Shaping device, shaped article production method, and program

Abstract

This shaping device comprises: a liquid holding unit that holds a liquid disposed in contact with a surface of a substrate, within a predetermined liquid holding region; a shaping unit that partly solidifies the liquid; and a substrate moving unit that moves the substrate in at least the horizontal direction to thereby move the substrate relative to the liquid holding region.

Description

Forming apparatus, method for producing a formed object, and program

[0001] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-118188, filed on July 25, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

[0002] Stereolithography is one method that can create three-dimensional objects. In stereolithography, a liquid material is exposed to light, such as an ultraviolet laser beam, to partially solidify the material, thereby creating the object. Stereolithography can create microstructures, and potential applications include biomimetic surfaces that utilize the principle of the iris of the Morpho butterfly (Morpho didius) and adhesive surfaces that mimic the microstructure of a gecko's foot (see Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] Gordon Zyla and 6 others, “Generation of bioinspired structural colors via two-photon polymerization”, Scientific reports 7, p.1-9, 2017

[0004] When applying photolithography to biomimetics, it is conceivable to form micro- and nano-scale three-dimensional minute structures in relatively large areas of centimeters or more. It is conceivable to apply a liquid material to the entire area to be modeled, such as the entire surface of the substrate to be modeled, but the volume of the applied material would be extremely large compared to the volume of the microstructure to be modeled, and most of the material would be discarded after modeling. In particular, it is thought that the larger the area to be modeled, the more material would be discarded. Even when the area to be modeled is relatively large, it is preferable to discard as little material as possible.

[0005] An example of an object of the present invention is to provide a modeling apparatus, a method for producing a model, and a program that can relatively reduce the amount of material that is wasted, even when the area of ​​a region to be modeled is relatively large.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a molding apparatus includes a liquid holding unit that holds a liquid placed in contact with the surface of a substrate within a predetermined liquid holding area, a molding unit that partially solidifies the liquid, and a substrate moving unit that moves the substrate relative to the liquid holding area by moving the substrate at least horizontally.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method for producing a molded object includes retaining a liquid placed in contact with a surface of a substrate within a predetermined liquid retention area, partially solidifying the liquid, and moving the substrate at least horizontally to move the substrate relative to the liquid retention area.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present invention, the program is a program for causing a computer of a modeling apparatus including a liquid holding unit that holds a liquid placed in contact with the surface of a substrate within a predetermined liquid holding area, a modeling unit that partially solidifies the liquid, a substrate moving unit that moves the substrate relative to the liquid holding area by moving the substrate at least in a horizontal direction, and a computer to execute the following operations: causing the liquid holding unit to hold the liquid within the liquid holding area, causing the modeling unit to partially solidify the liquid, and causing the substrate moving unit to move the substrate at least in a horizontal direction.

[0009] According to embodiments of the present invention, relatively little material is wasted, even when the area to be built is relatively large.

[0010] 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a modeling apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a first example of the configuration of a liquid holding unit, a modeling unit, and a substrate moving unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a temperature gradient caused by irradiation of far-infrared rays by the liquid holding unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the position of a droplet and the temperature gradient caused by irradiation of far-infrared rays by the liquid holding unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the configuration of a liquid holding unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the traveling direction of laser light refracted by a conical prism according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a third example of the configuration of a liquid holding unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the temperature gradient caused by irradiation of laser light by the liquid holding unit according to the configuration shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the position of a droplet and the temperature gradient caused by irradiation of laser light by the liquid holding unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a third example of the configuration of a liquid holding unit according to an embodiment, and a second example of the configuration of a modeling unit 20 according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a region where a liquid material is solidified by laser light output from an optical fiber according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a modeled object generated depending on the core diameter of an optical fiber according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a modeled object generated depending on the distance from the optical fiber to a substrate according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the height of a molded object 930 when the distance from the optical fiber to the substrate changes according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a molded object having a gradient in height according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a pillar-shaped molded object having different heights according to the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mold for generating a mask according to the embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state after resin has been poured into a mold according to the embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mold and resin after the piano wire has been removed according to the embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of solidified resin removed from the mold according to the embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state after a wire has been threaded through a hole in the solidified resin according to the embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a generated mask according to the embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of the configuration of a liquid holding unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a first example of an arrangement of magnets when a liquid material forms a liquid column according to the embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a second example of an arrangement of magnets when a liquid material forms a liquid column according to the embodiment.1 is a diagram illustrating a first example of the arrangement of the liquid holding unit and the modeling unit when a liquid column is formed using a lens cap according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the arrangement of the liquid holding unit and the modeling unit when a liquid column is formed using a lens cap according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a third example of the arrangement of the liquid holding unit and the modeling unit when a liquid column is formed using a lens cap according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of the liquid holding unit and the modeling unit when a liquid column is formed between a substrate and an objective lens according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a modeled object generated at a separate position on a substrate by the modeling unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a modeled object generated by the modeling unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure in which a modeling apparatus according to an embodiment performs discrete modeling of a modeled object. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of parts of a modeled object generated by top-up modeling according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a modeled object generated by top-up modeling according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure in which a modeling apparatus according to an embodiment generates a model by top-up modeling. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a modeled object generated by a modeling apparatus according to an embodiment using a low-expansion glass substrate. 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a second example of a modeled object formed by the modeling apparatus according to an embodiment using a substrate made of low-expansion glass, a third example of a modeled object formed by the modeling apparatus according to an embodiment using a substrate made of low-expansion glass, and a fourth example of a computer configuration according to at least one embodiment.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a modeling apparatus according to an embodiment. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the modeling apparatus 1 includes a liquid holding unit 10, a modeling unit 20, a substrate moving unit 30, and a control unit 40.

[0012] The modeling apparatus 1 generates a modeled object on the surface of a substrate by partially changing a liquid modeling material on the surface of the substrate into a solid. In particular, the modeling apparatus 1 holds the liquid modeling material in a predetermined liquid holding area and moves the substrate to generate a modeled object at a desired position on the surface of the substrate. Changing a liquid into a solid is also called solidification. The generation of a modeled object by the modeling apparatus 1 corresponds to the production of a modeled object.

[0013] The liquid holding unit 10 holds the liquid modeling material placed in contact with the surface of the substrate in a liquid holding area. The modeling unit 20 partially solidifies the liquid modeling material held in the liquid holding area. For example, the modeling unit 20 irradiates a portion of the liquid with a modeling laser beam, solidifying the portion of the liquid that is irradiated with the laser beam or a portion of the liquid. The portion of the liquid holding area where the modeling unit 20 solidifies the liquid modeling material is also referred to as the modeling area.

[0014] The substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate. In particular, the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate at least in the horizontal direction, thereby moving the substrate relative to the liquid holding area. The substrate moving unit 30 may move the substrate not only horizontally but also vertically or diagonally. The control unit 40 controls each unit of the modeling apparatus 1 to generate a modeled object. The control unit 40 may be configured using a computer such as a personal computer (PC) or a workstation (WS).

[0015] In the following, an example will be described in which the modeling material is a photocurable resin and the modeling unit 20 changes the photocurable resin from a liquid to a solid by photo-modeling. However, the modeling method used by the modeling unit 20 is not limited to a specific method as long as it can partially change a liquid into a solid. For example, the modeling method used by the modeling unit 20 may be photopolymerization, photocrosslinking, photoreduction, or photo-induced aggregation, or a combination of these.

[0016] Furthermore, when the modeling unit 20 uses laser light to perform modeling, the laser light may be any laser light capable of solidifying a material and is not limited to laser light of a specific wavelength. For example, the modeling unit 20 may use ultraviolet laser light or blue laser light. Alternatively, the modeling unit 20 may use near-infrared femtosecond-pulse laser light to perform modeling using a two-photon modeling method based on two-photon absorption.

