WO2019058883A1 - Three-dimensional model manufacturing device and three-dimensional model manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a technique for mitigating variations in finishing a three-dimensional model in three-dimensional modeling using a modified beam. This three-dimensional model manufacturing device is provided with: a laser light source (10); a lighting optical system (11) for shaping a line beam (31); a spatial optical modulator (14) which modulates the line beam for each pixel; a projection optical system (18) which projects a modulated beam onto a target (50); and a light quantity control unit (20C) which sets, as on-pixels, pixels giving off a first light quantity, sets, as intermediate-pixels, pixels giving off a second light quantity, and controls the light quantity applied onto the target by the modulated beam corresponding to the on-pixels and the intermediate-pixels.

Description

Three-dimensional modeling apparatus and three-dimensional modeling method

The present invention disclosed herein relates to a three-dimensional shaped manufacturing apparatus and a three-dimensional shaped manufacturing method.

Three-dimensional shaping in which a metal material is sintered by irradiating a metal material (powder) with spot laser light from an infrared laser source is generally used.

In order to speed up molding, a three-dimensional molding method using line-shaped light has also been studied. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of performing three-dimensional modeling using light obtained by modulating linear light with GLV (registered trademark).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-80604

However, when three-dimensional modeling is performed using light obtained by modulation, there may be variations in the finish of three-dimensional modeling due to the difference in the efficiency with which the irradiation energy of the light contributes to the temperature rise of the target. .

The present invention disclosed in the present specification was made to solve the problems as described above, and in the three-dimensional formation using light obtained by modulation, the finish of the three-dimensional formation It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for alleviating variations in

A first aspect of the technology disclosed in the present specification is based on a laser light source, an illumination optical system that shapes laser light input from the laser light source into a line beam, and modeling data indicating three-dimensional modeling A spatial light modulator that modulates the line beam for each pixel to generate a modulated beam, a holding mechanism that holds a target, and a scanning unit that scans the modulated beam on the target held by the holding mechanism; In the spatial light modulator, the pixel corresponding to the modulated beam that provides a first amount of light on the target is an on pixel, and different from the on pixel that corresponds to the modulated beam that provides a second amount of light on the target And a light quantity control unit for controlling a light quantity given by the modulated beam onto the target, with the pixel as an intermediate pixel, and the first light quantity is Than the temperature at which Getto is shaped, since the amount of light to increase the temperature of the target, said second amount of light, to less than the temperature at which the target is shaped, a light intensity to raise the temperature of said target.

According to a second aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, the light amount control unit sets a pixel adjacent to an on pixel at both ends of an on pixel row, which is a row of the on pixels arranged in series, as the intermediate pixel. The light quantity of the intermediate pixel is controlled such that the modulated beam provides the second light quantity on the target.

According to a third aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, the light amount control unit controls the amount of light provided by the modulated beam corresponding to the on pixel on the target according to the time during which the state of the on pixel is maintained. Do.

In a fourth aspect of the technology disclosed in the present specification, the light amount control unit is configured to provide the modulated beam corresponding to the intermediate pixel on the target according to a time during which the state of the intermediate pixel is maintained. Control the amount of light.

According to a fifth aspect of the technology disclosed herein, the laser light source outputs the laser light that is an infrared laser.

According to a sixth aspect of the technology disclosed herein, the target is a powdered metal material.

According to a seventh aspect of the technology disclosed herein, the target is a resin material.

An eighth aspect of the technology disclosed in the present specification is based on a laser light source, an illumination optical system for shaping laser light input from the laser light source into a line beam, and modeling data indicating three-dimensional modeling. A spatial light modulator that modulates the line beam for each pixel to generate a modulated beam, a holding mechanism that holds the target, and a scanning unit that scans the modulated beam on the target held by the holding mechanism A three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing method using a three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus, comprising: in the spatial light modulator, the pixels corresponding to the modulated beam giving an amount of light on the target as on pixels; The modulated beam is applied onto the target with a pixel different from the on-pixel corresponding to the modulated beam providing two light quantities as an intermediate pixel. The first light quantity is the light quantity that raises the temperature of the target above the temperature at which the target is shaped, and the second light quantity is less than the temperature at which the target is shaped; It is the amount of light that raises the temperature of the target.

A ninth aspect of the technology disclosed herein is based on a laser light source, an illumination optical system that shapes laser light input from the laser light source into a line beam, and modeling data indicating three-dimensional modeling. A spatial light modulator that modulates the line beam for each pixel to generate a modulated beam, a holding mechanism that holds a target, and the modulated beam modulated by the spatial light modulator is held by the holding mechanism In the scanning means for scanning on the target, and in the spatial light modulator, the pixels corresponding to the modulated beam giving the light quantity on the target are turned on pixels, and the columns of the on pixels arranged continuously are turned on The light provided by the modulated beam corresponding to each of the on pixels according to the number of on pixels in the on pixel column Controlling the and a light quantity control unit.

In a tenth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, the light amount control unit may control the modulated beam corresponding to each on pixel to be on the target as the number of the on pixels in the on pixel column increases. As the amount of light to be applied to the light source is reduced and the number of the on pixels in the on pixel row is reduced, the amount of light to be applied to the target by the modulated beam corresponding to each on pixel is increased.

According to an eleventh aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, the light quantity control unit causes the spatial light modulator to adjust the gradation of the modulated beam corresponding to each on pixel in the on pixel column. Controls the amount of light that the modulated beam corresponding to each of the on pixels provides on the target.

According to a twelfth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, the modulated light beam corresponding to each of the on pixels is controlled by the time during which the light quantity control unit maintains the state of each of the on pixels in the on pixel column. Controls the amount of light provided on the target.

In a thirteenth aspect of the technology disclosed in the present specification, the light amount control unit controls the light amount provided by the modulated beam corresponding to each of the on pixels on the plurality of the light sources in the spatial light modulator. Control is performed differently between pixel columns.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, in the spatial light modulator, pixels other than the on pixel are set as an off pixel, and a row of the off pixels arranged in series is set as an off pixel row. The control unit controls the amount of light provided to the target by the modulated beam corresponding to each on pixel in the on pixel row adjacent to the off pixel row according to the number of the off pixels in the off pixel row Do.

In a fifteenth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, the light amount control unit may set each of the on pixels in the on pixel column adjacent to the off pixel column as the number of the off pixels in the off pixel column increases. As the quantity of light provided by the modulated beam corresponding to the on pixel on the target increases and the number of the off pixels in the off pixel column decreases, the on pixels in the on pixel column adjacent to the off pixel column become smaller Reduces the amount of light provided by the modulated beam on the target.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the technology disclosed herein, the laser light source outputs the laser light that is an infrared laser.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the technology disclosed herein, the target is a powdered metal material.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the technology disclosed herein, the target is a resin material.

A nineteenth aspect of the technology disclosed in the present specification is based on a laser light source, an illumination optical system that shapes laser light input from the laser light source into a line beam, and modeling data indicating three-dimensional modeling. A spatial light modulator that modulates the line beam for each pixel to generate a modulated beam, a holding mechanism that holds a target, and the modulated beam modulated by the spatial light modulator is held by the holding mechanism A three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing method using a three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus comprising scanning means for scanning on the target, in the spatial light modulator, the pixels corresponding to the modulated beam for providing an amount of light on the target A row of the on pixels arranged in succession as an on pixel is referred to as an on pixel row, and each row corresponding to the number of the on pixels in the on pixel row The modulated beam corresponding to the emission pixel to control the amount of light that gives onto the target.

According to the first and eighth aspects of the technology disclosed in the present specification, precise three-dimensional shaping is possible while alleviating variations in temperature rise of the target due to differences in contribution of irradiation energy of the modulated beam. .

According to the second aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, by making the pixels adjacent to the on pixels at both ends of the continuous on pixels as an intermediate pixel, it becomes difficult to diffuse the irradiation energy by the modulated beam, and modulation is performed. The amount of light that the beam exerts on the target can be controlled.

