Manufacturing equipment for fiber bodies for three-dimensional modeling equipment

Abstract

To provide a three-dimensional object molding apparatus capable of impregnating a fiber body with resin entirely, and also capable of impregnating resin without corresponding to a diameter or width of the fiber body.SOLUTION: A fiber body manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional molding apparatus has: a storage unit 4 for storing a resin melted and extruded from pellets by an injection molding device 3; a fiber body manipulation device 2 for unrolling a fiber body 10 which is a flat fiber film, and soaking it in the storage unit 4; and a discharge port 42 for discharging the fiber body 10 soaked with the resin from the storage unit 4. The fiber body 10 discharged from the discharge port 42 is cooled by a cooling device 6 and wound up so that it can be used in a three-dimensional object molding apparatus 1a. Further, when discharging the fiber body 10 from the discharge port 42, the discharge port 42 is provided corresponding to a width of the fiber body 10 so that the excess resin can be scraped off.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a resin-containing fibrous body used for forming a three-dimensional object, and a three-dimensional forming apparatus using the fibrous body. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, when mass production is required for resin products, a mold is manufactured in advance and resin is poured into the mold to mass-produce the resin product. However, when the number of products required is small, they are often manufactured one by one using a three-dimensional modeling device or the like.

[0003] At this time, when a product is manufactured using a three-dimensional modeling device, the resin is melted and layered on a stage while the head is scanned according to a program.

[0004] By the way, when manufacturing products using only resin in this way, it is fine when the emphasis is only on shape, such as in the case of sample products, but when strength is required, such as in industrial products that will be actually used, resin alone will not be able to provide the strength.

[0005] In response to this, a three-dimensional modeling apparatus has been proposed that uses resin and carbon fiber to provide strength.

[0006] This three-dimensional modeling device is equipped with resin filaments such as PLA resin, ABS resin, nylon resin, and PET resin, and fiber filaments such as carbon fiber, and each is fed into a heating unit where the molten resin is impregnated into the carbon fiber, and the resin-containing carbon fiber filaments are layered based on data preset by a control device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2015 / 182675 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] However, such a structure has the following problems.

[0009] That is, in the above-mentioned device, it is necessary to use resin filaments that have been wound into a web in advance, and therefore it is not possible to use pellet-shaped resin or the like.

[0010] In addition, in the above-mentioned device, the resin filament and the carbon fiber filament are drawn into the heating device, and the resin filament is melted and impregnated into the carbon fiber filament, but in this method, only the part where the resin filament is in contact with the carbon fiber filament can be impregnated with the resin, and the entire fiber filament cannot be impregnated with the resin in a short time. Therefore, the resin and the carbon fiber must be in contact with each other for a long time to be impregnated, which results in a problem that it takes a long time to form a three-dimensional object.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned device, when a flat fiber filament is used, a flat resin filament must be used in order to adhere to the fiber filament and impregnate it with resin, which poses the problem that a resin filament corresponding to the diameter, width, etc. of the fiber filament must be prepared.

[0012] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a three-dimensional object formation device that can completely impregnate a fibrous body with resin and can impregnate the resin without having to accommodate the diameter, width, etc. of the fibrous body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] That is, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a storage section for storing molten resin, a fiber body unwinding device for unwinding a fiber body and immersing it in the storage section, and a fiber body unwinding device for discharging the fiber body immersed in the resin from the storage section. , having a constant opening width corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the fibrous body an outlet and a cooling device that cools the fibrous body discharged from the outlet; This is an apparatus for manufacturing a fiber body for a three-dimensional modeling device, and is equipped with an opening having the same shape as the discharge outlet and for discharging the fiber body cooled by the cooling device from the cooling device, wherein the storage unit and the cooling device are arranged one above the other, and the fiber body discharged from the discharge outlet of the storage unit is fed into the cooling device while maintained in a straight line, and is discharged from the opening provided below the cooling device while maintained in a straight line. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention Ba, Resin can be applied to the entire surface of the fiber, and the fiber can be impregnated with resin deep inside. This also prevents the resin from dripping, resulting in an uneven thickness of the resin. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a manufacturing device for a fibrous body for a three-dimensional modeling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 shows the fiber body and the outlet of the storage unit in the same embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional modeling apparatus to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to another embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1, the manufacturing apparatus 1 for a fibrous body for a three-dimensional modeling apparatus in this embodiment includes a fibrous body feeding device 2 for feeding out a fibrous body 10, a resin discharge device 3 for discharging a resin, and a storage section 4 for storing the resin discharged from the resin discharge device 3 in a molten state. The fibrous body 10 is immersed in the molten resin in the storage section 4, and then discharged from a discharge port 42 (see Fig. 2) of the storage section 4, cooled by a cooling device 6, dried by a drying section 7, and wound up in a web shape by a winding device 8. The fibrous body 10 thus impregnated with the resin is used to form a three-dimensional object by a three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1a (see Figs. 3 and 4). The manufacturing apparatus 1 for a fibrous body for a three-dimensional modeling apparatus in this embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0018] First, the fibrous material dispenser 2 provided in the manufacturing apparatus 1 for a fibrous material for a three-dimensional modeling apparatus is capable of dispensing a fibrous material 10 wound in a web shape, and is configured to dispense the fibrous material 10 while controlling the dispensing speed with a motor (not shown). The fibrous material 10 may have a variety of cross-sectional shapes, such as a linear or flat shape, and may be made of a material having strength, such as glass fiber, carbon fiber, or cellulose nanofiber.

