Posture adjusting method

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of accurately adjusting flatness of a plate-shaped heating part provided in a three-dimensional molding apparatus.SOLUTION: A posture adjusting method has the steps of: (a) fixing a posture of a first heating part by a posture changing part in a state in which a heating surface and a molding surface or a jig installed parallel to the molding surface are brought into contact with each other at a first plane position; (b) measuring flatness of the heating surface by a plane sensor for measuring flatness of a heating surface; (c) determining a second plane position for bringing the heating surface and the molding surface into contact with each other on the basis of the measured flatness; and (d) bringing the heating surface and the molding surface or the jig installed parallel to the molding surface into contact with each other at the determined second plane position in a state in which change of posture by the posture changing part is allowed, and fixing the posture of the first heating part by the posture changing part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a posture adjustment method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a three-dimensional printing apparatus that is provided with a plate-shaped heating unit that is positioned above a stage on which a three-dimensional object is printed and that heats a printing material on the stage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-170965 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In order to improve the modeling accuracy of a three-dimensional object, it is preferable to uniformly heat the modeling material on the stage, so there is a demand for a technology that can precisely adjust the flatness of the plate-shaped heating portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an attitude adjustment method for adjusting the attitude of a first heating unit in a three-dimensional printing device comprising: a plasticizing unit that plasticizes a material to generate a plasticized material; a nozzle that ejects the plasticized material; a stage having a modeling surface on which the plasticized material is laminated; a moving unit that changes the relative position of the nozzle and the stage; a plate-shaped first heating unit that has a heating surface that heats the plasticized material laminated on the stage and has a through hole formed therein through which at least a part of the nozzle is positioned when a three-dimensional object is modeled; a first support unit configured to change its relative position with the stage together with the nozzle and the first heating unit and to support the first heating unit to position the first heating unit at a position opposite the stage; and an attitude change unit configured to be able to fix and change the attitude of the first heating unit. This posture adjustment method includes the steps of: (a) fixing the posture of the first heating unit by the posture change unit while the heating surface is in contact with the modeling surface or a jig arranged parallel to the modeling surface at a first planar position; (b) measuring the flatness of the heating surface by a planar sensor for measuring the flatness of the heating surface; (c) determining a second planar position at which the heating surface and the modeling surface will be in contact based on the measured flatness; and (d) bringing the heating surface into contact with the modeling surface or a jig arranged parallel to the modeling surface at the determined second planar position while the posture change unit is allowed to change the posture, and fixing the posture of the first heating unit by the posture change unit. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a first diagram showing a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing a schematic configuration of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a screw. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the barrel. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a stage. [Figure 6]FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a mounting member. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 5. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] 13 is a diagram showing a second pressing portion and its vicinity. FIG. [Figure 11] 4 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a first heating section and a first supporting section. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart of a three-dimensional modeling process. [Figure 15] 13 is a detailed flowchart of a posture adjustment process. [Figure 16] FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the measurement unit is combined with the stage. [Figure 18] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a measurement position of a first heating section by a measurement unit. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of displaying values ​​related to flatness. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the effect of the embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an example of a jig. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] A. First embodiment: FIG. 1 is a first diagram showing a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 in the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a second diagram showing a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 in the first embodiment. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, arrows along the X, Y, and Z directions perpendicular to each other are shown. The X, Y, and Z directions are directions along the X, Y, and Z axes, which are three spatial axes perpendicular to each other, and each direction includes both a direction on one side along the X, Y, and Z axes and an opposite direction. The X and Y axes are axes along a horizontal plane, and the Z axis is an axis along a vertical line. The -Z direction is a vertical direction, and the +Z direction is a direction opposite to the vertical direction. The -Z direction is also called "down" and the +Z direction is also called "up". In other figures, arrows along the X, Y, and Z directions are appropriately shown. The X, Y, and Z directions in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 and the X, Y, and Z directions in other figures represent the same directions.

[0008] The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 includes a modeling unit 200, a stage 300, a moving unit 400, a control unit 500, a first heating unit 600, and a first support unit 700 having a position changing unit 800.

[0009] The control unit 500 is a control device that controls the overall operation of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100. The control unit 500 is configured by a computer having one or more processors, a memory, and an input / output interface that inputs and outputs signals from and to the outside. A display unit 550 is connected to the control unit 500. The control unit 500 executes the three-dimensional modeling process and the attitude adjustment process described below by the processor executing programs and instructions loaded onto the main memory device. Note that the control unit 500 may be realized by a configuration combining multiple circuits for realizing at least a part of each function, instead of being configured by a computer.

[0010] Under the control of the control unit 500, the modeling unit 200 discharges the plasticized material, which is a paste-like plasticized material obtained by plasticizing a solid-state material, onto the modeling stage 300, which serves as the base for a three-dimensional object. The modeling unit 200 includes a material supply unit 20, which is a supply source of the material before it is converted into the plasticized material, a plasticizing unit 30, which plasticizes the material to generate the plasticized material, and a nozzle 61, which discharges the generated plasticized material. The modeling unit 200 is also called a head.

[0011] The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes a first modeling unit 200a and a second modeling unit 200b as the modeling unit 200. The first modeling unit 200a includes a first material supply unit 20a as the material supply unit 20, a first plasticizing unit 30a as the plasticizing unit 30, and a first nozzle 61a as the nozzle 61. The second modeling unit 200b includes a second material supply unit 20b as the material supply unit 20, a second plasticizing unit 30b as the plasticizing unit 30, and a second nozzle 61b as the nozzle 61. The first modeling unit 200a and the second modeling unit 200b are arranged side by side in the X direction so that the position of the first nozzle 61a in the Y direction and the position of the second nozzle 61b in the Y direction match. In this embodiment, the second modeling unit 200b is arranged in a position in the +X direction of the first modeling unit 200a. Since the first and second modeling units 200a and 200b have the same configuration, in the following, when there is no particular distinction between the two, they may be simply referred to as the modeling unit 200. When distinguishing between the components of the two, the components of the first modeling unit 200a are denoted by the symbol "a" and the components of the second modeling unit 200b are denoted by the symbol "b".

[0012] The material supply unit 20 contains materials in the form of pellets, powder, etc. In this embodiment, ABS resin formed into pellets is used as the material. The material supply unit 20 in this embodiment is configured by a hopper. As shown in FIG. 2, a supply path 22 that connects the material supply unit 20 and the plasticizing unit 30 is provided below the material supply unit 20. The material supply unit 20 supplies the material to the plasticizing unit 30 via the supply path 22.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the plasticizing unit 30 includes a screw case 31, a drive motor 32, a screw 40, and a barrel 50. The plasticizing unit 30 plasticizes at least a part of the material supplied from the material supply unit 20 to generate a paste-like plasticized material having fluidity, and supplies the plasticized material to the nozzle 61. "Plasticization" is a concept that includes melting, and refers to changing a solid into a fluid state. Specifically, in the case of a material that undergoes glass transition, plasticization refers to raising the temperature of the material to or above the glass transition point. In the case of a material that does not undergo glass transition, plasticization refers to raising the temperature of the material to or above the melting point.

[0014] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the screw lower surface 42 side of the screw 40. Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the barrel upper surface 52 side of the barrel 50. The screw 40 has a substantially cylindrical shape in which the length in the axial direction, which is the direction along the central axis RX, is smaller than the length in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction. The screw 40 is disposed so that the central axis RX, which is the center of rotation, is parallel to the Z direction. The screw 40 is also called a flat screw, a rotor, or a scroll.

