Three-dimensional modeling device, information processing device, and information processing method

Abstract

To provide a three-dimensional molding device capable of accurately molding a three-dimensional molded article even when binder concentration of a molding material is high.SOLUTION: A three-dimensional molding device comprises: a stage; a discharge part for discharging to the stage, a molding material including inorganic material particles and a binder; a heating part for hearting the molding material discharged to the stage by the discharge part; a movement part for relatively moving the stage and the discharge part; and a control part for controlling the discharge part, the heating part and the movement part. The control part regards the molding material discharged to the stage by the discharge part, as a heating object material, and causes the heating part to heat the heating object material on the basis of a first heat quantity according to material composition information which indicates a composition of the molding material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a three-dimensional modeling apparatus, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Research and development has been conducted on three-dimensional modeling devices that form three-dimensional objects by stacking at least partially molten materials.

[0003] In this regard, a three-dimensional printing device is known that includes a nozzle that ejects a paste-like modeling material containing inorganic material particles, a solvent that disperses the inorganic material particles, and a binder that temporarily bonds the inorganic material particles together after the solvent has been removed, and a heating unit that irradiates a laser onto a layer formed by the modeling material ejected by the nozzle, and that stacks such layers to produce a three-dimensional object (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-141224 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The 3D printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 uses a solvent to generate the printing material, necessitating a mechanism for supplying the solvent and a storage space for the solvent. As a result, the manufacturing cost of such an apparatus can increase. Therefore, a method for printing a 3D object using a solid printing material, which is a mixture of inorganic particles and a binder without a solvent, is known. The binder concentration in a solid printing material is higher than that in a paste-like mixed material. This is because the binder cannot be dissolved in a solvent indefinitely. However, when a 3D object is printed using a printing material with a high binder concentration, the particles in the printing material may be scattered by a gas jet of the binder vaporized during heating. This is undesirable because it makes it difficult to print a 3D object with the desired shape. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, one aspect of the present invention is a three-dimensional printing device comprising a stage, a discharge unit that discharges a modeling material containing inorganic material particles and a binder onto the stage, a heating unit that heats the modeling material discharged onto the stage by the discharge unit, a moving unit that moves the stage and the discharge unit relatively, and a control unit that controls the discharge unit, the heating unit, and the moving unit, wherein the control unit treats the modeling material discharged onto the stage by the discharge unit as a material to be heated, and causes the heating unit to heat the material to be heated based on a first heat quantity corresponding to material composition information that indicates the composition of the modeling material.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that controls a three-dimensional modeling device comprising a stage, an ejection unit that ejects a modeling material containing inorganic material particles and a binder onto the stage, a heating unit that heats the modeling material ejected onto the stage by the ejection unit, and a moving unit that moves the stage and the ejection unit relatively, and that determines a first heat quantity according to material composition information that indicates the composition of the modeling material.

[0008] Another aspect of the present invention is an information processing method for controlling a three-dimensional modeling device that includes a stage, an ejection unit that ejects a modeling material containing inorganic material particles and a binder onto the stage, a heating unit that heats the modeling material ejected onto the stage by the ejection unit, and a moving unit that moves the stage and the ejection unit relatively, and that determines a first heat quantity according to material composition information that indicates the composition of the modeling material. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a control unit 50. [Figure 3] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow in which the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 sets the output of the laser irradiated from the heating unit 12. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the correlation between the appropriate minimum heat quantity and the binder concentration for a certain binder composition. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the amount of heat input and the film remaining rate. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing examples of a green body discharged onto a printing surface 31 from a nozzle N and a bulk body obtained after the green body is heated by a laser. [Figure 7] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a change in temperature at a predetermined position PP on a material to be heated when the material to be heated is irradiated with a laser as shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of how a material to be heated is irradiated with a laser. [Figure 9] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the regression line showing the correlation shown in FIG. 4 extrapolated to a region of higher binder concentration. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the amount of heat input and the film remaining rate when a material to be heated having a binder concentration of 4.9 wt % is irradiated with a laser. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a graph showing an example of the change in film remaining rate relative to the change in laser output W. [Figure 12] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of processing performed by the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 to print a three-dimensional object. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of the appearance of a material to be heated after being irradiated with a laser beam based on a first heat quantity by the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a line graph in which the number of sputtered particles adhered within the hatched region in FIG. 13 is counted as a frequency for each size of sputtered particles. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] <Outline of the 3D modeling device> First, an overview of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to an embodiment will be described.

[0012] A three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to an embodiment includes a stage, a discharge unit, a heating unit, a moving unit, and a control unit. The discharge unit discharges a modeling material containing inorganic material particles and a binder onto the stage. The heating unit heats the modeling material discharged onto the stage by the discharge unit. The moving unit moves the stage and the discharge unit relatively. The control unit controls the discharge unit, the heating unit, and the moving unit. The control unit then determines the modeling material discharged onto the stage by the discharge unit as a heating target material, and causes the heating unit to heat the heating target material based on a first heat quantity corresponding to material composition information indicating the composition of the modeling material. This allows the three-dimensional modeling apparatus to accurately model a three-dimensional object even when the binder concentration of the material is high.

[0013] The configuration of a three-dimensional printing apparatus according to an embodiment and the processes performed by the three-dimensional printing apparatus will be described in detail below.

[0014] <Configuration of 3D printing device> The configuration of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to the embodiment will be described below using the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 as an example.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.

[0016] Here, the three-dimensional coordinate system TC is a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system that indicates directions in a drawing in which the three-dimensional coordinate system TC is drawn. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the X-axis in the three-dimensional coordinate system TC will be simply referred to as the X-axis. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the Y-axis in the three-dimensional coordinate system TC will be simply referred to as the Y-axis. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the Z-axis in the three-dimensional coordinate system TC will be simply referred to as the Z-axis. Hereinafter, as an example, a case will be described in which the negative direction of the Z-axis coincides with the direction of gravity. Therefore, hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the positive direction of the Z-axis will be referred to as the upward direction or simply "up," and the negative direction of the Z-axis will be referred to as the downward direction or simply "down."

