Support material removal device and support material removal method

Abstract

The invention relates to a support material removing device and a support material removing method, which can suppress load and cost when removing a support material from a three-dimensional modeling object. A support material removal device for removing a support material from a three-dimensional molded object in an ejection target object by ejecting a liquid onto the ejection target object molded by a three-dimensional molding machine for shaping the three-dimensional molded object while supporting the three-dimensional molded object with the support material, the support material removal device comprising: a nozzle for ejecting the liquid; an arm that grips the nozzle; a trajectory calculation unit that calculates the trajectory of the drive arm on the basis of first shape information indicating the shape of the object to be ejected in a state in which the support material is attached, and second shape information indicating the shape of the three-dimensional shaped object corresponding to a state in which the support material has been removed from the object to be ejected; and a drive unit that drives the arm on the basis of the trajectory calculated by the trajectory calculation unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a support material removal device and a support material removal method. Background Art

[0002] A three-dimensional modeling machine for modeling a three-dimensional object has been used. Among them, there is a three-dimensional modeling machine that models a three-dimensional object while temporarily supporting it with a support material. The three-dimensional object modeled by the three-dimensional modeling machine thus constructed has its support material removed after its modeling. Here, Patent Document 1 describes the use of a specific water-soluble polymer compound in order to facilitate the removal of a support material admixture.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-509501

[0004] However, in the past, even if a water-soluble polymer compound is used as a support material, trained personnel are required to manually remove the support material attached to the three-dimensional object. Therefore, even if the support material admixture of Patent Document 1 is used, it is still difficult to fully suppress the load and cost when removing the support material from the three-dimensional object. Summary of the invention

[0005] The support material removal device of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned technical problems is characterized in that the support material is removed from the three-dimensional object in the injection object by injecting liquid into the injection object formed by a three-dimensional modeling machine, and the three-dimensional modeling machine uses the support material to support and shape the three-dimensional object, and the support material removal device comprises: a nozzle that injects the liquid; an arm that grasps the nozzle; a trajectory calculation unit that calculates a trajectory for driving the arm based on first shape information and second shape information, the first shape information indicating the shape of the injection object in a state where the support material is attached, and the second shape information indicating the shape of the three-dimensional object corresponding to a state where the support material has been removed from the injection object; and a drive unit that drives the arm based on the trajectory calculated by the trajectory calculation unit.

[0006] In addition, the support material removal method of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned technical problem is characterized in that the support material is removed from the three-dimensional modeled object in the injection object by using a support material removal device to spray liquid on the injection object formed by the three-dimensional modeling machine, the support material removal device has a nozzle for spraying the liquid and an arm for grasping the nozzle, the three-dimensional modeling machine uses the support material to support and shape the three-dimensional modeled object, and in the support material removal method, the trajectory of driving the arm is calculated based on first shape information and second shape information, the first shape information represents the shape of the injection object in a state with the support material attached, and the second shape information represents the shape of the three-dimensional modeled object corresponding to a state in which the support material has been removed from the injection object; and, based on the calculated trajectory, the arm is driven and the liquid is sprayed from the nozzle to remove the support material. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 Schematic diagram showing a support material removal device according to Example 1.

[0008] Figure 2 It is used to illustrate Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example of the configuration of the nozzle of the support material removal device.

[0009] Figure 3 It is used to illustrate Figure 1 Schematic diagram of an example of the track of the arm of the support material removal device.

[0010] Figure 4 Schematic diagram showing a support material removal device according to Example 2.

[0011] Figure 5 Schematic diagram showing a support material removal device according to Example 3.

[0012] Description of Reference Numerals

[0013] 1: support material removal device, 1A: support material removal device, 1B: support material removal device, 1C: support material removal device, 3: liquid, 3a: continuous flow, 3b: droplet, 4: injection object, 4a: three-dimensional modeling object, 4b: support material, 11: nozzle, 11a: nozzle, 11b: nozzle, 12: main body, 13: liquid flow path, 21: pump, 21A: switch, 22: injection pressure adjustment unit, 23: liquid tank, 24: control unit, 25: storage unit, 31: arm, 31A: drive unit, 32: arm control unit (trajectory calculation unit), 41: detection unit, 42: camera unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] First, the present invention will be briefly described.