[0015] 2, the screw 40 is housed in a screw case 31. A screw top surface 41 side of the screw 40 is connected to a drive motor 32, and the screw 40 rotates in the screw case 31 by a rotational driving force generated by the drive motor 32. The drive motor 32 is driven under the control of a control unit 500. Note that the screw 40 may be driven by the drive motor 32 via a reducer.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3, a spiral groove 45 is formed on the lower surface 42 of the screw. The supply passage 22 of the material supply unit 20 described above communicates with the groove 45 from the side surface of the screw 40. The groove 45 is continuous to the material inlet 44 formed on the side surface of the screw 40. This material inlet 44 is a portion that receives the material supplied through the supply passage 22 of the material supply unit 20. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, three grooves 45 are formed, separated by a convex rib portion 46. The number of grooves 45 is not limited to three, and may be one, or two or more. The groove 45 is not limited to a spiral shape, but may be a spiral shape or an involute curve shape, or may be a shape that extends from a center portion 47 to an outer periphery in an arc.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 2, the barrel 50 is disposed below the screw 40. The barrel upper surface 52 faces the screw lower surface 42, and a space is formed between the groove portion 45 of the screw lower surface 42 and the barrel upper surface 52. The barrel 50 is provided with a communication hole 56 on the central axis RX of the screw 40, the communication hole 56 communicating with a nozzle flow path 65 of a nozzle 61 described later. The barrel 50 has a plasticizing heater 58 built in at a position facing the groove portion 45 of the screw 40. The temperature of the plasticizing heater 58 is controlled by a control unit 500.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 4, a plurality of guide grooves 54 are formed around the communicating hole 56 in the barrel upper surface 52. One end of each guide groove 54 is connected to the communicating hole 56, and extends in a spiral shape from the communicating hole 56 toward the outer periphery of the barrel upper surface 52. Each guide groove 54 has the function of guiding the plasticized material to the communicating hole 56. Note that one end of the guide groove 54 does not have to be connected to the communicating hole 56. Also, the barrel 50 does not have to have the guide groove 54 formed therein.

[0019] The material supplied into the groove 45 of the screw 40 flows along the groove 45 as the screw 40 rotates while being plasticized, and is guided to the central portion 47 of the screw 40 as a plasticized material. The paste-like plasticized material that has flowed into the central portion 47 and exhibits fluidity is supplied to the nozzle 61 through the communication hole 56. It is not necessary for all types of substances constituting the plasticized material to be plasticized, and it is sufficient that at least some types of substances constituting the plasticized material are plasticized, thereby converting the plasticized material into a state having fluidity as a whole.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the nozzle 61 includes a nozzle flow path 65 and a tip surface 63 in which a nozzle opening 62 is provided. The nozzle flow path 65 is a flow path of the plasticized material formed in the nozzle 61, and is connected to the communication hole 56 of the barrel 50 described above. The tip surface 63 is a surface constituting the tip portion of the nozzle 61 protruding in the -Z direction toward the stage 300. The nozzle opening 62 is a portion in which the flow path cross section of the nozzle flow path 65 is reduced, provided at the end of the nozzle flow path 65 on the side communicating with the atmosphere. A first nozzle opening 62a is formed in a first tip surface 63a of the first nozzle 61a, and a second nozzle opening 62b is formed in a second tip surface 63b of the second nozzle 61b. The plasticized material generated by the plasticizing unit 30 is supplied to the nozzle 61 through the communication hole 56 and discharged from the nozzle opening 62 through the nozzle flow path 65.

[0021] The stage 300 is disposed at a position facing the nozzle opening 62. The three-dimensional modeling device 100 ejects a plasticized material from the nozzle opening 62 toward a modeling surface 321 of the stage 300, and forms a three-dimensional object by stacking layers of the plasticized material on the modeling surface 321. The layers of the plasticized material stacked on the modeling surface 321 are also called modeling layers. Details of the stage 300 will be described later.

[0022] The moving unit 400 changes the relative position between the nozzle 61 and the stage 300. In this embodiment, the moving unit 400 moves the modeling unit 200 along the Z direction, which is the stacking direction, and moves the stage 300 in a direction intersecting the stacking direction, thereby changing the relative position between the nozzle 61 and the stage 300. More specifically, the moving unit 400 in this embodiment changes the relative position between the nozzle 61 and the stage 300 in the Z direction by moving the modeling unit 200 along the Z direction, and changes the relative position between the nozzle 61 and the stage 300 in the X direction and Y direction by moving the stage 300 in the X direction and Y direction perpendicular to the Z direction. 1, the moving unit 400 is composed of a first electric actuator 410 that moves the stage 300 along the X direction, a second electric actuator 420 that moves the stage 300 and the first electric actuator 410 along the Y direction, and a third electric actuator 430 that moves the modeling unit 200 along the Z direction. More specifically, the third electric actuator 430 moves a movable unit 431 to which the first modeling unit 200a and the second modeling unit 200b are fixed along the Z direction, thereby moving the first modeling unit 200a and the second modeling unit 200b along the Z direction. Note that the third electric actuator 430 and the movable unit 431 are omitted in FIG. 2.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, the first support unit 700 is further fixed to the movable unit 431. The first support unit 700 supports the first heating unit 600, thereby disposing the first heating unit 600 at a position facing the stage 300. Therefore, the third electric actuator 430 in this embodiment moves the first support unit 700 along the Z direction together with the modeling unit 200 while maintaining the positional relationship between the modeling unit 200 and the first support unit 700. That is, it can be said that the first support unit 700 is configured to change its relative position with respect to the stage 300 together with the nozzle 61. Similarly, it can be said that the first heating unit 600 supported by the first support unit 700 is configured to change its relative position with respect to the stage 300 together with the nozzle 61. Note that the first support unit 700 is omitted in FIG. 2.

[0024] The first electric actuator 410 to the third electric actuator 430 described above are driven under the control of the control unit 500. In other embodiments, the moving unit 400 may, for example, move the stage 300 in the Z direction and move the modeling unit 200 along the X and Y directions, or may move the stage 300 in the X, Y, and Z directions without moving the modeling unit 200, or may move the modeling unit 200 in the X, Y, and Z directions without moving the stage 300. In the following, a change in the position of the nozzle 61 relative to the stage 300 may simply be referred to as the movement of the nozzle 61. In this embodiment, for example, moving the stage 300 in the +X direction relative to the nozzle 61 can be rephrased as moving the nozzle 61 in the -X direction. Similarly, changes in the relative positions of the modeling unit 200, the first heating unit 600, and the first support unit 700 with respect to the stage 300 may simply be referred to as movement of the modeling unit 200, the first heating unit 600, and the first support unit 700.

[0025] Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the stage 300 in this embodiment. Fig. 6 is a top view of the stage 300 with the modeling stage 320 removed. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the stage 300 includes a placement unit 310, a modeling stage 320, a second heating unit 330, a pressing unit 340, a holding unit 350, a biasing unit 360, a second support unit 370, and a pressing and moving unit 380.

[0026] The modeling stage 320 is placed on the placement unit 310 as described below. In this embodiment, the modeling stage 320 is configured to be detachable from the placement unit 310 in the stage 300. The modeling stage 320 in this embodiment is mounted on the placement unit 310 and fixed by a pressing unit 350 and a biasing unit 360, thereby being attached to the stage 300. A user attaches or detaches the modeling stage 320, for example, by gripping a pair of handles 327 fixed to the modeling stage 320 so as to sandwich the modeling stage 320 in the X direction.

[0027] 5, the modeling stage 320 has the above-mentioned modeling surface 321. The modeling stage 320 in this embodiment has a plurality of corners Cn1 when viewed along the Z direction perpendicular to the modeling surface 321. More specifically, the modeling stage 320 has a substantially rectangular plate shape and has four corners Cn1.