[0017] The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 includes a dispensing unit 10, a cutting unit 20, a stage 30, a moving unit 40, and a control unit 50. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 discharges a modeling material X (not shown) from the dispensing unit 10 toward a modeling surface 31 on the stage 30 while changing the relative position between the dispensing unit 10 and the stage 30. In this manner, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 deposits the modeling material X on the stage 30. Here, the modeling material X is, for example, a solid material containing inorganic material particles and a binder. For example, the modeling material X may be pellets containing inorganic material particles and a binder, but is not limited thereto. The modeling material X may also contain a solvent for dispersing the inorganic material particles in addition to the inorganic material particles and the binder. In this case, the modeling material X is a paste-like material. In the following description, as an example of inorganic material particles, stainless steel particles such as SUS630 may be used, but is not limited thereto.

[0018] The three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 also rotates the cutting tool 21 attached to the cutting unit 20, changing the relative position between the cutting tool 21 and the stage 30. In this way, the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 cuts the modeling material X stacked on the stage 30. That is, the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 stacks and cuts the modeling material X, thereby forming a three-dimensional object of a desired shape on the printing surface 31. The three-dimensional object OB shown in FIG. 1 is an example of a three-dimensional object formed by the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 in this manner.

[0019] The discharge unit 10 is a discharge device that discharges the modeling material X onto the modeling surface 31. More specifically, the discharge unit 10 includes a discharge section 11 and a heating section 12.

[0020] The discharge unit 11 has a nozzle N. The discharge unit 11 melts at least a portion of the supplied solid modeling material X to turn it into a paste, and discharges the paste-like modeling material X from the nozzle N onto the modeling surface 31. Therefore, the relative position between the discharge unit 10 and the stage 30 is represented by the relative position between the discharge unit 11 and the stage 30. Note that the relative position between the discharge unit 10 and the stage 30 may also be represented by the relative position between the stage 30 and other members of the discharge unit 10.

[0021] Here, a cartridge that stores the modeling material X is attached to the discharge unit 11, and the modeling material X is supplied to the discharge unit 11. Material composition information indicating the composition of the modeling material X is recorded in the cartridge. For example, an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip on which the material composition information is recorded is attached to the cartridge. In this case, the discharge unit 11 includes a reading device that reads out the material composition information from the IC chip attached to the cartridge. Then, in response to a request from the control unit 50, the discharge unit 11 reads out the material composition information using this reading device and outputs the read-out material composition information to the control unit 50.

[0022] The material composition information includes binder composition information X1 and binder concentration information X2. The binder composition information X1 is information indicating the composition of the binder contained in the modeling material X. The binder concentration information X2 is information indicating the binder concentration of the binder contained in the modeling material X. Note that the material composition information may include other information in addition to the binder composition information X1 and the binder concentration information X2. Furthermore, the material composition information may include cartridge type identification information that identifies the type of cartridge instead of the binder composition information X1 and the binder concentration information X2. In this case, the control unit 50 pre-stores the binder composition information X1 and the binder concentration information X2 associated with the type of cartridge identified by the cartridge type identification information.

[0023] If the modeling material X contains a solvent for dispersing the inorganic particles in addition to the inorganic particles and binder, the discharge unit 11 is provided with a jet dispenser instead of the nozzle N. This is because the modeling material X in this case has high fluidity, and it is difficult to deposit the modeling material X on the modeling surface 31 by extruding it from the nozzle N.

[0024] The heating unit 12 heats the heating target material, which is the modeling material X discharged onto the modeling surface 31 by the discharging unit 11. In other words, the heating unit 12 heats the heating target material, which is the modeling material X deposited on the modeling surface 31 by the discharging unit 11. The heating unit 12 includes, for example, an irradiation unit 121 that irradiates the heating target material with a laser. The output of the laser irradiated from the irradiation unit 121 is controlled by the control unit 50. Note that the heating unit 12 may be configured to heat the heating target material by another method instead of irradiating the heating target material with a laser.

[0025] The cutting unit 20 is a cutting device that rotates a cutting tool 21 attached to a shaft at the tip of the head to cut the build material X layered on the build surface 31. The cutting tool 21 is, for example, a flat end mill, a ball end mill, etc., but is not limited to these. The cutting unit 20 detects the position of the tip of the cutting tool 21 using, for example, a position detection sensor and outputs the detection result to the control unit 50. The control unit 50 uses this result to control the moving unit 40 and perform cutting by controlling the relative positional relationship between the cutting tool 21 and the layered build material X. The cutting unit 20 may also be configured to include a static eliminator such as an ionizer.

[0026] The moving unit 40 changes the relative position between the discharging unit 10 and the stage 30. More specifically, the moving unit 40 changes the relative position between the discharging unit 10 and the stage 30 by moving either or both of the discharging unit 10 and the stage 30. As an example, the following describes a case in which the moving unit 40 changes the relative position between the discharging unit 10 and the stage 30 by moving the stage 30. The moving unit 40 also changes the relative position between the cutting unit 20 and the stage 30. More specifically, the moving unit 40 changes the relative position between the cutting unit 20 and the stage 30 by moving either or both of the cutting unit 20 and the stage 30. As an example, the following describes a case in which the moving unit 40 changes the relative position between the cutting unit 20 and the stage 30 by moving the stage 30. For example, the moving unit 40 is configured by a three-axis positioner that moves the stage 30 in directions parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis using the driving forces of three motors. In this case, these three motors are controlled by the control unit 50.

[0027] The control unit 50 is a control device that controls the entire 3D printing apparatus 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control unit 50. The control unit 50 includes a processor 51, a storage unit 52, an input receiving unit 53, a communication unit 54, and a display unit 55. The control unit 50 may be an information processing device configured separately from the 3D printing apparatus 1. In this case, the 3D printing apparatus 1 is communicably connected to this information processing device and is controlled by this information processing device.

[0028] The processor 51 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 51 may be another processor such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The processor 51 may also be configured with multiple processors. The processor 51 executes various programs, various commands, etc. stored in the storage unit 52, thereby realizing various functions of the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1.

[0029] The storage unit 52 includes a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc. The storage unit 52 may be an external storage device connected via a digital input / output port such as a universal serial bus (USB) instead of being built into the 3D printing apparatus 1. The storage unit 52 stores various programs, commands, information, etc. that are processed by the 3D printing apparatus 1.