According to the third aspect of the technology disclosed herein, the amount of light provided on the target can be easily controlled by the time for which the state of the on-pixel is maintained.

According to the fourth aspect of the technology disclosed herein, the amount of light provided on the target can be easily controlled by the time for which the state of the intermediate pixel is maintained.

According to the fifth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification of the present application, three-dimensional shaping can be performed using an infrared laser capable of high output, so that shaping can be performed faster than using ultraviolet light. it can.

According to a sixth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, the metal material can be sintered by the modulated beam to form a three-dimensional structure by a sintered body.

According to a seventh aspect of the technology disclosed herein, three-dimensional features can be formed by curing the photocurable resin material with a modulated beam.

According to the ninth and nineteenth aspects of the technology disclosed in the present specification, precise three-dimensional shaping becomes possible while alleviating variations in the temperature rise of the target due to the difference in the contribution of the irradiation energy of the modulated beam. .

According to a tenth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, it is difficult to diffuse the irradiation energy by the modulated beam when there are many continuous on pixels, and the irradiation by the modulated beam when there are few continuous on pixels The amount of light that the modulated beam provides on the target can be controlled to offset the ease of energy spread.

According to the eleventh aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification of the application, the gradation control in the spatial light modulator can alleviate the variation in temperature rise of the target due to the diffusion of the irradiation energy.

According to the twelfth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, it is possible to alleviate the variation in temperature rise of the target due to the diffusion of the irradiation energy by controlling the time during which the state of the on-pixel is maintained.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, even if there is a plurality of ON pixel columns having different numbers of ON pixels in one modulated beam, ON pixels per ON pixel column Light amount control based on the number of

According to a fourteenth aspect of the technology disclosed herein, the modulated beam is provided to each on pixel in the on pixel row adjacent to the off pixel row based on the number of consecutive off pixels in the modulated beam. By controlling the light amount, it is possible to alleviate the variation in temperature rise of the target due to the diffusion of the irradiation energy.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the technology disclosed in the present specification, it is easy to diffuse irradiation energy by the modulated beam when there are many consecutive off pixels, and irradiation with the modulated beam when there are few consecutive off pixels The amount of light that the modulated beam provides on the target can be controlled to offset the difficulty of spreading the energy, respectively.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the technology disclosed in the specification, three-dimensional modeling can be performed using a high-power-capable infrared laser, so modeling can be performed at higher speed than using ultraviolet light. it can.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the technology disclosed herein, it is possible to form a three-dimensional structure by a sintered body by sintering a metal material with a modulated beam.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the technology disclosed herein, three-dimensional features can be formed by curing the photocurable resin material with a modulated beam.

The objects, features, aspects and advantages of the technology disclosed in the present specification will become more apparent from the detailed description given below and the accompanying drawings.

It is a perspective view which illustrates roughly the composition for realizing a three-dimensional modeling manufacture device about an embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates notionally the composition of a three-dimensional modeling manufacture device concerning an embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates the structure of a spatial light modulator regarding embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the mode of the heat | fever spreading | diffusion in a metal material when the equivalent light quantity is given by the modulation | alteration beam. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the mode of the setting light quantity in the irradiation position of the modulated beam on a metal material at the time of light quantity control. It is a figure which shows the relationship between on pixel sequence and setting light quantity. It is a top view which illustrates roughly the composition for realizing a three-dimensional modeling manufacture device concerning an embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates notionally the composition of a three-dimensional modeling manufacture device concerning an embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates the structure of a spatial light modulator regarding embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the mode of the thermal diffusion in a metal material when the light quantity is provided by the modulation beam.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

Note that the drawings are schematically illustrated, and omission of the configuration or simplification of the configuration may be made as appropriate for the convenience of description. In addition, the interrelationships among sizes and positions of configurations and the like shown in different drawings are not necessarily accurately described, and may be changed as appropriate.

Moreover, in the description shown below, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and shown to the same code | symbol, and suppose that it is the same also about those names and functions. Accordingly, detailed descriptions about them may be omitted to avoid duplication.

Also, in the description described below, specific positions and directions such as “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “side”, “bottom”, “front” or “back” Although the terms used are sometimes used, these terms are used for the sake of convenience to facilitate understanding of the contents of the embodiment, and are not related to the direction in which they are actually implemented. It is not a thing.

First Embodiment
The three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus and the three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing method according to the present embodiment will be described below.

<About the structure of a three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a configuration for realizing a three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

As exemplified in FIG. 1, the three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a laser light source 10, an illumination optical system 11, a scanning mechanism 12, a spatial light modulator 14, a projection optical system 18, and a holding mechanism 16. , And the control device 20.

The laser light source 10 is, for example, a fiber laser light source that outputs an infrared laser. The wavelength of the laser light output from the laser light source 10 is, for example, 1064 nm. The laser beam 30 emitted from the laser light source 10 is guided to the illumination optical system 11 via a mirror or the like (not shown).

The illumination optical system 11 guides the laser light 30 emitted from the laser light source 10 to the spatial light modulator 14. The illumination optical system 11 includes a lens 11A and a lens 11B, and shapes and outputs the laser beam 30 emitted from the laser light source 10 into a line beam 31 which is linear light by each lens.

The spatial light modulator 14 modulates the line beam 31 input through the illumination optical system 11 for each pixel to generate a linear modulated beam 32. The said modulation is performed based on the below-mentioned modeling data. As the spatial light modulator 14, for example, a grating light valve (GLV (registered trademark)) or the like is used.

The projection optical system 18 guides the light (modulated beam 32) modulated by the spatial light modulator 14 to the powder metal material 50 as a target. The projection optical system 18 includes a plurality of lenses 18A and a lens 18B that constitute a zoom unit that widens (or narrows) the width of the modulated beam 32. Further, in the present embodiment, the mirror 19 is provided to guide the modulated beam 32 to the surface of the target. The projection optical system 18 further includes a light blocking member (not shown) for blocking unnecessary light of the modulated beam 32, and an auto focus unit (not shown) for performing auto focusing.

The scanning mechanism 12 includes an illumination optical system 11, a spatial light modulator 14, a projection optical system 18, a holding base 12A for holding the mirror 19, a moving mechanism 12B for moving the holding base 12A, and a moving mechanism 12C. The scanning mechanism 12 is positioned by the movement of the holding base 12A in the X-axis direction of the moving mechanism 12B and the movement in the Y-axis direction of the moving mechanism 12C, whereby the position where the modulated beam 32 irradiates the metal material 50 is It is determined. As a mechanism for moving the moving mechanism 12B and the moving mechanism 12C, for example, there is a ball screw or the like. In particular, the modulated beam 32 projected onto the metal material 50 as a line segment extending in the Y-axis direction is scanned according to the movement of the moving mechanism 12B in the X-axis direction, thereby scanning the modulated beam 32 over the metal material 50 It can be done. Here, a region on the metal material 50 on which the modulated beam 32 is projected is referred to as a projection region 32A.

The scanning mechanism may use, for example, a galvano mirror to optically scan the modulated beam 32. In that case, the modulated beam is irradiated onto the powdered metal material 50 as a target through a mirror of X-axis rotation and a mirror of Y-axis rotation. Further, the configuration for moving the holding table 12A and the configuration using the galvano mirror may be combined.

The holding mechanism 16 is a mechanism for holding a powdered metal material 50 which is a target. The holding mechanism 16 includes a part cylinder 16A, a feed cylinder 16B, a feed cylinder 16C, and a squeegee 16D.

The metal material 50 is supplied to the upper surface of the part cylinder 16A from the feed cylinder 16B and the feed cylinder 16C. The upper surface of the part cylinder 16A descends in the negative Z-axis direction along with the formation of the three-dimensional modeling layer by irradiating the metal material 50 with the modulated beam 32.

