Three-dimensional shaping apparatus and method for manufacturing three-dimensional shaped object

Abstract

To reduce a possibility that exerts an influence on a shaping accuracy in a three-dimensional shaping apparatus by adhesion of a waste material having adhered to a cleaning mechanism to a head again.SOLUTION: A three-dimensional shaping apparatus includes: an injecting section configured to inject a shaping material from a nozzle; a stage on which the shaping material is stacked; a driving section configured to change relative positions of the injecting section and the stage; a cleaning mechanism including a brush and a blade; and a control section. The control section causes, in cleaning processing, the nozzle to reciprocate to traverse the cleaning mechanism a plurality of times to execute a cleaning operation for bringing at least one of the brush and the blade and the nozzle to come into contact with each other. The control section causes, in the cleaning operation, the nozzle to reciprocate to come into contact with the brush or the blade in different positions of the brush or the blade. A temperature of the nozzle in the cleaning operation is lower than a temperature of the nozzle at a stacking time of layers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a three-dimensional shaping apparatus and a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a three-dimensional shaping apparatus including an end cleaning assembly having a flicker plate and a brush. In this three-dimensional shaping apparatus, the extrusion head is cleaned by bringing it into contact with the flicker plate and the brush.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When cleaning is performed by reciprocating the tip of the head with respect to a cleaning mechanism such as a flicker plate or a brush, the waste material attached to the cleaning mechanism may adhere to the head again and affect the shaping accuracy.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a three-dimensional shaping apparatus is provided. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus includes a plasticizing mechanism that plasticizes a plasticizable material to generate a shaping material, an injection unit having a nozzle that injects the shaping material from the nozzle, a stage on which the shaping material is laminated, a driving unit that changes a relative position between the injection unit and the stage, a cleaning mechanism having a brush and a blade, and a control unit that is capable of performing a cleaning process for cleaning the nozzle and controls the injection unit and the driving unit to laminate a layer on the stage. The brush and the blade are disposed at a height at which they can contact the nozzle. The brush and the blade have a melting point higher than the plasticizing temperature of the plasticizable material and a hardness lower than the hardness of the nozzle. In the cleaning process, the control unit performs a cleaning operation of bringing at least one of the brush and the blade into contact with the nozzle by reciprocating the nozzle so that the nozzle crosses the cleaning mechanism a plurality of times. In the cleaning operation, the control unit reciprocates the nozzle so that the nozzle contacts different positions of the brush or the blade. The temperature of the nozzle in the cleaning operation is lower than the temperature of the nozzle during the lamination of the layer.

[0006] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object in a three-dimensional shaping apparatus, which includes a plasticizing mechanism that plasticizes a plasticizing material to generate a shaping material, an injection unit that includes a nozzle and injects the shaping material from the nozzle, a stage on which the shaping material is laminated, a driving unit that changes a relative position between the injection unit and the stage, and a cleaning mechanism that includes a brush and a blade. The brush and the blade are disposed at a height where they can contact the nozzle. The brush and the blade have a melting point higher than the plasticizing temperature of the plasticizing material and a hardness lower than the hardness of the nozzle. The manufacturing method includes a laminating step of controlling the injection unit and the driving unit to laminate a layer on the stage, and a cleaning step of performing a cleaning operation of bringing at least one of the brush and the blade into contact with the nozzle by reciprocatingly moving the nozzle so that the nozzle crosses the cleaning mechanism a plurality of times. In the cleaning step, in the cleaning operation, the nozzle is reciprocatingly moved so that the nozzle contacts different positions of the brush or the blade, and the temperature of the nozzle in the cleaning operation is lower than the temperature of the nozzle during the lamination of the layer.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] A. First Embodiment: FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the schematic configuration of a three-dimensional shaping apparatus 10 in the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, arrows along the X, Y, and Z directions orthogonal to each other are shown. The X, Y, and Z directions are the directions along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, which are three mutually orthogonal spatial axes, and each includes both the direction on one side along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis and the opposite direction. The X-axis and the Y-axis are axes along the horizontal plane, and the Z-axis is an axis along the vertical line. The -Z direction is the vertical direction, and the +Z direction is the direction opposite to the vertical direction. The -Z direction is also referred to as "down," and the +Z direction is also referred to as "up." The X, Y, and Z directions in FIG. 1 represent the same directions as the X, Y, and Z directions in other figures.

[0009] The three-dimensional shaping apparatus 10 of this embodiment includes an injection unit 100, a material storage unit 20, a housing 110, a drive unit 210, a stage 220, a cleaning mechanism 250, a control unit 300, and a display device 400 as a notification unit.

[0010] The injection unit 100 has a plasticizing mechanism 30 that plasticizes at least a part of the plasticized material supplied from the material storage unit 20 to generate a shaping material, and a nozzle 60. The injection unit 100 injects the shaping material plasticized by the plasticizing mechanism 30 from the nozzle 60 toward the stage 220. The injection unit 100 is also called an injection head, a discharge unit, a discharge head, an extrusion unit, an extrusion head, or simply a head. In this specification, "injection" also includes the meanings of "discharge" or "extrusion".

[0011] The housing 110 has a shaping space 111 inside. A stage 220 on which the shaping material is laminated is arranged in the shaping space 111. The housing 110 may be provided with, for example, an opening that communicates the shaping space 111 with the outside, a door that opens and closes the opening, and the like. The user can take out the shaped object shaped on the stage 220 from the opening by opening the door to make the opening in an open state.

[0012] The driving unit 210 changes the relative position between the injection unit 100 and the stage 220. In the present embodiment, the driving unit 210 includes a first driving unit 211 that moves the stage 220 along the Z direction, and a second driving unit 212 that moves the injection unit 100 along the X and Y directions. The first driving unit 211 is configured as a lifting device and includes a motor for moving the stage 220 in the Z direction. The second driving unit 212 is configured as a horizontal transfer device and includes a motor for sliding the injection unit 100 along the X direction and a motor for sliding the injection unit 100 along the Y direction. Each motor is driven under the control of the control unit 300. In other embodiments, the driving unit 210 may be configured to move the stage 220 or the injection unit 100 in three directions of X, Y, and Z, or may be configured to move the stage 220 along the X and Y directions and move the injection unit 100 in the Z direction.

[0013] The cleaning mechanism 250 has a brush 251 and a blade 252 for cleaning the nozzle 60. The cleaning mechanism 250 is arranged in a region different from the stage 220 in the horizontal direction. In the vertical direction, the cleaning mechanism 250 is arranged at a height where the brush 251 and the blade 252 can contact the nozzle 60. In the present embodiment, the cleaning mechanism 250 is connected to the housing 110 via the support portion 280. A purge waste container 260 is provided below the cleaning mechanism 250. Waste materials removed by the cleaning mechanism 250 fall into and are collected in the purge waste container 260. Note that the blade 252 is also called a flicker plate. The cleaning mechanism 250 is also called a chip wipe assembly.

[0014] The control unit 300 is composed of a computer including one or more processors 310, a storage unit 320 composed of a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device, and an input / output interface for inputting / outputting signals to / from the outside. In the present embodiment, the control unit 300 controls the injection unit 100 and the drive unit 210 based on shaping data for shaping a three-dimensional object by executing a program stored in the storage unit 320 by the processor 310, and can execute a three-dimensional shaping process described later and a cleaning process for cleaning the nozzle. Note that the control unit 300 may be composed of a combination of a plurality of circuits instead of a computer.