[0030] The input receiving unit 53 receives operations from the user performed while viewing the image displayed on the display unit 55. The input receiving unit 53 is an input device including, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, etc. Note that the input receiving unit 53 may be a touch panel that is integrated with the display unit 55.

[0031] The communication unit 54 includes, for example, a digital input / output port such as a USB, an Ethernet (registered trademark) port, and the like.

[0032] The display unit 55 displays an image. The display unit 55 is a display device provided in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1, and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display panel, an organic EL (ElectroLuminescence) display panel, or the like.

[0033] <Process in which the 3D modeling device sets the output of the laser emitted from the heating unit> Next, a process in which the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 sets the output of the laser irradiated from the heating unit 12 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of a process in which the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 sets the output of the laser irradiated from the heating unit 12. As an example, the following describes a case in which a cartridge is not attached to the discharge unit 11 at a timing before the process of step S110 shown in Fig. 3 is performed. Also, as an example, the following describes a case in which the discharge unit 11 is equipped with a sensor S (not shown) that detects whether a cartridge is attached to the discharge unit 11.

[0034] The control unit 50 waits until a cartridge is attached to the ejection unit 11 (step S110). Here, if the sensor S detects that a cartridge has been attached to the ejection unit 11, the control unit 50 determines that a cartridge has been attached to the ejection unit 11. On the other hand, if the sensor S does not detect that a cartridge has been attached to the ejection unit 11, the control unit 50 determines that a cartridge has not been attached to the ejection unit 11. Note that the control unit 50 may be configured to detect whether or not a cartridge has been attached to the ejection unit 11 by another method.

[0035] When the control unit 50 determines that a cartridge is attached to the discharge unit 11 (step S110-YES), it controls the reading device provided in the discharge unit 11 to read the material composition information recorded in the cartridge. Then, the control unit 50 acquires the material composition information read by the reading device from the reading device (step S120).

[0036] Next, the control unit 50 determines the amount of heat to be given to the heating target material by the laser irradiated from the heating unit 12 as a first amount of heat based on the material composition information acquired in step S120 (step S130). Here, the processing of step S130 will be described. Note that, for convenience of explanation, the heating target material before being heated by laser irradiation will be referred to as a green body. Also, for convenience of explanation, the heating target material after being heated by laser irradiation will be referred to as a bulk body.

[0037] In step S130, the control unit 50 reads out correspondence information pre-stored in the storage unit 52 from the storage unit 52. The correspondence information is information including information associating binder concentrations with appropriate minimum heat quantities for each binder composition. Here, the appropriate minimum heat quantity is the minimum heat quantity estimated to be appropriate as the heat quantity to be applied to the material to be heated. More specifically, the appropriate minimum heat quantity is the minimum heat quantity estimated to minimize the amount of inorganic material particles scattered from the material to be heated due to the binder gas jet that vaporizes when the material to be heated is heated. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the heat quantity to be applied to the material to be heated will be referred to as the heat input quantity.

[0038] Corresponding information corresponding to a binder composition is generated, for example, based on the graph shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the correlation between the appropriate minimum heat quantity and the binder concentration for a binder composition. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the binder composition is PVA (polyvinyl alcohol), but other compositions may be used. The horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 4 indicates the binder concentration of the modeling material X. In this example, the binder concentration is expressed as a mass fraction, but it may be expressed as other fractions such as a molar fraction or a volume fraction. The vertical axis of the graph indicates the appropriate minimum heat quantity per unit volume for the modeling material X. As shown in FIG. 4, the correlation between the appropriate minimum heat quantity and the binder concentration is expressed by a regression line obtained by linear regression. This is also true when the binder composition is changed from PVA to another composition. However, the slope of the regression line differs depending on the binder composition. The aforementioned correspondence information may be a function indicating such a regression line, a lookup table indicating the correlation represented by such a regression line, or other form of information indicating the correlation.

[0039] Here, the graph shown in FIG. 4 is generated based on the graph shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between heat input and film residual rate. In this embodiment, the film residual rate is the ratio of d to D, where D is the thickness of the green body ejected from the nozzle N onto the build surface 31 and d is the thickness of the bulk body after the green body is heated with a laser, i.e., d / D. In other words, the film residual rate is the ratio of the thickness of the material to be heated before and after heating.

[0040] When the green body is heated, the binder contained in the green body vaporizes and evaporates, and the metal particles contained therein melt and form a bulk, reducing its volume. As a result, the film remaining rate becomes less than 1. Note that Figure 6 shows an example of a green body ejected onto the build surface 31 from the nozzle N and a bulk body after the green body is heated with a laser.

[0041] The horizontal axis of the graph shown in Figure 5 represents the heat input per unit volume of a green body having a given thickness. The heat input is given to the material to be heated by irradiating it with a laser, and is calculated using the following formula (1).

[0042] Ec=W / (V×Db×D) (1)

[0043] In the above formula (1), Ec represents the amount of heat input. W in formula (1) represents the output of the laser irradiated by the heating unit 12. V in formula (1) represents the laser scanning speed at which the heating unit 12 scans the laser. Db in formula (1) represents the beam diameter of the laser irradiated by the heating unit 12. D in formula (1) represents the thickness of the green body irradiated with the laser. The thickness of the green body may be represented by the modeling pitch in the Z-axis direction, i.e., the height in the Z-axis direction, or by the gap between the nozzle N and the modeling surface 31 when modeling material X is ejected as the material to be heated, or by other information indicating the thickness of the green body.

