is supported by the contact portion through the carrier during stacking. The modeling apparatus according to claim 5. A support portion for swingably supporting the pressure plate on a side opposite to the side where the carrier is positioned in the orthogonal direction;
7. The projection according to claim 6, wherein when the projection is performed in the orthogonal direction, the contact portion surrounds the stackable region over the entire circumference, and the support portion exists in a region surrounded by the contact portion. The modeling apparatus of description. A support portion for swingably supporting the pressure plate on a side opposite to the side where the carrier is positioned in the orthogonal direction;
The abutting portion abuts against the carrier at three or more locations,
The modeling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, when projected in the orthogonal direction, the support portion exists in a maximum virtual region formed by connecting the three or more contact portions with a straight line. . The modeling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carrier is an endless belt. 10. The parallel maintaining means includes a pantograph type lifting mechanism that moves the stage in an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the stacking surface with respect to the carrier. The modeling apparatus described in 1. A modeling method by a modeling apparatus that creates a three-dimensional solid object by stacking modeling materials,
The modeling apparatus is
A carrier having a carrying surface carrying a material layer formed of a modeling material based on slice data;
A stage having a laminated surface on which the material layer carried on the carrying surface is laminated;
Parallel maintaining means for changing the distance between the laminated surface and the carrying surface while keeping the laminated surface and the carrying surface parallel,
Have
Sandwiching the parallel maintaining means, the step of making the laminated surface parallel to the support surface on which the material layer is supported;
By controlling the parallel maintaining means, the distance between the laminated surface and the carrying surface is reduced while keeping the laminated surface and the carrying surface on which the material layer is carried in parallel. Laminating the material layer on the laminated surface or a three-dimensional object on the laminated surface;
A modeling method comprising:

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