Three-dimensional printer and working method thereof

Abstract

A three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may comprise: a panel for displaying an image; at least one light source disposed at a lower portion of the panel; a correction controller which is connected to the panel and controls a plurality of pieces of correction information for correcting an image output to the panel; the storage container is arranged at the upper part of the panel and is used for storing a molding material; a construction plate which is disposed on the upper part of the storage container and on which molded objects corresponding to the images are stacked; and a lifting member that moves the construction plate up and down, and the plurality of pieces of correction information are distinguished according to the distance from the center of the light source to the molded object.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a three-dimensional printer that uses correction information to correct an image used to generate a molded object. Background Art

[0002] There are many methods for making three-dimensional products. For example, there are the mock-up method made by hand and the cutting method based on CNC machine tools. However, the mock-up method is difficult to make delicate shapes and takes a lot of time, while the cutting method requires huge production costs and is limited in the shapes that can be processed.

[0003] In order to produce a three-dimensional solid shape more efficiently and effectively, a three-dimensional printer that produces a molded product of a three-dimensional solid shape using three-dimensional drawing data designed by a three-dimensional modeling tool has been widely used recently.

[0004] 3D printers stack liquid, powdered polymers, metals and other materials in layers according to 3D drawing data to create three-dimensional molded products. When using a 3D printer, production costs and production time can be greatly reduced, and personalized production can be achieved, and complex three-dimensional shapes can be easily produced.

[0005] A 3D printer can produce a 3D shape in a variety of ways. For example, a light source is used to irradiate light to an LCD panel, and a molded product is formed according to an image output to the LCD panel. However, in this method, when the light irradiated by the light source is not uniformly irradiated to the LCD panel, the quality of the molded product may be reduced.

[0006] The above-mentioned background technology is owned or learned by the inventor in the process of deriving the disclosure content of this application, and is not necessarily the known technology disclosed to the public before this application. Summary of the invention

[0007] The purpose of the embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a three-dimensional printer and a working method thereof, so that light can be irradiated to the panel more evenly, thereby producing high-quality molded products.

[0008] The purpose of the embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a three-dimensional printer and a working method thereof, which can optimize light irradiation to more efficiently produce molded products.

[0009] A 3D printer of one embodiment may include: a panel for displaying an image; at least one light source disposed at the bottom of the panel; a correction controller connected to the panel for controlling a plurality of correction information for correcting the image output to the panel; a storage container disposed at the top of the panel for storing molding materials; a building plate disposed at the top of the storage container for stacking moldings corresponding to the image; and a lifting component for moving the building plate up and down, wherein the plurality of correction information are distinguished according to the distance from the center of the light source to the molding.

[0010] In one embodiment, the correction controller can determine one of the plurality of correction information based on at least one of the distance to the molded object and the size of the molded object, multiply the image by the determined one correction information, the panel displays the corrected image, and the build plate stacks the molded object corresponding to the corrected image.

[0011] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned multiple correction information may include first correction information and second correction information, the first correction information includes a case where the distance from the center of the above-mentioned light source to the above-mentioned molded object is less than the first distance or the above-mentioned distance is less than the first distance and the size of the above-mentioned molded object is the first size, and the second correction information includes a case where the distance from the center of the above-mentioned light source to the above-mentioned molded object is greater than the above-mentioned first distance and less than the above-mentioned second distance or the above-mentioned distance is greater than the above-mentioned first distance and less than the above-mentioned second distance and the size of the above-mentioned molded object is the second size.

[0012] In one embodiment, the correction controller may include an artificial intelligence algorithm, and one of the plurality of correction information is determined based on the artificial intelligence algorithm.

[0013] In one embodiment, the artificial intelligence algorithm may be trained to determine the correction information that minimizes the ultraviolet irradiation time for curing the molded object from among a plurality of correction information.

[0014] In one embodiment, the artificial intelligence algorithm may be trained to further determine information related to at least one of the position of the molded object and the angle of the molded object that minimizes the ultraviolet irradiation time.

[0015] In one embodiment, the panel may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), and the light source is arranged to correspond to the center of the panel.

[0016] In one embodiment, the light source is movable along at least one of an X-axis and a Y-axis.

[0017] In one embodiment, the image may include one of a plurality of cross-sectional images corresponding to each molded object constituting the molded product produced by the 3D printer.

