Forming apparatus and forming method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016368217-A1
Application number	US-201514961081-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 7, 2015
Priority date	Jun 19, 2015
Publication date	Dec 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a forming apparatus including an operating section that includes a base portion, a forming unit that includes an ejection unit having an ejection surface from which a droplet of a light curing forming liquid is ejected toward the base portion, that moves relatively with respect to the base portion, and that forms a three-dimensional object on the base portion by repeating both of ejection of the droplet and curing the droplet with an irradiation beam, and a reduction unit that disposes a reduction section, which reduces an amount of light reflected toward the ejection surface, around the three-dimensional object in the operating section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A forming apparatus comprising:
an operating section that includes a base portion; a forming unit that includes an ejection unit having an ejection surface from which a droplet of a light curing forming liquid is ejected toward the base portion, that moves relatively with respect to the base portion, and that forms a three-dimensional object on the base portion by repeating both of ejection of the droplet and curing the droplet with an irradiation beam; and a reduction unit that disposes a reduction section, which reduces an amount of light reflected toward the ejection surface, around the three-dimensional object in the operating section.

2 . The forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reduction section is a beam-blocking wall that is provided around the three-dimensional object in the base portion to have a greater height from the base portion along with formation of the three-dimensional object.

3 . The forming apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the beam-blocking wall is formed on the base portion with the droplet ejected from the ejection unit.

4 . The forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the operating section includes a wall section that surrounds the three-dimensional object, and wherein the reduction section is formed of a material having reflectance lower than reflectance of the three-dimensional object, and is formed of granulated bodies that are supplied to and accumulated on an inner side of the wall section in order along with formation of the three-dimensional object.

5 . The forming apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a removing unit that removes the granulated bodies supplied to the inner side of the wall section.

6 . The forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the operating section includes a wall section that surrounds the three-dimensional object, and wherein the reduction section is an extension section that extends to the three-dimensional object side from the wall section and that is separated from the base portion with a distance increasing along with formation of the three-dimensional object.

7 . A forming method of a three-dimensional object, which is applied to a forming apparatus including
an operating section that includes a base portion, and a forming unit that includes an ejection unit having an ejection surface from which a droplet of a light curing forming liquid is ejected toward the base portion, and an irradiation unit which irradiates and cures the droplet having landed on the base portion with an irradiation beam, that moves relatively with respect to the base portion, and that forms a three-dimensional object on the base portion by repeating both of ejection of the droplet and curing the droplet, the forming method comprising: providing a beam-blocking wall around the three-dimensional object in the operating section so that the beam-blocking wall has a greater height from the base portion along with formation of the three-dimensional object.

8 . The forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the worktable is coated in black.

9 . The forming apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the wall section is coated in black.

10 . The forming apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the worktable is provided with a matte finish.

11 . The forming apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the wall section is provided with a matte finish.

Assignees

• Fuji Xerox Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kanda Torahiko

Classifications

• B29C64/268

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

• B29C64/245

  Platforms or substrates (support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40) · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

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

• B29C64/25

  Housings, e.g. machine housings · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title