[0015] The support material removal device of the first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned technical problem is characterized in that the support material is removed from the three-dimensional object in the injection object by injecting liquid onto the injection object formed by a three-dimensional modeling machine, and the three-dimensional modeling machine uses the support material to support and shape the three-dimensional object, and the support material removal device comprises: a nozzle that injects the liquid; an arm that grasps the nozzle; a trajectory calculation unit that calculates a trajectory for driving the arm based on first shape information and second shape information, the first shape information indicating the shape of the injection object in a state where the support material is attached, and the second shape information indicating the shape of the three-dimensional object corresponding to a state where the support material has been removed from the injection object; and a drive unit that drives the arm based on the trajectory calculated by the trajectory calculation unit.

[0016] According to this aspect, an arm is provided for grasping a nozzle for spraying liquid, and the arm can be driven to remove the support material based on first shape information indicating the shape of the spraying object in a state where the support material is attached and second shape information indicating the shape of the three-dimensional object corresponding to the state after the support material is removed. Therefore, the support material can be automatically removed when removing the support material from the three-dimensional object. Therefore, the load and cost when removing the support material from the three-dimensional object can be suppressed.

[0017] A supporting material removing device according to a second aspect of the present invention is dependent on the first aspect, and is characterized in that the nozzle ejects the liquid in a continuous flow and turns the continuous flow into droplets, which collide with the ejection target in the form of droplets.

[0018] According to this aspect, the liquid is ejected in a continuous flow and the continuous flow is dropletized to collide with the ejection object in the form of droplets. By forming such a structure, for example, compared with a structure in which the liquid is ejected in a continuous flow and collides with the ejection object, the collision energy when the liquid and the ejection object collide can be greatly increased, and the effect of removing the support material from the three-dimensional object can be greatly improved.

[0019] The support material removal device of the third aspect of the present invention is subordinate to the first or second aspect, and is characterized in that it has an injection pressure adjustment unit, which adjusts the injection pressure of the liquid from the nozzle based on the shape of the support material or the type of the support material in the first shape information.

[0020] According to this aspect, the ejection pressure adjustment unit is provided to adjust the ejection pressure of the liquid from the nozzle based on the shape of the supporting material or the type of the supporting material in the first shape information. Therefore, the ejection pressure of the liquid from the nozzle can be automatically and appropriately adjusted according to the shape of the supporting material used or the type of the supporting material.

[0021] A support material removing device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is dependent on the third aspect, and is characterized in that the shape of the support material is a volume of the support material contained per unit volume.

[0022] According to this aspect, the ejection pressure adjustment unit is provided to adjust the ejection pressure of the liquid from the nozzle based on the volume of the supporting material contained per unit volume, that is, the thickness of the supporting material. Therefore, the ejection pressure of the liquid from the nozzle can be automatically and appropriately adjusted according to the volume of the supporting material contained per unit volume.

[0023] The support material removal device of the fifth aspect of the present invention is an aspect subordinate to the first or second aspect, and is characterized in that the trajectory calculation unit calculates a first trajectory for removing a portion of the support material from the injection object and a second trajectory for further removing the support material attached to the injection object from which a portion of the support material has been removed.

[0024] According to this aspect, the trajectory calculation unit calculates a first trajectory for removing a portion of the support material from the ejection object and a second trajectory for further removing the remaining support material attached to the ejection object from which the support material has been partially removed. That is, after roughly removing the support material from the ejection object, the support material can be completely removed. By forming such a configuration, the effect of removing the support material from the three-dimensional object can be improved.

[0025] The support material removal device of the sixth aspect of the present invention is subordinate to the first or second aspect, and is characterized in that the arm grasps the nozzle in a manner that enables the ejection direction of the liquid from the nozzle to be changed, and is capable of adjusting the ejection direction of the liquid from the nozzle based on the shape of the support material in the first shape information.

[0026] According to this aspect, the arm holds the nozzle in a manner that enables the ejection direction of the liquid from the nozzle to be movable, and can adjust the ejection direction of the liquid from the nozzle based on the shape of the supporting material in the first shape information. By forming such a structure, the liquid can be appropriately collided with the supporting material, and the effect of removing the supporting material from the three-dimensional object can be improved.

[0027] A support material removal device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first or second aspect, and is characterized in comprising a detection unit for detecting the support material attached to the ejection object, wherein the trajectory calculation unit calculates the trajectory based on a detection result of the detection unit.