[0018] An operating method of a three-dimensional printer including a light source, a panel and a building plate according to an embodiment of the present invention may include the following steps: determining an image to be output; confirming the distance between a molded object corresponding to the image and the center of the light source; determining one of a plurality of correction information based on the confirmed distance; correcting the image based on the determined correction information; outputting the corrected image through the panel; and solidifying the molded object corresponding to the output image, and stacking the solidified molded object using the building plate.

[0019] In one embodiment, the step of determining the correction information may further include the step of determining one of the multiple correction information based on the confirmed distance and at least one of the sizes of the molded object corresponding to the image, and the step of correcting the image includes the step of multiplying the image by the determined one correction information.

[0020] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned multiple correction information may include first correction information and second correction information, the first correction information includes a case where the distance from the center of the above-mentioned light source to the above-mentioned molded object is less than the first distance or the above-mentioned distance is less than the first distance and the size of the above-mentioned molded object is the first size, and the second correction information includes a case where the distance from the center of the above-mentioned light source to the above-mentioned molded object is greater than the above-mentioned first distance and less than the above-mentioned second distance or the above-mentioned distance is greater than the above-mentioned first distance and less than the above-mentioned second distance and the size of the above-mentioned molded object is the second size.

[0021] In one embodiment, the step of determining the one correction information may include the following step: determining one of the multiple correction information based on the artificial intelligence algorithm.

[0022] In one embodiment, the artificial intelligence algorithm may be trained to determine the correction information that minimizes the ultraviolet irradiation time for curing the molded object from among a plurality of correction information.

[0023] In one embodiment, the artificial intelligence algorithm may be trained to further determine information related to at least one of the position of the molded object and the angle of the molded object that minimizes the ultraviolet irradiation time.

[0024] In one embodiment, the panel may include a liquid crystal display panel, and the light source is arranged to correspond to the center of the panel.

[0025] In one embodiment, the light source is movable along at least one of an X-axis and a Y-axis.

[0026] In one embodiment, the image may include one of a plurality of cross-sectional images corresponding to each molded object constituting the molded product produced by the 3D printer.

[0027] The 3D printer and the working method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention can use the correction information to correct the image, thereby making the light shine more evenly on the panel, thereby making it possible to produce high-quality molded products.

[0028] The 3D printer and the operating method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention can optimize the irradiation of light by using the correction information, thereby making the molded product more efficiently.

[0029] The effects of the 3D printer of the embodiment of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can clearly understand other effects not mentioned from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] The accompanying drawings in this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and are used to further understand the technical concept of the present disclosure together with the detailed description of the present invention. The present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the matters shown in these drawings.

[0031] Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a 3D printer according to an embodiment.

[0032] Figure 2 A functional block diagram of a 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 3 A diagram showing an example of a molded product produced by a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment.

[0034] Figure 4 and Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a molded object produced by a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment.

[0035] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of correction information used by a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment.

[0036] Figure 7 The flowchart shows each step of the working method of the 3D printer according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The various embodiments described in this specification are illustrative for the purpose of clearly illustrating the technical ideas of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to specific implementations. The technical ideas of the present disclosure include various modifications, equivalents, alternatives, and embodiments selectively combined from all or part of the various embodiments described in this specification. Furthermore, the scope of rights of the technical ideas of the present disclosure are not limited to the various embodiments proposed below or their specific descriptions.

[0038] Unless otherwise defined, the meanings of various terms used in this specification, including technical terms or scientific terms, are the same as those generally understood by ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs.

[0039] In this specification, the expressions "including", "may include", "have", "may have", "have", "may have", etc., mean the existence of the features (e.g., functions, actions or structural elements) indicated, and do not exclude the existence of other additional features. That is, such expressions should be understood as open-ended terms that include the possibility of a second embodiment.

[0040] In this specification, unless the context clearly specifies that it is singular, the expression in the singular includes the expression in the plural. Also, unless the context clearly specifies that it is plural, the expression in the plural includes the expression in the singular. Throughout the specification, when it is indicated that a certain part includes a certain structural element, unless there is a special record to the contrary, it means that other structural elements are not excluded, but other structural elements may also be included.

[0041] Furthermore, in the specification, the terms such as "module" or "unit" used mean software or hardware structural elements, and the "module" or "unit" performs a certain function. However, "module" or "unit" does not mean to be limited to software or hardware. "Module" or "unit" can exist in an addressable storage medium, and can also be constructed in a way that one or more processors are regenerated. Therefore, as an example, a "module" or "unit" may include at least one of structural elements such as software structural elements, object-pointing software structural elements, class structural elements and task structural elements, programs, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program codes, drivers, firmware, microcodes, loops, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays or variables. The functions provided by the structural elements and "modules" or "units" can be combined with fewer structural elements and "modules" or "units", or can be further divided into additional structural elements and "modules" or "units".