[0044] On the other hand, the vertical axis of the graph shown in Figure 5 represents the aforementioned film survival rate. Curve F1 plotted on the graph shows an example of the change in film survival rate when the amount of heat input applied by a laser to a heating target material with a binder concentration of 0.2 wt% is changed. Curve F2 plotted on the graph shows an example of the change in film survival rate when the amount of heat input applied by a laser to a heating target material with a binder concentration of 1.0 wt% is changed. Curve F3 plotted on the graph shows an example of the change in film survival rate when the amount of heat input applied by a laser to a heating target material with a binder concentration of 1.6 wt% is changed. Each of curves F1 to F3 indicates that the smaller the amount of heat input, the smaller the film survival rate tends to be. Furthermore, each of curves F1 to F3 indicates that there is a heat input at which the film survival rate begins to stop changing. Specifically, for curve F1, at point P1 shown in Figure 4, the film survival rate begins to stop changing even when the amount of heat input is increased. That is, the heat input at point P1 is the heat input at which the film remaining rate of the heated material with a binder concentration of 0.2 wt% begins to stop changing. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the heat input at point P1 is approximately 50 [J / mm 3 ]. In addition, in the curve F2, at point P2 shown in FIG. 4, the film remaining rate begins to stop changing even when the heat input is increased. In other words, the heat input at point P2 is the heat input at which the film remaining rate of the heated material with a binder concentration of 1.0 wt% begins to stop changing. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the heat input at point P2 is approximately 80 [J / mm 3 ]. In addition, in the curve F3, at point P3 shown in FIG. 4, the film remaining rate begins to stop changing even when the heat input is increased. In other words, the heat input at point P3 is the heat input at which the film remaining rate of the heated material with a binder concentration of 1.6 wt% begins to stop changing. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the heat input at point P3 is approximately 120 [J / mm 3]. The aforementioned appropriate minimum heat quantity is the heat input quantity at which the film remaining rate starts to stop changing. That is, the appropriate minimum heat quantities at each of the three points plotted on the graph shown in FIG. 4 correspond to the heat input quantities at points P1 to P3 shown in FIG. 5, respectively. Therefore, as mentioned above, the graph shown in FIG. 4 is generated based on the graph shown in FIG. 5.

[0045] Intuitively, it would seem that the smaller the heat input, the less likely the binder is to evaporate, resulting in a higher film survival rate, while the larger the heat input, the more likely the binder is to evaporate, resulting in a lower film survival rate. However, as shown in FIG. 4, in reality, the smaller the heat input, the lower the film survival rate, and the larger the heat input, the higher the film survival rate. The reasons for this are explained below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the temperature change at a predetermined position PP on the heating target material when the heating target material is irradiated with a laser as shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of how the heating target material is irradiated with a laser. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the heating target material, i.e., the modeling material X dispensed onto the modeling surface 31, is dispensed onto the modeling surface 31 in a strip shape extending along the X-axis. Furthermore, region LP1 shown in FIG. 8 is an example of the region on the heating target material that is first irradiated with the laser. Furthermore, region LP2 shown in Figure 8 is an example of the region on the material to be heated that is last irradiated with the laser. In this example, the laser moves on the material to be heated from region LP1 in the direction indicated by arrow A1 at a constant laser scanning speed V [mm / s] until it reaches region LP2. The temperature change shown in Figure 7 represents the temperature change at position PP shown in Figure 8 when the laser moves in this manner.

[0046] The horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 7 represents the elapsed time since the temperature at position PP began to rise. The vertical axis of the graph represents the temperature at position PP irradiated with the laser. Furthermore, curve F4 plotted on the graph represents an example of the temperature change at position PP when the heat input is a predetermined heat input Q1. Furthermore, curve F5 plotted on the graph represents an example of the temperature change at position PP when the heat input is a heat input Q2, which is smaller than heat input Q1. Furthermore, temperature T1 shown on the graph represents an example of the boiling point of the binder contained in the modeling material X. Furthermore, temperature T2 shown on the graph is a temperature higher than temperature T1 and represents the melting point of the inorganic material particles contained in the modeling material X. Furthermore, time t1 shown on the graph represents an example of the time it takes for the temperature at position PP to change from temperature T1 to temperature T2 when the heat input is heat input Q1. Furthermore, time t2 shown on the graph represents an example of the time it takes for the temperature at position PP to change from temperature T1 to temperature T2 when the heat input is heat input Q2.

[0047] As shown in Figure 7, time t1 is shorter than time t2. This is because a larger heat input causes a more rapid increase in the temperature at position PP. Here, temperature T2 is the melting point of the inorganic material particles contained in the modeling material X, as described above. Therefore, when the temperature of the heated material reaches or exceeds temperature T2, the inorganic material particles begin to bond to each other and form a bulk body. This means that when the temperature of the heated material is below temperature T2, the inorganic material particles are not bonded to each other. On the other hand, as described above, temperature T1 is the boiling point of the binder contained in the modeling material X. In other words, when the temperature of the heated material reaches or exceeds temperature T1, the binder begins to vaporize. Therefore, when the temperature of the heated material is above temperature T1 but below temperature T2, some of the inorganic material particles that are not bonded to each other are scattered by the gas jet caused by the binder vaporization. Therefore, times t1 and t2 each represent the time when the inorganic material particles contained in the heated material are scattered by the gas jet caused by the binder. For these reasons, the shorter these times are, the smaller the amount of inorganic material particles scattered from the material to be heated will be.

[0048] Here, time t1 is shorter than time t2, as mentioned above. This indicates that the greater the heat input, the less inorganic particles contained in the heated material are scattered by the gas jet. For this reason, it is thought that in Figure 4, for each of curves F1 to F3, the smaller the heat input, the lower the film remaining rate. The amount of inorganic particles scattered by the heated material is minimized when the heat input is equal to or greater than the minimum appropriate heat amount. This indicates that when the heat input is equal to or greater than the minimum appropriate heat amount, the temperature of the heated material reaches or exceeds the melting point of the inorganic material, and the inorganic material particles begin to bond together, before the inorganic material particles are scattered by the binder gas jet.

