Three-dimensional shaping device

Abstract

To shorten access of a discharge part 15 to a cleaning unit 12 when cleaning a nozzle 18, compared with a structure without the interlocking.SOLUTION: A three-dimensional molding apparatus includes: a discharge part 15 that has a nozzle 18 and discharges a material 9 toward a stage 5; a cleaning mechanism 7 for cleaning the nozzle; a moving part 30 that moves the discharge part and the cleaning mechanism relative to the stage; and a control part 60 that controls an operation of the moving part. The cleaning mechanism includes: a cleaning unit 12 having a purge part 8 in which the material is purged from the nozzle and a brush part 10 to be in contact with the nozzle; and a recovery part 16 for recovering the material accumulated in the purge part. The control part moves the cleaning unit relative to the stage in conjunction with the relative movement of the discharge part to the stage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a three-dimensional modeling apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of this type of three-dimensional modeling apparatus is described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 describes a three-dimensional modeling apparatus that is configured to move an extrusion head on a horizontal xy plane, moves the extrusion head to an edge cleaning assembly, and periodically cleans the extrusion head using the edge cleaning assembly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2010-530326 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As in the above-mentioned document, when the head is moved to the cleaning mechanism for cleaning, depending on the position of the head that was performing the modeling, the head needs to be moved a long distance, and as a result, residue inside the head may fall off and adhere to the model, affecting the modeling accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus of the present invention includes a discharge section having a nozzle and discharging material toward a stage, a cleaning mechanism that cleans the nozzle, a movement section that moves the discharge section and the cleaning mechanism relative to the stage, and a control section that controls the operation of the movement section, wherein the cleaning mechanism includes a cleaning unit having a purge section that purges the material from the nozzle and a brush section that contacts the nozzle, and a recovery section that recovers the material accumulated in the purge section, and the control section moves the cleaning unit relative to the stage in conjunction with the relative movement of the discharge section with respect to the stage. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of a main part according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of a main part according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of a main part of a detection unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a cleaning mechanism according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an enlarged front view of a main part of the cleaning mechanism according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention will now be briefly described. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a discharge section having a nozzle and discharging material toward a stage, a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the nozzle, a movement section for moving the discharge section and the cleaning mechanism relative to the stage, and a control section for controlling the operation of the movement section, wherein the cleaning mechanism includes a cleaning unit having a purge section for purging the material from the nozzle and a brush section that contacts the nozzle, and a recovery section for recovering the material accumulated in the purge section, and the control section moves the cleaning unit relative to the stage in conjunction with the relative movement of the discharge section relative to the stage.

[0008] According to this aspect, the moving unit moves the cleaning unit relative to the stage in conjunction with the relative movement of the discharge unit with respect to the stage, thereby making it possible to shorten the access distance of the discharge unit to the cleaning unit when cleaning the nozzles, compared to a structure in which the movement unit does not move in conjunction with the stage. The cleaning mechanism includes the cleaning unit and the collection section, which makes it possible to make the cleaning mechanism compact.

[0009] A three-dimensional printing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, it has a cleaning movement section that moves the cleaning unit in a front-to-back direction to clean the nozzle, and the recovery section is arranged on the front side in the front-to-back direction.

[0010] According to this aspect, the collection unit is disposed at the front in the front-rear direction, which is the direction of movement during cleaning, making it easy to dispose of items accumulated in the collection unit when the collection unit becomes full.

[0011] A three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to the second aspect, characterized in that the cleaning movement part moves the cleaning unit to the cleaning position in conjunction with movement of the discharge part to the cleaning position.

[0012] According to this aspect, the cleaning movement portion moves the cleaning unit to the cleaning position, which simplifies the structure and control compared to when only the discharge portion is moved to the cleaning position. Furthermore, when cleaning the nozzle, the cleaning unit is moved in conjunction with the movement of the ejection section to the cleaning position, so the time until cleaning can begin at the cleaning position can be made shorter than in a structure in which this interlocking is not performed.

[0013] A three-dimensional printing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is any one of the first to third aspects, characterized in that the purge section has an openable bottom surface, and when the bottom surface is in an open state, the material accumulated in the purge section falls into the recovery section.

[0014] According to this aspect, the purge section has an openable bottom, so that the material accumulated in the purge section can be dropped into the recovery section by opening the bottom, thereby allowing the material accumulated in the purge section to be transferred to the recovery section with a simple structure.

