Three-dimensional printing system and method for manufacturing three-dimensional objects

Abstract

To provide a three-dimensional molding system that can increase a strength of an interface between a molding surface and a molding material discharged from a first discharge section and a second discharge section, and can reduce warpage of a first molded object and a second molded object.SOLUTION: A three-dimensional molding system includes a first discharge section, a second discharge section, a stage, a heating section, and a control section. The control section performs: a molding process for molding a first molded object and a second molded object on a molding surface by discharging molding materials having different plasticization temperatures from each other from the first and second discharge sections; and a heating process for heating, at different temperatures from each other, the molding material discharged from the first discharge section and the molding material discharged from the second discharge section. The molding process is performed so as to overlap: a period in which the molding material discharged from the first discharge section is deposited on the molding surface; and a period in which the molding material discharged from the second discharge section is deposited on the molding surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Claims

1. A first discharge unit and a second discharge unit, each having a plasticizing unit that plasticizes a material to generate a molding material and a nozzle that discharges the molding material, A stage having a molding surface on which the molding material is deposited, A heating unit for heating the molding material deposited on the stage, A control unit that controls the first discharge unit and the second discharge unit, Includes, The control unit, A molding process that controls the first and second dispensing units to extrude the molding material having different plasticization temperatures from the first and second dispensing units, thereby forming a first molded object and a second molded object on the molding surface, A heating process is performed by controlling the heating unit to heat the molding material extruded from the first extrusion unit and the molding material extruded from the second extrusion unit at different temperatures from each other. Perform The molding process is performed in a three-dimensional molding system such that the period during which the molding material extruded from the first extrusion unit is deposited on the molding surface and the period during which the molding material extruded from the second extrusion unit is deposited on the molding surface overlap.

2. In claim 1, The heating unit is located below the nozzle opening of the nozzle and has a first heating unit that heats the stage. The aforementioned molded surface, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the molded surface, The first region in which the first molded object is formed, The second region in which the second object is fabricated, It has, The first heating unit is a three-dimensional molding system that heats the first region and the second region at different temperatures.

3. In claim 1, The heating section has a plate-shaped second heating section that is located above the nozzle opening of the nozzle during molding. The second heating unit moves in conjunction with the nozzle, The three-dimensional molding system comprises a second heating section having a first portion and a second portion whose temperatures can be individually controlled when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the molding surface.

4. In claim 1, The control unit, prior to the molding process, controls one of the first and second dispensing units to dispense the molding material from the one dispensing unit and performs a release layer formation process to form a release layer on the molded surface. The control unit fabricates the first and second molded objects on the release layer. A three-dimensional molding system in which the one discharge unit is the discharge unit of the first discharge unit and the second discharge unit that discharges the molding material having a lower plasticization temperature.

5. In claim 1, The control unit, prior to the molding process, controls one of the first and second dispensing units to dispense the molding material from the one dispensing unit and performs a release layer formation process to form a release layer on the molded surface. The control unit fabricates the first and second molded objects on the release layer. The one discharge section is the one of the first discharge section and the second discharge section that has a higher plasticizing temperature. A three-dimensional molding system, which is the extrusion unit that extrudes the aforementioned molding material.

6. In claim 1, The control unit, prior to the molding process, performs the following steps: discharging the molding material from the first discharging unit to form a first release layer on the molding surface; and discharging the molding material from the second discharging unit to form a second release layer on the molding surface. The control unit is a three-dimensional fabrication system that fabricates the first fabricated object on the second release layer and fabricates the second fabricated object on the first release layer.

7. In claim 1, The control unit, in the molding process, detects an error in the first or second ejector unit, stops molding by the ejector unit that detected the error, and continues molding by the ejector unit that did not detect an error, in a three-dimensional molding system.

8. In claim 1, Includes a cleaning mechanism for cleaning the nozzle, The control unit, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the molding process, controls the cleaning mechanism to perform a cleaning process to clean the nozzles of the first and second dispensing units. A three-dimensional molding system in which the predetermined time is determined based on the cleaning timing of the ejection unit that ejects the molding material with a lower plasticization temperature, among the first and second ejection units.

9. In claim 1, The first discharge unit and the second discharge unit are configured to move in conjunction with each other while maintaining a predetermined distance between the centers of the nozzle openings of each nozzle. A three-dimensional molding system in which the predetermined distance is equal to or greater than the length obtained by dividing the length of the molded surface by 2 in the direction of a virtual straight line passing through the center of the nozzle opening of the first discharge unit and the center of the nozzle opening of the second discharge unit.

10. In claim 1, The first discharge unit and the second discharge unit are configured to move in conjunction with each other while maintaining a predetermined distance between the centers of the nozzle openings of each nozzle. A three-dimensional molding system in which the predetermined distance is less than or equal to the length of the molded surface divided by 2 in the direction of a virtual straight line passing through the center of the nozzle opening of the first discharge unit and the center of the nozzle opening of the second discharge unit.

11. In any one of claims 1 to 10, A three-dimensional molding system including a rotation mechanism that rotates the stage, the first ejection unit, and the second ejection unit relative to each other about a direction perpendicular to the molding surface.

12. In claim 11, The control unit determines the rotation angle by the rotation mechanism based on the shapes of the first and second molded objects, in a three-dimensional molding system.

13. A molding process comprising: a first and second dispensing unit that plasticizes a material to generate a molding material and dispensing the molding material from a first and second dispensing unit that dispensing the molding material having different plasticization temperatures, thereby forming a first and second molded object on the molding surface of a stage; A heating step in which the molding material extruded from the first extrusion unit and the molding material extruded from the second extrusion unit are heated at different temperatures from each other, Perform A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object, wherein the molding process is performed such that the period during which the molding material extruded from the first extrusion unit is deposited on the molding surface and the period during which the molding material extruded from the second extrusion unit is deposited on the molding surface overlap.

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