Three-dimensional modeling apparatus, object, and method of manufacturing an object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10022911-B2
Application number	US-201113208557-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2011
Priority date	Aug 19, 2010
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a three-dimensional modeling apparatus including a stage, a constraining body, a supply nozzle, an irradiation unit, and a movement mechanism. The constraining body includes a surface including a linear region along a first direction, and is opposed to the stage so that the linear region is the closest to the stage. The supply nozzle supplies a material curable by energy of an energy ray into a slit region between the stage and the linear region. The irradiation unit irradiates the supplied material with the energy ray through the constraining body. The movement mechanism moves the stage relative to the constraining body along a second direction for forming a cured layer of the material for one layer, and moves the constraining body and the stage relative to each other along a stacking direction for stacking the cured layers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for creating a three-dimensional object from successive layers of a cured material, the apparatus comprising:
a stage;
a constraining body that includes a curved surface, the curved surface including an apex region that extends along a length of the curved surface of the constraining body in a first direction, the curved surface having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the constraining body being arranged with respect to the stage so that the apex region of the curved surface is closest to the stage and the first side of the curved surface is facing the stage during formation of the three-dimensional object from the successive layers, wherein the constraining body remains curved during the formation of the three-dimensional object from the successive layers;
a supply nozzle configured to supply a material curable by energy of an energy ray onto a surface of the constraining body to be conveyed by the constraining body into a slit region, the slit region being a region between the stage and the apex region and being located on the first side of the curved surface, the supply nozzle being spaced apart from the slit region to supply the material on the surface of the constraining body for conveyance to the slit region;
an irradiation unit configured to irradiate the material in the slit region to form the cured material by emitting the energy ray from the second side of the curved surface to the slit region on the first side of the curved surface, the irradiation unit comprising at least one optical element to focus the energy ray in the slit region;
a first movement mechanism configured to:
move the stage, relative to the apex region of the curved surface, along a second direction different from the first direction during an iterative process of forming a single cured layer of the material for one layer of the successive layers of the three-dimensional object by using the energy ray, and
move the stage relative to the constraining body in a third direction different from the first and second directions to form the successive layers of the cured material;

a second movement mechanism configured to move the irradiation unit in the first direction; and
a third movement mechanism configured to control a relative position between the constraining body and the irradiation unit wherein the third movement controls the relative movement position between the constraining body and the irradiation unit by adjusting a position of the constraining body.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the constraining body has a cylindrical shape, and
the curved surface including the apex region includes at least a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the constraining body having the cylindrical shape.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the irradiation unit is arranged in an inside of the constraining body having the cylindrical shape.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of guide rollers configured to support the constraining body during rotation of the constraining body.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising
a drive portion configured to drive at least one of the plurality of guide rollers.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the constraining body has a shape of a curved plate and the curved surface includes at least a portion of the curved plate.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the constraining body has a shape of a part of a cylindrical body and the curved surface includes at least a portion of the cylindrical body.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the third direction in which the first movement mechanism is configured to move the constraining body and the stage relative to each other is a direction including a vertical component.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a cleaning nozzle configured to supply a cleaning material to the three-dimensional object formed on the stage.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the supply nozzle includes a plurality of supply nozzles, and
the plurality of supply nozzles are configured to discharge different materials.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the supply nozzle includes a nozzle of a slit coating type.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the supply nozzle is configured to supply a material comprising a thixotropy.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the constraining body and the supply nozzle include a plurality of constraining bodies and a plurality of supply nozzles, each one of the plurality of constraining bodies being paired with one of the plurality of supply nozzles, and
the plurality of constraining bodies and the plurality of supply nozzles are arranged along the second direction along which the movement mechanism is configured to move the stage.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the irradiation unit radiates the energy ray and the first movement mechanism moves the stage so as to form a main body of the three-dimensional object and an anchor pattern arranged in at least a part of a periphery of the main body of the three-dimensional object.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the stage about an axis along the third direction.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a protective film that is provided on the curved surface of the constraining body.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:
the irradiation unit to emit the energy ray is configured to radiate a plurality of energy beams as the energy ray; and
the apparatus further comprises a control portion configured to control the irradiation unit so that a period of time when the plurality of energy beams are being radiated includes a period of time when at least two energy beams of the plurality of energy beams are being radiated simultaneously.

18. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein:
the apex region of the curved surface is a portion of the curved surface closest to the stage, the apex region changing between different portions of the curved surface during rotation of the constraining body; and
the apex region that extends along the length of the curved surface extends along the length of the cylindrical shape.

19. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the third direction is a vertical direction;
the first and second directions are perpendicular to the third direction; and
the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the first direction defines an x-axis, the second direction defines a y-axis and the third direction defines a z-axis.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the irradiation unit is configured to irradiate different portions of the material in the slit region as the stage moves in the second direction during the iterative process of forming the single layer of the successive layers of cured material.

22. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical element comprises at least one lens.

23. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the optical element is arranged in an inside of the constraining body having the cylindrical shape.

24. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the slit region extends along the length of the curved surface in the first direction.

25. The apparatus ac

Assignees

• Yasukochi Hiroyuki
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Yasukochi Hiroyuki

Classifications

• B29C64/241

  for rotary motion · CPC title

• B29C64/25

  Housings, e.g. machine housings · CPC title

• B29C64/176

  Sequentially · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/268

  using laser beams; using electron beams [EB] · CPC title