[0042] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a "module" or "unit" may be embodied by a processor and a memory. "Processor" should be interpreted broadly to include a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, and the like. In some environments, a "processor" may also refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and the like. For example, a "processor" may also refer to a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, a combination of more than one microprocessor combined with a digital signal processor core, a combination of any other such structures, and other processing devices. Furthermore, " "Memory" should be interpreted broadly to include any electronic component that can store electronic information. "Memory" can refer to various types of processor-readable media such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, magnetic or optical data storage devices, caches, etc. If the processor reads information from the memory and / or records information in the memory, it is said that the memory and the processor are in an electronic communication state. The memory integrated in the processor is in an electronic communication state between the processor.

[0043] Unless different meanings are expressed in the context, expressions such as "first", "second", "firstly", and "nextly" used in this specification are used to distinguish one object from other objects of the same kind, and do not limit the order or importance of the corresponding objects.

[0044] The expressions "A, B and C", "A, B or C", "A, B and / or C" or "at least one of A, B and C", "at least one of A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and / or C", "at least one selected from A, B and C", "at least one selected from A, B or C", "at least one selected from A, B and / or C" etc. used in this specification may mean all possible combinations of the listed items or the listed multiple items. For example, "at least one selected from A and B" may mean all of the following cases: (1) A; (2) at least one of A; (3) B; (4) at least one of B; (5) at least one of A and at least one of B; (6) at least one of A and B; (7) at least one of B and A; (8) A and B.

[0045] The expression "based on..." used in this specification is used to describe one or more factors that affect the determination, judgment behavior or action described in the sentence or article that includes the expression. The expression does not exclude additional factors that affect the corresponding determination, judgment behavior or action.

[0046] The expressions such as “connected” or “coupled” between a certain structural element (e.g., the first structural element) and other structural elements (e.g., the second structural element) used in this specification not only mean the situation where the above-mentioned certain structural element is directly connected or coupled to the above-mentioned other structural elements, but also mean the situation where other new structural elements (e.g., the third structural element) are connected or coupled as a medium.

[0047] The expression "configured to" or the like used in this specification may mean "set to" or "having" or "having" or "changing to" or "manufactured to" or "capable of executing" or the like, depending on the context. The expression is not limited to the meaning of "specially designed in hardware". For example, a processor configured to execute a specific action may mean a generic-purpose processor that can execute the specific action by running software.

[0048] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings and descriptions of the drawings, the same reference numerals may be assigned to the same or substantially equivalent structural elements. Furthermore, in the following description of various embodiments, repeated descriptions of the same or corresponding structural elements may be omitted, which does not mean that the corresponding structural elements are not included in the embodiment.

[0049] Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a 3D printer according to an embodiment.

[0050] Reference Figure 1 A 3D printer of one embodiment may include: at least one light source 110, which is disposed at the lower part of the 3D printer and irradiates light toward a panel 130 at the upper part; a lens 120, which is configured to be separated from the upper part of the light source 110 by a specified distance; a panel 130, which is disposed at the upper part of the lens 120; a storage container 140, which is disposed at the upper part of the panel 130 and is used to store a liquid molding material 140a; a build plate 160 (Build Plate), which is disposed at the upper part of the storage container 140 and is used to stack a molding object 150; and a lifting component 170, which is disposed at the upper part of the build plate 160 and is lifted up and down.

[0051] The light source 110 may emit light, for example, ultraviolet (UV). The light source 110 may solidify the molding material 140a. According to the embodiment, the light source 110 may be applicable to various structures for solidifying the molding material 140a, and is not limited to the embodiments of the present specification. The light emitted by the light source 110 may be provided to the panel 130 through the lens 120.

[0052] The light source 110 may include at least one light source having a high output above a specific output value. The light source 110 may be arranged corresponding to the central axis or center of the panel 130 described later. In this case, the light emitted from the light source 110 may gradually darken from the central portion of the panel 130 toward the peripheral portion.

[0053] The panel 130 may display a cross-sectional image. The cross-sectional image may be an image related to one of the plurality of molded objects constituting the molded product. The cross-sectional image may separate the three-dimensional design data. The cross-sectional image may be output according to a preset sequence. The panel 130 may be an LCD, but is not limited thereto.

[0054] The storage container 140 may be filled with a molding material 140a. The storage container 140 may be a container filled with the molding material 140a. The molding material 140a may be liquid, but is not limited thereto.