[0017] In the following, an example will be described in which the substrate used for modeling by the modeling apparatus 1 is a glass substrate. However, the substrate used for modeling by the modeling apparatus 1 can be a substrate of various materials to which a solidified modeling material can be attached. The modeling unit 20 may emit a modeling laser beam toward the liquid modeling material from the surface of the substrate opposite to the surface in contact with the liquid modeling material. In this case, a substrate that can transmit the modeling laser beam, such as a transparent glass substrate, is used. Alternatively, the modeling unit 20 may emit a modeling laser beam toward the liquid modeling material from the surface of the substrate in contact with the liquid modeling material. In this case, a substrate that can transmit the modeling laser beam may be used, or a substrate that cannot transmit the modeling laser beam may be used.

[0018] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a first example of the configuration of the liquid holding unit 10, the modeling unit 20, and the substrate moving unit 30. In the configuration shown in Fig. 2, the modeling apparatus 1 includes the liquid holding unit 10, the modeling unit 20, the substrate moving unit 30, and a control unit 40. The liquid holding unit 10 includes a far-infrared heater 111 and a mask 112. The modeling unit 20 includes a modeling laser device 211, a mirror 212, and a lens 213. The substrate moving unit 30 includes a linear stage 311 and a table 312.

[0019] 2 also shows a substrate 910 and a liquid material 920. The substrate 910 and the liquid material 920 may be configured externally to the modeling apparatus 1. Alternatively, either or both of the substrate 910 and the liquid material 920 may be configured as parts of the modeling apparatus 1. In the example of FIG. 2, the liquid material 920 is in the form of droplets and is arranged in contact with the lower surface of the substrate 910. The liquid material forming the droplets is also referred to as droplets 921.

[0020] The far-infrared heater 111 irradiates far-infrared rays toward the droplet 921 and the periphery of the droplet 921 in the horizontal direction. Hereinafter, when describing the positional relationship of the droplet 921 in the horizontal direction, the term "horizontal" may be omitted. For example, the periphery of the droplet 921 in the horizontal direction may also be simply referred to as the periphery of the droplet 921. The position in the horizontal direction can also be referred to as the position on the underside of the substrate 910, which is the surface with which the droplet 921 is in contact.

[0021] The mask 112 blocks the far-infrared rays emitted by the far-infrared heater 111 from a portion that is generally directed toward the droplet 921. As a result, the liquid holding unit 10 irradiates the far-infrared rays so as to generally surround the periphery of the droplet 921. However, part of the far-infrared rays emitted by the far-infrared heater 111 may strike the peripheral portion of the droplet 921. Also, there may be portions (gaps) around the droplet 921 that are not struck by the far-infrared rays. Also, it is not necessary to clearly distinguish between portions that are struck by the far-infrared rays and portions that are not struck by the far-infrared rays.

[0022] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a temperature gradient caused by irradiation of far-infrared rays by the liquid holder 10. Fig. 3 shows an example of the temperature gradient formed around a droplet 921, observed from the top surface of the substrate 910. In the example of Fig. 3, a temperature gradient is generated that forms roughly concentric contour lines. The temperature rises from the center of the concentric circles to the periphery, and then drops.

[0023] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the temperature gradient generated by irradiation of far-infrared rays by the liquid holder 10 and the position of the droplet 921. Fig. 4 shows an example of the temperature gradient along line L11 in Fig. 3. The liquid holder 10 generates a temperature gradient that forms approximately concentric contour lines shown in Fig. 3, such that the droplet is located inside the concentric circles where the temperature is maximum. In the example of Fig. 4, the droplet 921 is located in an area A11 inside two points P11 and P12 where the temperature is maximum.

[0024] By irradiating the liquid holder 10 with far-infrared rays in this manner, a temperature gradient is generated in the droplet 921 such that the temperature is higher at the periphery than at the center. The periphery and center here refer to the sides of the droplet 921 that are closer to and farther from the boundary between the droplet 921 and the outside. Due to the temperature gradient generated in the droplet 921, where the temperature is higher at the periphery than at the center, the surface tension at the center, where the temperature is relatively low, is greater than that at the periphery, where the temperature is relatively high. This difference in surface tension manifests as a force directed from the periphery to the center of the droplet 921, and this force prevents the droplet 921 from spreading horizontally. The shape of the droplet 921 stabilizes when the force directed from the periphery to the center and the force that causes the droplet 921 to spread are balanced.

[0025] Furthermore, by continuing to irradiate the liquid holding unit 10 with far-infrared rays at the same position relative to the droplet 921, the droplet 921 can be held in the same position. In particular, by continuing to irradiate the liquid holding unit 10 with far-infrared rays at the same position relative to the droplet 921, the droplet 921 can be held in the same position even when the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910. This allows the position of the substrate 910 to be moved relative to the position of the droplet 921. The position at which the liquid holding unit 10 holds the droplet 921 does not need to be exactly the same, and the droplet 921 may move within a range in which the printing region is located inside the droplet 921. For this reason, the liquid holding unit 10 holding the liquid material 920 in the same position is also referred to as the liquid holding unit 10 holding the liquid material 920 in the liquid holding region or the liquid holding unit 10 holding the liquid material 920 in the liquid holding region. It is also stated that the liquid holder 10 keeps the liquid material 920 in approximately the same position.

[0026] 3 and 4, the maximum temperature is approximately 85° C., and the minimum temperature at the center of the concentric temperature contour circles is approximately 70° C., resulting in a temperature difference of approximately 15° C. From the viewpoint of preventing the droplets 921 from spreading and keeping them within the liquid holding area, and from the viewpoint of preventing the droplets 921 from solidifying due to heat (solidification of the liquid material 920), it is preferable that this maximum temperature be as small as possible and this temperature difference be as large as possible.

[0027] An example of the liquid holding region is a region including the entire droplet 921. For example, when the liquid holding unit 10 irradiates far-infrared rays so as not to strike the droplet 921, an example of the liquid holding region is a region of the underside of the substrate 910 that is surrounded by a region irradiated with far-infrared rays and is shielded by a mask and is not irradiated with far-infrared rays. Alternatively, in both cases where far-infrared rays strike the droplet 921 and where they do not strike the droplet 921, an example of the liquid holding region is a region of the underside of the substrate 910 that is the combination of the region irradiated with far-infrared rays and the inner region not irradiated with far-infrared rays and is shielded by a mask and is not irradiated with far-infrared rays.

[0028] The shaping laser device 211 emits a laser beam. The laser beam emitted by the shaping laser device 211 is also referred to as the shaping laser beam. The mirror 212 reflects the laser beam emitted by the shaping laser device 211. The mirror 212 is provided at a position and in a direction such that the reflected laser beam is directed toward the droplets 921. Alternatively, the shaping laser device 211 may be disposed at a position and in a direction such that it emits the laser beam toward the droplets 921. In this case, the shaping unit 20 does not need to include the mirror 212.

[0029] The lens 213 refracts the laser light reflected by the mirror 212 so that the laser light is focused inside the droplet 921. The liquid material 920 solidifies at the position of this focus. For example, the lens 213 may be disposed so that the laser light is focused inside the droplet 921 near the boundary with the substrate 910, and the material solidified at the position of the focus may adhere to the surface of the substrate 910.

[0030] Furthermore, the modeling unit 20 may be configured to be able to change the focal position of the laser light inside the droplet 921. For example, the mirror 212 may be configured as a galvanometer mirror, and the focal position of the laser light may change by changing the orientation of the mirror 212. Furthermore, when the modeling apparatus 1 generates a tall object, the position of the focal position of the laser light in the height direction may be variable by the mirror 212 or the lens 213.

[0031] The substrate 910 is placed on the table 312. In this way, the table 312 holds the substrate 910. A hole is formed in the top plate of the table 312, and as shown in FIG. 2, far infrared rays can be irradiated toward the substrate 910 from below the substrate 910. The linear stage 311 movably holds the table 312. The linear stage 311 moves the table 312, thereby moving the substrate 910 placed on the table 312.