[0015] A three-dimensional printing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the fourth aspect, the bottom surface has a slide member along which the bottom surface slides, and when the purge section moves to a recovery position where it drops material in the purge section into the recovery section, the slide member slides and the bottom surface becomes open.

[0016] According to this aspect, the bottom surface can be automatically slid open by the sliding member when the purge section moves to the recovery position where the material in the purge section is dropped into the recovery section, thereby making it possible to easily transfer the material accumulated in the purge section to the recovery section by simply sliding the sliding member.

[0017] A three-dimensional printing apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the recovery section has an inclined surface inclined horizontally on its inner surface.

[0018] According to this aspect, the collection section has an inner surface that is inclined horizontally, so that the material dropped from the purge section into the collection section is guided by the inclined surface and gradually accumulates from a lower position, thereby enabling the material to be accumulated evenly in the collection section.

[0019] A three-dimensional printing apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, it comprises a heating unit that heats the printing area of ​​the stage, the heating unit is located above the position of the nozzle outlet during printing and below the cleaning unit, and has a shape that covers the printing area when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the stage, and the moving unit moves the heating unit relative to the stage in conjunction with the relative movement of the discharge unit relative to the stage.

[0020] The heating section is provided for the purpose of increasing the adhesion between the first layer and the second layer when the material is ejected toward the first layer formed in the modeling area to form the second layer. According to this aspect, the moving unit moves the heating unit relative to the stage in conjunction with the movement of the discharging unit relative to the stage, thereby maintaining a state in which the adhesion between the layers of the material formed in the modeling region is enhanced.

[0021] A three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the seventh aspect, the moving unit moves the outlet of the nozzle above the heating unit when the cleaning unit cleans the nozzle.

[0022] According to this aspect, when the moving section performs the cleaning, the ejection opening of the nozzle is moved above the heating section, thereby allowing the cleaning unit to clean the nozzle.

[0023] A three-dimensional printing apparatus according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to eighth aspects, it is provided with a detection unit that detects the amount of material recovered in the recovery unit.

[0024] According to this aspect, the detection unit detects the amount of material recovered in the recovery unit, so that the accumulation state of the material accumulating in the recovery unit can be grasped, thereby preventing overflow of the material accumulated in the recovery unit.

[0025] A three-dimensional printing apparatus according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the recovery unit is detachable and includes a detection unit that detects that the recovery unit has been attached, and the detection unit includes a light-emitting unit, a light-receiving unit located in the optical path of the light-emitting unit, and an optical path opening and closing mechanism that opens or blocks the optical path, and wherein the detection unit detects that the recovery unit has been attached when the optical path is switched from either an open or blocked state to the other state.

[0026] According to this aspect, the detection unit includes a light path opening and closing mechanism that switches between opening and closing the light path when the recovery unit is not attached and when it is attached. This light path opening and closing mechanism makes it possible to distinguish between a state where the recovery unit is not attached to the attachment position and a state where it is attached. This makes it easy to know whether the recovery unit is attached or not.

[0027] A three-dimensional printing apparatus according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to tenth aspects, the discharge section has a first discharge section and a second discharge section, and the cleaning unit cleans the nozzle of the other of the first discharge section and the second discharge section during printing by one of the first discharge section and the second discharge section.

[0028] According to this aspect, the discharge unit has a first discharge unit and a second discharge unit. As a result, while one of the first discharge unit and the second discharge unit is performing modeling, the cleaning unit can clean the nozzle of the other of the first discharge unit and the second discharge unit. Therefore, the operation of discharging the material onto the stage for modeling and the operation of cleaning the nozzle can be performed efficiently.

[0029] A three-dimensional printing apparatus according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to tenth aspects, the cleaning unit comprises a first cleaning unit corresponding to the first discharge portion and a second cleaning unit corresponding to the second discharge portion, and the collection portion comprises a first collection portion corresponding to the first cleaning unit and a second collection portion corresponding to the second cleaning unit.

[0030] According to this aspect, the cleaning device includes a first cleaning unit corresponding to the first discharge portion and a second cleaning unit corresponding to the second discharge portion, and further includes a first collection portion corresponding to the first cleaning unit and a second collection portion corresponding to the second cleaning unit. This allows cleaning of the first discharge portion and collection of the material from the first cleaning unit to the first collection portion, and cleaning of the second discharge portion and collection of the material from the second cleaning unit to the second collection portion to be performed individually, which is efficient.