[0015] A display device 400 is connected to the control unit 300. The display device 400 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. In the present embodiment, the display device 400 is provided in the housing 110, but the display device 400 may be arranged separately from the housing 110.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the injection unit 100. The injection unit 100 includes a plasticizing mechanism 30, a nozzle 60, and a flow rate adjustment unit 70. The plasticizing mechanism 30 has a material conveyance mechanism 40 and a heating block 90. The material stored in the material storage unit 20 is supplied to the injection unit 100. The injection unit 100 plasticizes at least a part of the material supplied from the material storage unit 20 by the plasticizing mechanism 30 to generate a shaping material under the control of the control unit 300, and injects and laminates the generated shaping material onto the stage 220 from the nozzle 60. Note that the material laminated on the stage 220 may also be referred to as a laminated material. A three-dimensional shaping method of shaping a three-dimensional object by injecting a material from the nozzle 60 and laminating the injected material may also be referred to as a material extrusion method (ME: Material Extrusion).

[0017] In this embodiment, "plasticization" is a concept that includes melting, and it means changing from a solid state to a state with fluidity. Specifically, in the case of a material that undergoes a glass transition, plasticization means raising the temperature of the material above the glass transition point. In the case of a material that does not undergo a glass transition, plasticization means raising the temperature of the material above the melting point.

[0018] The material storage part 20 of this embodiment stores materials in the form of pellets, powders, etc. In this embodiment, the material stored in the material storage part 20 is a pellet-shaped resin. The material storage part 20 of this embodiment is constituted by a hopper. The material stored in the material storage part 20 is supplied to the material transport mechanism 40 of the plasticization mechanism 30 through a supply path 22 provided below the material storage part 20 so as to connect the material storage part 20 and the injection part 100.

[0019] The heating block 90 has a heater 58. The heater 58 is controlled by the control part 300 and is heated to the plasticization temperature for plasticizing the material. The plasticization temperature varies according to the type of material used and is, for example, the glass transition point or the melting point of the material. If the material is an ABS resin, the plasticization temperature is set to about 110°C, which is the glass transition point of the ABS resin, for example. The heating block 90 is provided with a through hole 80. The through hole 80 is configured to be detachable from the nozzle 60. The material transport mechanism 40 transports the modeling material toward the nozzle flow path 61 of the nozzle 60 attached to the through hole 80 of the heating block 90. The plasticization mechanism 30 plasticizes the material supplied from the material storage part 20 to the material transport mechanism 40 while transporting it toward the nozzle flow path 61 of the nozzle 60 by the material transport mechanism 40 and heating it with the heat of the heating block 90.

[0020] The material transfer mechanism 40 of this embodiment includes a screw case 31, a screw 41 housed in the screw case 31, and a drive motor 32 for driving the screw 41. The heating block 90 of this embodiment includes a case portion 91 having an opening 94 and a barrel 50 disposed within the case portion 91. A communication hole 56 is provided in the barrel 50. The through hole 80 of this embodiment is formed by the communication between the opening 94 and the communication hole 56. Further, the heater 58 described above is built into the barrel 50. Note that the screw 41 of this embodiment is a so-called flat screw and is sometimes referred to as a "scroll".

[0021] The screw 41 has a substantially cylindrical shape in which the height in the direction along its central axis RX is smaller than the diameter. The screw 41 has a groove forming surface 42 on the surface facing the barrel 50, and a screw groove 45 is formed on the groove forming surface 42. The groove forming surface 42 faces the screw facing surface 52 of the barrel 50 described later. Note that the central axis RX of this embodiment coincides with the rotation axis of the screw 41. Details of the configuration of the screw 41 will be described later.

[0022] The drive motor 32 is connected to the surface of the screw 41 opposite to the groove forming surface 42. The drive motor 32 is driven under the control of the control unit 300. The screw 41 rotates about the central axis RX by the torque generated by the rotation of the drive motor 32. Note that the drive motor 32 does not necessarily need to be directly connected to the screw 41, and may be connected via a speed reducer, for example.

[0023] The barrel 50 has a screw facing surface 52 facing the groove forming surface 42 of the screw 41. The case portion 91 is disposed so as to cover the surface of the barrel 50 opposite to the screw facing surface 52, that is, the lower surface of the barrel 50. The above-described communication hole 56 and opening 94 are provided at positions overlapping the central axis RX of the screw 41. That is, the through hole 80 is located at a position overlapping the central axis RX.

[0024] As described above, the nozzle 60 is detachably attached to the through-hole 80 of the heating block 90. The nozzle 60 is also called a nozzle tip. The nozzle 60 is provided with the nozzle flow path 61 described above. The nozzle flow path 61 has a nozzle opening 63 at the tip of the nozzle 60 and an inlet 65 at the rear end of the nozzle 60. The nozzle opening 63 is located at the -Z direction position of the inlet 65. The nozzle 60 of the present embodiment discharges the material that has flowed into the nozzle flow path 61 through the through-hole 80 and the inlet 65 from the nozzle opening 63 toward the stage 220. A heater for heating the material in the nozzle flow path 61 may be provided around the nozzle flow path 61.

[0025] The nozzle 60 has a shield 68 above the tip of the nozzle 60. More specifically, the shield 68 is disposed between the nozzle opening 63 and the heating block 90 on the outer periphery of the nozzle 60. The shield 68 has a disk-like shape along the horizontal direction. The shield 68 suppresses the heat of the heating block 90 from being transferred to the laminated material.

[0026] The flow rate adjustment unit 70 changes the opening degree of the nozzle flow path 61 by rotating within the nozzle flow path 61. In the present embodiment, the flow rate adjustment unit 70 is constituted by a butterfly valve. The flow rate adjustment unit 70 is driven by a valve drive unit 75 under the control of the control unit 300. The valve drive unit 75 is constituted by, for example, a stepping motor. The control unit 300 can adjust the flow rate of the modeling material flowing from the material conveyance mechanism 40 to the nozzle 60, that is, the flow rate of the modeling material ejected from the nozzle 60, by controlling the rotation angle of the butterfly valve using the valve drive unit 75. The flow rate adjustment unit 70 can not only adjust the flow rate of the modeling material but also control the on / off of the outflow of the modeling material.

[0027] Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration on the groove forming surface 42 side of the screw 41. In Figure 3, the position of the central axis RX of the screw 41 is indicated by a dashed line. As described above, a screw groove 45 is provided on the groove forming surface 42. The screw central part 47, which is the central part of the groove forming surface 42 of the screw 41, is configured as a depression to which one end of the screw groove 45 is connected. The screw central part 47 faces the communication hole 56 of the barrel 50. The screw central part 47 intersects the central axis RX.

[0028] The screw groove 45 of the screw 41 constitutes a so-called scroll groove. The screw groove 45 extends in a spiral shape, drawing an arc from the screw central part 47 toward the outer periphery of the screw 41. The screw groove 45 may be configured to extend in an involute curve shape or a spiral shape. On the groove forming surface 42, there is provided a rib part 46 that constitutes the side wall part of the screw groove 45 and extends along each screw groove 45. The screw groove 45 is continuous to the material inlet 44 formed on the side surface 43 of the screw 41. The material inlet 44 is a part that receives the material supplied through the supply path 22 of the material storage part 20.