[0028] According to this aspect, a detection unit is provided for detecting support material attached to the ejection object, and a trajectory calculation unit calculates the trajectory based on the detection result of the detection unit. Therefore, when there is an area where support material is not removed, this can be identified, and support material can be prevented from remaining in the three-dimensional object.

[0029] A support material removing device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is dependent on the seventh aspect, and is characterized in that the detection unit detects the support material attached to the ejection object by imaging the ejection object.

[0030] According to this aspect, the detection unit detects the supporting material attached to the ejection object by imaging the ejection object. With such a configuration, the detection performance of the supporting material attached to the ejection object can be improved.

[0031] The support material removal method of the ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that support material is removed from a three-dimensional object in the injection object by using a support material removal device to spray liquid on the injection object formed by a three-dimensional modeling machine, the support material removal device has a nozzle for spraying the liquid and an arm for grasping the nozzle, the three-dimensional modeling machine uses the support material to support and shape the three-dimensional object, and in the support material removal method, a trajectory for driving the arm is calculated based on first shape information and second shape information, the first shape information represents the shape of the injection object in a state where the support material is attached, and the second shape information represents the shape of the three-dimensional object corresponding to a state where the support material has been removed from the injection object; and, based on the calculated trajectory, the arm is driven and the liquid is sprayed from the nozzle to remove the support material.

[0032] According to this aspect, the arm can be driven to remove the support material based on the first shape information indicating the shape of the ejection object in the state where the support material is attached and the second shape information indicating the shape of the three-dimensional object corresponding to the state after the support material is removed. Therefore, the arm and the nozzle are automatically driven in the support material removal device, and the support material can be automatically removed when removing the support material from the three-dimensional object. Therefore, the load and cost when removing the support material from the three-dimensional object can be suppressed.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] The following is an explanation of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. The support material removal device 1 of the present invention removes support material 4b from a three-dimensional object 4a in the injection object 4 by injecting a liquid 3 such as water or a solvent onto the injection object 4 formed by a three-dimensional molding machine such as a PolyJet method, wherein the three-dimensional molding machine molds the three-dimensional object 4a while supporting it with the support material 4b. First, referring to Figure 1 An overview of a support material removal device 1A according to Embodiment 1, which is an example of the support material removal device 1 of the present invention, will be described.

[0035] Here, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment removes the attached matter 4b from the target object 4a of the injection object 4 by causing the liquid 3 to be ejected from the nozzle 11 as a continuous flow 3a and causing the continuous flow 3a to drop into droplets 3b so that the liquid 3 collides with the injection object 4 in the form of droplets 3b. By forming such a structure, for example, compared with a structure in which the liquid 3 collides with the injection object 4 as a continuous flow 3a, the collision energy when the liquid collides with the injection object 4 can be greatly increased, and the effect of removing the support material from the three-dimensional object can be greatly improved. However, the present invention is not limited to such a structure.

[0036] Figure 1 The support material removal device 1A of the present embodiment shown in the figure comprises a main body 12 and a nozzle 11, the nozzle 11 being mounted on the main body 12 and causing the liquid 3 to be ejected as a continuous flow 3a and to drop the continuous flow 3a into droplets 3b. In addition, the support material removal device 1A of the present embodiment comprises: a liquid tank 23 for storing the liquid 3 ejected from the nozzle 11; a liquid flow path 13, a part of which passes through the interior of the main body 12 and connects the liquid tank 23 and the nozzle 11; and a pump 21 for supplying the liquid 3 from the liquid tank 23 to the nozzle 11.

[0037] Here, the pump 21 is provided with a switch 21A for turning the pump 21 on or off. The switch 21A can be turned on or off manually by the user. In addition, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment includes: a spray pressure adjustment unit 22 for adjusting the spray pressure of the liquid 3 from the nozzle 11; and a control unit 24 connected to the spray pressure adjustment unit 22 to control the driving of the pump 21. The control unit 24 is provided with a storage unit 25 for storing various data, a driver program of the pump 21, etc.

[0038] In this way, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment is configured to turn on or off the injection of the liquid 3 by the switch 21A. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and for example, the strength of the injection pressure of the liquid 3 may be controlled by the switch 21A. In addition, the strength of the injection pressure of the liquid 3 may be changed according to the attached matter 4b. In addition to being able to change the intensity of the collision between the droplet 3b and the injection target 4 by changing the injection pressure, it is also possible to change the distance at which the continuous flow 3a is dropletized into the droplet 3b.