[0031] A three-dimensional printing apparatus according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the twelfth aspect, which is based on the ninth aspect, characterized in that the first recovery unit and the second recovery unit are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, and the detection unit detects the amount of material recovered in the first recovery unit and the second recovery unit by emitting light from a side surface of the first recovery unit and receiving light from a side surface of the second recovery unit.

[0032] According to this aspect, the detection unit detects the amount of material collected in the first and second collection units by emitting light from a side surface of the first collection unit and receiving light from a side surface of the second collection unit arranged adjacent to the first collection unit in the horizontal direction. This makes it possible to grasp the amount of material accumulated in the first and second collection units with a single detection unit, without using two detection units.

[0033] [Embodiment 1] The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to the first embodiment will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS. In the following explanation, the three mutually orthogonal axes are referred to as the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, as shown in each figure. The Z-axis direction corresponds to the vertical direction, i.e., the direction in which gravity acts. The X-axis and Y-axis directions correspond to the horizontal direction. In each figure, the directions indicated by the arrows on the three axes (X, Y, Z) are the + directions of each axis, and the opposite directions are the - directions.

[0034] 1, the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 according to this embodiment generally includes a material discharge device 3 that discharges a modeling material 9 from a discharge unit 15, and a stage 5 on which the material 9 discharged from the material discharge device 3 is stacked. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 further includes a control unit 60 that controls the stacking operation of the material 9 from the material discharge device 3 onto the stage 5. Here, the material 9 is a fluid resin containing a filler, as an example of material plasticized by the plasticizing unit 4 of the material discharge device 3. The term "discharge" is used to mean both the case where the fluid material 9 is extruded from the outlet in a continuous string-like state, and the case where the material is released in a granular state.

[0035] In this embodiment, the material discharge device 3 includes a material storage section 13 that stores the material 9 inside and has an outlet section 11 at the bottom, and a discharge section 15 that discharges the material 9 coming out of the outlet section 11 to the outside after at least a portion of the material 9 has been plasticized in the plasticization section 4. The outlet 11 of the material storage unit 13 and the discharge unit 15 are connected by a tube 2. The granular material 9 in the material storage unit 13 passes through the tube 2 and reaches the discharge unit 15. The material is then plasticized in the plasticizing unit 4 in the discharge unit 15 to become a dischargeable fluid, and is discharged from the discharge port 6 of the discharge unit 15 onto the stage 5.

[0036] 1, in this embodiment, the material dispensing device 3 is composed of two devices: a first material dispensing device 3a and a second material dispensing device 3b. Here, the first dispensing unit 15a of the first material dispensing device 3a dispenses the material that will ultimately become the structural material of the model itself. The second dispensing unit 15b of the second material dispensing device 3b dispenses the support material. When the second discharge unit 15b is located at the model-forming position and performs a discharge operation, the first discharge unit 15a is retracted from the model-forming position. When the second discharge unit 15b is located at the model-forming position and performs a discharge operation, the first discharge unit 15a is retracted from the model-forming position. The second material discharging device 3b is not limited to discharging the support material, but may also be used to discharge a material that will ultimately become the structural material of the shaped object itself. Furthermore, a third material discharging device may also be provided. Furthermore, the second material discharging device 3b may not be provided.

[0037] In this embodiment, the first material discharge device 3a and the second material discharge device 3b have basically the same structure. In the following description, when it is necessary to distinguish between the first material discharge device 3a and the second material discharge device 3b, the names will be prefixed with "first" and "second" and the letters a and b will be added to the numeral symbols of the respective components, but when it is not necessary to distinguish between them, the names will be described without prefixing them with "first" and "second" and without adding the letters a and b. Furthermore, when distinguishing between other components related to the first material discharge device 3a and other components related to the second material discharge device 3b, the terms "first" and "second" are used in advance and the letters a and b are added to the numerical symbols of each component, but when no distinction is necessary, the terms may be described without the terms "first" and "second" in advance and without the letters a and b.

[0038] The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be specifically described below. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the three-dimensional modeling device 1 includes a discharge unit 15 having a nozzle 18 and discharging material 9 toward a stage 5, a cleaning mechanism 7 (Figure 2) that cleans the nozzle 18, a moving unit 30 that moves the discharge unit 15 and the cleaning mechanism 7 relative to the stage 5, and a control unit 60 that controls the operation of the moving unit 30. The cleaning mechanism 7 includes a cleaning unit 12 having a purge section 8 where the material 9 is purged from the nozzle 18 and a brush section 10 that comes into contact with the nozzle 18, and a recovery section 16 that recovers the material 9 accumulated in the purge section 8. The control section 60 is configured to move the cleaning unit 12 relative to the stage 5 in conjunction with the relative movement of the discharge section 15 with respect to the stage 5.

