Processing method, processing system, and information acquisition method

Abstract

To provide a processing method capable of processing an object with high precision.SOLUTION: The processing method includes acquiring holder information regarding a position of a reference portion of a holder placed on a processing device in a processing coordinate system, installing the holder on a measurement device, acquiring measurement information including information regarding a three dimensional shape of a processing target on the holder in a measurement coordinate system and information regarding a position of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system using the measurement device, generating processing path information based on the holder information and the measurement information, placing the holder taken out from the measurement device on the processing device, and processing the processing target on the holder placed on the processing device based on the processing path information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of, for example, a processing method and processing system capable of processing a workpiece, and an information acquisition method capable of acquiring information regarding the position of a holder that holds a workpiece. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a processing method for processing an object using a processing device is described in Patent Document 1. One of the technical challenges of such a processing method is to process the object with high precision. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0034266 Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to a first aspect, there is provided a processing method for processing an object using a processing device capable of processing the object held by a holder by irradiating the object with a processing beam, the method comprising the steps of: acquiring holder information including information on the position of a reference portion of the holder placed at a reference placement position of the processing device in a processing coordinate system of the processing device; installing the holder that holds the object to a measurement device; using the measurement device, acquiring measurement information including information on the three-dimensional shape of the object on the holder in the measurement coordinate system of the measurement device and information on the position of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system; a processing method including: removing the holder holding the workpiece removed from the measurement device from the measurement device; generating processing path information in the processing coordinate system indicating a target irradiation position to which the processing beam should be irradiated in order to process the workpiece based on the holder information acquired before the holder holding the workpiece removed from the measurement device is installed on the processing device and the measurement information; placing the holder holding the workpiece removed from the measurement device on the reference placement position of the processing device; and processing the workpiece on the holder placed on the reference placement position of the processing device based on the processing path information.

[0005] According to a second aspect, there is provided a processing method for processing an object using a processing device capable of processing the object held by a holder by irradiating the object with a processing beam, the method comprising: acquiring holder information including information on the position in a processing coordinate system of the processing device of a reference portion of the holder placed at a reference placement position of the processing device; installing the holder holding the object to a measurement device; acquiring measurement information using the measurement device including information on the three-dimensional shape of the object on the holder in the measurement coordinate system of the measurement device and information on the position of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system; and removing the holder holding the object from the measurement device. a processing method including: generating processing path information in the processing coordinate system indicating a target irradiation position to which the processing beam should be irradiated in order to process the workpiece based on the holder information and the measurement information; placing the holder that holds the workpiece removed from the measurement device at the reference placement position of the processing device; irradiating the workpiece with a non-processing beam different from the processing beam based on the generated processing path information; detecting the irradiation state of the non-processing beam on the workpiece; and processing the workpiece on the holder placed at the reference placement position of the processing device based on the generated processing path information and the detection result.

[0006] According to a third aspect, there is provided an information acquisition method for acquiring holder information related to a holder used to process a workpiece held by the holder in a processing device capable of processing the workpiece by irradiating the workpiece with a processing beam, the information acquisition method including: placing the holder at a reference placement position of the processing device; using the processing beam to process a surface of a reference member placed on the holder in a predetermined positional relationship with a reference portion of the holder placed at the reference placement position by irradiating the processing beam at a specific coordinate in the processing coordinate system of the processing device; measuring the position of the processed portion of the surface of the reference member; and acquiring the holder information including information related to the position in the processing coordinate system of the reference portion of the holder placed at the reference placement position based on the results of the measurement.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a processing method for processing an object to be processed using a processing device capable of processing the object by irradiating the object with a processing beam, the processing method including: acquiring processing path information indicating a target movement path of a target irradiation position to which the processing beam should be irradiated in order to process the object to be processed; emitting a beam from the processing device to the object to be processed based on the acquired processing path information; detecting an irradiation state of the beam irradiated to the object to be processed; correcting the acquired processing path information if it is determined based on the detection result that the processing beam will be irradiated to an object other than the object to be processed; and processing the object to be processed by irradiating the processing beam to the object to be processed based on the corrected processing path information.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a processing system capable of carrying out the processing method provided by the first aspect, the second aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0009] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a processing method for processing an object to be processed using a processing device capable of processing the object held by a holder by irradiating the object with a processing beam, the processing method including: installing the holder that holds the object to be processed on a measuring device; using the measuring device to acquire measurement information including information about the three-dimensional shape of the object to be processed on the holder in the measurement coordinate system of the measuring device; removing the holder that holds the object to be processed from the measuring device; generating processing path information in the processing coordinate system of the processing device based on the measurement information, the processing path information indicating a target irradiation position to which the processing beam should be irradiated to process the object to be processed; placing the holder that holds the object to be processed removed from the measuring device on a reference loading position of the processing device; and processing the object to be processed on the holder placed at the reference loading position of the processing device based on the processing path information.

[0010] The functions and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a machining system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the processing device of this embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the processing device of this embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4(a) is a perspective view showing the structure of a holder that is not holding a workpiece, and FIG. 4(b) is a perspective view showing the structure of a holder that is actually holding a workpiece. [Figure 5] FIG. 5(a) is a top view of the plate fixing member, and FIG. 5(b) is a cross-sectional view of the plate fixing member (specifically, a cross-sectional view taken along line AA' in FIG. 5(a)). [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the measurement system. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the shape measurement device. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a path generation device. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows the data structure of the calibration information DB. [Figure 10] Each of Fig. 10(a) to Fig. 10(e) is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a certain area on a workpiece is irradiated with processing light and a modeling material is supplied. [Figure 11] Each of Figures 11(a) to 11(c) is a cross-sectional view showing the process of forming a three-dimensional structure. [Figure 12] Figure 12(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a processing head that irradiates processing light onto a first direction surface of a workpiece, and Figure 12(b) is a cross-sectional view showing a processing head that irradiates processing light onto a second direction surface of a workpiece. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the calibration operation. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a base plate. [Figure 15] FIG. 15(a) is a cross-sectional view showing a base plate processed by the processing device, and FIG. 15(b) is a top view showing the base plate processed by the processing device. [Figure 16] FIG. 16(a) is a top view showing an example of a base plate, and FIG. 16(b) is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the base plate. [Figure 17] Each of Figures 17(a) and 17(c) is a cross-sectional view showing a base plate onto which multiple guide lights are irradiated, and each of Figures 17(b) and 17(d) is a top view showing a base plate onto which multiple guide lights are irradiated. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a top view showing the positional relationship between the processing marks on the base plate and the reference portion of the holder. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing the positional relationship between the processing marks on the base plate and the reference portion of the holder. [Figure 20]FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the flow of the machining path generating operation. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 shows the measurement model, the target model, and the processed model. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 shows the measurement model, the target model, and the processed model. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the flow of the machining path evaluation operation. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 shows the verification travel path. [Figure 25] 25(a) and 25(b) each show the actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light when the verification light is irradiated onto the workpiece along the verification movement path shown in FIG. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 shows the positional relationship between the machining path and the workpiece. [Figure 27] FIG. 27(a) shows the relationship between the movement path of the verification light assumed from the verification movement path and the actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light, and FIG. 27(b) shows the corrected processing path. [Figure 28] Each of Figures 28(a) to 28(c) is a cross-sectional view showing a workpiece held by a holder. [Figure 29] FIG. 29 shows the verification travel path. [Figure 30] Each of FIG. 30(a) and FIG. 30(b) shows the positional relationship between the workpiece W (specifically, the estimated outer edge of the workpiece W) and the machining path. [Figure 31] FIG. 31 shows the verification travel path. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of a processing method, a processing system, and an information acquisition method will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the embodiments of the processing method, the processing system, and the information acquisition method will be described using a processing system SYS that can process a workpiece W, which is an example of a processing target object.

[0013] (1) Configuration of the machining system SYS First, the configuration of the machining system SYS will be described.

[0014] (1-1) Overall configuration of the machining system SYS First, the overall configuration of the machining system SYS will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the machining system SYS.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the processing system SYS includes a plurality of processing devices 1, a processing mark measuring device 2, a measurement system 3, and a transport device 4. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the processing system SYS includes a plurality of processing devices 1, but may include a single processing device 1. The processing system SYS includes a single processing mark measuring device 2, but may include a plurality of processing mark measuring devices 2. The processing system SYS includes a single measurement system 3, but may include a plurality of measurement systems 3. The processing system SYS includes a single transport device 4, but may include a plurality of transport devices 4. The processing system SYS does not have to include the transport device 4.

[0016] Each of the multiple processing devices 1 is capable of processing the workpiece W. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which each of the multiple processing devices 1 is a processing device that is capable of processing the workpiece W by irradiating the workpiece W with processing light EL (i.e., an energy beam in the form of light). However, at least one of the multiple processing devices 1 may process the workpiece W without using processing light EL.

[0017] At least one of the multiple processing devices 1 may be an additive processing device capable of performing additive processing on the workpiece W. In other words, at least one of the multiple processing devices 1 may be a modeling device capable of performing additive processing on the workpiece W to form a model on the workpiece W. Specifically, the additive processing device is capable of performing additive processing on the workpiece W to form a model that is integrated with or separable from the workpiece W. The model formed by the additive processing device may refer to any object that the additive processing device forms. For example, the additive processing device may form a three-dimensional structure ST (that is, a three-dimensional structure that has size in all three directions, a solid object, in other words, a structure that has size in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction) as an example of a model.

[0018] The additive processing apparatus may perform additive processing using any additive processing method (i.e., a manufacturing method) capable of manufacturing a shaped object. Examples of additive processing methods include at least one of laser metal deposition (LMD), powder bed fusion (PBF) methods such as selective laser sintering (SLS), binder jetting, material jetting, stereolithography, and laser metal fusion (LMF). Note that laser metal deposition may also be referred to as directed energy deposition (DED).

[0019] The workpiece W may be a product that has a missing portion and needs to be repaired. In this case, the additive processing device may perform repair processing to repair (in other words, restore) the product that needs to be repaired by performing additive processing to form a shaped object to fill the missing portion. In other words, the additive processing performed by the additive processing device may include additional processing to add a shaped object to the workpiece W to fill the missing portion.

[0020] An example of an item requiring repair that has a missing portion is at least a portion of a worn turbine. For example, an example of an item requiring repair that has a missing portion is a turbine blade that constitutes a turbine. An example of a turbine is at least one of a power generation turbine and an aircraft engine turbine. In this case, the additive processing device may repair (in other words, restore) the worn turbine. Another example of an item requiring repair that has a missing portion is a worn propeller-shaped part. Another example of an item requiring repair that has a missing portion is a body part of a vehicle such as an automobile, motorcycle, electric vehicle, or railroad car. Another example of an item requiring repair that has a missing portion is an engine part for an automobile engine, motorcycle engine, or aerospace engine. Another example of an item requiring repair that has a missing portion is a battery part for an electric vehicle. The additive processing device may repair these items requiring repair.

[0021] The workpiece W may be a base for forming a three-dimensional structure ST. In this case, the additive processing device may manufacture the three-dimensional structure ST from scratch by performing additive processing to form the three-dimensional structure ST on the workpiece W. As an example, the additive processing device may manufacture a turbine from scratch by performing additive processing to form a three-dimensional structure ST corresponding to a turbine on the workpiece W.

[0022] The workpiece W may be an intermediate product produced in the process of forming a three-dimensional structure ST. In this case, the additive processing device may produce the three-dimensional structure ST from the intermediate product by performing additive processing on the workpiece W, which is an intermediate product of the three-dimensional structure ST, to complete the three-dimensional structure ST. As an example, the additive processing device may produce a completed turbine from the intermediate turbine product by performing additional processing on the workpiece W, which is an intermediate turbine product, to complete the turbine.

[0023] The workpiece W may be a base for forming a three-dimensional structure ST. In this case, the additive processing device may manufacture the three-dimensional structure ST from scratch by performing additive processing to form the three-dimensional structure ST on the workpiece W. In other words, the additive processing performed by the additive processing device may include additional processing to add a shaped object to the workpiece W to fill in missing parts.

[0024] At least one of the multiple processing devices 1 may be a removal processing device capable of performing removal processing on the workpiece W. In other words, at least one of the multiple processing devices 1 may be a removal processing device capable of performing removal processing to remove a part of the workpiece W. Note that, in addition to or instead of performing removal processing on the workpiece W, the removal processing device may perform removal processing on a shaped object formed on the workpiece W by the additional processing device.

[0025] In this embodiment, each of the multiple processing devices 1 processes a workpiece W held by a holder 5 (see FIGS. 4(a) to 4(b), etc.) described below. Therefore, the workpiece W is placed on the processing device 1 while being held by the holder 5. The holder 5 may also be called a jig, holder, holding member, mounting member, or clamp. The structure of the holder 5 will be described in detail later with reference to the drawings.

[0026] As will be described in detail later, a base plate 50 (see FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b)) is placed on the holder 5, which is used to generate calibration information 3222 (see FIG. 9), which is one specific example of "holder information." The base plate 50 placed on the holder 5 may be considered to be part of the holder 5. The base plate 50 may also be referred to as a reference member. The calibration information 3222 is information used in the processing of the workpiece W by the processing device 1. For this reason, the calibration information 3222 may typically be generated in advance before the processing device 1 actually starts processing the workpiece W.

[0027] To generate the calibration information 3222, the processing apparatus 1 measures the position of the base plate 50 placed on the holder 5, as will be described in detail later. Specifically, the processing apparatus 1 measures the position of the base plate 50 in the processing coordinate system of the processing apparatus 1. Plate position information indicating the measurement result of the position of the base plate 50 in the processing coordinate system of the processing apparatus 1 is transmitted from the processing apparatus 1 to the measurement system 3 via a communication network (not shown).

[0028] To generate the calibration information 3222, the processing device 1 further processes the base plate 50 placed on the holder 5, as will be described in detail later. The base plate 50 processed by the processing device 1 is transported from the processing device 1 to the processing mark measuring device 2. For example, the base plate 50 may be transported from the processing device 1 to the processing mark measuring device 2 by the transport device 4. For example, the base plate 50 may be transported from the processing device 1 to the processing mark measuring device 2 by a transport device different from the transport device 4. For example, the base plate 50 may be transported from the processing device 1 to the processing mark measuring device 2 by a user of the processing system SYS.

[0029] The processing mark measuring device 2 measures the base plate 50 processed by the processing device 1. More specifically, the processing mark measuring device 2 measures the position of the portion of the base plate 50 that has been processed by the processing device 1 (i.e., the processing mark). Processing mark position information indicating the measurement results of the position of the processing mark is transmitted from the processing mark measuring device 2 to the measurement system 3 via a communication network (not shown).

[0030] The processing mark measuring device 2 may be any measuring device as long as it is capable of measuring the position of the processing mark on the base plate 50. For example, the processing mark measuring device 2 may be a measuring device that is capable of measuring the position of the processing mark by capturing an image of the base plate 50.

[0031] The measurement system 3 receives (i.e., acquires) plate position information transmitted from the processing device 1. Furthermore, the measurement system 3 receives (i.e., acquires) processing mark position information transmitted from the processing mark measurement device 2. The measurement system 3 generates calibration information 3222 based on the plate position information and the processing mark position information. The calibration information 3222 includes information on the position of the holder 5 in the processing coordinate system, as will be described in detail later.

[0032] The measurement system 3 further measures the holder 5 that actually holds the workpiece W before the processing device 1 actually starts processing the workpiece W. Specifically, the measurement system 3 measures the holder 5 and the workpiece W that the holder 5 actually holds. For this reason, the holder 5 that actually holds the workpiece W is installed (in other words, placed or attached) in the measurement system 3 before the processing device 1 actually starts processing the workpiece W. In other words, the holder 5 that actually holds the workpiece W is installed in the measurement system 3 before the holder 5 is installed (in other words, placed or attached) in the processing device 1.

[0033] In this embodiment, the measurement system 3 measures the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W. Once the three-dimensional shape of the holder 5 is determined, the position of the holder 5 in three-dimensional space (for example, the position of the surface of the holder 5) is determined. Therefore, measuring the three-dimensional shape of the holder 5 may be considered to be substantially equivalent to measuring the position of the holder 5 in the measurement coordinate system of the measurement system 3. Similarly, measuring the three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W may be considered to be substantially equivalent to measuring the position of the workpiece W in the measurement coordinate system.

[0034] Thereafter, the measurement system 3 generates processing path information in the processing coordinate system of the processing device 1 based on the measurement information indicating the measurement results of the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W, respectively, and the calibration information 3222. The processing path information indicates a target irradiation position to which the processing light EL should be irradiated in order to process the workpiece W. Specifically, the processing path information indicates a target movement path, which is a path to a target irradiation position to which the processing light EL should be irradiated in order to process the workpiece W. The processing path information generated by the measurement system 3 is transmitted from the measurement system 3 to the processing device 1 via a communication network (not shown).

[0035] The processing apparatus 1 receives (i.e., acquires) the processing path information transmitted from the measurement system 3. Upon receiving the processing path information, the processing apparatus 1 processes the workpiece W held by the holder 5 based on the received processing path information. Therefore, after the measurement system 3 measures the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W, the holder 5 holding the workpiece W is transported from the measurement system 3 to the processing apparatus 1. Specifically, the holder 5 is detached from the measurement system 3, and the detached holder 5 is transported to the processing apparatus 1. For example, the holder 5 may be transported from the measurement system 3 to the processing apparatus 1 by the transport device 4. For example, the holder 5 may be transported from the measurement system 3 to the processing apparatus 1 by a transport device different from the transport device 4. For example, the holder 5 may be transported from the measurement system 3 to the processing apparatus 1 by a user of the processing system SYS. The holder 5 transported to the processing apparatus 1 is installed (in other words, placed or attached) in the processing apparatus 1. As a result, the processing apparatus 1 can process the workpiece W held by the holder 5.

[0036] In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the processing system SYS includes a processing device 1 and a measurement system 3, which are separate devices. However, the processing system SYS may include a device in which the processing device 1 and the measurement system 3 are integrated. That is, the processing device 1 and the measurement system 3 may be integrated. Similarly, the processing system SYS may include a device in which the processing device 1 and the processing mark measuring device 2 are integrated. That is, the processing device 1 and the processing mark measuring device 2 may be integrated. Similarly, the processing system SYS may include a device in which the processing mark measuring device 2 and the measurement system 3 are integrated. That is, the processing mark measuring device 2 and the measurement system 3 may be integrated. Furthermore, when multiple processing devices 1 and measurement systems 3 are separate devices, the multiple processing devices 1 and measurement systems 3 may be arranged adjacent to each other in a row. In this case, the multiple processing devices 1 and measurement systems 3 arranged in a row may operate in parallel. In this case, the productivity of the processing system SYS is improved. That is, the throughput of the processing system SYS is improved.

[0037] The processing system SYS may further include a control server 6. However, the processing system SYS does not necessarily have to further include the control server 6.

[0038] The control server 6 may control the operation of the entire processing system SYS. For example, the control server 6 may control the operation of each of the multiple processing devices 1. For example, the control server 6 may control the operation of the processing mark measuring device 2. For example, the control server 6 may control the operation of the measurement system 3. For example, the control server 6 may control the operation of the transport device 4.

[0039] The control server 6 may function as a cloud server. In this case, the control server 6 may be able to communicate with at least one of the plurality of processing devices 1, processing mark measuring devices 2, measurement systems 3, and transport devices 4 via a communication network including the Internet. Alternatively, the control server 6 may function as an edge server. In this case, the control server 6 may be able to communicate with at least one of the plurality of processing devices 1, processing mark measuring devices 2, measurement systems 3, and transport devices 4 via a communication network including an intranet or a local area network.

[0040] In addition to or instead of the control server 6 that controls the processing device 1, the processing system SYS may include a first computer that controls the processing device 1 as part of the processing device 1. That is, the processing device 1 may include the first computer. The first computer may be a laptop computer or other type of computer. The first computer may function as a control device 17 (see FIG. 2) described later. In addition to or instead of the control server 6 that controls the processing mark measuring device 2, the processing system SYS may include a second computer that controls the processing mark measuring device 2 as part of the processing mark measuring device 2. That is, the processing mark measuring device 2 may include the second computer. The second computer may be a laptop computer or other type of computer. In addition to or instead of the control server 6 that controls the measurement system 3, the processing system SYS may include a third computer that controls the measurement system 3 as part of the measurement system 3. That is, the measurement system 3 may include the third computer. The third computer may be a laptop computer or other type of computer. The third computer may function as a processing path generating device 32 (see FIG. 6) described later. In addition to or instead of the control server 6 that controls the transport device 4, the processing system SYS may include a fourth computer that controls the transport device 4 as part of the transport device 4. In other words, the transport device 4 may include the fourth computer. The fourth computer may be a laptop computer or any other type of computer.

[0041] (1-2) Structure of the processing device 1 Next, the configuration of the processing device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the processing device 1. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the processing device 1.

[0042] In the following description, the positional relationships of the various components constituting the processing apparatus 1 will be described using an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system defined by mutually orthogonal X, Y, and Z axes as the processing coordinate system. For ease of explanation, the X-axis and Y-axis directions are each assumed to be horizontal (i.e., a predetermined direction within a horizontal plane), and the Z-axis direction is assumed to be vertical (i.e., a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, essentially an up-down direction). Furthermore, the rotation directions around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis (in other words, tilt directions) are referred to as the θX direction, θY direction, and θZ direction, respectively. Here, the Z-axis direction may be the direction of gravity. Furthermore, the XY plane may be assumed to be horizontal.

[0043] In addition, in the following description, for convenience of explanation, the configuration of the processing device 1 that is an additional processing device will be described as an example of the configuration of the processing device 1. In particular, in the following description, the configuration of the processing device 1 that is an additional processing device that performs additional processing using a laser build-up welding method will be described as an example of the configuration of the processing device 1. Therefore, all of the multiple processing devices 1 do not have to be the processing devices 1 shown in Figures 2 and 3. At least one of the multiple processing devices 1 may be different from the processing device 1 shown in Figures 2 and 3.

[0044] The processing device 1, which performs additive processing using the laser build-up welding method, performs additive processing by processing a modeling material M using processing light EL. The modeling material M is a material that can be melted by irradiation with processing light EL of a predetermined intensity or higher. For example, at least one of a metallic material and a resinous material can be used as the modeling material M. However, other materials different from metallic materials and resinous materials may also be used as the modeling material M. The modeling material M is a powdered or granular material. In other words, the modeling material M is a powdered or granular material. However, the modeling material M does not have to be a powdered or granular material. For example, at least one of a wire-shaped modeling material and a gaseous modeling material may be used as the modeling material M.

[0045] A processing apparatus 1 that performs additive processing using laser build-up welding sequentially forms multiple structural layers SL (see FIG. 11 described later) to form a three-dimensional structure ST in which multiple structural layers SL are stacked. In this case, the processing apparatus 1 first sets the surface of the workpiece W as a printing surface MS on which the object is actually printed, and prints the first structural layer SL on the printing surface MS. Thereafter, the processing apparatus 1 sets the surface of the first structural layer SL as a new printing surface MS, and prints the second structural layer SL on the printing surface MS. Thereafter, the processing apparatus 1 repeats the same operations to form a three-dimensional structure ST in which multiple structural layers SL are stacked.

[0046] 2 and 3, the processing apparatus 1 includes a material supply source 11, a processing unit 12, a stage unit 13, an imaging device 14, a light source 15, a gas supply source 16, and a control device 17. The processing unit 12, the stage unit 13, and the imaging device 14 may be housed in a chamber space 183IN inside a housing 18.

[0047] The material supply source 11 supplies the molding material M to the processing unit 12. The material supply source 11 supplies a desired amount of the molding material M according to the required amount so that the amount of the molding material M required per unit time for performing additive processing is supplied to the processing unit 12.

[0048] The processing unit 12 processes the forming material M supplied from the material supply source 11 to form a model. To form the model, the processing unit 12 includes a processing head 121, a head drive system 122, a position measurement device 123, and multiple (e.g., two) guide light irradiation devices 124. The processing head 121 also includes an irradiation optical system 1211 and a material nozzle 1212. In the example shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the processing head 121 includes a single irradiation optical system 1211, but the processing head 121 may also include multiple irradiation optical systems 1211. In the example shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the processing head 121 includes multiple material nozzles 1212, but the processing head 121 may also include a single material nozzle 1212.

[0049] The irradiation optical system 1211 is an optical system (e.g., a focusing optical system) for emitting the processing light EL. Specifically, the irradiation optical system 1211 is optically connected to the light source 15 that emits the processing light EL via an optical transmission member 151 such as an optical fiber or a light pipe. The irradiation optical system 1211 emits the processing light EL propagated from the light source 15 via the optical transmission member 151. The irradiation optical system 1211 irradiates the processing light EL downward (i.e., toward the -Z side) from the irradiation optical system 1211. A stage 131 is disposed below the irradiation optical system 1211. When a workpiece W is placed on the stage 131, the irradiation optical system 1211 irradiates the emitted processing light EL onto the workpiece W. In this case, the irradiation optical system 1211 irradiates the processing light EL from above the workpiece W toward the workpiece W. Specifically, the irradiation optical system 1211 can irradiate the processing light EL onto a target irradiation area EA that is set on or near the workpiece W as an area to be irradiated (typically, focused) with the processing light EL. Furthermore, under the control of the control device 17, the state of the irradiation optical system 1211 can be switched between a state in which the processing light EL is irradiated onto the target irradiation area EA and a state in which the processing light EL is not irradiated onto the target irradiation area EA.