[0039] The support material removal device 1A of this embodiment includes the nozzle 11 for ejecting the liquid 3 as described above, and Figure 1 As shown, an arm 31 for holding the nozzle 11 is provided. It should be noted that the type and structure of the arm 31 are not particularly limited. For example, in addition to a six-axis multi-joint robot and a SCARA robot, an arm that uses an XYZ axis table as a part can also be used without particular limitation. However, it is desirable that the arm 31 is a structure that can change the configuration of the nozzle 11 and the spray direction relative to the spray object 4 to all directions of 360°. In addition, the arm 31 is electrically connected to the arm control unit 32. Here, the arm control unit 32 is connected to a computer not shown in the figure, and functions as a trajectory calculation unit that calculates the trajectory of the driving arm 31 based on the first shape information and the second shape information input from the computer, the first shape information indicating the shape of the spray object 4 in the state where the support material 4b is attached, and the second shape information indicating the shape of the three-dimensional object 4a corresponding to the state where the support material 4b has been removed from the spray object 4. In addition, a drive unit 31A that drives the arm 31 based on the trajectory calculated by the arm control unit 32 is provided inside the arm 31, wherein the drive unit 31A is a motor. It should be noted that, although not shown in the figure, a plurality of motors are provided as the drive unit 31A.

[0040] Thus, the support material removal device 1A of the present embodiment includes an arm 31 that grips the nozzle 11 that sprays the liquid 3, and can drive the arm 31 to remove the support material 4b based on the first shape information indicating the shape of the spray object 4 in a state where the support material 4b is attached and the second shape information indicating the shape of the three-dimensional object 4a corresponding to the state where the support material 4b has been removed. Therefore, the support material removal device 1A of the present embodiment can automatically remove the support material 4b when removing the support material 4b from the three-dimensional object 4a. Therefore, the load and cost when removing the support material 4b from the three-dimensional object 4a can be suppressed. Specifically, compared with the case where the user removes the support material from the three-dimensional object by manual operation using a tool, for example, the support material can be removed from the three-dimensional object without labor and in a short time.

[0041] The above content is explained from the perspective of the support material removal method: the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment can be used to perform a support material removal method for efficiently removing support material 4b from a three-dimensional object 4a in the injection object 4 by spraying liquid 3 on the injection object 4 formed by a three-dimensional modeling machine, wherein the three-dimensional modeling machine forms the three-dimensional object 4a while supporting it with the support material 4b. In this support material removal method, based on the first shape information indicating the shape of the injection object 4 in a state where the support material 4b is attached and the second shape information indicating the shape of the three-dimensional object 4a corresponding to the state where the support material 4b has been removed from the injection object 4, the trajectory of the driving arm 31 is calculated, and the arm 31 is driven based on the calculated trajectory and the liquid 3 is sprayed from the nozzle 11 to remove the support material 4b. By executing this support material removal method, the load and cost when removing the support material 4b from the three-dimensional object 4a can be suppressed.

[0042] Here, in the support material removal device 1A of the present embodiment, the liquid 3 is stored in the liquid tank 23 connected to the pump 21. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, regarding the supply of the liquid 3 to the pump 11, it is also possible to directly supply tap water as the liquid 3 from the tap of the tap water to the pump 11 by connecting a pipe to the tap of the tap water. Furthermore, instead of connecting the liquid flow path 13 to the pump 21, the liquid flow path 13 may be directly connected to the tap of the tap water. In addition, the type of the liquid 3 is not particularly limited.

[0043] In addition, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment is configured to remove the support material 4b attached to the three-dimensional object 4a formed by the three-dimensional modeling machine of various configurations. In other words, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment can use a variety of support materials 4b. In addition, as described above, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment includes the storage unit 25 and the injection pressure adjustment unit 22. The storage unit 25 stores the correspondence between the type of the support material 4b and the injection pressure of the liquid 3, and the correspondence between the shape of the support material 4b and the injection pressure of the liquid 3 corresponding to the volume of the support material 4b per unit volume (the thickness of the support material 4b), the structure, etc. The injection pressure adjustment unit 22 can adjust the injection pressure of the liquid 3 from the nozzle 11 according to the type and shape of the support material 4b based on these correspondences under the control of the control unit 24. Therefore, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment can automatically and appropriately adjust the injection pressure of the liquid 3 from the nozzle 11 according to the type and shape of the support material 4b, and effectively remove the support material 4b from the three-dimensional object 4a. It should be noted that these correspondences are set to an injection pressure that can remove the support material 4 b without damaging the three-dimensional object 4 a .