[0028] In this embodiment, the printing surface 321 is disposed so as to be parallel to the X direction and the Y direction as a whole. In this specification, the term "surface" includes not only a surface constituted only by a flat surface but also a surface that can be grasped as a surface occupying a certain area, and for example, the surface may have projections and recesses. For example, the printing surface 321 in this embodiment has a plurality of grooves 324 formed at predetermined intervals. The grooves 324 are formed so as to extend along the Y direction. In other embodiments, the grooves 324 may not be formed in the printing stage 320.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 6, the placement unit 310 is disposed outside the second heating unit 330 when viewed along the Z direction. In this embodiment, the placement unit 310 is composed of four placement members 311. Each placement member 311 is disposed corresponding to each corner Cn1 of the modeling stage 320. More specifically, in this embodiment, each placement member 311 has a substantially L-shape when viewed along the Z direction, and is disposed so that the inner walls of the L-shaped bent portions of each placement member 311 define each corner of the substantially rectangular region R1. As a result, each placement member 311 is disposed outside the second heating unit 330 so as to surround the second heating unit 330 disposed inside the region R1 when viewed along the Z direction.

[0030] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the mounting member 311. FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of the vicinity of the mounting member 311 arranged at the furthest side in the -X direction and the -Y direction in FIG. 5. In FIG. 7, the portion of the mounting member 311 that overlaps with the modeling stage 320 is shown by a broken line. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the mounting member 311 has a step portion 312. The step portion 312 is a portion of the mounting member 311 that protrudes in the +Z direction from the portion other than the step portion 312. In this embodiment, the upper surface of the step portion 312 forms a reference surface 313 whose flatness is adjusted. That is, the step portion 312 is a portion of the mounting portion 310 that has the reference surface 313. The flatness of the reference surface 313 is preferably 100 μm or less, for example. In FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the reference surface 313 is hatched. 7 is provided with a first step 312a and a second step 312b as the step portion 312. In another embodiment, the entire upper surface of the mounting member 311 may be configured as the reference surface 313.

[0031] As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, the step portions 312 are provided at positions corresponding to the respective corner portions Cn1 of the shaping stage 320. As shown in Fig. 7, the shaping stage 320 is placed on the reference surface 313 so that its lower surface is in contact with a part of the reference surface 313 of the step portion 312. In Fig. 7, the shaping stage 320 is placed on the reference surface 313 of the first step portion 312a of the step portion 312. A convex first engagement portion 314 protruding in the +Z direction is provided on the reference surface 313 of the second step portion 312b. The second step portion 312b is provided at the cornermost portion of the mounting member 311.

[0032] The second support section 370 is provided below the mounting section 310 and the second heating section 330. The second support section 370 supports the mounting section 310. In this embodiment, the second support section 370 is fixed to the above-mentioned second electric actuator 420 via a pair of pedestals 375 shown in Fig. 5. Each pedestal 375 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is elongated in the Y direction, and is arranged along the Y direction so as to face each other in the X direction.

[0033] Of the mounting portion 310, a portion having the reference surface 313, such as the step portion 312 in this embodiment, is preferably formed from a material having a lower thermal expansion coefficient than the second support portion 370. For example, when the second support portion 370 is formed from steel or stainless steel, the step portion 312 is preferably formed from Invar or the like. In this embodiment, the entire mounting member 311 is formed from Invar. The second support portion 370 is formed from steel.

[0034] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 8, the second heating unit 330 is disposed below the modeling stage 320, and disposed inside the periphery of the modeling stage 320 when viewed along the Z direction. More specifically, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, the second heating unit 330 is disposed within the above-mentioned region R1 when viewed along the Z direction so as not to come into contact with the placement unit 310. The second heating unit 330 heats the modeling stage 320.

[0035] FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the second heating section 330. Note that FIG. 9 also shows a mounting plate 345, which will be described later. The second heating section 330 includes a second heating plate 331 and a second heater 332. In this embodiment, the second heater 332 is formed of a rubber heater and has a substantially rectangular plate shape. An opening Op having a substantially rectangular opening shape is formed at the center of the second heater 332 in the X direction and the Y direction. The second heater 332 is electrically connected to the control section 500 via wiring (not shown). The output and temperature of the second heater 332 are controlled by the control section 500. In other embodiments, the second heater 332 may be composed of, for example, a halogen heater, a nichrome wire heater, a carbon heater, or the like. The second heating plate 331 is formed of aluminum and has a substantially rectangular plate shape. The second heating plate 331 is layered on the second heater 332.

[0036] 8, the pressing unit 340 is provided below the second heating unit 330. The pressing unit 340 presses the second heating unit 330 against the modeling stage 320 from below. The pressing unit 340 in this embodiment includes a plurality of biasing members 344, a mounting plate 345, and pillars 347.

[0037] The mounting plate 345 has a plate shape and mounts the second heating unit 330 thereon. In this embodiment, the mounting plate 345 is made of aluminum. As shown in FIG. 9, the mounting plate 345 in this embodiment has a substantially rectangular plate shape and has four corners Cn2. As shown in FIG. 8, a column 347 having a cylindrical shape extending along the Z direction is connected to the center of the mounting plate 345 in the X direction and the Y direction and to a position corresponding to each corner Cn2. The column 347 disposed in the center of the mounting plate 345 is also referred to as a center column 346. The biasing member 344 biases the mounting plate 345 toward the modeling stage 320. The biasing member 344 is provided corresponding to the center and the corners Cn2 of the mounting plate 345. In this embodiment, five biasing members 344 are provided corresponding to the center and the corners Cn2 of the mounting plate 345. More specifically, in this embodiment, each of the biasing members 344 is formed of a coil spring having a substantially cylindrical shape, and is disposed so as to surround the outer periphery of each of the pillars 347 .

[0038] Each pillar 347 is provided below the mounting plate 345. Each pillar 347 is fixed to the mounting plate 345 by screwing a positioning screw 341 into a screw hole provided on the upper surface of the pillar. A part of the central pillar 346 is located inside a hole 372 provided in the second support part 370. The spacer 343 is provided in the hole 372 so as to fill the gap between the central pillar 346 and the second support part 370. The biasing member 344 is configured as a coil spring having a substantially cylindrical shape, and is provided on the outer periphery of the central pillar 346 between the mounting plate 345 and the spacer 343. The second heating part 330 is biased upward by the elastic force of the biasing member 344 and is pressed against the modeling stage 320 from below. Hereinafter, the state in which the second heating part 330 is pressed against the modeling stage 320 by the pressing part 340 is also referred to as a pressed state.

[0039] The pressing movement unit 380 is configured to move the pressing unit 340 in a retreating direction away from the modeling stage 320 and in a forward direction toward the modeling stage 320. In this embodiment, the retreating direction is a vertically downward direction, and the forward direction is a vertically upward direction.

[0040] The pressing movement part 380 in this embodiment has a first lever 381, a rod 382, ​​and a second lever 383. The rod 382 is formed in a long shaft shape along its axial direction and is arranged along the Y direction. The rod 382 connects the first lever 381 and the second lever 383. The second lever 383 has a substantially L-shape when viewed along the X direction, and has one end 384, the other end 385, and a bent part 386 connecting the one end 384 and the other end 385. The second lever 383 is fixed to a fixed member 371 fixed to the lower surface of the second support part 370 near the center in the X direction and the Y direction. More specifically, the second lever 383 is fixed to the fixed member 371 by a pin 387 penetrating the bent part 386 in the X direction so as to be rotatable in the YZ plane along the Y direction and the Z direction around the pin 387 as the axis center. The +Y direction end of the rod 382 is connected to one end 384 of the second lever 383. The lower end of the center pillar 346 is connected to the other end 385.

