JP6380948B2 - Powder material supply device for 3D modeling equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention becomes a modeling object by laminating a plurality of layers of powder material formed by discharging a binder liquid that joins the powder material to a layered powder material supplied on a modeling table. The present invention relates to a powder material supply device for supplying a powder material in a layered manner to the modeling table of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus that models a three-dimensional modeled object.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique called rapid prototyping, in which a three-dimensional modeled object to be modeled is modeled by stacking layers having a cross-sectional shape cut by a plurality of horizontal cross sections, is widely known.
This rapid prototyping includes laser modeling for photo-curing resin, laser lamination modeling for laminating and laminating thin film sheets, a method for extruding and laminating thermoplastic resin, and infrared laser for powder material There are various techniques such as powder sintering (melting) modeling that is sintered or melted by an electron beam, a thermal head, or the like, and modeling by powder that joins a powder material with a binder liquid.

Among these, modeling by powder has advantages that it is relatively easy to handle compared to other techniques and that a three-dimensional model can be formed at a relatively low cost.
As modeling by this powder, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a powder material is supplied to the upper surface of the modeling table as a layer of a predetermined layer thickness, and an ink jet head or the like is applied to the layer. Part of the layer of the three-dimensional structure is formed by discharging the binder liquid, and the three-dimensional structure is formed by sequentially stacking the layers.

In the three-dimensional modeling apparatus that performs modeling with such powder, the powder material supplied to the modeling table is supplied to the modeling table by a powder material supply apparatus (so-called recoater). On the other hand, the binder liquid is usually discharged by a binder liquid supply device.
When modeling a three-dimensional structure using the three-dimensional modeling apparatus having such a configuration, first, the powder material supply device is moved linearly to form a layer of powder material of a predetermined layer thickness on the modeling table. After the formation, the binder liquid supply device is moved. After that, by discharging the binder liquid toward the powder material on the modeling table, a part of the three-dimensional structure is obtained by binding and curing the powder material in a shape that matches the three-dimensional structure in the layer. A layer of the powder material including the layer portion is formed.
Then, after forming a layer of the powder material including a part of the layer portion of the three-dimensional structure, the powder material supply device is moved again so that the new powder material is more specifically placed on the modeling table. Specifically, the powder material is supplied onto the powder material layer formed immediately before, and uniformly spread to a predetermined layer thickness, and the formation of the next powder material layer is started.

JP-A-6-218712 Special table 2004-508941 gazette

By the way, the powder material supply device is configured such that the discharge port for discharging the powder material toward the modeling table is between the modeling table when the first layer is formed and the binder liquid when the second layer and the subsequent layers are formed. Is applied at a height where a gap of a predetermined size is formed between the upper surface of the layer of the existing powder material in the lower layer where the coated portion is cured. Thereby, the powder material discharged | emitted toward the modeling table from the said discharge port is filled in the said gap | interval, and the layer of powder material can be formed.
On the other hand, in this type of three-dimensional modeling apparatus, the powder material layer supplied to the modeling table by the powder material supply apparatus is adjusted to a predetermined layer thickness, and the layer of the powder material is adjusted. It is necessary to flatten the upper surface side. At this time, for example, by using a flattening member such as a blade extending in the horizontal direction attached to the powder material supply apparatus, the powder material is moved along with the movement of the powder material. It is common practice to level the surface while scraping the top side of the layer.

For example, in order to set the layer thickness of the powder material to 0.3 mm, the existing powder is usually formed on the modeling table at the time of forming the first layer and one layer below at the time of forming the second and subsequent layers. It is necessary to once form a layer of powder material of 0.3 mm or more, for example, about 1 to 2 mm, on the upper surface of the body material layer.
Thereafter, the upper surface side of the powder material layer once formed with the blade or the like is scraped off so that the layer thickness of the powder material layer becomes 0.3 mm and flattened at the same time, so that the desired thickness is obtained. A layer of powder material will be formed.

Thus, in order to form a powder material having a desired layer thickness, a layer of powder material having a thickness several times the desired thickness is once formed, and excess powder is formed by the planarizing member. Although it is necessary to remove the body material, the flattening member scrapes off the excess powder material with the movement of the powder material supply device, while the excess material is removed during the movement of the powder material supply device. Move while pushing the powder material.
That is, when the powder material supply device moves once on the modeling table, the flattening member is an excess powder from the start point to the end point of movement in the powder material supply device. The material is removed and moved while pressing the excess powder material. Moreover, since the flattening member continues to remove excess powder material during movement, the surplus powder material gradually increases as the flattening member moves.