[0044] In addition, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment can replace the nozzle 11 installed in the main body 12. Therefore, by replacing the nozzle 11, the nozzle diameter of the injection port that causes the liquid 3 to be injected from the nozzle 11 can be changed. Therefore, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment can, for example, inject the liquid 3 from the nozzle 11 of a preferred nozzle diameter according to the type of the support material 4b. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the following configuration is used: by replacing the nozzle 11 installed in the main body 12, the liquid 3 can be injected from the nozzle 11 of a preferred nozzle diameter according to the type of the support material 4b. However, it is not limited to such a configuration, and a configuration in which a nozzle 11 having a plurality of injection ports with different nozzle diameters is installed in the main body 12 and the injection port used in the nozzle 11 can be appropriately changed.

[0045] As described above, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment can change the ejection pressure, nozzle diameter, etc. as removal conditions according to the conditions of the attached material 4b to be removed. Furthermore, a temperature adjustment mechanism (heater) not shown is provided to adjust the temperature of the liquid 3 ejected from the nozzle 11. Therefore, it can be configured so that the ejection pressure of the liquid 3, the nozzle diameter, the type of the liquid 3, the temperature of the liquid 3 by the temperature adjustment mechanism not shown, etc. are prompted to the user or automatically changed according to the conditions such as the material, thickness, density, shape, etc. of the three-dimensional object 4a and the support material 4b.

[0046] Here, in this embodiment, the arm 31 is driven in a two-dimensional direction in a manner of going around the ejection object 4 to form a track. In addition, the arm 31 is driven three-dimensionally by repeatedly driving the arm 31 in the circumferential direction of the track and in a direction intersecting the circumferential direction of the track. Here, the generation of the two-dimensional track of the arm 31 is described. First, based on the computer model of the three-dimensional shape of the three-dimensional object 4a, the shape data of the support material 4b for temporarily supporting the three-dimensional object 4a during the process of shaping the three-dimensional object 4a is generated. Then, the shape data of the support material 4b is added to the computer model of the three-dimensional shape of the three-dimensional object 4a. Then, the computer model of the three-dimensional shape of the three-dimensional object 4a and the shape data of the support material 4b are converted into sliced ​​two-dimensional data. Then, the arm 31 is driven two-dimensionally corresponding to the two-dimensional data, and the above-mentioned actions are repeated in sequence.

[0047] Here, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The trajectory of the arm 31 will be described. Figure 2 and Figure 3The computer model of the three-dimensional shape of the three-dimensional object 4a shown in solid lines and the shape data of the support material 4b shown in dotted lines are sliced ​​into two-dimensional data. In addition, data showing the configuration of the nozzle 11 are also shown. The arm 31 is configured to enable the nozzle 11 to move along the ejection direction of the liquid 3. When the liquid 3 is ejected to the ejection object 4, the ejection port of the liquid 3 of the nozzle 11 is set to a desired distance relative to the ejection object 4. This is to make it a distance that allows the liquid 3 ejected in the continuous flow 3a to be dropletized into droplets 3b and to give a desired impact pressure.

[0048] here, Figure 2 The nozzle 11a corresponds to the state when the support material 4b is roughly removed, showing Figure 2 The nozzle 11a is at a distance capable of imparting a desired impact pressure in the initial state before the liquid 3 is ejected and the support material 4b is not completely removed. The distance from the nozzle 11a in the roughly removed state to the support material 4b in the initial state is the distance L1.

[0049] on the other hand, Figure 2 The nozzle 11b corresponds to the completed state when the support material 4b is removed, showing Figure 2 The nozzle 11b is at a distance that can give a desired impact pressure in the final state where the support material 4b is roughly removed and the liquid 3 is ejected to almost remove the support material 4b. It should be noted that since a considerable amount of the support material 4b has been removed at the beginning of the final state, the distance from the nozzle 11 to the three-dimensional object 4a in the final state is the distance L2. In addition, the distance L2 can be set to the same distance as the distance L1, for example.