[0041] By pulling the first lever 381 in the -Y direction, the rod 382 moves in the -Y direction. By the movement of the rod 382 in the -Y direction, one end 384 of the second lever 383 moves in the -Y direction, and the second lever 383 rotates in the YZ plane around the pin 387. By the rotation of the second lever 383, the other end 385 of the second lever 383 moves downward, and the central column 346 moves downward. By the downward movement of the central column 346, the mounting plate 345 fixed to the central column 346 descends while contracting each of the biasing members 344. In this way, the pressing state is released by the pressing movement unit 380. Conversely, by pushing the first lever 381 in the +Y direction in a state in which the pressing state is released, the pressing unit 340 can be raised by the pressing movement unit 380, and the second heating unit 330 can be pressed against the modeling stage 320. In addition, the first lever 381 may be operated, for example, by the user's hand, or may be configured to operate by an actuator (not shown) for operating the first lever 381 under the control of the control unit 500.

[0042] 5 and 6 presses the modeling stage 320 relative to the reference surface 313. The presser 350 includes a first presser 351 and a second presser 352. The first presser 351 is provided at the end of the mounting portion 310 on the -X direction side. The second presser 352 is provided at the end of the mounting portion 310 on the +Y direction side. The first presser 351 and the second presser 352 are configured with eccentric pins 353.

[0043] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the second pressing unit 352 and its vicinity. The side surface of the modeling stage 320 has a first inclined surface 326 inclined so that the lower end is farther away from the modeling surface 321 in the horizontal direction than the upper end. More specifically, in this embodiment, the side surfaces on the -X direction side, +X direction side, and +Y direction side of the modeling stage 320 are configured as the first inclined surface 326. The angle between the modeling surface 321 and the first inclined surface 326 is preferably 95° or more and 135° or less on the inner side of the modeling stage 320. In this embodiment, the angle between the modeling surface 321 and the first inclined surface 326 is set to 135° on the inner side of the modeling stage 320. The pressing unit 350 has a second inclined surface 356 facing the first inclined surface 326 of the modeling stage 320. More specifically, the second inclined surface 356 is inclined so that its lower end is located more inward of the eccentric pin 353 than its upper end in the horizontal direction. When the second inclined surface 356 comes into contact with the first inclined surface 326, the modeling stage 320 is pressed relatively to the reference surface 313. When the angle between the modeling surface 321 and the first inclined surface 326 is 135° on the inner side of the modeling stage 320 as in this embodiment, it is preferable that the acute angle between the modeling surface 321 and the second inclined surface 356 is 80° or more and less than 90°. This allows the modeling stage 320 to be effectively pressed by the pressing unit 350 while suppressing warping of the modeling stage 320 even if the modeling stage 320 expands due to a rise in temperature of the modeling stage 320.

[0044] Each eccentric pin 353 has a pin rotation axis AX. The axial direction of the pin rotation axis AX is along the Z axis. The pin rotation axis AX is provided at a position offset from the center of the eccentric pin 353. The eccentric pin 353 is provided to be rotatable about the pin rotation axis AX as a rotation axis. The position of the modeling stage 320 in the direction along the modeling surface 321 is adjusted by the user rotating the eccentric pin 353 around the pin rotation axis AX. Since the pin rotation axis AX is provided at a position offset from the center of the eccentric pin 353, the distance between the pin rotation axis AX and the portion of the second inclined surface 356 that contacts the first inclined surface 326 changes when the eccentric pin 353 is rotated around the pin rotation axis AX. Therefore, the position of the modeling stage 320 in the direction along the modeling surface 321 changes when the eccentric pin 353 is rotated around the pin rotation axis AX. The position of the end of the modeling stage 320 on the -X direction side is adjusted by the user rotating the eccentric pin 353 of the first pressing unit 351 around the pin rotation axis AX. The position of the end of the modeling stage 320 on the +Y direction side is adjusted by the user rotating the eccentric pin 353 of the second pressing unit 352 around the pin rotation axis AX.

[0045] 5 biases the modeling stage 320 toward the pressing unit 350. The biasing unit 360 is provided at the end of the stage 300 on the +X direction side. The biasing unit 360 has an inclined surface (not shown) that faces the first inclined surface 326 on the +X direction side of the modeling stage 320, and biases the modeling stage 320 toward the pressing unit 350 by bringing this inclined surface into contact with the first inclined surface 326. It is noted that the stage 300 does not necessarily have to be provided with the biasing unit 360.

[0046] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the first heating section 600 and the first support section 700 in this embodiment. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the first heating section 600. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the first heating section 600 has a first heater 610, a first heating plate 620 that transfers heat from the first heater 610 to the plasticized material laminated on the modeling surface 321, a frame section 630 that supports the first heating plate 620, and a heat insulating section 650 made of a heat insulating material. As shown in FIG. 12, the first heating plate 620, the first heater 610, the frame section 630, and the heat insulating section 650 are laminated in this order from the bottom.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 11, and FIG. 12, the first heating section 600 is formed with a through hole 601 that penetrates the first heating section 600 in a direction perpendicular to the surface direction. In this embodiment, the first heating section 600 is formed with a first through hole 601a and a second through hole 601b as the through hole 601. The first through hole 601a and the second through hole 601b are formed in the center of the first heating section 600 in the Y direction. The second through hole 601b is formed on the +X direction side of the first through hole 601a. ​​In the following, when the first through hole 601a and the second through hole 601b are not particularly distinguished from each other, both are simply referred to as the through hole 601. As shown in FIG. 12, in this embodiment, the through hole 601 is formed by connecting a hole HL1 formed to penetrate the first heater 610 in the Z direction and a hole HL2 formed to penetrate the first heating plate 620 in the Z direction in the Z direction.

[0048] When the plasticizing material is discharged to form a three-dimensional object, at least a part of the nozzle 61 is located in the through-hole 601 as shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, when viewed along the Z direction, it can be said that the nozzle 61 is surrounded by the first heating unit 600. Hereinafter, "when the plasticizing material is discharged to form a three-dimensional object" is also simply referred to as "when forming a three-dimensional object" or "when forming". In this embodiment, when forming a three-dimensional object, the nozzle opening 62 is disposed between the heating surface 621 and the forming surface 321 in the Z direction. Note that this "between the heating surface 621 and the forming surface 321" does not include the same position as the heating surface 621 or the same position as the forming surface 321.

[0049] The nozzle 61 does not have to be located in the through-hole 601 except during modeling. For example, in this embodiment, while a posture adjustment process described later is being performed, the nozzle 61 is located above the first heating unit 600 and is not located in the through-hole 601. More specifically, in this embodiment, the modeling unit 200 is moved upward relative to the first heating unit 600 by the fourth electric actuator 440 shown in FIG. 1 under the control of the control unit 500, so that the nozzle 61 is moved above the first heating unit 600. In this manner, the fourth electric actuator 440 moves the modeling unit 200 along the Z direction to switch between a state in which the nozzle 61 is located in the through-hole 601 and a retracted state in which the nozzle 61 is located above the first heating unit 600 and is therefore not located in the through-hole 601. Hereinafter, moving the nozzle 61 above the first heating unit 600 is also referred to as "retracting the nozzle 61" or "retracting the modeling unit 200." In addition, in other embodiments, the fourth electric actuator 440 may be configured to switch between a state in which the nozzle 61 is located within the through hole 601 and a retracted state, for example, by moving the first heating section 600 along the Z direction relative to the modeling section 200.

[0050] 12 is configured by a rubber heater having a rectangular plate shape. The first heater 610 is electrically connected to the control unit 500 via wiring (not shown). The output and temperature of the first heater 610 are controlled by the control unit 500. In other embodiments, the first heater 610 may be configured by, for example, a halogen heater, a nichrome wire heater, a carbon heater, or the like.

[0051] In this embodiment, the first heating plate 620 has a rectangular plate shape. The lower surface of the first heating plate 620 forms a heating surface 621. The heating surface 621 refers to a surface of the first heating unit 600 that is closer to the modeling surface 321. The area of ​​the heating surface 621 is larger than the area of ​​the modeling surface 321. The first heater 610 is directly attached to the upper surface of the first heating plate 620. The first heating plate 620 supplies heat supplied from the first heater 610 to the modeling layer via the heating surface 621. In other embodiments, the first heater 610 may be fixed to the first heating plate 620 via, for example, an adhesive, or may be fixed to the first heating plate 620 by a fastener such as a bolt.