[0050] The material nozzle 1212 supplies (e.g., ejects, jets, or sprays) the modeling material M. The material nozzle 1212 is physically connected to the material supply source 11, which is a supply source of the modeling material M, via the supply pipe 111 and the mixer 112. The material nozzle 1212 supplies the modeling material M supplied from the material supply source 11 via the supply pipe 111 and the mixer 112. The material nozzle 1212 may pressure-feed the modeling material M supplied from the material supply source 11 via the supply pipe 111. That is, the modeling material M from the material supply source 11 and a carrier gas (i.e., a pressure-feed gas, for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon) may be mixed in the mixer 112 and then pressure-feed to the material nozzle 1212 via the supply pipe 111. As a result, the material nozzle 1212 supplies the modeling material M together with the carrier gas. For example, a purge gas supplied from the gas supply source 16 is used as the carrier gas. However, the transport gas may be a gas supplied from a gas supply source different from the gas supply source 16. The material nozzle 1212 supplies the modeling material M downward (i.e., toward the -Z side) from the material nozzle 1212. A stage 131 is disposed below the material nozzle 1212. When a workpiece W is mounted on the stage 131, the material nozzle 1212 supplies the modeling material M toward the workpiece W or the vicinity of the workpiece W.

[0051] In this embodiment, the material nozzle 1212 supplies the modeling material M to the irradiation position of the processing light EL (i.e., the target irradiation area EA onto which the processing light EL from the irradiation optical system 1211 is irradiated). For this reason, the material nozzle 1212 and the irradiation optical system 1211 are aligned so that a target supply area MA, which is set on or near the workpiece W as the area onto which the material nozzle 1212 supplies the modeling material M, coincides with (or at least partially overlaps with) the target irradiation area EA. In this case, the modeling material M supplied from the material nozzle 1212 is irradiated with the processing light EL emitted by the irradiation optical system 1211. As a result, the modeling material M melts. In other words, a molten pool MP containing the molten modeling material M is formed on the workpiece W.

[0052] The material nozzle 1212 may supply the modeling material M to the molten pool MP formed by the processing light EL emitted from the irradiation optical system 1211. However, the material nozzle 1212 does not have to supply the modeling material M to the molten pool MP. For example, the processing device 1 may melt the modeling material M from the material nozzle 1212 using the irradiation optical system 1211 before the modeling material M reaches the workpiece W, and then adhere the molten modeling material M to the workpiece W.

[0053] The head drive system 122 moves the machining head 121 under the control of the control device 17. That is, the head drive system 122 moves the irradiation optical system 1211 and the material nozzle 1212 under the control of the control device 17. The head drive system 122 moves the machining head 121, for example, along at least one of the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θX direction, θY direction, and θZ direction in the machining coordinate system of the machining device 1. When the head drive system 122 moves the machining head 121, the relative positions of the machining head 121, the stage 131, and the workpiece W placed on the stage 131 change. As a result, the target irradiation area EA and the target supply area MA (and further, the molten pool MP) move relative to the workpiece W.

[0054] The position measurement device 123 is capable of measuring the position of the processing head 121. The position measurement device 123 may include, for example, at least one of an encoder and a laser interferometer.

[0055] The guide light emitting device 124 is disposed in the processing head 121. The guide light emitting device 124 emits a guide light GL. The guide light emitting device 124 emits the guide light GL so that the guide light GL travels through the chamber space 183IN. The multiple guide light emitting devices 124 are aligned so that the multiple guide lights GL emitted from the multiple guide light emitting devices 124 intersect with each other at a predetermined intersection position below the processing head 121. For example, the multiple guide light emitting devices 124 may be aligned so that the multiple guide lights GL intersect with each other at the focus position of the processing light EL. Since the processing apparatus 1 mainly processes the workpiece W at the focus position of the processing light EL (i.e., performs additional processing), the multiple guide light emitting devices 124 may be aligned so that the multiple guide lights GL intersect with each other at an additional processing position where additional processing is performed by the processing apparatus 1. The additional processing position typically at least partially overlaps with the respective positions of the target irradiation area EA and the target supply area MA. The method of using such a guide light emitting device 124 will be described in detail later.

[0056] The stage unit 13 includes a stage 131 , a stage drive system 132 , and a position measurement device 133 .

[0057] The holder 5 is placed on the stage 131. For this reason, the stage 131 may be referred to as an object placement device. The stage 131 is capable of supporting the holder 5 placed on the stage 131. The stage 131 may be capable of holding the holder 5 placed on the stage 131. In this case, the stage 131 may be equipped with at least one of a mechanical chuck, an electrostatic chuck, a vacuum chuck, or the like to hold the holder 5. Alternatively, the stage 131 may not be capable of holding the holder 5 placed on the stage 131. In this case, the holder 5 may be placed on the stage 131 in a clampless manner.

[0058] As described above, in this embodiment, the holder 5 holds the workpiece W. Therefore, it may be considered that the workpiece W is placed on the stage 131 via the holder 5. It may also be considered that the stage 131 supports the workpiece W via the holder 5.

[0059] The stage drive system 132 moves the stage 131 under the control of the control device 17. The stage drive system 132 moves the stage 131, for example, along at least one of the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θX direction, θY direction, and θZ direction in the machining coordinate system of the machining apparatus 1. When the stage drive system 132 moves the stage 131, the relative positions of the stage 131 and the workpiece W placed on the stage 131, and the machining head 121 change. As a result, the target irradiation area EA and the target supply area MA (and further, the molten pool MP) move relative to the workpiece W.

[0060] The position measurement device 133 is capable of measuring the position of the stage 131. The position measurement device 133 may include, for example, at least one of an encoder and a laser interferometer.

[0061] The imaging device 14 is capable of capturing an image of an imaging target. The imaging device 14 is typically a camera. In this embodiment, the imaging device 14 captures images of the states of the plurality of guide lights GL emitted by the plurality of guide light emitting devices 124 described above. Note that a method of using the imaging device 14 will be described in detail later, similar to a method of using the guide light emitting device 124 described above.

[0062] The light source 15 emits, for example, at least one of infrared light, visible light, and ultraviolet light as the processing light EL. However, other types of light may be used as the processing light EL. The processing light EL may include multiple pulsed lights (i.e., multiple pulse beams). The processing light EL may include continuous light (CW: Continuous Wave). The processing light EL may be laser light. In this case, the light source 15 may include a laser light source (e.g., a semiconductor laser such as a laser diode (LD: Laser Diode)). The laser light source may include at least one of a fiber laser, a CO2 laser, a YAG laser, an excimer laser, etc. However, the processing light EL does not have to be laser light. The light source 15 may include any light source (e.g., at least one of an LED (Light Emitting Diode), a discharge lamp, etc.).

[0063] The gas supply source 16 is a supply source of purge gas for purging the chamber space 183IN inside the housing 18. The purge gas includes an inert gas. Examples of the inert gas include nitrogen gas and argon gas. The gas supply source 16 is connected to the chamber space 183IN via a supply port 182 formed in a partition member 181 of the housing 18 and a supply pipe 161 connecting the gas supply source 16 and the supply port 182. The gas supply source 16 supplies purge gas to the chamber space 183IN via the supply pipe 161 and the supply port 182. As a result, the chamber space 183IN becomes a space purged with the purge gas. The purge gas supplied to the chamber space 183IN may be discharged from an exhaust port (not shown) formed in the partition member 181. The gas supply source 16 may be a cylinder containing an inert gas. When the inert gas is nitrogen gas, the gas supply source 16 may be a nitrogen gas generator that generates nitrogen gas using atmospheric air as a raw material.

[0064] When the material nozzle 1212 supplies the modeling material M together with a purge gas, the gas supply source 16 may supply the purge gas to the mixer 112 to which the modeling material M is supplied from the material supply source 11. Specifically, the gas supply source 16 may be connected to the mixer 112 via a supply pipe 162 connecting the gas supply source 16 and the mixer 112. As a result, the gas supply source 16 supplies the purge gas to the mixer 112 via the supply pipe 162. In this case, the modeling material M from the material supply source 11 may be supplied (specifically, pressure-fed) toward the material nozzle 1212 through the supply pipe 111 by the purge gas supplied from the gas supply source 16 via the supply pipe 162. In other words, the gas supply source 16 may be connected to the material nozzle 1212 via the supply pipe 162, the mixer 112, and the supply pipe 111. In this case, the material nozzle 1212 supplies the building material M together with a purge gas for pumping the building material M.

[0065] The control device 17 controls the operation of the processing apparatus 1. For example, the control device 17 may control the processing unit 12 (e.g., at least one of the processing head 121 and the head drive system 122) provided in the processing apparatus 1 to process the workpiece W. For example, the control device 17 may control the stage unit 13 (e.g., the stage drive system 132) provided in the processing apparatus 1 to process the workpiece W. For example, the control device 17 may control at least one of the processing unit 12 and the stage unit 13 to process the base plate 50 arranged on the holder 5 to generate the calibration information 3222 as described above. For example, the control device 17 may control at least one of the processing unit 12, the stage unit 13, and the imaging device 14 to measure the position of the base plate 50 arranged on the holder 5 to generate the calibration information 3222 as described above.

[0066] The control device 17 may include, for example, an arithmetic device and a storage device. The arithmetic device may include, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The storage device may include, for example, a memory. The control device 17 functions as a device that controls the operation of the processing device 1 by the arithmetic device executing a computer program. This computer program is a computer program for causing the arithmetic device to perform (i.e., execute) the operations to be performed by the control device 17, which will be described later. In other words, this computer program is a computer program for causing the control device 17 to function so as to cause the processing device 1 to perform the operations to be performed later. The computer program executed by the arithmetic device may be recorded in a storage device (i.e., a recording medium) included in the control device 17, or may be recorded in any storage medium (e.g., a hard disk or semiconductor memory) built into or externally attachable to the control device 17. Alternatively, the arithmetic device may download the computer program to be executed from a device external to the control device 17 via a network interface.

[0067] The control device 17 may control the emission mode of the processing light EL by the irradiation optical system 1211. The emission mode may include, for example, at least one of the intensity of the processing light EL and the emission timing of the processing light EL. When the processing light EL includes multiple pulsed lights, the emission mode may include, for example, at least one of the emission duration of the pulsed light, the emission cycle of the pulsed light, and the ratio between the emission duration of the pulsed light and the emission cycle of the pulsed light (so-called duty ratio). Furthermore, the control device 17 may control the movement mode of the processing head 121 by the head drive system 122. The control device 17 may control the movement mode of the stage 131 by the stage drive system 132. The movement mode may include, for example, at least one of the movement amount, movement speed, movement direction, and movement timing (movement time). Furthermore, the control device 17 may control the supply mode of the modeling material M by the material nozzle 1212. The supply mode may include, for example, at least one of the supply amount (particularly, the supply amount per unit time) and the supply timing (supply time).

[0068] The control device 17 does not have to be provided inside the processing apparatus 1. For example, the control device 17 may be provided as a server or the like outside the processing apparatus 1. In this case, the control device 17 and the processing apparatus 1 may be connected via a wired and / or wireless network (or a data bus and / or a communication line). The wired network may be a network using a serial bus interface, such as at least one of IEEE1394, RS-232x, RS-422, RS-423, RS-485, and USB. The wired network may be a network using a parallel bus interface. The wired network may be a network using an interface compliant with Ethernet (registered trademark), such as at least one of 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, and 1000BASE-T. The wireless network may be a network using radio waves. An example of a network using radio waves is a network compliant with IEEE802.1x (for example, at least one of wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark)). The wireless network may be a network using infrared rays. The wireless network may be a network using optical communication. In this case, the control device 17 and the processing device 1 may be configured to be able to transmit and receive various information via the network. The control device 17 may also be able to transmit information such as commands and control parameters to the processing device 1 via the network. The processing device 1 may include a receiving device that receives information such as commands and control parameters from the control device 17 via the network. The processing device 1 may also include a transmitting device that transmits information such as commands and control parameters to the control device 17 via the network (i.e., an output device that outputs information to the control device 17). Alternatively, a first control device that performs part of the processing performed by the control device 17 may be provided inside the processing device 1, while a second control device that performs another part of the processing performed by the control device 17 may be provided outside the processing device 1.

[0069] A computational model that can be constructed by machine learning may be implemented in the control device 17 by the computation device executing a computer program. An example of a computational model that can be constructed by machine learning is a computational model including a neural network (so-called artificial intelligence (AI)). In this case, learning of the computational model may include learning of parameters of the neural network (e.g., at least one of weights and biases). The control device 17 may control the operation of the processing device 1 using the computational model. That is, the operation of controlling the operation of the processing device 1 may include the operation of controlling the operation of the processing device 1 using the computational model. Note that the control device 17 may be implemented with a computational model that has been constructed by offline machine learning using training data. Furthermore, the computational model implemented in the control device 17 may be updated by online machine learning on the control device 17. Alternatively, the control device 17 may control the operation of the processing device 1 using a computational model implemented in a device external to the control device 17 (i.e., a device provided outside the processing device 1) in addition to or instead of the computational model implemented in the control device 17.

[0070] The recording medium for recording the computer program executed by the control device 17 may be at least one of a CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, flexible disk, optical disk such as MO, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and Blu-ray (registered trademark), magnetic medium such as magnetic tape, magneto-optical disk, semiconductor memory such as USB memory, and any other medium capable of storing a program. The recording medium may include a device capable of recording a computer program (e.g., a general-purpose device or a dedicated device in which a computer program is implemented in an executable state in at least one of software and firmware). Furthermore, each process or function included in the computer program may be realized by logical processing blocks realized within the control device 17 when the control device 17 (i.e., a computer) executes the computer program, or by hardware such as a predetermined gate array (FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit)) included in the control device 17, or may be realized in a form in which logical processing blocks and partial hardware modules that realize some of the hardware elements are mixed together.

[0071] (1-3) Structure of holder 5 Next, the structure of the holder 5 that holds the workpiece W will be described with reference to Figures 4(a) and 4(b). Figure 4(a) is a perspective view showing the structure of the holder 5 when it is not holding the workpiece W, and Figure 4(b) is a perspective view showing the structure of the holder 5 when it is actually holding the workpiece W. Figures 4(a) and 4(b) show the holder 5 placed on the stage 131 of the processing apparatus 1. Note that the structure of the holder 5 shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b) is just an example, and the structure of the holder 5 is not limited to the structure shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b).

[0072] As shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), the holder 5 includes a bottom member 51, a plurality of support members 52, and a plurality of connecting members 53. In the example shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), the holder 5 includes four support members 52 (specifically, support members 52#1, 52#2, 52#3, and 52#4) and four connecting members 53. However, the holder 5 may include a single support member 52. The holder 5 may include a single connecting member 53. The holder 5 may not include the connecting member 53.

[0073] The bottom member 51 is a plate-shaped member. The upper surface of the bottom member 51 (the surface facing the +Z side in the example shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b)) may be a surface along the XY plane. The lower surface of the bottom member 51 (the surface facing the -Z side in the example shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b)) may be a surface along the XY plane. The shape of the bottom member 51 is not limited to a rectangle. The bottom member 51 is placed on the stage 131 of the processing apparatus 1. Specifically, the bottom member 51 is placed on the stage 131 with the lower surface of the bottom member 51 facing the stage 131. Therefore, the holder 5 is placed on the stage 131 via the bottom member 51. The stage 131 supports the holder 5 via the bottom member 51.

[0074] The bottom member 51 may be placed (i.e., arranged) at a predetermined position on the stage 131. That is, the holder 5 may be placed (i.e., arranged) at a predetermined position on the stage 131 via the bottom member 51. The position determined as the position where the holder 5 is placed may be referred to as a "reference placement position."

[0075] In order to place the bottom member 51 at the reference placement position, alignment marks may be formed on at least one of the bottom member 51 and the stage 131. In the example shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), alignment marks are formed on both the bottom member 51 and the stage 131. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), a plurality of pins 1311 may be formed on the stage 131 as alignment marks. The pins 1311 are members that protrude from the stage 131 along the Z-axis direction. Note that information regarding the positions of the pins 1311 on the stage 131 may be information known to the processing system SYS. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), a plurality of through holes 511 may be formed on the bottom member 51 as alignment marks. The through holes 511 penetrate the bottom member 51 along the Z-axis direction. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), the bottom member 51 may be placed on the stage 131 so that the pins 1311 are inserted into the through holes 511. The bottom member 51 may be placed on the stage 131 with the pins 1311 inserted into the through holes 511. Therefore, the arrangement of the through holes 511 is the same as the arrangement of the pins 1311. Furthermore, the number of through holes 511 may be the same as (or may be greater than) the number of pins 1311. As a result, the bottom member 51 is placed on the stage 131 at a position (i.e., a reference placement position) determined by the pins 1311 and the through holes 511. Therefore, in this case, information regarding the placement position of the bottom member 51 on the stage 131 (i.e., the placement position of the holder 5) is known information in the processing system SYS.

[0076] The pin 1311 serving as a positioning mark does not have to pass through the through-hole 511 of the bottom member 51 of the holder 5. For example, the side surface of the bottom member 51 (for example, in the state shown in FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) , one or both of the side surface along the XZ plane and the side surface along the YZ plane) may be pressed against the pin 1311. The positioning mark is not limited to the pin 1311. In addition to or instead of the pin 1311, a member having a surface that can come into contact with the bottom member 51 (for example, a member similar to a stopper 523 described later) may be used as the positioning mark.

[0077] At least a portion of the upper surface of the bottom member 51 functions as a mounting surface 510 on which the workpiece W is placed. The workpiece W is placed on the mounting surface 510. The mounting surface 510 is capable of supporting the workpiece W placed on the mounting surface 510. The mounting surface 510 is capable of holding the workpiece W placed on the mounting surface 510. In this case, the mounting surface 510 may be equipped with at least one of a mechanical chuck, an electrostatic chuck, a vacuum chuck, or the like to hold the workpiece W. Alternatively, a workpiece holding member 54 (e.g., a jig) for holding the workpiece W may be disposed on the mounting surface 510. Alternatively, the mounting surface 510 may not be capable of holding the workpiece W placed on the mounting surface 510. In this case, the workpiece W may be placed on the mounting surface 510 in a clampless manner.

[0078] A single workpiece W may be placed on the placement surface 510. Alternatively, a plurality of workpieces W may be placed on the placement surface 510. In the example shown in FIG. 4(b), two workpieces W are placed on the placement surface 510.

[0079] Each of the multiple support members 52 is a columnar member extending upward (toward the +Z side in the example shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b)) from the top surface of the bottom member 51. Each of the multiple support members 52 is a member for supporting the above-mentioned base plate 50. Therefore, each of the multiple support members 52 supports multiple base plates 50. In the example shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), the multiple support members 52#1 to 52#4 support multiple base plates 50#1 to 50#4, respectively. Therefore, multiple base plates 50 are arranged in the holder 5. However, if the holder 5 has a single support member 52, a single base plate 50 may be arranged in the holder 5.

[0080] In the example shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), the multiple support members 52 are arranged at each vertex of a rectangular region on the top surface of the bottom member 51. However, the arrangement of the multiple support members 52 is not limited to the example shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b). In the example shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), four support members 52 are arranged on the bottom member 51. However, the number of support members 52 is not limited to four. Three or less or five or more support members 52 may be arranged on the bottom member 51.

[0081] Each support member 52 includes a plate fixing member 521 to which the base plate 50 is fixed. In this case, each support member 52 supports the base plate 50 via the plate fixing member 521. As an example, each support member 52 may support the base plate 50 from below the base plate 50. In other words, each support member 52 may support the base plate 50 via the tip of each support member 52. In this case, each support member 52 may include the plate fixing member 521 at its tip. The tip of each support member 52 may function as the plate fixing member 521. Note that at least one of the multiple support members 52 does not necessarily have to include the plate fixing member 521.

[0082] The base plate 50 may be removably fixed to the plate fixing member 521. For example, the base plate 50 may be fixed to the plate fixing member 521 using a fixing screw. In this case, the base plate 50 may be removed from the plate fixing member 521 by loosening the fixing screw.

[0083] The base plate 50 may be attached to the plate fixing member 521 so that the positional relationship between the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 (see FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) described below) and the base plate 50 is a predetermined positional relationship. The base plate 50 may be supported by the support member 52 so that the positional relationship between the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 and the base plate 50 is a predetermined positional relationship. The base plate 50 may be disposed on the holder 5 so that the positional relationship between the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 and the base plate 50 is a predetermined positional relationship. In other words, the base plate 50 may be disposed on the holder 5 at a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the reference portion 522 of the holder 5. In this case, information regarding the positional relationship between the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 and the base plate 50 may be known information in the processing system SYS.

[0084] An example of a state in which the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 and the base plate 50 have a predetermined positional relationship is a state in which the base plate 50 is in contact with the stopper 523 of the plate fixing member 521, as shown in FIG. 5( a), which is a top view of the plate fixing member 521, and FIG. 5( b), which is a cross-sectional view of the plate fixing member 521 (specifically, a cross-sectional view taken along A-A' in FIG. 5( a)). In this case, a part of the stopper 523 that is in contact with the base plate 50 may be used as the reference portion 522 of the holder 5. In particular, a portion of the stopper 523 that is in contact with the base plate 50 may be used as the reference portion 522 of the holder 5. In the example shown in FIGS. 5( a) and 5( b), a portion of the stopper 523 that is in contact with the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50 is used as the reference portion 522 of the holder 5. In the example shown in FIGS. 5( a ) and 5 ( b ), the vertex of the base plate 50 is used as the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50 .

[0085] 5(a) and 5(b) merely show one example of the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50 and the reference portion 522 of the holder 5. Therefore, a portion of the base plate 50 different from the portion shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) may be used as the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50. For example, any vertex of the base plate 50 may be used as the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50. Similarly, a portion of the holder 5 different from the portion shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) may be used as the reference portion 522 of the holder 5. For example, a portion of the holder 5 that comes into contact with any vertex of the base plate 50 may be used as the reference portion 522 of the holder 5.

[0086] The plate fixing member 521 may include a pin-shaped member in addition to or instead of the stopper 523. In this case, the base plate 50 may be fixed to the plate fixing member 521 in a state where the base plate 50 is in contact with the pin-shaped member.

[0087] Referring again to FIGS. 4( a) and 4(b), the multiple support members 52 may include at least two support members 52 arranged at different positions along the X-axis direction. Furthermore, the multiple support members 52 may include at least two support members 52 arranged at different positions along the Y-axis direction. More specifically, at least two plate fixing members 521 among the multiple support members 52 may be arranged at different positions along the X-axis direction. At least two plate fixing members 521 among the multiple support members 52 may be arranged at different positions along the Y-axis direction. In other words, at least two plate fixing members 521 among the multiple support members 52 may support the base plate 50 at different lateral positions. At least two plate fixing members 521 among the multiple support members 52 may be arranged at different depth positions. Note that "lateral" here may refer to the distance from the bottom member 51 in the X-axis direction, and "depth" here may refer to the distance from the bottom member 51 in the Y-axis direction. As a result, at least two of the multiple base plates 50 arranged in the holder 5 may be arranged at different lateral positions. At least two of the base plates 50 arranged on the holder 5 may be arranged at positions with different depths.

[0088] The multiple support members 52 may be arranged on the bottom member 51 so as to surround at least a portion of the mounting surface 510 on which the workpiece W is placed. In other words, the multiple support members 52 may be arranged around at least a portion of the mounting surface 510. In this case, the multiple base plates 50 supported by the multiple support members 52 are also arranged on the holder 5 so that the multiple base plates 50 surround at least a portion of the mounting surface 510.

[0089] At least two of the multiple support members 52 may have different heights. More specifically, at least two of the multiple support members 52 may have different heights. In other words, the heights at which at least two of the multiple support members 52 support the base plate 50 may be different. Note that the "height" here may refer to the distance from the bottom member 51 in the Z-axis direction. As a result, at least two of the multiple base plates 50 arranged in the holder 5 may be arranged at positions with different heights. However, the heights of all of the multiple support members 52 may be the same.

[0090] The height of at least one of the multiple support members 52 may be set to a height that matches the height of the workpiece W placed on the placement surface 510. For example, the height of at least one of the multiple support members 52 may be set to the same height as the height of the workpiece W placed on the placement surface 510. For example, the height of at least one of the multiple support members 52 may be set so that the difference between the height of the workpiece W placed on the placement surface 510 and the height of the workpiece W is equal to or less than a tolerance.

[0091] At least a part of each support member 52 may be used as the base plate 50. In this case, each support member 52 does not need to support the base plate 50 separately.

[0092] Each of the multiple connecting members 53 connects two adjacent support members 52. Therefore, each connecting member 53 may be a member extending in the direction in which the two adjacent support members 52 are aligned. Each connecting member 53 may be a member extending in a direction intersecting the direction in which the support members 52 extend. In the example shown in FIGS. 4( a) and 4(b), the support members 52 extend along the Z-axis direction and two adjacent support members 52 are aligned along the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction, so each connecting member 53 may extend along the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. In this case, one end of each connecting member 53 may be connected to two adjacent support members 52, and one end of each connecting member 53 may be connected to two adjacent support members 52.

[0093] In addition to or instead of a single connecting member 53, a plurality of connecting members 53 may connect two adjacent support members 52 together.

[0094] (1-4) Configuration of Measurement System 3 Next, the configuration of the measurement system 3 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the measurement system 3. As shown in Fig. 6, the measurement system 3 includes a shape measurement device 31 and a machining path generation device 32.

[0095] The shape measuring device 31 is capable of measuring the three-dimensional shape of an object to be measured. In this embodiment, as described above, the measurement system 3 measures the holder 5 that actually holds the workpiece W before the processing device 1 actually starts processing the workpiece W. Therefore, the object to be measured by the shape measuring device 31 may include the holder 5 that actually holds the workpiece W. In other words, the object to be measured by the shape measuring device 31 may include the holder 5 that actually holds the workpiece W and the workpiece W held by the holder 5.

[0096] An example of the configuration of the shape measurement device 31 is shown in Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 7, the shape measurement device 31 includes a shape measurement head 311, a head drive system 312, a stage 313, and a stage drive system 314. However, the shape measurement device 31 does not necessarily have to include at least one of the head drive system 312 and the stage drive system 314.