[0039] 2, in this embodiment, when the cleaning mechanism 7 cleans the nozzle 18, the cleaning unit 12 is configured to move in the front-to-rear direction (Y-axis direction) of the 3D modeling apparatus 1. The recovery unit 16 is disposed on the front side (-Y direction) in the front-to-rear direction of the 3D modeling apparatus 1. Here, the recovery unit 16 is attached to the front side (-Y direction) of the heating unit 50, which will be described later (FIGS. 2 and 8). Furthermore, in this embodiment, a cleaning movement section 31 (FIG. 1) is provided that moves the cleaning unit 12 to the cleaning position P. The cleaning movement section 31 moves the cleaning unit 12 to the cleaning position P in conjunction with the movement of the discharge section 15 to the cleaning position P. In other words, the cleaning movement section 31 moves only the cleaning unit 12 of the cleaning mechanism 7 to the cleaning position P.

[0040] 1 and 2, in this embodiment, a heating unit 50 is provided to heat the modeling region 22 of the stage 5. The heating unit 50 is located above the position of the discharge port 6 of the nozzle 18 during modeling and below the cleaning unit 12. When viewed from a direction perpendicular to the stage 5 (Z-axis direction), the heating unit 50 has a shape that covers the modeling region. The moving unit 30 is configured to move the heating unit 50 relative to the stage 5 in conjunction with the movement of the discharge unit 15 relative to the stage 5 .

[0041] 2, in this embodiment, the cleaning unit 12 includes a first cleaning unit 12a corresponding to the first discharge portion 15a and a second cleaning unit 12b corresponding to the second discharge portion 15b. Furthermore, the collection portion 16 includes a first collection portion 16a corresponding to the first cleaning unit 12a and a second collection portion 16b corresponding to the second cleaning unit 12b.

[0042] <Moving section> The operation of the moving unit 30 is controlled by a control unit 60 . 1 and 2, the moving unit 30 moves the discharge unit 15, the cleaning mechanism 7, and the heating unit 50 relative to the stage 5. Here, the moving unit 30 moves the stage 5 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, thereby changing the relative positions of the discharge unit 15, the cleaning mechanism 7, the heating unit 50, and the stage 5 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the moving unit 30 moves the cleaning unit 12 and the heating unit 50 relative to the stage 5 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction in conjunction with the movement of the discharge unit 15 relative to the stage 5. Furthermore, the moving unit 30 moves the discharge unit 15 in the Z-axis direction. This movement in the Z-axis direction changes the relative position of the discharge unit 15 and the stage 5 in the Z-axis direction. The moving unit 30 moves the cleaning unit 12 relative to the stage 5 in conjunction with the movement of the discharge unit 15 relative to the stage 5. An electric actuator is used as the drive mechanism for the moving unit 30. Of course, the drive mechanism for the moving unit 30 is not limited to this, and any mechanism can be used as long as it can move an object to be moved, such as the discharge unit 15, in each of the above directions by the driving force of a drive source.

[0043] <Cleaning moving part> The operation of the cleaning moving unit 31 is also controlled by the control unit 60. 2, the cleaning movement part 31 moves the cleaning unit 12 to the cleaning position P. That is, in this embodiment, the movement of the cleaning unit 12 relative to the stage 5 by the movement part 30 is configured to be performed by the cleaning movement part 31. In this embodiment, the cleaning movement section 31 includes a guide frame 32 extending in the front-rear direction and a drive belt 33. The cleaning unit 12 is guided by the guide frame 32 and moved in the front-rear direction by the drive belt 33. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 35 denotes a motor serving as a drive source for the drive belt 33. When cleaning the nozzle 18, the moving part 30 moves the discharge part 15 to the cleaning position P, and in conjunction with this movement, the cleaning moving part 31 moves the cleaning unit 12 in the front-rear direction to the cleaning position P.