[0052] In this embodiment, the first heating plate 620 is made of aluminum. This allows the first heating plate 620 to transfer heat from the first heater 610 to the plasticized material more efficiently and reduces the weight of the first heating plate 620, as compared to a case in which the first heating plate 620 is made of steel or stainless steel, for example. In other embodiments, the first heating plate 620 may be made of, for example, steel or stainless steel.

[0053] The first support section 700 has a position changing section 800 configured to allow a change in the position of the first heating section 600. More specifically, the first support section 700 in this embodiment has a support member 710 and a hanging section 810 that functions as the position changing section 800.

[0054] The support member 710 is fixed so that the relative position with respect to the stage 300 can be changed together with the nozzle 61. The support member 710 in this embodiment has a fixed plate 711 and a pair of arm portions 730. The fixed plate 711 has a rectangular plate shape that is long in the X direction, and is fixed to the movable portion 431 so that its plate surface is aligned with the X direction and the Z direction and its longitudinal direction is aligned with the X direction. The arm portions 730 extend from the fixed plate 711 in the -Y direction and are fixed to the fixed plate 711 so as to face each other in the X direction.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 11, in this embodiment, the first support section 700 has three suspenders 810. In this embodiment, the first suspender 810A suspends and supports the first heating section 600 by suspending the center in the X direction of the end in the Y direction of the first heating section 600. More specifically, the first suspender 810A suspends and supports the first heating section 600 in the -Z direction from the center in the X direction of the fixed plate 711. The second suspender 810B and the third suspender 810C support the first heating section 600 on the -Y direction side of the center position in the Y direction. More specifically, the second suspender 810B suspends and supports the first heating section 600 in the -Z direction from the arm section 730 arranged on the -X direction side. The third suspending section 810C supports the first heating section 600 by suspending it in the -Z direction from an arm section 730 arranged on the +X direction side.

[0056] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a cross section of the hanging section 810. FIG. 13 shows a cross section of 810C among the three hanging sections 810. As described above, the hanging section 810 supports the first heating section 600 by suspending it from the support member 710. As shown in FIG. 13, the hanging section 810 has a movable member 820 and a regulating member 830. The movable member 820 moves along the suspension direction relative to the support member 710 to change the position of the first heating section 600 in the suspension direction. The suspension direction refers to the direction in which the hanging section 810 suspends the first heating section 600. The regulating member 830 allows and regulates the movement of the movable member 820 along the suspension direction. The regulating member 830 allows the movable member 820 to move, thereby allowing the attitude of the first heating unit 600 to be changed, and fixes the attitude of the first heating unit 600 by regulating the movement of the movable member 820.

[0057] More specifically, in this embodiment, the movable member 820 is configured as an axial shaft that is long along its axial direction. The regulating member 830 is configured as an outer diameter gripping type collet chuck having a long, approximately cylindrical shape along its axial direction. The movable member 820 is inserted into the regulating member 830 so as to penetrate the regulating member 830 along the axial direction of the regulating member 830. A flange portion 821 is provided at the upper end of the movable member 820. The flange portion 821 prevents the movable member 820 from falling out of the regulating member 830 and determines the maximum downward projection amount of the movable member 820 from the regulating member 830. As shown in FIG. 11, the lower end of the movable member 820 of the first suspending portion 810A and the second suspending portion 810B is fixed to the frame portion 630 of the first heating portion 600 via the first fixing member 631. The upper end of restricting member 830 of first suspending unit 810A and second suspending unit 810B is fixed to arm unit 730 via second fixing member 801. The lower end of movable member 820 of third suspending unit 810C is fixed to frame unit 630 via third fixing member 632. The upper end of restricting member 830 of third suspending unit 810C is fixed to fixed plate 711 via fourth fixing member 802. The lower end of each suspending unit 810 may be fixed to first fixing member 631 or third fixing member 632 by a rod end or a link ball.

[0058] The restricting member 830 is configured to be able to grip the movable member 820 inserted into the restricting member 830 by opening and closing the chuck portion 831. When the chuck portion 831 is opened, the grip of the movable member 820 is released and the movement of the movable member 820 is permitted. When the chuck portion 831 is closed, the movable member 820 is gripped by the restricting member 830 and the movement of the movable member 820 is restricted.

[0059] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a three-dimensional modeling process for implementing the method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object in this embodiment.

[0060] In step S100, an attitude adjustment process is performed to adjust the attitude of first heating unit 600. In the attitude adjustment process, the attitude of first heating unit 600 is adjusted so that the flatness of heating surface 621 of first heating unit 600 is increased.

[0061] After the posture of the first heating unit 600 is adjusted in step S100, the lamination process and the heating process are performed in step S200. The lamination process is a process in which the control unit 500 controls the moving unit 400 and the plasticizing unit 30 to discharge the plasticized material from the nozzle 61 onto the stage 300 while moving the nozzle 61, thereby laminating modeling layers on the modeling surface 321 and forming a three-dimensional object. The heating process is a process in which the control unit 500 heats the plasticized material laminated by the lamination process using the first heating unit 600, the posture of which was adjusted in step S100. By heating the discharged plasticized material by the first heating unit 600, the adhesion strength between the modeling layers is increased, and the modeling accuracy of the three-dimensional object is improved.

[0062] FIG. 15 is a detailed flowchart of the posture adjustment process. In step S105, the heating surface 621 of the first heating unit 600 and the modeling surface 321 of the modeling stage 320 are brought into contact with each other at the first plane position. Specifically, the user first opens the chuck parts 831 of the three regulating members 830 to release the grip of each movable member 820 by each regulating member 830, and allows the movement of each movable member 820 along the hanging direction, making the posture of the first heating unit 600 changeable. Next, the control unit 500 controls the fourth electric actuator 440 to retract the nozzle 61 above the first heating unit 600, and controls the third electric actuator 430 to set the position of the first heating unit 600 in the Z direction to the initial position. The initial position is, for example, the position to which the first heating unit 600 is moved furthest in the +Z direction. Then, the control unit 500 controls the first electric actuator 410 and the second electric actuator 420 to move the modeling surface 321 of the stage 300 to a first planar position. The first planar position is a position in the X and Y directions that is determined in advance, for example, a position where the center of the modeling surface 321 in the X and Y directions coincides with the center of the heating surface 621 in the X and Y directions. After moving the stage 300 to the first planar position, the control unit 500 lowers the first heating unit 600 to a position where the heating surface 621 and the modeling surface 321 come into contact with each other. The distance by which the first heating unit 600 is lowered is a predetermined distance. Specifically, the distance is a distance at which the flanges 821 provided at the upper ends of the three movable members 820 that are allowed to move along the hanging direction are all separated from the regulating member 830. By lowering the first heating unit 600 in this manner and bringing the heating surface 621 into contact with the printing surface 321, the heating surface 621 comes into contact with the entire printing surface 321.

[0063] In step S110, the posture of the first heating unit 600 is fixed. Specifically, in a state in which the heating surface 621 and the printing surface 321 are in contact with each other, the user closes the chuck portions 831 of the three regulating members 830, thereby causing each regulating member 830 to grip the movable member 820 and restricting the movement of each movable member 820 along the hanging direction, thereby fixing the posture of the first heating unit 600.

[0064] 16 is used to measure the flatness of the heating surface 621. In step S115, first, the control unit 500 moves the first heating unit 600, whose posture is fixed, in the +Z direction. Then, the user places the measuring unit 900 on the placement portion 310 of the stage 300.