[0032] The linear stage 311 is configured to be able to move the substrate 910 at least in the horizontal direction. By moving the substrate 910 in the horizontal direction, the linear stage 311 can move a portion of the lower surface of the substrate 910 that is located in the modeling area, and can generate and attach a modeled object to various portions of the lower surface of the substrate 910. As described above with respect to the substrate moving unit 30, the linear stage 311 may move the substrate 910 not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction or diagonal direction.

[0033] The configurations of the liquid holder 10, the modeling unit 20, and the substrate moving unit 30 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 2 and can be various. The method by which the liquid holder 10 holds the liquid material 920 within the liquid holding area is not limited to irradiating far-infrared rays so as to roughly surround the periphery of the droplet 921. For example, the liquid holder 10 may irradiate electromagnetic waves other than far-infrared rays. For example, the liquid holder 10 may irradiate laser light so as to roughly surround the periphery of the droplet 921, thereby generating a temperature gradient in which the periphery of the droplet 921 is higher than the center. The laser device in this case is also referred to as a heating laser device. The laser light in this case is also referred to as heating laser light.

[0034] However, the manner in which the liquid holder 10 irradiates the periphery of the droplet 921 with the heating laser light is not limited to the manner in which the light is irradiated so as to surround the entire periphery of the droplet 921. For example, the liquid holder 10 may irradiate electromagnetic waves such as far infrared rays or laser light only to a portion of the periphery of the droplet 921 opposite the direction in which the droplet 921 moves relative to the substrate 910 (the rear side of the relative movement of the droplet 921), for example, in a "C" shape. In other words, the liquid holder 10 may irradiate electromagnetic waves only to a portion of the periphery of the droplet 921 that faces the direction in which the substrate 910 moves. This allows the droplet 921 to remain in approximately the same position even if the substrate 910 moves.

[0035] For example, the liquid holding unit 10 may irradiate the droplet 921 with a pinpoint laser beam by moving the pinpoint laser beam along the outer periphery of the droplet 921. In this case, the liquid holding unit 10 may move the pinpoint laser beam along the portion of the outer periphery of the droplet 921 that is on the side of the movement direction of the substrate 910.

[0036] The liquid holder 10 may irradiate the electromagnetic waves from below the droplet 921, or from above the droplet 921, that is, toward the surface of the substrate 910 opposite to the surface in contact with the droplet 921. The liquid holder 10 may also irradiate the electromagnetic waves from directly below or directly above the droplet 921, or from obliquely below or obliquely above.

[0037] The droplet 921 may also contain a magnetic material such as iron powder. The liquid holder 10 may then use a magnet to hold the droplet 921 containing the iron powder within the liquid holding region. In this case, the magnet may be provided below the droplet 921 or above the droplet 921, and therefore above the substrate 910.

[0038] Alternatively, the substrate 910 may be coated with a coating having a different wettability, thereby restricting the path along which the droplet 921 can move on the surface of the substrate 910. The liquid holding unit 10 may keep the droplet 921 within the liquid holding region by combining the restriction of the droplet 921's movement along this path with any of the methods described above.

[0039] The droplet 921 may be provided on the upper surface side of the substrate 910 instead of the lower surface side. In this case, the liquid holding unit 10 can also use various methods to hold the liquid material 920 in the liquid holding region, similar to the case where the droplet 921 is provided on the lower surface side of the substrate 910.

[0040] The liquid material 920 may also be provided in the form of a liquid column sandwiched between two substrates 910. In this case, the liquid holding unit 10 can also use various methods to hold the liquid material 920 within the liquid holding region, as in the case where the liquid droplet 921 is provided as the liquid material 920.

[0041] The method by which the modeling unit 20 partially solidifies the liquid material 920 is not limited to a method of focusing the laser light emitted by the modeling laser device 211 inside the liquid material 920. For example, the laser light emitted by the modeling laser device 211 may be irradiated onto the inside of the liquid material 920 using an optical fiber. In this case, the portion of the liquid material 920 irradiated with the laser light can be solidified. The portion of the liquid material 920 irradiated with the laser light corresponds to an example of a modeling region. As described above, the modeling method by the modeling unit 20 may be any one of photopolymerization, photocrosslinking, photoreduction, and photocoagulation, or a combination of these. When the modeling unit 20 uses laser light to perform modeling, the laser light may be any laser light capable of solidifying the material and is not limited to laser light of a specific wavelength.

[0042] The method by which the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910 is not limited to a method in which the substrate 910 is placed on the table 312 and the linear stage 311 moves the table 312. For example, a device that moves the substrate 910 may directly hold the substrate 910. Various combinations can be adopted regarding combinations of a method in which the liquid holding unit 10 holds the liquid material 920 in the liquid holding area, a method in which the modeling unit 20 partially solidifies the liquid material 920, and a method in which the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910.

[0043] Further examples of the configuration of each part of the modeling apparatus 1 will be shown. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a second example of the configuration of the liquid holding unit 10. In the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the modeling apparatus 1 includes the liquid holding unit 10, a modeling unit 20, a substrate moving unit 30, and a control unit 40. The liquid holding unit 10 includes a heating laser device 121, a mirror 122, and a conical prism 123. The modeling unit 20 includes a modeling laser device 211, a mirror 212, and a lens 213. The substrate moving unit 30 includes a linear stage 311 and a table 312. FIG. 5 also shows a substrate 910 and a liquid material 920 in the form of a droplet 921.

[0044] 5, parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals (1, 10, 20, 30, 211, 212, 213, 311, 312, 910, 920, 921), and detailed description thereof will be omitted here. In the configuration of the modeling apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 5, the configuration of the liquid holding unit 10 is different from that in FIG. 2. In other respects, the modeling apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 5 is the same as that in FIG. 2.

[0045] The heating laser device 121 emits a laser beam. The laser beam emitted by the heating laser device 121 is also referred to as the heating laser beam. The mirror 122 reflects the laser beam emitted by the heating laser device 121. The mirror 122 is provided at a position and in a direction such that the reflected laser beam is directed toward the droplets 921. Alternatively, the heating laser device 121 may be disposed at a position and in a direction such that the laser beam is emitted toward the droplets 921. In this case, the liquid holding unit 10 does not need to include the mirror 122.

[0046] The conical prism 123 refracts the laser light reflected by the mirror 122. The conical prism is also called a conical lens or an axicon lens. Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the traveling direction of the laser light refracted by the conical prism 123. In the example of Figure 6, the refractive index n １ is the refractive index outside the conical prism 123 (e.g., the refractive index of air) n ２ is greater than n １ >n ２ As a result, the laser light incident on the conical prism 123 is output from the conical prism 123 so as to spread in the shape of a hollow cone.

[0047] This enables the liquid holding unit 10 to irradiate the heating laser light so as to roughly surround the periphery of the droplet 921. The conical prism 123 is provided at a position and orientation such that the laser light refracted by the conical prism 123 itself is irradiated so as to roughly surround the periphery of the droplet 921. The closer the conical prism 123 is to the droplet 921, the smaller the diameter of the ring formed by the laser light irradiated onto the substrate 910 or the droplet 921, and the farther the conical prism 123 is from the droplet 921, the larger the diameter of the ring.

[0048] The liquid holder 10 irradiates the droplet 921 with the heating laser light so as to roughly surround the periphery thereof, but does not irradiate the central portion of the droplet 921 with the heating laser light, thereby generating a temperature gradient in the droplet 921 where the temperature is higher on the periphery than on the central portion. This allows the droplet 921 to remain in roughly the same position, as explained in the case where the liquid holder 10 irradiates the droplet 921 with far-infrared light so as to roughly surround the periphery thereof.

[0049] The heating laser device 121 is a carbon dioxide laser (CO ２ When the liquid holder 10 heats the periphery of the droplet 921 using carbon dioxide laser light, it can heat more locally than when far infrared rays are used. This makes it possible to increase the temperature difference between the periphery and center of the droplet 921.