[0055] The building plate 160 may be disposed at the lower part of the lifting member 170. The building plate 160 may be connected to the lifting member 170. The building plate 160 may move up and down corresponding to the movement of the lifting member 170. For example, when the lifting member 170 moves downward, the building plate 160 may also move downward. When the production of a molded object is completed, for example, when the curing is completed, the lifting member 170 lifts the building plate 160 and moves downward again for the curing of the next layer. The next order of molded objects produced is stacked on the building plate 160 moving downward.

[0056] As the molded objects 150a and 150b are stacked on the build plate 160, the molded product 150 can be formed. The molded product 150 can be formed by stacking the molded objects 150a and 150b. The molded objects 150a and 150b can be formed in plurality and can be produced according to the cross-sectional image displayed on the panel 130. For example, as the cross-sectional image of the first molded object 150a is displayed on the panel 130, the first molded object 150a will be produced and stacked on the build plate 160. Thereafter, as the cross-sectional shape of the second molded object 150b is displayed on the panel 130, the second molded object 150b will be produced and stacked on the build plate 160.

[0057] According to the embodiment, light from the light source 10 diffuses in a cone shape, so the intensity of light in the center portion is the strongest and gradually weakens toward the periphery. In this case, the intensity of light reaching the panel 130 is not uniform in the center portion and the side edge portions.

[0058] As described above, when the intensity of the light irradiated to the panel 130 is not uniform, the curing degree of the molding material 140 a becomes different, and thus there is a problem in that the quality of the molded product 150 is degraded.

[0059] The 3D printer may further include a correction controller (not shown). The correction controller may be connected to at least one of the light source 110, the panel 130, the storage container 140, the build plate 160, and the lifting member 170. The connection between the correction controller and other structures may be physical and / or electrical, and the present embodiment is not limited to such connection. Furthermore, depending on the circumstances, the correction controller may be embodied as a structure separated from the 3D printer, for example, a computer, a laptop, or a tablet computer connected to the 3D printer, and is not limited to such embodiment.

[0060] The correction controller may correct the cross-sectional image displayed on the panel 130. For example, the correction controller may determine one of a plurality of correction information based on at least one of the distance from the center (or central axis) of the light source 110 to the molded object and the size of the molded object, and correct the image by multiplying the image by the determined correction information. In this case, a plurality of correction information may be pre-specified and stored.

[0061] When the cross-sectional image is embodied on the panel 130, the 3D printer of the embodiment of the present specification can determine appropriate correction information and apply it to the image according to the characteristics of the molded objects 150a and 150b as the manufacturing object. According to the embodiment, the correction information can be called a mask or a pattern, but is not limited to such terms. Figure 6 , detailed description of specific examples of correction information.

[0062] Figure 2 1 is a functional block diagram of a 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The functional block diagram is presented according to the functional structure for the convenience of explanation, and the structure of the 3D printer according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0063] Reference Figure 2 In one embodiment, the 3D printer 200 may include a control unit 210 and a mechanism unit 220. The control unit 210 and the mechanism unit 220 may be physically and / or electrically connected.

[0064] The control unit 210 may include a light source 211 (eg, Figure 1 light source 110), panel 213 (e.g., Figure 1The mechanism unit 220 may include a storage container 221 (e.g., Figure 1 storage container 140), build plate 223 (e.g., Figure 1 Build plate 160) and lifting member 225 (e.g., Figure 1 According to the embodiment, in addition to the structures shown in the control unit 210 and the mechanism unit 220, multiple structures may be added or at least a part of the structure may be omitted. For example, the mechanism unit 220 may further include a lens.

[0065] The light source 211 may be disposed at the lower portion of the 3D printer 200 and emit light. The light source 211 may emit ultraviolet light. The light source 211 may irradiate ultraviolet light having an intensity greater than a specific value.

[0066] In an embodiment, the light source 211 can be configured in a manner corresponding to the center of the panel 213. The light source 211 can be fixed at a specific position. According to an embodiment, the light source 211 can be moved in at least one direction of the X-axis and the Y-axis. The movement of the light source 211 can be controlled by the correction controller 215 described later, but is not limited to this. For example, when the molded object tends to one side of the panel 213, it is more advantageous to set the light source 211 at a position close to the molded object than to set the light source 211 at the center. In this case, correction information (mask) with a minimum radius can be applied, so that the light exposure time can be minimized. In addition, relatively strong light is irradiated only to the center of the panel, so that the life of the lens or panel can be prevented from being reduced.