[0044] <Heating part> As shown in FIG. 1 , the heating unit 50 heats the modeling region 22 of the stage 5. In the modeling region 22, a layer of material 9 ejected from the nozzle 16 is formed on the stage 5. The layer is heated by the heating unit 50. The heating unit 50 is provided for the purpose of increasing the adhesion between the first layer and the second layer when the material 9 is ejected onto the first layer formed in the modeling region to form a second layer. For this purpose, the heating unit 50 has, for example, a substantially plate-like shape. The heating unit 50 is configured to include a heater. The heating unit 50 has a shape that covers the modeling region 22 when viewed from the Z-axis direction. The modeling region 22 overlaps with the heating unit 50 when viewed from the Z-axis direction. The area of ​​the heating unit 50 is larger than the area of ​​the modeling region 22 when viewed from the Z-axis direction. 1 and 2, when the three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 is printing an object, the heating unit 50 is located above the outlet 6 of the nozzle 18 (FIG. 1) and below the cleaning mechanism 7 (FIG. 2). In the illustrated example, "above" refers to the +Z-axis direction, and "below" refers to the -Z-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the heating unit 50 is provided with a through-hole 51 extending in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

[0045] <Modeling> 1, when modeling is performed by the discharging unit 15b, the nozzle 18b of the discharging unit 15b is moved downward by the moving unit 30 to be positioned at the through-hole 51b, and the discharge port 6b is positioned below the heating unit 50. In this state, material 9b is discharged onto the stage 5 from the discharge port 6b of the nozzle 18b, thereby performing modeling. In this embodiment, the moving unit 30 moves the stage 5 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction to discharge the first layer. After the discharge operation of the first layer is completed, the moving unit 30 moves the discharge unit 15 and the heating unit 50 in the Z-axis direction by the distance of one layer. Then, the discharge operation of the second layer is performed. The above process is repeated to complete the modeling.

[0046] <Cleaning> In this embodiment, while modeling is being performed by the discharge unit 15b, the nozzle 18a of the other discharge unit 15a is cleaned. When cleaning the nozzle 18a, as shown in Fig. 1, the moving part 30 moves the discharge part 15a upward to position it at cleaning position P above the through-hole 51a. In conjunction with the movement of the discharge part 15a toward cleaning position Pa, the cleaning moving part 31a moves the cleaning unit 12a toward cleaning position Pa in a direction along the guide frame 32a. After the nozzle 18a reaches cleaning position Pa, the cleaning unit 12a is controlled to reach cleaning position Pa. 5, when the cleaning unit 12a reaches the cleaning position Pa, the cleaning movement part 31a moves the cleaning unit 12a back and forth in small strokes in the Y-axis direction. This reciprocating movement causes the brush part 10a to brush and clean the discharge port 6a of the nozzle 18a. In addition to cleaning by the brush unit 10a, the purge unit 8a is moved to a position below the outlet 6a of the nozzle 18a, and the material 9a is purged from the outlet 6a into the purge unit 8a to clean the inside of the nozzle 18a.

[0047] <Brush section> As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the brush unit 10 includes a cleaning box 36 and a brush 37 fixed inside the cleaning box 36. 5, at the cleaning position P, the brush 37 comes into contact with the discharge port 6 of the nozzle 18 to brush, that is, clean the discharge port 6. Dirt generated by this cleaning is collected in the cleaning box .

[0048] <Purge section, bottom> The purge section 8 receives the material 9 to be purged from the nozzle 18 . As shown in FIG. 7, the purge section 8 has an openable and closable bottom surface 38 (FIG. 7(B)). The material 9 accumulated in the case 40 of the purge section 8 is configured to fall into the recovery section 16 (FIG. 8) with the bottom surface 38 in the open state (FIG. 7(A)). In this embodiment, the bottom surface 38 has a slide member 47 that slides in the direction of movement of the cleaning unit 12, and is configured so that the slide member 47 slides to an open state when the purge section 8 moves to a recovery position where the material 9 in the purge section 8 is dropped into the recovery section 16.

[0049] Specifically, in Figure 7(A), bottom surface 38 is in an open state. Slide member 47 is provided at a position that constitutes bottom surface 38 of case 40 so as to be slidable in the front-to-rear direction (Y-axis direction). Slide member 47 is pulled forward (-Y direction) by spring 39. As shown in Figure 8, one end 44 of spring 39 is engaged at a position on the front side (-Y direction) of case 40, and the other end 45 is engaged with engaging piece 42 that is positioned on the rear side (+Y direction) of slide member 47. 7(B), the slide member 47 is normally pulled in the −Y direction by the spring 39, and the bottom surface 38 is in a closed state. Reference numeral 41 denotes a side slide formed integrally with the slide member 47.