The squeegee 16D supplies the metal material 50 from the feed cylinder 16B and the feed cylinder 16C to the upper surface of the part cylinder 16A, and flattens the metal material 50 supplied to the upper surface of the part cylinder 16A.

The control device 20 controls the modulation operation in the spatial light modulator 14, controls the scanning operation in the scanning mechanism 12, and provides the metal material 50 with the modulation beam 32 based on the formation data stored in the storage medium 22. Control the amount of light. The modeling data stored in the storage medium 22 is data indicating three-dimensional modeling to be formed by the metal material 50 as a target. Here, the control device 20 is configured of, for example, a CPU, a microprocessor, a microcomputer or the like. Also, the storage medium 22 is, for example, a memory including volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memory such as HDD, RAM, ROM or flash memory, magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk or DVD, etc. is there.

In the present embodiment, the metal material 50 is raised in temperature by being irradiated with the modulation beam 32, and is sintered and melted to form a compact object called a sintered body. The target substance is not limited to the powdered metal material exemplified in the present embodiment, and engineering plastics, ceramics, resins, sand, wax or the like can also be used.

FIG. 2: is a figure which illustrates notionally the structure of the three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus regarding this Embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus 1 modulates the laser light source 10, the spatial light modulator 14 to which the line beam 31 is input through the illumination optical system 11, and the spatial light modulator 14. The control beam 20 includes a mirror 19 which the modulated beam 32 reaches via the projection optical system 18, a holding mechanism 16 for holding the metal material 50 to which the modulated beam 32 is irradiated, and a controller 20. N ₂ or the like is supplied to the inside of the holding mechanism 16 in order to prevent the oxidation of the target.

The control device 20 includes a modulation control unit 20A, a scan control unit 20B, and a light amount control unit 20C.

The modulation control unit 20A controls an operation of modulating the line beam 31 for each pixel in the spatial light modulator 14 based on the formation data stored in the storage medium 22.

The scan control unit 20 </ b> B controls the scan of the modulated beam 32 based on the formation data stored in the storage medium 22. Specifically, the position of the holding table 12A in the XY plane is adjusted by controlling the movement of the moving mechanism 12B and the moving mechanism 12C, and the modulated beam 32 is moved to a desired position on the metal material 50 based on the modeling data. Irradiate. In FIG. 2, it is assumed that the modulated beam 32 has a width in the depth direction of the drawing and is irradiated in the Z-axis negative direction.

The light amount control unit 20 </ b> C controls the modulation control unit 20 </ b> A to control the light amount given by the modulated beam 32 on the metal material 50. Specifically, the gradation control of the modulated beam 32 in the spatial light modulator 14 is controlled by the modulation control unit 20A, or the time during which the on state of each pixel is maintained is controlled, or The combination of these controls controls the amount of light that the modulated beam 32 provides on the metal material 50.

<On the operation of the three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus>
Next, the operation of the three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. Hereinafter, the case where GLV (registered trademark) is used as the spatial light modulator 14 will be described.

The laser light 30 output from the laser light source 10 is collimated by the illumination optical system 11 and becomes a line beam 31 and is input to the spatial light modulator 14.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the spatial light modulator 14. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the spatial light modulator 14 is provided with a substrate 14A and a plurality of ribbon-shaped microbridges 14B, which are movable gratings, arranged in parallel on the substrate 14A. A plurality of slits 14C are formed between the plurality of microbridges 14B.

The microbridge 14B has a portion other than the end separated from the substrate 14A, the lower surface facing the substrate 14A is made of a flexible member made of SiNx or the like, and the upper surface opposite to the lower surface is aluminum or the like It is comprised by the reflective electrode film which consists of single layer metal films.

The spatial light modulator 14 is drive-controlled by on / off of a voltage applied between the microbridge 14B and the substrate 14A. When the voltage applied between the microbridge 14B and the substrate 14A is turned on, electrostatically induced charges generate an electrostatic attraction between the microbridge 14B and the substrate 14A, and the microbridge 14B is on the substrate 14A side. To flex. On the other hand, when the voltage applied between the microbridge 14B and the substrate 14A is turned off, the deflection described above is eliminated, and the microbridge 14B is separated from the substrate 14A.

Usually, one pixel is composed of a plurality of, for example, six microbridges 14B. By alternately arranging the microbridges 14B for applying a voltage, it is possible to generate a diffraction grating by the application of a voltage and perform light modulation.

The size of the line beam 31 that can be modulated by such a spatial light modulator 14 is 25 mm × 25 μm, and 1000 pixels are formed in the longitudinal direction of the line beam 31. The size of one pixel is 25 μm.

The modulated beam 32 modulated pixel by pixel based on the formation data stored in the storage medium 22 is input to the projection optical system 18. In the scanning mechanism 12, the modulated beam 32 modulated at each step in the X-axis direction scans the metal material 50 in the X-axis direction, for example, by the operations of the moving mechanism 12 B and the moving mechanism 12 C. A predetermined area of the metal material 50 is scanned by repeating movement and irradiation in the X-axis direction. When scanning with the modulated beam 32, the holding mechanism 16 may be movable in the X axis direction or the Y axis direction.

By irradiating the metal material 50 with the modulated beam 32, the temperature of the metal material 50 is increased. Then, sintering and melting of the metal material 50 occur. Then, after the layer that has become a sintered body becomes a predetermined thickness, the layer is lowered by moving the part cylinder 16A in the negative Z-axis direction, and the metal material 50 is further formed on the upper surface of the part cylinder 16A. Supply.

The metal material 50 supplied to the upper surface of the part cylinder 16A is flattened by the squeegee 16D to prepare for the irradiation of the next modulated beam 32.

Here, the diffusion of heat when the temperature of the metal material 50 is raised by the modulation beam 32, and is sintered and melted will be described.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining how heat is diffused in the metal material 50 when an equal amount of light is given by the modulated beam 32. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 4, (a) of FIG. 4 shows a light quantity profile (light energy distribution). In the figure, the vertical axis represents the amount of light. The vertical axis of FIG. 4B indicates the temperature of the metal material 50 irradiated with the modulated beam 32, and the horizontal axis indicates the irradiation position corresponding to each pixel of the modulated beam 32. Moreover, the sintering (melting) temperature T which sinters and melts by temperature rise of the metal material 50 is illustrated. Moreover, the pixel corresponding to the irradiation position of the modulated beam 32 is shown above FIG.4 (b).

In FIG. 4, the irradiation position corresponding to each pixel in the spatial light modulator 14 of one modulated beam 32 is shown. In FIG. 4, in the range L1 and the range L2, the modulation beam 32 having a rectangular light intensity profile is irradiated on the metal material 50, and the modulation beam 32 is a pixel for irradiating the laser light in the spatial light modulator 14. It is a beam corresponding to a certain ON pixel (opened pixel in FIG. 4). On the other hand, in FIG. 4, the modulation beam 32 for giving a light quantity on the metal material 50 is not irradiated outside the range L1 and the range L2, and the range is a pixel other than the on pixel in the spatial light modulator 14 It is an irradiation position corresponding to the off pixel (the pixel of the sand in FIG. 4).

When the metal material 50 is sintered using the modulated beam 32, the metal material 50 is irradiated with the beam corresponding to the on pixel adjacent thereto.

Therefore, the appearance of the irradiation energy of the beam differs depending on the presence or absence of another beam adjacent to a certain beam. That is, the irradiation energy of the beam has a relatively small degree of diffusion when the beam is similarly irradiated to the adjacent position, but when the beam is not irradiated to the adjacent position, for example, the range L1 or the range in FIG. The irradiation energy etc. by the beam located at the outermost side of L2 has a relatively large degree of diffusion of the irradiation energy. Also, even when a beam having a rectangular light intensity profile is irradiated, it is converted into heat energy and diffused in the metal material 50.