[0049] The regression line shown in FIG. 4 can be extrapolated to a region with a higher binder concentration. FIG. 9 shows an example of the regression line showing the correlation shown in FIG. 4 extrapolated to a region with a higher binder concentration. The horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 9 indicates the binder concentration of the modeling material X. In the example shown in FIG. 9, the binder concentration is expressed as a mass fraction, but it may also be expressed as a molar fraction, volume fraction, or other fraction. The vertical axis of the graph indicates the appropriate minimum heat quantity per unit volume of the material to be heated. The maximum value of the horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 9 is 6 wt%, while the maximum value of the horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 4 is 2 wt%. In FIG. 9, the regression line of the graph shown in FIG. 4 is extrapolated to a region of approximately 5 wt%. Such extrapolation is justified by the graph in FIG. 10. FIG. 10 shows an example of the change in film residual rate when the heat input provided by a laser to a material to be heated with a binder concentration of 4.9 wt% is changed. The horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 10 represents the heat input. The vertical axis of the graph represents the film survival rate. In this graph, there is a heat input at which the film survival rate begins to stop changing. Specifically, in this graph, at point P4 shown in FIG. 10, the film survival rate begins to stop changing even when the heat input is increased. In other words, the heat input at point P4 is the heat input at which the film survival rate begins to stop changing in a heated material with a binder concentration of 4.9 wt%, that is, the appropriate minimum heat amount. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the heat input at point P4 is approximately 260 [J / mm 3 ]. The point plotted in FIG. 9 is point PT shown in FIG. 9. The position of point PT on the graph shown in FIG. 9 is consistent with the correlation indicated by the extrapolated regression line. This indicates that extrapolating the regression line shown in FIG. 4 to a region with higher binder concentrations is justified. Therefore, the generation of correspondence information may be performed based on experimental results obtained in a region with low binder concentrations and extrapolation, or may be performed based on experimental results performed across a region from low to high binder concentrations.

[0050] Furthermore, as can be seen from the fact that the heat input is expressed by the above formula (1), it depends on the laser output W, the laser scanning speed V, the laser beam diameter Db, and the thickness D of the green body. Therefore, for example, the laser output that achieves a certain heat input is not uniquely determined. In other words, if the combination of the laser output W, the laser scanning speed V, the laser beam diameter Db, and the thickness D of the green body is called the irradiation condition, the irradiation condition that achieves a certain heat input is not uniquely determined. However, even if the irradiation condition is changed while maintaining the heat input at a certain value, the appropriate minimum heat input does not change. This can be understood by looking at Figure 11.

[0051] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the change in film residual rate with respect to a change in laser output W. As an example, FIG. 11 shows the laser output dependency when the laser output W and laser scanning speed V are changed so that the heat input, which is one of the irradiation conditions, remains the same. The horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 11 represents the laser output W. The vertical axis of the graph represents the film residual rate. As shown in FIG. 11, even if the laser output W is changed, the film residual rate remains almost unchanged for the same heat input. This means that when the heat input is a fixed value, the appropriate minimum heat amount does not change even if the irradiation conditions are changed.

[0052] As described above, the control unit 50 can identify an appropriate minimum heat quantity corresponding to the composition of the binder contained in the building material X based on the correspondence information read from the storage unit 52. Specifically, in step S130, the control unit 50 reads the correspondence information from the storage unit 52. Based on the read correspondence information and the binder composition information and binder concentration information included in the material composition information acquired in step S120, the control unit 50 identifies an appropriate minimum heat quantity associated with the binder composition indicated by the binder composition information and the binder concentration indicated by the binder concentration information. The control unit 50 then determines a first heat quantity based on the identified appropriate minimum heat quantity. Here, the first heat quantity may be the appropriate minimum heat quantity identified by the control unit 50, or may be a heat quantity higher than the appropriate minimum heat quantity identified by the control unit 50. If the first heat quantity is higher than the appropriate minimum heat quantity, the control unit 50 determines, for example, a heat quantity obtained by adding a predetermined heat quantity to the appropriate minimum heat quantity as the first heat quantity. However, there is an upper limit to the predetermined heat quantity. This is because if the first heat quantity is increased too much, the temperature of the modeling material X dispensed onto the modeling surface 31 will become too high, resulting in holes being created in the modeling material X. In other words, the predetermined heat quantity is determined so that the first heat quantity is lower than the heat quantity that would create holes in the modeling material X dispensed onto the modeling surface 31. The control unit 50 may also be configured to receive first heat quantity information indicating the first heat quantity in response to an operation received from the user. In this case, in step S120, the control unit 50 receives the first heat quantity information without acquiring material composition information, for example. Then, in step S130, the control unit 50 determines the first heat quantity indicated by the received first heat quantity information as the first heat quantity to be used in step S150, which will be described later.

[0053] After the process of step S130 is performed, the control unit 50 reads out the irradiation conditions set in the heating unit 12 (step S140). Below, as an example, a case will be described in which the irradiation conditions that can be set in the heating unit 12, that is, the irradiation conditions that can be changed in the heating unit 12, are only two parameters: the laser output W and the laser scanning speed V. In this case, the laser beam diameter Db and the thickness D of the green body are each constant.

[0054] Next, the control unit 50 determines new irradiation conditions based on the irradiation conditions read out in step S140 and the first heat amount determined in step S130 so that the heat input becomes the first heat amount (step S150). More specifically, in step S150, the control unit 50 calculates the laser output W and laser scanning speed V so that the heat input becomes the first heat amount based on the irradiation conditions read out in step S140 and the first heat amount determined in step S130. In this calculation, the control unit 50, for example, matches one of the laser output W and the laser operation speed V with a value indicated by information included in the read irradiation conditions, and then calculates the other of the laser output W and the laser operation speed V based on the above formula (1). Then, the control unit 50 determines the irradiation conditions including the calculated laser output W and laser scanning speed V as new irradiation conditions.

[0055] Next, the control unit 50 sets the irradiation conditions determined in step S150 in the heating unit 12 (step S160), and ends the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0056] As described above, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 sets the output power W of the laser emitted from the heating unit 12. This allows the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 to prevent inorganic material particles from scattering due to the binder gas jet, even when the binder concentration of the modeling material X is high. As a result, a three-dimensional object can be accurately modeled. In other words, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 shortens the time lag between when the binder contained in the modeling material X begins to vaporize due to heating by the heating unit 12 and when the inorganic material particles contained in the modeling material X begin to melt due to heating by the heating unit 12. This prevents the binder gas jet from preventing the formation of a bulk body with the desired shape. Naturally, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 can determine the first heat quantity according to the modeling material X, even for modeling material X with a low binder concentration. This prevents inorganic material particles from scattering due to the binder gas jet, thereby allowing a three-dimensional object to be accurately modeled.