[0097] The shape measurement head 311 is a measurement device capable of measuring the three-dimensional shape of a measurement object. For example, the shape measurement head 311 may measure the three-dimensional shape of the measurement object using a pattern projection method or a light section method, in which a measurement light is irradiated onto the surface of the measurement object to project a light pattern onto the surface, and the shape of the projected pattern is measured. For example, the shape measurement head 311 may measure the three-dimensional shape of the measurement object using a time-of-flight method, in which a measurement light is projected onto the surface of the measurement object, the time it takes for the projected measurement light to return from the measurement object to the shape measurement head 311, and the distance to the measurement object based on that time are measured at multiple positions on the measurement object. For example, the shape measurement head 311 may measure the three-dimensional shape of the measurement object using at least one of a moire topography method (specifically, a grating projection method or a grating projection method), a holographic interferometry method, an autocollimation method, a stereo method, an astigmatism method, a critical angle method, and a knife-edge method.

[0098] The head drive system 312 moves the shape measuring head 311. The head drive system 312 moves the shape measuring head 311, for example, along at least one of the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θX direction, θY direction, and θZ direction in the measurement coordinate system of the measurement system 3. When the head drive system 312 moves the shape measuring head 311, the positional relationship between the measurement range of the shape measuring head 311 and the measurement object (specifically, the holder 5) changes. As a result, the shape measuring head 311 is more likely to be able to measure the three-dimensional shape of a portion of the measurement object whose three-dimensional shape could not be measured before the shape measuring head 311 moved. In other words, the blind spot of the shape measuring head 311 is narrowed or eliminated.

[0099] The measurement object (specifically, the holder 5) is placed on the stage 313. The stage 313 is capable of supporting the holder 5 placed on the stage 131. The stage 313 may be capable of holding the holder 5 placed on the stage 313. In this case, the stage 313 may be equipped with at least one of a mechanical chuck, an electrostatic chuck, a vacuum chuck, or the like to hold the holder 5. Alternatively, the stage 313 may not be capable of holding the holder 5 placed on the stage 313. In this case, the holder 5 may be placed on the stage 313 in a clampless manner.

[0100] The stage drive system 314 moves the stage 313. The stage drive system 314 moves the stage 313, for example, along at least one of the X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis, θX direction, θY direction, and θZ direction in the measurement coordinate system of the measurement system 3. When the stage drive system 314 moves the stage 313, the positional relationship between the measurement range of the shape measuring head 311 and the measurement object (specifically, the holder 5) placed on the stage 313 changes. As a result, the blind spot of the shape measuring head 311 narrows or disappears, just like when the shape measuring head 311 moves.

[0101] 6 again, the machining path generating device 32 generates calibration information 3222 based on the plate position information and machining mark position information. Furthermore, the machining path generating device 32 generates machining path information based on the calibration information 3222 and measurement information indicating the measurement results of the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W.

[0102] An example of the configuration of the machining path generating device 32 capable of generating the calibration information 3222 and the machining path information is shown in Fig. 8. As shown in Fig. 8, the machining path generating device 32 includes an arithmetic unit 321, a storage device 322, and a communication device 323. The machining path generating device 32 may further include an input device 324 and an output device 325. However, the machining path generating device 32 does not have to include at least one of the input device 324 and the output device 325. The arithmetic unit 321, the storage device 322, the communication device 323, the input device 324, and the output device 325 may be connected via a data bus 326.

[0103] The arithmetic device 321 includes, for example, at least one of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The arithmetic device 321 reads a computer program. For example, the arithmetic device 321 may read a computer program stored in the storage device 322. For example, the arithmetic device 321 may read a computer program stored in a computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium using a storage medium reading device (not shown). The arithmetic device 321 may acquire (i.e., download or read) the computer program from a device (not shown) located outside the machining path generating device 32 via the communication device 323. That is, the arithmetic device 321 may acquire (i.e., download or read) the computer program stored in a storage device of a device (not shown) located outside the machining path generating device 32 via the communication device 323. The arithmetic device 321 executes the read computer program. As a result, logical function blocks for executing operations to be performed by the machining path generating device 32 (for example, operations for generating the calibration information 3222 and machining path information) are realized within the arithmetic device 321. In other words, the arithmetic device 321 can function as a controller for realizing logical function blocks for executing operations to be performed by the machining path generating device 32. In this case, any device (typically, a computer) that executes a computer program can function as the machining path generating device 32.

[0104] Fig. 8 shows an example of logical functional blocks realized in the arithmetic device 321. As shown in Fig. 8, a calibration unit 3211 and a machining path generation unit 3212 are realized in the arithmetic device 321. The calibration unit 3211 generates calibration information 3222. The machining path generation unit 3212 generates machining path information.

[0105] The storage device 322 can store desired data. For example, the storage device 322 may temporarily store a computer program executed by the arithmetic device 321. The storage device 322 may temporarily store data that the arithmetic device 321 temporarily uses when the arithmetic device 321 is executing a computer program. The storage device 322 may store data that the machining path generating device 32 stores long-term. The storage device 322 may include at least one of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a hard disk device, a magneto-optical disk device, an SSD (Solid State Drive), and a disk array device. In other words, the storage device 322 may include a non-temporary recording medium.

[0106] In this embodiment, the storage device 322 stores a calibration information DB 3220 in which calibration information 3222 used to generate machining path information is stored. An example of the data structure of the calibration information DB 3220 is shown in Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 9, the calibration information DB 3220 includes at least one information record 3221. Each information record 3221 includes combination information 3223 indicating a combination pattern of the machining device 1 and the holder 5, and calibration information 3222 corresponding to the combination pattern of the machining device 1 and the holder 5 indicated by the combination information 3223.

[0107] Specifically, as described above, the calibration information 3222 is information indicating the position of the holder 5 in the machining coordinate system of the processing apparatus 1. In particular, the calibration information 3222 is information indicating the position of the holder 5 in the machining coordinate system when the holder 5 is installed on the processing apparatus 1 (particularly when placed at the reference placement position). Therefore, the position of the first holder 5 in the first machining coordinate system of the first processing apparatus 1 may differ from the position of the first holder 5 in the second machining coordinate system of a second processing apparatus 1 different from the first processing apparatus 1. Similarly, the position of the first holder 5 in the first machining coordinate system of the first processing apparatus 1 may differ from the position of a second holder 5 different from the first holder 5 in the first machining coordinate system of the first processing apparatus 1 (for example, a second holder 5 having a shape different from the first holder 5). Therefore, the position of the holder 5 in the machining coordinate system may change for each combination of the processing apparatus 1 and the holder 5.

[0108] Therefore, in this embodiment, the calibration information DB 3220 stores the calibration information 3222 for each combination of the processing device 1 and the holder 5. That is, the calibration information DB 3220 stores the calibration information 3222 for each combination of a plurality of different processing devices 1 and a plurality of different holders 5 (that is, a plurality of different combinations). For example, in the example shown in Figure 9, the calibration information DB3220 stores (i) calibration information 3222 indicating the position of the holder 5 whose holder ID is "0001" in the processing coordinate system of the processing device 1 whose device ID is "0001", (ii) calibration information 3222 indicating the position of the holder 5 whose holder ID is "0001" in the processing coordinate system of the processing device 1 whose device ID is "0002", (iii) calibration information 3222 indicating the position of the holder 5 whose holder ID is "0002" in the processing coordinate system of the processing device 1 whose device ID is "0001", and (iv) calibration information 3222 indicating the position of the holder 5 whose holder ID is "0002" in the processing coordinate system of the processing device 1 whose device ID is "0002".

[0109] 8 again, the communication device 323 is capable of communicating with at least one of the processing apparatus 1 and the processing mark measuring device 2 via a communication network (not shown). In this embodiment, the communication device 323 is capable of receiving the above-mentioned plate position information (i.e., the measurement result of the position of the base plate 50 by the processing apparatus 1) from the processing apparatus 1. Furthermore, the communication device 323 is capable of receiving the above-mentioned processing mark position information (i.e., the measurement result of the position of the processing mark on the base plate 50 by the processing mark measuring device 2) from the processing mark measuring device 2. Furthermore, the communication device 323 is capable of transmitting processing path information generated by the processing path generating device 32 to the processing apparatus 1.

[0110] The input device 324 is a device that accepts information input to the machining path generating device 32 from outside the machining path generating device 32. For example, the input device 324 may include an operation device that can be operated by a user (for example, at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel). For example, the input device 324 may include a reading device that can read information recorded as data on a recording medium that can be externally attached to the machining path generating device 32.

[0111] The output device 325 is a device that outputs information to the outside of the machining path generating device 32. For example, the output device 325 may output information as an image. That is, the output device 325 may include a display device (a so-called display) that can display an image showing the information to be output. For example, the output device 325 may output information as sound. That is, the output device 325 may include an audio device (a so-called speaker) that can output sound. For example, the output device 325 may output information on paper. That is, the output device 325 may include a printing device (a so-called printer) that can print desired information on paper.

[0112] (2) Operation of the machining system SYS Next, the operations performed by the machining system SYS will be described. In this embodiment, the machining system SYS may perform a machining operation for machining the workpiece W, mainly using the machining device 1. Furthermore, the machining system SYS may perform a calibration operation for generating calibration information 3222, mainly using the machining device 1 and the machining mark measuring device 2. Furthermore, the machining system SYS may perform a machining path generating operation for generating machining path information, mainly using the measurement system 3. Furthermore, the machining system SYS may perform a machining path verification operation for determining whether the machining path information generated by the machining path generating operation is appropriate, mainly using the machining device 1. Therefore, hereinafter, the machining operation, calibration operation, machining path generating operation, and machining path verification operation will be described in order.

[0113] (2-1) Machining operation First, processing operations will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. In particular, as an example of processing operations, an additional processing operation performed by processing apparatus 1, which is an additional processing apparatus, will be described. As described above, processing apparatus 1 forms a three-dimensional structure ST using a laser build-up welding method. Therefore, processing apparatus 1 may form a three-dimensional structure ST by performing an existing additional processing operation that complies with the laser build-up welding method. Below, an example of processing operations for forming a three-dimensional structure ST using the laser build-up welding method will be briefly described.

[0114] In order to form a three-dimensional structure ST, the processing apparatus 1 sequentially forms, for example, a plurality of layered partial structures (hereinafter referred to as "structural layers") SL arranged along the Z-axis direction. For example, the processing apparatus 1 sequentially forms a plurality of structural layers SL obtained by slicing the three-dimensional structure ST along the Z-axis direction. As a result, a three-dimensional structure ST is formed, which is a layered structure in which a plurality of structural layers SL are stacked. Below, the flow of operations for forming a three-dimensional structure ST by sequentially forming a plurality of structural layers SL one by one will be described.

[0115] First, the operation of forming each structure layer SL will be described with reference to FIGS. 10(a) to 10(e). Under the control of the control device 17, the processing apparatus 1 moves at least one of the processing head 121 and the stage 131 so that a target irradiation area EA is set in a desired area on the printing surface MS corresponding to the surface of the workpiece W or the surface of the printed structure layer SL. Then, the processing apparatus 1 irradiates the target irradiation area EA with processing light EL from the irradiation optical system 1211. At this time, the focusing surface on which the processing light EL is focused in the Z-axis direction may coincide with the printing surface MS. Alternatively, the focusing surface may be offset from the printing surface MS in the Z-axis direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10(a), a molten pool MP (i.e., a pool of metal or the like melted by the processing light EL) is formed on the printing surface MS irradiated with the processing light EL. Furthermore, under the control of the control device 17, the processing apparatus 1 supplies a printing material M from the material nozzle 1212. As a result, the printing material M is supplied to the molten pool MP. The modeling material M supplied to the molten pool MP is melted by the processing light EL irradiated onto the molten pool MP. Alternatively, the modeling material M supplied from the material nozzle 1212 may be melted by the processing light EL before reaching the molten pool MP, and the molten modeling material M may be supplied to the molten pool MP. Thereafter, when the processing light EL is no longer irradiated onto the molten pool MP as at least one of the processing head 121 and the stage 131 moves, the molten modeling material M in the molten pool MP cools and solidifies (i.e., solidifies). As a result, as shown in FIG. 10(c), a model made of the solidified modeling material M is deposited on the modeling surface MS.

[0116] The processing apparatus 1 repeats a series of printing processes, including forming a molten pool MP by irradiating the processing light EL, supplying the printing material M to the molten pool MP, melting the supplied printing material M, and solidifying the molten printing material M, while moving the processing head 121 relative to the printing surface MS in at least one of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, as shown in Fig. 10(d). During this process, the processing apparatus 1 irradiates the printing surface MS with the processing light EL in an area on the printing surface MS where a target object is to be printed, while not irradiating the printing surface MS with the processing light EL in an area on the printing surface MS where a target object is not to be printed. In other words, the processing apparatus 1 moves the target irradiation area EA along a predetermined movement path on the printing surface MS, and irradiates the printing surface MS with the processing light EL at a timing appropriate for the distribution of the area where a target object is to be printed.

[0117] The movement path of the target irradiation area EA on the printing surface MS (particularly, the movement path of the target irradiation position where the processing light EL is irradiated) may be referred to as a processing path (in other words, a tool path). The above-mentioned processing path information includes information about this processing path. In other words, the processing path information is information that indicates the processing path. For this reason, the processing path generation device 32 generates processing path information that includes information about the processing path (i.e., processing path information that indicates the processing path). Based on the processing path information, the processing device 1 moves the target irradiation area EA along a predetermined movement path on the printing surface MS, and irradiates the printing surface MS with the processing light EL at a timing that corresponds to the distribution of the area where a desired object is to be printed. Note that, because the processing device 1 performs additional processing, the processing path is typically the movement path of the target irradiation area EA on the printing surface MS relative to the processing device 1 (particularly, the movement path of the target irradiation position where the processing light EL is irradiated).

[0118] As a result, the molten pool MP also moves on the printing surface MS along a movement path corresponding to the movement path of the target irradiation area EA. Specifically, the molten pool MP is sequentially formed on the printing surface MS in the area along the movement path of the target irradiation area EA that is irradiated with the processing light EL. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10( e), a structure layer SL corresponding to an object, which is an aggregate of melted and then solidified printing material M, is formed on the printing surface MS. In other words, a structure layer SL corresponding to an aggregate of objects formed on the printing surface MS in a pattern corresponding to the movement path of the molten pool MP (i.e., a structure layer SL having a shape corresponding to the movement path of the molten pool MP in a planar view) is formed. Note that if the target irradiation area EA is set in an area where an object is not desired to be printed, the processing apparatus 1 may irradiate the target irradiation area EA with the processing light EL and stop supplying the printing material M. In addition, when a target irradiation area EA is set in an area where it is not desired to form a molded object, the processing device 1 may supply the molding material M to the target irradiation area EA and irradiate the target irradiation area EA with processing light EL of an intensity that will not create a molten pool MP.

[0119] The processing apparatus 1 repeatedly performs operations for forming such a structure layer SL based on the machining path information under the control of the control device 17. Specifically, first, the processing apparatus 1 performs operations for forming a first structure layer SL#1 on a printing surface MS corresponding to the surface of the workpiece W based on the machining path information (particularly, information on the machining path for forming the structure layer SL#1). As a result, the structure layer SL#1 is formed on the printing surface MS as shown in FIG. 11(a). Thereafter, the processing apparatus 1 sets the surface (i.e., the upper surface) of the structure layer SL#1 as a new printing surface MS, and then forms a second structure layer SL#2 on the new printing surface MS. To form the structure layer SL#2, the control device 17 first controls at least one of the head driving system 122 and the stage driving system 132 so that the processing head 121 moves along the Z axis relative to the stage 131. Specifically, the control device 17 controls at least one of the head drive system 122 and the stage drive system 132 to move the processing head 121 toward the +Z side and / or move the stage 131 toward the -Z side so that the target irradiation area EA is set on the surface of the structural layer SL#1 (i.e., the new printing surface MS). Thereafter, under the control of the control device 17, the processing device 1 prints the structural layer SL#2 on the structural layer SL#1 based on the processing path information (particularly, information on the processing path corresponding to the structural layer SL#2) by performing an operation similar to the operation for printing the structural layer SL#1. As a result, the structural layer SL#2 is printed as shown in FIG. 11(b). Thereafter, the same operation is repeated until all structural layers SL constituting the three-dimensional structure ST to be printed on the workpiece W are printed. As a result, the three-dimensional structure ST is printed by a layered structure in which multiple structural layers SL are stacked, as shown in FIG. 11(c).

[0120] In the process of forming a three-dimensional structure ST, the processing apparatus 1 may perform additional processing on a first-direction surface of the workpiece W (or an object that has already been formed) facing in a first direction, and then perform additional processing on a second-direction surface facing in a direction different from the first-direction surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 12(a), the processing apparatus 1 may perform additional processing on the first-direction surface WS1 of the workpiece W by irradiating the first-direction surface WS1 with processing light EL. Then, as shown in FIG. 12(b), the processing apparatus 1 may perform additional processing on the second-direction surface WS2 of the workpiece W facing in a direction different from the first-direction surface WS1 by irradiating the second-direction surface WS2 with processing light EL.

[0121] In this case, the processing apparatus 1 may perform additional processing on the second-direction surface WS2 of the workpiece W by changing the positional relationship between the processing head 121 and the stage 131 (particularly, the positional relationship between the processing head 121 and the workpiece W) after performing additional processing on the first-direction surface WS1 of the workpiece W. For example, the processing apparatus 1 may change the positional relationship between the processing head 121 and the stage 131 from a positional relationship in which the processing head 121 can irradiate the first-direction surface WS1 of the workpiece W with the processing light EL to a positional relationship in which the processing head 121 can irradiate the second-direction surface WS2 of the workpiece W with the processing light EL. As an example, as shown in FIG. 12(b), the processing apparatus 1 may change the relative posture of the processing head 121 and the stage 131 to change the positional relationship between the processing head 121 and the stage 131 from a positional relationship in which the processing head 121 can irradiate the first-direction surface WS1 of the workpiece W with the processing light EL to a positional relationship in which the processing head 121 can irradiate the second-direction surface WS2 of the workpiece W with the processing light EL. In the example shown in FIG. 12(b), the processing apparatus 1 changes the posture of the stage 131.

[0122] (2-2) Calibration operation Next, the calibration operation will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the calibration operation. Note that, unless otherwise specified, the "X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis" used in the description of the calibration operation refer to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the machining coordinate system, respectively.

[0123] 13, first, the base plate 50 is attached to the holder 5 (step S101). That is, the base plate 50 is fixed to the plate fixing member 521 of the support member 52 of the holder 5. Because the holder 5 includes a plurality of support members 52, in step S101, the plurality of base plates 50 are attached to the plurality of support members 52, respectively.

[0124] Furthermore, if the positional relationship between the base plate 50 and the plate fixing member 521 does not change during the period from when the base plate 50 is attached to the holder 5 until the base plate 50 is processed in step S103 described below, the base plate 50 does not need to be fixed to the plate fixing member 521.

[0125] In this embodiment, as will be described in detail later, instead of the base plate 50 attached to the holder 5 in step S101, another base plate 50 is also attached to the holder 5. For this reason, in the following description, the base plate 50 attached to the holder 5 in step S101 will be referred to as the "base plate 50A." The base plate 50A attached to the holder 5 in step S101 is used as the base plate 50 to be processed by the processing device 1. For this reason, the base plate 50A may also be referred to as a processing reference member.

[0126] An example of the base plate 50A is shown in FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 14, the base plate 50A may be a plate-shaped member (or a rectangular parallelepiped member). The upper surface of the base plate 50A is used as a reference surface 501A to be processed by the processing apparatus 1. The reference surface 501A is typically a flat surface. The reference surface 501A may be a plane along the XY plane when the holder 5 is installed on the processing apparatus 1 (particularly when it is placed at the reference placement position). However, the base plate 50A shown in FIG. 14 is just an example, and a base plate 50A different from the base plate 50A shown in FIG. 14 may be attached to the holder 5 in step S101 of FIG. 13.

[0127] As described above, the multiple support members 52 may include at least two support members 52 arranged at different positions along the X-axis direction. Therefore, the multiple base plates 50A may also include at least two base plates 50A arranged at different positions along the X-axis direction. In other words, the multiple base plates 50A may include at least two base plates 50A each having at least two reference surfaces 501A arranged at different positions along the X-axis direction.

[0128] As described above, the multiple support members 52 may include at least two support members 52 arranged at different positions along the Y axis direction. Therefore, the multiple base plates 50A may also include at least two base plates 50A arranged at different positions along the Y axis direction. In other words, the multiple base plates 50A may include at least two base plates 50A each having at least two reference surfaces 501A arranged at different positions along the Y axis direction.

[0129] 13 again, thereafter, the holder 5 to which the base plate 50A is attached is placed on the stage 131 of the processing apparatus 1 (step S102). That is, the holder 5 is placed at the reference placement position of the stage 131 (step S102). Note that when a calibration operation is performed, the workpiece W does not have to be placed on the holder 5. Alternatively, when a calibration operation is performed, the workpiece W may be placed on the holder 5.

[0130] Thereafter, the processing apparatus 1 processes the base plate 50A attached to the holder 5 (step S103). Specifically, the processing apparatus 1 processes the base plate 50A by performing processing at predetermined target coordinates in the processing coordinate system. For example, the processing apparatus 1 may use the head drive system 122 to move the processing head 121 so that the processing light EL can be irradiated at the predetermined target coordinates in the processing coordinate system. Thereafter, the processing apparatus 1 may process the base plate 50A by irradiating the processing light EL at the predetermined target coordinates. In other words, the processing apparatus 1 may form processing marks on the base plate 50A at the predetermined target coordinates by irradiating the processing light EL at the predetermined target coordinates.

[0131] In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 15(a) and 15(b), an example will be described in which the predetermined target coordinates include at least a target position x_target along the X-axis direction and a target position y_target along the Y-axis direction. However, the predetermined target coordinates may also include a target position along the Z-axis direction. The predetermined target coordinates (x_target, y_target) may be coordinates at which the reference surface 501A of the base plate 50A is assumed to be located when the holder 5 is placed at the reference placement position of the stage 131. The target coordinates (x_target, y_target) may be set to have a predetermined positional relationship with the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A. For example, a corner 5091 of the base plate 50A may be considered to be at the same position as the reference portion 509 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and target coordinates (x_target, y_target) may be set to have a predetermined positional relationship with the corner 5091. Alternatively, a position that is a target distance away from the corner 5091 in the X-axis direction and a position that is a target distance away from the corner 5091 in the Y-axis direction may be set as the target coordinates (x_target, y_target).

[0132] 15(a) and 15(b) further show examples of processing marks. In the example shown in FIGS. 15(a) and 15(b), the processing apparatus 1 forms a cross-shaped processing mark including two intersecting linear processing marks on the reference surface 501A of the base plate 50A (particularly, predetermined target coordinates). In this case, the processing apparatus 1 may process the base plate 50A so that the position where the two linear processing marks intersect is the target coordinates (x_target, y_target). However, the processing apparatus 1 may form processing marks having a shape different from the shape shown in FIGS. 15(a) and 15(b). For example, the processing apparatus 1 may form a point-like processing mark.

[0133] The characteristics of the processing marks to be formed on the base plate 50A by the processing device 1 may be determined in advance or may be changed as necessary. The characteristics of the processing marks may include at least one of the position, shape, and size of the processing marks. For example, the characteristics of the processing marks may be changed according to the accuracy required for the calibration information 3222. In other words, the characteristics of the processing marks may be changed according to the accuracy required for the position of the holder 5 indicated by the calibration information 3222.

[0134] Since a plurality of base plates 50A are attached to the holder 5, the processing device 1 processes the plurality of base plates 50A in sequence. Specifically, the processing device 1 processes the plurality of base plates 50A in sequence at a plurality of target coordinates corresponding to the plurality of base plates 50A, respectively.

[0135] 13 again, after the base plate 50A has been machined, the machined base plate 50A is transported to the machining mark measuring device 2 (step S104). Thereafter, the machined base plate 50A is placed (in other words, installed or attached) on the machining mark measuring device 2 (step S104). For this purpose, first, the holder 5 is removed from the stage 131 of the processing device 1, and the base plate 50A is removed from the holder 5. However, the base plate 50A may be removed from the holder 5 without removing the holder 5 from the stage 131 of the processing device 1. Thereafter, the base plate 50A is transported to the machining mark measuring device 2. Thereafter, the base plate 50A is placed on the machining mark measuring device 2. Alternatively, the base plate 50A may not be removed from the holder 5, and the holder 5 with the base plate 50A still attached may be transported to and placed on the machining mark measuring device 2. When a plurality of base plates 50A are attached to the holder 5, the plurality of base plates 50A may be removed from the holder 5 and transported to the processing mark measuring device 2 in order and placed thereon.

[0136] In addition, when the processing device 1 and the processing mark measuring device 2 are integrated as described above, the processing system SYS does not need to perform the operation in step S104. In this case, the processing device 1 (processing mark measuring device 2) may measure the processing mark on the base plate 50A attached to the holder 5 placed on the stage 131.

[0137] Thereafter, the processing mark measuring device 2 measures the position of the processing mark on the base plate 50A (step S105). When multiple base plates 50A are sequentially placed on the processing mark measuring device 2, the processing mark measuring device 2 sequentially measures the positions of the processing marks on the multiple base plates 50A. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the processing mark measuring device 2 measures the position of the processing mark along at least one of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. However, the processing mark measuring device 2 may also measure the position of the processing mark along the Z-axis direction.

[0138] Measuring the position of the processing marks by the processing mark measuring device 2 may mean acquiring information that directly or indirectly indicates the position of the processing marks. For example, as described above, if the processing mark measuring device 2 is a measuring device (typically, an imaging device) that can measure the position of the processing marks by imaging the base plate 50A, measuring the position of the processing marks may mean imaging the base plate 50A. In this case, processing mark position information that indicates the measurement results of the position of the processing marks may include an image generated by imaging the base plate 50A. In this case, since the processing marks are captured in the image, the image in which the processing marks are captured can be said to be information that directly or indirectly indicates the position of the processing marks. The processing mark measuring device 2 may transmit this image to the measurement system 3 as processing mark position information.