[0029] Figure 3 shows an example of the screw 41 having three screw grooves 45 and three rib parts 46. The number of the screw grooves 45 and the rib parts 46 provided on the screw 41 is not limited to three, and only one screw groove 45 may be provided, or a plurality of two or more screw grooves 45 may be provided. Further, Figure 3 shows an example of the screw 41 in which the material inlets 44 are formed at three locations. The number of the material inlets 44 provided on the screw 41 is not limited to three locations, and it may be provided only at one location, or may be provided at two or more locations.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a top view showing the configuration on the screw facing surface 52 side of the barrel 50. As described above, a communication hole 56 is formed at the center of the screw facing surface 52. A plurality of guide grooves 54 are formed around the communication hole 56 on the screw facing surface 52. Each guide groove 54 has one end connected to the communication hole 56 and extends spirally from the communication hole 56 toward the outer periphery of the screw facing surface 52. Each guide groove 54 has a function of guiding the molding material to the communication hole 56. Note that one end of the guide groove 54 may not be connected to the communication hole 56. Further, the barrel 50 may not have the guide groove 54 formed therein.

[0031] FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a schematic configuration of the cleaning mechanism 250. As described above, the cleaning mechanism 250 has the brush 251 and the blade 252. The brush 251 is configured by arranging a plurality of tufts of hair along the Y direction. The blade 252 is a flat member along the Z direction and the Y direction. The tips of the brush 251 and the blade 252 face the +Z direction. The tip of the blade 252 is disposed below the tip of the brush 251. As described above, the brush 251 and the blade 252 are disposed at a height at which they can contact the nozzle 60. Further, the tip of the brush 251 is disposed at a height at which it can contact the shield 68 provided on the nozzle 60, and the tip of the blade 252 is disposed at a height at which it does not contact the shield 68. In the present embodiment, the brush 251 and the blade 252 are integrated by the fixture 258 and can be replaced simultaneously when worn out. Note that the brush 251 and the blade 252 may be replaceable individually.

[0032] The brush 251 and the blade 252 have a melting point higher than the plasticizing temperature of the plasticizing material plasticized in the injection part 100. Also, the brush 251 and the blade 252 have a hardness lower than the hardness of the nozzle 60. In the present embodiment, the hardness refers to the Vickers hardness. Further, in the present embodiment, the elastic modulus of the blade 252 is higher than the elastic modulus of the brush 251. In the present embodiment, the elastic modulus refers to the Young's modulus. The nozzle 60 is formed of a metal such as cemented carbide, tool steel, or SUS, for example, and the brush 251 and the blade 252 are formed of a metal such as SUS, iron, or brass, for example. Note that the brush 251 and the blade 252 may each be formed of a resin. Also, the brush 251 may be formed of natural fiber or chemical fiber, and the blade 252 may be formed of ceramic. Note that in other embodiments, the elastic modulus of the blade 252 and the brush 251 may be the same, or the elastic modulus of the brush 251 may be higher than the elastic modulus of the blade 252.

[0033] The cleaning mechanism 250 further includes a purge section 253, which is also called a purge ledge. In this embodiment, the purge section 253, the blade 252, and the brush 251 are arranged in this order along the +X direction. That is, the blade 252 is disposed between the purge section 253 and the brush 251. The tip of the purge section 253 in the +Z direction is lower than the tip of the blade 252. In the cleaning process described later, the waste material ejected from the nozzle 60 falls onto the purge section 253 and is gathered into a spherical shape on the purge section 253, and then falls into the purge waste container 260. The upper surface of the purge section 253 is configured as an inclined surface to facilitate the fall of the waste material. More specifically, the purge section 253 has a first inclined surface 254, a second inclined surface 255, and a third inclined surface 256 in the order from far from the blade 252 and in the order of lower position in the vertical direction. The first inclined surface 254, the second inclined surface 255, and the third inclined surface 256 are each inclined such that the position of the +X direction end is higher than the position of the -X direction end. In this embodiment, the inclination angles of the second inclined surface 255 and the third inclined surface 256 from the horizontal plane are larger than the inclination angle of the first inclined surface 254 from the horizontal plane.

[0034] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a three-dimensional shaping process representing a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object. This three-dimensional shaping process is executed when the control unit 300 of the three-dimensional shaping apparatus 10 receives a predetermined operation from the user.

[0035] In step S100, the control unit 300 acquires shaping data from an external computer, a recording medium, or the like. The shaping data includes shaping path data representing the movement path of the nozzle 60 for each layer forming the three-dimensional shaped object. Injection amount data representing the injection amount of the material ejected from the nozzle 60 is associated with the shaping path data.

[0036] Subsequently, in step S110, the control unit 300 starts executing the lamination process. This lamination process is a process of forming a three-dimensional object composed of a plurality of layers by controlling the driving unit 210 and the injection unit 100 according to the modeling data and injecting the modeling material from the injection unit 100 onto the stage 220 for each layer. Step S110 is also referred to as the lamination step.

[0037] During the execution of the lamination process, in step S120, the control unit 300 determines whether to execute the cleaning process. For example, the control unit 300 determines to execute the cleaning process when an injection abnormality of the modeling material is detected in the plasticizing mechanism 30, when a predetermined number of layers are formed, when the type of the modeling material is changed, when a command instructing cleaning included in the modeling data is received, and the like. When it is determined to execute the cleaning process, the control unit 300 controls the flow rate adjustment unit 70 to temporarily stop the injection of the modeling material from the nozzle 60, and in step S130, performs a process of selecting the cleaning operation of the nozzle 60 in the cleaning process. Specifically, in this step S130, the control unit 300 selects one cleaning operation from a plurality of cleaning operations with different trajectories for moving the nozzle 60. In the present embodiment, the plurality of cleaning operations with different trajectories each have a different contact start position between the nozzle 60 and the cleaning mechanism 250.

[0038] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the cleaning operation in the present embodiment. FIG. 7 shows the tip of the nozzle 60, the brush 251 and the blade 252 of the cleaning mechanism 250 as viewed from above, and the trajectory along which the nozzle 60 moves is indicated by a dashed line. As shown in FIG. 7, the cleaning mechanism 250 has a longitudinal direction. In the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction is the Y direction. In the present embodiment, in the cleaning operation, the control unit 300 causes the tip of the nozzle 60 to contact the blade 252 and then causes the tip of the nozzle 60 to contact the brush 251. Then, thereafter, the control unit 300 reciprocates the nozzle 60 so as to cross the brush 251 and the blade 252 a plurality of times. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the control unit 300 moves the nozzle 60 from the contact start position where the nozzle 60 and the cleaning mechanism 250 first come into contact along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning mechanism 250 along an M-shaped or W-shaped trajectory, in other words, a trajectory showing a triangular wave shape. By doing so, in the cleaning operation, the control unit 300 can reciprocate the nozzle 60 in the X direction so that the nozzle 60 contacts different positions of the brush 251 or the blade 252 each time the nozzle 60 passes through the brush 251 or the blade 252. In the present embodiment, the control unit 300 starts moving the nozzle 60 from the contact start position and moves the nozzle 60 back to the contact start position again. Note that in the present embodiment, the control unit 300 causes the nozzle 60 to contact both the brush 251 and the blade 252 in the cleaning operation, but it may cause the nozzle 60 to contact either one of them.