At this time, when the flattening member moves while pushing a large amount of excess powder material, a large load acts on the flattening member, and the flattening member and further the flattening member are attached. The powder material supply device is starting to vibrate. Then, the vibration is transmitted to the layer of the powder material and spreads, whereby the force due to the vibration acts as a stress on the entire layer of the powder material.
As a result, due to the influence of the stress, the layer thickness changes not only in the powder material layer being flattened by the flattening member, but also in a region where the flattening is completed in the powder material layer. Irregularities may be formed on the upper surface of this layer. Such irregularities in the layer of powder material not only cause the shape of the three-dimensional structure formed by the three-dimensional modeling apparatus to be defective, but also significantly reduce the strength. It is important to flatten with a predetermined layer thickness.

Here, the stress tends to increase as the surplus powder material increases. Further, when the moving speed of the powder material supply device is high, the excess powder material is quickly removed by the flattening member to generate a large amount of excess powder material, and the powder material supply device is moved at high speed. Since the vibration accompanying this is also applied, the stress tends to increase as the moving speed of the powder material supply device increases.
Therefore, in order to model a three-dimensional structure with high accuracy and improve the modeling speed of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus that is currently considered to have a low modeling speed, the excess powder is used to suppress the generation of the stress. The management of body materials is very important.

  In view of such problems, the technical problem of the present invention is that a three-dimensional modeling apparatus capable of suppressing the generation of irregularities in the layer of powder material and modeling a highly accurate model at a higher speed than before. It is to provide a powder material supply device.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the powder material supply device of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus of the present invention repeats the operation of combining the powder material supplied in layers in accordance with the shape of the three-dimensional modeled object to be modeled. The powder material is supplied in a layered manner to the modeling table for stacking the powder material layers in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus for modeling the three-dimensional modeled object by sequentially stacking the powder material layers. The powder material supply device is movably formed on the molding table, wherein the powder material supply device discharges the powder material to the modeling table, and the powder material supply device is connected to the modeling table. A layer of powder material discharged from the discharge port to the modeling table is disposed on the rear side in the moving direction of the powder material supply device when supplying the powder material. While grinding the powder material And a suction device having a suction nozzle for sucking excess powder material scraped off by the flattening member. It is.

  In the present invention, the suction device may be configured such that the suction nozzle is disposed on the discharge port side of the flattening member.

  In the present invention, the planarizing member is configured to deposit the surplus powder material on the upper surface side while scraping off the surplus powder material in the powder material layer. A plate-like member extending in the horizontal direction is provided, and the suction nozzle of the suction device is disposed at a position where the excess powder material deposited on the upper surface side of the plate-like member can be sucked. Can do.

  Further, in the present invention, the suction device is based on the amount of the powder material discharged from the discharge port and the amount of the powder material necessary for forming the layer of the powder material. An adjusting device for adjusting the suction force with respect to the powder material can be provided.

  Moreover, in this invention, the said powder material supply apparatus circulates the excess powder material which the said suction device attracted | sucked, and shall be able to discharge | emit again from the said discharge port.

According to the present invention, since the suction device having the suction nozzle that sucks the surplus powder material scraped off by the flattening member is provided, a large amount of surplus powder material can accumulate in the flattening member. Absent. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of vibrations in the flattening member and the powder material supply device due to a large amount of excess powder material, thereby forming irregularities in the powder material layer. The powder material having a predetermined layer thickness can be stably and reliably formed.
In addition, since a state where a large amount of excess powder material removed by the flattening member by the suction device is always avoided, even if the powder material supply device is moved at a high speed, the high-speed movement is the powder material. As a result, the layer of the powder material can be formed on the modeling table or on the upper surface of the existing powder material at a higher speed than the conventional one. It is possible to speed up the modeling of objects.
As a result, it is possible to suppress the generation of irregularities in the layer of the powder material and to form a highly accurate modeled object at a higher speed than before.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus using the powder material supply apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of an essential part schematically showing an embodiment of the powder material supply apparatus of the present invention. However, the moving member, a part of the suction device, and the circulation mechanism are omitted. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view schematically showing a flattening member and a suction nozzle in the powder material supply apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of the entire powder material supply apparatus of FIG. However, the arrow in the figure indicates the direction in which the powder material moves. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part schematically showing an embodiment different from the powder material supply apparatus shown in FIG.