[0019] On the other hand, the resin discharge device 3 is configured so that pellet-like resin fed into a hopper 31 is put into an injection cylinder 32, and the resin is discharged while being melted by rotating a screw 33 with a motor 35, and the resin can be discharged by controlling the injection pressure, speed, etc. with the motor 35. The molten resin discharged from this resin discharge device 3 is discharged from a tip 34 and discharged in a molten state into the storage section 4 without coming into contact with the outside air.

[0020] The storage section 4 is configured to store the molten resin inside, and is configured in a box shape that is not exposed to the outside air, and is configured to store the resin in a molten state at all times by a heating device 43. The storage section 4 is provided with an insertion port 41 for inserting the fibrous body 10, and a slit-shaped or circular outlet 42 (see FIG. 2) corresponding to the shape of the fibrous body 10 is provided on the bottom surface. In this case, if the fibrous body 10 immersed in the storage section 4 is led out so as to be lifted up from the molten resin without providing the outlet 42, there is a problem that the molten resin attached to the fibrous body 10 drips and the thickness becomes uneven. Therefore, here, as shown in FIG. 2, a slit-shaped outlet 42 or the like corresponding to the shape of the fibrous body 10 is provided, so that the thickness can be determined by the opening shape of the outlet 42. At this time, for example, the discharge outlet 42 may be formed to have a width of about 1 mm to 3 mm relative to the width and thickness of the fibrous body 10, and the fibrous body 10 may be pulled by rollers 5 provided above and below so that the fibrous body 10 is positioned at the center of the discharge outlet 42. Here, the case where the flat fibrous body 10 is immersed in the resin has been described, but when a linear fibrous body 10 is immersed in the resin, the shape of the discharge outlet 42 is made circular. In addition, the fibrous body 10 is positioned at the center of the discharge outlet 42, and the gap widths on both the left and right sides and the gap widths on the front and back in the thickness direction are made constant, but if there is no problem even if the fibrous body 10 is shifted to one side of the discharge outlet 42, the fibrous body 10 may be discharged without restricting its position.

[0021] The resin of the fiber body 10 discharged in this manner is solidified by a cooling device 6 provided below. As the cooling device 6, there are a method of blowing cooled gas onto the fiber body 10, a method of immersing the fiber body in cooling water, etc., but here, the method of immersing the fiber body in cooling water is used. When immersing the fiber body in cooling water, cooling water is placed in a water tank with an opening on the top, and the water is cooled by a slit provided below the water tank. 61The fibrous body 10 is discharged from the suction port. If the fibrous body 10 is cooled in a bent state at this time, the resin attached to the fibrous body 10 will solidify in the bent state, and the fibrous body 10 will be discharged in a bent state when it is unwound from the three-dimensional modeling device. For this reason, the fibrous body 10 is cooled while maintaining its straight state. If the fibrous body 10 is cooled with cooling water at this time, slips will form on the bottom surface. To shape If an opening is provided, water will overflow from there, so a slit having the same opening dimensions as the drain outlet 42 of the storage section 4 is provided. 61 By providing a slit in the water tank, the resin-attached fiber body 10 can be easily attached to the slit in the water tank. 61 Eliminate the gap between the tank and the drain to prevent water from spilling out.

[0022] The fibrous body 10 thus cooled by the cooling device 6 is unwound while being pulled by the rollers 5, and after moisture is removed in the drying section 7, it is wound into a web by the winding device 8.

[0023] On the other hand, the fibrous body 10 wound into a web in this manner, or the fibrous body 10 before being wound into a web by the winding device 8, is used in a three-dimensional printing device 1a (see Figure 3), and a three-dimensional object is formed using the fibrous body 10.

[0024] When a three-dimensional object is to be formed using the resin-attached fibrous body 10 wound into a web shape, the three-dimensional object is formed using a three-dimensional modeling device having a structure as shown in FIG.

[0025] In FIG. 3, components having the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 have the same configuration, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0026] The delivery device 2a delivers the fibrous body 10 to the head 9 at a speed preset by a control device.

[0027] The head 9 is mounted so as to be able to slide along two perpendicular rails 101 in a plane, and is moved to a predetermined position by a control device according to a predefined program, from which point the fibrous body 10 can be unwound onto a stage 102 which moves vertically.

[0028] A cutting device 91 is provided inside the head 9 so that the fibrous body 10 can be cut when the layered modeling of the object is completed, and a heating device 92 is provided downstream of the cutting device 91 for melting the fibrous body 10. The heating device 92 heats the fibrous body 10 to a temperature at which the resin that has permeated the fibrous body 10 melts.