[0039] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the contact start position and the shaping progress rate. In the present embodiment, in step S130 described above, the control unit 300 determines the contact start position according to the current shaping progress rate. The shaping progress rate refers to the ratio of the number of layers laminated so far to the total number of all layers constituting the three-dimensional shaped object. For example, when the three-dimensional shaped object is composed of 10 layers, if the number of layers laminated so far is 4 layers, the shaping progress rate is 40%. Thus, in the present embodiment, a plurality of cleaning operations having a contact start position corresponding to the shaping progress rate are prepared, and the control unit 300 selects and executes the cleaning operation corresponding to the current shaping progress rate from among the plurality of cleaning operations. The control unit 300 moves the nozzle 60 so as to reciprocate once along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning mechanism 250 while following the trajectory shown in FIG. 7 from the determined contact start position. For example, when the contact start position is not at the end in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning mechanism 250, the control unit 300 moves the nozzle 60 in the +Y direction from the contact start position along the trajectory shown in FIG. 7, and after reaching the end in the +Y direction, moves it in the -Y direction. After reaching the end in the -Y direction, the control unit 300 moves the nozzle 60 back to the contact start position again. In addition to this, the control unit 300 may move the nozzle 60 so as to move a predetermined distance along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning mechanism 250. Note that in other embodiments, the contact start position may be determined according to the time from the start of shaping, the amount of material discharged so far, the length of the path shaped so far, etc., instead of the shaping progress rate.

[0040] After selecting the cleaning operation in step S130 of FIG. 6, the control unit 300 executes a cleaning process in step S140. Step S140 is also referred to as a cleaning step.

[0041] Figure 9 is a detailed flowchart of the cleaning process. When the cleaning process is executed, in step S300, the control unit 300 controls the drive unit 210 to move the nozzle 60 onto the purge unit 253, and then controls the flow rate adjustment unit 70 to inject a predetermined amount of material from the nozzle 60 toward the purge unit 253. The material injected toward the purge unit 253 is also referred to as waste material. The waste material injected into the purge unit 253 falls into the purge waste material container 260 along the inclined surface on the purge unit 253. The amount of the material to be injected is, for example, an amount corresponding to the volume of the nozzle flow path 61.

[0042] In step S310, the control unit 300 controls the flow rate adjustment unit 70 to stop the injection of the waste material from the nozzle 60. When the injection of the waste material is stopped, since the molten material no longer flows in the nozzle 60, the temperature of the nozzle 60 decreases. If the nozzle 60 is provided with a heater, the control unit 300 may stop the heater provided in the nozzle 60 until the cleaning operation in step S320 described later is completed after step S310. If the nozzle 60 is provided with a cooling unit, the control unit 300 may activate the cooling unit provided in the nozzle 60 until the cleaning operation in step S320 described later is completed after step S310.

[0043] In step S320, the control unit 300 executes the cleaning operation selected in step S130 described above in a state where the temperature of the nozzle 60 has decreased below the temperature of the nozzle 60 during the lamination process.

[0044] Return to FIG. 6. When the cleaning process in step S140 described above is completed, or when it is determined in step S120 not to execute the cleaning process, the control unit 300 determines in step S150 whether the lamination process has been completed for all layers, that is, whether the shaping of the three-dimensional object has been completed. If the lamination process has not been completed, the control unit 300 returns the process to step S110 and continues the lamination process. If the lamination process has been completed, the control unit 300 causes the storage unit 320 to store the execution history of the cleaning process in step S160.

[0045] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the execution history of the cleaning process. In the present embodiment, the control unit 300 counts the number of times the position in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning mechanism 250 has been cleaned, that is, the number of times the nozzle 60 has passed through that position, for each position in the longitudinal direction of the cleaning mechanism 250, and records the distribution in the storage unit 320 as the execution history of the cleaning process. This execution history is reset when the cleaning mechanism 250 is replaced with a new cleaning mechanism 250. The control unit 300 may detect that the cleaning mechanism 250 has been replaced by a sensor or the like, or may detect it by receiving a predetermined operation from the user.

[0046] In step S170 of FIG. 6, the control unit 300 executes a wear determination process for determining the wear state of the cleaning mechanism 250. In this wear determination process, the control unit 300 refers to the execution history of the cleaning process stored in the storage unit 320, and when it detects that there is one or more cleaning positions exceeding a predetermined number of cleaning times, it determines that there is wear. In step S180, when it is determined that there is wear, the control unit 300 controls the cleaning operation for subsequent times in step S190 so that the worn portion, that is, the cleaning position determined to have wear, is not passed through in the cleaning operation for subsequent times. That is, the worn portion is excluded from the target positions of the cleaning operation. In other embodiments, for example, in the cleaning operation for subsequent times, when the nozzle 60 passes through the worn portion, the nozzle 60 may be moved in the -Z direction more as the worn portion progresses, so that the worn portion is also used to clean the nozzle 60. Further, when the wear has progressed to a certain extent, the control unit 300 may display a prompt to replace the cleaning mechanism on the display device 400. In step S180, when it is determined that there is no wear, the control unit 300 skips the process of step S190.

[0047] According to the three-dimensional shaping apparatus 10 of the present embodiment described above, in the cleaning operation, the nozzle 60 is reciprocally moved so that the nozzle 60 contacts different positions of the brush 251 or the blade 252, and further, the temperature of the nozzle 60 in the cleaning operation is made lower than the temperature of the nozzle 60 during layer lamination. Therefore, it is suppressed that waste materials gather and adhere to a specific portion of the cleaning mechanism 250, and it is also suppressed that the waste materials adhering to the cleaning mechanism 250 are heated and softened by contact with the nozzle 60. As a result, it is possible to suppress the waste materials adhering to the cleaning mechanism 250 from adhering to the nozzle 60 again, and thereby suppress the waste materials adhering to the cleaning mechanism 250 from affecting the shaping accuracy.

[0048] Also, in the present embodiment, in the cleaning process, among a plurality of cleaning operations with different trajectories for moving the nozzle 60, the selected cleaning operation is executed. Therefore, the nozzle 60 can be cleaned by properly using a plurality of cleaning operations with different trajectories for moving the nozzle 60. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the plurality of cleaning operations with different trajectories have different contact start positions between the nozzle 60 and the cleaning mechanism 250 respectively, it is possible to effectively suppress the adhesion of waste material to a specific position of the cleaning mechanism 250. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress the waste material adhering to the cleaning mechanism from adhering to the nozzle 60 again.

[0049] Also, in the present embodiment, since the contact start position in the cleaning operation is changed according to the shaping progress rate, each time the cleaning operation is executed, a cleaning operation different from the previously executed cleaning operation is executed. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress the adhesion of waste material to a specific position of the cleaning mechanism 250. As a result, it is possible to more effectively suppress the waste material adhering to the cleaning mechanism 250 from adhering to the nozzle 60 again.

[0050] Also, in the present embodiment, the execution history of the cleaning process is stored in the storage unit 320. Therefore, the control unit 300 can check the wear state of the cleaning mechanism 250 using the execution history. As a result, it is possible to control the cleaning operation so as to exclude the worn portion of the cleaning mechanism 250, or to control the movement of the nozzle 60 so that the nozzle 60 contacts the worn portion.

[0051] Also, in the present embodiment, the elastic modulus of the blade 252 provided in the cleaning mechanism 250 is higher than the elastic modulus of the brush 251. Therefore, it is easy to remove the material adhering to the nozzle 60 by the blade 252.