[0050] Therefore, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment drives the arm 31 in the rough removal state so that it is on the track described below: Figure 3 As shown in the first track P1, the support material 4b is provided with the desired impact pressure while maintaining the initial state of the distance to the support material 4b at the long distance L1, and the three-dimensional object 4a is circulated. On the other hand, in the completed state, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment drives the arm 31 so that it is in the track described below: that is, as shown in Figure 3 As shown in the second track P2, the distance L2 from the three-dimensional object 4a is maintained while circling the three-dimensional object 4a in a manner capable of imparting the desired impact pressure to the supporting material 4b, so as to impart the desired impact pressure to the small amount of supporting material 4b remaining on the surface of the three-dimensional object 4a.

[0051] That is, in the support material removal device 1A of the present embodiment, the arm control unit 32 as the trajectory calculation unit calculates the first trajectory P1 for removing a part of the support material 4b from the ejection object 4 and the second trajectory P2 for further removing the support material 4b attached to the ejection object 4 from which the part of the support material 4b has been removed. The support material removal device 1A of the present embodiment is configured in this way, and can perform complete removal of the support material 4b after roughly removing the support material 4b from the ejection object 4. Therefore, by configuring in this way, the effect of removing the support material 4b from the three-dimensional object 4a can be improved.

[0052] Need to explain, such as Figure 3 As shown, in the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment, the ejection direction of the liquid 3 from the nozzle 11 can be changed by changing the angle of the nozzle 11, and the distance from the nozzle 11 to the support material 4b is maintained at a substantially constant distance, forming a track that goes around the three-dimensional object 4a. In other words, in the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment, the arm 31 holds the nozzle 11 in such a manner that the ejection direction of the liquid 3 from the nozzle 11 can be changed, and the ejection direction of the liquid 3 from the nozzle 11 can be adjusted based on the shape of the support material 4b in the first shape information. By forming such a structure, the support material removal device 1A of this embodiment can appropriately make the liquid 3 collide with the support material 4b, and can improve the effect of removing the support material 4b from the three-dimensional object 4a.

[0053] In the support material removal device 1A of the present embodiment, as described above, the ejection conditions such as the ejection pressure can be changed according to the shape of the support material 4b, such as the portion where the support material 4b is formed thicker and the portion where the support material 4b is formed thinner. Furthermore, in the support material removal device 1A of the present embodiment, it is configured to distinguish the portion where the concavities and convexities are formed with fine resolution and the portion where the concavities and convexities are formed only with coarse resolution according to the shape of the three-dimensional object 4a, and to change the ejection conditions of the liquid 3 between these portions. These ejection conditions may be configured such that the storage unit 25 stores a table of the correspondence between the shape of the support material 4b and the ejection pressure, and the ejection conditions are changed based on the table, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

[0054] Example 2

[0055] Below, refer to Figure 4 A support material removing apparatus 1B according to the second embodiment will be described. Figure 4 The support material removal device 1A of Example 1 is Figure 1The support material removal device 1B of this embodiment is the same as the support material removal device 1A of the first embodiment except for the following configuration. Therefore, the support material removal device 1B of this embodiment has the same features as the support material removal device 1A of the first embodiment except for the following configuration. Figure 4 In the present invention, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0056] like Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the support material removal device 1B of this embodiment includes a detection unit 41 for detecting the support material 4b attached to the ejection object 4. In addition, the arm control unit 32 as a trajectory calculation unit can calculate the trajectory of the arm 31 based on the detection result of the detection unit 41. Therefore, the support material removal device 1B of this embodiment can recognize that there is a region where the support material 4b is not removed, and can suppress the support material 4b from remaining on the three-dimensional object 4a. For example, the remaining support material 4b after rough removal can be detected, and the liquid 3 can be ejected only to the portion where the remaining support material 4b exists.

[0057] Here, the detection unit 41 in the support material removal device 1B of this embodiment is a camera that can optically capture the ejection object 4 in a dynamic image and a static image, and can detect the support material 4b attached to the ejection object 4a by capturing the ejection object 4. By forming such a structure, the detection performance of the support material 4b attached to the ejection object 4 can be improved. It should be noted that the number and arrangement of the detection units 41 are not particularly limited, but it is preferably a structure that can detect the ejection object 4 from all angles of 360°.