[0050] As the cleaning unit 12 moves forward (in the -Y direction) toward the collection section 16, the locking piece 42 locks with the locking member 46 (FIG. 8) fixed to the collection section 16 just before reaching the collection section 16. This locking restricts the movement of the locking piece 42. In this state, the movement of the slide member 47 is restricted, but the case 40 of the purge section 8 can move. When the case 40 moves above the collection section 10, i.e., reaches the collection position, the movement of the cleaning unit 12 stops. In this state, as shown in FIGS. 7(B) and 8, the slide member 47 slides and the bottom surface 38 opens. As a result, the material 9 accumulated in the case 40 falls into the collection section 16. When the case 40 moves away from the collection position, the slide member 47 is pulled in the -Y direction by the spring 39, and the bottom surface 38 returns to the closed state.

[0051] <Recovery Department> In this embodiment, the recovery unit 16 is detachably provided. That is, the recovery unit 16 is detachably provided at a position in front of the heating unit 50, which constitutes the recovery position. 3, the collecting section 16 has an inner surface provided with a horizontally inclined inclined surface 48. The inclined surface 48 is provided so as to descend toward the lowest part inside the collecting section 16.

[0052] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the recovery unit 16 is provided with a detection unit 49 that detects the amount of the material 9 recovered. The detection unit 49 includes a light-emitting unit 61 and a light-receiving unit 53 located in an optical path 52 of the light-emitting unit 61. The amount of material 9 recovered in the recovery unit 16 is detected based on whether or not the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 61 enters the light-receiving unit 53. When the amount of material 9 collected in the collection unit 16 increases, the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 61 is blocked by the upper surface of the material 9 and does not enter the light-receiving unit 53. This detection allows the user to know that the collection unit 16 is full of material.

[0053] 6, the detection unit 49 further includes a light path opening and closing mechanism 54 that switches between opening and closing the light path 52 depending on whether the recovery unit 16 is attached or not. Specifically, the light path opening and closing mechanism 54 has a structure in which one end serves as a rotation fulcrum 55 and the free end rotates. When the recovery unit 16 is attached, the protrusion 56 on the recovery unit 16 side acts on the light path opening and closing mechanism 54 to rotate it and open the light path 52. This allows the user to know that the recovery unit 16 has been attached. When the recovery unit 16 is removed from the attached state, the light path opening and closing mechanism 54 rotates under its own weight to close the light path 52. This allows the user to know that the recovery unit 16 is not attached. The light-emitting unit 61 and the light-receiving unit 53 of the detection unit 49 may be used only for the purpose of detecting whether the collection unit 16 has been attached. Furthermore, when the light-emitting unit 61 and the light-receiving unit 53 of the detection unit 49 are used only for the purpose of detecting whether the collection unit 16 has been attached, the light path opening and closing mechanism 54 may close the light path 52 when the collection unit 16 is attached, and open the light path 52 when the collection unit 16 is removed from the attached state. This also allows the user to know whether the collection unit 16 has been attached.

[0054] 3, the first collection unit 16a and the second collection unit 16b are disposed adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. The detection unit 49 is configured to detect the amount of material collected in the first collection unit 16a and the second collection unit 16b by emitting light from a side surface 57 of the first collection unit 16a and receiving light at a side surface 58 of the second collection unit 16b. In other words, the single detection unit 49 is configured to be able to detect the amount of material collected in the first collection unit 16a and the second collection unit 16b. When one of the first collection section 16a and the second collection section 16b becomes in a state where it blocks the light, the user knows that the material in that collection section 16 is full. When the detection section 49 detects that one of the collection sections 16 is full, the user is notified by light, sound, etc. The user removes the full collection section 16 and removes the accumulated collected material, and then attaches the collection section 16 to its original position.

[0055] <Explanation of Effects of First Embodiment> (1) According to the three-dimensional modeling apparatus of this embodiment, the moving unit 30 moves the cleaning unit 12 relative to the stage 5 in conjunction with the relative movement of the discharge unit 16 relative to the stage 5. This makes it possible to shorten the distance that the discharge unit 15 can access the cleaning unit 12 when cleaning the nozzle 18 compared to a structure in which this interlocking is not performed. Furthermore, since the cleaning mechanism 7 includes the cleaning unit 12 and the collection section 16, the cleaning mechanism 7 can be made compact. (2) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the collection unit 16 is disposed at the front in the front-to-rear direction, which is the direction of movement during cleaning. This makes it easier to dispose of items accumulated in the collection unit 16 when the collection unit 16 becomes full. (3) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the cleaning movement section 31 moves the cleaning unit 12 to the cleaning position P. This simplifies the structure compared to when only the discharge section 15 is moved to the cleaning position P. In addition, the control thereof is also simplified. Furthermore, when cleaning the nozzle 18, the cleaning unit 12 is moved in conjunction with the movement of the discharge part 15 to the cleaning position P, so the time until cleaning can be started at the cleaning position P can be made shorter than in a structure without such interlocking.