[0139] If the processing mark is the above-mentioned cross-shaped processing mark (or includes multiple processing marks that intersect with each other), the processing mark measuring device 2 may measure the position of the intersection of multiple linear processing marks as the position of the processing mark. As an example, the processing mark measuring device 2 may measure the positions of two points where a virtual outer frame surrounding the processing mark intersects with a single linear processing mark, and measure the position of the line connecting the two points as the position of the single linear processing mark. Then, the processing mark measuring device 2 may measure the position of the intersection of the multiple linear processing marks as the position of the processing mark.

[0140] If the processing mark is the above-mentioned cross-shaped processing mark (or includes multiple processing marks that intersect with each other), the processing mark measuring device 2 may measure the positions of at least two of the multiple processing marks specified by the user of the processing system SYS.The processing mark measuring device 2 may then measure the position of the intersection of the multiple linear processing marks as the position of the processing mark.Alternatively, if the processing mark is a processing mark of an arbitrary shape, the processing mark measuring device 2 may measure the position of a portion of the processing mark specified by the user of the processing system SYS as the position of the processing mark.

[0141] The user may specify the processing marks (or a portion thereof) to be measured by the processing mark measuring device 2 while referring to information related to the measurement results of the processing mark measuring device 2 displayed on a display device (not shown) provided in the processing mark measuring device 2. For example, if the processing mark measuring device 2 captures an image of the base plate 50A to generate an image in which the processing marks are reflected, the user may specify the processing marks (or a portion thereof) to be measured by the processing mark measuring device 2 while referring to the image in which the processing marks are reflected. In this case, the user may specify the position of the processing marks in the image displayed on the display device, and then the display device may enlarge the image around the specified position to enlarge and display the processing marks, and the user may specify the processing marks (or a portion thereof) to be measured by the processing mark measuring device 2 while referring to the enlarged image.

[0142] In addition to or instead of measuring the position of the processing mark, the processing mark measuring device 2 may measure the position of the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A. In this case, the processing mark measuring device 2 may output information regarding the positional relationship between the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A and the position of the processing mark as processing mark position information. For example, the processing mark measuring device 2 may output information regarding the position of the processing mark relative to the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A as processing mark position information.

[0143] In addition to or instead of measuring the position of the processing mark, the processing mark measuring device 2 may measure the position of a quasi-reference portion 508 (see FIGS. 15(a) and 15(b)), which is a portion of the base plate 50A that has a known positional relationship with the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A. An example of the quasi-reference portion 508 of the base plate 50A is a corner (e.g., a vertex) of the base plate 50A. In particular, the quasi-reference portion 508 of the base plate 50A may be a portion that can be directly measured by the processing mark measuring device 2. In this case, the processing mark measuring device 2 may output information regarding the relationship between the position of the quasi-reference portion 508 of the base plate 50A and the position of the processing mark as processing mark position information. For example, the processing mark measuring device 2 may output information regarding the position of the processing mark relative to the position of the quasi-reference portion 508 of the base plate 50A as processing mark position information.

[0144] The base plate 50A may be placed at a mechanically predetermined position within the processing mark measuring device 2. In particular, the base plate 50A may be placed in the processing mark measuring device 2 so that the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A is located at a mechanically predetermined position within the processing mark measuring device 2. In this case, information about the position of the base plate 50A (in particular, the position of the reference portion 509) is known to the processing mark measuring device 2. In this case, by measuring the position of the processing mark, the processing mark measuring device 2 can output information about the position of the processing mark relative to the position of the reference portion 509 or semi-reference portion 508 of the base plate 50A as processing mark position information.

[0145] When a vertex of the base plate 50A is used as the reference portion 509, the processing mark measuring device 2 may measure the position of the reference portion 509 or the quasi-reference portion 508 of the base plate 50A by measuring the positions of at least two sides of the base plate 50A that intersect at the vertex corresponding to the reference portion 509. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 15(b), the processing mark measuring device 2 may measure the positions of the left and bottom sides of the base plate 50A in FIG. 15(b). In this case, the position where at least two sides intersect is the position of the reference portion 509, and the position of a portion of the base plate 50A that has a known positional relationship with the position where at least two sides intersect is the position of the quasi-reference portion 508. As a result, by measuring the position of the processing mark, the processing mark measuring device 2 can output information about the position of the processing mark relative to the position of the reference portion 509 or the quasi-reference portion 508 of the base plate 50A as processing mark position information.

[0146] A user of the machining system SYS may input information relating to the position of the reference portion 509 or the quasi-reference portion 508 of the base plate 50A to the machining mark measuring device 2. As a result, the machining mark measuring device 2 can measure the position of the machining mark, and thereby output information relating to the position of the machining mark relative to the position of the reference portion 509 or the quasi-reference portion 508 of the base plate 50A as machining mark position information.

[0147] 13 again, after base plate 50A is removed from holder 5, a new base plate 50 (hereinafter referred to as "base plate 50B") is attached to holder 5 (step S111). That is, base plate 50B is attached to holder 5 in place of base plate 50A. Specifically, base plate 50B is fixed to plate fixing member 521 of support member 52 of holder 5. Because holder 5 is equipped with multiple support members 52, multiple base plates 50B are attached to the multiple support members 52, respectively, in step S111. Base plate 50B attached to holder 5 in step S111 is used as base plate 50 measured by processing apparatus 1. For this reason, base plate 50B may be referred to as a measurement reference member.

[0148] When the base plate 50A is removed from the holder 5, the processing device 1 may measure the base plate 50B in parallel with the measurement of processing marks by the processing mark measuring device 2. That is, the operation of step S105 in Fig. 13 and the operation of step S113 in Fig. 13 may be performed in parallel. In this case, the throughput of the calibration operation is improved.

[0149] Furthermore, when the base plate 50A is detached from the holder 5, in the machining path generating operation described below, the shape measuring device 31 may measure the holder 5 that actually holds the workpiece W in parallel with the measurement of machining marks by the machining mark measuring device 2 described above. That is, the operation of step S105 in FIG. 13 and the operation of step S204 in FIG. 20 described below may be performed in parallel. That is, a part of the calibration operation shown in FIG. 13 and a part of the machining path generating operation shown in FIG. 20 described below may be performed in parallel. In this case, the calibration information 3222 may be generated after the machining path generating operation starts. That is, the calibration information 3222 may be generated after the holder 5 that actually holds the workpiece W is placed on the shape measuring device 31.

[0150] An example of a base plate 50B is shown in FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b). As shown in FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b), the shape of the base plate 50B is different from the shape of the base plate 50A. In the example shown in FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b), the base plate 50B includes a first plate portion 501B and a second plate portion 502B protruding upward from the first plate portion 501B. The upper surface of the first plate portion 501B may be used as a reference surface 503B measured by the processing apparatus 1. The upper surface of the second plate portion 502B may be used as a reference surface 504B measured by the processing apparatus 1. The height of the reference surface 503B is different from the height of the reference surface 504B.

[0151] One of the reasons why the base plate 50B is provided with the second plate portion 502B corresponding to the convex portion is that the shape measuring device 31 measures the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W (that is, measures the three-dimensional position of each point on the surface of the holder 5 and each point on the surface of the workpiece W in the measurement coordinate system) in the machining path generation operation described below. Measuring the three-dimensional shape of the holder 5 by the shape measuring device 31 includes measuring the three-dimensional shape of the base plate 50B by the shape measuring device 31 (that is, measuring the position of the base plate 50B in the measurement coordinate system). In this case, the shape measuring device 31 can more appropriately measure the three-dimensional shape of the base plate 50B compared to when the base plate 50B does not have the second plate portion 502B.

[0152] When the base plate 50B is attached to the support member 52, information regarding the positional relationship between at least one of the reference surfaces 503B and 504B and the reference portion 522 of the support member 52 may be known to the machining system SYS. For example, information regarding the positional relationship between the reference surface 503B and the reference portion 522 in the Z-axis direction may be known to the machining system SYS. For example, information regarding the positional relationship between the reference surface 504B and the reference portion 522 in the Z-axis direction (e.g., information regarding the distance Δz between the reference surface 504B and the reference portion 522 in the Z-axis direction as shown in FIG. 16(b)) may be known to the machining system SYS. Note that, since the reference portion 522 of the support member 52 contacts the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50B as described above, information regarding the positional relationship between at least one of the reference surfaces 503B and 504B and the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50B may be considered to be known to the machining system SYS.

[0153] The shape of the second plate member 502B in a plan view may be asymmetrical about a point. In particular, the shape of the reference surface 504B of the second plate member 502B in a plan view may be asymmetrical about a point. In the example shown in FIG. 16(a), the shape of the reference surface 504B in a plan view is a shape obtained by cutting off one vertex of a quadrangle (essentially a pentagon). In other words, the shape of the reference surface 504B in a plan view has a notch formed in a portion. Furthermore, the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50B (i.e., the reference portion 522 of the holder 5) and the second plate member 502B may have a predetermined positional relationship. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 16(a), the vertex of the reference surface 504B that faces the notch along the diagonal direction of the reference surface 504B is set to the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50B (i.e., the reference portion 522 of the holder 5). In this case, compared to when the shape of the reference surface 504B in a planar view is point-symmetric, the machining path generation device 32 can appropriately identify the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50B (i.e., the reference portion 522 of the holder 5) in the machining path generation operation described below.

[0154] The characteristics of the base plate 50B (for example, the characteristics of the second plate portion 502B) may be predetermined or may be changed as necessary. The characteristics of the base plate 50B may include at least one of the position, shape, and size of the base plate 50B. For example, the characteristics of the base plate 50B may be changed according to the accuracy required for the calibration information 3222. In other words, the characteristics of the base plate 50B may be changed according to the accuracy required for the position of the holder 5 indicated by the calibration information 3222. The same applies to the characteristics of the base plate 50A.

[0155] 16(a) and 16(b) is just an example, and a base plate 50B different from the base plate 50B shown in Figures 16(a) and 16(b) may be attached to the holder 5 in step S111 of Figure 13. Alternatively, a base plate 50B having the same shape as the base plate 50A may be attached to the holder 5 in step S111.

[0156] Alternatively, the base plate 50A to be machined by the processing apparatus 1 may be attached to the holder 5 in step S111. That is, the base plate 50A may be reused as the base plate 50B. In this case, the base plate 50A, the position of which has been measured by the processing mark measuring device 2, may be attached to the holder 5 again in step S111. Alternatively, after the base plate 50A is attached to the holder 5 in step S101, the processing apparatus 1 may measure the position of the base plate 50A before processing the base plate 50A. Thereafter, the processing apparatus 1 may process the base plate 50A. In this case, it is not necessary to remove the base plate 50A from the holder 5 and then attach it to the holder 5 again.

[0157] Alternatively, the base plate 50B measured by the processing apparatus 1 may be attached to the holder 5 in step S101. That is, the base plate 50B may be reused as the base plate 50A. In this case, the base plate 50B, whose position of the processing mark has been measured by the processing mark measuring apparatus 2, may be attached to the holder 5 again in step S111. Alternatively, after the base plate 50B is attached to the holder 5 in step S101, the processing apparatus 1 may measure the position of the base plate 50B before processing the base plate 50B. Thereafter, the processing apparatus 1 may process the base plate 50B. In this case, it is not necessary to remove the base plate 50B from the holder 5 and then attach it to the holder 5 again.

[0158] As described above, the heights of at least two of the multiple support members 52 may be different. Therefore, the heights of at least two of the multiple base plates 50B may also be different. For example, the heights of at least two reference surfaces 503B provided on at least two of the multiple base plates 50B may be different. That is, the at least two reference surfaces 503B may be located at different positions in the Z-axis direction. For example, the heights of at least two reference surfaces 504B provided on at least two of the multiple base plates 50B may be different. That is, the at least two reference surfaces 504B may be located at different positions in the Z-axis direction.

[0159] 13, thereafter, the holder 5 to which the base plate 50B is attached is placed on the stage 131 of the processing apparatus 1 (step S112). That is, the holder 5 is placed at the reference placement position of the stage 131 (step S112).

[0160] Thereafter, the processing apparatus 1 measures the position of the base plate 50B (step S113). That is, the processing apparatus 1 acquires information regarding the position of the base plate 50B within the processing apparatus 1. Specifically, the processing apparatus 1 measures the position of the base plate 50B in the processing coordinate system. For example, the processing apparatus 1 may measure the position of the reference surface 503B of the base plate 50B as the position of the base plate 50B. For example, the processing apparatus 1 may measure the position of the reference surface 504B of the base plate 50B as the position of the base plate 50B. In the following description, an example will be described in which the processing apparatus 1 measures the position of the reference surface 504B of the base plate 50B as the position of the base plate 50B.

[0161] In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the processing device 1 measures at least the position of the base plate 50B in the Z-axis direction (i.e., the height of the base plate 50B; hereinafter, the position in the Z-axis direction will be referred to as the "Z position"). In this case, the processing device 1 may measure the position of the reference surface 504B in the Z-axis direction (i.e., the height of the reference surface 504B).

[0162] The processing apparatus 1 measures the Z position of the reference surface 504B using the multiple guide light emitting devices 124 and the imaging device 14. Specifically, as described above, the multiple guide light GL emitted from the multiple guide light emitting devices 124 intersect with each other at a predetermined intersection position below the processing head 121. Therefore, when the reference surface 504B is located at the intersection position, the multiple guide light GL intersect on the reference surface 504B as shown in FIGS. 17(a) and 17(b). As a result, the multiple guide light GL form a single beam spot on the reference surface 504B. On the other hand, when the reference surface 504B is not located at the intersection position, the multiple guide light GL do not intersect on the reference surface 504B as shown in FIGS. 17(c) and 17(d). As a result, the multiple guide light GL form multiple beam spots on the reference surface 504B. Therefore, when a plurality of guide lights GL form a single beam spot on the reference surface 504B, the reference surface 504B is located at an intersection position in the Z-axis direction that is determined based on the machining head 121. That is, the Z position of the reference surface 504B in the Z-axis direction can be identified.

[0163] Therefore, based on an image generated by the imaging device 14 capturing the states of the plurality of guide lights GL (particularly, the states of the plurality of guide lights GL on the reference surface 504B), the control device 17 moves at least one of the machining head 121 and the stage 131 along the Z-axis direction so that the plurality of guide lights GL form a single beam spot on the reference surface 504B. Thereafter, when the plurality of guide lights GL form a single beam spot on the reference surface 504B, the control device 17 acquires information on the position (particularly, the Z position) of the machining head 121 in the machining coordinate system from the position measurement device 123. Once the Z position of the machining head 121 in the machining coordinate system is determined, the intersection position in the machining coordinate system is determined. Once the intersection position in the machining coordinate system is determined, the Z position of the reference surface 504B in the machining coordinate system is determined. This is because the reference surface 504B is located at the intersection position. Once the Z position of the reference surface 504B in the machining coordinate system is determined, the Z position of the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 in the machining coordinate system is determined. This is because, as described above, information regarding the positional relationship between the reference surface 504B and the reference portion 522 in the Z-axis direction is known to the processing system SYS. Therefore, it can be said that information regarding the position (particularly, the Z position) of the processing head 121 in the processing coordinate system in a state in which the multiple guide lights GL form a single beam spot on the reference surface 504B is information that indirectly indicates the Z position of the reference surface 504B. The processing apparatus 1 may transmit this information regarding the position (particularly, the Z position) of the processing head 121 to the measurement system 3 as plate position information indicating the measurement result of the position of the base plate 50.

[0164] The processing apparatus 1 may measure the position of the reference surface 504B using a method other than the method using the multiple guide light irradiators 124 and the imaging device 14. For example, the processing apparatus 1 may measure the position of the reference surface 504B using a time-of-flight method that measures the time required from when light is irradiated onto the reference surface 504B until the light returns from the reference surface 504B. For example, the processing apparatus 1 may measure the position of the reference surface 504B using optical interferometry that detects interference light generated by interference between light that has passed through the reference surface 504B and light that has not passed through the reference surface 504B. In this case, the light used in the optical interferometry may be light generated by an optical frequency comb light source. For example, the processing apparatus 1 may measure the position of the reference surface 504B using a non-contact measurement method using the shape measuring head 311 described above. For example, the processing apparatus 1 may measure the position of the reference surface 504B using a contact measurement method that uses a probe that contacts the reference surface 504B.

[0165] Since a plurality of base plates 50B are attached to the holder 5, the processing apparatus 1 measures the positions of the plurality of base plates 50B in sequence. As a result, the processing apparatus 1 may transmit plate position information indicating measurement results of the positions of the plurality of base plates 50B to the measurement system 3. Note that the processing apparatus 1 may include a plurality of Z-position measuring devices, each including a plurality of guide light emitting devices 124 and an imaging device 14. In this case, the processing apparatus 1 may simultaneously measure the positions of the plurality of base plates 50B using the plurality of Z-position measuring devices.

[0166] 13 again, the measurement system 3 (particularly the calibration unit 3211 of the machining path generating device 32) then generates calibration information 3222 (step S121). Specifically, the calibration unit 3211 acquires the machining mark position information acquired by the machining mark measuring device 2 in step S105 from the machining mark measuring device 2. Furthermore, the calibration unit 3211 acquires the plate position information acquired by the machining device 1 in step S113 from the machining device 1. Then, the calibration unit 3211 generates calibration information 3222 based on the machining mark position information and the plate position information.

[0167] To generate the calibration information 3222, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the position of the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 in the X-axis direction in the machining coordinate system based on the machining trace position information. Hereinafter, the position in the X-axis direction will be referred to as the "X position." Furthermore, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the position of the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 in the Y-axis direction in the machining coordinate system based on the machining trace position information. Hereinafter, the position in the Y-axis direction will be referred to as the "Y position."

[0168] 18 , the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the positional relationship between the processing mark on the base plate 50A and the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A based on the processing mark position information. When the processing mark measuring device 2 measures the position of the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the positional relationship between the processing mark on the base plate 50A and the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A based on the processing mark position information. When the processing mark measuring device 2 measures the position of a semi-reference portion 508, which is a portion of the base plate 50A that has a known positional relationship with the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the position of the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A that has a known positional relationship with the semi-reference portion 508 based on the processing mark position information. Then, the positional relationship between the processing mark on the base plate 50A and the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A may be calculated. The operation of calculating the positional relationship between the machining trace on the base plate 50A and the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A may include an operation of calculating a distance Δx in the X-axis direction between the machining trace on the base plate 50A and the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A. The operation of calculating the positional relationship between the machining trace on the base plate 50A and the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A may include an operation of calculating a distance Δy in the Y-axis direction between the machining trace on the base plate 50A and the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A. Thereafter, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate at least one of the X position and the Y position of the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A in the machining coordinate system. For example, because the machining trace on the base plate 50A is formed at predetermined target coordinates (x_target, y_target) in the machining coordinate system, the X position and the Y position of the machining trace in the machining coordinate system correspond to a target position x_target along the X-axis direction and a target position y_target along the Y-axis direction, respectively. In this case, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the X position of the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A in the machining coordinate system by adding (or, in some cases, subtracting) the distance Δx calculated based on the machining mark information to the X position x_target of the machining mark.The calibration unit 3211 may calculate the Y position of the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A in the machining coordinate system by adding (or subtracting, in some cases) the distance Δy calculated based on the machining mark information to (or subtracting, in some cases) the Y position y_target of the machining mark. Furthermore, because the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A contacts the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 as described above, the X position and Y position of the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A are equivalent to the X position and Y position of the reference portion 522 of the holder 5, respectively. As a result, the calibration unit 3211 acquires information related to the X position and Y position of the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A as information related to the X position and Y position of the reference portion 522 of the holder 5.

[0169] At least a part of the operations performed by the calibration unit 3211 may be performed by the processing mark measuring device 2. For example, the processing mark measuring device 2 may calculate the positional relationship between the processing mark on the base plate 50A and the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50A. In this case, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the X position and Y position of the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 based on the positional relationship calculated by the processing mark measuring device 2.

[0170] Conversely, at least a part of the operations performed by the processing mark measuring device 2 may be performed by the calibration unit 3211. For example, if the processing mark is the above-mentioned cross-shaped processing mark (or includes multiple intersecting processing marks), the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the position of the intersection of multiple linear processing marks as the position of the processing mark based on processing mark position information (e.g., an image generated by capturing the processing mark). As an example, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the positions of two points where a virtual outer frame surrounding the processing mark and a single linear processing mark intersect, and calculate the position of the line connecting the two points as the position of the single linear processing mark. Thereafter, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the position of the intersection of the multiple linear processing marks as the position of the processing mark. Thereafter, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the X position and Y position of the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 based on the position of the processing mark. Alternatively, for example, if the processing mark is the above-mentioned cross-shaped processing mark (or includes multiple processing marks that intersect with each other), the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the positions of at least two of the multiple processing marks that are specified by the user of the processing system SYS. Thereafter, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the position of the intersection of the multiple linear processing marks as the position of the processing mark. Alternatively, for example, if the processing mark is a processing mark of an arbitrary shape, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the position of a portion of the processing mark that is specified by the user of the processing system SYS as the position of the processing mark.

[0171] The user may specify the processing trace (or a portion thereof) while referring to the processing trace position information displayed on the output device 325 (particularly a display device, which is an example of such a device) provided in the processing path generating device 32. For example, if the processing trace measuring device 2 generates an image in which the processing trace appears by capturing an image of the base plate 50A, the user may specify the processing trace (or a portion thereof) to be measured by the processing trace measuring device 2 while referring to the image in which the processing trace appears. In this case, the user specifies the position of the processing trace within the image displayed on the output device 325, and then the output device 325 enlarges the image with the specified position as the center to enlarge and display the processing trace, and the user may specify the processing trace (or a portion thereof) while referring to the enlarged image.

[0172] In step S102, when the holder 5 is placed at the reference placement position of the processing apparatus 1, if there is no placement error (mounting error), the calculated X and Y positions of the reference part 522 in the processing coordinate system will be as designed. In reality, such errors may cause the calculated X and Y positions of the reference part 522 in the processing coordinate system to deviate from the designed positions. The calibration unit 3211 may acquire information about the deviations of the X and Y positions of the reference part 522 from the designed positions as information about the X and Y positions of the reference part 522 of the holder 5.

[0173] As described above, since a plurality of base plates 50A are attached to the holder 5, the holder 5 is provided with a plurality of reference portions 522 corresponding to the plurality of base plates 50A, respectively. In this case, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the X position and Y position of each of the plurality of reference portions 522.

[0174] To generate the calibration information 3222, the calibration unit 3211 may further calculate the position of the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 in the Z-axis direction (i.e., the Z position) based on the plate position information. Specifically, as described above, the plate position information indicates the position (particularly, the Z position) of the machining head 121 in the machining coordinate system in a state where a plurality of guide beams GL form a single beam spot on the reference surface 504B. That is, the plate position information indicates the position (particularly, the Z position) of the machining head 121 in the machining coordinate system in a state where the reference surface 504B is located at an intersection position where a plurality of guide beams GL intersect. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19 , the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the Z position of the reference surface 504B in the machining coordinate system by adding (or subtracting, in some cases) a distance Δz1 between the machining head 121 and the intersection position in the Z-axis direction to the position of the machining head 121 indicated by the plate position information. In this case, information regarding the distance Δz1 between the machining head 121 and the intersection position in the Z-axis direction may be known information in the machining system SYS. 19, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the Z position of the reference portion 522 in the machining coordinate system by adding (or subtracting, in some cases) a distance Δz2 between the reference surface 504B and the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 in the Z-axis direction to the Z position of the reference surface 504B. In this case, information about the distance Δz2 between the reference surface 504B and the reference portion 522 in the Z-axis direction may be information known in the machining system SYS. The calibration unit 3211 may calculate the Z position of the reference portion 522 in the machining coordinate system by adding (or subtracting, in some cases) a distance Δz2 between the reference surface 504B and the reference portion 522 in the Z-axis direction to the Z position of the reference surface 504B, as shown in FIG. 19.

[0175] As described above, since a plurality of base plates 50B are attached to the holder 5, the holder 5 is provided with a plurality of reference portions 522 corresponding to the plurality of base plates 50B, respectively. In this case, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the Z position of each of the plurality of reference portions 522.

[0176] Thereafter, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the position of the holder 5 in the machining coordinate system based on the positions of the multiple reference portions 522 in the machining coordinate system (i.e., X position, Y position, and Z position). For example, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate at least one of the X position, Y position, and Z position of the holder 5. For example, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the position of the holder 5 in the θX direction, which is the rotation direction around the X axis (θX position). For example, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the position of the holder 5 in the θY direction, which is the rotation direction around the Y axis (θY position). For example, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate the position of the holder 5 in the θZ direction, which is the rotation direction around the Z axis (θZ position).

[0177] As an example, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate one of the X position, Y position, and θZ position of the holder 5 based on the X position and Y position of one reference portion 522. The calibration unit 3211 may calculate two of the X position, Y position, and θZ position of the holder 5 based on the X positions and Y positions of two reference portions 522. The calibration unit 3211 may calculate the X position, Y position, and θZ position of the holder 5 based on the X positions and Y positions of at least three reference portions 522.

[0178] However, the calibration unit 3211 does not have to calculate the X position, Y position, and θZ position of the holder 5. In this case, the calibration unit 3211 does not have to calculate the X position and Y position of the reference portion 522. The processing device 1 does not have to process the base plate 50A. The processing mark measuring device 2 does not have to measure the processing mark on the base plate 50A. The processing system SYS does not have to be equipped with the processing mark measuring device 2.

[0179] As another example, the calibration unit 3211 may calculate any one of the Z position, the θX position, and the θY position of the holder 5 based on the Z position of one reference portion 522. The calibration unit 3211 may calculate any two of the Z position, the θX position, and the θY position of the holder 5 based on the Z positions of two reference portions 522. The calibration unit 3211 may calculate the Z position, the θX position, and the θY position of the holder 5 based on the Z positions of at least three reference portions 522.

[0180] However, the calibration unit 3211 does not need to calculate the Z position, the θX position, and the θY position of the holder 5. In this case, the calibration unit 3211 does not need to calculate the Z position of the reference portion 522. The processing apparatus 1 does not need to measure the base plate 50B. The processing apparatus 1 does not need to include a plurality of guide light irradiators 124 and an imaging device 14.

