Three-dimensional shaping apparatus and lamination shaping method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016339644-A1
Application number	US-201615156760-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 17, 2016
Priority date	May 22, 2015
Publication date	Nov 24, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Before forming a shaped object, processing in which a calibration marker formed from a shaping material is formed by an imaging forming unit and the calibration marker is laminated on a stage via a transfer member is performed. The calibration marker laminated on the stage is detected by a sensor, and image distortion of the calibration marker laminated on the stage is measured based on this detection result. When the shaped object is formed, correction to reduce the image distortion is performed on slice image data provided to the image forming unit, based on the image distortion measured in advance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A three-dimensional shaping apparatus, comprising:
an image forming unit configured to form a material image formed from a shaping material based on input image data; a transfer member to which the material image formed by the image forming unit is transferred and which is configured to convey the material image; and a stage on which the material image conveyed by the transfer member is laminated, the three-dimensional shaping apparatus comprising: a marker generation unit configured to generate image data of a calibration marker; a control unit configured to input the generated image data of the calibration marker to the image forming unit; a first detection unit configured to detect a position of the calibration marker, which is formed by the image forming unit based on the image data of the calibration marker and laminated on the stage; and an image distortion measurement unit configured to measure image distortion of the calibration marker laminated on the stage, based on the detection result from the first detection unit.

2 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit includes a correction unit configured to perform correction to reduce the image distortion on the image data input to the image forming unit, based on the image distortion measured by the image distortion measurement unit.

3 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the image distortion measurement unit determines, as the image distortion, a deformation vector calculated based on a difference between the position of the calibration marker detected by the first detection unit and normal position where the calibration marker is to be laminated when there is no image distortion.

4 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the calibration marker include a plurality of markers disposed within a shaping area on the stage, at positions distant from one another.

5 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the calibration marker include a plurality of markers disposed on four corners of a rectangular shaping area on the stage.

6 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the image distortion measurement unit calculates the image distortion at a position where material images of the plurality of markers are not formed within the shaping area, using linear interpolation of the image distortion of the plurality of markers.

7 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of image forming units, wherein
the marker generation unit generates image data of calibration markers for the plurality of image forming units respectively, and the first detection unit detects the calibration markers and the image distortion measurement unit measures the image distortion, for the plurality of image forming units respectively.

8 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the control unit includes a marker attaching unit configured to attach image data of a registration marker to slice image data to be input to the image forming unit, and the three-dimensional shaping apparatus further comprises: a second detection unit configured to detect the registration marker on the transfer member; a position measurement unit configured to measure a positional shift of a material image based on the slice image data on the transfer member, using the detection result from the second detection unit; and an adjustment unit configured to adjust a position of the stage based on the positional shift measured by the position measurement unit, when the material image based on the slice image data on the transfer member is laminated.

9 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein
the registration marker is a graphic having a first edge which is orthogonal to an advancing direction of the transfer member and a second edge which is diagonal with respect to the advancing direction of the transfer member, and the position measurement unit: acquires a position of the material image with respect to the advancing direction of the transfer member, based on a detection timing of the first edge; and acquires the positional shift of the material image with respect to the direction orthogonal to the advancing direction of the transfer member, based on a difference between the detection timing of the first edge and a detection timing of the second edge.

10 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the transfer member includes a primary transfer member to which the material image is transferred from the image forming unit, and a second transfer member to which the material image is transferred from the primary transfer member and which is configured to convey the material image to a lamination position on the stage.

11 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the image forming unit forms the material image by an electrophotographic process.

12 . A three-dimensional shaping apparatus, comprising:
an image forming unit configured to form a material image formed from a shaping material based on input image data; a transfer member to which the material image formed by the image forming unit is transferred and which is configured to convey the material image; and a stage on which the material image conveyed by the transfer member is laminated, the three-dimensional shaping apparatus comprising: a control unit configured to generate slice image data including a slice image of a shaping target object and a registration marker, and to input the slice image data to the image forming unit; a second detection unit configured to detect the registration marker, which are formed by the image forming unit based on the slice image data and are included in the material image transferred to the transfer member; a position measurement unit configured to measure a positional shift of the material image on the transfer member based on the detection result from the second detection unit; and an adjustment unit configured to adjust a position of the stage based on the positional shift measured by the position measurement unit.

13 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein
the registration marker is a graphic having a first edge which is orthogonal to an advancing direction of the transfer member and a second edge which is diagonal with respect to the advancing direction of the transfer member, and the position measurement unit:
acquires a position of the material image with respect to the advancing direction of the transfer member, based on a detection timing of the first edge; and
acquires the positional shift of the material image with respect to the direction orthogonal to the advancing direction of the transfer member, based on a difference between the detection timing of the first edge and a detection timing of the second edge.

14 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein
the transfer member includes a primary transfer member to which the material image is transferred from the image forming unit, and a second transfer member to which the material image is transferred from the primary transfer member and which is configured to convey the material image to a lamination position on the stage.

15 . The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein
the image forming unit forms the material image by an elec

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Sobue Ikuo
• Sakurai Shigeki
• Suzuki Noriyuki

Classifications

• B29C64/205

  Means for applying layers · CPC title

• B29C64/147

  using sheet material, e.g. laminated object manufacturing [LOM] or laminating sheet material precut to local cross sections of the 3D object · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• G03G15/224 Primary

  Machines for forming tactile or three dimensional images by electrographic means, e.g. braille, 3d printing · CPC title

• B33Y30/00 Primary

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