[0050] As the temperature gradient between the peripheral side and the center side of the droplet 921 becomes steeper, the force from the peripheral side to the center side of the droplet 921 becomes stronger. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent the droplet 921 from spreading horizontally, and also makes it possible to more reliably keep the droplet 921 in approximately the same position when the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910. Furthermore, as the temperature at the center side of the droplet 921 becomes lower than when far infrared rays are used, it is possible to further reduce the possibility that the liquid material 920 will solidify due to heat. However, the heating laser device 121 is not limited to a carbon dioxide laser device.

[0051] The liquid holder 10 may be configured to pass the heating laser light through an iris. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a third example of the configuration of the liquid holder 10. In the configuration shown in Fig. 7, the liquid holder 10 includes a heating laser device 121, a beam expander 131, a mirror 122, an iris 132, and a conical prism 123.

[0052] In the configuration of the liquid holding unit 10 shown in Fig. 7, a beam expander 131 and an aperture 132 are added to the configuration shown in Fig. 5. In other respects, the liquid holding unit 10 shown in Fig. 7 is the same as that shown in Fig. 5. The beam expander 131 expands the beam of laser light emitted by the heating laser device 121 so that the diameter of the beam increases.

[0053] Here, consider a case where the intensity of the laser light is non-uniform on the peripheral side of the laser light beam after passing through the beam expander 131. In this case, it is conceivable that the intensity of the laser light irradiated on the substrate 910 or the droplet 921 will also be non-uniform. If this results in a gentler temperature gradient, with the peripheral side of the droplet 921 being higher in temperature than the central side, there is a possibility that the droplet 921 will not be able to remain in approximately the same position when the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910. Furthermore, if a locally high-temperature portion occurs in the droplet 921, there is a possibility that unintended thermal curing will occur in the high-temperature portion.

[0054] Therefore, the liquid holding unit 10 passes the laser light after passing through the beam expander 131 through the diaphragm 132. The diaphragm 132 blocks the peripheral portion of the input laser light beam and allows the central portion to pass through. This allows only the central portion of the laser light beam output by the beam expander 131, where the laser light intensity is uniform, to be input to the conical prism 123.

[0055] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a temperature gradient caused by irradiation of laser light by the liquid holding unit 10 having the configuration shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 8 shows an example of a temperature gradient formed around a droplet 921, observed from the top surface of the substrate 910, when a carbon dioxide laser device is used as the heating laser device 121.

[0056] In the example of Fig. 8, a temperature gradient is generated that forms roughly concentric contours. The temperature first rises from the center of the concentric circles toward the periphery, and then drops. In particular, in the example of Fig. 8, the laser beam output by the beam expander 131 is passed through the aperture 132, and only the central portion where the laser beam intensity is uniform is used, thereby generating a temperature gradient that forms roughly concentric contours.

[0057] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the temperature gradient generated by laser light irradiation by the liquid holder 10 configured as shown in Fig. 7 and the position of the droplet 921. Fig. 9 shows an example of the temperature gradient along line L21 in Fig. 8. The liquid holder 10 generates a temperature gradient that forms approximately concentric contour lines as shown in Fig. 8, such that the droplet is located inside the concentric circle where the temperature is maximum. In the example of Fig. 9, the droplet 921 is located in region A21 inside two points P21 and P22 where the temperature is maximum.

[0058] In the examples shown in Figures 8 and 9, the maximum temperature is approximately 90°C, and the minimum temperature at the center of the concentric temperature contour circles is approximately 60°C, resulting in a temperature difference of approximately 30°C. In particular, the temperature gradient is even steeper in the examples shown in Figures 8 and 9 than in the examples shown in Figures 3 and 4. As a result, in the examples shown in Figures 8 and 9, as described above, it is possible to more reliably prevent the droplet 921 from spreading in the horizontal direction, and it is also possible to more reliably keep the droplet 921 in approximately the same position when the substrate moving part 30 moves the substrate 910.

[0059] 8 and 9, the minimum temperature at the center of the concentric temperature contour lines is approximately 60° C., which is lower than the approximately 70° C. in the examples shown in Figures 3 and 4. This makes it possible to further reduce the possibility that the liquid material 920 will solidify due to heat, as described above.

[0060] The modeling unit 20 may irradiate the modeling laser light using an optical fiber. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a third example of the configuration of the liquid holding unit 10 and a second example of the configuration of the modeling unit 20. In the configuration shown in Fig. 10, the liquid holding unit 10 includes a far-infrared heater 111 and a mask 141. The modeling unit 20 includes a modeling laser device 211 and an optical fiber 221. Fig. 10 also shows a substrate 910 and a liquid material 920 in the form of droplets 921.

[0061] Among the components in Figure 10, components having the same functions as those in Figure 5 are designated by the same reference numerals (10, 20, 122, 211), and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted here. Furthermore, the far-infrared heater 111 in Figure 10 is the same as that shown in Figure 2, and is designated by the same reference numeral (111), and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted here. In the configuration shown in Figure 10, the liquid holder 10 uses a mask 141 to expand the far-infrared beam emitted by the far-infrared heater 111 so that it roughly surrounds the periphery of the droplet 921. The mask 141 may be, for example, a conical member whose surface is covered with gold and configured to reflect far-infrared rays.

[0062] Alternatively, the liquid holder 10 may be provided with a heating laser device 121 instead of the far-infrared heater 111 of the configuration shown in Fig. 10. In this case, the liquid holder 10 uses a mask 141 to expand the beam of laser light emitted by the heating laser device 121 so that it roughly surrounds the periphery of the droplet 921. The far-infrared rays emitted when the liquid holder 10 is provided with the far-infrared heater 111 and the laser light emitted when the liquid holder 10 is provided with the heating laser device 121 are collectively referred to as electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or laser light.

[0063] The optical fiber 221 also transmits the shaping laser light emitted by the shaping laser device 211. The optical fiber 221 is arranged to pass through the center of the conical mask 141, so that both the electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or heating laser light, and the shaping laser light are irradiated from the upper surface side of the substrate 910 where the droplets 921 are located.

[0064] However, the droplet 921 may be positioned on the upper surface side of the substrate 910, and the liquid holding unit 10 may irradiate the substrate 910 with electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or heating laser light from the lower surface side. Furthermore, when the droplet 921 is positioned on the lower surface side of the substrate 910, the liquid holding unit 10 and the modeling unit 20 may irradiate the substrate 910 with electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or heating laser light, and with modeling laser light from the lower surface side. Alternatively, the droplet 921 may be positioned on the lower surface side of the substrate 910, and the modeling unit 20 may irradiate the substrate 910 with modeling laser light from the lower surface side using the optical fiber 221, and the liquid holding unit 10 may irradiate the substrate 910 with electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or heating laser light from the upper surface side.

[0065] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a region where the liquid material 920 is solidified by the laser light output from the optical fiber 221. In the example of FIG. 11, the tip of the optical fiber 221 is located inside the droplet 921, and the liquid material 920 in a region A11 of the droplet 921 where the optical fiber 221 irradiates the laser light is solidified. Region A11 corresponds to an example of a modeling region. When the substrate moving unit 30 does not move the substrate 910 and the modeling unit 20 does not move the optical fiber 221, the solidification of the liquid material 920 produces a cylindrical or truncated conical object having a diameter equal to the core diameter (inner diameter) D11 of the optical fiber 221 and a height equal to the distance D12 from the tip of the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910.

[0066] On the other hand, when the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910 in one direction and the modeling unit 20 does not move the optical fiber 221, the liquid material 920 solidifies to produce a strip- or rod-shaped object having a width equal to the core diameter D11 of the optical fiber 221 and a height equal to the distance D12 from the tip of the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910.

[0067] (Example of a Model Generated Using Optical Fibers) Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a model generated depending on the core diameter of the optical fibers 221. In the example of Fig. 12, optical fibers 221 with different core diameters are used, and for each optical fiber with each core diameter, the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate in one direction. Meanwhile, the position of the optical fiber 221 is fixed.