[0057] 3, the control unit 50 may be configured to perform the processes of steps S140 to S160 so that the heat input is maintained as the first heat amount every time the user changes the irradiation conditions until the cartridge is replaced. This allows the three-dimensional modeling device 1 to determine the heat input amount corresponding to the modeling material X as the first heat amount even at times other than when the cartridge is attached, and as a result, it is possible to accurately model a three-dimensional object.

[0058] In addition, the control unit 50 may omit the processing of step S140 when the parameters of the irradiation conditions other than the laser output W are fixed values, or when the parameters of the irradiation conditions other than the laser operation speed V are fixed values.

[0059] <Process of creating a 3D object using a 3D printing device> Hereinafter, a process of forming a three-dimensional object performed by the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 12 . FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a process of forming a three-dimensional object performed by the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1. Hereinafter, as an example, a case will be described in which the printing data and the cutting data are stored in the storage unit 52 before the process of step S210 shown in FIG. 12 is performed. Hereinafter, as an example, a case will be described in which the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 receives a printing start operation that causes the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 to start forming a three-dimensional object based on the printing data and the cutting data previously stored in the storage unit 52. The printing data includes information indicating a printing path, which is a scanning path of the nozzle N moving while discharging the printing material X relative to the stage 30. In addition to the information indicating the printing path, the printing data also includes information indicating a target value of the discharge rate, which is the flow rate of the printing material X discharged from the nozzle N, and information indicating various conditions required to change the solid printing material X into a paste-like state. The cutting data includes information indicating a cutting path, which is a scanning path of the cutting tool 21 relative to the stage 30 as the cutting tool 21 moves while cutting the modeled modeling material X. In addition to information indicating the cutting path, the cutting data includes information indicating various conditions necessary for the cutting tool 21 to perform cutting. The control unit 50 may be configured to generate the modeling data and the cutting data based on three-dimensional shape data that indicates the shape of the three-dimensional model to be modeled. In this case, the three-dimensional modeling device 1 may be configured to include a computer, separate from the control unit 50, that generates the modeling data and the cutting data based on the three-dimensional shape data.

[0060] After accepting the modeling start operation, the control unit 50 reads out, from the storage unit 52, the modeling data and the cutting data that are stored in advance in the storage unit 52 (Step S210). Note that in FIG. 12, the process of Step S210 is indicated by “Read Data.”

[0061] Next, the control unit 50 controls the discharging unit 11 to change the solid modeling material X into a paste (step S220). Note that in FIG. 12, the process of step S220 is indicated by "material generation."

[0062] Next, the control unit 50 controls the discharging unit 11 and the moving unit 40 to discharge the modeling material X as the heated material onto the modeling surface 31 along the modeling path, thereby forming a layer of the heated material according to the modeling path (step S230). Note that this layer may be a single layer or multiple laminated layers.

[0063] Next, the control unit 50 controls the cutting unit 20 to cut the layer formed in step S230 along the cutting path (step S240). Note that the process of step S240 may or may not include a process of cooling the layer formed in step S230. Furthermore, the process of step S240 may be a process executed by the control unit 50 as needed. In this case, the control unit 50 may omit the process of step S240.

[0064] Next, the control unit 50 causes the heating unit 12 to heat an unheated layer among the layers formed on the forming surface 31 (step S250). At this time, the heating unit 12 irradiates the layer with a laser based on the irradiation conditions set by the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 4, and applies a first amount of heat to the layer. As a result, the three-dimensional forming apparatus 1 can prevent particles of the inorganic material from scattering due to the binder gas jet, and as a result, it is possible to form a three-dimensional object with high accuracy.

[0065] Next, the control unit 50 controls the discharging unit 11 and the moving unit 40 to discharge the modeling material X onto the modeling surface 31 along the modeling path as a new material to be heated, and model a layer to be stacked on the layer modeled on the modeling surface 31 (step S260). Note that this layer may be a single layer, or may be a stack of multiple layers.

[0066] Next, the control unit 50 controls the cutting unit 20 to cut the layer formed in step S260 along the cutting path (step S270). Note that the process of step S270 may or may not include a process of cooling the layer formed in step S260. Furthermore, the process of step S270 may be a process executed by the control unit 50 as needed. In this case, the control unit 50 may omit the process of step S270.

[0067] Next, the control unit 50 determines whether or not the formation of the three-dimensional object on the printing surface 31 has been completed (Step S280). In Step S280, the control unit 50 may determine whether or not the formation of the three-dimensional object on the printing surface 31 has been completed by a known method, or may determine whether or not the formation of the three-dimensional object on the printing surface 31 has been completed by a method to be developed in the future.

[0068] If the control unit 50 determines that the creation of the three-dimensional object on the creation surface 31 has not been completed (step S280-NO), it transitions to step S250 and causes the heating unit 12 to again heat the unheated layers among the layers being created on the creation surface 31.

[0069] On the other hand, if the control unit 50 determines that the formation of the three-dimensional object on the formation surface 31 has been completed (YES in step S280), the control unit 50 ends the processing of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0070] As described above, the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 prints a three-dimensional object based on the irradiation conditions set in the heating unit 12 by the processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 4. As a result, the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 can print a three-dimensional object with high accuracy even when the binder concentration of the printing material X is high.

[0071] <Relationship between binder concentration and surface roughness of 3D objects> The relationship between the binder concentration of the binder contained in the modeling material X and the surface roughness of the resulting three-dimensional object will be described below with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 . As described above, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 determines the first heat quantity and causes the heating unit 12 to heat the modeling material X as the heating target material based on the determined first heat quantity. This allows the three-dimensional object to be accurately modeled even when the binder concentration of the modeling material X is high. Here, increasing the binder concentration of the modeling material X results in a smoother surface of the three-dimensional object modeled by the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1. In other words, increasing the binder concentration of the modeling material X results in a smaller surface roughness of the three-dimensional object modeled by the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1. This is because the higher the binder concentration of the modeling material X, the smaller the size of sputter particles generated when the heating target material is heated with a laser.

