Method of manufacturing resin pillar

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017239883-A1
Application number	US-201715438746-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 21, 2017
Priority date	Feb 24, 2016
Publication date	Aug 24, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a method of manufacturing a front pillar, a resin layer is formed by discharging a transparent resin from first nozzles of a 3D printer and discharging a supporting material from second nozzles of the 3D printer, while moving the first nozzles and the second nozzles in a direction corresponding to a length direction of a front pillar. Afterwards, the first nozzles and the second nozzles are moved relatively in a direction corresponding to a transverse direction of the front pillar and in a direction of moving away from the resin layer. By repeating the forming of the resin layer and the relative moving of the first nozzles and the second nozzles, the resin layers are layered in the direction corresponding to the transverse direction of the front pillar such that the front pillar is manufactured.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of manufacturing a resin pillar configured to extend along a vehicle transverse direction outer end of a windshield glass of a vehicle, the method comprising:
forming a resin layer by discharging a resin material that forms the resin pillar from first nozzles of a 3D printer and discharging a supporting material from second nozzles of the 3D printer, while moving the first nozzles and the second nozzles in a direction corresponding to a length direction of the resin pillar; and relatively moving the first nozzles and the second nozzles in a direction corresponding to a transverse direction of the resin pillar so as to move away from the resin layer, given that a direction orthogonal to a plate thickness direction of the windshield glass with respect to the length direction of the resin pillar is the transverse direction of the resin pillar, wherein, by repeating the forming of the resin layer and the relative moving of the first nozzles and the second nozzles, the resin layers are layered in the direction corresponding to the transverse direction of the resin pillar such that the resin pillar is manufactured.

2 . The method of manufacturing a resin pillar of claim 1 , wherein, in the forming of the resin layer, a water-soluble material is used as the supporting material.

3 . The method of manufacturing a resin pillar of claim 1 , wherein the resin material discharged from the first nozzles is configured to form a transparent pillar.

4 . The method of manufacturing a resin pillar of claim 1 , wherein the resin material discharged from the first nozzles is a fiber reinforced resin.

5 . The method of manufacturing a resin pillar of claim 1 , wherein
the resin material discharged by the first nozzles is a first resin material for forming a first portion of the resin pillar, a second portion of the resin pillar is formed using a second resin material different from the first resin material, the first resin material is one selected from the group consisting of a transparent resin material, a glass fiber reinforced resin and a carbon fiber reinforced resin, and the second resin material is a different one selected from the group consisting of the transparent resin material, the glass fiber reinforced resin and the carbon fiber reinforced resin.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
forming the second portion of the resin pillar using the 3D printer.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the second portion of the resin pillar is formed by discharging the second resin material from third nozzles of the 3D printer.

8 . The method of manufacturing a resin pillar of claim 1 , wherein,
in the forming of the resin layer, the resin material is discharged to form layers that correspond to a cross-sectional shape of the resin pillar, and the supporting material is discharged so as to surround the resin layers that correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the resin pillar.

9 . A method, comprising:
discharging a first material from first nozzles of a 3D printer to form a first material layer of a vehicle pillar; discharging a second material, different from the first material, from second nozzles of the 3D printer, while moving the first nozzles and the second nozzles in a direction corresponding to a length direction of the vehicle pillar; and relatively moving the first nozzles and the second nozzles in a direction corresponding to a transverse direction of the vehicle pillar different from the length direction of the vehicle pillar, wherein, by repeating the forming of the first material layer and the relative moving of the first nozzles and the second nozzles, the first material layers are layered in the direction corresponding to the transverse direction of the vehicle pillar such that the vehicle pillar is manufactured.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein, discharging the second material comprises discharging a water-soluble material configured to support the first material.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the first material discharged from the first nozzles is configured to form a transparent vehicle pillar.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the first material discharged from the first nozzles comprises one or more of a resin material, a transparent resin material, a glass fiber reinforced resin material, or a carbon fiber reinforced resin material.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein
the first material discharged by the first nozzles is a first material for forming a first portion of the vehicle pillar, and a second portion of the vehicle pillar is formed using a second material different from the first material.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
forming the second portion of the vehicle pillar using the 3D printer.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the second portion of the vehicle pillar is formed by discharging the second material from third nozzles of the 3D printer.

16 . The method of claim 9 , wherein,
the first material is discharged to form first material layers that correspond to a cross-sectional shape of the vehicle pillar, and the second material is discharged so as to surround the first material layers that correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the vehicle pillar.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first material is discharged such that the first material layers form a vehicle pillar that is substantially oval-shaped in cross-section.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first material is discharged such that the first material layers form a vehicle pillar that is hollow in cross section.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first material is discharged such that the first material layers form a vehicle pillar that is solid in cross section.

20 . A method, comprising:
discharging a first material from first nozzles of a 3D printer to form one or more first material layers to form a vehicle pillar; discharging a second material, different from the first material, from second nozzles of the 3D printer, while moving the first nozzles and the second nozzles in a direction corresponding to a length direction of the vehicle pillar; and relatively moving the first nozzles and the second nozzles in a direction corresponding to a transverse direction of the vehicle pillar different from the length direction of the vehicle pillar, wherein
the first material layers are layered in the direction corresponding to the transverse direction of the vehicle pillar such that the vehicle pillar is manufactured,
the second material is discharged so as to surround the one or more first layers, and
the second material is configured to support the one or more first layers at least during movement of the first nozzles and the second nozzles.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Terada Shin
• Yamada Yoshinori

Classifications

• B29C64/40

  Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof · CPC title

• B62D25/04 Primary

  Door pillars {; windshield pillars} · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29L2031/30

  Vehicles, e.g. ships or aircraft, or body parts thereof {(vanes or blades B29L2031/08, air bags B29L2022/027)} · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

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