[0068] Of the objects 930, the object 930-11 is an object created using optical fibers 221 with a core diameter of 105 micrometers (μm). The object 930-12 is an object created using optical fibers 221 with a core diameter of 50 micrometers. The object 930-13 is an object created using optical fibers 221 with a core diameter of 10 micrometers. The core diameters of the optical fibers 221 in each case correspond to the width of the object 930. In this way, by using optical fibers 221 with different core diameters, objects 930 with various widths can be created.

[0069] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a shaped object generated depending on the distance from the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910. In the example of Fig. 13, four different distances from the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910 are set, and the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate in one direction for each distance from the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910. Meanwhile, the position of the optical fiber 221 is fixed.

[0070] Of the objects 930, object 930-21 is an object generated when the distance from the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910 is 355 micrometers. Object 930-22 is an object generated when the distance from the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910 is 271 micrometers. Object 930-23 is an object generated when the distance from the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910 is 177 micrometers. Object 930-24 is an object generated when the distance from the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910 is 81 micrometers. The distance from the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910 corresponds to the height of each object 930. In this way, objects 930 of various heights can be generated by varying the distance from the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910.

[0071] 14 is a diagram showing an example of the height of the modeled object 930 when the distance from the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910 changes. In the example of FIG. 14 , the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910 in one direction, and the modeling unit 20 moves the optical fiber 221 so that the tip of the optical fiber 221 moves away from the substrate 910. As a result, as indicated by arrow B11, the optical fiber 221 also moves in the horizontal direction relative to the substrate 910 while moving away from the substrate 910. When the modeling unit 20 continues to output laser light from the tip of the optical fiber 221, a modeled object 930 with a gradient in height is generated, as shown in FIG.

[0072] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a modeled object 930 having a gradient in height. In the example of Fig. 15, an optical fiber with a core diameter of 25 micrometers is used as the optical fiber 221, a blue laser beam with a wavelength of 405 nanometers (nm) is used as the modeling laser beam, and an acrylate resin is used as the liquid material 920.

[0073] 15 , the optical fiber 221 and the substrate 910 are moved so that the tip of the optical fiber 221 moves spirally relative to the substrate 910. As a result, a spiral-shaped object 930 with a gradient in height is obtained, as shown in FIG.

[0074] Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a pillar-shaped (cylindrical) object 930 having different heights. In the example of Fig. 16, an optical fiber with a core diameter of 25 micrometers is used as the optical fiber 221, a blue laser beam with a wavelength of 405 nanometers is used as the modeling laser beam, and an acrylate resin is used as the liquid material 920.

[0075] 16 , the modeling beam is stopped while the substrate 910 is moving, and multiple pillar-shaped objects 930 are generated. The spacing between the pillars is approximately 50 micrometers. Also, in the example of Fig. 16 , the distance from the tip of the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910 is changed to three different heights: 25 micrometers, 50 micrometers, and 75 micrometers, and pillar-shaped objects 930 of each height are generated.

[0076] (Mask Creation) Next, an example of a method for creating the mask 141 shown in Fig. 10 will be described with reference to Figs. 17 to 22. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a mold for creating the mask 141. For example, a mold 810 for the mask 141 is created using PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) or the like, and piano wires 820 are inserted vertically and horizontally. The piano wire that passes through the central axis of the mask 141 is also referred to as piano wire 821. The piano wire 820 that passes horizontally relative to the mask 141 is also referred to as piano wire 822.

[0077] 18 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which resin has been poured into a mold 810. For example, resin 141a is poured into a PDMS mold 810, and the resin is hardened by irradiating it with ultraviolet light (UV light).

[0078] 19 is a diagram showing an example of the mold 810 and the resin 141a after the piano wire 820 has been removed. In order to remove the solidified resin 141a from the mold 810, the piano wire 820 is removed from the mold 810 and the solidified resin 141a, as shown in FIG.

[0079] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of solidified resin 141a removed from mold 810. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which wires 830 have been passed through holes in solidified resin 141a. As described above, gold is vapor-deposited on solidified resin 141a so that mask 141 reflects laser light. To provide support during this process and to prevent the holes from being blocked by gold, wires 830 are passed through holes in the central axis portion of mask 141 and holes lateral to mask 141. Wires 830 passed through the central axis portion of mask 141 are also referred to as wires 831. Wires 830 passed through lateral to mask 141 are also referred to as wires 832.

[0080] Fig. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the generated mask 141. Gold is vapor-deposited on solidified resin 141a to generate the mask 141. From the state shown in Fig. 22, the wire 832 is removed, and the optical fiber 221 is inserted into the hole left by the wire 832. For example, the mask 141 can be positioned and used as in the example of Fig. 10.

[0081] The laser light output from the optical fiber 221 may be condensed and focused by, for example, providing a convex lens at the tip of the optical fiber 221. In this case, the liquid material 920 can be solidified at the position where the laser light is condensed to generate the model 930. In this case, the modeling area is narrower than when the laser light output from the optical fiber 221 is directly used to solidify the liquid material 920, and it is expected that the modeling apparatus 1 will be able to model more finely.

[0082] (Liquid Retention Using a Magnet) As described above, the configuration of the liquid holder 10 is not limited to a specific one. For example, iron powder may be placed in the liquid material 920, and the liquid holder 10 may use magnetic force to keep the iron powder in approximately the same position, thereby retaining the liquid material 920 within the liquid retention region. If the liquid holder 10 includes a magnet 150, the liquid retention region may be defined as, for example, a region within a predetermined distance from the magnet 150.

[0083] Fig. 23 is a diagram showing a fourth example of the configuration of the liquid holder 10. In the configuration shown in Fig. 23, the liquid holder 10 includes a magnet 150. In the example of Fig. 23, a droplet 921 is positioned in contact with the upper surface of the substrate 910, and the droplet 921 contains iron powder 950. Arrow B21 indicates an example of the direction in which the substrate moving part 30 moves the substrate 910.

[0084] 23 also shows an objective lens 231 of the modeling unit 20. The objective lens 231 is the lens 213 of FIG. 2 or 5 housed in a case. The objective lens 231 refracts the modeling laser light from the modeling laser device 211. In the example of FIG. 23 , the objective lens 231 is positioned and oriented so that the modeling laser light from the modeling laser device 211 is focused to a focal point within the droplet 921 at a position close to the top surface of the substrate 910.

[0085] However, the configuration of the modeling unit 20 is not limited to a specific one. For example, in the example of FIG. 23 , the modeling unit 20 may be configured as shown in FIG. 2 and irradiate the substrate 910 with laser light from above. Furthermore, the configuration of the laser path from the modeling laser device 211 to the objective lens 231 is not limited to a specific one. For example, the laser light emitted by the modeling laser device 211 may be incident on the objective lens 231 via air. Alternatively, the laser light emitted by the modeling laser device 211 may be incident on the objective lens 231 via the optical fiber 221. Alternatively, the objective lens 231 may be provided at the laser light emission port of the modeling laser device 211, and the laser light emitted by the modeling laser device 211 may be directly incident on the objective lens 231. The same applies to the objective lenses shown in the other figures.

[0086] 23 , the magnet 150 is disposed at a fixed position. Even when the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910 in the direction of arrow B21, the iron powder 950 remains in approximately the same position due to the magnetic force from the magnet 150. The iron powder 950 remains in approximately the same position, and a force that causes the liquid material 920 to gather together acts, causing the droplet 921 to remain in approximately the same position. In particular, the position where the modeling laser light from the modeling laser device 211 is focused remains within the droplet 921, and the modeling unit 20 can partially solidify the droplet 921 to generate the modeled object 930.

[0087] 23 , droplet 921 may contain a granular magnetic material other than iron powder instead of iron powder 950. Magnet 150 may be disposed above droplet 921. Alternatively, droplet 921 may be disposed in contact with the lower surface of substrate 910, and magnet 150 may be disposed above substrate 910. Depending on the weight of the magnetic material such as iron powder 950, droplet 921 may be disposed in contact with the lower surface of substrate 910, and magnet 150 may be disposed below droplet 921.