Then, the efficiency of the irradiation energy by the beams contributing to the temperature rise of the metal material 50 is also considered to be lowered when the beam is not irradiated to the adjacent position. That is, even when the same amount of light is given by the modulated beam 32, the degree of sintering and melting of the metal material 50 varies depending on the presence or absence of the beam at the adjacent irradiation position.

In FIG. 4, the range L1 is a row of ON pixels (ON pixel row) consisting of 5 consecutive ON pixels, and the range L2 is a row of ON pixels (ON pixel row) consisting of 9 consecutive ON pixels . As the number of ON pixels in the ON pixel column is larger, the influence of thermal diffusion is smaller, and the energy contributing to shaping increases. That is, as shown by the range L2 in FIG. 4B, the number of regions higher than the sintering temperature T increases. On the other hand, when the number of ON pixels in the ON pixel row is small, the influence of thermal diffusion is large, and the energy contributing to shaping becomes small. That is, as shown by the range L1 in FIG. 4B, the region which is higher than the sintering (melting) temperature T is reduced.

When the temperature raising efficiency of the metal material 50 is lowered by the diffusion of the irradiation energy, the irradiation position hardly reaches the sintering (melting) temperature T which is a temperature necessary for sintering the metal material 50. Therefore, insufficient sintering results in the formation of a three-dimensional feature having a smaller dimension than the dimension based on the feature data. That is, only the region in which the temperature rises above the sintering (melting) temperature T is effectively shaped. Therefore, if the temperature rise varies, the strength may become insufficient at the edge of the formed three-dimensional structure.

In particular, when the metal material 50 is sintered by an infrared laser, the difference in the degree of diffusion of the irradiation energy is more remarkable than in the case of sintering the metal material by ultraviolet light.

Therefore, the light quantity control unit 20C in FIG. 2 controls the light quantity that the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each on pixel gives to the metal material 50 according to the number of on pixels in the on pixel column. Specifically, as the number of ON pixels in the ON pixel column is larger, the amount of light provided by the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each ON pixel on the metal material 50 is set smaller, and the number of ON pixels in the ON pixel column is The smaller the amount, the more the amount of light that the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each on pixel gives to the metal material 50 is set.

The light quantity control unit 20C controls the light quantity of the modulated beam 32 corresponding to the on-pixel row, for example, according to the following equation (1).

Here, P ₀ indicates the amount of light for proper sintering to occur in the absence of an adjacent beam (ie, a single spot beam). Also, K is a coefficient determined by the heat conduction of the target material. Also, N is the number of consecutive ON pixels in the ON pixel column. Also, N _max is the number of consecutive ON pixels of the ON pixel row that can be regarded as infinite length. That is, N _max is the number of on pixels where the spread of the irradiation energy in the on pixel row can be ignored as the distance to the irradiation position of the beam located outermost in the on pixel row becomes sufficiently large.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram for describing the state of the set light amount at the irradiation position of the modulated beam 32 on the metal material 50 when the above-described light amount control is performed. In FIG. 5, the vertical axis represents the light amount set to the irradiation position of the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each pixel, and the horizontal axis represents the irradiation position corresponding to each pixel of the modulated beam 32. Further, in the upper part of FIG. 5, the pixels corresponding to the irradiation position of the modulated beam 32, the on pixels are shown in white, and the off pixels are shown in sand.

A range L3 is an on-pixel row consisting of five consecutive on-pixels, and a range L4 is an on-pixel row consisting of 15 consecutive on-pixels. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the light amount set to the on pixel row of the range L3 is higher than the light amount set to the on pixel row of the range L4. This is because the number of ON pixels in the ON pixel row of the range L3 is smaller than the number of ON pixels in the ON pixel row of the range L4.

Further, as described above, the set light amounts of the range L3 and the range L4 are different. That is, in one modulated beam 32, the set light amounts among the plurality of on pixel columns are different.

The control of the set light amount as described above is performed, for example, by the control of at least one of the modulation control unit 20A and the scan control unit 20B by the light amount control unit 20C.

Specifically, the modulation control unit 20A adjusts the gradation of each pixel of the modulated beam 32 in the spatial light modulator 14 by voltage control, or the scan control unit 20B modulates the modulated beam 32 on the metal material 50. The set amount of light of the modulated beam 32 is controlled by pulse width modulation (PWM) control of the time for irradiating a desired position, or by combining these controls.

In addition, it is also possible to control the above-mentioned set light amount in consideration of the off pixels in the spatial light modulator 14 and further the off pixel row which is the row of the off pixels.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the on pixel line and the set light amount. In FIG. 6, the vertical axis indicates the set light amount, and the horizontal axis indicates the number of ON pixels in the ON pixel column.

In the case where a plurality of on-pixel columns are positioned close to each other, the diffusion of the irradiation energy of the irradiation position of the beam located on the outermost side of each on-pixel column is the diffusion of the irradiation energy of the irradiation positions of the beams located on opposite sides It is thought that the degree of diffusion of irradiation energy is mitigated under the influence of

That is, since the number of off pixels of the off pixel row located adjacent to the on pixel row corresponds to the distance between the other on pixel rows, the smaller the number of off pixels of the off pixel row is, the more modulation is performed. Diffusion of the radiation energy of the beam 32 is mitigated. Conversely, the more the number of off pixels in the off pixel column, the higher the degree of diffusion of the irradiation energy of the modulated beam 32.

Therefore, in the spatial light modulator 14, the amount of light of the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each on pixel in the on pixel row adjacent to the off pixel row can be controlled according to the number of off pixels in the off pixel row .

Specifically, as the number of off pixels in the off pixel column is larger, the amount of light of the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each on pixel in the on pixel column adjacent to the off pixel column is set larger. Also, as the number of off pixels in the off pixel column is smaller, the light amount of the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each on pixel in the on pixel column adjacent to the off pixel column is set smaller.

In FIG. 6, a set light amount transition P1 of the modulated beam 32 having a large number of off pixels in the off pixel column and a set light amount transition P2 having a smaller number of off pixels than the set light amount transition P1 are respectively shown. There is. As is clear from FIG. 6, the set light amount transition P1 is set to a light amount higher than the set light amount transition P2. In both the set light amount transition P1 and the set light amount transition P2, a constant light amount is set after the number of ON pixels has reached N _max .

As described above, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, when three-dimensional modeling is performed at high speed by the modulated beam 32, precise three-dimensional modeling while alleviating variations in temperature rise due to irradiation energy of the modulated beam 32. Is possible. Specifically, regardless of the number of continuous ON pixels in the modulated beam 32, the powder metal material 50 as a target can be appropriately heated and sintered.

In addition, since three-dimensional modeling can be performed using an infrared laser capable of large output, modeling can be performed at higher speed than in the case of using ultraviolet light.

Even in the case of applying a laser beam for expanding the projection area into a two-dimensional planar shape, the temperature rise by the irradiation energy of the laser beam by the multistage light amount control in the projection area as in the above embodiment. Precise three-dimensional modeling is possible while alleviating the difference between

Second Embodiment
The three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus and the three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing method according to the present embodiment will be described below.

<About the structure of a three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus>
The three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is a top view schematically illustrating a configuration for realizing the three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus. FIG. 8 is a diagram conceptually illustrating the configuration of the three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus 1 includes an optical head 100, a scanning mechanism 12, a holding mechanism 16, and a control device 20.

The optical head 100 is a mechanism which irradiates light to the powdery metal material 50 which is a target. The optical head 100 includes a laser light source 10, an illumination optical system 11, a spatial light modulator 14, and a projection optical system 18.

The laser light source 10 is, for example, a fiber laser light source that outputs an infrared laser. The wavelength of the laser light output from the laser light source 10 is, for example, 1064 nm. The laser beam 30 emitted from the laser light source 10 is guided to the illumination optical system 11.

The illumination optical system 11 guides the laser light 30 emitted from the laser light source 10 to the spatial light modulator 14. The illumination optical system 11 includes a lens 11A and a lens 11B, and shapes and outputs the laser beam 30 emitted from the laser light source 10 into a line beam 31 which is linear light by each lens.