[0072] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the heating target material after it has been irradiated with a laser beam based on the first heat amount by the 3D printing apparatus 1. In FIG. 13, the heating target material after being irradiated with the laser beam is formed into a band-shaped layer on the printing surface 31. Sputtered particles generated by the laser irradiation of the heating target material adhere to this band-shaped layer, i.e., the periphery of the heating target material after being irradiated with the laser beam. The size of these sputtered particles is an indicator of the surface roughness of the 3D object printed by the 3D printing apparatus 1. For example, the larger the size of the largest sputtered particle, the greater the surface roughness of the 3D object printed by the 3D printing apparatus 1. On the other hand, for example, the smaller the size of the largest sputtered particle, the smaller the surface roughness of the 3D object printed by the 3D printing apparatus 1. Here, the periphery of the heating target material after being irradiated with the laser beam refers to, for example, the area on the printing surface 31 surrounded by the boundary line surrounding the heating target material and the outline of the heating target material. However, this boundary line is spaced a predetermined distance from the contour of the material to be heated. The predetermined distance is, for example, approximately 1 mm, but may be shorter or longer than 1 mm. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the area around the material to be heated after being irradiated with the laser is the hatched area in FIG. 13. That is, in this example, sputtered particles generated by irradiating the material to be heated with the laser adhere to the hatched area of ​​the area on the build surface 31. Note that the size of the sputtered particles is represented, for example, by their particle diameter, but may also be represented by other quantities capable of indicating the size of the sputtered particles.

[0073] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a line graph in which the number of sputtered particles adhered within the hatched region in FIG. 13 is counted as a frequency for each size of sputtered particles. The horizontal axis of the graph shown in FIG. 14 indicates the size of the sputtered particles. However, the horizontal axis of the graph has 0 [μm] as the origin and is divided into bins of 5 [μm] from the origin. The vertical axis of the graph indicates the number of sputtered particles, i.e., the frequency. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the unit of the first heat quantity is J / mm 3 Instead of J / mm 2 In addition, "Binder-free" shown in Figure 14 indicates modeling material X that does not contain a binder.

[0074] The six broken lines shown in Fig. 14 include the first broken line, the second broken line, the third broken line, the fourth broken line, the fifth broken line, and the sixth broken line. The first broken line indicates that the first heat quantity is 11.4 [J / mm 2 The first line represents the sputter particles generated when a laser beam with a laser output of 125 W and a laser scanning speed of 50 mm / s is irradiated onto a heated material with a binder concentration of 4.9 wt%. The second line represents the sputter particles generated when the first heat quantity is 11.4 J / mm 2 The third line represents the sputter particles generated when a laser beam with a laser output of W = 200 [W] and a laser scanning speed of V = 80 [mm / s] is irradiated onto a heated material with a binder concentration of 4.9 wt%. The third line represents the sputter particles generated when the first heat quantity is 11.4 [J / mm 2 The fourth line represents the sputter particles generated when a laser beam with a first heat quantity of 11.4 [J / mm] is irradiated onto a material to be heated with a binder concentration of 4.9 wt%. ... first heat quantity of 11.4 [J / mm] is irradiated onto a material to be heated with a binder concentration of 4.9 wt%. The fourth line represents the sputter particles generated when a first heat quantity of 11.4 [J / mm] is irradiated onto a material to be heated with a binder concentration of 4.9 wt%. The fourth line represents the sputter particles generated when a first heat quantity of 11.4 [J / mm] is irradiated onto a material to be heated with a binder concentration of 4.9 wt%. 2The fifth line represents the sputter particles generated when a laser beam with a laser output of W = 300 [W] and a laser scanning speed of V = 120 [mm / s] is irradiated onto a heated material with a binder concentration of 4.9 wt%. The fifth line represents the sputter particles generated when the first heat quantity is 5.7 [J / mm 2 The sixth line represents the sputter particles generated when a laser beam with a laser output of W = 250 [W] and a laser scanning speed of V = 200 [mm / s] is irradiated onto a heated material with a binder concentration of 4.9 wt%. The sixth line represents the sputter particles generated when the first heat quantity is 11.4 [J / mm 2 ], the broken line for the sputter particles generated when a laser is irradiated onto a material to be heated that does not contain a binder, under the irradiation conditions of laser power W = 250 [W] and laser scanning speed V = 100 [mm / s].

[0075] As shown by the sixth broken line in Figure 14, when a laser is irradiated onto a material to be heated that does not contain a binder, sputtered particles are counted over a range from a bin of 5 μm or more and less than 10 μm to a bin of 40 μm or more and less than 45 μm.

[0076] On the other hand, as shown by the first to fifth broken lines in Figure 14, when a laser is applied to a binder-containing heating target material, sputtered particles are counted across a range from 5 μm to less than 10 μm to 25 μm to less than 30 μm. Therefore, the range of sputtered particles counted on the first to fifth broken lines is narrower than that of the sixth broken line, and is closer to the origin of the horizontal axis of the graph shown in Figure 14. This indicates that the size of sputtered particles tends to decrease when a laser is applied to a binder-containing heating target material. In other words, when a three-dimensional object is formed by irradiating the heating target material with a laser, the surface roughness of the three-dimensional object tends to decrease. Therefore, if the scattering of inorganic material particles due to the gas jet of vaporized binder can be suppressed, increasing the binder concentration of the building material X can be used as a method to more reliably improve the accuracy of the three-dimensional object. In other words, the three-dimensional printing device 1, which can increase the binder concentration of the printing material X, can also reduce the surface roughness of the three-dimensional object, thereby enabling the printing of three-dimensional objects more reliably and with higher precision.

[0077] As described above, the three-dimensional printing apparatus according to the embodiment includes a stage, a discharging unit that discharges a modeling material containing inorganic particles and a binder onto the stage, a heating unit that heats the modeling material discharged onto the stage by the discharging unit, a moving unit that moves the stage and the discharging unit relatively, and a control unit that controls the discharging unit, the heating unit, and the moving unit. The control unit treats the modeling material discharged onto the stage by the discharging unit as a heating target material and causes the heating unit to heat the heating target material based on a first heat quantity corresponding to material composition information indicating the composition of the modeling material. This allows the three-dimensional printing apparatus to accurately print a three-dimensional object even when the binder concentration of the modeling material is high. Here, in the example described above, the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 is an example of a three-dimensional printing apparatus. Also, in the example described above, the stage 30 is an example of a stage. Also, in the example described above, the modeling material X is an example of a modeling material. Also, in the example described above, the discharging unit 11 is an example of a discharging unit. In the example described above, the heating unit 12 is an example of a heating unit. In the example described above, the moving unit 40 is an example of a moving unit. In the example described above, the control unit 50 is an example of a control unit.

