Apparatus and method for fabricating three-dimensional object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017305142-A1
Application number	US-201715472500-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 29, 2017
Priority date	Apr 25, 2016
Publication date	Oct 26, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An apparatus for fabricating a three-dimensional object includes a flattening unit, a fabrication liquid discharger, and circuitry. The flattening unit transfers and flattens powder deposited on the stage. The fabrication liquid discharger discharges droplets of fabrication liquid on a surface of the powder on the stage to bind the powder together to fabricate a layered fabrication object. The circuitry repeats an operation of transferring and flattening the powder by the flattening unit and an operation of discharging droplets of the fabrication liquid on the surface of the powder on the stage by the fabrication liquid discharger to fabricate the three-dimensional object by a process of lamination. The circuitry discharges a plurality of first droplets of the fabrication liquid on the surface of the powder on the stage such that at least two adjacent first droplets partially overlap.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for fabricating a three-dimensional object, the apparatus comprising:
a stage; a flattening unit to transfer and flatten a powder on the stage; a fabrication liquid discharger to discharge droplets of fabrication liquid on a surface of the powder on the stage to bind the powder together to fabricate a layered fabrication object; and circuitry to: repeat an operation of transferring and flattening the powder by the flattening unit and an operation of discharging droplets of the fabrication liquid on the surface of the powder deposited on the stage by the fabrication liquid discharger to fabricate the three-dimensional object by a process of lamination; discharge a plurality of first droplets of the fabrication liquid to the surface of the powder on the stage such that at least two adjacent first droplets partially overlap; and discharge a second droplet, a liquid amount of which is smaller than a liquid amount of each of the first droplets, on a portion between the two adjacent first droplets that partially overlap.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the portion between the two adjacent first droplets includes a portion where the two adjacent first droplets do not overlap.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the two adjacent first droplets overlap at equal to or less than half of an area of the first droplets in the arrangement direction of the first droplets.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry discharges the first droplets so that adjacent four droplets of the first droplets arranged in grid shape partially overlap, and discharges the second droplet on a central portion of the four droplets of the first droplets.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry discharges the second droplet at different positions.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry discharges the second droplet on a boundary between the layered fabrication object and a portion outside the layered fabrication object where powder is not bound by the fabrication liquid.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the liquid amount of the second droplet is equal to or less than half of the liquid amount of each of the first droplets.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry discharges two types of fabrication liquid having different viscosities,
wherein a viscosity of the fabrication liquid of the second droplet is lower than a viscosity of the fabrication liquid of the first droplets.

9 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry discharges two types of fabrication liquid having different surface tensions,
wherein a surface tension of the fabrication liquid of the second droplet is higher than the surface tensions of the fabrication liquid of the first droplets.

10 . A method for fabricating a three-dimensional object with an apparatus for fabricating a three-dimensional object, the method comprising:
transferring and flattening powder deposited on a stage of the apparatus; discharging droplets of fabrication liquid on a surface of the powder to bind the powder together to fabricate a layered fabrication object, repeating the transferring and the discharging to fabricate the three-dimensional object by a process of lamination; discharging a plurality of first droplets of the fabrication liquid on the surface of the powder such that at least two adjacent first droplets partially overlap; and discharging a second droplet, a liquid amount of which is smaller than a liquid amount of each of the first droplets, on a portion between the two adjacent first droplets that partially overlap.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the two adjacent first droplets overlap at equal to or less than half of an area of each of the first droplets in the arrangement direction of the first droplets.

12 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein:
the discharging of the plurality of the first droplets discharges the first droplets so that adjacent four droplets of the first droplets arranged in grid shape partially overlap; and the discharging of the second droplet discharges the second droplet on a central portion of the four droplets of the first droplets.

13 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the discharging of the second droplet discharges the second droplet at different positions.

14 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the discharging of the second droplet discharges the second droplet on a boundary between the layered fabrication object and a portion outside the layered fabrication object where powder is not bound by the fabrication liquid.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the liquid amount of the second droplet is equal to or less than half of the liquid amount of each of the first droplets.

16 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the discharging the plurality of the first droplets and the discharging the second droplet discharge two types of fabrication liquid having different viscosities, and
wherein a viscosity of the fabrication liquid of the second droplet is lower than a viscosity of the fabrication liquid of the first droplets.

17 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the discharging the plurality of the first droplets and the discharging the second droplet discharge two types of fabrication liquid having different surface tensions, and
wherein a surface tension of the fabrication liquid of the second droplet is higher than the surface tension of the fabrication liquid of the first droplets.

18 . A three-dimensional fabrication object comprising:
a laminated layered fabrication object including a powder bound by a fabrication liquid, wherein an outermost surface of the laminated layered fabrication object includes a portion bound by first droplets of the fabrication liquid and a portion bound by a second droplet of the fabrication liquid, a liquid amount of the second droplets is smaller than a liquid amount of each of the first droplets, and wherein the portion bound by the second droplet is disposed between two adjacent first droplets that partially overlap in an arrangement direction of the first droplets.

19 . The three-dimensional fabrication object according to claim 18 , wherein an area of the portion bound by the second droplet is smaller than an area of the portion bound by the first droplets.

20 . The three-dimensional fabrication object according to claim 18 , wherein a depth of the portion bound by the second droplet is smaller than a depth of the portion bound by the first droplets in a lamination direction of the laminated layered fabrication object at the outermost surface of the laminated layered fabrication object.

Assignees

• Yamaguchi Daichi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamaguchi Daichi

Classifications

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y80/00 Primary

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

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

• B29C64/165 Primary

  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