[0067] The panel 213 may display an image. The panel 213 may be disposed on the light source 211 and receive light released from the light source 211. According to an embodiment, a lens (eg, Figure 1 In this case, the light released from the light source 211 may be irradiated to the panel 213 through the lens.

[0068] In an embodiment, the image displayed on the panel 213 may include one of the cross-sectional images corresponding to each molded object constituting the molded product produced by the three-dimensional printer 200. The molded product produced by the three-dimensional printer 200 may be composed of a plurality of molded objects stacked together. In this case, the cross-sectional image displayed on the panel 213 may correspond to one of the plurality of molded objects. In order to produce the molded product, the cross-sectional images corresponding to each molded object may be displayed on the panel 213 in a specified order.

[0069] In an embodiment, the panel 213 may include an LCD panel, but is not limited thereto and may include other types of panels.

[0070] The correction controller 215 may be connected to the image output to the panel 213. The correction controller 215 may control a plurality of correction information for correcting the image output to the panel 213. The plurality of correction information may be pre-specified for storage. The plurality of correction information may be stored in a memory connected to the correction controller 215 (or included in the correction controller 215).

[0071] In an embodiment, the correction controller 215 may determine one of a plurality of correction information based on at least one of the distance from the center (or central axis) of the light source 211 to the molded object and the size of the molded object. The correction controller 215 may correct the image by multiplying the determined correction information by the image. In this case, the panel 213 may display the corrected image.

[0072] In an embodiment, the plurality of correction information may include first correction information and second correction information, and the first correction information may include a case where the distance from the center of the light source to the molded object is less than a first distance or a case where the distance is less than the first distance and the size of the molded object is a first size. The first size may be a range related to the size, but is not limited thereto.

[0073] As an example, the first correction information may include a correction image (or mask image, mask) that irradiates ultraviolet rays most effectively when the distance from the center (or central axis) of the light source to the molded object is less than a first distance or when the distance is less than the first distance and the size of the molded object is the first size. The second correction information may include a correction image that irradiates ultraviolet rays most effectively when the distance from the center of the light source to the molded object is greater than the first distance and less than the second distance or when the distance is greater than the first distance and less than the second distance and the size of the molded object is the second size. For more specific examples of this, please refer to Figure 6 .

[0074] In an embodiment, the correction controller 215 may include an artificial intelligence algorithm. In this case, the correction controller 215 may determine one of a plurality of correction information based on the artificial intelligence algorithm. For example, the artificial intelligence algorithm may be trained to determine the correction information that minimizes the ultraviolet irradiation time for curing (or making) the molded object among a plurality of correction information. According to an embodiment, the artificial intelligence algorithm is trained to further determine information related to at least one of the position of the molded object and the angle of the molded object that minimizes the ultraviolet irradiation time.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the artificial intelligence algorithm may be composed of a map learning or non-map learning algorithm, but is not limited thereto. For example, the artificial intelligence algorithm may include a convolutional neural network (CNN), a deep neural network (DNN), or a recurrent neural network (RNN), but is not limited thereto.

[0076] The storage container 221 may be a container disposed on the upper portion of the panel 213 and used to store the molding material. The molding material may be a liquid, but is not limited thereto. The molding material may be a substance that is cured by ultraviolet rays. For example, the molding material may include a photocurable resin. The storage container 221 may be disposed on the light source 211 and the panel 213 to receive ultraviolet rays released from the light source 211.

[0077] The build plate 223 may be disposed on the upper portion of the storage container 221, and the molded objects corresponding to the images may be stacked. One molded object corresponding to one image may be stacked on the build plate 223. Afterwards, when the next image is displayed on the panel 213, the molded object corresponding to the displayed image may be further stacked on the build plate 223. As described above, as a plurality of molded objects are sequentially stacked, a molded product may be formed on the build plate 223.

[0078] When the image displayed on the panel 213 is corrected by the embodiment, the build plate 223 can stack the molded object corresponding to the corrected image.

[0079] The lifting member 225 may be disposed on the upper portion of the building plate 223. The lifting member 224 may be connected to the building plate 223. In response to the movement of the lifting member 225, the building plate 223 moves together with the lifting member 225. When the production of a molded object is completed, for example, the curing is completed, the lifting member 225 lifts the building plate 223 and moves downward again for the curing of the next layer. The next order of molded objects produced is stacked on the building plate 223 that moves downward.

[0080] Figure 3 A diagram showing an example of a molded product produced by a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment.

