Quick coloring method for 3d printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018304552-A1
Application number	US-201715635176-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 27, 2017
Priority date	Apr 21, 2017
Publication date	Oct 25, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A quick coloring method for a 3D printer having an ink nozzle-head includes the following steps: reading an image file and a coloring route; controlling the ink nozzle-head to move to a start position of one of printing rows; controlling the ink nozzle-head to move and to print a coloring object according to the image file and the coloring route; reading a reverse image file and a reverse coloring route, in which the reverse image file records a horizontal reverse image of the image file, and the reverse coloring route records an opposite start position; controlling the ink nozzle-head to move to the opposite start position of next printing row according to the reverse coloring route; controlling the ink nozzle-head to move and to print the coloring object according to the reverse image file and the reverse coloring route; and re-executing above steps before a coloring operation is completed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A quick coloring method for a three-dimensional (3D) printer, the 3D printer having an ink nozzle head, the quick coloring method comprising:
a) controlling the 3D printer to read an image file and a coloring route, wherein the image file records an image of a coloring object, the coloring route records a start position and an end position of each of a plurality of printing rows on a printing platform for the ink nozzle head; b) controlling the ink nozzle head to move to a start position of one of the printing rows according to the coloring route; c) controlling the ink nozzle head to move horizontally toward the end position of the printing row and to jet ink to corresponding positions to print a coloring object according to the image file and the coloring route; d) after step c, controlling the 3D printer to read a reverse image file and a reverse coloring route, wherein the reverse image file records a horizontal reverse image of the coloring object and the reverse coloring route uses the start positions as a plurality of opposite end positions and uses the end positions as a plurality of opposite start positions; e) controlling the ink nozzle head to move to the opposite start position of the next printing row according to the reverse coloring route; and f) controlling the ink nozzle head to move horizontally toward the opposite end position of the next printing row and to jet ink to corresponding positions to print the coloring object according to the reverse image file and the reverse coloring route.

2 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 1 , further comprising the following steps:
g) after step f, determining whether printing of the coloring object is completed; and h) re-executing steps a to c before printing of the coloring object is completed.

3 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 2 , further comprising the following steps:
i) after step h, determining whether printing of the coloring object is completed; and j) re-executing steps d to f before printing of the coloring object is completed.

4 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 3 , wherein the 3D printer prints all odd-number rows of the printing rows according to the image file and the coloring route and prints all even-number rows of the printing rows according to the reverse image file and the reverse coloring route.

5 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 3 , wherein the 3D printer prints all even-number rows of the printing rows according to the image file and the coloring route and prints all odd-number rows of the printing rows according to the reverse image file and the reverse coloring route.

6 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 1 , wherein the 3D printer decides the start positions and the end positions according to a left boundary edge and a right boundary edge of the printing platform.

7 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 1 , wherein a width of each of the printing rows is equal to a width of a nozzle of the ink nozzle head, and the 3D printer decides the number of the printing rows according to an upper boundary edge and a lower boundary edge of the printing platform.

8 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 1 , wherein the 3D printer decides the start positions and the end positions according to a size of the coloring object.

9 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 1 , wherein a width of each of the printing rows is equal to a width of a nozzle of the ink nozzle head, and the 3D printer decides the number of the printing rows according to a size of the coloring object.

10 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 1 , further including the following steps before step a:
a01) importing a 3D object; a02) performing an object slicing process on the 3D object to generate an object printing file of each of a plurality of printing layers; a03) performing an image slicing process on the 3D object to generate the image file of each of the printing layers, wherein each of the image files records an image of the coloring object corresponding to each of the printing layers; and a04) performing a reverse process on the image file and the coloring route of each of the printing layers to generate the reverse image file and the reverse coloring route of each of the coloring objects.

11 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 1 , wherein the ink nozzle head includes a plurality of ink cartridges with different color inks and includes a plurality of nozzles for discharging different color inks respectively.

12 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 11 , wherein the ink cartridges include a first ink cartridge filled with a black ink, a second ink cartridge filled with a cyan ink, a third ink cartridge filled with a magenta ink, and a fourth ink cartridge filled with a yellow ink, and the number of the nozzles is four.

13 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 11 , wherein in step c and step f, the ink nozzle head is controlled to move horizontally along an arrangement direction of the nozzles.

14 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 13 , further comprising the following steps:
k) after step c, controlling the 3D printer to perform a reverse ink-jet sequence process to obtain a reverse ink-jet sequence, wherein in step f, the nozzles on the ink nozzle head is controlled to jet ink according to the reverse ink-jet sequence; and l) after step f, controlling the 3D printer to perform a restoring ink-jet sequence process to obtain an initial ink-jet sequence, wherein in step c, the nozzles on the ink nozzle head are controlled to jet ink according to the initial ink-jet sequence.

15 . The quick coloring method for the 3D printer according to claim 14 , wherein in the reverse ink-jet sequence process, one of the nozzles farthest from an initial anchor position of the ink nozzle head is used as an opposite anchor position, and the reverse ink-jet sequence is generated by a calculation based on the opposite anchor position and based on gap distances between the nozzles.

Assignees

• Xyzprinting Inc
• Kinpo Elect Inc

Inventors

• Lee Yang-Teh
• Juang Jia-Yi
• Huang Chun-Hsiang
• Ho Ming-En
• Hsieh Yi-Chu
• Hsieh Shih-Sen
• Chang Yu-Chuan
• Chu Ting-Chun

Classifications

• B33Y30/00

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

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29C67/0088 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B29K2995/0021

  Multi-coloured · CPC title

• B33Y10/00 Primary

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title