[0088] The liquid material 920 may be sandwiched between two substrates 910 to form a liquid column. In this case, the configuration of the liquid holder 10 is not limited to a specific one. For example, the liquid holder 10 may irradiate far-infrared rays so as to surround the periphery of the liquid column. Alternatively, the liquid holder 10 may irradiate a heating laser beam so as to surround the periphery of the liquid column. Alternatively, the liquid column may contain iron powder, and the liquid holder 10 may use a magnet to keep the liquid column within the liquid holding area.

[0089] Figure 24 is a diagram showing a first example of the arrangement of magnets 150 when a liquid material 920 forms a liquid column. Of the components in Figure 24 , those having similar functions to those in Figure 23 are given the same reference numerals (10, 20, 150, 231, 910, 920, 930, 950), and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted here. In the example of Figure 24 , the liquid material 920 is sandwiched between two substrates 910 to form a liquid column. The liquid material forming the liquid column is also referred to as a liquid column 922. The lower of the two substrates 910 is also referred to as a lower substrate 911, and the upper substrate is also referred to as an upper substrate 912.

[0090] 24 , the various components are arranged so that the modeling laser beam is focused in the liquid column 922 near the upper substrate 912. The position where the modeling laser beam is focused corresponds to an example of the modeling region. The modeling unit 20 solidifies the liquid material 920 in the modeling region, so that a modeled object 930 adheres to the lower surface of the upper substrate 912.

[0091] Arrow B22 indicates an example of a direction in which the substrate moving unit 30 moves the upper substrate 912. Of the lower substrate 911 and the upper substrate 912, the substrate moving unit 30 may move only the upper substrate 912, to which the modeled object 930 is attached. Alternatively, the lower substrate 911 and the upper substrate 912 may be formed to have the same size and shape, and the substrate moving unit 30 may move the lower substrate 911 and the upper substrate 912 simultaneously in the same direction.

[0092] 24 , the liquid column 922 contains iron powder 950. The magnet 150 is fixedly positioned below the lower substrate 911. Even when the substrate moving unit 30 moves the upper substrate 912 in the direction of arrow B22, the iron powder 950 remains in approximately the same position due to the magnetic force of the magnet 150. The iron powder 950 remains in approximately the same position, and a force that causes the liquid material 920 to aggregate acts, causing the liquid column 922 to remain in approximately the same position. In particular, the position where the modeling laser light from the modeling laser device 211 is focused remains in approximately the same position within the liquid column 922, and the modeling unit 20 can partially solidify the liquid column 922 to generate the modeled object 930.

[0093] In addition, the substrate moving unit 30 may raise the upper substrate 912 while keeping the position at which the modeling laser light is focused at the same position, thereby allowing the modeling unit 20 to generate the model 930 without being restricted by the height of the model 930.

[0094] The magnet 150 may be disposed below the lower substrate 911. FIG. 25 illustrates a second example of the arrangement of the magnet 150 when the liquid material 920 forms a liquid column. The same reference numerals (10, 20, 150, 231, 910, 911, 912, 920, 922, 930, 950) are used to designate components in FIG. 25 that have the same functions as those in FIG. 24 , and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. In the example of FIG. 25 , the position of the magnet 150 and the position where the modeling laser beam is focused are different from those in FIG. 24 . Arrow B23 indicates an example of the direction in which the substrate moving unit 30 moves the lower substrate 911. Otherwise, the arrangement and operation of the components in the example of FIG. 25 are the same as those in FIG. 24 .

[0095] 25 , the various components are arranged so that the modeling laser beam is focused in the liquid column 922 near the lower substrate 911. As described above, the position where the modeling laser beam is focused corresponds to an example of the modeling region. The modeling unit 20 solidifies the liquid material 920 in the modeling region, so that the modeled object 930 adheres to the upper surface of the lower substrate 911.

[0096] The substrate moving unit 30 may move only the lower substrate 911, to which the modeled object 930 is attached, out of the lower substrate 911 and the upper substrate 912. Alternatively, the lower substrate 911 and the upper substrate 912 may be formed to have the same size and shape, and the substrate moving unit 30 may move the lower substrate 911 and the upper substrate 912 simultaneously in the same direction.

[0097] 25 , the magnet 150 is fixedly positioned above the upper substrate 912. Even when the substrate moving unit 30 moves the lower substrate 911 in the direction of arrow B23, the iron powder 950 remains in approximately the same position due to the magnetic force of the magnet 150. The iron powder 950 remains in approximately the same position, and a force acts to gather the liquid material 920, causing the liquid column 922 to remain in approximately the same position. In particular, the position where the modeling laser light from the modeling laser device 211 is focused remains in approximately the same position within the liquid column 922, and the modeling unit 20 can partially solidify the liquid column 922 to generate the modeled object 930.

[0098] The combination of the arrangement of the magnet 150 and the position where the modeling laser beam is focused is not limited to those shown in Fig. 24 and Fig. 25. The magnet 150 may be arranged below the lower substrate 911, and each component may be arranged so that the modeling laser beam is focused in the liquid column 922 near the lower substrate 911. Alternatively, the magnet 150 may be arranged above the upper substrate 912, and each component may be arranged so that the modeling laser beam is focused in the liquid column 922 near the upper substrate 912.

[0099] A lens cap may be used in place of one of the two substrates 910 to form the liquid material 920 into the shape of the liquid column 922. Fig. 26 is a diagram showing a first example of the arrangement of the liquid holding unit 10 and the modeling unit 20 when the liquid column 922 is formed using a lens cap.

[0100] Fig. 26 shows the conical prism 123 of the liquid holding unit 10, and the objective lens 231 and lens cap 232 of the modeling unit 20. Fig. 26 also shows a substrate 910, a liquid column 922, and a modeled object 930. Of the components in Fig. 26, those that have the same functions as those in Fig. 5 or 23 are given the same reference numerals (10, 20, 123, 231, 910, 920, 930), and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted here.

[0101] The lens cap 232 is provided at the tip of the objective lens 231 and allows the modeling laser light from the objective lens 231 to pass through. The tip of the objective lens 231 is the side of the objective lens 231 that is closer to the liquid column 922. The lens cap 232 is arranged to be in contact with the liquid material 920 provided on the substrate 910. As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 26 , the liquid material 920 forms the liquid column 922 between the substrate 910 and the lens cap 232. The lens cap 232 is configured to prevent the liquid material 920 from passing through, and even if the lens cap 232 comes into contact with the liquid material 920, the liquid material 920 does not adhere to the objective lens 231.

[0102] 26 , the various components are arranged so that the modeling laser beam focuses on the liquid column 922 in the vicinity of the substrate 910. The position where the modeling laser beam focuses corresponds to an example of a modeling region. The modeling unit 20 solidifies the liquid material 920 in the modeling region, so that a modeled object 930 adheres to the upper surface of the substrate 910.

[0103] 5 to 9 , the conical prism 123 refracts the heating laser light from the heating laser device 121 so that the heating laser light is irradiated so as to roughly surround the periphery of the liquid column 922. This allows the liquid column 922 to remain in roughly the same position even when the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910. In particular, the position where the shaping laser light from the shaping laser device 211 is focused remains roughly the same within the liquid column 922, allowing the shaping unit 20 to partially solidify the liquid column 922 and generate the shaped object 930. Arrow B31 indicates an example of the direction in which the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910.

[0104] 26 , a liquid column 922 is positioned between the lens and the substrate 910, so that the objective lens 231 is positioned close to the liquid column 922. When the refractive index of the liquid material 920 is greater than that of air, the distance from the objective lens 231 to the focal point of the modeling laser light is particularly short, allowing for a more compact arrangement of the modeling apparatus 1. Furthermore, when the refractive index of the liquid material 920 is greater than that of air, the wavelength of the modeling laser light becomes shorter within the liquid material 920 (in the liquid column 922), enabling more precise processing.

[0105] As described above in the case where a liquid column 922 is formed between two substrates 910, the substrate moving unit 30 may lower the substrate 910 while keeping the position where the modeling laser light is focused at the same position, thereby enabling the modeling unit 20 to generate the model 930 without being restricted by the height of the model 930.