The spatial light modulator 14 modulates the line beam 31 input through the illumination optical system 11 for each pixel to generate a linear modulated beam 32. The said modulation is performed based on the below-mentioned modeling data. As the spatial light modulator 14, for example, a grating light valve (GLV (registered trademark)) or the like is used.

The projection optical system 18 guides the light (modulated beam 32) modulated by the spatial light modulator 14 to the powder metal material 50 as a target. The projection optical system 18 includes a plurality of lenses 18A and 18B that constitute a zoom unit that widens (or narrows) the width of the modulated beam 32. Also, in the present embodiment, a mirror 19 is provided to guide the modulated beam 32 to the surface of the target. The projection optical system 18 further includes a light blocking member (not shown) for blocking unnecessary light of the modulated beam 32, and an auto focus unit (not shown) for performing auto focusing.

The scanning mechanism 12 includes an illumination optical system 11, a spatial light modulator 14, a projection optical system 18, a holder 12A for holding the mirror 19, a moving mechanism 12B for moving the holder 12A, and 12C. The scanning mechanism 12 is positioned by the movement of the holding base 12A in the X-axis direction of the moving mechanism 12B and the movement in the Y-axis direction of the moving mechanism 12C, whereby the position where the modulated beam 32 irradiates the metal material 50 is It is determined. As a mechanism for moving the moving mechanism 12B and the moving mechanism 12C, for example, a ball screw or the like can be employed. In particular, the modulated beam 32 projected onto the metal material 50 as a line segment extending in the Y-axis direction is scanned according to the movement of the moving mechanism 12B in the X-axis direction, thereby scanning the modulated beam 32 over the metal material 50 It can be done. Here, a region on the metal material 50 on which the modulated beam 32 is projected is referred to as a projection region 32A.

The scanning mechanism may use, for example, a galvano mirror to optically scan the modulated beam 32. In that case, the modulated beam is irradiated onto the powdered metal material 50 as a target through a mirror of X-axis rotation and a mirror of Y-axis rotation. Further, the configuration for moving the holding table 12A and the configuration using the galvano mirror may be combined.

The holding mechanism 16 is a mechanism for holding a powdered metal material 50 which is a target. The holding mechanism 16 includes a part cylinder 16A, a feed cylinder 16B, a feed cylinder 16C, and a squeegee 16D.

The metal material 50 is supplied to the upper surface of the part cylinder 16A from the feed cylinder 16B and the feed cylinder 16C. The upper surface of the part cylinder 16A descends in the negative Z-axis direction along with the formation of the three-dimensional modeling layer by irradiating the metal material 50 with the modulated beam 32.

The squeegee 16D supplies the metal material 50 from the feed cylinder 16B and the feed cylinder 16C to the upper surface of the part cylinder 16A, and flattens the metal material 50 supplied to the upper surface of the part cylinder 16A.

The control device 20 controls the modulation operation in the spatial light modulator 14, controls the scanning operation in the scanning mechanism 12, and provides the metal material 50 with the modulation beam 32 based on the formation data stored in the storage medium 22. Control the amount of light. The modeling data stored in the storage medium 22 is data indicating three-dimensional modeling to be formed by the metal material 50 as a target. Here, the control device 20 is configured of, for example, a CPU, a microprocessor, a microcomputer or the like. Also, the storage medium 22 is, for example, a memory including volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memory such as HDD, RAM, ROM or flash memory, magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk or DVD, etc. is there.

In the present embodiment, the metal material 50 is raised in temperature by being irradiated with the modulation beam 32, and is sintered and melted to form a compact object called a sintered body. The target substance is not limited to the powdered metal material exemplified in the present embodiment, and engineering plastics, ceramics, resins, sand, wax or the like can also be used.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus 1 modulates the laser light source 10, the spatial light modulator 14 to which the line beam 31 is input through the illumination optical system 11, and the spatial light modulator 14. The control beam 20 includes a mirror 19 which the modulated beam 32 reaches via the projection optical system 18, a holding mechanism 16 for holding the metal material 50 to which the modulated beam 32 is irradiated, and a controller 20. N ₂ or the like is supplied to the inside of the holding mechanism 16 in order to prevent the oxidation of the target.

The control device 20 includes a modulation control unit 20A, a scan control unit 20B, and a light amount control unit 20C.

The modulation control unit 20A controls an operation of modulating the line beam 31 for each pixel in the spatial light modulator 14 based on the formation data stored in the storage medium 22.

The scan control unit 20 </ b> B controls the scan of the modulated beam 32 based on the formation data stored in the storage medium 22. Specifically, the position of the holding table 12A in the XY plane is adjusted by controlling the movement of the moving mechanism 12B and the moving mechanism 12C, and the modulated beam 32 is moved to a desired position on the metal material 50 based on the modeling data. Irradiate. In FIG. 8, the modulated beam 32 has a width in the depth direction of the drawing and is irradiated in the negative Z-axis direction.

The light amount control unit 20 </ b> C controls the modulation control unit 20 </ b> A to control the light amount given by the modulated beam 32 on the metal material 50. Specifically, the amount of light provided by the modulated beam 32 on the metal material 50 is controlled by controlling the time during which the modulated beam 32 in the spatial light modulator 14 is maintained in the on state for each pixel by the modulation control unit 20A. be able to. Further, by controlling the time for maintaining the state of the intermediate pixel of the modulated beam 32 in the spatial light modulator 14 by the modulation control unit 20A, the amount of light provided to the metal material 50 by the modulated beam 32 is controlled. When GLV (registered trademark) is used as the spatial light modulator 14 to be described later, control of the amount of bending of the microbridge 14B (FIG. 10) to the side of the substrate 14A (FIG. 10) It is also possible to control the amount of light by doing this.

<On the operation of the three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus>
Next, the operation of the three-dimensional structure manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. Hereinafter, the case where GLV (registered trademark) is used as the spatial light modulator 14 will be described.

The laser light 30 output from the laser light source 10 is collimated by the illumination optical system 11 and becomes a line beam 31 and is input to the spatial light modulator 14.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the spatial light modulator 14. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the spatial light modulator 14 is provided with a substrate 14A and a plurality of ribbon-shaped microbridges 14B, which are movable gratings, arranged in parallel on the substrate 14A. A plurality of slits 14C are formed between the plurality of microbridges 14B.

The microbridge 14B has a portion other than the end separated from the substrate 14A, the lower surface facing the substrate 14A is made of a flexible member made of SiNx or the like, and the upper surface opposite to the lower surface is aluminum or the like It is comprised by the reflective electrode film which consists of single layer metal films.

The spatial light modulator 14 is drive-controlled by on / off of a voltage applied between the microbridge 14B and the substrate 14A. When the voltage applied between the microbridge 14B and the substrate 14A is turned on, electrostatically induced charges generate an electrostatic attraction between the microbridge 14B and the substrate 14A, and the microbridge 14B is on the substrate 14A side. To flex. On the other hand, when the voltage applied between the microbridge 14B and the substrate 14A is turned off, the deflection described above is eliminated, and the microbridge 14B is separated from the substrate 14A.

Usually, one pixel is composed of a plurality of, for example, six microbridges 14B. By alternately arranging the microbridges 14B for applying a voltage, it is possible to generate a diffraction grating by the application of a voltage and perform light modulation.

The size of the line beam 31 that can be modulated by such a spatial light modulator 14 is 25 mm × 25 μm, and 1000 pixels are formed in the longitudinal direction of the line beam 31. The size of one pixel is 25 μm.

The modulated beam 32 modulated pixel by pixel based on the formation data stored in the storage medium 22 is input to the projection optical system 18. In the scanning mechanism 12, the modulated beam 32 modulated at each step in the X-axis direction scans the metal material 50, for example, in the X-axis direction by the operation of the moving mechanism 18E and the moving mechanism 18F. A predetermined area of the metal material 50 is scanned by repeating movement and irradiation in the X-axis direction. When scanning with the modulated beam 32, the holding mechanism 16 may be movable in the X axis direction or the Y axis direction.