[0078] Furthermore, in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus, a configuration may be used in which the control unit determines a first amount of heat based on the material composition information, and causes the heating unit to heat the heating target material based on the determined first amount of heat.

[0079] In addition, in the three-dimensional printing device, the material composition information may include first binder composition information indicating the composition of the binder contained in the printing material and first binder concentration information indicating the binder concentration of the binder contained in the printing material, and the control unit may be configured to determine the first heat quantity based on the first binder composition information and the first binder concentration information.

[0080] The three-dimensional modeling apparatus may also be configured to include a storage unit that stores correspondence information including information associating binder concentrations with first heat amounts for each binder composition, and the control unit determines the first heat amount based on the correspondence information stored in the storage unit, the first binder composition information, and the first binder concentration information. Here, in the example described above, the storage unit 52 is an example of the storage unit.

[0081] Furthermore, in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus, a configuration may be used in which the control unit receives first heat quantity information indicating the first heat quantity, and causes the heating unit to heat the heating target material based on the received first heat quantity information.

[0082] Furthermore, in the three-dimensional modeling device, a configuration may be used in which the heating unit includes an irradiation unit that irradiates a laser that heats the material to be heated, and the control unit determines the output of the laser based on the first heat amount, the laser scanning speed at which the heating unit scans the laser, the width of the laser, and thickness information that indicates the thickness of the material to be heated, which is a green body, and controls the heating unit so that the heating unit irradiates the material to be heated with a laser of the determined output.

[0083] Furthermore, the three-dimensional printing apparatus may be configured such that the first heat quantity is equal to or greater than the minimum heat quantity estimated to minimize the amount of inorganic material particles that scatter when the material to be heated is heated.

[0084] Furthermore, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus may be configured such that the first amount of heat is the smallest amount of heat that is estimated to minimize the amount of inorganic material particles that scatter when the target material is heated.

[0085] Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and may be changed, replaced, deleted, etc., without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0086] Furthermore, a program for implementing the functions of any of the components of the above-described device may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium and loaded into a computer system for execution. Here, the device in question is, for example, the three-dimensional modeling device 1. Note that the term "computer system" here includes hardware such as an operating system (OS) and peripheral devices. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and compact disks (CDs)-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" also includes devices that retain a program for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory within a computer system that acts as a server or client when the program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line.

[0087] The above program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" that transmits the program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. The program may also be a program for realizing some of the functions described above, or may be a so-called differential file or differential program that can realize the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 1...three-dimensional modeling apparatus, 10...discharge unit, 11...discharge section, 12...heating section, 20...cutting unit, 21...cutting tool, 30...stage, 31...modeling surface, 40...movement section, 50...control section, 51...processor, 52...storage section, 53...input reception section, 54...communication section, 55...display section, 121...irradiation section, N...nozzle, OB...three-dimensional modeled object, X...modeling material

Claims

1. The stage and a discharge unit that discharges a modeling material containing inorganic material particles and a binder onto the stage; a heating unit that heats the modeling material discharged onto the stage by the discharging unit; and a moving unit that moves the stage and the discharge unit relatively; a control unit that controls the discharge unit, the heating unit, and the moving unit; Equipped with the control unit determines the modeling material discharged onto the stage by the discharging unit as a heating target material, and causes the heating unit to heat the heating target material based on a first amount of heat corresponding to material composition information indicating a composition of the modeling material; the first heat quantity is equal to or greater than a minimum heat quantity estimated to minimize the amount of particles of the inorganic material scattered when the material to be heated is heated; Three-dimensional printing equipment.

2. the control unit determines the first amount of heat based on the material composition information, and causes the heating unit to heat the material to be heated based on the determined first amount of heat. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. the material composition information includes first binder composition information indicating a composition of a binder contained in the building material, and first binder concentration information indicating a binder concentration of the binder contained in the building material; the control unit determines the first amount of heat based on the first binder composition information and the first binder concentration information. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 2 .

4. a storage unit that stores, for each binder composition, correspondence information including information that associates a binder concentration with the first heat amount; the control unit determines the first amount of heat based on the correspondence information stored in the storage unit, the first binder composition information, and the first binder concentration information. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 3 .

5. the control unit receives first heat quantity information indicating the first heat quantity, and causes the heating unit to heat the heating target material based on the received first heat quantity information. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1 .

6. the heating unit includes an irradiation unit that irradiates the heating target material with a laser to heat the heating target material, the control unit determines an output of the laser based on the first heat amount, a laser scanning speed at which the heating unit scans the laser, a width of the laser, and thickness information indicating a thickness of the heating target material which is a green body, and controls the heating unit so that the heating unit irradiates the heating target material with the laser having the determined output. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1 .

7. the first heat quantity is a minimum heat quantity estimated to minimize the amount of particles of the inorganic material scattered when the material to be heated is heated; The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1 .

8. An information processing device that controls a three-dimensional modeling device, the information processing device comprising: a stage; a discharge unit that discharges a modeling material containing inorganic material particles and a binder onto the stage; a heating unit that heats the modeling material discharged onto the stage by the discharge unit; and a moving unit that moves the stage and the discharge unit relatively, determining a first amount of heat according to material composition information indicating a composition of the modeling material; the first heat quantity is equal to or greater than a minimum heat quantity estimated to minimize the amount of particles of the inorganic material scattering when the building material is heated; Information processing device.

9. An information processing method for controlling a three-dimensional modeling apparatus including: a stage; a discharge unit that discharges a modeling material containing inorganic material particles and a binder onto the stage; a heating unit that heats the modeling material discharged onto the stage by the discharge unit; and a moving unit that moves the stage and the discharge unit relatively, determining a first amount of heat according to material composition information indicating a composition of the modeling material; the first heat quantity is equal to or greater than a minimum heat quantity estimated to minimize the amount of particles of the inorganic material scattering when the building material is heated; Information processing methods.

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