[0181] Thereafter, the calibration unit 3211 may store the calculated holder position information regarding the position of the holder 5 in the calibration information DB 3220 as at least a part of the calibration information 3222. In this case, the calibration unit 3211 may store the holder position information, together with combination information 3223 indicating a combination pattern of the processing device 1 and the holder 5, in the calibration information DB 3220 as at least a part of the calibration information 3222.

[0182] The calibration unit 3211 may store reference position information indicating the positions of each of the multiple reference portions 522 in the calibration information DB 3220 as at least a part of the calibration information 3222. In this case, the calibration unit 3211 may store the reference position information, together with combination information 3223 indicating a combination pattern of the processing device 1 and the holder 5, in the calibration information DB 3220 as at least a part of the calibration information 3222.

[0183] The calibration unit 3211 may store the processing mark position information acquired from the processing mark measuring device 2 in the calibration information DB 3220 as at least a part of the calibration information 3222. In this case, the calibration unit 3211 may store the processing mark position information, together with combination information 3223 indicating a combination pattern of the processing device 1 and the holder 5, in the calibration information DB 3220 as at least a part of the calibration information 3222.

[0184] The calibration unit 3211 may store the plate position information acquired from the processing device 1 in the calibration information DB 3220 as at least a part of the calibration information 3222. In this case, the calibration unit 3211 may store the plate position information, together with combination information 3223 indicating a combination pattern of the processing device 1 and the holder 5, in the calibration information DB 3220 as at least a part of the calibration information 3222.

[0185] The processing system SYS performs the above-described calibration operation for each combination pattern of the processing device 1 and the holder 5. As a result, calibration information 3222 for each combination pattern of the processing device 1 and the holder 5 is generated (i.e., acquired).

[0186] The machining system SYS performs a calibration operation before one machining device 1 starts machining a workpiece W. Here, if the calibration information DB 3220 does not store calibration information 3222 corresponding to a combination pattern of one machining device 1 that machines the workpiece W and one holder 5 that holds the workpiece W, the machining system SYS performs a calibration operation using the one machining device 1 and one holder 5. On the other hand, if the calibration information DB 3220 already stores calibration information 3222 corresponding to a combination pattern of one machining device 1 and one holder 5, the machining system SYS does not need to perform a new calibration operation using the one machining device 1 and one holder 5. In this case, the measurement system 3 (particularly, the machining path generation device 32) may generate machining path information for controlling the one machining device 1 that machines the workpiece W held by the one holder 5, using the calibration information 3222 already stored in the calibration information DB 3220.

[0187] However, even if the calibration information 3222 corresponding to a combination pattern of one processing device 1 and one holder 5 has already been stored in the calibration information DB 3220, the processing system SYS may perform a new calibration operation using the one processing device 1 and one holder 5 to update the calibration information 3222. For example, when the processing device 1 actually processes a workpiece W, the workpiece W is placed on the holder 5. The processing system SYS may perform the above-mentioned calibration operation after the workpiece W is placed on the holder 5. Alternatively, because at least one of the stage 131, the holder 5, etc. may deteriorate (for example, deformation or wear), the processing system SYS may perform the calibration operation again based on at least one of the number of uses, the elapsed time since the previous calibration operation, etc.

[0188] (2-3) Machining path generation operation Next, the machining path generating operation will be described with reference to Fig. 20. Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing the flow of the machining path generating operation.

[0189] As shown in FIG. 20 , first, the base plate 50 is attached to the holder 5 (step S201). In step S201, the base plate 50B attached to the holder 5 in the calibration operation described above is attached to the holder 5. However, if the base plate 50B is attached to the holder 5, such as after the above-described step S111, step S201 may be omitted. Note that a base plate 50 different from the base plate 50B may be attached to the holder 5. In parallel with or before or after the operation of step S201, the workpiece W to be actually machined by the processing apparatus 1 is placed on the holder 5 (step S202). In other words, the workpiece W is held by the holder 5.

[0190] Thereafter, the holder 5, to which the base plate 50B is attached and which holds the workpiece W, is placed on the stage 313 of the shape measurement device 31 (step S203). For this purpose, the transfer device 4 transfers the holder 5 to the measurement system 3. Thereafter, the transferred holder 5 is placed on the stage 313.

[0191] Before the holder 5 is placed on the stage 313, the surface of the workpiece W held by the holder 5 may be subjected to a surface treatment. An example of the surface treatment is polishing. For example, the surface of the workpiece W may be polished by sandblasting.

[0192] Thereafter, the shape measuring device 31 measures the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 placed on the stage 313 and the workpiece W held by the holder 5 (step S204). In particular, the shape measuring device 31 may measure the three-dimensional shape of the base plate 50B attached to the holder 5 as the three-dimensional shape of the holder 5. The shape measuring device 31 transmits measurement information indicating the measurement results of the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W to the machining path generating device 32 (in particular, the machining path generating unit 3212). The measurement information may include information indicating the three-dimensional positions of each of multiple points on the surface of the holder 5 and multiple points on the surface of the workpiece W in the measurement coordinate system of the shape measuring device 31. An example of the measurement information is point cloud data.

[0193] When measuring the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W, the shape measuring device 31 may move the shape measuring head 311 using the head drive system 312. The shape measuring device 31 may move the stage 313 using the stage drive system 314. That is, the shape measuring device 31 may change the positional relationship between the shape measuring head 311 and the holder 5 and the workpiece W. For example, the shape measuring device 31 may measure the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W in a state where the positional relationship between the shape measuring head 311 and the holder 5 and the workpiece W is a first positional relationship. Thereafter, the shape measuring device 31 may measure the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W in a state where the positional relationship between the shape measuring head 311 and the holder 5 and the workpiece W is a second positional relationship different from the first positional relationship. In this case, the shape measuring head 311 is more likely to be able to measure the three-dimensional shape of a portion of the measurement object whose three-dimensional shape could not be measured before the shape measuring head 311 moved. In other words, the dead angle of the shape measuring head 311 is narrowed or eliminated.

[0194] 4(a) and 4(b), the heights of at least two of the multiple connecting members 53 may be different, as described above. In this case, compared to when all of the multiple connecting members 53 have the same height, there is a lower possibility that a specific portion of the workpiece W will be hidden by the connecting members 53 as viewed from the shape measuring head 311. For example, there is a lower possibility that a specific portion of the workpiece W located at the same height as the connecting members 53 will always be hidden by the connecting members 53 as viewed from the shape measuring head 311. As a result, the blind spot of the shape measuring head 311 is narrowed or eliminated.

[0195] In parallel with or before or after the operations from step S201 to step S204, the machining path generating unit 3212 of the machining path generating device 32 acquires calibration information 3222 corresponding to the combination pattern of the machining device 1 and the holder 5 from the calibration information DB 3220 (step S205). In other words, the machining path generating unit 3212 acquires calibration information 3222 corresponding to the actual combination pattern of the machining device 1 actually used to machine the workpiece W and the holder 5 that actually holds the workpiece W.

[0196] Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates machining path information based on the measurement information acquired in step S204 and the calibration information 3222 acquired in step S205 (steps S206 to S207).

[0197] Specifically, the machining path generating unit 3212 first generates machining model data (step S206). The machining model data is a three-dimensional model (machining model) having a three-dimensional shape of the part to be machined by the machining device 1, expressed in a machining coordinate system. When the machining device 1 performs additive machining, the part to be machined may include a shaped object to be formed on the workpiece W by the additive machining by the machining device 1. When the machining device 1 performs subtractive machining, the part to be machined may include a structure to be removed from the workpiece W by the machining device 1 by the subtractive machining.

[0198] 21, in order to generate the machining model data, the machining path generating unit 3212 acquires target model data that indicates, in a measurement coordinate system, a three-dimensional model (target model) having a target three-dimensional shape of the machined workpiece W. The target model data may be stored in advance in the storage device 322, for example.

[0199] 21, the machining path generation unit 3212 generates measurement model data that indicates, in a measurement coordinate system, a three-dimensional model (measurement model) having the current three-dimensional shape (i.e., the actual three-dimensional shape) of the workpiece W, based on the measurement information. That is, the machining path generation unit 3212 acquires workpiece shape information related to the current three-dimensional shape (i.e., the actual three-dimensional shape) of the workpiece W, which is included in the measurement information, and generates measurement model data that indicates the measurement model from the acquired workpiece shape information. Alternatively, the workpiece shape information itself may be used as the measurement model data.

[0200] Here, when at least one of the shape measuring head 311 and the stage 313 moves to measure the respective three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W as described above, the machining path generation unit 3212 may generate a single piece of measurement information by integrating measurement information (before movement) indicating the respective three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W before at least one of the shape measuring head 311 and the stage 313 moves, and measurement information (after movement) indicating the respective three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W after at least one of the shape measuring head 311 and the stage 313 moves. That is, the machining path generation unit 3212 may stitch (in other words, paste) the measurement information. In this case, the machining path generation unit 3212 may generate measurement model data using a single piece of measurement information obtained by integrating the measurement information (before movement) and the measurement information (after movement).

[0201] Specifically, the machining path generating unit 3212 may integrate the measurement information (before movement) and the measurement information (after movement) so that a certain portion of the holder 5 indicated by the measurement information (before movement) is positioned at the same position as the same portion of the holder 5 indicated by the measurement information (after movement).The machining path generating unit 3212 may integrate the measurement information (before movement) and the measurement information (after movement) so that a certain portion of the workpiece W indicated by the measurement information (before movement) is positioned at the same position as the same portion of the workpiece W indicated by the measurement information (after movement).

[0202] The machining path generating unit 3212 may integrate the measurement information (before movement) and the measurement information (after movement) based on the positions of the multiple base plates 50B indicated by the measurement information. For example, the machining path generating unit 3212 may integrate the measurement information (before movement) and the measurement information (after movement) so that the position of the reference portion 509 of a certain base plate 50B indicated by the measurement information (before movement) matches the position of the reference portion 509 of the same base plate 50B indicated by the measurement information (after movement). Here, when multiple base plates 50B surround the workpiece W as described above, the integration accuracy of the measurement information (before movement) and the measurement information (after movement) is improved.

[0203] 21, the machining path generating unit 3212 calculates, as the machining model, a three-dimensional model (differential model) corresponding to the difference between the target model indicated by the target model data and the measurement model indicated by the measurement model data. That is, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates differential model data indicating the differential model corresponding to the difference between the target model and the measurement model as machining model data indicating the machining model.

[0204] However, the measurement model data indicates the actual three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W in the measurement coordinate system, and the target model data indicates the target three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W in the measurement coordinate system. For this reason, as shown in Fig. 21, if the measurement model data and the target model data are simply used as they are, the machining path generation unit 3212 will only generate machining model data indicating a machining model (differential model) in the measurement coordinate system. Therefore, the machining path generation unit 3212 uses the measurement information and calibration information 3222 in addition to the measurement model data and target model data to generate machining model data indicating a machining model (differential model) in the machining coordinate system.

[0205] As a first method, as shown in FIG. 21, the machining path generation unit 3212 may generate machining model data indicating the machining model in the machining coordinate system by converting the machining model data indicating the machining model in the measurement coordinate system calculated by the above-mentioned procedure based on the measurement information and the calibration information 3222 into machining model data indicating the machining model in the machining coordinate system.

[0206] Specifically, the measurement information described above includes information regarding the three-dimensional shapes of the multiple base plates 50B attached to the holder 5. In this case, the machining path generation unit 3212 may calculate the position of each of the multiple base plates 50B in the measurement coordinate system based on the measurement information (particularly, information regarding the three-dimensional shapes of the multiple base plates 50B). In particular, the machining path generation unit 3212 may calculate the position of the reference portion 509 of each of the multiple base plates 50B in the measurement coordinate system based on the measurement information. Specifically, as described with reference to FIG. 16(a), the machining path generation unit 3212 may identify the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50B based on the shape of the second plate portion 502B (particularly, the shape of the reference surface 504B). For example, the machining path generating unit 3212 may identify the shape of the second plate portion 502B (particularly, the shape of the reference surface 504B) based on the measurement information, and identify the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50B based on the identified shape of the second plate portion 502B (particularly, the shape of the reference surface 504B). Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 may calculate the position of the identified reference portion 509 of the base plate 50B in the measurement coordinate system based on the measurement information.

[0207] As an example, the machining path generation unit 3212 may calculate the positions of at least three side surfaces of the second plate portion 502B based on the measurement information. Characteristic points of the at least three side surfaces of the second plate portion 502B may be determined in advance, and the machining path generation unit 3212 may calculate the positions of the at least three side surfaces of the second plate portion 502B by performing a fitting process to align the characteristic points with the measurement information (e.g., point cloud data of the base plate 50B). Then, the position of the reference feature 509 of the base plate 50B (e.g., the position of the vertex) may be identified based on the positions of the at least three side surfaces of the second plate portion 502B. For example, the machining path generation unit 3212 may calculate the position of a notch in the second plate portion 502B based on the positions of the at least three side surfaces of the second plate portion 502B, and then calculate the position of the reference feature 509 based on the position of the notch. For example, the machining path generating unit 3212 may calculate the position where at least three side surfaces of the second plate portion 502B intersect as the position of the reference portion 509.

[0208] As another example, the user may specify the reference part 509 of the base plate 50B while referring to measurement information displayed on the output device 325 (particularly, a display device) included in the machining path generating device 32. For example, the output device 325 may display point cloud data (or any display object showing a three-dimensional shape), which is an example of measurement information, and the user may specify the reference part 509 on the display object such as the point cloud data. In this case, the machining path generating unit 3212 may calculate the position of the reference part 509 specified by the user.

[0209] As another example, the machining path generating unit 3212 may calculate the position of the reference part 509 of the base plate 50B by automatically recognizing the reference part 509 of the base plate 50B. For example, the machining path generating unit 3212 may automatically recognize the reference part 509 of the base plate 50B by recognizing the shape of the base plate 50B based on template information indicating the shape of the base plate 50B. Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 may calculate the position of the reference part 509 of the base plate 50B.

[0210] As another example, the shape measuring device 31 may automatically recognize the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50B, thereby automatically measuring the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50B. For example, the shape measuring device 31 may automatically recognize the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50B by recognizing the shape of the base plate 50B based on template information indicating the shape of the base plate 50B. Thereafter, the shape measuring device 31 may measure the reference portion 509 of the base plate 50B.

[0211] As described above, the positions of the multiple reference portions 509 provided on each of the multiple base plates 50B are equivalent to the positions of the multiple reference portions 522 of the holder 5. For this reason, it may be considered that the machining path generating unit 3212 calculates the positions of the multiple reference portions 522. In other words, it may be considered that the measurement information includes information related to the positions of the multiple reference portions 522, and that the machining path generating unit 3212 calculates the positions of the multiple reference portions 522 based on the measurement information.

[0212] Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 may calculate the position of the holder 5 in the measurement coordinate system, as necessary, based on the positions of the plurality of reference portions 522 in the measurement coordinate system. For example, the machining path generating unit 3212 may calculate at least one of the X position, Y position, Z position, θX position, θY direction, and θZ position of the holder 5 in the measurement coordinate system.

[0213] On the other hand, the calibration information 3222 indicates the position of the holder 5 in the machining coordinate system. Therefore, the machining path generation unit 3212 can generate a transformation matrix (e.g., a rigid transformation matrix) for transforming a position in either the machining coordinate system or the measurement coordinate system into a position in the other of the machining coordinate system or the measurement coordinate system, based on the position of the holder 5 in the machining coordinate system indicated by the calibration information 3222 and the position of the holder 5 in the measurement coordinate system calculated from the measurement information. Alternatively, the calibration information 3222 indicates the positions of a plurality of reference features 522 in the machining coordinate system, in addition to or instead of the position of the holder 5 in the machining coordinate system. Therefore, the machining path generation unit 3212 can generate a transformation matrix (e.g., a rigid transformation matrix) for transforming a position in either the machining coordinate system or the measurement coordinate system into a position in the other of the machining coordinate system or the measurement coordinate system, based on the positions of the plurality of reference features 522 in the machining coordinate system indicated by the calibration information 3222 and the positions of the plurality of reference features 522 in the measurement coordinate system calculated from the measurement information.

[0214] As a result, the machining path generating unit 3212 can convert the machining model data indicating the machining model in the measurement coordinate system into machining model data indicating the machining model in the machining coordinate system using the generated transformation matrix, and as a result, the machining path generating unit 3212 can generate machining model data indicating the machining model in the machining coordinate system.

[0215] Here, as described above, when a plurality of base plates 50B surround the workpiece W (that is, when a plurality of reference portions 522 of the holder 5 surround the workpiece W), the error in the coordinate transformation using the transformation matrix is ​​smaller than when a plurality of base plates 50B do not surround the workpiece W. Therefore, when a plurality of base plates 50B surround the workpiece W, the machining path generating unit 3212 can generate machining model data that more accurately indicates the machining model in the machining coordinate system.

[0216] As a second method, the machining path generating unit 3212 may convert the measurement model data and the target model data using a transformation matrix before generating machining model data indicating the machining model in the measurement coordinate system, as shown in Fig. 22. Specifically, the machining path generating unit 3212 may convert the measurement model data indicating the actual three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W in the measurement coordinate system into measurement model data indicating the actual three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W in the machining coordinate system based on the transformation matrix. Furthermore, the machining path generating unit 3212 may convert the measurement model data indicating the target three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W in the measurement coordinate system into measurement model data indicating the target three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W in the machining coordinate system based on the transformation matrix. Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates differential model data indicating a differential model corresponding to the difference between the target model indicated by the converted target model data and the measurement model indicated by the converted measurement model data, as machining model data indicating the machining model in the machining coordinate system.

[0217] It should be noted that both of the above-mentioned two methods may be considered equivalent to an operation of specifying the positional relationship between the workpiece W and the base plate 50B in the measurement coordinate system based on the measurement information, and generating machining model data based on the specified positional relationship and the calibration information 3222. This is because both the measurement information and the calibration information 3222 contain information related to the position of the base plate 50B, and therefore the machining path generating unit 3212 can be considered to generate a transformation matrix based on the information related to the position of the base plate 50B contained in both the measurement information and the calibration information 3222, and to convert the position of the workpiece W in the measurement coordinate system into the position of the workpiece W in the machining coordinate system based on the generated transformation matrix.

[0218] 20 again, the machining path generating unit 3212 then generates machining path information based on the machining model data generated in step S206 (step S207). Specifically, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates machining path information indicating the position to which the machining light EL should be irradiated in order to process the part to be machined having the three-dimensional shape indicated by the machining model data generated in step S206. Note that the operation itself for generating machining path information from the three-dimensional model to be machined may be the same as an existing operation. Therefore, details of the operation for generating machining path information based on machining model data will be omitted.

[0219] Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 transmits (in other words, inputs) the machining path information generated in step S207 to the machining device 1 (particularly, to the control device 17) (step S208), thereby completing the machining path generating operation.

[0220] Thereafter, the machining apparatus 1 machines the workpiece W based on the machining path information transmitted from the machining path generating unit 3212. Specifically, first, the holder 5 holding the workpiece W is removed from the shape measuring device 31. Thereafter, the holder 5 holding the workpiece W is transported from the shape measuring device 31 to the machining apparatus 1. For example, the holder 5 holding the workpiece W may be transported from the shape measuring device 31 to the machining apparatus 1 by the transport device 4. Thereafter, the holder 5 holding the workpiece W is placed on the stage 131 of the machining apparatus 1. That is, the holder 5 is placed at the reference placement position of the stage 131. Thereafter, the machining apparatus 1 starts machining the workpiece W based on the machining path information.

[0221] As described above, the machining path information is generated before the machining device 1 machines the workpiece W. In this case, the machining path generating unit 3212 may generate the machining path information before the holder 5 taken out from the shape measuring device 31 is placed on the machining device 1. The machining path generating unit 3212 may generate the machining path information after the holder 5 taken out from the shape measuring device 31 is placed on the machining device 1.

[0222] (2-4) Example of machining path generation Next, a specific example of the machining path generating operation will be described. The following describes a second machining path generating operation for performing a second machining operation, which is performed after the first machining path generating operation for performing the first machining operation. The first machining operation is a machining operation performed by the first machining device 1#1 to machine the first workpiece W#1 held by the first holder 5#1. In this case, in the first machining path generating operation, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates first machining data indicating a machining model in the first machining coordinate system of the first machining device 1#1 based on first calibration information 3222#1 corresponding to the combination pattern of the first machining device 1#1 and the first holder 5#1 and first measurement information indicating the three-dimensional shapes of the first holder 5#1 and the first workpiece W#1, and generates first machining path information based on the first machining data. Although multiple first workpieces W#1 may be held by the first holder 5#1, in this example, one first workpiece W#1 is held by the first holder 5#1.

[0223] (2-4-1) First example of machining path generation operation First, a first specific example of the machining path generating operation will be described. In the first specific example, the second machining operation is an operation performed by the first machining device 1#1 to machine a second workpiece W#2 different from the first workpiece W#1 held by the first holder 5#1. In this case, the machining system SYS performs the following machining path generating operation as the second machining path generating operation.

[0224] Specifically, first, after the first machining operation is completed, the first holder 5#1 is removed from the first machining apparatus 1#1. Then, the first workpiece W#1 is removed from the first holder 5#1. Then, the second workpiece W#2 is held by the first holder 5#1 (step S202 in FIG. 20). Then, the first holder 5#1 holding the second workpiece W#2 is transported from the first machining apparatus 1#1 to the measurement system 3 by the transport device 4 (or by other means). Then, the first holder 5#1 holding the second workpiece W#2 is placed on the stage 313 of the shape measurement device 31 (step S203 in FIG. 20). Note that the measurement system 3 used to perform the second machining path generating operation may be the same as or different from the measurement system 3 used to perform the first machining path generating operation. This also applies to the second to fifth specific examples of the machining path generating operation described below. Thereafter, the shape measuring device 31 measures the three-dimensional shapes of the first holder 5#1 and the second workpiece W#2 (step S204 in FIG. 20). Furthermore, the machining path generating unit 3212 acquires first calibration information 3222#1 corresponding to the combination pattern of the first machining device 1#1 and the first holder 5#1 from the calibration information DB 3220 (step S205 in FIG. 20). That is, in the first specific example, the machining path generating unit 3212 performs a machining path generating operation for performing a second machining operation by reusing the first calibration information 3222#1 used in the machining path generating operation for performing the first machining operation.

[0225] If the first calibration information 3222#1 is reusable, the machining system SYS does not need to perform the above-described calibration operation again to generate second machining path information for machining the second workpiece W#2. In other words, when the first workpiece W#1 is machined by placing the first holder 5#1 on the first machining device 1#1, the machining system SYS does not need to perform the calibration operation to generate first calibration information 3222#1 corresponding to the combination pattern of the first holder 5#1 and the first machining device 1#1 every time machining is performed. Therefore, even if the workpiece W held by the first holder 5#1 is replaced, the machining system SYS can commonly use the first calibration information 3222#1. In this case, the machining system SYS can properly machine the second workpiece W#2, improving the overall throughput of the machining system SYS for machining the second workpiece W#2. When machining the second workpiece W#2, the calibration information 3222 corresponding to the pattern for the combination of the first holder 5#1 and the first machining device 1#1 may be generated again. In other words, the first calibration information 3222#1 may be updated.

[0226] Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates second machining data indicating a machining model in the first machining coordinate system of the first machining device 1#1 based on the second measurement information indicating the three-dimensional shapes of the first holder 5#1 and the second workpiece W#2 and the first calibration information 3222#1 (step S206 in FIG. 20). Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates machining path information for the second machining operation based on the second machining data (step S207 in FIG. 20). In other words, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates second machining path information for controlling the first machining device 1#1 to machine the second workpiece W#2 held by the first holder 5#1 in the first machining coordinate system.

[0227] (2-4-2) Second example of machining path generation Next, a second specific example of the machining path generating operation will be described. In the second specific example, the second machining operation is an operation performed by the first machining device 1#1 to machine a third workpiece W#3 different from the first workpiece W#1, which is held by a second holder 5#2 different from the first holder 5#1. In this case, the machining system SYS performs the machining path generating operation shown below as the second machining path generating operation. Note that although multiple third workpieces W#3 may be held by the second holder 5#2, in this example, one third workpiece W#3 is held by the second holder 5#2.

[0228] Specifically, first, after the first processing operation is completed, the first holder 5#1 is removed from the first processing apparatus 1#1. Furthermore, the third workpiece W#3 is held by the second holder 5#2 (step S202 in FIG. 20). Thereafter, the second holder 5#2 holding the third workpiece W#3 is transported to the measurement system 3 by the transport device 4 (or by other means). Thereafter, the second holder 5#2 holding the third workpiece W#3 is placed on the stage 313 of the shape measuring apparatus 31 (step S203 in FIG. 20). Thereafter, the shape measuring apparatus 31 measures the three-dimensional shapes of the second holder 5#2 and the third workpiece W#3 (step S204 in FIG. 20). Furthermore, the machining path generating unit 3212 acquires second calibration information 3222#2 corresponding to the combination pattern of the first machining device 1#1 and the second holder 5#2 from the calibration information DB 3220 (step S205 in FIG. 20). Note that if the second calibration information 3222#2 corresponding to the combination pattern of the first machining device 1#1 and the second holder 5#2 is not stored in the calibration information DB 3220, the machining system SYS may perform a calibration operation using the first machining device 1#1 and the second holder 5#2 to generate the second calibration information 3222#2. Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates third machining data indicating a machining model in the first machining coordinate system of the first machining device 1#1 based on the third measurement information indicating the three-dimensional shapes of the second holder 5#2 and the third workpiece W#3 and the second calibration information 3222#2 (step S206 in FIG. 20). Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates machining path information for the second machining operation based on the third machining data (step S207 in FIG. 20). That is, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates third machining path information for controlling the first machining device 1#1 to machine the third workpiece W#3 held by the second holder 5#2 in the first machining coordinate system.