[0081] Figure 3 As an example of a molded product finally produced by a 3D printer, as shown in the figure, it can be a model imitating human teeth. The model can be a three-dimensional structure. The 3D printer can generate a molded object corresponding to the cross section of the molded product according to each cross section and stack them to produce a molded product.

[0082] Figure 4 and Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a molded object produced by a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment. Figure 4 and Figure 5 Shown for Figure 3 To help understand, Figure 5 The molded product and the molded object are shown together.

[0083] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the configuration positions of the molded objects 410 and 520 in the molded product 510 may be different. For example, in the molded product 510, from the center 450 of the molded product 510 to the configuration Figure 4 The distance of the position of the molding 410 may be greater than the configuration Figure 5 In this case, the center 450 of the molded product 510 may correspond to the center of the light source of the 3D printer. For example, the center 450 of the molded product 510 may be arranged on the central axis of the light source of the 3D printer.

[0084] As described above, the light source may be a structure that diffuses light in all directions. When observing the state of light diffusion based on the ground, the light may diffuse in a cone shape based on the ground relative to the panel showing the cross-sectional image of the molded object. In this case, the intensity of the light is not uniform. The light is a structure that causes the solidification of the molding material, and is an important material for improving the manufacturing quality of the molded product 510.

[0085] Next, in the process of making the molded product 510 using a 3D printer, when simply applying the image of each cross-section of the molded product 510, the distance from the light source to the molded object 410, 520, that is, the intensity of light at the production position of the molded object 410, 520, is not reflected, so that problems may occur in the density or shape of the molded objects 410, 520 being produced.

[0086] Thus, the 3D printer of the embodiment of the present specification can correct the cross-sectional image by considering the relationship between the light source and the molded object 410, 520. The 3D printer can solidify the molded object using the corrected cross-section, thereby producing a molded product 510 with higher quality.

[0087] Figure 6 This is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of correction information used in a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment.

[0088] Reference Figure 6 , Figure 6Part (a) shows an example of the first correction information used when the molded object to be cured is arranged within the center radius of 20 mm of the molded product. When the molded object is arranged within the center radius of 20 mm of the molded product, the 3D printer can obtain a corrected image by multiplying the cross-sectional image of the molded object by the first correction information. When using the corrected image, the intensity of light (or ultraviolet rays) reaching the molding material can be a specified first value.

[0089] Figure 6 Part (b) shows an example of the second correction information used when the molded object to be cured is arranged within the center radius of 45 mm of the molded product. When the molded object is arranged within the center radius of 45 mm of the molded product, the 3D printer can obtain a corrected image by multiplying the cross-sectional image of the molded object by the second correction information. When the corrected image is used, the intensity of the light (or ultraviolet light) reaching the molding material can be a specified second value.

[0090] The first value and the second value may be different values. For example, the first value may have a strength of 90, and the second value may have a strength of 70. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first value and the second value may have the same value.

[0091] When the first value and the second value have different values, curing can be uniformly achieved by adjusting the light irradiation time. For example, when the first value is 90, the light irradiation time for curing the molded object associated with the first correction information can be set to 6.3 seconds. When the second value is 70, the light irradiation time for curing the molded object associated with the second correction information can be set to 9 seconds.

[0092] The correction information may shorten the light irradiation time as much as possible in relation to the molded object to be cured. For example, the first correction information may be the following correction information among the plurality of correction information, which shortens the light irradiation time as much as possible when the distance between the center of the molded product (or light source) and the molded object is within 20 mm. The second correction information may be the following correction information among the plurality of correction information, which shortens the light irradiation time as much as possible when the distance between the center of the molded product (or light source) and the molded object is within 45 mm.

[0093] Figure 6 Although only one example of correction information is used, the present invention is not limited to this, and information of various types and forms can be used as correction information.

[0094] Figure 7 The flowchart of each step of the operating method of the 3D printer according to one embodiment is shown. Hereinafter, for the operating method of the 3D printer described above, the contents that are repeated with the contents that have already been described will be omitted.

[0095] exist Figure 7In step S710, the 3D printer may determine the image to be output. The 3D printer may obtain (or determine) information related to the final molded product based on the user's input. The information related to the molded product may include information related to the molded object as a cross-section constituting the molded product. The information related to the molded object may include an image representing the molded object, and the 3D printer determines an image representing a molded object as the image to be output according to a specified order in order to produce the molded product.