[0052] Also, in this embodiment, in the cleaning mechanism 250, since the tip of the blade 252 is disposed below the tip of the brush 251, the material attached to the tip of the nozzle 60 can be efficiently removed by the blade 252.

[0053] Also, in this embodiment, the tip of the brush 251 is disposed at a height where it can contact the shield 68, and the tip of the blade 252 is disposed at a height where it does not contact the shield 68. Therefore, the material attached to the shield 68 can be removed by the brush 251.

[0054] Also, in this embodiment, in the cleaning operation, the control unit 300 brings the tip of the nozzle 60 into contact with the blade 252 to remove the shaping material attached to the tip of the nozzle 60, and then brings the tip of the nozzle 60 into contact with the brush 251. Therefore, the nozzle 60 can be efficiently cleaned.

[0055] Also, in this embodiment, in the cleaning process, after injecting waste material from the nozzle 60 onto the purge unit 253, the control unit 300 moves the nozzle 60 toward the brush 251 and the blade 252. Therefore, the shaping material remaining in the nozzle flow path 61 can be removed and the nozzle 60 can be cleaned.

[0056] Note that in this embodiment, during the shaping of the three-dimensional shaped object, the lamination process and the cleaning process are repeatedly executed. However, the cleaning process may be executed not only during the shaping but also before the start of the shaping of the three-dimensional shaped object or after the completion of the shaping of the three-dimensional shaped object.

[0057] Figs. 11 to 14 are explanatory diagrams of other examples of the cleaning operation. Fig. 11 shows an example in which the nozzle 60 is moved along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning mechanism 250 according to an orbit showing a rectangular wave shape. Fig. 12 shows an example in which the nozzle 60 is moved along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning mechanism 250 according to an orbit showing a sine wave shape. Fig. 13 shows an example in which the nozzle 60 is moved along the longitudinal direction of the cleaning mechanism 250 according to an orbit showing a sawtooth wave shape. As shown in these figures, the control unit 300 can reciprocate the nozzle 60 along various orbits in the cleaning operation. Also, as shown in Fig. 14, the control unit 300 may increase the number of times the nozzle 60 crosses the brush 251 compared to the number of times it crosses the blade 252 in the cleaning operation. By doing so, wear of the blade 252 can be suppressed.

[0058] B. Second Embodiment: Fig. 15 is a flowchart of the three-dimensional modeling process in the second embodiment. The configuration of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10 in the second embodiment is the same as that of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10 in the first embodiment.

[0059] As shown in Fig. 15, in the three-dimensional modeling process of the second embodiment, after acquiring the modeling data in step S100, the control unit 300 selects a cleaning pattern in step S105. The cleaning pattern includes a plurality of cleaning operations with different orbits. In this embodiment, a plurality of types of this cleaning pattern are stored in the storage unit 320.

[0060] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a cleaning pattern. In the present embodiment, Pattern A and Pattern B are stored in the storage unit 320 as cleaning patterns. In Pattern A, as the shaping progress rate advances, the trajectory of the cleaning operation is defined such that the contact start position during the cleaning operation moves from the -Y direction to the +Y direction. In Pattern B, as the shaping progress rate advances, the trajectory of the cleaning operation is defined such that the contact start position during the cleaning operation moves from the +Y direction to the -Y direction. In step S105 described above, each time the three-dimensional shaping process is executed, that is, each time a three-dimensional shaped object is shaped, the control unit 300 alternately selects Pattern A and Pattern B.

[0061] In the three-dimensional shaping process according to the second embodiment, in step S130 of FIG. 15, the control unit 300 selects a cleaning operation corresponding to the shaping progress rate using the cleaning pattern selected in step S105, and executes that cleaning operation in the cleaning process of step S140. The processes of steps S110 to S120 and S150 to S190 are the same as those in the three-dimensional shaping process of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0062] According to the second embodiment described above, a plurality of types of cleaning patterns including a plurality of cleaning operations with different trajectories are stored in the storage unit 320, and the control unit 300 executes a cleaning process using the cleaning pattern selected from the plurality of types of cleaning patterns each time a three-dimensional shaped object is shaped. Therefore, it is possible to effectively suppress the adhesion of waste material to a specific position of the cleaning mechanism 250, and thereby suppress the adhesion of the waste material attached to the cleaning mechanism 250 to the nozzle 60 again. In the present embodiment, two types of cleaning patterns are shown, but three or more types of cleaning patterns may be stored in the storage unit 320.

[0063] C. Third Embodiment: FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 11 in the third embodiment. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 11 of the third embodiment is different from the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10 of the first embodiment in that it includes a waste material removal unit 270, and other configurations are the same as those of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 10 of the first embodiment.

[0064] The waste material removal unit 270 removes waste material adhering to the brush 251 or the blade 252 provided in the cleaning mechanism 250. The waste material removal unit 270 in the present embodiment is constituted by an air compressor that injects compressed air. The control unit 300 drives the waste material removal unit 270 to remove the waste material adhering to the cleaning mechanism 250 at the start, end, before, or after the execution of the cleaning process in step S140 of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 15.

[0065] According to the third embodiment described above, since the waste material adhering to the brush 251 and the blade 252 can be removed using the waste material removal unit 270, it is possible to more effectively suppress the waste material adhering to the cleaning mechanism 250 from adhering to the nozzle 60 again.

[0066] Note that the waste material removal unit 270 may remove both the waste material adhering to the brush 251 and the waste material adhering to the blade 252, or may be directed to either the brush 251 or the blade 252 to remove the waste material adhering to one of them.

[0067] Further, the waste material removal unit 270 is not limited to an air compressor, and may be constituted by, for example, a brush movable on the cleaning mechanism 250, and the waste material adhering to the brush 251 or the blade 252 may be removed by rubbing the brush against the cleaning mechanism 250.

[0068] D. Fourth Embodiment: FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the three-dimensional shaping apparatus 12 in the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the three-dimensional shaping apparatus 12 includes two injection units and two cleaning mechanisms. Specifically, the injection unit in the present embodiment includes a first injection unit 101 provided with a first nozzle 71 for injecting a first shaping material, and a second injection unit 102 provided with a second nozzle 72 for injecting a second shaping material. The first shaping material and the second shaping material can be, for example, a combination of a shaping material and a support material, and in addition, for example, a combination of materials of different colors or different materials. The configurations of the first injection unit 101 and the second injection unit 102 are the same as the configuration of the injection unit 100 in the first embodiment.

[0069] The cleaning mechanism in the present embodiment has a first cleaning mechanism 261 including a brush and a blade for cleaning the first nozzle 71, and a second cleaning mechanism 262 including a brush and a blade for cleaning the second nozzle 72. The configurations of the first cleaning mechanism 261 and the second cleaning mechanism 262 are the same as the configuration of the cleaning mechanism 250 in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the two cleaning mechanisms 261 and 262 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the X direction, and the purge unit, the blade, and the brush provided in each of the cleaning mechanisms 261 and 262 are arranged in this order in the -Y direction. Also, in the present embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the first cleaning mechanism 261 and the second cleaning mechanism 262 is the X direction.