By irradiating the metal material 50 with the modulated beam 32, the temperature of the metal material 50 is increased. Then, sintering and melting of the metal material 50 occur. Then, after the layer that has become a sintered body becomes a predetermined thickness, the layer is lowered by moving the part cylinder 16A in the negative Z-axis direction, and the metal material 50 is further formed on the upper surface of the part cylinder 16A. Supply.

The metal material 50 supplied to the upper surface of the part cylinder 16A is flattened by the squeegee 16D to prepare for the irradiation of the next modulated beam 32.

Here, the diffusion of heat when the temperature of the metal material 50 is raised by the modulation beam 32, and is sintered and melted will be described.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the heat diffusion in the metal material 50 when the light quantity is given by the modulated beam 32. As shown in FIG.

In FIG. 10, (a) of FIG. 10 shows the temperature of the metal material 50 irradiated with the modulated beam 32, the horizontal axis shows the irradiated position corresponding to each pixel of the modulated beam 32, and the vertical axis shows the temperature. . In particular, the temperature T1 is a temperature at which the metal material 50 is shaped by being irradiated with a modulated beam that gives an amount of light onto the metal material 50, that is, a temperature at which sintering and melting (hereinafter referred to as sintering temperature T1). Represent. Further, the temperature T2 represents a temperature at which the metal material 50 is not shaped even when irradiated with a modulated beam that gives an amount of light onto the metal material 50 (hereinafter referred to as a green temperature T2). Further, a temperature T3 represents a peak temperature (hereinafter referred to as a peak temperature T3) due to a temperature rise of the metal material 50 by being irradiated with a modulated beam giving a light quantity on the metal material 50. The environmental temperature to which the modulated beam 32 is irradiated is, for example, room temperature (25 degrees).

FIG. 10B shows a light quantity profile (light energy distribution). In the figure, the vertical axis represents the set light amount. The horizontal axis represents the illumination position corresponding to each pixel of the modulated beam 32. Further, the light amount L represents the light amount at which the metal material 50 is formed, that is, the light amount necessary for sintering and melting (also referred to as a sintered light amount L). In the upper part of FIG. 10B, pixels corresponding to the irradiation position of the modulated beam 32 are shown.

In FIG. 10, the illumination position of the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each pixel in the spatial light modulator 14 is shown. In FIG. 10 (b), in the range L1, the modulated beam 32 having a rectangular light intensity profile is irradiated on the metal material 50, and the modulated beam 32 is a pixel for irradiating the laser light in the spatial light modulator 14. It is a beam corresponding to a certain on-pixel (opened pixel in FIG. 10B). On the other hand, in FIG. 10B, in the range L2, the modulated beam 32 having a rectangular light intensity profile is irradiated on the metal material 50, and the modulated beam 32 is irradiated with the laser beam in the spatial light modulator 14. It is an irradiation position corresponding to the middle pixel (pixel of hatching hatching in Drawing 10 (b)) which is a pixel to be.

In the case of sintering the metal material 50 using the modulated beam 32, the beam corresponding to the on pixel and the beam corresponding to the middle pixel are irradiated to the metal material 50.

Therefore, the state of diffusion of the irradiation energy of the beam differs depending on the presence or absence of irradiation of another beam adjacent to a certain beam. That is, although the irradiation energy of the beam has a relatively small degree of diffusion when the beam is irradiated to the adjacent position, when the beam is not irradiated to the adjacent position (also referred to as an off pixel) The degree will be greater. That is, even when a beam having a rectangular light intensity profile is irradiated, it is converted into heat energy and diffused in the metal material 50.

Then, the efficiency of the irradiation energy by the beams contributing to the temperature rise of the metal material 50 is also considered to be lowered when the beam is not irradiated to the adjacent position. That is, even if the same amount of light is given by the modulated beam 32, the degree of sintering and melting of the metal material 50 varies depending on the presence or absence of the beam irradiation at the adjacent irradiation position.

In FIG. 10, the range L1 is a row of ON pixels (ON pixel row) consisting of 5 consecutive ON pixels and 9 ON pixels, and the range L2 is a row of intermediate pixels consisting of 5 consecutive middle pixels (middle pixel Pixel row). As the number of ON pixels in the ON pixel column is larger, the influence of thermal diffusion is smaller, and the energy contributing to shaping increases. However, when the pixel adjacent to the outermost pixel in the on-pixel column does not irradiate the beam, the beam from the outermost pixel in the on-pixel column has a greater effect of thermal diffusion in the metal material 50 and contributes to the formation Less energy. That is, when the temperature raising efficiency of the metal material 50 is reduced due to the diffusion of the irradiation energy, the irradiation position hardly reaches the sintering (melting) temperature T1 which is a temperature necessary for sintering the metal material 50. Therefore, insufficient sintering results in the formation of a three-dimensional feature having a smaller dimension than the dimension based on the feature data. That is, only a region where the temperature rises to the sintering (melting) temperature T1 or more is effectively shaped. Therefore, if the temperature rise varies, the strength may become insufficient at the edge of the formed three-dimensional structure.

In particular, when the metal material 50 is sintered by an infrared laser, the difference in the degree of diffusion of the irradiation energy is more remarkable than in the case of sintering the metal material by ultraviolet light.

On the other hand, by setting the intermediate pixel in the range L2 adjacent to the range L1 as in the present embodiment, the influence of the thermal diffusion generated in the metal material 50 on the beam from the outermost pixel in the on pixel row is reduced. Specifically, the intermediate pixel emits a beam that raises the temperature of the metal material 50 to less than the sintering temperature T1, which is a temperature at which the metal material 50 is formed. Thereby, the influence of the thermal diffusion by the on pixels adjacent to the intermediate pixel can be reduced without sintering the metal material 50.

Therefore, the light amount control unit 20C in FIG. 8 controls the amount of light that the modulated beam 32 corresponding to the middle pixel on the metal material 50 gives to the plurality of pixels between the on pixel rows. Specifically, the amount of light provided by modulated beam 32 corresponding to the intermediate pixels on metal material 50 is a temperature at which metal material 50 is not shaped, in other words, less than the temperature at which it is shaped (green temperature T2) Set the light amount to raise the temperature of 50. As described above, by setting the pixels between the on-pixel rows as intermediate pixels, it is possible to perform shaping with maintaining the intensity at the edge of the three-dimensional shaping. In addition, the value of the light quantity which raises the metal material 50 to the unsintered temperature T2 can be calculated | required by experimenting.

The control of the light amount as described above is performed, for example, by the control of at least one of the modulation control unit 20A and the scan control unit 20B by the light amount control unit 20C.

Specifically, the modulation control unit 20A adjusts the gradation of each pixel of the modulated beam 32 in the spatial light modulator 14 by voltage control, or the scan control unit 20B modulates the modulated beam 32 on the metal material 50. The set amount of light of the modulated beam 32 is controlled by pulse width modulation (PWM) control of the time for irradiating a desired position, or by combining these controls.

As described above, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, when three-dimensional modeling is performed at high speed by the modulated beam 32, precise three-dimensional modeling while alleviating variations in temperature rise due to irradiation energy of the modulated beam 32. Is possible. Specifically, regardless of the presence or absence of the formation by the pixel adjacent to the on pixel in the modulated beam 32, the powdery metal material 50 as the target can be appropriately heated and sintered.

In addition, since three-dimensional modeling can be performed using an infrared laser capable of large output, modeling can be performed at higher speed than in the case of using ultraviolet light.

Even in the case of applying a laser beam for expanding the projection area into a two-dimensional planar shape, the difference in temperature rise due to the irradiation energy of the laser light is obtained by the light amount control in the projection area as in the above embodiment. While relaxing, precise three-dimensional modeling becomes possible.