1 to 4 show an embodiment of a powder material supply device of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 uses the powder material supply device of the first embodiment. An example of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus is shown.
The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 supplies a binder liquid that binds the powder material 2 to the powder material 2 that is supplied in a layered manner, and also binds the powder material 2 at a portion to which the binder liquid is supplied. The three-dimensional structure is formed by repeating the operation and sequentially laminating the layer 4 of the powder material.
Specifically, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 includes a single modeling table 5 in which powder materials 2 forming a three-dimensional modeled object (hereinafter referred to as “modeled object”) are laminated in layers, and the modeling table. The powder material supply device 7 for forming the powder material layer 4 on the upper surface 5a of the material 5 and the powder material 2 coupled to the powder material 2 supplied to the upper surface 5a of the modeling table 5. Each has a binder liquid supply device 8 for discharging the binder liquid.
Reference numeral 16 in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a housing of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1.

  The formation of the layer 4 of the powder material in which a part of the layer of the modeling object to be modeled is modeled is data of the modeling object to be modeled (for example, STL (Standard) (Triangulated Language) file format data or slice data created based on the STL file)), and supply of the powder material 2 to the modeling table 5 in accordance with the shape of the modeled object Binder liquid is discharged.

The modeling table 5 has a flat and horizontal upper surface 5a, and the upper surface 5a can be raised and lowered in the vertical direction while maintaining a horizontal state according to the thickness of the layer 4 of the powder material. ing.
Further, the upper surface 5a of the modeling table 5 is a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the powder material supply device 7 and the binder liquid supply device 8 to be described later (in this embodiment, the left-right direction of the three-dimensional modeling device 1). It is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view.

Further, the modeling table 5 has a rectangular frame shape in plan view that surrounds the front side (the front side of the 3D modeling apparatus 1), the back side (the rear side of the 3D modeling apparatus 1), and the left and right sides of the modeling table 5. It is accommodated in the cylindrical member 9 formed in the vertical direction. When the layer 4 of the powder material is formed on the upper surface 5a of the modeling table 5 and the discharge of the binder liquid to the one layer 4 of the powder material is finished, the modeling table 5 The tubular member 9 is configured to descend.
Therefore, the modeling object to be modeled is finally modeled in a state where it is accommodated in the cylindrical member 9 together with the powder material 2 that is not bonded by the binder liquid.

The modeling table 5 is provided with a modeling table elevating device (not shown) for elevating the modeling table 5 in the vertical direction.
Any configuration can be used as the modeling table lifting device as long as it can perform stable lifting and precise position control. For example, a ball screw having a screw shaft extending in the vertical direction and a nut that moves the outer peripheral surface of the screw shaft in the axial direction by rotation of the screw shaft can be used. That is, the upper end portion of the screw shaft is connected to the lower surface of the modeling table 5, the nut is fixed to a position-immovable base, and the screw shaft is rotated by an electric motor or the like, thereby raising and lowering the screw shaft. The modeling table 5 can be lifted and lowered.
Alternatively, a structure in which a chain conveyor in which the chain moves in the vertical direction is provided and the modeling table 5 is moved up and down by movement of the chain of the chain conveyor may be employed.
Furthermore, using the fluid pressure cylinder in which the piston moves up and down in the vertical direction, the tip of the piston rod of the fluid pressure cylinder is connected to the lower surface of the modeling table, and the modeling table 5 is moved up and down by moving the piston. Can do.
Further, it is preferable that the modeling table 5 is lifted and lowered in a state of being guided in the vertical direction by the guide rail. In this case, in order to smoothly lift the modeling table 5, a cylindrical or spherical rolling element is used. Can be used.

The binder liquid supply device 8 includes a front-rear direction (a direction substantially parallel to a short direction of the upper surface 5a of the modeling table 5) and a left-right direction (a longitudinal direction of the upper surface 5a of the modeling table 5). (Parallel direction), each is linearly movable.
Specifically, the binder liquid supply device 8 includes an inkjet head that discharges the binder liquid toward the powder material 2 supplied to the upper surface 5 a of the modeling table 5. By moving in the direction, the binder liquid can be discharged from the nozzle for discharging the binder over the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the modeling table 5 at the maximum.

The binder liquid supply device 8 is attached with a moving device 11 for the binder liquid supply device that moves the binder liquid supply device 8 in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1.
The moving device 11 is provided so as to sandwich the modeling table 5 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the modeling table 5 and is a pair of left and right guides extending horizontally and parallel to each other in the front-rear direction of the three-dimensional modeling device 1. Between the rails 12 and 12 and the pair of guide rails 12 and 12, and on the pair of guide rails 12 and 12, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 can be freely moved in the front-rear direction. The front-rear direction moving member 14 is provided.
Further, the front-rear direction moving member 14 is provided with a left-right direction moving member 15 movably attached in the left-right direction of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1, and the binder liquid supply device 8 is attached to the left-right direction moving member 15. Is installed.
In this embodiment, the binder liquid supply device 8 uses the position of the rear side (back side) of the 3D modeling apparatus 1 in the short direction of the modeling table 5 as the origin position rather than the modeling table 5. Yes. Therefore, when the powder material supply device 7 supplies the powder material 2 toward the modeling table 5, the binder liquid supply device 8 basically stands by at the origin position, and the powder material supply device 8 7, when the formation of the single layer 4 of the powder material is completed, the binder liquid moves while moving in the short side direction of the modeling table 5 in the front side (front side) of the 3D modeling apparatus 1 and in the left-right direction. Is discharged and supplied to the powder material layer 4 on the modeling table 5. The binder liquid supply device 8 returns to the original position when the discharge of the binder liquid to the layer 4 of the powder material is completed.