[0096] In step S720, the 3D printer may determine the distance between the molded object corresponding to the image and the center of the light source. The 3D printer may determine the distance from the center of the light source to the molded object, that is, the distance between the molded object and the center of the light source. According to an embodiment, in addition to the center of the light source, the 3D printer may be used to determine the distance between the center of the panel and the center of the molded product, but the embodiments of this specification are not limited thereto. The center of the panel and the center of the molded product may correspond to the center of the light source.

[0097] In an embodiment, the molded object may have a predetermined area. In this case, the three-dimensional printer may confirm the distance to at least a portion of the molded object located at a position farthest from or closest to the center of the light source.

[0098] In an embodiment, the distance determined by the 3D printer may be within a specific distance range. For example, the 3D printer may determine which distance range the distance between the center of the light source and the molded object is within in a preset distance range.

[0099] According to an embodiment, the 3D printer may use an artificial intelligence algorithm to confirm the position and / or angle of the molded object that minimizes the irradiation time of the light. The 3D printer may confirm the distance between the center of the light source and the molded object after adjusting the position and / or angle of the molded object based on the confirmed information.

[0100] In step S730, the 3D printer may confirm one correction information among the plurality of correction information based on the confirmed distance. For example, when the confirmed distance is the first distance (or the first distance range), the 3D printer may confirm one correction information corresponding to the first distance among the plurality of correction information.

[0101] In an embodiment, the 3D printer may confirm one of the plurality of correction information based on at least one of the confirmed distance and the size of the molded object. For example, the 3D printer may confirm the correction information that minimizes the exposure time of light (or ultraviolet rays) among the plurality of correction information by considering the confirmed distance and the size of the molded object.

[0102] In an embodiment, the 3D printer may include an artificial intelligence algorithm for confirming the correction information. In this case, the 3D printer may use the artificial intelligence algorithm to confirm the correction information that minimizes the irradiation time of light for curing the molded object among the plurality of correction information.

[0103] In an embodiment, the 3D printer may use an artificial intelligence algorithm to further confirm the thickness of the molded object that minimizes the irradiation time. The 3D printer may additionally reflect information related to the thickness of the molded object in the correction information.

[0104] The artificial intelligence algorithm may be pre-trained to determine the correction information for minimizing the ultraviolet irradiation time for curing the molded object. Depending on the situation, the artificial intelligence algorithm may be trained to further confirm the position and / or angle of the molded object described in step S720. In this case, the algorithm used in step S720 may be the same as the artificial intelligence algorithm for determining the correction information. However, it is not limited thereto, and according to an embodiment, the artificial intelligence algorithm used in step S720 may be different from the artificial intelligence algorithm used in step S730.

[0105] In step S740, the 3D printer may correct the image based on the determined correction information. For example, the 3D printer multiplies the image by the determined correction information to form the corrected image. However, this is not limited to this. In addition to multiplication, for example, the correction method may also use addition and subtraction. A variety of known technologies may be applied to the method and principle of multiplying the image by the correction information.

[0106] In step S750, the 3D printer may output the corrected image through a panel. The panel may include an LCD type panel, but is not limited thereto.

[0107] In step S760 , the 3D printer may solidify the molded object corresponding to the output image and stack the solidified molded object using a building plate.

[0108] The 3D printer may irradiate light through a light source located at the bottom of the panel so that the irradiated light can pass through the panel. The 3D printer may allow the light passing through the panel to reach a storage container on the panel. According to the image information displayed on the panel, the molding material stored in the storage container may be solidified. The 3D printer may use a building plate to stack the solidified molding.

[0109] Each image can realize the solidification and stacking of the molded object, and as the solidified molded object is stacked on the building plate, the molded product can be completed.

[0110] As described above, a person skilled in the art of the present disclosure can understand that the present disclosure can be implemented through other specific embodiments without changing the technical ideas or essential features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the above embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and should not be understood as limiting. The scope of the present disclosure is reflected by the attached invention claims, rather than detailed descriptions, and all changes or variant implementations derived from the meaning, scope, and equivalent concepts of the invention claims should be interpreted as included in the scope of the present disclosure.

[0111] The features and advantages described in this specification are not exhaustive, and many additional features and advantages can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art through the drawings, the specification and the scope of protection of the invention. Moreover, the language used in this specification is mainly selected for the purpose of readability and teaching, and may not be selected for the purpose of describing or limiting the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0112] The above description of the various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for the purpose of illustration. This is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the exact embodiments disclosed or to make it exhaustive. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be implemented based on the above disclosure.