[0058] Example 3

[0059] Below, refer to Figure 5 A support material removing apparatus 1C according to the third embodiment will be described. Figure 5 The support material removal device 1A of Example 1 is Figure 1 The support material removal device 1C of this embodiment is the same as the support material removal device 1 of the first and second embodiments except for the following configuration. Therefore, the support material removal device 1C of this embodiment has the same features as the support material removal device 1 of the first and second embodiments except for the following configuration. Figure 5 In the present invention, the same reference numerals are used for the components common to the above-mentioned Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0060] like Figure 5As shown, the support material removal device 1C of this embodiment is equipped with a camera 42 for observing the liquid 3 ejected from the nozzle 11, and more specifically, for observing the droplets 3b colliding with the support material 4b. The camera 42 of this embodiment is a camera that can optically take pictures in dynamic and static images, and is mounted on the main body 12. Therefore, it is possible to confirm whether the liquid 3 has collided with the support material 4b as the droplets 3b, and it is possible to suppress the reduction in the effect of removing the support material 4b from the three-dimensional object 4a. In addition, the camera 42 of this embodiment can also play the same role as the detection unit 41 of the support material removal device 1B of Example 2.

[0061] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be implemented by various configurations within the scope of the purpose. In order to solve part or all of the above-mentioned technical problems, or to achieve part or all of the above-mentioned effects, the technical features in the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in the various aspects recorded in the invention content section can be appropriately replaced or combined. In addition, if the technical feature is not described as a necessary technical feature in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted. For example, the support material removal device 1 of the above-mentioned embodiment can also be included as a part of the three-dimensional modeling machine.

Claims

1. A support material removal device, characterized in that: The support material is removed from the three-dimensional object in the injection object by injecting liquid onto the injection object formed by the three-dimensional modeling machine, and the three-dimensional modeling machine shapes the three-dimensional object while supporting it with the support material. The support material removal device comprises: a nozzle for spraying the liquid; an arm for grasping the nozzle; a trajectory calculation unit that calculates a trajectory for driving the arm based on first shape information and second shape information, the first shape information indicating a shape of the ejection object in a state where the support material is attached, and the second shape information indicating a shape of the three-dimensional object corresponding to a state where the support material has been removed from the ejection object; as well as The driving unit drives the arm based on the trajectory calculated by the trajectory calculating unit.

2. The support material removal device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The nozzle ejects the liquid in a continuous flow and converts the continuous flow into droplets, which collide with the ejection target in the form of droplets.

3. The support material removal device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The support material removal device includes a jet pressure adjustment unit configured to adjust a jet pressure of the liquid from the nozzle based on a shape of the support material or a type of the support material in the first shape information.

4. The support material removal device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The shape of the supporting material refers to the volume of the supporting material contained per unit volume.

5. The support material removal device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The trajectory calculation section calculates a first trajectory for removing a portion of the supporting material from the ejection object and a second trajectory for further removing the supporting material attached to the ejection object from which the portion of the supporting material has been removed.

6. The support material removal device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The arm holds the nozzle so that the ejection direction of the liquid from the nozzle can be changed, and can adjust the ejection direction of the liquid from the nozzle based on the shape of the supporting material in the first shape information.

7. The support material removal device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The support material removal device includes a detection unit that detects the support material attached to the ejection object. The trajectory calculation unit calculates the trajectory based on the detection result of the detection unit.

8. The support material removal device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The detection unit detects the supporting material attached to the ejection object by imaging the ejection object.

9. A method for removing support material, characterized in that: The support material removing device is used to remove the support material from the three-dimensional object by spraying liquid on the spray object formed by the three-dimensional modeling machine, wherein the support material removing device has a nozzle for spraying the liquid and an arm for holding the nozzle, and the three-dimensional modeling machine uses the support material to support and shape the three-dimensional object. In the support material removal method, calculating a trajectory for driving the arm based on first shape information and second shape information, the first shape information indicating a shape of the ejection object in a state where the support material is attached, and the second shape information indicating a shape of the three-dimensional object corresponding to a state where the support material has been removed from the ejection object; and, The arm is driven based on the calculated trajectory and the liquid is ejected from the nozzle to remove the support material.

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