Further, the discharge amount of the binder liquid in the binder liquid supply device 8 varies depending on the type of the binder liquid and how large the powder material 2 is solidified by one discharge, but in the present invention, 1 pl ˜200 pl, more preferably 10 pl to 150 pl, more preferably 30 pl to 100 pl.
Further, as a discharge mechanism in the inject head, a known mechanism such as a piezo type or a thermal type can be used.

The binder liquid used in the present invention can be freely changed according to the type of the powder material. For example, when the powder material is gypsum or starch, a liquid mainly composed of water is used. It is also possible to use various binder liquids used in ordinary ink jet printers. At this time, the binder can be dyed using a dye or a pigment.
Examples of the binder liquid that can be used include organic esters, furfuryl alcohol, polyisocyanates, and mixtures of polyisocyanates and tertiary amines. Further, a mixture of furfuryl alcohol and formaldehyde, and in some cases, a mixture of these furfuryl alcohol and formaldehyde with urea can be used.

On the other hand, the powder material supply device 7 is linear in one direction (in this embodiment, the front-rear direction of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 (the direction substantially parallel to the short direction of the upper surface 5a of the modeling table 5)). Thus, it is formed so as to freely move forward and backward. The powder material 2 can be supplied to the modeling table 5 with a predetermined supply width while moving.
The powder material supply device 7 can supply the powder material 2 with substantially the same width as the length of the upper surface 5a of the modeling table 5 in the longitudinal direction. By moving once linearly in the short direction of the upper surface 5a of the table 5, the powder material 2 can be supplied to almost the entire upper surface 5a of the modeling table 5. In this embodiment, when the powder material supply device 7 moves forward (that is, when the powder material supply device 7 moves backward), the powder material 2 is supplied toward the modeling table 5. It has a configuration.

In the present invention, examples of the powder material supplied to the modeling table by the powder material supply device include organic resin, metal, ceramic, starch, and glass powder.
Specifically, polystyrene resin, nylon (polyamide) resin, polycarbonate resin, acrylic (PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate)) resin, PEEK (polyether ether ketone) resin, organic resin containing glass filler, carbon fiber Use organic resin, finely divided wax, foundry sand, aluminum silicate, gypsum, starch, quartz, Ti ₆ Al ₄ V, AlSi ₁₂ , AlSi ₁₀ Mg, cobalt chromium alloy, nickel alloy, stainless alloy, iron, steel, etc. Can do.
The particle size of the powder material is not limited as long as it is smaller than the thickness of the layer of the powder material to be formed, but can be about 1 μm to 300 μm, more preferably 10 μm to 200 μm, more preferably 50-150 μm. At this time, powder materials having a plurality of different particle diameters can be used, and powder materials having different particle diameters may be mixed and used. For example, it can be used in a state where a powder material of 150 to 300 μm and a powder material of 10 to 50 μm are mixed.
Furthermore, in the present invention, the layer thickness of the powder material that the powder material supply device supplies to the upper surface of the modeling table differs depending on the modeled object to be modeled. If the shaped object is very large such as casting or large case fixture, it can be about 0.15 to 0.5 mm, more preferably 0.2 to 0.4 mm, more preferably It is 0.25 to 0.35 mm. If the shaped article is a general industrial product, it can be about 0.05 to 0.2 mm, more preferably about 0.075 to 0.15 mm. If it is a small industrial product, for example, a small thing such as a connector, it can be about 0.01 to 0.1 mm, more preferably about 0.025 to 0.075 mm.

Specifically, the powder material supply device 7 is provided on a tank portion 21 that stores the powder material 2 and a lower end side of the tank portion 21, and the powder material 2 in the tank portion 21 is placed on the modeling table. 5 and a discharge nozzle 23 provided with a discharge port 22 for discharging toward the bottom 5 and extending substantially vertically downward from the tank portion 21.
Furthermore, the powder material supply device 7 has a predetermined layer of a powder material layer 4 formed by the powder material 2 discharged from the discharge port 22 of the discharge nozzle 23 toward the modeling table 5. A flattening member 24 is provided which adjusts the thickness and flattens the top surface of the layer 4 of powder material.