[0065] Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the measuring unit 900. Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing a state in which the measuring unit 900 is combined with the stage 300. The measuring unit 900 has a plate 930 to which a planar sensor 910 is attached, and an installation unit 940 that installs the plate 930 on the stage 300. The three-dimensional printing apparatus 100 and the planar sensor 910 can be collectively referred to as a three-dimensional printing system.

[0066] The planar sensor 910 is configured with a plurality of contact sensors 920. The plurality of contact sensors 920 include a first contact sensor 921, a second contact sensor 922, a third contact sensor 923, and a fourth contact sensor 924. The first contact sensor 921, the second contact sensor 922, the third contact sensor 923, and the fourth contact sensor 924 are connected to the control unit 500.

[0067] The contact sensor 920 has a rod-like shape with a longitudinal direction along the Z direction. A contactor 925 that is pressed in the -Z direction is provided at the tip of the contact sensor 920 in the +Z direction. When the contactor 925 comes into contact with an object and is pressed into the contact sensor 920, a contact signal indicating that the object has been contacted is transmitted to the control unit 500. The contact sensor 920 is configured as, for example, a B-contact type contact sensor. The amount that the contactor 925 can be pressed is, for example, 1 to 3 mm.

[0068] The plate 930 is substantially rectangular. As shown in Fig. 16, holes for weight reduction may be formed in the plate 930. Each contact sensor 920 is attached to one of the four corners of the plate 930 so that the contacts 925 face in the +Z direction.

[0069] The installation section 940 has a plurality of legs 941. Each leg 941 is fixed to the four corners of the surface on the -Z direction side of the plate 930. A concave second engagement section 942 is formed on the surface on the -Z direction side of each leg 941. Each second engagement section 942 engages with each first engagement section 314 shown in FIG. 7. The measurement unit 900 is positioned relative to the mounting section 310 by mounting the measurement unit 900 on the mounting section 310 of the stage 300 so that the second engagement section 942 engages with the first engagement section 314. In this embodiment, the second engagement section 942 is formed in a concave shape and the first engagement section 314 is formed in a convex shape, but the second engagement section 942 may be formed in a convex shape and the first engagement section 314 may be formed in a concave shape.

[0070] With the measurement unit 900 placed on the placement unit 310, the control unit 500 controls the third electric actuator 430 to lower the first heating unit 600 until contact signals are output from all the contact sensors 920. At this time, the horizontal position of the stage 300 is the first plane position. The first plane position is also referred to as the first measurement position below. The control unit 500 records the control position of the third electric actuator 430 at the time when the contact signal is received from each contact sensor 920 for each contact sensor 920. In this way, values ​​representing the heights of the first heating unit 600 at the positions corresponding to the first contact sensor 921, the second contact sensor 922, the third contact sensor 923, and the fourth contact sensor 924 are recorded.

[0071] FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing the measurement positions of the first heating section 600 by the measurement unit 900. FIG. 18 shows the heating surface 621 of the first heating section 600 viewed from below. The control section 500 measures the Z-direction position of the first heating section 600 at five measurement positions M1 to M5 including the first measurement position M1. As shown in FIG. 18, the control section 500 measures the height of the heating surface 621 at 13 measurement positions P0 to P12 by moving the stage 300 to the five measurement positions M1 to M5. The second measurement position M2 to the fifth measurement position M5 each have a common measurement position P0. The measurement position P0 is the center of the first measurement position M1. Through the measurements at the second measurement position M2 to the fifth measurement position M5, the first contact sensor 921, the second contact sensor 922, the third contact sensor 923, and the fourth contact sensor 924 all measure the measurement position P0. The control unit 500 uses the measurement value at the common measurement point P0 as a reference value, and calculates the heights at the measurement points P1 to P12 as the differences from the reference value.

[0072] When the measurement of the height of the heating surface 621 is completed, the user removes the measurement unit 900 from the mounting part 310. The control part 500 calculates the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the measurement values ​​at each of the measurement points P0 to P12 as the flatness.

[0073] In step S120 of FIG. 15, the control unit 500 displays on the display unit 550 the value relating to the flatness measured in step S115.

[0074] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of displaying values ​​related to flatness. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 19, the control unit 500 expresses the height of the heating surface 621 at each measurement point by the difference, with the height of the measurement point P0 being 0. The control unit 500 displays each measurement value within a rectangular figure RC having a shape corresponding to the heating surface 621. Furthermore, the control unit 500 displays the maximum value MAX and the minimum value MIN of the measurement values, and displays the difference between the maximum value MAX and the minimum value MIN as the flatness R. If the flatness R is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the control unit 500 may skip all subsequent processes and end the attitude adjustment process.

[0075] In step S125 of FIG. 15, the control unit 500 determines a second plane position where the heating surface 621 and the printing surface 321 are brought into contact with each other based on the flatness measurement result in step S115. In this embodiment, the control unit 500 determines the second plane position so that the printing surface 321 moves in the horizontal direction toward the measurement point where the height is the minimum value. For example, in FIG. 19, the height of the measurement point P7 is the minimum value. Therefore, the control unit 500 determines the second plane position so that the printing surface 321 moves in the direction from the measurement point P0 toward the measurement point P7. The relationship between the flatness R and the movement distance is determined in advance by, for example, a function or a map. The maximum movement distance of the second plane position from the first plane position is, for example, one tenth of the length of the heating surface 621 in the X direction.

[0076] In step S130, the control unit 500 controls the first electric actuator 410 and the second electric actuator 420 to move the modeling surface 321 of the stage 300 to the second plane position.

[0077] In step S135, the control unit 500 controls the third electric actuator 430 to lower the first heating unit 600 and bring the heating surface 621 of the first heating unit 600 into contact with the modeling surface 321 of the modeling stage 320 at the second plane position. Prior to the processing of step S135, the user opens the chuck portions 831 of the three regulating members 830 to make the attitude of the first heating unit 600 changeable.

[0078] In step S140, similarly to step S110, the posture of the first heating unit 600 is fixed. Specifically, in a state in which the heating surface 621 and the printing surface 321 are in contact with each other, the user closes the chuck portions 831 of the three regulating members 830, thereby causing each regulating member 830 to grip the movable member 820 and restricting the movement of each movable member 820 along the hanging direction, thereby fixing the posture of the first heating unit 600. Through the process of step S140, the posture of the first heating unit 600 is fixed in a state in which the printing surface 321 and the heating surface 621 are in contact with each other at the second plane position determined in step S125.

[0079] After the posture of the first heating unit 600 is fixed in step S140, the flatness of the heating surface 621 may be measured again by performing steps S115 and S120 described above, and the measurement result may be displayed on the display unit 550.

[0080] According to the first embodiment described above, after the orientation of the first heating unit 600 is fixed by bringing the heating surface 621 of the first heating unit 600 into contact with the printing surface 321 of the stage 300 at the first planar position, the second planar position is determined based on the flatness R of the heating surface 621 measured by the planar sensor 910. Then, at the determined second planar position, the heating surface 621 is brought into contact with the printing surface 321 again to fix the orientation of the first heating unit 600. Therefore, the flatness of the plate-shaped first heating unit 600 can be adjusted with high precision.

[0081] FIG. 20 is a diagram for explaining the effect of this embodiment. As described above, in this embodiment, the second plane position H2 is determined so that the printing surface 321 moves horizontally from the first plane position H1 toward the measurement point where the height is minimum. By determining the second plane position H2 in this way, if an upward warp occurs on the heating surface 621, the warped portion is deformed downward by gravity, thereby improving flatness. Therefore, the flatness of the first heating unit 600 can be adjusted with high accuracy. In this embodiment, by adjusting the attitude of the first heating unit 600 in this way, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of variations in heating performance for each three-dimensional printing apparatus 100.

