Three-dimensional shaping apparatus, method for controlling three-dimensional shaping apparatus, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11084274-B2
Application number	US-201615375738-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 12, 2016
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Aug 10, 2021
Grant date	Aug 10, 2021

Abstract

A three-dimensional shaping apparatus includes: a supplying unit configured to supply powder to a storage unit to form a layer of the powder; a discharging unit configured to discharge shaping liquid to solidify the powder onto the powder; and a controlling unit configured to generate a control signal for controlling the supplying unit and the discharging unit based on shaping data indicating a shape of a three-dimensional shaped object. The controlling unit is configured to generate the control signal for laminating at least one sacrificial layer separable from at least one shaping layer corresponding to the three-dimensional shaped object in such a position that the at least one sacrificial layer is under the at least one shaping layer, based on the shaping data and powder information stored in advance and indicating change in thickness of a layer of the powder caused by permeation of the shaping liquid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional shaping apparatus configured to generate a three-dimensional shaped object, the three-dimensional shaping apparatus comprising:
a storage unit configured to store powder;
a supplying unit configured to supply the powder to the storage unit to form a layer of the powder;
a discharging unit configured to discharge a shaping liquid to solidify the powder onto the powder; and
a controller configured to control the supplying unit and the discharging unit to laminate, based on shaping data and powder information, at least one sacrificial layer separable from at least one shaping layer corresponding to the three-dimensional shaped object in such a position that the at least one sacrificial layer is under the at least one shaping layer, the at least one sacrificial layer including a separation layer or the separation layer being included between the at least one sacrificial layer and the at least one shaping layer such that the shaping liquid is not discharged onto the separation layer while generating the three-dimensional shaped object, the shaping data indicating a shape of the three-dimensional shaped object and the powder information being stored in advance and indicating change in thickness of a layer of the powder caused by permeation of the shaping liquid.

2. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the supplying unit and the discharging unit to laminate the at least one sacrificial layer in such a position that the at least one sacrificial layer is under the at least one shaping layer, until the thicknesses of a layer of the powder after discharging the shaping liquid is reduced to a set thickness.

3. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the supplying unit and the discharging unit to laminate, between the at least one sacrificial layer and the at least one shaping layer, the separation layer such that the separation layer is one of (i) separated from the at least one shaping layer while being integrated with the at least one sacrificial layer, and (ii) separated from the at least one sacrificial layer while being integrated with the at least one shaping layer.

4. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to prohibit the discharging unit from discharging the shaping liquid during when the at least one separation layer is laminated.

5. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to control the supplying unit to supply the storage unit with the powder with a thickness sufficiently larger than a thickness corresponding to a single layer of the separation layer, prior to laminating the at least one sacrificial layer.

6. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the shaping data includes a designed thickness of the three-dimensional shaped object,
an actual thickness of the three-dimensional shaped object reduced by the permeation of the shaping liquid is calculated based on the powder information, and
a difference between the designed thickness and the actual thickness is added to the designed thickness.

7. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein an actual thickness t n of an n-th layer of the at least one sacrificial layer is calculated using Expression (1):

t
n

=

k
⁡

(

nt
-

∑

j
=
1

n
=
1

⁢

t
j

)

(
1
)

where t denotes a designed thickness of a single layer of the at least one sacrificial layer; n denotes a positive integer from 1 to m inclusive; and k denotes “a thickness of a single layer of the at least one sacrificial layer after the shaping liquid is discharged”/t.

8. A method for controlling a three-dimensional shaping apparatus to generate a three-dimensional shaped object, the three-dimensional shaping apparatus including a storage unit configured to store powder, a supplying unit configured to supply the powder to the storage unit to form a layer of the powder, and a discharging unit configured to discharge a shaping liquid to solidify the powder onto the powder, the method comprising:
laminating, based on shaping data and powder information, at least one sacrificial layer separable from at least one shaping layer corresponding to the three-dimensional shaped object in such a position that the at least one sacrificial layer is under the at least one shaping layer, the at least one sacrificial layer including a separation layer or the separation layer being included between the at least one sacrificial layer and the at least one shaping layer such that the shaping liquid is not discharged onto the separation layer while generating the three-dimensional shaped object, the shaping data indicating a shape of the-three-dimensional shaped object and the powder information being stored in advance and indicating change in thickness of a layer of the powder caused by permeation of the shaping liquid.

9. A non-transitory recording medium including a computer program for controlling a three-dimensional shaping apparatus to generate a three-dimensional shaped object, the three-dimensional shaping apparatus including a storage unit configured to store powder, a supplying unit configured to supply the powder to the storage unit to form a layer of the powder, and a discharging unit configured to discharge a shaping liquid to solidify the powder onto the powder, the computer program causing a computer to control the three-dimensional shaping apparatus to:
laminate, based on shaping data and powder information, at least one sacrificial layer separable from at least one shaping layer corresponding to the three-dimensional shaped object in such a position that the at least one sacrificial layer is under the at least one shaping layer, the at least one sacrificial layer including a separation layer or the separation layer being included between the at least one sacrificial layer and the at least one shaping layer such that the shaping liquid is not discharged onto the separation layer while generating the three-dimensional shaped object, the shaping data indicating a shape of the three-dimensional shaped object and the powder information being stored in advance and indicating change in thickness of a layer of the powder caused by permeation of

Assignees

• Sasaki Takafumi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sasaki Takafumi

Classifications

• B29C64/165 Primary

  using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber · CPC title

• B33Y50/02 Primary

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29K2105/0058

  Liquid or visquous · CPC title

• B29C64/00

  Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering · CPC title