[0229] (2-4-3) Third example of machining path generation Next, a third specific example of the machining path generating operation will be described. In the third specific example, the second machining operation is an operation performed by a second machining device 1#2 different from the first machining device 1#1 to machine a fourth workpiece W#4 different from the first workpiece W#1 held by the first holder 5#1. In this case, the machining system SYS performs the machining path generating operation shown below as the second machining path generating operation. Note that although multiple fourth workpieces W#4 may be held by the first holder 5#1, in this example, one fourth workpiece W#4 is held by the first holder 5#1.

[0230] Specifically, first, after the first processing operation is completed, the first holder 5#1 is removed from the first processing apparatus 1#1. Then, the first workpiece W#1 is removed from the first holder 5#1. Then, the fourth workpiece W#4 is held by the first holder 5#1 (step S202 in FIG. 20). Then, the first holder 5#1 holding the fourth workpiece W#4 is transported from the first processing apparatus 1#1 to the measurement system 3 by the transport device 4 (or by other means). Then, the first holder 5#1 holding the fourth workpiece W#4 is placed on the stage 313 of the shape measuring device 31 (step S203 in FIG. 20). Then, the shape measuring device 31 measures the three-dimensional shapes of the first holder 5#1 and the fourth workpiece W#4 (step S204 in FIG. 20). Furthermore, the machining path generating unit 3212 acquires third calibration information 3222#3 corresponding to the combination pattern of the second machining device 1#2 and the first holder 5#1 from the calibration information DB 3220 (step S205 in FIG. 20). Note that if the first calibration information 3222#3 corresponding to the combination pattern of the second machining device 1#2 and the first holder 5#1 is not stored in the calibration information DB 3220, the machining system SYS may perform a calibration operation using the second machining device 1#2 and the first holder 5#1 to generate the third calibration information 3222#3. Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates fourth machining data indicating a machining model in the second machining coordinate system of the second machining device 1#2 based on the fourth measurement information indicating the three-dimensional shapes of the first holder 5#1 and the fourth workpiece W#4 and the third calibration information 3222#3 (step S206 in FIG. 20). Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates machining path information for the second machining operation based on the fourth machining data (step S207 in FIG. 20). That is, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates fourth machining path information for controlling the second machining device 1#2 to machine the fourth workpiece W#4 held by the first holder 5#1 in the second machining coordinate system.

[0231] In the third specific example, the first processing device 1#1 may be either an additive processing device or a subtractive processing device, while the second processing device 1#2 may be the other of either an additive processing device or a subtractive processing device. In this case, the processing system SYS can perform both additive processing and subtractive processing.

[0232] (2-4-4) Fourth specific example of machining path generation operation Next, a fourth specific example of the machining path generating operation will be described. In the fourth specific example, the second machining operation is an operation performed by a third machining device 1#3 different from the first machining device 1#1 to machine the first workpiece W#1 held by the first holder 5#1 (i.e., the first workpiece W#1 that has already been machined by the first machining device 1#1). In this case, the machining system SYS performs the following machining path generating operation as the second machining path generating operation.

[0233] Specifically, first, after the first processing operation is completed, the first holder 5#1 is removed from the first processing apparatus 1#1. In this case, the holder 5#1 continues to hold the first workpiece W#1. Then, the first holder 5#1, which has been removed from the first processing apparatus 1#1 and is still holding the first workpiece W#1, is transported from the first processing apparatus 1#1 to the measurement system 3 by the transport device 4 (or by other means). Then, the first holder 5#1 holding the first workpiece W#1 is placed on the stage 313 of the shape measuring apparatus 31 (step S203 in FIG. 20). Then, the shape measuring apparatus 31 measures the three-dimensional shapes of the first holder 5#1 and the first workpiece W#1 (step S204 in FIG. 20). That is, in the fourth specific example, after the first machining apparatus 1#1 starts machining the first workpiece W#1, the shape measuring device 31 acquires measurement information indicating the three-dimensional shapes of the first holder 5#1 and the first workpiece W#1. Furthermore, the machining path generating unit 3212 acquires fourth calibration information 3222#4 corresponding to the combination pattern of the third machining apparatus 1#3 and the first holder 5#1 from the calibration information DB 3220 (step S205 in FIG. 20). Note that if the fourth calibration information 3222#4 corresponding to the combination pattern of the third machining apparatus 1#3 and the first holder 5#1 is not stored in the calibration information DB 3220, the machining system SYS may perform a calibration operation using the third machining apparatus 1#3 and the first holder 5#1 to generate the fourth calibration information 3222#4. Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates fifth machining data indicating a machining model in the third machining coordinate system of the third machining device 1#3 based on the fifth measurement information indicating the three-dimensional shapes of the first holder 5#1 and the first workpiece W#1 and the fourth calibration information 3222#4 (step S206 in FIG. 20). Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates machining path information for the second machining operation based on the fifth machining data (step S207 in FIG. 20).In other words, the machining path generation unit 3212 generates fifth machining path information for controlling the third machining device 1#3 to machine the first workpiece W#1 held by the first holder 5#1 in the third machining coordinate system.

[0234] In the fourth specific example, the first processing device 1#1 may be either an additive processing device or a subtractive processing device. On the other hand, the third processing device 1#3 may be either the additive processing device or the subtractive processing device. In this case, the processing system SYS can perform both additive processing and subtractive processing.

[0235] The third processing device 1#3 may perform finish processing on the first workpiece W#1 processed by the first processing device 1#1. For example, the first processing device 1#1 may be an additive processing device, and the third processing device 1#3 may be a subtractive processing device. In this case, the third processing device 1#3 may perform finish processing to remove a portion of the first workpiece W#1 (particularly, the formed object) additively processed by the first processing device 1#1 so that the first workpiece W#1 (particularly, the formed object) has a desired shape. The third processing device 1#3 may perform finish processing to process the surface of the first workpiece W#1 (particularly, the formed object) additively processed by the first processing device 1#1 so that the surface of the first workpiece W#1 (particularly, the formed object) additively processed by the first processing device 1#1 is smooth. Alternatively, for example, the first processing device 1#1 may be a removal processing device, and the third processing device 1#3 may be an additive processing device. In this case, the third processing device 1#3 may perform finishing processing to form a shaped object on the first workpiece W#1 that has been subjected to removal processing by the first processing device 1#1 so that the shape of the first workpiece W#1 that has been subjected to removal processing by the first processing device 1#1 becomes a desired shape. The third processing device 1#3 may perform finishing processing to process the surface of the first workpiece W#1 that has been subjected to removal processing by the first processing device 1#1 so that the surface of the first workpiece W#1 that has been subjected to removal processing by the first processing device 1#1 becomes smooth.

[0236] Furthermore, when the third machining device 1#3 performs finishing processing on the first workpiece W#1, the second machining path generation operation may be considered equivalent to an operation of generating machining path information that causes the third machining device 1#3 to perform finishing processing so as to reduce the deviation between the actual shape (i.e., measurement information) of the first workpiece W#1 machined by the first machining operation and the target shape of the first workpiece W#1 after machining.

[0237] (2-4-5) Fifth specific example of machining path generation operation Next, a fifth specific example of the machining path generating operation will be described. In the fifth specific example, the second machining operation is an operation performed by the first machining device 1#1 to machine the first workpiece W#1 held by the first holder 5#1, similar to the first machining operation. However, the second machining operation may differ from the first machining operation in that it is an operation performed by the first machining device 1#1 to machine the first workpiece W#1 that has already been machined by the first machining operation. In this case, the machining system SYS performs the machining path generating operation shown below as the second machining path generating operation.

[0238] Specifically, first, after the first processing operation is completed, the first holder 5#1 is removed from the first processing apparatus 1#1. In this case, the holder 5#1 continues to hold the first workpiece W#1. Then, the first holder 5#1, which has been removed from the first processing apparatus 1#1 and is still holding the first workpiece W#1, is transported from the first processing apparatus 1#1 to the measurement system 3 by the transport device 4 (or by other means). Then, the first holder 5#1 holding the first workpiece W#1 is placed on the stage 313 of the shape measuring apparatus 31 (step S203 in FIG. 20). Then, the shape measuring apparatus 31 measures the three-dimensional shapes of the first holder 5#1 and the first workpiece W#1 (step S204 in FIG. 20). That is, in the fifth specific example, after the first machining device 1#1 starts machining the first workpiece W#1, the shape measuring device 31 acquires measurement information indicating the three-dimensional shapes of the first holder 5#1 and the first workpiece W#1. Furthermore, the machining path generating unit 3212 acquires first calibration information 3222#1 corresponding to the combination pattern of the first machining device 1#1 and the first holder 5#1 from the calibration information DB 3220 (step S205 in FIG. 20). That is, in the fifth specific example, the machining path generating unit 3212 performs a machining path generating operation for performing a second machining operation by reusing the first calibration information 3222#1 used in the machining path generating operation for performing the first machining operation. Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates sixth machining data indicating a machining model in the first machining coordinate system of the first machining device 1#1 based on the sixth measurement information indicating the three-dimensional shapes of the first holder 5#1 and the first workpiece W#1 and the first calibration information 3222#1 (step S206 in FIG. 20). Thereafter, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates machining path information for the second machining operation based on the sixth machining data (step S207 in FIG. 20). That is, the machining path generating unit 3212 generates sixth machining path information for controlling the first machining device 1#1 to machine the first workpiece W#1 held by the first holder 5#1 in the first machining coordinate system.

[0239] In the fifth specific example, similar to the fourth specific example, the second machining operation may include finish machining of the workpiece W machined by the first machining operation. For example, the first machining device 1#1 may perform finish machining as the second machining operation so that the shape of the first workpiece W#1 machined by the first machining operation becomes a desired shape. For example, the first machining device 1#1 may perform finish machining as the second machining operation so that the surface of the first workpiece W#1 machined by the first machining operation becomes smooth.

[0240] Furthermore, if the second machining operation is a machining operation that finishes the workpiece W#1 that has already been machined by the first machining operation, the second machining path generation operation may be considered equivalent to an operation that generates machining path information that causes the first machining device 1#1 to perform finishing machining so that the deviation between the actual shape (i.e., measurement information) of the first workpiece W#1 machined by the first machining operation and the target shape of the first workpiece W#1 after machining is small.

[0241] Furthermore, the processing apparatus 1 may temporarily interrupt the first processing operation during the first processing operation. For example, if the first processing operation is a processing operation for performing additional processing on a single workpiece W, the processing apparatus 1 may temporarily interrupt the first processing operation after forming a portion of the three-dimensional structure ST to be formed on the workpiece W. For example, if the first processing operation is a processing operation for performing additional processing on multiple workpieces W in sequence, the processing apparatus 1 may temporarily interrupt the first processing operation after forming at least a portion of the three-dimensional structure ST to be formed on one workpiece W and before forming the three-dimensional structure ST on another workpiece W different from the first workpiece W. For example, the processing apparatus 1 may temporarily interrupt the first processing operation after completing additional processing to form at least one structural layer SL on one workpiece W and before starting additional processing to form at least one structural layer SL on another workpiece W different from the first workpiece W. In this case, the shape measurement device 31 may measure the three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W during processing. The shape measurement device 31 may measure the three-dimensional shapes of the workpiece W during machining and the holder 5 holding the workpiece W. Thereafter, the machining path generation device 32 may generate new machining path information based on measurement information indicating the measurement results of the three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W during machining (and, in some cases, the measurement results of the three-dimensional shape of the holder 5). Alternatively, the machining path generation device 32 may correct the generated machining path information based on the measurement information indicating the measurement results of the three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W during machining. In either case, the machining path generation device 32 may generate or correct machining path information so as to reduce the deviation between the actual shape of the first workpiece W#1 (i.e., the measurement information) and the target shape of the first workpiece W#1 after machining. In this case, the machining device 1 may resume the interrupted first machining operation based on the newly generated or corrected machining path information.

[0242] (2-5) Machining path verification operation Next, a machining path verification operation for determining whether or not the machining path information is appropriate will be described with reference to Fig. 23. Fig. 23 is a flowchart showing the flow of the machining path verification operation.

[0243] 23, the workpiece W to be actually processed by the processing device 1 is placed on the holder 5 (step S301). That is, the workpiece W is held by the holder 5. Alternatively, a test workpiece having the same size and shape as the workpiece W to be actually processed by the processing device 1 may be placed on the holder 5. Thereafter, the holder 5 holding the workpiece W is placed on the stage 131 of the processing device 1 (step S302). That is, the holder 5 is placed at the reference placement position of the stage 131.

[0244] In parallel with or before or after the operations from step S301 to step S302, the processing device 1 acquires processing path information to be verified (step S303). That is, the processing device 1 acquires processing path information for controlling the processing device 1 so as to process the workpiece W placed on the holder 5 in step S301.

[0245] For example, the machining device 1 acquires machining path information generated by the measurement system 3 from the measurement system 3. In this case, the machining device 1 may determine whether the machining path information generated by the measurement system 3 is appropriate. Alternatively, the machining device 1 may acquire machining path information different from the machining path information generated by the measurement system 3 as machining path information to be verified. In this case, the machining device 1 may determine whether the machining path information different from the machining path information generated by the measurement system 3 is appropriate. For example, the machining device 1 may determine whether the machining path information generated by the machining device 1 is appropriate. For example, the machining device 1 may determine whether machining path information generated by a machining path generating device different from the measurement system 3 and the machining device 1 is appropriate.

[0246] Thereafter, the processing device 1 performs a test irradiation operation to determine whether the processing path information is appropriate or not under the control of the control device 17 (step S304). The test irradiation operation includes an operation of irradiating the workpiece W with the verification light IL based on the processing path information.

[0247] The processing apparatus 1 may use the processing light EL as the verification light IL. That is, the processing apparatus 1 may use the processing light EL, which is light emitted from the light source 15, as the verification light IL. In this case, the processing apparatus 1 may use processing light EL having characteristics different from those of the processing light EL for processing the workpiece W as the verification light IL. Specifically, the processing apparatus 1 may use processing light EL having an intensity lower (in other words, weaker) than the intensity of the processing light EL for processing the workpiece W as the verification light IL. In particular, the processing apparatus 1 may use processing light EL having an intensity lower than the intensity that melts the workpiece W as the verification light IL. That is, the processing apparatus 1 may use processing light EL having an intensity that is not strong enough to melt the workpiece W as the verification light IL. In this case, even if the verification light IL is irradiated onto the workpiece W by the test irradiation operation, the workpiece W will not be processed. For this reason, the verification light IL may be referred to as non-processing light. The processing light EL (that is, the verification light IL) that has different characteristics from the processing light EL for processing the workpiece W may be considered to be light different from the processing light EL.

[0248] However, the processing device 1 may use, as the verification light IL, processing light EL having the same characteristics as the processing light EL for processing the workpiece W. For example, the processing device 1 may use, as the verification light IL, processing light EL having an intensity strong enough to melt the workpiece W.

[0249] The processing apparatus 1 may use light emitted from a light source other than the light source 15 as the verification light IL. For example, the processing apparatus 1 may use the guide light GL emitted by at least one guide light irradiator 124 as the verification light IL. In this case, the intensity of the verification light IL may be set lower than the intensity of the processing light EL for processing the workpiece W. In particular, the intensity of the verification light IL may be set lower than the intensity that melts the workpiece W. In other words, the intensity of the verification light IL may be set to an intensity that is not strong enough to melt the workpiece W. In this case, even if the verification light IL is irradiated onto the workpiece W by the test irradiation operation, the workpiece W will not be processed. For this reason, the verification light IL may be referred to as non-processing light. However, the intensity of the verification light IL may be set to an intensity strong enough to melt the workpiece W.

[0250] In order to irradiate the workpiece W with such verification light IL and determine whether the processing path information is appropriate, the control device 17 may generate a verification movement path TR, which is a target movement path of a target irradiation position to which the verification light IL should be irradiated, based on the processing path information acquired in step S304. Thereafter, the control device 17 may control the processing unit 12 and the stage unit 13 so that the target irradiation position of the verification light IL moves along the generated verification movement path TR. In other words, the control device 17 may control the processing unit 12 and the stage unit 13 so that the verification light IL is irradiated onto the workpiece W along the generated verification movement path TR.

[0251] The verification movement path TR may include at least a portion of the target movement path of the target irradiation position (target irradiation area EA) of the processing light EL indicated by the processing path information. In other words, the verification movement path TR may include at least a portion of the processing path. For example, as shown in FIG. 24, the verification movement path TR may include a portion of the processing path indicated by the processing path information that is located on the outermost side on the surface of the workpiece W (the outermost path PP).

[0252] The control device 17 may generate the verification movement path TR based on processing path information for forming at least one structural layer SL among the plurality of structural layers SL to be formed in order to form the three-dimensional structure ST. For example, the control device 17 may generate the verification movement path TR based on processing path information for forming the first structural layer SL. That is, the control device 17 may generate the verification movement path TR that includes at least a part of the target movement path of the target irradiation position (target irradiation area EA) of the processing light EL for forming the first structural layer SL. The control device 17 may generate the verification movement path TR that includes a path different from the target movement path of the target irradiation position (target irradiation area EA) of the processing light EL for forming the first structural layer SL.

[0253] When the workpiece W is irradiated with the verification light IL by the test irradiation operation, the control device 17 monitors the irradiation state of the verification light IL on the workpiece W (step S305). Specifically, the imaging device 14 captures an image of the state of the verification light IL on the surface of the workpiece W. The control device 17 monitors the irradiation state of the verification light IL on the workpiece W based on the image generated by the imaging device 14.

[0254] The control device 17 may determine whether or not the inspection light IL is being irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W by monitoring the irradiation state of the inspection light IL onto the workpiece W (step S305).

[0255] For example, when the verification light IL is irradiated onto the surface of the workpiece W, the verification light IL forms a beam spot on the surface of the workpiece W. Similarly, when the verification light IL is irradiated onto the surface of an object other than the workpiece W, the verification light IL forms a beam spot on the surface of the object other than the workpiece W. Here, the characteristics of the beam spot formed by the verification light IL on the surface of the workpiece W are likely to be different from the characteristics of the beam spot formed by the verification light IL on the surface of an object other than the workpiece W. For example, the size of the beam spot formed by the verification light IL on the surface of the workpiece W is likely to be different from the size of the beam spot formed by the verification light IL on the surface of an object other than the workpiece W. In this case, the control device 17 may calculate the size of the beam spot formed by the verification light IL from the image captured by the imaging device 14, and determine whether the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W based on the calculated size of the beam spot. Note that the control device 17 may calculate the size of an image portion in the image where the brightness value is equal to or greater than a predetermined brightness threshold (for example, the number of pixels in the image where the brightness value is equal to or greater than a predetermined brightness threshold) as the size of the beam spot.

[0256] For example, when the state of the verification light IL changes from a state in which the verification light IL is irradiated onto the workpiece W to a state in which the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W, a beam spot may be formed on both the surface of the workpiece W and the surface of the object other than the workpiece W, resulting in an increase in the size of the beam spot. Therefore, the control device 17 may determine that the verification light IL is irradiating an object other than the workpiece W when the size of the beam spot becomes larger than a predetermined first size. The control device 17 may determine that the verification light IL is irradiating the workpiece W when the size of the beam spot becomes smaller than the predetermined first size.

[0257] For example, when the state of the verification light IL changes from a state in which the verification light IL is irradiated onto the workpiece W to a state in which the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W, the beam spot reflected in the image may become dark. For this reason, the control device 17 may determine that the verification light IL is irradiating an object other than the workpiece W when the luminance of the image portion in which the beam spot is reflected is lower than a predetermined first luminance value. The control device 17 may determine that the verification light IL is irradiating the workpiece W when the luminance of the image portion in which the beam spot is reflected is higher than a predetermined first luminance value.

[0258] For example, if the distance between the surface of the workpiece W and the imaging device 14 is different from the distance between the surface of an object other than the workpiece W and the imaging device 14, when the state of the verification light IL changes from a state in which the verification light IL is irradiated onto the workpiece W to a state in which the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W, the size of the beam spot calculated from the image may increase because the imaging device 14 captures the beam spot in a defocused state. This is because the image generated by the imaging device 14 includes an out-of-focus beam spot. For this reason, the control device 17 may determine that the verification light IL is irradiating an object other than the workpiece W when the size of the beam spot becomes larger than a predetermined second size. The control device 17 may determine that the verification light IL is irradiating the workpiece W when the size of the beam spot becomes smaller than the predetermined second size.

[0259] For example, if the surface of the workpiece W is closer to the imaging device 14 than the surface of an object other than the workpiece W, the size of the beam spot may become smaller when the state of the verification light IL changes from a state in which the verification light IL is irradiated onto the workpiece W to a state in which the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W. Therefore, the control device 17 may determine that the verification light IL is irradiating an object other than the workpiece W when the size of the beam spot becomes smaller than a predetermined third size. The control device 17 may determine that the verification light IL is irradiating an object other than the workpiece W when the size of the beam spot becomes larger than the predetermined third size.

[0260] For example, when the state of the verification light IL changes from a state in which the verification light IL is irradiated onto the workpiece W to a state in which the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W, the beam spot may fall outside the imaging range of the imaging device 14, which is aligned with the workpiece W to image the surface of the workpiece W. As a result, the size of the beam spot calculated from the image may become zero. This is because the beam spot will no longer appear in the image generated by the imaging device 14. For this reason, the control device 17 may determine that the verification light IL is irradiating an object other than the workpiece W when the size of the beam spot becomes zero (i.e., the beam spot disappears from the image).

[0261] The imaging device 14 may continuously capture images of the state of the verification light IL on the surface of the workpiece W. As a result, the imaging device 14 may generate multiple images as time-series data. The control device 17 may monitor the irradiation state of the verification light IL on the workpiece W based on the multiple images generated by the imaging device 14. For example, the control device 17 may calculate the size of the beam spot of each of the multiple images and determine whether the verification light IL is irradiating an object other than the workpiece W based on the difference in the beam spot size between two temporally consecutive images. The control device 17 may determine that the verification light IL is irradiating the workpiece W if the difference in the beam spot size between two temporally consecutive images is smaller than a predetermined difference threshold. The control device 17 may determine that the verification light IL is irradiating an object other than the workpiece W if the difference in the beam spot size between two temporally consecutive images is larger than a predetermined difference threshold. Furthermore, the control device 17 may identify the maximum value of the beam spot size on a graph showing the change in the beam spot size over time, and identify the position of the workpiece W corresponding to the identified maximum value (i.e., the position where the verification light IL was irradiated at the time corresponding to the maximum value) as the position where the state of the verification light IL changed from a state where the verification light IL was irradiated onto the workpiece W to a state where the verification light IL was irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W, or from a state where the verification light IL was irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W to a state where the verification light IL was irradiated onto the workpiece W.

[0262] Alternatively, if the intensity of the verification light IL is set to a level high enough to melt the workpiece W, when the verification light IL is irradiated onto the surface of the workpiece W, the verification light IL forms a weld pool MP on the surface of the workpiece W. Similarly, when the verification light IL is irradiated onto the surface of an object other than the workpiece W, the verification light IL forms a weld pool MP on the surface of the object other than the workpiece W. Here, the characteristics of the weld pool MP formed by the verification light IL on the surface of the workpiece W are likely to be different from the characteristics of the weld pool MP formed by the verification light IL on the surface of an object other than the workpiece W. For example, the size of the weld pool MP formed by the verification light IL on the surface of the workpiece W is likely to be different from the size of the weld pool MP formed by the verification light IL on the surface of an object other than the workpiece W. In this case, the control device 17 may calculate the size of the weld pool MP formed by the verification light IL from the image captured by the imaging device 14 and determine whether the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W based on the calculated size of the weld pool MP. Note that the larger the size of the beam spot formed by the verification light IL, the larger the size of the weld pool MP formed by the verification light IL. Therefore, the control device 17 may determine whether the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W based on the size of the molten pool MP, just as it determines whether the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W based on the size of the beam spot.

[0263] When a molten pool MP is formed, a thermal camera may capture an image of the state of the verification light IL on the surface of the workpiece W in addition to or instead of the imaging device 14. This is because the temperature of the molten pool MP is much higher than the temperature of the workpiece W surrounding the molten pool MP, making it possible to identify the molten pool MP based on the temperature. The control device 17 may calculate the size of the molten pool MP formed by the verification light IL based on the thermal image generated by the thermal camera.

[0264] Alternatively, if the intensity of the verification light IL is set to be strong enough to melt the workpiece W, when the verification light IL is irradiated onto the surface of the workpiece W, a processing mark is formed on the surface of the workpiece W. Similarly, when the verification light IL is irradiated onto the surface of an object other than the workpiece W, a processing mark is formed on the surface of the object other than the workpiece W. Here, the characteristics of the processing mark formed by the verification light IL on the surface of the workpiece W are likely to be different from the characteristics of the processing mark formed by the verification light IL on the surface of an object other than the workpiece W. For example, the size of the processing mark formed by the verification light IL on the surface of the workpiece W is likely to be different from the size of the processing mark formed by the verification light IL on the surface of an object other than the workpiece W. In this case, the control device 17 may calculate the size of the processing mark formed by the verification light IL from the image captured by the imaging device 14 and determine whether the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W based on the calculated size of the processing mark. Note that the larger the size of the beam spot formed by the verification light IL, the larger the size of the processing mark formed by the verification light IL. Therefore, the control device 17 may determine whether the verification light IL is being irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W based on the size of the processing marks, just as it determines whether the verification light IL is being irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W based on the size of the beam spot.

[0265] Here, the technical reason for determining whether or not the inspection light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W will be described with reference to FIGS. 25(a) and 25(b).

[0266] 25(a) shows a first example of an actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL when the verification light IL is irradiated onto the workpiece W along the verification movement path TR shown in FIG. 24. The movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL assumed from the verification movement path TR shown in FIG. 24 is always located on the surface of the workpiece W, while a part of the actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL shown in FIG. 25(a) is located on the surface of an object other than the workpiece W. In this case, there is a high possibility that the machining path information used to generate the verification movement path TR is inappropriate. Therefore, if it is determined as a result of the determination in step S305 that the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W (step S305: Yes), the control device 17 may determine that the machining path information acquired in step S303 is inappropriate.