[0082] In this embodiment, the first support unit 700 has a hanging unit 810 that supports the first heating unit 600 by suspending it from the support member 710 and functions as the position changing unit 800. The hanging unit 810 has a movable member 820 that changes the position of the first heating unit 600 in the suspension direction by moving along the suspension direction relative to the support member 710, and a restricting member 830 that allows and restricts the movement of the movable member 820. The restricting member 830 allows the change in the posture of the first heating unit 600 by allowing the movement of the movable member 820, and fixes the posture of the first heating unit 600 by restricting the movement of the movable member 820. Therefore, in a configuration in which the first heating unit 600 is supported by suspending it, the heating surface 621 can be easily set parallel to the modeling surface 321.

[0083] In particular, in this embodiment, since the restricting member 830 of the hanging unit 810 is configured as a collet chuck, the movable member 820, which is permitted to move, can be moved more easily along the hanging direction. In other embodiments, the restricting member 830 may be configured as, for example, an inner diameter gripping type collet chuck or may be configured by a set collar. Even in these cases, the movable member 820, which is permitted to move, can be easily moved along the hanging direction, as in this embodiment.

[0084] In this embodiment, the flatness R is measured using a measurement unit 900 having a plate 930 to which the flat sensor 910 is attached and an installation part 940 that installs the plate 930 on the stage 300. Therefore, by installing the measurement unit 900 on the stage 300, the flatness R of the heating surface 621 can be easily measured.

[0085] In this embodiment, a first engagement portion 314 provided on the mounting portion 310 of the stage 300 having the reference surface 313 engages with a second engagement portion 942 provided on a leg 941 of the measurement unit 900, thereby positioning the measurement unit 900 on the mounting portion 310. Therefore, the measurement unit 900 can be easily arranged parallel to the modeling surface 321, and the flatness R of the heating surface 621 can be measured with high accuracy.

[0086] In this embodiment, the planar sensor 910 includes at least a first contact sensor 921 and a second contact sensor 922, which are attached at different positions relative to the plate 930. As shown in FIG. 18, the operation of bringing both the first contact sensor 921 and the second contact sensor 922 into contact with the heating surface 621 is performed multiple times at different planar positions, and the first contact sensor 921 and the second contact sensor 922 come into contact with a common measurement point P0 during the multiple contact operations. Therefore, by using a measurement value at the common measurement point P0 as a reference value, it is possible to measure the flatness in a range that exceeds the distance between the first contact sensor 921 and the second contact sensor 922. Moreover, by expressing each measurement value as a difference from the reference value, it is possible to cancel an error in the attachment height of each contact sensor 920. Note that while the relationship between the first contact sensor 921 and the second contact sensor 922 has been explained here, the same applies to the relationship between the second contact sensor 922 and the third contact sensor 923, the relationship between the third contact sensor 923 and the fourth contact sensor 924, and the relationship between the fourth contact sensor 924 and the first contact sensor 921.

[0087] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since a value relating to the flatness is displayed on the display unit 550, the user can easily check the flatness of the heating surface 621.

[0088] B. Other embodiments: (B1) In the above embodiment, in steps S105 and S135 in FIG. 15, the modeling surface 321 of the stage 300 and the heating surface 621 of the first heating unit 600 are directly brought into contact with each other to fix the posture of the first heating unit 600. In contrast, in at least one of steps S105 and S135, as shown in FIG. 21, a jig 950 for pressing the heating surface 621 from above against the placement unit 310 of the stage 300 may be installed, and the heating surface 621 may be brought into contact with the jig 950 to fix the posture of the first heating unit 600. In the example shown in FIG. 21, each jig 950 has a columnar shape and has the same length along the Z direction. Each jig 950 is provided parallel to the modeling surface 321. The jigs 950 may be connected to each other by a connecting member.

[0089] (B2) In the above embodiment, the measurement unit 900 may be attached and detached to and from the mounting portion 310 by the control portion 500 controlling the robot, rather than by the user.

[0090] (B3) In the above embodiment, the user opens and closes the chuck portion 831. In contrast to this, the chuck portion 831 may be configured to open and close by air or hydraulic pressure, for example, and may be controlled by the control portion 500.

[0091] (B4) In the above embodiment, the first support section 700 has the hanging section 810, but it does not have to have the hanging section 810. For example, the first support section 700 may be configured as a support section that supports the first heating section 600 in the horizontal direction. In this case, the first support section 700 may be configured to be able to change the inclination of the first heating section 600 in the horizontal direction, for example, by rotating the first heating section 600. In this case, the position changing section 800 may be configured as, for example, a fixing device that can allow and restrict the rotation of the first heating section 600.

[0092] (B5) In the above embodiment, the flatness of the heating surface 621 is measured using a measurement unit 900 having a plate 930 to which a flat sensor 910 is attached and an installation part 940 for installing the plate 930 on the stage 300. The measurement of flatness is not limited to such a measurement unit 900, and may be performed, for example, by directly installing a contact sensor 920 constituting the flat sensor 910 on the stage 300. Furthermore, the number of contact sensors 920 is not limited to four, and flatness may be measured using one contact sensor 920. Furthermore, flatness may be measured using two, three, or five or more contact sensors 920.

[0093] (B6) In the above embodiment, the first heating section 600 is supported by the first support section 700 by three suspending sections 810. However, the number of suspending sections 810 is not limited to three, and may be four or more.

[0094] (B7) In the above embodiment, the value related to flatness is displayed on the display unit 550. However, the display of the value related to flatness on the display unit 550 may be omitted.

[0095] (B8) In the above embodiment, the plasticizing unit 30 includes the screw 40, which is a flat screw, and the barrel 50. In contrast, the plasticizing unit 30 does not need to include a flat screw. For example, the plasticizing unit 30 may include an in-line screw, and the material may be plasticized by rotating the in-line screw to generate a plasticized material. In this case, the barrel is formed in a cylindrical shape to accommodate the in-line screw, and may also be called a cylinder.

[0096] (B9) In the above embodiment, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 is provided with two nozzles 61. However, the number of nozzles 61 may be one or three or more. Also, while the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 100 in the above embodiment is provided with two modeling units 200, the number of modeling units 200 may be one or three or more. One modeling unit 200 may be provided with multiple nozzles 61.

[0097] (B10) In the above embodiment, the modeling unit 200 is configured as a head that plasticizes and discharges a pellet-shaped material. In contrast, the modeling unit 200 may be configured as a head that plasticizes and discharges, for example, a filament-shaped material.

[0098] C. Other forms: The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each form described below can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the above-mentioned effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0099] (1) According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an attitude adjustment method for adjusting the attitude of a first heating unit in a three-dimensional printing device including: a plasticizing unit that plasticizes a material to generate a plasticized material; a nozzle that ejects the plasticized material; a stage having a modeling surface on which the plasticized material is laminated; a moving unit that changes a relative position between the nozzle and the stage; a plate-shaped first heating unit that has a heating surface that heats the plasticized material laminated on the stage and has a through hole formed therein through which at least a part of the nozzle is positioned when a three-dimensional object is modeled; a first support unit that is configured to change its relative position with respect to the stage together with the nozzle and the first heating unit and that supports the first heating unit to position the first heating unit at a position opposite the stage; and an attitude change unit configured to be able to fix and change the attitude of the first heating unit. This posture adjustment method includes the steps of: (a) fixing the posture of the first heating unit by the posture change unit while the heating surface is in contact with the modeling surface or a jig arranged parallel to the modeling surface at a first planar position; (b) measuring the flatness of the heating surface by a planar sensor for measuring the flatness of the heating surface; (c) determining a second planar position at which the heating surface and the modeling surface will be in contact based on the measured flatness; and (d) bringing the heating surface into contact with the modeling surface or a jig arranged parallel to the modeling surface at the determined second planar position while the posture change unit is allowed to change the posture, and fixing the posture of the first heating unit by the posture change unit. According to this embodiment, after the orientation of the first heating unit is fixed by bringing the heating surface of the first heating unit into contact with the modeling surface or the jig of the stage at the first planar position, the second planar position is determined based on the flatness of the heating surface measured by the planar sensor, and the heating surface is brought into contact with the modeling surface or the jig again at the second planar position to re-fix the orientation of the first heating unit. Therefore, the flatness of the plate-shaped heating unit can be adjusted with high precision.