[0070] In this embodiment, the control unit 300 executes the three-dimensional shaping process shown in FIG. 6 using two injection units 101 and 102 and two cleaning mechanisms 261 and 262. In the three-dimensional shaping process according to this embodiment, the two injection units 101 and 102 are used properly to perform the lamination process. Then, in the cleaning process shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 300 causes the first nozzle 71 provided in the first injection unit 101 and the second nozzle 72 provided in the second injection unit 102 to perform the cleaning operations as shown in FIG. 7, respectively, thereby simultaneously cleaning the first nozzle 71 and the second nozzle 72 using the first cleaning mechanism 261 and the second cleaning mechanism 262.

[0071] According to the fourth embodiment described above, since the two nozzles 71 and 72 provided in the two injection units 101 and 102 can be cleaned simultaneously, the time required for the cleaning process can be shortened. As a result, the three-dimensional shaping process can be executed efficiently. Note that, in this embodiment, an example in which the three-dimensional shaping apparatus 12 is provided with two injection units and two cleaning mechanisms each has been shown, but the injection units and the cleaning mechanisms may be provided in three or more numbers.

[0072] E. Fifth Embodiment: FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional shaping apparatus 13 according to the fifth embodiment. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus 13 according to the fifth embodiment mainly differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the injection unit, and the other configurations and the processing contents of the three-dimensional shaping process are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, hereinafter, the configuration of the injection unit will be mainly described.

[0073] The three-dimensional shaping apparatus 13 according to this embodiment includes an injection unit 103, a material storage unit 23, a housing 110, a drive unit 210, a stage 220, and a control unit 300. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus 13 further includes a blower 16. The blower 16 is configured as a blower that blows air toward the injection unit 103 via a manifold 17. In this embodiment, a part of the manifold 17, the injection unit 103, the drive unit 210, and the stage 220 are accommodated in the shaping space 111 in the housing 110.

[0074] The material storage unit 23 of the present embodiment is configured as a holder for storing a filamentous material. The material storage unit 23 is configured to be able to unwind the material stored inside to the outside of the material storage unit 23.

[0075] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the injection unit 103 of the present embodiment. The injection unit 103 includes a heating block 190 as a plasticizing mechanism having a heater and provided with a through hole 180, a nozzle 73 detachably attached to the through hole 180, and a material transport mechanism 140 that transports the material MF toward the nozzle flow path 74 of the nozzle 73 attached to the heating block 190. Further, the injection unit 103 is disposed between the material transport mechanism 140 and the heating block 190 in the Z direction, and further includes a shield 92 that suppresses heat transfer from the heating block 190 to the material transport mechanism 140. Different from the first embodiment, the material transport mechanism 140 of the present embodiment is composed of two wheels 49 without including a screw case 31 or a screw 41. Different from the first embodiment, the heating block 190 does not include a barrel 50 or a case portion 91.

[0076] The nozzle 73 of the present embodiment is attached to the heating block 190 by being inserted into the through hole 180 and a shield opening 93 provided in the shield 92 from the -Z direction. In the present embodiment, the dimension of the nozzle 73 along the Z direction and the dimension of the nozzle flow path 74 along the Z direction are longer than the dimension of the through hole 180 along the Z direction. In the present embodiment, the inlet 165 provided at the rear end of the nozzle 73 is located on the +Z direction side of the heating block 190, more specifically, on the +Z direction side of the shield 92.

[0077] The two wheels 49 that make up the material conveying mechanism 140, by their rotation, draw out the material MF in the material storage unit 23 to the outside and guide it between the two wheels 49, and convey it toward the nozzle flow path 74 of the nozzle 73 attached to the through hole 180 of the heating block 190. The heating block 190 plasticizes the material MF conveyed into the nozzle flow path 74 of the nozzle 73 by the heat of a heater (not shown) built into the heating block 190.

[0078] In the present embodiment, the material MF is cooled by the air sent from the blower 16 via the manifold 17 near the inlet 165 of the nozzle 73. Thereby, plasticization near the inlet 165 of the material MF is suppressed, and the material MF is efficiently conveyed into the inlet 165. Note that the outlet end 18 of the manifold 17 is located on the +Z direction side of the shield 92. Thereby, the air sent out from the manifold 17 is easily guided to the vicinity of the inlet 165 by the shield 92, so that the material MF near the inlet 165 is efficiently cooled.

[0079] Note that the configuration of the cleaning mechanism 250 in the present embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment, but the tip of the brush 251 does not contact the shield 92 during the cleaning process. This is because in the present embodiment, the shield 92 is located above the heating block 190.

[0080] Also in the three-dimensional shaping apparatus 13 of the present embodiment described above, it is possible to clean the nozzle 73 using the cleaning mechanism 250.

[0081] F. Other Embodiments: (F1) In the above embodiment, the control unit 300 selects a cleaning operation to be used from a plurality of cleaning operations with different contact start positions and executes the cleaning process. In contrast, the control unit 300 may select a cleaning operation to be used from among a plurality of cleaning operations with different shapes of the trajectories shown in FIGS. 7, 11 to 14.

[0082] (F2) In the above-described embodiment, at the start of the cleaning operation, the control unit 300 moves the nozzle 60 from the blade 252 side to the brush 251 side. In contrast, the control unit 300 may move the nozzle 60 from the brush 251 side to the blade 252 side at the start of the cleaning operation.

[0083] (F3) The control unit 300 may store, as cleaning operations with different trajectories, a cleaning operation of moving the nozzle 60 from the blade 252 side to the brush 251 side and a cleaning operation of moving the nozzle 60 from the brush 251 side to the blade 252 side at the start of the cleaning operation, and select a cleaning operation to be used from among them. Also, the control unit 300 may store a cleaning operation having a trajectory from the +Y direction to the -Y direction and a cleaning operation having a trajectory from the -Y direction to the +Y direction, and select a cleaning operation to be used from among them.

[0084] (F4) In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 300 changes the contact start position in the cleaning operation according to the profiling progress rate. In contrast, the control unit 300 may randomly select the contact start position using a random number. However, even when randomly selecting the contact start position, it is preferable to randomly select the contact start position from a range excluding the contact start position in the previous cleaning operation.

[0085] (F5) In the above-described embodiment, the cleaning mechanism 250 includes a purge unit 253. In contrast, the cleaning mechanism 250 may not include the purge unit 253.

[0086] (F6) In the above-described embodiment, the nozzles 60, 73 include shields 68, 92. In contrast, the nozzles 60, 73 may not include the shields 68, 92.

[0087] (F7) In the above embodiment, it is not necessary to execute the recording of the cleaning process execution history and the wear determination process. That is, the processes of steps S160 to S190 in FIGS. 6 and 15 may be omitted.

[0088] (F8) In the above embodiment, the cleaning mechanism 250 is arranged in a region different from the stage 220 in the horizontal direction. In contrast, the cleaning mechanism 250 may be arranged in a region that overlaps the stage 220 in the horizontal direction and is different from the shaping region of the stage 220 where the three-dimensional object is shaped. Thereby, a compact three-dimensional shaping apparatus can be provided.

[0089] G. Other forms: The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each of the forms described below can be appropriately replaced or combined in order to solve some or all of the above-described problems, or to achieve some or all of the above-described effects. Also, if the technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted.