<About the effect produced by the embodiment described above>
Next, the effects produced by the embodiments described above are illustrated. In the following description, although the effect is described based on the specific configuration exemplified in the embodiment described above, it is exemplified in the present specification as long as the same effect occurs. Other specific configurations may be substituted.

According to the embodiment described above, the three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus includes the laser light source 10, the illumination optical system 11, the spatial light modulator 14, the holding mechanism 16, the scanning mechanism 12, and the light quantity control unit And 20C. Here, the illumination optical system 11 corresponds to, for example, the lens 11A and the lens 11B. The lens 11A and the lens 11B shape the laser beam 30 input from the laser light source 10 into a line beam 31. The spatial light modulator 14 modulates the line beam 31 pixel by pixel based on build data that is indicative of the three-dimensional build formed by the modulated beam 32 on the target. Here, the target corresponds to, for example, the metal material 50. The holding mechanism 16 holds the metal material 50. The scanning mechanism 12 scans the modulated beam 32 modulated by the spatial light modulator 14 on the metal material 50 held by the holding mechanism 16 based on the modeling data. Here, in the spatial light modulator 14, the pixels corresponding to the modulated beam 32 giving the light quantity on the metal material 50 are set as ON pixels, and the row of ON pixels arranged continuously is set as an ON pixel row. Then, the light quantity control unit 20C controls the light quantity that the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each on pixel gives to the metal material 50 according to the number of on pixels in the on pixel column.

According to such a configuration, precise three-dimensional modeling can be performed while alleviating the variation in temperature rise of the metal material 50 due to the difference in the contribution of the irradiation energy of the modulated beam 32. Specifically, the degree of sintering (melting) of the metal material 50 by diffusion of irradiation energy by controlling the amount of light that the modulated beam 32 gives on the metal material 50 based on the number of continuous ON pixels in the line beam 31 Can be mitigated.

In addition, about another structure illustrated by this-application specification other than these structures, it can be abbreviate | omitted suitably. That is, if at least these configurations are provided, the effects described above can be produced.

However, when at least one of the other configurations exemplified in the present specification is appropriately added to the configuration described above, that is, it is exemplified in the present specification which is not mentioned as the configuration described above. The same effect can be produced even if the other configurations are added as appropriate.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the light quantity control unit 20C gives the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each of the on pixels to the metal material 50 as the number of the on pixels in the on pixel row increases. As the amount of light is reduced and the number of ON pixels in the ON pixel column is smaller, the amount of light provided by the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each ON pixel on the metal material 50 is increased. According to such a configuration, it is difficult to diffuse the irradiation energy by the modulated beam 32 when there are many continuous on pixels, and that the irradiation energy by the modulated beam 32 is easily diffused when there are few continuous on pixels. The amount of light that the modulated beam 32 provides on the metal material 50 can be controlled to cancel each other.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the light amount control unit 20C causes the spatial light modulator 14 to adjust the gradation of the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each on-pixel in the on-pixel row. The amount of light that the modulated beam 32 corresponding to the on pixel concerned gives to the metal material 50 is controlled. According to such a configuration, the gradation control in the spatial light modulator 14 can alleviate the variation in the degree of sintering of the metal material 50 due to the diffusion of the irradiation energy.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the light quantity control unit 20C controls the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each of the on pixels according to the time during which the state of each on pixel in the on pixel row is maintained. Control the amount of light given over 50. According to such a configuration, it is possible to alleviate the variation in the degree of sintering of the metal material 50 due to the diffusion of the irradiation energy by controlling the time for maintaining the state of each on-pixel in the on-pixel row.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the light quantity control unit 20C controls the light quantity given by the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each on pixel on the metal material 50 to be a plurality of on pixels in the spatial light modulator 14. Control to be different between columns. According to such a configuration, even if there are a plurality of ON pixel columns having different numbers of ON pixels in the modulated beam 32, light quantity control based on the number of ON pixels is performed for each ON pixel column. it can.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, in the spatial light modulator 14, the light quantity control unit 20C sets the pixels other than the on pixels as the off pixels, and sets the row of the off pixels arranged continuously as the off pixel row. In accordance with the number of off pixels in the off pixel column, the amount of light provided to the metal material 50 by the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each on pixel in the on pixel column adjacent to the off pixel column is controlled. According to such a configuration, precise three-dimensional modeling can be performed while alleviating variations in temperature rise of the metal material 50 due to the irradiation energy of the modulated beam 32. Specifically, based on the number of consecutive off pixels in the modulated beam 32, the amount of irradiation energy is controlled by controlling the amount of light that the modulated beam 32 applies to each on pixel in the on pixel row adjacent to the off pixel row. Variations in the degree of sintering of the metal material 50 due to diffusion can be alleviated.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, as the number of off pixels in the off pixel column increases, the light amount control unit 20C corresponds to each on pixel in the on pixel column adjacent to the off pixel column. As the amount of light given to the metal material 50 by the modulated beam 32 increases and the number of off pixels in the off pixel row decreases, the modulated beam 32 corresponding to each on pixel in the on pixel row adjacent to the off pixel row becomes metal The amount of light provided on the material 50 is reduced. According to such a configuration, it is easy to diffuse the irradiation energy by the modulated beam 32 when there are many consecutive off pixels, and that it is difficult to diffuse the irradiation energy by the modulated beam 32 when there are few consecutive off pixels. The amount of light that the modulated beam 32 provides on the metal material 50 can be controlled to cancel each other.

According to the embodiment described above, the three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus includes the laser light source 10, the illumination optical system 11, the spatial light modulator 14, the holding mechanism 16, the scanning mechanism 12, and the light quantity control unit And 20C. Here, the illumination optical system 11 corresponds to, for example, the lenses 11A and 11B. The lenses 11A and 11B shape the laser light 30 input from the laser light source 10 into a line beam 30. The spatial light modulator 14 modulates the line beam 30 pixel by pixel based on build data that is indicative of the three-dimensional build formed by the modulated beam 32 on the target. Here, the target corresponds to, for example, the metal material 50. The holding mechanism 16 holds the metal material 50. The scanning mechanism 12 scans the modulated beam 32 modulated by the spatial light modulator 14 on the metal material 50 held by the holding mechanism 16 based on the modeling data. Here, in the spatial light modulator 14, a pixel corresponding to the modulated beam 32 that provides an amount of light above the temperature at which the metal material 50 is formed is made on the metal material 50 as an on pixel. The pixel corresponding to the modulated beam 32 which gives a light quantity to a temperature lower than the temperature at which is formed is an intermediate pixel. Then, the light quantity control unit 20C controls the light quantity that the modulated beam 32 corresponding to the on pixel and the middle pixel gives on the metal material 50.

According to such a configuration, precise three-dimensional modeling can be performed while alleviating the variation in temperature rise of the metal material 50 due to the difference in the contribution of the irradiation energy of the modulated beam 32. Specifically, sintering (melting) of the metal material 50 by diffusion of irradiation energy by controlling the amount of light provided on the metal material 50 by the modulated beam 32 of the intermediate pixel present between on pixels in the line beam 30 Variations in the degree can be mitigated.

In addition, about another structure illustrated by this-application specification other than these structures, it can be abbreviate | omitted suitably. That is, if at least these configurations are provided, the effects described above can be produced.

However, when at least one of the other configurations exemplified in the present specification is appropriately added to the configuration described above, that is, it is exemplified in the present specification which is not mentioned as the configuration described above. The same effect can be produced even if the other configurations are added as appropriate.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the light quantity control unit 20C controls the light quantity that the modulated beam 32 corresponding to the on pixel gives on the metal material 50 by the time for maintaining the state of the on pixel. . According to such a configuration, the variation of the degree of sintering of the metal material 50 due to the diffusion of the irradiation energy can be alleviated by controlling the irradiation time by the on-pixel.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the light quantity control unit 20C controls the light quantity that the modulated beam 32 corresponding to the intermediate pixel gives to the metal material 50 by the time for maintaining the state of the intermediate pixel. . According to such a configuration, it is possible to control the irradiation energy so that the temperature of the metal material 50 in the irradiation region becomes less than the sintering temperature by controlling the irradiation time by the intermediate pixels, and the sintering degree of the metal material 50 Can be mitigated.