[0106] Even when the liquid column 922 is formed using the lens cap 232, there are no particular limitations on the configuration of the liquid holding unit 10, the configuration of the modeling unit 20, or the configuration of the substrate moving unit 30. Fig. 27 is a diagram showing a second example of the arrangement of the liquid holding unit 10 and the modeling unit 20 when the liquid column 922 is formed using the lens cap.

[0107] Figure 27 shows the magnet 150 of the liquid holding unit 10, and the objective lens 231 and lens cap 232 of the modeling unit 20. Figure 27 also shows a substrate 910, a liquid column 922, a modeled object 930, and iron powder 950 contained in the liquid column 922. Of the components in Figure 27, those that have the same functions as those in Figure 25 or Figure 26 are given the same reference numerals (10, 20, 150, 231, 232, 910, 920, 922, 930, 950), and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted here.

[0108] The example in Fig. 27 differs from the example in Fig. 26 in that iron powder 950 is included in the liquid column 922 and in the configuration of the liquid holding part 10. In other respects, the example in Fig. 27 is similar to the example in Fig. 26. Arrow B32 indicates an example of the direction in which the substrate moving part 30 moves the substrate 910.

[0109] 27 , as in the case of FIG. 25 , the iron powder 950 remains in approximately the same position due to the magnetic force from the magnet 150. The iron powder 950 remains in approximately the same position, and the liquid material 920 is forced to gather together, causing the liquid column 922 to remain in approximately the same position. In particular, the position where the modeling laser beam from the modeling laser device 211 is focused remains in approximately the same position within the liquid column 922, and the modeling unit 20 can partially solidify the liquid column 922 to generate the modeled object 930.

[0110] 27 , as in the case of FIG. 26 , a liquid column 922 is positioned between the lens and the substrate 910, so that the objective lens 231 is positioned close to the liquid column 922. When the refractive index of the liquid material 920 is greater than that of air, the distance from the objective lens 231 to the focal point of the modeling laser light is particularly short, allowing for a more compact arrangement of the modeling apparatus 1. When the refractive index of the liquid material 920 is greater than that of air, the wavelength of the modeling laser light is shorter within the liquid material 920 (in the liquid column 922), enabling more precise processing.

[0111] As in the example of Figure 26, in the example of Figure 27, the substrate moving unit 30 may lower the substrate 910 while keeping the position at which the modeling laser light focuses in the same position, allowing the modeling unit 20 to generate the model 930 without being restricted by the height of the model 930.

[0112] FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a third example of the arrangement of the liquid holding unit 10 and the modeling unit 20 when a liquid column 922 is formed using a lens cap.

[0113] Figure 28 shows the magnet 150 of the liquid holding unit 10, and the objective lens 231 and lens cap 232 of the modeling unit 20. Figure 28 also shows a substrate 910, a liquid column 922, a modeled object 930, and iron powder 950 contained in the liquid column 922. Of the components in Figure 28, those that have the same functions as those in Figure 24 or Figure 27 are given the same reference numerals (10, 20, 150, 231, 232, 910, 920, 922, 930, 950), and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted here.

[0114] The example in Fig. 28 differs from the example in Fig. 27 in that the magnet 150 is disposed near the lens cap 232 (particularly above the liquid column 922). In other respects, the example in Fig. 28 is similar to the example in Fig. 27. Arrow B33 indicates an example of the direction in which the substrate moving part 30 moves the substrate 910.

[0115] 28 , as in the case of FIG. 24 , the iron powder 950 remains in approximately the same position due to the magnetic force from the magnet 150. The iron powder 950 remains in approximately the same position, and the liquid material 920 is forced to gather together, causing the liquid column 922 to remain in approximately the same position. In particular, the position where the shaping laser light from the shaping laser device 211 is focused remains in approximately the same position within the liquid column 922, and the shaping unit 20 can partially solidify the liquid column 922 to generate the shaped object 930.

[0116] 28 , as in the cases of FIGS. 26 and 27 , a liquid column 922 is positioned between the lens and the substrate 910, so that the objective lens 231 is positioned close to the liquid column 922. When the refractive index of the liquid material 920 is greater than that of air, the distance from the objective lens 231 to the focal point of the modeling laser light is particularly short, allowing for a more compact arrangement of the modeling apparatus 1. When the refractive index of the liquid material 920 is greater than that of air, the wavelength of the modeling laser light is shorter within the liquid material 920 (in the liquid column 922), enabling more precise processing.

[0117] As in the example of Figure 26, in the example of Figure 28, the substrate moving unit 30 may lower the substrate 910 while keeping the position at which the modeling laser light focuses in the same position, allowing the modeling unit 20 to generate the model 930 without being restricted by the height of the model 930.

[0118] In this way, even when the liquid column 922 is formed using the lens cap 232, various configurations can be adopted for the liquid holding unit 10. Various configurations can also be adopted for the modeling unit 20. For example, the above-mentioned galvanometer mirror may be used to change the focal position of the modeling laser light that has passed through the objective lens 231. Furthermore, as described above for the lens 213, the height direction position of the focal point of the laser light may be variable by raising or lowering the positions of the objective lens 231 and the lens cap 232, or by using a mirror, etc. Various configurations can also be adopted for the substrate moving unit 30. For example, as described above, the device that moves the substrate 910 may directly hold the substrate 910.

[0119] The objective lens 231 may not be provided with a lens cap 232, and a liquid column 922 may be formed between the substrate 910 and the objective lens 231. Figure 29 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the liquid holding unit 10 and the modeling unit 20 when a liquid column 922 is formed between the substrate 910 and the objective lens 231.

[0120] Fig. 29 shows the conical prism 123 of the liquid holding unit 10 and the objective lens 231 of the modeling unit 20. Fig. 29 also shows a substrate 910, a liquid column 922, and a modeled object 930. Of the components in Fig. 29, those that have the same functions as those in Fig. 26 are given the same reference numerals (10, 20, 123, 231, 910, 920, 922, 930), and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted here.

[0121] The example of Figure 29 differs from the example of Figure 26 in that the lens cap 232 is not provided and a liquid column 922 is formed between the objective lens 231 and the substrate 910. In other respects, the example of Figure 29 is similar to the example of Figure 26. A method in which the objective lens 231 is arranged so as to be in direct contact with the liquid material 920 (liquid column 922), as in the example of Figure 29, is also called a dip-in method. Arrow B34 indicates an example of the direction in which the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910.

[0122] 29, as in the case of Fig. 26, the liquid holding unit 10 can keep the liquid column 922 at approximately the same position. In particular, the position at which the shaping laser light from the shaping laser device 211 is focused stays at approximately the same position within the liquid column 922, and the shaping unit 20 can partially solidify the liquid column 922 to generate a shaped object 930.

[0123] 29 , as in the case of FIG. 26 , the objective lens 231 is positioned near the liquid column 922. When the refractive index of the liquid material 920 is greater than that of air, the distance from the objective lens 231 to the focal point of the modeling laser light is particularly short, allowing for a more compact arrangement of the modeling apparatus 1. Furthermore, when the refractive index of the liquid material 920 is greater than that of air, the wavelength of the modeling laser light becomes shorter within the liquid material 920 (in the liquid column 922), enabling more precise processing.

[0124] 26 , in the example of Fig. 29 , the substrate moving unit 30 may lower the substrate 910 while keeping the position where the modeling laser light is focused at the same position, so that the modeling unit 20 can generate the modeled object 930 without being limited by the height of the modeled object 930. Note that, even when a liquid column 922 is formed between the objective lens 231 and the substrate 910 as in the example of Fig. 29 , the configuration of the liquid holding unit 10, the configuration of the modeling unit 20, and the configuration of the substrate moving unit 30 are not limited to any particular configuration.

