Three-dimensional shaped article production apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11738512-B2
Application number	US-202217932379-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2022
Priority date	May 22, 2020
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

A three-dimensional shaped article production apparatus includes a shaping table, a layer forming section that forms a powder layer, a head that ejects a liquid containing a binder to a shaping region of a three-dimensional shaped article, a liquid supply system that supplies the liquid to the head, and a moving system that relatively moves the head with respect to the shaping table, wherein the head includes a nozzle that ejects the liquid, a pressure chamber that communicates with the nozzle, a supply flow channel that communicates with the pressure chamber upstream in a supply direction of the liquid, and a circulation flow channel that communicates with the pressure chamber downstream in the supply direction, the circulation flow channel includes a first filter, and a pore diameter of the first filter is larger than a particle diameter of a powder for forming the powder layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional shaped article production apparatus, comprising:
a shaping table;
a layer forming section that forms a powder layer at the shaping table;
a head that ejects a liquid containing a binder to a shaping region of a three-dimensional shaped article in the powder layer;
a liquid supply system that supplies the liquid to the head; and
a moving system that relatively moves the head with respect to the shaping table, wherein
the head includes a nozzle that ejects the liquid, a pressure chamber that communicates with the nozzle, a supply flow channel that communicates with the pressure chamber upstream in a supply direction of the liquid, and a circulation flow channel that communicates with the pressure chamber downstream in the supply direction,
the supply flow channel includes a first filter, and
a pore diameter of the first filter is smaller than a particle diameter of a powder for forming the powder layer.

2. The three-dimensional shaped article production apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the head includes a temperature sensor.

3. The three-dimensional shaped article production apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the liquid supply system includes a pressurization controlling liquid tank, a depressurization controlling liquid tank, and a second filter, and
a pore diameter of the second filter is smaller than the particle diameter of the powder for forming the powder layer.

4. The three-dimensional shaped article production apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the second filter is provided in the second circulation flow channel, the pressurization controlling liquid tank, or the depressurization controlling liquid tank.

5. The three-dimensional shaped article production apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the second filter is replaceable.

6. The three-dimensional shaped article production apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the liquid supply system includes a flow rate sensor of the liquid,
information for replacing the second filter is output when it is detected that the flow rate of the liquid is equal to or less than a threshold value by the flow rate sensor.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Watanabe Manabu
• Hirai Toshimitsu
• Tsunoya Akihiko
• Momose Kaoru

Classifications

• B29C64/314 Primary

  Preparation · CPC title

• B29C64/165

  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

• B29C64/209

  Heads; Nozzles · CPC title

• B29C64/386

  Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title