[0029] Meanwhile, a tip portion 93 is provided at the tip of the head 9 for piling the molten fibrous body 10 onto a model, and the fibrous body 10 is discharged from this tip portion 34.

[0030] On the other hand, instead of forming a three-dimensional object from the fibrous body 10 wound into a web in this manner, a three-dimensional object forming apparatus 1b may be used in which a three-dimensional object is formed immediately after the fibrous body 10 is impregnated with resin, as shown in Figure 4.

[0031] As such a three-dimensional object forming apparatus 1b, similar to the configuration in Figure 1, a fiber material manipulating device 2, a resin discharge device 3, a storage section 4, etc. are provided for the fiber material 10. Since the fiber material manipulating device 2, the resin discharge device 3, the storage section 4, etc. have the same configuration as the configuration in Figure 1, their explanation will be omitted.

[0032] With this configuration, a head 9 is provided downstream of the storage unit 4 for discharging the fibrous body 10 discharged from the storage unit 4. This head 9 has the same configuration as the three-dimensional object forming apparatus 1a in Fig. 3, is provided movably along rails 101 that are perpendicular to each other in a plane, and is configured to be able to discharge the fibrous body 10 in layers onto a three-dimensional object on a stage 102 that moves in the vertical direction.

[0033] When discharging the fibrous body 10 in this manner, the resin that has been heated and melted in the reservoir 4 is passed directly through the head 9, which has the advantage that the reheating temperature in the head 9 can be lowered.

[0034] On the other hand, if the distance between the storage section 4 and the head 9 is long, there is a possibility that the fibrous body 10 will come into contact with other parts and the resin will be scraped off. In such a case, it is advisable to once cool and solidify the fibrous body 10 discharged from the storage section 4 in the cooling device 6, dry it in the drying section 7, and guide it to the head 9 to be reheated. In such a configuration, there is no need to worry about the fibrous body 10 coming into contact with other parts and the resin being scraped off, and there is an advantage in that the distance between the head 9 and the storage section 4 etc. can be long, and only the head 9 can be attached to the rail 101 and moved.

[0035] As described above, according to the embodiment, there is provided a storage section 4 for storing molten resin, a fibrous body unwinding device 2 for unwinding the fibrous body 10 and immersing it in the storage section 4, and a fibrous body unwinding device 3 for discharging the fibrous body 10 immersed in the resin from the storage section 4. , and has a constant opening width corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the fibrous body 10. an outlet 42, and a cooling device 6 for cooling the fibrous body 10 discharged from the outlet 42; The manufacturing device 1 for a fiber body for a three-dimensional modeling device is provided with a slit 61 having the same shape as the discharge port 42 and for discharging the fiber body 10 cooled by the cooling device 6 from the cooling device 6, and the storage unit 4 and the cooling device 6 are arranged vertically, and the fiber body 10 discharged from the discharge port 42 of the storage unit 4 is fed into the cooling device 6 while being maintained in a straight line, and is discharged from the slit 61 provided below the cooling device 6 while being maintained in a straight line. Therefore, regardless of the shape of the fibrous body 10, the resin can be applied to the entire surface of the fibrous body 10, and the resin can be impregnated deep into the fibrous body 10. In addition, the resin thickness of the fibrous body 10 is prevented from becoming uneven due to dripping.

[0036] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be embodied in various forms. do.

[0037] Ma In addition, in the above embodiment, the outlet 42 provided in the storage section 4 is of a specified size so that excess resin can be scraped off, but it is also possible to provide a section in front of the outlet 42 for scraping off the resin before discharging it.

[0038] In addition, in the above embodiment, the molten resin discharged from the injection cylinder 32 is stored, but resin that has been heated and melted in advance in another device may be placed in the storage section 4. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1, 1a, 1b...manufacturing equipment 2, 2a... Fiber dispensing device 3...Resin discharge device 31 Hopper 32 Injection cylinder 33 Screw 34...Tip 35 Motor 4. Storage section 41...Socket 42...Discharge port 43...Heating device 5. Roller 6...Cooling device 61...Slit 7...Drying section 8... Winding device 9 Head 91...Cutting device 92...Heating device 10... Fibrous body 101···Rail 102 Stage

Claims

[Claim 1] a storage section for storing molten resin; a fibrous body unwinding device that unwinds the fibrous body and immerses it in the reservoir; a discharge port for discharging the resin-soaked fibrous body from the storage portion and having a constant opening width corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the fibrous body; A cooling device that cools the fibrous body discharged from the discharge port; an opening having the same shape as the discharge port and for discharging the fibrous body cooled by the cooling device from the cooling device; A manufacturing apparatus for a fiber body for a three-dimensional modeling apparatus, comprising: The storage section and the cooling device are arranged one above the other, and the fiber body discharged from the discharge outlet of the storage section is fed into the cooling device while being maintained in a straight line, and the fiber body is discharged from an opening provided below the cooling device while being maintained in a straight line.

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