[0100] (2) In the above embodiment, the first support unit includes a support member fixed so that its relative position with respect to the stage changes together with the nozzle, and a hanging unit that suspends and supports the first heating unit from the support member and functions as the position change unit, the hanging unit includes a movable member that moves along a suspension direction relative to the support member to change the position of the first heating unit in the suspension direction, and a regulating member that allows and regulates movement of the movable member, the regulating member allowing the change in posture by allowing the movement of the movable member and fixing the posture by regulating the movement of the movable member. According to this embodiment, in a configuration in which the first heating unit is suspended and supported, the heating surface can be easily set parallel to the modeling surface.

[0101] (3) In the above embodiment, in the step (b), the flatness may be measured using a measurement unit having a plate to which the flatness sensor is attached and a mounting part for mounting the plate on the stage. According to this embodiment, the flatness of the heating surface can be easily measured.

[0102] (4) In the above embodiment, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus may have a mounting section having a reference surface whose flatness is adjusted in advance, the stage is placed on the reference surface of the mounting section, the installation section has legs, and in the step (b), a first engagement section provided on the mounting section engages with a second engagement section provided on the legs, thereby positioning the measurement unit on the mounting section. According to this embodiment, the flatness of the heating surface can be measured with high accuracy.

[0103] (5) In the above embodiment, the flatness sensor may include at least a first contact sensor and a second contact sensor that are attached to the plate at different positions, and in the step (b), an operation of bringing both the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor into contact with the heating surface may be performed multiple times at different horizontal positions, and the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor may be brought into contact with a common measurement point in the multiple operations. According to this embodiment, flatness measurement can be performed in a range that exceeds the distance between the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor.

[0104] (6) In the above aspect, the method may further include the step of: (e) displaying the value relating to the flatness on a display unit. According to this aspect, a user can easily check the flatness of the heating surface.

[0105] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described posture adjustment method, and can be realized in various forms, such as a three-dimensional printing system and a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 20...material supply section, 20a...first material supply section, 20b...second material supply section, 22...supply path, 30...plasticizing section, 30a...first plasticizing section, 30b...second plasticizing section, 31...screw case, 32...driving motor, 40...screw, 42...screw lower surface, 44...material inlet, 45...groove section, 46...ridge section, 47...center section, 50...barrel, 52...barrel upper surface, 54...guide groove, 56...communicating hole, 58...plasticizing heater, 61...nozzle, 61a...first nozzle, 61b...second nozzle, 62...nozzle opening, 62a...first nozzle opening, 62b...second nozzle opening, 63...tip surface, 63a...first tip surface, 63b...second tip surface, 65...nozzle flow channel, 100...three-dimensional modeling device, 200...modeling unit, 200a...first modeling unit, 200b...second modeling unit, 300...stage, 310...mounting unit, 311...mounting member, 312...step portion, 312a...first step portion, 312b...second step portion, 313...reference surface, 314...first engagement portion, 320...modeling stage, 321...modeling surface, 324...groove, 326...first inclined surface, 327...handle, 330...second heating unit, 331...second heating plate, 332...second heater, 340...pressing unit, 341...screw, 343...spacer, 344...attachment Force member, 345... placement plate, 346... central column, 347... column, 350... pressing portion, 351... first pressing portion, 352... second pressing portion, 353... eccentric pin, 356... second inclined surface, 360... biasing portion, 370... second support portion, 371... fixing member, 372... hole, 375... base, 380... pressing moving portion, 381... first lever, 382... rod, 383... second lever, 384... one end, 385... other end, 386... bending portion, 387... pin, 400... moving portion, 410... first electric actuator, 420... second electric actuator, 430... third electric actuator, 4 31...movable part, 440...fourth electric actuator, 500...control part, 550...display part, 600...first heating part, 601...through hole, 601a...first through hole, 601b...second through hole, 610...first heater, 620...first heating plate, 621...heating surface, 630...frame part, 631...first fixing member, 632...third fixing member, 650...insulating part, 700...first support part, 710...support member, 711...fixing plate, 730...arm part, 800...position changing part, 801...second fixing member, 802...fourth fixing member, 810...hanging part, 820...movable member, 821...flange part, 830...regulating member,831: chuck portion; 900: measurement unit; 910: flat sensor; 920: contact sensor; 921: first contact sensor; 922: second contact sensor; 923: third contact sensor; 924: fourth contact sensor; 925: contactor; 930: plate; 940: mounting portion; 941: leg portion; 942: second engagement portion; 950: jig;

Claims

1. a plasticizing section for plasticizing the material to produce a plasticized material; A nozzle for discharging the plasticizing material; a stage having a build surface onto which the plasticized material is deposited; a moving unit that changes a relative position between the nozzle and the stage; a plate-shaped first heating unit having a heating surface that heats the plasticizable material stacked on the stage, and in which a through hole is formed, into which at least a part of the nozzle is positioned during modeling of a three-dimensional object; a first support section configured such that a relative position with respect to the stage changes together with the nozzle and the first heating section, and supporting the first heating section to position the first heating section at a position facing the stage; A posture changing unit configured to be able to fix and change the posture of the first heating unit; 1. A method for adjusting the attitude of a first heating unit in a three-dimensional modeling apparatus, comprising: (a) fixing the posture of the first heating unit by the posture changing unit in a state in which the heating surface and the modeling surface or a jig provided parallel to the modeling surface are in contact with each other at a first planar position; (b) measuring the flatness of the heating surface with a flatness sensor for measuring the flatness of the heating surface; (c) determining a second plane position where the heating surface is brought into contact with the modeling surface or a jig provided parallel to the modeling surface based on the measured flatness; (d) contacting the heating surface with the modeling surface or a jig provided parallel to the modeling surface at the determined second planar position while the change in the posture by the posture changing unit is permitted, and fixing the posture of the first heating unit by the posture changing unit; The posture adjustment method includes the steps of:

2. 2. The attitude adjustment method according to claim 1, The first support portion is a support member fixed so that a relative position with respect to the stage changes together with the nozzle; a hanging portion that suspends and supports the first heating portion from the support member and functions as the position changing portion, The hanging portion is a movable member that moves along a hanging direction relative to the support member to change a position of the first heating unit in the hanging direction; a restricting member that allows and restricts the movement of the movable member, the regulating member allows the movable member to move, thereby allowing the attitude to be changed, and fixes the attitude by regulating the movement of the movable member. Posture adjustment method.

3. 2. The attitude adjustment method according to claim 1, In the step (b), the flatness is measured using a measurement unit having a plate to which the flatness sensor is attached and an installation part that installs the plate on the stage.

4. The attitude adjustment method according to claim 3, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus has a mounting unit having a reference surface whose flatness is adjusted in advance, the stage is placed on the reference surface of the placement section, The installation portion has a leg portion, In the step (b), a first engagement portion provided on the placement portion and a second engagement portion provided on the leg portion are engaged with each other, thereby positioning the measurement unit on the placement portion. Posture adjustment method.

5. The attitude adjustment method according to claim 3, The planar sensor includes at least a first contact sensor and a second contact sensor that are attached to the plate at different positions, In the step (b), an operation of bringing both the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor into contact with the heating surface is performed a plurality of times at different planar positions; In the plurality of operations, the first contact sensor and the second contact sensor are brought into contact with a common measurement point. Posture adjustment method.

6. 2. The attitude adjustment method according to claim 1, (e) displaying the value relating to the flatness on a display unit; The posture adjustment method includes the steps of:

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