The powder material supply device 7 is provided with a moving device 26 for the powder material supply device that moves the powder material supply device 7 in the front-rear direction of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1.
The moving device 26 includes a pair of left and right guide rails 27, 27 and a moving member 28 that can move the pair of guide rails 27, 27 in the front-rear direction of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1. The first powder material supply device 7 has both ends in the longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) fixed to the moving members 28 and 28.
In this embodiment, the powder material supply device 7 uses the front side (front side) of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 in the short direction of the modeling table 5 as the origin position rather than the modeling table 5. The powder material supply device 7 supplies one layer of powder material when moving from the origin position to the rear side (back side) of the three-dimensional modeling device 1 in the short direction of the modeling table 5. When the supply is completed, it immediately moves to the origin position and waits at the origin position until the binder liquid supply device 8 finishes discharging and supplying the binder liquid.

The discharge nozzle 23 extends substantially vertically downward from the tank portion 21, and can drop the powder material 2 substantially vertically.
In addition, the discharge nozzle 23 has a front end portion (that is, a lower end portion) 23a between the upper surface 5a of the table 5 and a distance sufficiently larger than the thickness of the layer 4 of the powder material to be formed. It extends to the position where it is For example, when forming the layer 4 of the powder material having a layer thickness of 0.3 mm, the gap between the tip 23a of the discharge nozzle 23 and the upper surface 5a of the table 5 is at least 0.3 mm or more, It is preferable to secure a distance of about 1 to 3 mm.
The discharge nozzle 23 is preferably provided with a control means for controlling discharge of the powder material 2 from the tank portion 21 and stop of the discharge. As the control means, various valves such as an on-off valve for opening and closing the flow path of the powder material 2 in the discharge nozzle 23, the hole diameter of the discharge hole 22 is substantially the same as or slightly smaller than the particle diameter of the powder material 2. Arbitrary means can be used, such as a configuration in which the powder material 2 is discharged from the discharge nozzle 23 only when the discharge nozzle 23 is vibrated with a large diameter. The control means can be provided at the distal end portion or the proximal end portion of the discharge nozzle, or may be provided between the discharge nozzle and the tank portion 21 on the proximal end side.

Further, the flattening member 24 is disposed on the upper surface 5a of the modeling table 5 when the first layer is formed, more strictly, the powder material 2 discharged from the discharge port of the discharge nozzle 23 toward the table 5. For the formation of the second and subsequent layers, the binder material has already been discharged and supplied, and the powder material layer 4 made of the powder material 2 discharged on the upper surface of the existing powder material layer 4 in the lower layer, By removing the excess powder material 31, the thickness is adjusted to a predetermined layer thickness and the upper surface is flattened.
Specifically, the flattening member 24 is moved in the powder material supply device 7 when the powder material supply device 7 supplies the powder material 2 to the modeling table 5 (that is, a forward direction). In FIG. 2, the discharge port 22 is located behind. The powder material layer 4 discharged from the discharge port 22 to the modeling table 5 can be flattened to a predetermined thickness while scraping off the excess powder material 31. .
In this embodiment, the flattening member 24 is separated from the discharge port 22 of the discharge nozzle 23 in a state where a certain distance is formed.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the flattening member 24 has a distal end portion (a portion located closest to the discharge port side) 24a as it goes to the discharge port 22 side. The tip portion 24a is maintained in a state where it is located on the lowermost side in the flattening member 24, and the tip portion 24a is gradually tapered. Then, the excess powder material 31 of the powder material layer 4 is scraped off at the tip portion 24a, and the excess powder material 31 can be deposited on the inclined surface 24b on the upper surface side. ing.
Further, the gap between the front end portion 24a of the flattening member 24 and the upper surface 5a of the table 5 is a distance necessary for the layer 4 of the powder material to have a predetermined layer thickness. The position in the vertical direction is set. For example, when forming the powder material layer 4 having a layer thickness of 0.3 mm, depending on the particle size of the powder material 2, the tip 24a of the flattening member 24 and the upper surface 5a of the table 5 are used. The gap between them needs to be a distance of about 0.3 mm.
The flattening member 24 extends over the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the powder material supply device 7 and is positioned on a casing 7a that forms the tank portion 21 of the powder material supply device 7 by an attachment member (not shown). It is attached immovably and moves with the movement of the powder material supply device 7.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a plate-like member 35 extending in the horizontal direction on the discharge port 22 side is protruded from the distal end portion 24 a of the flattening member 24, and the surplus in the layer 4 of the powder material It is possible to scrape the powder material 31 more efficiently and to deposit a larger amount of the excess powder material 31.
The plate-like member 35 is present in the upper part of the powder material layer 4 by the movement of the flattening member 24 in the direction of the distal end portion 24a as the powder material supply device 7 advances. While the excess powder material 31 in the layer 4 is scraped off, the scraped excess powder material 31 is deposited on the upper surface side.
The plate-like member 35 is a plate-like member having a flat plate surface formed of a highly rigid material such as metal or hard resin, and has a longitudinal length substantially the same as the longitudinal direction of the flattening member 24. Have And this plate-shaped member 35 is being fixed to the front-end | tip part 24a of the said planarization member 24 in the state in which the plate surface faced the perpendicular direction, ie, the state in which the plate surface extended in the horizontal direction.