[0267] On the other hand, FIG. 25(b) shows a second example of the actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL when the verification light IL is irradiated onto the workpiece W along the verification movement path TR shown in FIG. 24. The movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL assumed from the verification movement path TR shown in FIG. 24 is always located on the surface of the workpiece W, and the actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL shown in FIG. 25(b) is also located on the surface of the workpiece W. In this case, it is highly likely that the machining path information used to generate the verification movement path TR is appropriate. Therefore, if it is determined in step S305 that the verification light IL is irradiated onto the workpiece W (step S305: No), the control device 17 may determine that the machining path information acquired in step S303 is appropriate.

[0268] As a result of the judgment in step S305, if it is judged that the machining path information acquired in step S303 is inappropriate (step S305: Yes), the control device 17 may correct the machining path information acquired in step S303.

[0269] Here, when the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W, as shown in FIG. 26 , the machining path indicated by the machining path information before correction may be deviated from its original position on the surface of the workpiece W in a direction along the surface of the workpiece W. For example, when the verification light IL is irradiated onto a verification movement path TR including the outermost path PP of the machining path, and as a result the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W, the outermost path PP corresponding to the verification movement path TR may be deviated from its original position on the surface of the workpiece W in a direction along the surface of the workpiece W. As a result, the machining path inside the outermost path PP may also be deviated from its original position on the surface of the workpiece W in a direction along the surface of the workpiece W. In this case, the machining light EL irradiated onto the workpiece W to machine the workpiece W may be irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W. For this reason, the control device 17 may correct the machining path information to correct this deviation of the machining path. In other words, the control device 17 may correct the machining path information so that the corrected machining path indicates the original position on the surface of the workpiece W.

[0270] To correct the machining path information, the control device 17 may correct the machining path information based on the positional relationship between the workpiece W and the actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL. For example, the control device 17 may identify the actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL from an image captured by the imaging device 14. The control device 17 may identify the movement trajectory of the beam spot (or the molten pool MP or the machining trace) as the actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL. Then, as shown in FIG. 27(a), the control device 17 may calculate at least one of the amount and direction of deviation of the actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL from the movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL assumed from the verification movement path TR, based on the positional relationship between the workpiece W and the actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL. In the example shown in FIG. 27(a), the control device 17 calculates both the amount and direction of deviation by calculating the amount of deviation in the X-axis direction and the amount of deviation in the Y-axis direction. The deviation amount between the actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL and the movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL estimated from the verification movement path TR corresponds to the deviation amount of the machining path. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 27(b), the control device 17 may correct the machining path information by moving the machining path indicated by the machining path information by the calculated deviation amount. Similarly, the direction of deviation between the actual movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL and the movement path of the irradiation position of the verification light IL estimated from the verification movement path TR corresponds to the direction of deviation of the machining path. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 27(b), the control device 17 may correct the machining path information by moving the machining path indicated by the machining path information in the direction opposite to the calculated deviation direction. As a result, as shown in FIG. 27(b), the corrected machining path information becomes appropriate machining path information.

[0271] When the machining path information is corrected, the machining device 1 machines the workpiece W based on the corrected machining path information. As a result, the machining device 1 can machine the workpiece W with higher accuracy compared to when the workpiece W is machined based on uncorrected machining path information.

[0272] The machining apparatus 1 may perform the above-described machining path verification operation before starting machining of the workpiece W. The machining apparatus 1 may perform the above-described machining path verification operation after starting machining of the workpiece W. The machining apparatus 1 may perform the above-described machining path verification operation after temporarily interrupting machining of the workpiece W. In this case, the machining apparatus 1 may perform the test irradiation operation using the verification movement path TR generated in the machining path verification operation performed before starting machining of the workpiece W. Alternatively, the machining apparatus 1 may generate a new verification movement path TR different from the verification movement path TR generated in the machining path verification operation performed before starting machining of the workpiece W, and perform the test irradiation operation using the generated new verification movement path TR. Furthermore, when the machining path verification operation is performed after temporarily interrupting machining of the workpiece W, the machining apparatus 1 may perform the test irradiation operation by irradiating the workpiece W with a verification light IL during machining. For example, if the machining apparatus 1 is an additive machining apparatus, the machining apparatus 1 may perform the test irradiation operation by irradiating a shaped object formed by additive machining with a verification light IL. For example, if the processing device 1 is a removal processing device, the processing device 1 may perform a test irradiation operation by irradiating the workpiece W from which a portion of a structure has been removed by removal processing with the verification light IL. After that, the processing device 1 may resume the interrupted processing of the workpiece W after completing the processing path verification operation.

[0273] When multiple workpieces W are held on the holder 5, the machining system SYS may perform the machining path verification operation on all of the workpieces W, or on only some of the workpieces W. The machining system SYS may also omit the execution of the machining path verification operation. For example, when machining a workpiece W that does not require high machining accuracy, the machining system SYS may start machining the workpiece W without performing the machining path verification operation.

[0274] (3) Technical effect As described above, the machining system SYS of this embodiment generates machining path information based on measurement information indicating the measurement results of the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W, and the calibration information 3222. Therefore, the machining system SYS can generate machining path information that controls the machining device 1 so as to machine the workpiece W with high precision. The reason for this will be explained below with reference to Figs. 28(a) to 28(c).

[0275] First, if the calibration operation is not performed, the processing path information is generated based on the three-dimensional shape of the workpiece W measured by the measurement system 3 without using the calibration information 3222 indicating the actual position of the holder 5 placed at the reference placement position of the processing device 1.

[0276] In this case, as shown in Fig. 28(a), when the holder 5 is placed in an ideal state at the reference placement position of the processing device 1, the processing device 1 can properly process the workpiece W using the processing path information generated without using the calibration information 3222. Fig. 28(a) shows an example in which the processing device 1 is an additive processing device. In this case, the processing device 1 can properly form an object of an appropriate shape on the workpiece W.

[0277] On the other hand, the holder 5 is not necessarily placed in an ideal state at the reference placement position of the processing apparatus 1. For example, the holder 5 placed at the reference placement position as shown in FIG. 28(a) may be tilted as shown in FIG. 28(b). That is, the holder 5 may be rotated a predetermined amount around at least one of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis from the ideal state. For example, the holder 5 placed at the reference placement position may be misaligned. That is, the holder 5 may be misaligned a predetermined translation amount along at least one of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis from the ideal state. Furthermore, the holder 5 may not be manufactured as designed, or a part of the holder 5 (e.g., the support member 52) may be deformed, resulting in the reference portion 522 not being positioned as ideal (as designed). In this case, the processing apparatus 1 may not be able to properly machine the workpiece W using machining path information generated without using the calibration information 3222. 28(a) to 28(c) show an example in which the processing device 1 is an additive processing device. In this case, the processing device 1 may unintentionally form an object having an abnormal shape that is different from an appropriate shape for the workpiece W, as shown in FIG. 28(b).

[0278] Therefore, in this embodiment, machining path information is generated using calibration information 3222 that indicates the actual position of the holder 5 placed at the reference placement position of the processing apparatus 1. Therefore, the machining path information reflects the rotation and positional deviation of the holder 5 described above. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 28( c), the processing apparatus 1 can appropriately machine the workpiece W using the machining path information generated using the calibration information 3222. That is, the processing apparatus 1 can appropriately machine the workpiece W not only when the holder 5 is placed in an ideal state at the reference placement position of the processing apparatus 1, but also when the holder 5 is not placed in an ideal state at the reference placement position of the processing apparatus 1. As a result, the machining accuracy of the processing apparatus 1 is improved. Furthermore, when the calibration information 3222 is generated by processing the base plate 50 attached to the holder 5 with processing light EL and measuring the position of the processing mark, more accurate calibration information 3222 can be generated for the combination of the processing apparatus 1 and the holder 5.

[0279] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the calibration information 3222 is generated for each combination pattern of the processing device 1 and the holder 5. In this case, even if the rotation and positional deviation states of the holder 5 described above differ for each combination pattern of the processing device 1 and the holder 5, the processing device 1 can properly process the workpiece W held by the holder 5.

[0280] Furthermore, in the machining system SYS, a measurement system 3 different from the machining device 1 generates machining path information. Therefore, the measurement system 3 can generate machining path information for each of the multiple machining devices 1. For example, the measurement system 3 can generate machining path information to be used by a first machining device 1 and machining path information to be used by a second machining device 1 different from the first machining device 1. In this case, considering that it takes a long time to machine the workpiece W by the machining device 1, the throughput required for machining the workpiece W of the machining system SYS as a whole is improved compared to when each of the multiple machining devices 1 generates machining path information individually.

[0281] Furthermore, the machining system SYS can perform a machining path verification operation. As a result, if it is determined that the machining path information is inappropriate, the machining system SYS can correct the machining path information. As a result, the machining system SYS can machine the workpiece W with higher accuracy compared to when the workpiece W is machined based on uncorrected machining path information.

[0282] The processing system SYS of this embodiment can contribute to Goal 9 "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and innovate resilient infrastructure" and Target 9-4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) led by the United Nations, which states, "By 2030, make infrastructure and industry sustainable through more efficient use of resources and increased adoption of environmentally friendly technologies and production methods. All countries, according to their respective capabilities, should take action to achieve this."

[0283] (4) Variations (4-1) Modified example of calibration operation In the above description, the processing mark measuring device 2 measures the position of the processing mark on the base plate 50 processed by the processing apparatus 1. However, in addition to or instead of the processing mark measuring device 2, the processing apparatus 1 may measure the position of the processing mark on the base plate 50. For example, the processing apparatus 1 may be provided with the processing mark measuring device 2, and the processing apparatus 1 may measure the position of the processing mark on the base plate 50 using the processing mark measuring device 2. For example, the processing apparatus 1 may measure the position of the processing mark on the base plate 50 using the imaging device 14 of the processing apparatus 1. In this case, the processing system SYS may process the base plate 50 using the processing apparatus 1 with the holder 5 placed at the reference placement position, and measure the position of the processing mark using the processing mark measuring device 2 while the holder 5 remains placed at the reference placement position. Alternatively, the measurement system 3 may measure the position of the processing mark on the base plate 50. In this case, the measurement system 3 may be provided with a measurement device for measuring the position of the processing mark on the base plate 50. Alternatively, the measurement system 3 may use the shape measurement device 31 to measure the position of the processing marks on the base plate 50 .

[0284] In the above description, the processing apparatus 1 processes the base plate 50, and the calibration information 3222 is generated based on processing mark position information indicating measurement results of the positions of processing marks on the base plate 50. However, the processing apparatus 1 does not have to process the base plate 50. In this case, for example, marks may be formed in advance on the surface of the base plate 50. The calibration information 3222 may be generated based on measurement results of the positions of the marks on the base plate 50. However, in this case, the processing apparatus 1 may measure the positions of the marks on the base plate 50. Specifically, the processing apparatus 1 may measure the positions of the marks formed on the base plate 50 installed in the processing apparatus 1 using a measuring device (for example, the above-mentioned processing mark measuring device 2 or imaging device 14) included in the processing apparatus 1. Even in this case, the measurement system 3 (particularly, the machining path generating device 32) can calculate the position of the holder 5 in the machining coordinate system (for example, the position of the reference portion 522 in at least one of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction) based on the measurement results of the position of the mark formed on the base plate 50 and information on the positional relationship between the reference portion 522 of the holder 5 and the base plate 50. Therefore, even when the machining device 1 does not machine the base plate 50, the machining system SYS can enjoy the above-mentioned effects. In other words, the machining system SYS can machine the workpiece W with high precision while taking into account variations in the placement of the holder 5 relative to the machining device 1 (in other words, mounting errors of the holder 5 relative to the machining device 1).

[0285] However, when the processing device 1 processes the base plate 50, the processing system SYS can process the workpiece W with high precision while taking into consideration not only variations in the placement of the holder 5 relative to the processing device 1 (in other words, mounting errors of the holder 5 relative to the processing device 1) but also mounting errors of at least one of the processing head 121 and the stage 131. This is because the position of the processing mark formed on the base plate 50 by the processing device 1 depends on mounting errors of at least one of the processing head 121 and the stage 131, and therefore measurement of the position of the processing mark corresponds to measurement of the position of the processing mark reflecting mounting errors of at least one of the processing head 121 and the stage 131.

[0286] In addition to or instead of processing the base plate 50, the processing device 1 may process a member different from the base plate 50. For example, a member (e.g., at least one of thermal paper, photosensitive paper, etc.) made of a material that reacts to the processing light EL may be placed on the base plate 50. At least one member such as thermal paper, photosensitive paper, etc. may be attached to the base plate 50. In this case, the processing device 1 may irradiate the member with the processing light EL. The processing mark measuring device 2 may measure a mark (e.g., a thermal mark or a photosensitive mark) formed on the member by the processing light EL.

[0287] (4-2) Modified example of machining path generation operation In the above description, the measurement system 3 transmits the generated machining path information to the machining device 1. However, the measurement system 3 may transmit the generated machining path information to a relay server, and the relay server may transmit the machining path information received from the measurement system 3 to the machining device 1.

[0288] In the above description, the measurement system 3 generates the machining path information. However, a device other than the measurement system 3 may generate the machining path information. For example, the machining apparatus 1 (particularly, the control device 17) may generate the machining path information. In this case, the measurement system 3 may transmit measurement information indicating the measurement results of the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W by the measurement system 3, and calibration information 3222, to the machining apparatus 1. The machining apparatus 1 may generate the machining path information based on the measurement information and calibration information 3222 received from the measurement system 3. Alternatively, for example, a server other than the machining apparatus 1 and the measurement system 3 may generate the machining path information. In this case, the measurement system 3 may transmit measurement information indicating the measurement results of the three-dimensional shapes of the holder 5 and the workpiece W by the measurement system 3, and calibration information 3222, to the server. The server may generate the machining path information based on the measurement information and calibration information 3222 received from the measurement system 3. The server may transmit the generated machining path information to the machining apparatus 1.

[0289] The calibration information 3222 generated for each combination pattern of the processing device 1 and the holder 5 may be stored in the storage device 322 of the measurement system 3 as batch information linked to multiple pieces of information. For example, the calibration information 3222 may be stored as batch information in which machining path information (e.g., at least one of the machining path information generated in step S207 of FIG. 20 and the machining path information corrected in step S303 of FIG. 23) and the calibration information 3222 are linked. For example, the calibration information 3222 may be stored as batch information in which the calibration information 3222 is linked to at least one of the following, in addition to or instead of the machining path information: unique information of the workpiece W, a three-dimensional model of the workpiece W (e.g., a measurement model), a three-dimensional model having a three-dimensional shape of a portion to be machined by the processing device 1 (i.e., a machining model), a three-dimensional model assuming a shape of the workpiece after repair (e.g., a target model, which may be referred to as a post-repair model), and a machining history of the processing device 1. The batch information may also include information about the processing device 1 that actually processed the workpiece W among the multiple processing devices 1. The batch information may also include information about the measurement system 3 that actually measured the workpiece W. The batch information may be stored in the processing device 1, the measurement system 3, or a device different from the processing device 1 and the measurement system 3. For example, the batch information may be stored on a server, software on a customer's terminal, or cloud software. The batch information may also include information about the scheduled time when at least one of processing and measurement of the workpiece W is to be performed. The batch information may also include information about the actual time when at least one of processing and measurement of the workpiece W was actually performed. For example, the batch information may include time-series information about the measurement time, processing time, and various operations of the processing system SYS. In this case, the batch information may be generated for each combination of the processing device 1, the holder 5, and the processing date and time. In this case, the latest information may be used as the batch information, or the batch information may be updated (in other words, overwritten) as appropriate.The batch information may be displayed on a display device so that it can be viewed by workers or managers.

[0290] (4-3) Modified Example of Machining Path Verification Operation In the above description, the verification movement path TR along which the irradiation position of the verification light IL moves includes at least a part of the target movement path (i.e., the processing path) of the target irradiation position (target irradiation area EA) of the processing light EL indicated by the processing path information. However, the verification movement path TR may include a path different from the target movement path of the target irradiation position (target irradiation area EA) of the processing light EL indicated by the processing path information. In other words, the verification movement path TR may include a path different from the processing path.

[0291] For example, the verification movement path TR may include a path that intersects with at least a part of the machining path. As an example, as shown in Fig. 29, the verification movement path TR may include an intersecting path that intersects with the outermost path PP of the machining paths indicated by the machining path information. In particular, the verification movement path TR may include multiple intersecting paths that intersect with the outermost path PP of the machining paths indicated by the machining path information.

[0292] The processing apparatus 1 may perform the test irradiation operation so that the irradiation position of the inspection light IL moves from the inside to the outside of the outermost pass PP, as shown in Fig. 29. However, the processing apparatus 1 may also perform the test irradiation operation so that the irradiation position of the inspection light IL moves from the outside to the inside of the outermost pass PP.

[0293] Here, when a verification movement path TR including an intersecting path that intersects with the machining path is generated, there is a high possibility that, during the process in which the irradiation position of the verification light IL moves along the verification movement path TR by the test irradiation operation, there will be times when the verification light IL should be irradiated onto the workpiece W and times when the verification light IL should not be irradiated onto the workpiece W. In other words, there is a high possibility that there will be times when the verification light IL should be irradiated onto the workpiece W and times when the verification light IL should be irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the irradiation state of the verification light IL will change (for example, the size of the beam spot, the molten pool MP, or the machining trace will change by a predetermined amount or more) while the control device 17 is monitoring the irradiation state of the verification light IL. In other words, by generating a verification movement path TR including an intersecting path that intersects with the machining path, the control device 17 can intentionally change the state of the verification light IL between a state in which the verification light IL is irradiated onto the workpiece W and a state in which the verification light IL is irradiated onto an object other than the workpiece W.

[0294] In this case, the control device 17 can detect the timing when the irradiation state of the verification light IL changes. As a result, the control device 17 can estimate the outer edge of the workpiece W by monitoring the irradiation state of the verification light IL. Specifically, the control device 17 can estimate the outer edge of the workpiece W by connecting positions where the irradiation state of the verification light IL changes on multiple intersecting paths. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 30(a) and 30(b), the control device 17 can estimate the positional relationship between the workpiece W (specifically, the estimated outer edge of the workpiece W) and the machining path. In this case, as shown in FIG. 30(a), if the machining path is located inside the estimated outer edge of the workpiece W, the control device 17 may determine that the machining path information is appropriate. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 30(b), if at least a part of the machining path is located outside the estimated outer edge of the workpiece W, the control device 17 may determine that the machining path information is inappropriate. In this case, the control device 17 may correct the machining path information based on the positional relationship between the workpiece W (specifically, the estimated outer edge of the workpiece W) and the machining path.

[0295] In this way, even when a verification movement path TR is generated that includes an intersecting path that intersects with the machining path, the machining system SYS can appropriately determine whether the machining path information is appropriate. Therefore, the machining system SYS can accurately machine the workpiece W.

[0296] 31, the verification movement path TR may include a path obtained by shifting at least a portion of the processing path by a predetermined distance. As an example, as shown in FIG. 31, the verification movement path TR may include a path obtained by shifting the outermost path PP of the processing paths indicated by the processing path information by a predetermined distance. Even in this case, the irradiation state of the verification light IL is likely to change while the control device 17 is monitoring the irradiation state of the verification light IL. Therefore, the above-mentioned effects can be achieved.

[0297] (4-4) Modified examples of the holder 5 A mark may be formed on the connecting member 53 of the holder 5. For example, a sticker indicating the mark may be attached to the connecting member 53 of the holder 5. The mark formed on the connecting member 53 may be used for measuring the holder 5. For example, after a transformation matrix for transforming a position in either the machining coordinate system or the measurement coordinate system into a position in the other of the machining coordinate system or the measurement coordinate system is generated by the machining path generation operation, the machining path generation unit 3212 may calculate the position of the mark formed on the connecting member 53 in the machining coordinate system based on the transformation matrix. Thereafter, the machining path generation unit 3212 may generate machining path information based on the position of the mark in the machining coordinate system.

[0298] A predetermined read code may be formed on the holder 5. For example, the read code may be formed on at least one of the bottom member 51, the support member 52, and the connecting member 53 of the holder 5. The read code may include a one-dimensional code (e.g., a barcode). The read code may include a two-dimensional code (e.g., a QR code). Note that in addition to or instead of the holder 5, the read code may be formed on the workpiece W.

[0299] The read code may include information for identifying the holder 5. For example, the read code may include unique identification information of the holder 5. The processing device 1 may identify the holder 5 placed on the processing device 1 by acquiring the information included in the read code. The measurement system 3 may identify the holder 5 placed on the measurement system 3 by acquiring the information included in the read code. A control device (e.g., control server 6) different from the processing device 1 and the measurement system 3 may identify the holder 5 placed on the processing device 1 or the measurement system 3 by acquiring the information included in the read code. Note that the information included in the read code may be acquired using a reading device (e.g., a code scanner) included in at least one of the processing device 1 and the measurement system 3. The information included in the read code may be acquired using a reading device (e.g., a handheld scanner) included by the user.

[0300] At least one of the processing device 1, the measurement system 3, and the control device may acquire information usable for machining the workpiece W using the holder 5 identified based on the information included in the read code. As an example, if the holder 5 placed on the processing device 1 or the measurement system 3 is identified as a holder 5 assigned the identification number "0001" based on the information included in the read code, at least one of the processing device 1, the measurement system 3, and the control device may acquire information usable for machining the workpiece W using information related to the holder 5 assigned the identification number "0001." As another example, if the holder 5 placed on the processing device 1 or the measurement system 3 is identified as a holder 5 assigned the identification number "0002" based on the information included in the read code, at least one of the processing device 1, the measurement system 3, and the control device may acquire information usable for machining the workpiece W using information related to the holder 5 assigned the identification number "0002." In this case, the processing device 1 may machine the workpiece W using the acquired information. The measurement system 3 may generate machining path information using the acquired information.

[0301] Examples of information that can be used to machine the workpiece W using the holder 5 include at least one of calibration information, machining path information, unique information about the workpiece W, a three-dimensional model of the workpiece W (e.g., a measurement model), a three-dimensional model having a three-dimensional shape of the part to be machined by the machining device 1 (i.e., a machining model), and a three-dimensional model that assumes the shape of the workpiece after repair (e.g., a target model, which may also be referred to as a post-repair model). An example of information that can be used to machine the workpiece W using the holder 5 is the batch information described above.

[0302] In this way, when batch information (or each piece of information included in the batch information, the same applies hereinafter in this paragraph) is acquired using the read code, the batch information can be reused. Therefore, by reusing the batch information, the machining system SYS does not need to newly generate the batch information. For example, if the calibration information 3222 is reusable, the measurement system 3 may identify the holder 5 using the read code in step S205 of FIG. 20 and acquire the calibration information 3222 corresponding to the identified holder 5. The measurement system 3 may identify the holder 5 using the read code in step S206 of FIG. 20 and acquire machining model data corresponding to the identified holder 5. The measurement system 3 may identify the holder 5 using the read code in step S207 of FIG. 20 and acquire machining path information corresponding to the identified holder 5. This improves the throughput of the machining system SYS.

[0303] The batch information acquired using the read code (or each piece of information included in the batch information, the same applies hereinafter in this paragraph) may be displayed on a display device. For example, the batch information may be displayed on a display device provided in at least one of the first computer provided in the processing device 1, the second computer provided in the processing mark measuring device 2, the third computer provided in the measurement system 3, and the control server 6. The batch information may be displayed on a display device of an information terminal (for example, a laptop computer, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal) provided by a user of the processing system SYS. As a result, the user can check the contents of the batch information.

[0304] Furthermore, as described above, when the batch information is stored in at least one of the processing device 1, the measurement system 3, and other devices, the batch information may be stored in a state in which the information contained in the reading code (i.e., information that uniquely identifies the holder 5) is associated with the batch information.

[0305] (4-5) Other variations In the above description, the processing apparatus 1 processes the workpiece W using the processing light EL. However, the processing apparatus 1 may process the workpiece W using any energy beam. Examples of the any energy beam include at least one of a charged particle beam and an electromagnetic wave. Examples of the charged particle beam include at least one of an electron beam and an ion beam.

[0306] At least some of the constituent elements of each of the above-described embodiments can be appropriately combined with at least some of the other constituent elements of each of the above-described embodiments. Some of the constituent elements of each of the above-described embodiments may not be used. Furthermore, to the extent permitted by law, the disclosures of all publications and U.S. patents cited in each of the above-described embodiments are incorporated herein by reference.

[0307] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims and the gist or idea of ​​the invention as can be read from the entire specification, and the processing method, processing system, and information acquisition method involving such modifications are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0308] SYS Machining System 1 Processing equipment 12 Processing Unit 13 Stage Unit 14 Imaging device 17 Control device 2. Processing mark measuring device 3. Measurement System 31 Shape measurement device 32 Machining path generator 321 Arithmetic equipment 3211 Calibration Unit 3212 Machining path generation unit 322 Storage device 3220 Calibration Information DB 3222 Calibration Information 4. Conveyor equipment 5 Holder 50, 50A, 50B baseplate 509 Reference part 51 Bottom member 52 Support member 521 Plate fixing member 522 Reference part 523 Stopper double work EL processing light IL verification light MP molten pool

Claims

1. A processing method for processing an object held by a holder using a processing device that can process the object by irradiating the object with a processing beam, the method comprising: acquiring holder information including information about a position of a reference portion of the holder placed at a reference placement position of the processing device in a processing coordinate system of the processing device; installing the holder that holds the workpiece in a measuring device; acquiring, using the measurement device, measurement information including information about a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece on the holder in a measurement coordinate system of the measurement device and information about a position of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system; removing the holder that holds the workpiece from the measurement device; generating processing path information in the processing coordinate system that indicates a target irradiation position to be irradiated with the processing beam in order to process the object, based on the holder information acquired before the holder that holds the object removed from the measurement device is installed on the processing device and the measurement information; placing the holder that holds the object removed from the measuring device at the reference placement position of the processing device; machining the workpiece on the holder placed at the reference placement position of the processing device based on the processing path information; A processing method comprising:

2. a reference member is disposed on the holder in a predetermined positional relationship with the reference portion; The obtaining of the holder information includes: placing the holder at the reference placement position; using the processing beam to irradiate specific coordinates in the processing coordinate system, thereby processing the surface of the reference member of the holder placed at the reference placement position; measuring the position of the processed portion of the surface of the reference member; Contains The processing method according to claim 1.