[0056] (4) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the purge section 8 has an openable bottom surface 38, so that the material 9 accumulated in the purge section 8 can be dropped into the recovery section 16 by opening the bottom surface 38. This allows the material 9 accumulated in the purge section 8 to be transferred to the recovery section 16 with a simple structure. (5) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the bottom surface 38 has the sliding member 47, so that the sliding member 47 can automatically slide to an open state when the purge section 8 moves to a recovery position where the material 9 in the purge section 8 is dropped into the recovery section 16. This allows the material 9 accumulated in the purge section 8 to be easily transferred to the recovery section 16 by simply sliding the sliding member 47.

[0057] (6) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the collection section 16 has an inclined surface 48 that is inclined horizontally on its inner surface, so that objects dropped from the purge section 8 into the collection section 16 are guided by the inclined surface 48 and gradually accumulate from a lower position. This allows objects to be accumulated evenly within the collection section 16. (7) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the moving unit 30 moves the heating unit 50 relative to the stage 5 in conjunction with the relative movement of the discharging unit 15 relative to the stage 5. This makes it possible to maintain a state in which the adhesion between the layers of the material 9 formed in the modeling region 22 is enhanced. (8) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, when cleaning is performed, the moving part 30 moves the outlet 6 of the nozzle 18 above the heating part 50. This allows the cleaning unit 12 to clean the nozzle 18.

[0058] (9) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the detection unit 49 detects the amount of material 9 collected in the collection unit 16, so that the accumulation state of the material 9 accumulating in the collection unit 16 can be grasped, thereby preventing the material 9 accumulated in the collection unit 16 from overflowing. (10) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the detection unit 49 includes an optical path opening and closing mechanism 54 that switches between opening and closing the optical path 52 depending on whether the recovery unit 16 is not attached or attached. This optical path opening and closing mechanism 54 makes it possible to distinguish between a state in which the recovery unit 16 is not attached to the attachment position and a state in which the recovery unit 16 is attached. This makes it easy to determine whether the recovery unit 16 is attached or not. (11) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the discharge unit 15 has a first discharge unit 15a and a second discharge unit 15b. As a result, while one of the first discharge unit 15a and the second discharge unit 15b is performing modeling, the cleaning unit 12 can clean the nozzle 18 of the other of the first discharge unit 15a and the second discharge unit 15b. Therefore, the operation of discharging the material 9 onto the stage 5 for modeling and the operation of cleaning the nozzle 18 can be performed efficiently.

[0059] (12) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a first cleaning unit 12a corresponding to the first discharge portion 15a and a second cleaning unit 12b corresponding to the second discharge portion 15b are provided, and further a first recovery portion 16a corresponding to the first cleaning unit 12a and a second recovery portion 16b corresponding to the second cleaning unit 12b are provided. This allows cleaning of the first discharge portion 15a and recovery of the material 9 from the first cleaning unit 12a to the first recovery portion 16a, and cleaning of the second discharge portion 15b and recovery of the material 9 from the second cleaning unit 12b to the second recovery portion 16b to be performed individually, which is efficient. (13) Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the detection unit 49 detects the amount of material 9 collected in the first collection unit 16a and the second collection unit 16b by emitting light from the side surface 57 of the first collection unit 16a and receiving light at the side surface 58 of the second collection unit 16b, which is arranged adjacent to it in the horizontal direction. This makes it possible to determine the amount of material 9 accumulated in the first collection unit 16a and the second collection unit 16b with a single detection unit 49, without using two detection units.