[0090] (1) According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a three-dimensional shaping apparatus is provided. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus includes a plasticizing mechanism that plasticizes a plasticizable material to generate a shaping material, an injection unit having a nozzle that injects the shaping material from the nozzle, a stage on which the shaping material is laminated, a drive unit that changes a relative position between the injection unit and the stage, a cleaning mechanism having a brush and a blade, a control unit that can execute a cleaning process for cleaning the nozzle and controls the injection unit and the drive unit to laminate a layer on the stage. The brush and the blade are disposed at a height at which they can contact the nozzle. The brush and the blade have a melting point higher than the plasticizing temperature of the plasticizable material and a hardness lower than the hardness of the nozzle. In the cleaning process, the control unit executes a cleaning operation of bringing at least one of the brush and the blade into contact with the nozzle by reciprocating the nozzle so that the nozzle crosses the cleaning mechanism a plurality of times. In the cleaning operation, the control unit reciprocates the nozzle so that the nozzle contacts different positions of the brush or the blade. The temperature of the nozzle in the cleaning operation is lower than the temperature of the nozzle during the lamination of the layer. In such a configuration, in the cleaning operation, the nozzle reciprocates so that the nozzle contacts different positions of the brush or the blade. Further, since the temperature of the nozzle in the cleaning operation is lower than the temperature of the nozzle during the lamination of the layer, it is possible to suppress the waste material attached to the cleaning mechanism from adhering to the nozzle again. As a result, it is possible to suppress the waste material attached to the cleaning mechanism from affecting the shaping accuracy.

[0091] (2) In the above aspect, the control unit may execute a selected cleaning operation among a plurality of cleaning operations in which the trajectories of moving the nozzle are different. In such a configuration, the nozzle can be cleaned by selectively using a plurality of cleaning operations in which the trajectories of moving the nozzle are different.

[0092] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the plurality of cleaning operations for different orbits may each have a different contact start position between the nozzle and the cleaning mechanism. In such a case, it is possible to effectively suppress the adhesion of waste material to a specific position of the cleaning mechanism, so that it is possible to more effectively suppress the adhesion of the waste material adhering to the cleaning mechanism to the nozzle again.

[0093] (4) In the above-described embodiment, the control unit may execute a cleaning operation different from the previously executed cleaning operation. In such a case, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of waste material to a specific position of the cleaning mechanism, so that it is possible to more effectively suppress the adhesion of the waste material adhering to the cleaning mechanism to the nozzle again.

[0094] (5) In the above-described embodiment, it may have a storage unit that stores a plurality of types of cleaning patterns including a plurality of cleaning operations for different orbits, and the control unit may execute the cleaning process using a cleaning pattern selected from the plurality of types of cleaning patterns every time a three-dimensional object is formed. In such a case, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of waste material to a specific position of the cleaning mechanism, so that it is possible to more effectively suppress the adhesion of the waste material adhering to the cleaning mechanism to the nozzle again.

[0095] (6) In the above-described embodiment, the control unit may cause the storage unit to store the execution history of the cleaning process. In such a case, it is possible to check the wear state of the cleaning mechanism using the execution history.

[0096] (7) In the above-described embodiment, it may be provided with a waste material removing unit that removes the waste material adhering to the brush or the blade. In such a case, it is possible to more effectively suppress the adhesion of the waste material adhering to the cleaning mechanism to the nozzle again.

[0097] (8) In the above-described embodiment, the nozzle has a shield above the tip of the nozzle, The tip of the brush may be disposed at a height where it can contact the shield, and the tip of the blade may be disposed at a height where it does not contact the shield. In such a configuration, the material adhering to the shield can be removed.

[0098] (9) In the above configuration, the cleaning mechanism has a purge portion, the blade is disposed between the purge portion and the brush, and the purge portion has a first inclined surface, a second inclined surface, and a third inclined surface in order from the farthest from the blade and in order of lower position in the vertical direction. The inclination angles of the second inclined surface and the third inclined surface from the horizontal plane may be larger than the inclination angle of the first inclined surface from the horizontal plane.

[0099] (10) In the above configuration, in the cleaning process, after injecting the shaping material from the nozzle onto the purge portion, the nozzle may be moved toward the brush and the blade. In such a configuration, the nozzle can be cleaned after removing the material remaining in the nozzle.

[0100] (11) According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a three-dimensional shaping apparatus including a plasticizing mechanism that plasticizes a plasticizing material to generate a shaping material, an injection unit that includes a nozzle and injects the shaping material from the nozzle, a stage on which the shaping material is laminated, a drive unit that changes a relative position between the injection unit and the stage, and a cleaning mechanism having a brush and a blade. The brush and the blade are disposed at a height where they can contact the nozzle. The brush and the blade have a melting point higher than the plasticizing temperature of the plasticizing material and a hardness lower than the hardness of the nozzle. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object in the three-dimensional shaping apparatus is provided. This manufacturing method includes a laminating step of controlling the injection unit and the drive unit to laminate a layer on the stage, and a cleaning step of performing a cleaning operation of bringing at least one of the brush and the blade into contact with the nozzle by reciprocating the nozzle so that the nozzle crosses the cleaning mechanism a plurality of times. In the cleaning step, in the cleaning operation, the nozzle is reciprocated so that the nozzle contacts different positions of the brush or the blade, and the temperature of the nozzle in the cleaning operation is lower than the temperature of the nozzle during the lamination of the layer.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0101] 10 - 13... Three - dimensional shaping device, 16... Blower, 17... Manifold, 18... Outlet end, 20... Material storage section, 22... Supply path, 23... Material storage section, 30... Plasticizing mechanism, 31... Screw case, 32... Driving motor, 40... Material conveying mechanism, 41... Screw, 42... Groove - forming surface, 43... Side surface, 44... Material inlet, 45... Screw groove, 46... Ridge portion, 47... Screw central portion, 49... Wheel, 50... Barrel, 52... Screw - facing surface, 54... Guide groove, 56... Communication hole, 58... Heater, 60... Nozzle, 61... Nozzle flow path, 63... Nozzle opening, 65... Inlet, 68... Shield, 70... Flow rate adjustment section, 71... First nozzle, 72... Second nozzle, 73... Nozzle, 74... Nozzle flow path, 75... Valve drive section, 80... Through - hole, 90... Heating block, 91... Case section, 92... Shield, 93... Shield opening, 94... Opening, 100... Injection section, 101... First injection section, 102... Second injection section, 103... Injection section, 110... Housing, 111... Shaping space, 140... Material conveying mechanism, 165... Inlet, 180... Through - hole, 190... Heating block, 210... Drive section, 211... First drive section, 212... Second drive section, 220... Stage, 250... Cleaning mechanism, 251... Brush, 252... Blade, 253... Purge section, 254... First inclined surface, 255... Second inclined surface, 256... Third inclined surface, 258... Fixture, 260... Purge waste material container, 261... First cleaning mechanism, 262... Second cleaning mechanism, 270... Waste material removal section, 280... Support section, 300... Control section, 310... Processor, 320... Memory section, 400... Display device

Claims

1. A plasticizing mechanism that plasticizes a plasticizable material to generate a modeling material, and an injection unit having a nozzle that injects the modeling material from the nozzle, A stage on which the modeling material is laminated, A drive unit that changes the relative position between the injection unit and the stage, A cleaning mechanism having a brush and a blade, A control unit that can execute a cleaning process for cleaning the nozzle and controls the injection unit and the drive unit to laminate a layer on the stage, The brush and the blade are arranged at a height where they can contact the nozzle, The brush and the blade have a melting point higher than the plasticizing temperature of the plasticizable material and a hardness lower than the hardness of the nozzle, In the cleaning process, the control unit executes a cleaning operation of bringing at least one of the brush and the blade into contact with the nozzle by reciprocally moving the nozzle so that the nozzle crosses the cleaning mechanism a plurality of times, In the cleaning operation, the control unit reciprocally moves the nozzle so that the nozzle contacts different positions of the brush or the blade, The temperature of the nozzle in the cleaning operation is lower than the temperature of the nozzle during the lamination of the layer, The control unit executes a selected cleaning operation among a plurality of cleaning operations with different trajectories for moving the nozzle, A three-dimensional modeling apparatus.

2. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to Claim 1, Among the plurality of cleaning operations with different trajectories, in each of them, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus has a different contact start position between the nozzle and the cleaning mechanism.

3. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, The control unit is a three-dimensional shaping device that executes a cleaning operation different from the previously executed cleaning operation.

4. A three-dimensional shaping device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, having a storage unit that stores a plurality of types of cleaning patterns including a plurality of cleaning operations for different orbits, wherein the control unit executes the cleaning process using a cleaning pattern selected from the plurality of types of cleaning patterns every time a three-dimensional shaped object is shaped.

5. A plasticizing mechanism that plasticizes a plasticizable material to generate a shaping material, an injection unit having a nozzle that injects the shaping material from the nozzle, a stage on which the shaping material is laminated, a drive unit that changes the relative position between the injection unit and the stage, a cleaning mechanism having a brush and a blade, a control unit that can execute a cleaning process for cleaning the nozzle and controls the injection unit and the drive unit to laminate a layer on the stage, wherein the brush and the blade are arranged at a height where they can contact the nozzle, wherein the brush and the blade have a melting point higher than the plasticizing temperature of the plasticizable material and a hardness lower than the hardness of the nozzle, wherein the control unit executes a cleaning operation of bringing at least one of the brush and the blade into contact with the nozzle by reciprocally moving the nozzle so that the nozzle crosses the cleaning mechanism a plurality of times in the cleaning process, wherein the control unit reciprocally moves the nozzle so that the nozzle contacts different positions of the brush or the blade in the cleaning operation, wherein the temperature of the nozzle in the cleaning operation is lower than the temperature of the nozzle during the lamination of the layer, A three-dimensional shaping device in which the control unit causes a storage unit to store an execution history of the cleaning process.

6. A plasticizing mechanism that plasticizes a plasticizable material to generate a shaping material, an injection unit having a nozzle that injects the shaping material from the nozzle, a stage on which the shaping material is laminated, a drive unit that changes a relative position between the injection unit and the stage, a cleaning mechanism having a brush and a blade, a control unit that is capable of executing a cleaning process for cleaning the nozzle and controls the injection unit and the drive unit to laminate a layer on the stage, the brush and the blade are arranged at a height at which they can contact the nozzle, the brush and the blade have a melting point higher than the plasticizing temperature of the plasticizable material and a hardness lower than the hardness of the nozzle, in the cleaning process, the control unit executes a cleaning operation of bringing at least one of the brush and the blade into contact with the nozzle by reciprocally moving the nozzle so that the nozzle crosses the cleaning mechanism a plurality of times, in the cleaning operation, the control unit reciprocally moves the nozzle so that the nozzle contacts different positions of the brush or the blade, the temperature of the nozzle in the cleaning operation is lower than the temperature of the nozzle during lamination of the layer, A three-dimensional shaping device including a waste material removing unit that removes waste material adhering to the brush or the blade.

7. A plasticizing mechanism that plasticizes a plasticizable material to generate a shaping material, an injection unit having a nozzle that injects the shaping material from the nozzle, a stage on which the shaping material is laminated, a drive unit that changes a relative position between the injection unit and the stage, a cleaning mechanism having a brush and a blade, It is capable of executing a cleaning process for cleaning the nozzle, and includes a control unit that controls the injection unit and the drive unit to stack a layer on the stage. The brush and the blade are arranged at a height where they can contact the nozzle. The brush and the blade have a melting point higher than the plasticizing temperature of the plasticized material and a hardness lower than the hardness of the nozzle. In the cleaning process, the control unit executes a cleaning operation of bringing at least one of the brush and the blade into contact with the nozzle by reciprocating the nozzle so that the nozzle crosses the cleaning mechanism a plurality of times. In the cleaning operation, the control unit reciprocates the nozzle so that the nozzle contacts different positions of the brush or the blade. The temperature of the nozzle in the cleaning operation is lower than the temperature of the nozzle during the stacking of the layer. The nozzle has a shield above the tip of the nozzle. The tip of the brush is arranged at a height where it can contact the shield. A three-dimensional shaping apparatus, wherein the tip of the blade is arranged at a height where it does not contact the shield.

8. A plasticizing mechanism that plasticizes a plasticized material to generate a shaping material, and an injection unit having a nozzle that injects the shaping material from the nozzle. A stage on which the shaping material is stacked. A drive unit that changes the relative position between the injection unit and the stage. A cleaning mechanism having a brush and a blade. It is capable of executing a cleaning process for cleaning the nozzle, and includes a control unit that controls the injection unit and the drive unit to stack a layer on the stage. The brush and the blade are arranged at a height where they can contact the nozzle. The brush and the blade have a melting point higher than the plasticizing temperature of the plasticizing material and a hardness lower than the hardness of the nozzle. In the cleaning process, the control unit executes a cleaning operation of bringing at least one of the brush and the blade into contact with the nozzle by reciprocating the nozzle so that the nozzle crosses the cleaning mechanism a plurality of times. In the cleaning operation, the control unit reciprocates the nozzle so that the nozzle contacts different positions of the brush or the blade. The temperature of the nozzle in the cleaning operation is lower than the temperature of the nozzle during the lamination of the layer. The cleaning mechanism has a purge section. The blade is disposed between the purge section and the brush. The purge section has a first inclined surface, a second inclined surface, and a third inclined surface in order from far away from the blade and in order of lower position in the vertical direction. The inclination angles of the second inclined surface and the third inclined surface from the horizontal plane are larger than the inclination angle of the first inclined surface from the horizontal plane. Three-dimensional shaping apparatus.

9. A three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 8, In the cleaning process, the control unit injects the shaping material from the nozzle onto the purge section and then moves the nozzle toward the brush and the blade. Three-dimensional shaping apparatus.

10. A plasticizing mechanism for plasticizing a plasticizing material to generate a shaping material, and an injection unit for injecting the shaping material from the nozzle, A stage on which the shaping material is laminated, A drive unit for changing the relative position between the injection unit and the stage, A cleaning mechanism having a brush and a blade, The brush and the blade are arranged at a height at which they can contact the nozzle. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object in a three-dimensional shaping apparatus, wherein the brush and the blade have a melting point higher than the plasticizing temperature of the plasticizing material and a hardness lower than the hardness of the nozzle. A laminating step of controlling the injection unit and the drive unit to laminate a layer on the stage. A cleaning step of performing a cleaning operation of bringing at least one of the brush and the blade into contact with the nozzle by reciprocally moving the nozzle so that the nozzle crosses the cleaning mechanism a plurality of times. Comprising: In the cleaning step, in the cleaning operation, the nozzle is reciprocally moved so that the nozzle contacts different positions of the brush or the blade. The temperature of the nozzle in the cleaning operation is lower than the temperature of the nozzle during the lamination of the layer. In the cleaning step, among a plurality of cleaning operations with different trajectories for moving the nozzle, a selected cleaning operation is executed. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object.

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