3. the measurement device is a first measurement device, Measuring the position of the processed portion of the surface of the reference member includes measuring the position of the processed portion of the surface of the reference member using a second measurement device different from the first measurement device. The processing method according to claim 2.

4. The measurement using the second measurement device includes: After processing the surface of the reference member of the holder, removing the processed reference member from the holder; placing the reference member removed from the holder on the second measuring device; measuring the position of the processed portion on the reference member using the second measuring device; The processing method according to claim 3, comprising:

5. The holder information is obtained based on a target position of the machined portion on the reference member and a position of the machined portion on the reference member measured using the second measuring device. The processing method according to claim 4.

6. The position of the machined portion of the reference member is measured after the holder is removed from the processing device. The processing method according to any one of claims 2 to 5.

7. Obtaining the holder information includes obtaining position information of the reference member in the processing coordinate system in a state where the holder is placed at the reference placement position of the processing device. The processing method according to any one of claims 2 to 6.

8. removing the holder from the processing device after processing of the first object to be processed is completed, with the object to be processed being a first object to be processed; removing the processed first workpiece from the holder; placing the holder to which a second object to be processed, which is different from the first object to be processed, is attached on a measuring device; acquiring, using the measurement device, second measurement information, the second measurement information including information on the three-dimensional shape of the second workpiece on the holder in a measurement coordinate system of the measurement device, and information on the position of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system, using the measurement information as first measurement information; removing the holder that holds the second workpiece from the measurement device; generating second processing path information in the processing coordinate system, which indicates a target irradiation position to be irradiated with the processing beam in order to process the second object, based on the holder information and the second measurement information, using the processing path information as first processing path information; placing the holder that holds the second object removed from the measuring device at the reference placement position of the processing device; machining the second workpiece on the holder placed at the reference placement position of the processing device based on the second processing path information; The processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising:

9. setting the workpiece as a first workpiece and the holder as a first holder, and after completing processing of the first workpiece, removing the first holder from the processing device; placing a second holder, which is different from the first holder and which holds a third object different from the first object, on a measuring device; acquiring, using the measurement device with the measurement information as first measurement information, third measurement information including information on the three-dimensional shape of the third workpiece on the second holder in a measurement coordinate system of the measurement device and information on the position of a reference portion of the second holder in the measurement coordinate system; removing the second holder that holds the third object from the measurement device; generating third processing path information in the processing coordinate system indicating a target irradiation position to be irradiated with the processing beam in order to process the third workpiece, based on second holder information including information on the position of the reference portion of the second holder in the processing coordinate system and the third measurement information, with the holder information being set as first holder information and the processing path information being set as first processing path information; placing the second holder that holds the third object removed from the measuring device at the reference placement position of the processing device; machining the third workpiece on the second holder placed at the reference placement position of the processing device based on the third processing path information; The processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising:

10. The second holder information is acquired before the second holder, which holds the third workpiece removed from the measuring device, is placed on the reference placement position of the processing device. The processing method according to claim 9.

11. The second holder information includes information on the position in the processing coordinate system of the reference portion of the second holder placed at the reference placement position of the processing apparatus. The processing method according to claim 9 or 10.

12. a second reference member is disposed on the second holder in a predetermined positional relationship with the reference portion; The acquiring of the second holder information includes: placing the second holder at the reference placement position; using the processing beam to irradiate specific coordinates in the processing coordinate system, thereby processing a surface of the second reference member of the second holder placed at the reference placement position; measuring the position of the processed portion of the surface of the second reference member; The processing method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, comprising:

13. The processing device is an additive processing device or a subtractive processing device. The processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. the workpiece is defined as a first workpiece, the processing device is defined as a first processing device, and the processing coordinate system is defined as a first processing coordinate system, and the processing method further includes processing a fourth workpiece, which is different from the first workpiece and is attached to the holder, using a second processing device different from the first processing device under a second processing coordinate system of the second processing device; Processing the fourth workpiece attached to the holder using the second processing device includes: placing the holder to which the fourth object is attached on a measuring device; acquiring, using the measurement device, fourth measurement information, the fourth measurement information including information on the three-dimensional shape of the fourth workpiece on the holder in a measurement coordinate system of the measurement device, and information on the position of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system, using the measurement information as first measurement information; removing the holder that holds the fourth object from the measurement device; generating fourth processing path information in the second processing coordinate system indicating a target irradiation position to be irradiated with the processing beam in order to process the fourth object, based on third holder information including information regarding the position of the reference portion in the second processing coordinate system and the fourth measurement information, with the holder information as first holder information and the processing path information as first processing path information; placing the holder that holds the fourth object removed from the measuring device at a reference placement position of the second processing device; machining the fourth workpiece on the holder placed at the reference placement position of the second processing device based on the fourth processing path information; The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, comprising:

15. The third holder information includes information on the position in the second processing coordinate system of the reference portion of the holder placed at the reference placement position of the second processing device. The processing method according to claim 14.

16. The third holder information is acquired before the holder holding the fourth workpiece is placed on the reference placement position of the second processing device. The processing method according to claim 14 or 15.

17. a third reference member is disposed on the second holder in a predetermined positional relationship with the reference portion; The acquiring of the third holder information includes: placing the holder at the reference placement position of the second processing device; using the processing beam, irradiating the processing beam at specific coordinates in the second processing coordinate system, thereby processing a surface of the third reference member of the holder placed at the reference placement position of the second processing device; measuring the position of the processed portion of the surface of the third reference member; The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, comprising:

18. one of the first processing device and the second processing device is an additional processing device; The other of the first processing device and the second processing device is a removal processing device. The processing method according to any one of claims 14 to 17.

19. The processing method comprises: setting the measurement information as first measurement information and the object to be processed on the basis of the processing path information as a fifth object to be processed, placing the holder removed from the processing device while holding the fifth object to be processed in a measurement device, and acquiring fifth measurement information including information on the three-dimensional shape of the fifth object to be processed; defining the processing device as a first processing device and the processing coordinate system as a first processing coordinate system, and processing the fifth workpiece held by the holder using a third processing device different from the first processing device under a third processing coordinate system of the third processing device based on the fifth measurement information; The method of any one of claims 1 to 17, further comprising:

20. the fifth measurement information includes information on a three-dimensional shape of the fifth work-piece on the holder in a measurement coordinate system of the measurement device, and information on a position of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system, Processing the fifth object held by the holder using the third processing device includes: generating fifth processing path information in the third processing coordinate system indicating a target irradiation position to be irradiated with the processing beam in order to process the fifth workpiece, based on fourth holder information including information on the position of the reference portion in the third processing coordinate system and the fifth measurement information, with the processing path information set as first processing path information and the holder information set as first holder information; placing the holder that holds the fifth object taken out of the measuring device at a reference placement position of the third processing device; machining the fifth workpiece on the holder placed at the reference placement position of the third processing device based on the fifth processing path information; The method of claim 19, comprising:

21. The fourth holder information includes information on the position in the third processing coordinate system of the reference portion of the holder placed at the reference placement position of the third processing device. The processing method according to claim 20.

22. The fourth holder information is acquired before the holder holding the fifth workpiece is placed on the reference placement position of the third processing device.

22. The processing method according to claim 20 or 21.

23. one of the first processing device and the third processing device is an additional processing device; The other of the first processing device and the third processing device is a removal processing device.

22. The processing method according to any one of claims 19 to 21.

24. the first processing device is an additional processing device, The third processing device is a removal processing device. The processing method according to claim 23.

25. irradiating the object with a beam based on the generated processing path information; detecting an irradiation state of the beam on the workpiece; correcting the generated processing path information when it is determined that the processing beam is irradiated onto an object other than the processing object based on the detection result of the irradiation state; processing the object by irradiating the processing beam onto the object based on the corrected processing path information; The method of any one of claims 1 to 24, comprising:

26. A processing method for processing an object held by a holder using a processing device that can process the object by irradiating the object with a processing beam, the method comprising: acquiring holder information including information about a position of a reference portion of the holder placed at a reference placement position of the processing device in a processing coordinate system of the processing device; installing the holder that holds the workpiece in a measuring device; acquiring, using the measurement device, measurement information including information about a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece on the holder in a measurement coordinate system of the measurement device and information about a position of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system; removing the holder that holds the workpiece from the measurement device; generating processing path information in the processing coordinate system, which indicates a target irradiation position to be irradiated with the processing beam in order to process the object, based on the holder information and the measurement information; placing the holder that holds the object removed from the measuring device at the reference placement position of the processing device; irradiating the object with a non-processing beam different from the processing beam based on the generated processing path information; Detecting an irradiation state of the non-processing beam on the object to be processed; machining the object on the holder placed at the reference placement position of the processing device based on the generated processing path information and the detection result of the irradiation state; A processing method comprising:

27. The machining method further includes correcting the generated machining path information based on the detection result, The processing of the object is performed by irradiating the object with the processing beam based on the corrected processing path information. The processing method according to claim 26.

28. The processing path information indicates a target movement path of the target irradiation position.

28. The processing method according to claim 26 or 27.

29. Irradiating the non-processing beam onto the workpiece based on the generated processing path information includes irradiating the non-processing beam onto the workpiece along the target movement path. The processing method according to claim 28.

30. Irradiating the non-processing beam onto the workpiece based on the generated processing path information includes irradiating the non-processing beam onto the workpiece along a verification movement path that includes a path different from the target movement path. The processing method according to claim 28.

31. a reference member is disposed on the holder in a predetermined positional relationship with the reference portion; The obtaining of the holder information includes: placing the holder at the reference placement position; using the processing beam to irradiate specific coordinates in the processing coordinate system, thereby processing the surface of the reference member of the holder placed at the reference placement position; measuring the position of the processed portion of the surface of the reference member; The method of any one of claims 1 to 30, comprising:

32. the reference member is used as a processing reference member, and a measurement reference member is disposed on the holder in a predetermined positional relationship with the reference portion; Information about the position of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system included in the measurement information is obtained based on information about the three-dimensional shape of at least a part of the measurement reference member in the measurement coordinate system, which is acquired using the measurement device.

32. The processing method according to any one of claims 31.

33. The measurement reference member is attached to the holder in place of the processing reference member. The processing method according to claim 32.

34. The three-dimensional shape of the measurement reference member is different from the three-dimensional shape of the processing reference member.

34. The processing method according to claim 32 or 33.

35. The measurement reference member includes a first reference surface and a second reference surface that is different in height from the first reference surface.

35. The method of any one of claims 32 to 34.

36. The obtaining of the holder information includes: placing the holder on which the measurement reference member is arranged at the reference placement position of the processing device; acquiring position information of the measurement reference member in the machining coordinate system in the machining device; 35. The method of any one of claims 32 to 34, comprising:

37. the measurement reference member includes a first reference surface and a second reference surface that is different in height from the first reference surface, Obtaining the position information of the measurement reference member includes measuring the position of the second reference surface. The processing method according to claim 36.

38. Measuring the position of the second reference surface includes irradiating the second reference surface with a plurality of measurement beams from the processing device. The processing method according to claim 37.

39. The shape of the second reference plane in a plan view is a point-asymmetric shape.

39. The processing method according to claim 35, 37 or 38.

40. a plurality of the measurement reference members are arranged on the holder; acquiring position information of the measurement reference members includes acquiring position information of each of the plurality of measurement reference members; Generating the holder information includes generating the holder information based on a measurement result of the position of the processed portion and position information of each of the plurality of measurement reference members.

40. The method of any one of claims 32 to 39.

41. The holder has a reference member disposed in a predetermined positional relationship with the reference portion.

31. The processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 30.

42. The step of acquiring the holder information includes placing the holder at the reference placement position of the processing device.

42. The processing method according to claim 41.

43. Obtaining the holder information includes obtaining position information of the reference member in the machining coordinate system with the holder placed at the reference placement position.

43. The processing method according to claim 42.

44. The holder information is obtained based on target position information of the reference member in the machining coordinate system and the acquired position information. The processing method according to claim 43.

45. A mark is provided on the surface of the reference member, acquiring position information of the reference member includes acquiring position information of the mark in the machining coordinate system; 45. The processing method according to claim 43 or 44.

46. a measurement reference member is disposed on the holder in a predetermined positional relationship with the reference portion; Information about the position of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system included in the measurement information is obtained based on information about the three-dimensional shape of at least a part of the measurement reference member in the measurement coordinate system, which is acquired using the measurement device. The processing method according to claim 45.

47. The measurement reference member is attached to the holder in place of the reference member on which the mark is provided.

47. The processing method according to claim 46.

48. The three-dimensional shape of the measurement reference member is different from the three-dimensional shape of the reference member on which the mark is provided.

48. The processing method according to claim 46 or 47.

49. Information about the position of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system included in the measurement information is obtained based on information about the three-dimensional shape of at least a part of the reference member in the measurement coordinate system, which is acquired using the measurement device.

49. The method of any one of claims 41 to 48.

50. The reference member includes a first reference surface and a second reference surface that is different in height from the first reference surface.

50. The method of any one of claims 41 to 49.

51. The processing method further includes installing the holder, which has been removed from the processing apparatus while holding the object that has been processed based on the processing path information, in the measurement apparatus, and acquiring information about the three-dimensional shape of the object that has been processed.

51. The method of any one of claims 1 to 50.

52. The generating of the processing path information includes: generating machining model data in the machining coordinate system based on the holder information, the measurement information, and information on a target shape of the workpiece after machining.

52. The method of any one of claims 1 to 51.

53. The generating of the processing model data includes: generating differential model data in the measurement coordinate system, which relates to a difference between the three-dimensional shape of the object to be processed and the target shape, based on information relating to the three-dimensional shape of the object included in the measurement information and information relating to a target shape of the object to be processed; converting the differential model data into differential model data in the machining coordinate system as the machining model data based on the holder information and position information of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system included in the measurement information; 53. The method of claim 52, comprising:

54. acquiring information about the three-dimensional shape of the workpiece includes generating first measurement model data of the three-dimensional shape of the workpiece in the measurement coordinate system; The generating of the processing model data includes: converting the first measurement model data into second measurement model data in the machining coordinate system based on the holder information and position information of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system included in the measurement information; converting first target model data in the measurement coordinate system relating to the target shape into second target model data in the machining coordinate system relating to the target shape based on the holder information and position information of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system included in the measurement information; Including, The processed model data is generated based on the second measurement model data and the second target model data.

53. The processing method according to claim 52.

55. generating the machining path information includes specifying a positional relationship between the object to be machined and the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system based on position information of the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system included in the measurement information; The machining path information is generated based on the positional relationship between the workpiece and the reference portion in the measurement coordinate system and the holder information.

55. The method of any one of claims 1 to 54.

56. The holder information is generated for each combination of a plurality of holders including the holder and a plurality of processing devices including the processing device.

56. The method of any one of claims 1 to 55.

57. Acquiring the holder information includes acquiring one piece of position information corresponding to an actual combination pattern of the processing device and the holder used to actually process the workpiece from a plurality of pieces of holder information each having a different combination pattern of the processing device and the holder.

57. The method of any one of claims 1 to 56.

58. Processing the object to be processed includes: performing processing on a first direction surface of the object to be processed; After performing processing on the first direction surface, processing is performed on a second direction surface having a direction different from that of the first direction surface.

58. The method of any one of claims 1 to 57, comprising:

59. Processing the workpiece includes changing the orientation of an object placement device on which the holder is placed before processing the second direction surface.

59. The processing method according to claim 58.

60. a plurality of reference portions and a plurality of support members that respectively support the plurality of reference portions are arranged on the holder; The plurality of support members are connected to each other by connecting members.

60. The method of any one of claims 1 to 59.

61. The connecting members have different heights.

61. The processing method according to claim 60.

62. At least a portion of the holder information is acquired within the processing device.

62. The method of any one of claims 1 to 61.

63. The machining method includes generating the machining path information and then inputting the machining path information into the machining device.

63. The method of any one of claims 1 to 62.

64. a reference member is disposed on the holder in a predetermined positional relationship with the reference portion; The reference member is removably fixed to the holder.

64. The method of any one of claims 1 to 63.

65. The processing by the processing device includes supplying a modeling material to a position on the work-piece where the processing beam is irradiated, thereby forming a model on the work-piece.

65. The method of any one of claims 1 to 64.

66. 1. An information acquisition method for acquiring holder information related to a holder used in processing of an object to be processed by a processing device capable of processing the object by irradiating a processing beam onto the object held by the holder, the method comprising: placing the holder at a reference placement position of the processing device; using the processing beam to irradiate specific coordinates in a processing coordinate system of the processing device, thereby processing a surface of a reference member placed on the holder in a predetermined positional relationship with a reference portion of the holder placed on the reference placement position; measuring the position of the processed portion of the surface of the reference member; acquiring the holder information including information on the position in the machining coordinate system of the reference portion of the holder placed at the reference placement position based on the result of the measurement; A method of obtaining information, including:

67. Measuring the position of the processed portion includes measuring the position of the processed portion in each of a first direction along the surface of the reference member and a second direction along the surface and intersecting the first direction.

67. The information acquisition method according to claim 66.

68. The holder has a plurality of reference surfaces arranged thereon, one of the plurality of reference surfaces is a surface of the reference member; performing processing on each of the plurality of reference surfaces with the processing beam; measuring the position of the processed portion of each of the plurality of reference surfaces in the first direction; The holder information is acquired based on a measurement result of the position in the first direction.

68. The information acquisition method according to claim 67.

69. measuring the position of each of the processed portions of the plurality of reference surfaces in the second direction; The holder information is acquired based on the measurement result of the position in the second direction.

69. The information acquisition method according to claim 68.

70. At least two of the plurality of reference surfaces are located at different positions along the first direction, At least two of the plurality of reference surfaces are located at different positions along the second direction.

70. The information acquisition method according to claim 68 or 69.

71. At least two of the plurality of reference surfaces are located at different positions along a third direction that intersects both the first direction and the second direction.

71. The information acquisition method according to claim 70.

72. The reference member is removably fixed to the holder.

72. The information acquisition method according to any one of claims 66 to 71.

73. the information acquisition method further includes acquiring, with the holder as a first holder and the holder information as first holder information, second holder information regarding the second holder used for processing, by the processing device, an object to be processed held by a second holder different from the first holder; The acquiring of the second holder information includes: placing the second holder at the reference placement position; using the reference member as a first reference member, and irradiating the processing beam at specific coordinates in the processing coordinate system, to process a surface of the second reference member placed on the holder in a predetermined positional relationship with a reference portion of the second holder placed on the reference placement position; measuring the position of the processed portion of the surface of the second reference member; acquiring second holder information including information about the position in the machining coordinate system of the reference portion of the second holder placed at the reference placement position based on a result of the measurement; 73. The method of any one of claims 66 to 72, comprising:

74. The first reference member and the second reference member are the same.

74. The information acquisition method according to claim 73.

75. and acquiring third holder information related to the holder, the third holder information being used for processing the object held by the holder in a second processing apparatus different from the first processing apparatus, with the processing apparatus being a first processing apparatus and the holder information being first holder information. The acquiring of the third holder information includes: placing the holder at a reference placement position of the second processing device; using the reference member as a first reference member, and irradiating the processing beam at specific coordinates in a processing coordinate system of the second processing device, to process a surface of a third reference member that is placed on a holder in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the reference portion of the holder that is placed on a reference placement position of the second processing device; measuring the position of the processed portion of the surface of the third reference member; acquiring the third holder information including information about the position of the reference portion in a machining coordinate system of the machining device based on a result of the measurement; 75. The method of any one of claims 66 to 74, comprising:

76. The first reference member and the third reference member are the same.

76. The information acquisition method according to claim 75.

77. The holder information is acquired by combining the holder and the processing device.

77. The information acquisition method according to any one of claims 66 to 76.

78. The holder information is acquired for each combination of a plurality of holders including the holder and a plurality of processing devices including the processing device.

78. The information acquisition method according to any one of claims 66 to 77.

79. A processing method for processing an object using a processing device that can process the object by irradiating the object with a processing beam, comprising: acquiring processing path information indicating a target movement path of a target irradiation position to be irradiated with the processing beam in order to process the object; emitting a beam from the processing device to the object to be processed based on the acquired processing path information; detecting an irradiation state of the beam irradiated onto the workpiece; correcting the acquired processing path information when it is determined that the processing beam is irradiated onto an object other than the processing object based on the detection result of the irradiation state; processing the object by irradiating the processing beam onto the object based on the corrected processing path information; A processing method comprising:

80. Irradiating the beam onto the workpiece based on the acquired processing path information includes irradiating the beam onto the workpiece along the target movement path.

80. The processing method according to claim 79.

81. Irradiating the beam onto the workpiece based on the acquired processing path information includes irradiating the beam onto the workpiece along a verification movement path that includes a path different from the target movement path.

80. The processing method according to claim 79.

82. The verification movement path includes a path that intersects with the target movement path.

82. The processing method according to claim 81.

83. Correcting the acquired machining path information includes correcting the acquired machining path information based on a positional relationship between the object to be machined and an actual movement path of an actual irradiation position where the beam is actually irradiated during at least a part of the irradiation period of the beam.

83. The method of any one of claims 79 to 82.

84. Correcting the acquired machining path information includes: calculating a deviation amount between the target movement path and the actual movement path based on a positional relationship between the object and an actual movement path of an actual irradiation position where the beam is actually irradiated during at least a part of an irradiation period of the beam; correcting the acquired machining path information by moving the target movement path indicated by the acquired machining path information by the calculated deviation amount; 84. The method of any one of claims 79 to 83, comprising:

85. Correcting the acquired machining path information includes: calculating a direction in which the actual movement path is deviated from the target movement path based on a positional relationship between the object and an actual movement path of an actual irradiation position where the beam is actually irradiated during at least a part of an irradiation period of the beam; correcting the acquired machining path information by moving the target movement path indicated by the acquired machining path information in a direction opposite to the calculated direction; 85. The method of any one of claims 79 to 84, comprising:

86. Irradiating the workpiece with the beam based on the acquired processing path information includes irradiating the workpiece with the beam so that the irradiation position of the beam moves along a partial path portion of the target movement path that is located outermost on the surface of the workpiece.

86. The method of any one of claims 79 to 85.

87. Irradiating the workpiece with the beam based on the acquired processing path information includes irradiating the workpiece with the beam so that the irradiation position of the beam moves along a path that intersects with a partial path portion located outermost on the surface of the workpiece among the target movement path.

87. The method of any one of claims 79 to 86.

88. The intensity of the beam irradiated onto the workpiece based on the acquired processing path information is weaker than the intensity of the processing beam irradiated onto the workpiece based on the corrected processing path information.

88. The method of any one of claims 79 to 87.

89. irradiating the object with a non-processing beam different from the processing beam based on the acquired processing path information; Detecting an irradiation state of the non-processing beam on the object to be processed; 89. The method of any one of claims 79 to 88, further comprising:

90. correcting the acquired machining path information based on the detection result; The processing of the object is performed by irradiating the object with the processing beam based on the corrected processing path information.

90. The processing method according to claim 89.

91. the workpiece includes a turbine; The turbine is repaired by the processing.

91. The method of any one of claims 1 to 65 and 79 to 90.

92. A processing system capable of carrying out the processing method of any one of claims 1 to 65 and 79 to 90.

93. The processing system includes the processing device, the measuring device, and a transport device that transports the holder detached from the measuring device to the processing device.

93. The processing system of claim 92 when dependent on any one of claims 1 to 65.

94. The transport device is capable of transporting the holder that holds the object processed by the processing device to the measuring device.

94. The processing system of claim 93.

95. A processing method for processing an object held by a holder using a processing device that can process the object by irradiating the object with a processing beam, the method comprising: installing the holder that holds the workpiece in a measuring device; acquiring measurement information including information about a three-dimensional shape of the workpiece on the holder in a measurement coordinate system of the measurement device using the measurement device; removing the holder that holds the workpiece from the measurement device; generating processing path information in a processing coordinate system of the processing device, which indicates a target irradiation position to be irradiated with the processing beam in order to process the object, based on the measurement information; placing the holder that holds the object removed from the measuring device at a reference placement position of the processing device; machining the workpiece on the holder placed at the reference placement position of the processing device based on the processing path information; A processing method comprising:

96. The processing method comprises: placing the holder at the reference placement position; using the processing beam to irradiate specific coordinates in the processing coordinate system, thereby processing a reference member placed on the holder placed at the reference placement position; measuring the position of the processed portion of the reference member; Further comprising: Generating the machining path information includes generating the machining path information based on the measurement information and a result of measuring the position of the machined portion of the reference member.

96. The processing method according to claim 95.

97. The processing device supplies material to a molten pool formed in the workpiece by irradiation with the processing beam, thereby performing additional processing on the workpiece.

97. The method of any one of claims 95 or 96.

98. the processing device performs additional processing on the workpiece by supplying material to a molten pool formed on the workpiece by irradiating the processing beam; and acquiring, after starting the additional machining, position information in the machining coordinate system of at least one of at least a portion of the workpiece and a reference member of the holder.

96. The processing method according to claim 95.

99. correcting the machining path information based on position information in the machining coordinate system of at least one of at least a portion of the workpiece and a reference member of the holder, which is acquired after the additional machining is started; and restarting additional machining of the workpiece based on the corrected machining path information.

99. The processing method according to claim 97 or 98.

100. The holder holds a plurality of workpieces including the workpiece, a portion of each of the plurality of workpieces additively processed by the processing device includes a plurality of layers; After the additional processing of the plurality of layers of one of the plurality of workpieces is completed, additional processing of the plurality of layers of another workpiece is started.

100. The processing method according to claim 98 or 99.

101. acquiring calibration information specific to a combination of the processing device and the holder before installing the holder, which holds the workpiece removed from the measurement device, in the processing device; The machining path information is generated based on the measurement information and the calibration information.

101. The processing method according to any one of claims 95 to 100.

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