Moreover, according to the embodiment described above, the laser light source 10 outputs a laser beam which is an infrared laser. According to such a configuration, since three-dimensional modeling can be performed using an infrared laser capable of high output, modeling can be performed at a higher speed than in the case of using ultraviolet light.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the metal material 50 is a powdery metal material. According to such a configuration, by sintering the metal material 50 with the modulation beam 32, it is possible to form a three-dimensional structure by a sintered body.

Moreover, according to the embodiment described above, a resin material may be used instead of the metal material 50. According to such a configuration, three-dimensional modeling can be formed by curing the photocurable resin material with the modulation beam 32. A powdery resin material can be employed as such a resin material.

Regarding Modifications of the Embodiments Described Above
In the embodiment described above, although the material, material, material, size, shape, relative arrangement relationship or condition of implementation of each component may also be described, these are exemplifications in all aspects. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the ones described in the present specification.

Accordingly, numerous modifications and equivalents not illustrated are contemplated within the scope of the technology disclosed herein. For example, when deforming at least one component, it is assumed that the case of adding or omitting is included.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 3D modeling manufacturing apparatus 10 Laser light source 11 Illumination optical system 11A, 11B, 18A, 18B Lens 12 Scanning mechanism 12A Holding stand 12B, 12C, 18E, 18F Movement mechanism,
14 spatial light modulator 14A substrate 14B micro bridge 14C slit 16 holding mechanism 16A part cylinder 16B, 16C feed cylinder 16D squeegee 18 projection optical system 19 mirror 20 control device 20A modulation control unit 20B scan control unit 20C light amount control unit 22 storage medium 30 Laser beam 31 Line beam 32 Modulated beam 32A Projection area 50 Metal material 100 Optical head L Sintered light amount L1, L2, L3, L4 range P1, P2 Set light amount transition T, T1 Sintering temperature (melting temperature)
T2 unsintered temperature T3 peak temperature

Claims (19)

Laser light source,
An illumination optical system that shapes laser light input from the laser light source into a line beam;
A spatial light modulator that modulates the line beam for each pixel to generate a modulated beam based on modeling data that indicates three-dimensional modeling;
A holding mechanism for holding the target;
Scanning means for scanning the modulated beam on the target held by the holding mechanism;
In the spatial light modulator, the pixel corresponding to the modulated beam that provides a first amount of light on the target is an on pixel, and different from the on pixel that corresponds to the modulated beam that provides a second amount of light on the target And a light amount control unit that controls a light amount given by the modulated beam on the target, with a pixel as an intermediate pixel.
The first light quantity is a light quantity that raises the temperature of the target above the temperature at which the target is formed,
The three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus, wherein the second light quantity is a light quantity that raises the temperature of the target to a temperature lower than a temperature at which the target is formed. The light amount control unit
With the pixels adjacent to the on pixels at both ends of the on pixel row, which is the row of the on pixels continuously arranged, as the intermediate pixel, the light quantity of the middle pixel is such that the modulated beam gives the second light amount onto the target. Control the
The three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1. The light amount control unit controls the amount of light provided by the modulated beam corresponding to the on pixel on the target according to the time for maintaining the state of the on pixel.
The three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. The light amount control unit controls the second light amount provided by the modulated beam corresponding to the intermediate pixel on the target according to a time during which the state of the intermediate pixel is maintained.
The three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The laser light source outputs the laser light which is an infrared laser.
The three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The target is a powdery metal material,
The three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The target is a resin material,
The three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Laser light source,
An illumination optical system that shapes laser light input from the laser light source into a line beam;
A spatial light modulator that modulates the line beam for each pixel to generate a modulated beam based on modeling data that indicates three-dimensional modeling;
A holding mechanism for holding the target;
A three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing method using a three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus comprising: scanning means for scanning the modulated beam on the target held by the holding mechanism;
In the spatial light modulator, the pixel corresponding to the modulated beam that provides a first amount of light on the target is an on pixel, and different from the on pixel that corresponds to the modulated beam that provides a second amount of light on the target Controlling the amount of light provided by the modulated beam on the target with the pixel as an intermediate pixel;
The first light quantity is a light quantity that raises the temperature of the target above the temperature at which the target is formed,
The method according to claim 3, wherein the second light amount is a light amount that raises the temperature of the target to a temperature lower than a temperature at which the target is formed. Laser light source,
An illumination optical system that shapes laser light input from the laser light source into a line beam;
A spatial light modulator that modulates the line beam for each pixel to generate a modulated beam based on modeling data that indicates three-dimensional modeling;
A holding mechanism for holding the target;
Scanning means for scanning the modulated beam modulated by the spatial light modulator on the target held by the holding mechanism;
In the spatial light modulator, the pixels corresponding to the modulated beam giving an amount of light on the target are turned on pixels, and the row of on pixels arranged continuously is turned on.
And a light amount control unit configured to control the amount of light provided by the modulated beam corresponding to each on pixel according to the number of the on pixels in the on pixel column.
Three-dimensional modeling production device. The light amount control unit
As the number of the on pixels in the on pixel column increases, the amount of light provided by the modulated beam corresponding to each of the on pixels on the target decreases.
As the number of the on pixels in the on pixel column is smaller, the amount of light provided by the modulated beam corresponding to each on pixel on the target is increased.
The three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9. The light quantity control unit causes the spatial light modulator to adjust the gradation of the modulated beam corresponding to each on-pixel in the on-pixel column to make the modulated beam corresponding to each on-pixel Control the amount of light given on the target,
The three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9 or 10. The light amount control unit controls the amount of light provided to the target by the modulated beam corresponding to each on pixel according to the time for maintaining the state of each on pixel in the on pixel row.
The three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11. The light amount control unit controls the amount of light provided by the modulated beam corresponding to each of the on pixels on the target to be different among the plurality of on pixel rows in the spatial light modulator.
The three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 12. In the spatial light modulator, pixels other than the on pixel are set as an off pixel, and a column of the off pixels arranged in series is set as an off pixel column.
The light quantity control unit determines the quantity of light that the modulated beam corresponding to each on pixel in the on pixel column adjacent to the off pixel column gives to the target according to the number of the off pixels in the off pixel column. Control the
The three-dimensional modeling manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 13. The light amount control unit
As the number of the off pixels in the off pixel column increases, the amount of light provided to the target by the modulated beam corresponding to each on pixel in the on pixel column adjacent to the off pixel column increases.
As the number of the off pixels in the off pixel column is smaller, the amount of light provided to the target by the modulated beam corresponding to each on pixel in the on pixel column adjacent to the off pixel column is reduced.
The three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus according to claim 14. The laser light source outputs the laser light which is an infrared laser.
The three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 15. The target is a powdery metal material,
The three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 16. The target is a resin material,
The three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 16. Laser light source,
An illumination optical system that shapes laser light input from the laser light source into a line beam;
A spatial light modulator that modulates the line beam for each pixel to generate a modulated beam based on modeling data that indicates three-dimensional modeling;
A holding mechanism for holding the target;
A three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing method using a three-dimensional modeling and manufacturing apparatus comprising: scanning means for scanning the modulated beam modulated by the spatial light modulator on the target held by the holding mechanism,
In the spatial light modulator, the pixels corresponding to the modulated beam giving an amount of light on the target are turned on pixels, and the row of on pixels arranged continuously is turned on.
According to the number of the on pixels in the on pixel column, controlling the amount of light provided by the modulated beam corresponding to each of the on pixels on the target
Three-dimensional modeling manufacturing method.

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