By the way, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the powder material supply device 7 includes a suction device 40 having a suction nozzle 41 for sucking excess powder material 31 scraped off by the flattening member 24. I have.
The suction device 40 sucks excess powder material 31 deposited on the flattening member 24 and the upper surface of the plate-like member 35 attached to the front end portion 24 a of the flattening member 24 from the suction nozzle 41. The excess powder material 31 is removed from the planarizing member 24 and the plate-like member 35.
Specifically, the suction device 40 includes a suction nozzle 41 that sucks excess powder material 31, a suction unit 42 such as a compressor or a vacuum pump that generates suction force, the suction nozzle 41, and the suction nozzle 41. A pipe 43 is provided which communicates with the suction means 42 and conveys the excess powder material 31 sucked by the suction nozzle 41 by the suction force generated by the suction means 42.

  In this embodiment, the suction device 40 has the suction nozzle 41 on the discharge port 22 side of the flattening member 24, more specifically on the inclined surface 24 b on the upper surface side of the flattening member 24. It is installed along. Further, the suction nozzle 41 has a suction port 41 a formed at the tip of the suction nozzle 41 in the vicinity of the tip 24 a of the flattening member 24 and is deposited on the upper surface side of the plate-like member 35. The surplus powder material 31 is placed on the flattening member 24 so as to face a position where it can be sucked.

Further, the suction device 40 is based on the amount of the powder material 2 discharged from the discharge port 22 and the amount of the powder material 2 necessary for forming the powder material layer 4. An adjusting device 45 for adjusting the suction force of the powder material 31 is provided.
The adjustment device 45 is provided so that the powder material layer 4 supplied by the powder material supply device 7 toward the modeling table 5 can be stably formed in a predetermined layer thickness. Because.
That is, one of the requirements for reliably adjusting the powder material layer 4 formed by the powder material 2 supplied to the modeling table 5 to a predetermined layer thickness is the discharge port 22 of the discharge nozzle 23. The amount A of the powder material 2 discharged from the air, the amount B of the powder material 2 required to form the layer 4 of the powder material having a predetermined layer thickness, and the suction nozzle 41 of the suction device 40 It is necessary that the relationship of AB = C is always satisfied with respect to the amount C of the excess powder material 31 sucked from.
Therefore, in this embodiment, an adjusting device 45 that adjusts the suction force of the excess powder material 31 to the suction device 40 so that the relationship of AB = C can always be maintained. The excess powder material 31 is sucked by an appropriate amount so that the layer 4 of the powder material having a predetermined layer thickness can be stably formed. Moreover, by doing in this way, at the time of modeling of the modeling object to be modeled, the usage amount of the powder material 2 can be appropriately managed, and waste of the powder material can be suppressed.
As the adjusting device, for example, a flow rate adjusting valve or a pressure adjusting valve can be used. Alternatively, the adjustment device may have a function of adjusting the output (suction force) of the suction means 42.