[0060] Other Embodiments The three-dimensional printing apparatus 1 according to the present invention is based on the configuration of the embodiment described above, but it is of course possible to modify or omit some of the configuration within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, the bottom surface 38 of the purge section 8 may be opened and closed by rotating like a door, instead of by using the slide member 47. Furthermore, the detection unit 49 may be configured to be provided individually for each collection unit 16 . Moreover, the collection section 16 may have a flat structure without the inclined surface 48 . [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1... Three-dimensional modeling device, 2... Tube, 3... Material discharge device, 3a...first material discharging device, 3b...second material discharging device, 4...plasticizing section, 5...stage, 6...discharge port, 7...cleaning mechanism, 8...purge section, 9...material, 10...brush part, 11...outlet part, 12...cleaning unit, 15...discharge section, 16...recovery section, 18...nozzle, 22...printing region, 30...moving portion, 31...cleaning moving portion, 32...guide frame, 33...drive belt, 35...motor as a drive source, 36... cleaning box, 37... brush part, 38... bottom surface, 39... spring, 40...case, 41...side slide, 42...locking piece, 44...one end, 45... other end, 46... engaged piece, 47... sliding member, 48... inclined surface, 50...Heating part, 51...Through hole, 52...Optical path, 53...Light receiving part, 54... light path opening and closing mechanism, 55... rotation fulcrum, 56... protrusion, 57... side surface, 58...side surface, 60...control section, 61...light emitting section, P...cleaning position

Claims

1. a discharge unit having a nozzle and discharging the material toward the stage; a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the nozzle; The discharge unit and the cleaning mechanism are integrally held, and the discharge unit and the cleaning mechanism are relatively moved relative to the stage. a moving unit for moving the a control unit that controls the operation of the moving unit, The cleaning mechanism includes: a purge section where the material is purged from the nozzle and a brush section that contacts the nozzle; a cleaning unit having a recovery section that recovers the material accumulated in the purge section, The control unit controls the movement of the discharge unit relative to the stage. a leaning unit that is moved relative to the stage; Former modeling device.

2. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1 , The cleaning unit is moved in a front-rear direction to clean the nozzle. A leaning movement part is provided. the collection unit is disposed on the front side in the front-rear direction. Modeling equipment.

3. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 2, The cleaning movement portion is linked to the movement of the ejection portion to the cleaning position. and moving the cleaning unit to the cleaning position. A three-dimensional modeling device.

4. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1 , The purge section has an openable and closable bottom surface, When the bottom surface is in an open state, the material accumulated in the purge section is A three-dimensional modeling device characterized by dropping the object into the object.

5. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 4, The bottom surface is The bottom surface has a sliding member that slides, The purge section moves to a recovery position where the material in the purge section drops into the recovery section. By doing so, the sliding member slides and the bottom surface is brought into an open state. A three-dimensional modeling device.

6. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1 , The recovery section has an inner surface that is inclined horizontally. shape device.

7. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1 , a heating unit that heats the modeling region of the stage, The heating unit is The cleaning unit is located above the position of the nozzle outlet during modeling. Located below a shape that covers the printing area when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the stage; The moving unit moves the discharge unit in the stacking direction of the material, and The heating unit is moved relative to the stage in conjunction with the relative movement of the heating unit with respect to the stage. A three-dimensional modeling device characterized by:

8. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 7, The moving part moves the cleaning unit when the cleaning unit cleans the nozzle. A three-dimensional modeling apparatus, characterized in that an outlet of a nozzle is moved above the heating unit.

9. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1 , a detection unit for detecting the amount of the material collected in the collection unit; Dimensional modeling device.

10. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1 , The collection unit is detachable, a detection unit that detects that the recovery unit is attached; The detection unit A light-emitting portion; a light receiving unit located in an optical path of the light emitting unit; an optical path opening and closing mechanism that opens or blocks the optical path, The optical path is switched from one of an open and blocked state to the other state. By doing so, the detection unit detects that the recovery unit is attached. Dimensional modeling device.

11. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1 , the discharge portion has a first discharge portion and a second discharge portion, The cleaning unit is configured to and cleaning the other nozzle of the first discharge unit and the second discharge unit. A three-dimensional modeling device.

12. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 1 , the discharge portion has a first discharge portion and a second discharge portion, The cleaning unit comprises: a first cleaning unit corresponding to the first discharge portion; a second cleaning unit corresponding to the second discharge portion, The recovery unit includes: a first collection section corresponding to the first cleaning unit; and a second collection section corresponding to the second cleaning unit. A three-dimensional modeling device.

13. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to claim 12 dependent on claim 9, the first collection unit and the second collection unit are disposed adjacent to each other in a horizontal direction, The detection unit emits light from a side surface of the first collection unit and receives light from a side surface of the second collection unit. and detecting the amount of material collected in the first collection section and the second collection section. Modeling equipment.

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