Three-dimensional shaping apparatus and three-dimensional shaped article production method comprising a plasticizing section

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11745428-B2
Application number	US-202117210863-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2021
Priority date	Mar 27, 2020
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

A three-dimensional shaping apparatus includes a plasticizing section that forms a plasticized material, a flow channel for the plasticized material, a nozzle having an ejection port, from which the plasticized material is ejected to a shaping region, a position changing mechanism that changes a relative position of the nozzle to the table, a pressure measurement section that measures a pressure in the flow channel, and a cleaning mechanism that is provided in a cleaning region different from the shaping region and cleans the ejection port, wherein a cleaning process for causing the cleaning mechanism to perform cleaning by suspending a shaping process in the middle of the shaping process, and moving the nozzle to the cleaning region is executed, and the shaping process is resumed when the pressure is measured to be a reference value or less by the pressure measurement section after executing the cleaning process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional shaping apparatus, comprising:
a plasticizing section that forms a plasticized material by plasticizing a material;
a flow channel, through which the plasticized material flows;
a nozzle that communicates with the flow channel and has an ejection port, from which the plasticized material is ejected to a shaping region of a table;
an ejection adjustment mechanism that adjusts an ejection amount of the plasticized material from the ejection port;
a position changing mechanism that changes a relative position of the nozzle to the table;
a pressure measurement section that measures a pressure in the flow channel;
a cleaning mechanism that is provided in a cleaning region different from the shaping region and cleans the nozzle; and
a control unit that controls the ejection adjustment mechanism, and the position changing mechanism and executes a shaping process for shaping a three-dimensional shaped article by stacking layers of the plasticized material at the table, wherein
the control unit
executes a cleaning process for causing the cleaning mechanism to perform cleaning by suspending the shaping process in the middle of the shaping process, and moving the nozzle to the cleaning region, and
resumes the shaping process when the pressure measured by the pressure measurement section is a reference value or less after executing the cleaning process.

2. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the ejection adjustment mechanism is provided in the flow channel, and
the pressure measurement section measures the pressure in the flow channel between the ejection adjustment mechanism and the ejection port.

3. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the ejection adjustment mechanism is provided in the flow channel, and
the pressure measurement section measures the pressure in the flow channel between the plasticizing section and the ejection adjustment mechanism after adjustment by the ejection adjustment mechanism so that the plasticized material is in an ejectable state from the ejection port.

4. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
as a nozzle for a plasticized material that ejects the plasticized material, a nozzle for a shaping material that ejects a shaping material for shaping a three-dimensional shaped article and a nozzle for a support material that ejects a support material for supporting the shaping material are included,
as the pressure measurement section, a pressure measurement section for a shaping material that measures a pressure in the flow channel in the nozzle for a shaping material, and a pressure measurement section for a support material that measures a pressure in the flow channel in the nozzle for a support material are included, and
the control unit
drives the nozzle for a shaping material and the nozzle for a support material in a switching manner, and also executes the cleaning process for both the nozzle for a shaping material and the nozzle for a support material when switching, and
resumes the shaping process after the pressure in the flow channel in the nozzle for a shaping material and in the flow channel in the nozzle for a support material becomes a predetermined value or less.

5. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit executes the cleaning process when the pressure is measured to be a predetermined value or more by the pressure measurement section.

6. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit prevents the plasticizing section from being driven during execution of the cleaning process.

7. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the plasticizing section includes
a drive motor,
a screw that is rotated by the drive motor and has a groove formed face with a spiral groove formed therein,
a barrel that has an opposed face opposed to the groove formed face and is provided with a communication hole, and
a heating section that heats at least one of the screw and the barrel.

8. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the cleaning process includes an ejection amount adjustment process for performing adjustment of the ejection amount of the plasticized material from the nozzle using at least one of a line width of the plasticized material ejected from the ejection port and the ejection amount of the plasticized material ejected from the ejection port.

9. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a chamber whose internal temperature is adjustable is included, and
the cleaning mechanism is provided in the chamber.

10. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
the chamber has a warm air inlet inside, and
the cleaning mechanism has a brush that comes in contact with a face where the ejection port is formed at a position where warm air is introduced from the warm air inlet.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Tsunoya Akihiko

Classifications

• B29C64/35 Primary

  Cleaning · CPC title

• B29C64/209

  Heads; Nozzles · CPC title

• B29C64/364

  Conditioning of environment · CPC title

• B29C64/393

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title