  In the powder material supply device 7, the position (height) adjusting means of the discharge nozzle 23 is provided so that the state satisfying the relationship of AB = C can be maintained more stably. Alternatively, a discharge amount adjusting means for adjusting the amount of the powder material 2 discharged from the discharge port 22 and a position adjusting means for the suction nozzle 41 may be provided. It is preferable to be able to make adjustments according to the conditions such as the characteristics, the type and use of the modeled object to be modeled, the modeling accuracy, and the moving speed of the powder material supply device 7.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the powder material supply device 7 includes a circulation mechanism 50 that circulates the excess powder material sucked by the suction device 40 and can discharge the powder material again from the discharge port. .
This circulation mechanism 50 includes a hopper 52 that temporarily stores an excess powder material 31 sucked by the suction device 40 and supplies it to the tank unit 21, and a space between the hopper 52 and the tank unit 21. A supply pipe 53 for communication is provided.
In this embodiment, the circulation mechanism 50 has a configuration in which the hopper 52 is disposed in a pipe 43 that communicates the suction means 42 of the suction device 40 and the adjustment device 45. The surplus powder material 31 sucked by the suction force of the suction means 42 and the air sucked together with the surplus powder material 31 are temporarily stored in the hopper 52. Then, the air sucked together with the surplus powder material 31 is separated by the difference in density thereof, and the surplus powder material is accommodated in the hopper 52, while the air is sucked. It is sucked as it is by means 42 and released into the outside air. As a result, the excess powder material 31 sucked by the suction device 40 can be reused, so that it is not necessary to supply new powder material to the tank portion, and it is environmentally friendly and can be used to form a modeled object. Cost can also be reduced.

The powder material supply device 7 having the above-described configuration includes a suction device 40 having a suction nozzle 41 that sucks the excess powder material 31 scraped off by the flattening member 24. Excess powder material 31 does not accumulate in large quantities.
Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of vibration of the flattening member 24 and the powder material supply device 7 itself, which is caused by a large amount of excess powder material 31, which has been generated conventionally. It is possible to stably and reliably form the layer 4 of the powder material having a predetermined layer thickness by suppressing the formation of irregularities on the layer 4.

In addition, since the suction device 40 always avoids a large amount of excess powder material 31 removed by the flattening member 24 on the forward direction side of the flattening member 24, the powder material supply Even if the apparatus 7 is moved at a high speed, the influence of the high-speed movement on the powder material layer 4, that is, the vibration accompanying the high-speed movement is transmitted to the powder material layer 4 through the surplus powder material 31. Therefore, the influence of the high-speed movement of the powder material supply device 7 can be minimized.
Accordingly, the powder material layer 4 can be formed on the modeling table or on the upper surface of the existing powder material layer at a higher speed than before, and the modeling can be speeded up.

  Therefore, according to the powder material supply apparatus 7 which has the said structure, generation | occurrence | production of the unevenness | corrugation of the layer 4 of powder material can be suppressed, and it becomes possible to model a modeling thing with high precision at high speed conventionally.

In the embodiment, the discharge nozzle 23 and the suction nozzle 41 of the suction device 40 are formed separately from each other. For example, as shown in FIG. The discharge nozzle 23 and the suction nozzle 41 can be connected to each other as close as possible to the discharge nozzle 23. As a result, the distance between the discharge port 22 of the discharge nozzle 23 and the flattening member 24 is reduced, and the excess powder material 31 rubbed by the flattening member 24 is immediately sucked from the suction nozzle 41. Therefore, even if the suction force of the suction device 40 is not large, it is possible to stably suppress a state in which a large amount of excess powder material 31 is accumulated.
In addition, about the structure of the powder material supply apparatus in FIG. 5, the code | symbol similar to the said embodiment is attached | subjected, and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the flattening member 24 scrapes the surplus powder material 31 on the layer 4 of the powder material, and puts the surplus powder material 31 on the upper surface side. The plate-like member 35 extending in the horizontal direction on the discharge port side is provided, but this plate-like member is not necessarily provided and may be omitted.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the suction device 40 includes the amount of the powder material 2 discharged from the discharge port 22 and the powder material 2 necessary for forming the powder material layer 4. The adjusting device 45 for adjusting the suction force to the surplus powder material 31 based on the amount is provided, but only the surplus powder material can be stably sucked and the layer of the powder material can be made to a predetermined layer thickness. If it can be formed, this adjusting device is not necessarily provided.

In the embodiment, the powder material supply device 7 causes the circulation mechanism 50 to circulate the excess powder material 31 sucked by the suction nozzle 41 of the suction device 40, and the discharge port 22. However, the powder material supply device is not necessarily configured as described above, and the excess powder material sucked by the suction device may not be circulated.
In the embodiment, the circulation mechanism 50 includes the hopper 52 disposed in the pipe 43 that communicates the suction means 42 of the suction device 40 and the adjustment device 45. The surplus powder material 31 sucked by the suction force of the suction means 42 is accommodated in 52. However, the circulation mechanism does not necessarily have such a configuration as long as the excess powder material sucked by the suction device can be circulated and discharged again from the discharge port. It is possible to adopt any configuration such as a configuration in which a means is provided and excess powder material is pumped to the hopper using the back pressure of the suction means.