[0113] Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the detailed description, but to any claims of the application based thereon. Therefore, the disclosure of the multiple embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrative and does not limit the scope of the present disclosure recorded in the attached invention claims.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printer, It is characterized in that include: A panel for displaying images; at least one light source, disposed at the lower portion of the panel; A correction controller connected to the panel to control a plurality of correction information for correcting the image output to the panel; A storage container, arranged on the upper part of the panel, for storing molding materials; a building plate, disposed on the upper part of the storage container, on which a molded object corresponding to the image is stacked; and The lifting component moves the above-mentioned building plate up and down, The plurality of correction information are respectively classified according to the distance from the center of the light source to the molded object.

2. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The correction controller determines one of the plurality of correction information based on at least one of the distance to the molded object and the size of the molded object, and corrects the image by multiplying the determined one correction information. The above panel displays the above image corrected. The building plate is laminated with a molded object corresponding to the corrected image.

3. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The plurality of correction information includes first correction information and second correction information. The first correction information includes a case where the distance from the center of the light source to the molded object is less than a first distance or a case where the distance is less than the first distance and the size of the molded object is a first size, The second correction information includes a case where the distance from the center of the light source to the molded object is greater than the first distance and less than the second distance, or a case where the distance is greater than the first distance and less than the second distance and the size of the molded object is the second size.

4. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The correction controller includes an artificial intelligence algorithm, and determines one of the plurality of correction information based on the artificial intelligence algorithm.

5. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 4, It is characterized in that The artificial intelligence algorithm is trained to determine the correction information that minimizes the ultraviolet irradiation time for curing the molded object from among the plurality of correction information.

6. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 5, It is characterized in that The artificial intelligence algorithm is trained to further determine information related to at least one of a position of the molded object and an angle of the molded object that minimizes the ultraviolet irradiation time.

7. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The panel includes a liquid crystal display panel, The light source is arranged to correspond to the center of the panel.

8. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The light source can be moved along at least one direction of an X-axis and a Y-axis.

9. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The image includes one of a plurality of cross-sectional images, and the cross-sectional image corresponds to each molded object constituting a molded product produced by the three-dimensional printer.

10. A method for operating a three-dimensional printer, the three-dimensional printer comprising a light source, a panel and a building plate, the method for operating the three-dimensional printer comprising the following steps: Determine the image to be output; confirming the distance between the molded object corresponding to the image and the center of the light source; determining one correction information among a plurality of correction information based on the confirmed distance; Correcting the image based on the determined correction information; outputting the corrected image through the panel; and The molded object corresponding to the outputted image is cured, and the cured molded object is laminated using the build plate.

11. The operating method of the three-dimensional printer according to claim 10, It is characterized in that The step of determining the correction information further includes the step of determining one of the plurality of correction information based on at least one of the confirmed distance and the size of the molded object corresponding to the image, The step of correcting the image includes the step of multiplying the image by the determined correction information to correct the image.

12. The operating method of the 3D printer according to claim 10, It is characterized in that The plurality of correction information includes first correction information and second correction information. The first correction information includes a case where the distance from the center of the light source to the molded object is less than a first distance or a case where the distance is less than the first distance and the size of the molded object is a first size, The second correction information includes a case where the distance from the center of the light source to the molded object is greater than the first distance and less than the second distance, or a case where the distance is greater than the first distance and less than the second distance and the size of the molded object is the second size.

13. The operating method of the 3D printer according to claim 10, It is characterized in that The step of determining the above-mentioned one correction information includes the following steps: determining one of the above-mentioned multiple correction information based on the above-mentioned artificial intelligence algorithm.

14. The operating method of the three-dimensional printer according to claim 13, It is characterized in that The artificial intelligence algorithm is trained to determine the correction information that minimizes the ultraviolet irradiation time for curing the molded object from among the plurality of correction information.

15. The operating method of the 3D printer according to claim 14, It is characterized in that The artificial intelligence algorithm is trained to further determine information related to at least one of a position of the molded object and an angle of the molded object that minimizes the ultraviolet irradiation time.

16. The operating method of the 3D printer according to claim 10, It is characterized in that The panel includes a liquid crystal display panel, The light source is arranged to correspond to the center of the panel.

17. The operating method of the 3D printer according to claim 10, It is characterized in that The light source can be moved along at least one direction of an X-axis and a Y-axis.

18. The operating method of the 3D printer according to claim 10, It is characterized in that The image includes one of a plurality of cross-sectional images, and the cross-sectional image corresponds to each molded object constituting a molded product produced by the three-dimensional printer.

Images