In the above-described embodiment, the powder material supply device 7 and the binder liquid supply device 8 are separated. However, these powder material supply device and the binder liquid supply device are integrated with each other. Also good.
Moreover, although the said binder liquid supply apparatus 8 was a structure which moved to the front-back direction and the left-right direction of the said three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1, this binder liquid supply apparatus is the longitudinal direction (three-dimensional modeling apparatus) of the said modeling table. (The left-right direction) and a configuration that moves only in the front-rear direction of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus using a line head type capable of discharging the binder liquid at once over the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the modeling table. Good.
Furthermore, the powder material supply device may be configured to discharge the powder material to the modeling table when moving in the front-rear direction of the three-dimensional direction, that is, both forward and backward, in this case, It is necessary to provide the flattening member and the suction nozzle of the suction device respectively at positions where excess powder material in the powder material layer can be scraped and sucked in both forward and reverse.

  In the embodiment, the discharge port 22 for discharging the powder material 2 toward the modeling table 5 is provided in the discharge nozzle 23. However, the powder material is surely discharged toward the modeling table. If possible, for example, a discharge port may be provided directly at the bottom of the tank portion of the powder material supply device without providing such a discharge nozzle.

  In the above-described embodiment, the flattening member 24 is configured to have a substantially triangular cross section. This flattening member is made of the powder material discharged from the discharge port to the modeling table. As long as the layer can be flattened to a predetermined thickness while scraping off excess powder material, for example, a plate having an arbitrary configuration can be used.

In the embodiment, the powder material is bonded to the powder material layer 4 supplied from the powder material supply device 7 onto the modeling table 5 by the binder liquid discharged from the binder liquid supply device 8. In other words, it relates to a so-called inkjet type three-dimensional modeling apparatus that forms a modeled object.
However, as a three-dimensional modeling apparatus, for example, a powder that sinters or melts a powder material with an infrared laser, an electron beam beam, a thermal head, or the like as long as the powder material is combined by any means to perform modeling. It may be related to sintering (melting) modeling.
Alternatively, the powder material is supplied onto the modeling table by the powder material supply device, and the curing inhibitor is discharged to the powder material in accordance with the shape of the modeled object by an inkjet head or the like. It may be a three-dimensional modeling apparatus for implementing means for forming a layer of a modeled article by supplying an additive used together with the curing agent to the powder material.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Three-dimensional modeling apparatus 2 Powder material 4 Powder material layer 5 Modeling table 7 Powder material supply apparatus 22 Discharge port 24 Flattening member 31 Excess powder material 35 Plate-shaped member 40 Suction apparatus 41 Suction nozzle 45 Adjustment apparatus 50 Circulation mechanism

Claims (4)

The tertiary that forms the three-dimensional structure by repeating the operation of combining the powder material supplied in layers according to the shape of the three-dimensional structure to be modeled, and sequentially laminating the layers of the powder material In the former modeling apparatus, a powder material supply apparatus that is formed so as to be movable in one direction, supplying the powder material in layers to a modeling table on which the layers of the powder material are stacked
The powder material supply device comprises:
A discharge nozzle provided with a tank part for storing the powder material and a discharge port for discharging the powder material on the upper surface of the modeling table;
When the powder material supply device supplies powder material to the modeling table, the powder material supply device is attached so as to be inclined rearward of the discharge port in the moving direction of the powder material supply device. A flattening member for flattening the layer of the powder material discharged to a predetermined thickness while scraping off excess powder material;
A suction device having a suction nozzle that is disposed along the inclined surface on the upper surface side of the flattening member and sucks excess powder material scraped off by the flattening member;
A difference between the discharge amount of the powder material and the stack amount of the powder material after surplus powder material is scraped off on the modeling table is provided in the middle of the pipe of the suction device. An adjustment device controlled to be a quantity;
The powder material, which is provided at the rear stage of the adjustment device of the pipeline and is sucked by the suction device and moves through the pipeline, is temporarily stored during the operation of the powder material supply device, and then stored in the tank unit. A hopper for returning,
The excessive powder material scraped off by the flattening member is always sucked by the suction device, and a state in which a large amount of excessive powder material is present on the advancing direction side of the flattening member is always avoided, and the powder be moved at a speed higher than without the material supply device the suction device, the powder material supply device of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus, characterized in that the layer can be formed on the concrete form table of the powder material.   The powder material supply apparatus for a three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the planarizing member has a tapered shape and a triangular cross section.   The plate-like member which is arrange | positioned so that it may extend in the horizontal direction toward the said discharge port at the front-end | tip part of the said planarization member, and deposits an excess powder material on the upper surface side is provided. Or the powder material supply apparatus of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus of Claim 2.   The powder material supply apparatus for a three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the discharge nozzle and the suction nozzle are connected to each other.

Images