[0125] (Countermeasures against Thermal Distortion of Substrate) If thermal distortion occurs in the substrate 910 due to heating of the substrate 910 when the liquid holding unit 10 irradiates it with far-infrared rays or a heating laser beam, or heating of the substrate 910 due to the shaping laser beam irradiated by the shaping unit 20, the relative position of the shaping region with respect to the position of the substrate 910 may be shifted, resulting in distortion of the shape of the shaping object 930. In response to this, the shaping unit 20 may generate the shaping object 930 without being affected by the thermal distortion of the substrate 910 by scheduling the operations of each part of the shaping device 1. Alternatively, a substrate made of a material with a low thermal expansion coefficient, such as low-expansion glass, may be used as the substrate 910.

[0126] If the operation of each part of the modeling apparatus 1 is scheduled so that the modeling unit 20 generates the modeled object 930 without being affected by thermal strain of the substrate 910, a cooling period in which the heating of the substrate 910 by the liquid holding unit 10 is temporarily stopped may be provided. Alternatively, if the substrate moving unit 30 can move the substrate 910 so that a portion of the substrate 910 that is not affected by thermal strain is positioned in the modeling area, such movement may be performed. In this case, a cooling period in which the heating of the substrate 910 by the liquid holding unit 10 is temporarily stopped may not be provided.

[0127] Generating the object 930 at each separate position on the substrate 910 by scheduling the operation of each part of the modeling apparatus 1 is also referred to as discrete modeling. Generating one object 930 over multiple time periods by scheduling the operation of each part of the modeling apparatus 1 is also referred to as additive modeling.

[0128] The generation of the model 930 by the modeling unit 20 without being affected by thermal strain of the substrate 910 by scheduling the operations of each part of the modeling apparatus 1, such as discrete modeling and replenishment modeling, is also referred to as temporally discrete modeling. On the other hand, when using a substrate made of a material with a low thermal expansion coefficient, such as low-expansion glass, both the heating of the substrate 910 by the liquid holding unit 10 and the generation of the model 930 by the modeling unit 20 can be performed continuously. Modeling in this case is also referred to as temporally continuous modeling.

[0129] FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of a modeled object 930 generated by the modeling unit 20 at a distance on the substrate 910. In the example of FIG. 30, the modeling unit 20 generates the modeled object 930 at a distance of 1 centimeter (cm) on the substrate 910. In addition, in the case of discrete modeling or top-up modeling, the droplet 921 only needs to be sized and positioned to include the modeling area, and the amount of liquid material 920 forming the droplet 921 may be very small. For example, in the example of FIG. 30, the volume of the droplet 921 (the amount of liquid material 920) is 20 microliters (μl), and the diameter of the droplet 921 is approximately 8 millimeters (mm). Therefore, in the example of FIG. 30, the modeled object 930 is generated in a 1-centimeter square area, which is larger than the area of ​​the droplet 921.

[0130] Fig. 31 is a diagram showing an example of a modeled object 930 generated by the modeling unit 20. Fig. 31 shows examples of the shapes of individual models 930 generated by the modeling unit 20 in the example of Fig. 30. The modeling unit 20 generates, at each of four locations on the substrate 910, a modeled object 930 having a side shape with a square bottom having a side length of approximately 100 micrometers and a rectangular parallelepiped having a height of approximately 20 micrometers.

[0131] 30 and 31 , the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910, and when the modeling region is located at the target position of the modeled object 930 on the substrate 910, the liquid holding unit 10 stops emitting electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or laser light. Specifically, to eliminate the problem of relative positional deviation of the substrate 910 due to thermal strain caused by heating performed by the liquid holding unit 10 to keep the liquid material 920 in approximately the same position, the liquid holding unit 10 performs heating only when the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910. When the modeling region is located at the target position of the modeled object 930 on the substrate 910, the substrate moving unit 30 stops moving the substrate 910, and the liquid holding unit 10 stops emitting electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or laser light. After the thermal strain of the substrate 910 is eliminated and the relative positional deviation is eliminated, the modeling unit 20 performs modeling. This allows the temperature of the substrate 910 to be lowered, and the modeling unit 20 can produce the model 930 without being affected by thermal strain of the substrate 910.

[0132] The time from when the liquid holder 10 stops emitting electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or laser light until the modeling unit 20 starts generating the modeled object 930 is also referred to as the substrate cooling period. The substrate cooling period may be, for example, a period equal to or longer than a predetermined period set as the time required for thermal distortion of the substrate to be resolved. The modeling apparatus 1 may also be equipped with a configuration for cooling the substrate 910, such as a cooling fan. By the modeling apparatus 1 actively cooling the substrate 910, the substrate cooling period can be shortened compared to natural cooling.

[0133] Alternatively, the substrate cooling period may not be required if the modeling unit 20 can generate another model 930 on the substrate 910 at a position away from the already-generated model 930, thereby generating a new model 930 without being affected by thermal strain of the substrate 910 that occurred during the generation of the already-generated model 930. In this case, the movement distance of the substrate 910 may be set to, for example, a predetermined distance or greater that is set as a distance at which thermal strain of the substrate 910 during the previous modeling does not affect the new modeling.

[0134] 32 is a diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in which the modeling apparatus 1 discretely models a model 930. In the processing in FIG. 32 , the liquid holder 10 and the substrate moving unit 30 move the substrate 910 relative to the liquid material 920 so that the modeling region is positioned at the target position of the model 930 on the substrate 910 (step S111). Specifically, the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910. At that time, the liquid holder 10 heats the substrate 910 by irradiating it with electromagnetic waves such as far infrared rays or laser light, and keeps the liquid material 920 at approximately the same position.

[0135] When the printing region is positioned at the position on the substrate 910 where the model 930 is to be generated, the liquid holding unit 10 and the substrate moving unit 30 end the process of step S111. Specifically, the substrate moving unit 30 stops moving the substrate 910, and the liquid holding unit 10 stops emitting electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or laser light.

[0136] Next, the modeling apparatus 1 waits for a predetermined time to elapse, which is set as the time required for the thermal strain of the substrate 910 to be resolved (step S112). In particular, the modeling apparatus 1 waits for the time to elapse while the liquid holder 10 stops emitting electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or laser light. This causes the temperature of the substrate 910 to decrease. As described above, if the influence of thermal strain on the modeling can be avoided by moving the substrate 910, the waiting time in step S112 does not need to be performed.

[0137] After the waiting time has elapsed, the modeling unit 20 generates the modeled object 930 so that the modeled object 930 adheres to the substrate 910 (step S113). Specifically, the modeling unit 20 solidifies the liquid material 920 in a modeling region located near the substrate 910, thereby generating the modeled object 930 by adhering it to the substrate 910. The modeling unit 20 may generate the modeled object 930 while the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910. When the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910 by more than a certain distance, the liquid holding unit 10 may heat the substrate 910 by irradiating it with electromagnetic waves such as far infrared rays or laser light, thereby keeping the liquid material 920 in approximately the same position. Modeling the modeled object 930 so that the modeled object 930 adheres to the substrate 910 is also referred to as “modeling the modeled object 930 on the substrate 910.”

[0138] After the modeling unit 20 completes modeling of one object 930 and stops solidifying the liquid material 920, the control unit 40 determines whether or not modeling of all planned objects 930 has been completed (Step S114). If the control unit 40 determines that there is an object 930 that has not yet been modeled (Step S114: NO), the process returns to Step S111.

[0139] On the other hand, if the control unit 40 determines in step S114 that the formation of all planned objects 930 has been completed (step S114: YES), the formation apparatus 1 ends the process in FIG.

[0140] In cases where the length of the object 930 to be generated is long, the modeling apparatus 1 may perform replenishment modeling. Specifically, while the liquid holding unit 10 and the substrate moving unit 30 move the substrate 910 relative to the liquid material 920, the modeling unit 20 generates part of the object 930, and then the relative movement of the substrate 910 by the liquid holding unit 10 and the substrate moving unit 30 and the generation of the object 930 by the modeling unit 20 are temporarily stopped. After the substrate 910 cools down, the generation of the object 930 that was in the middle of generation is resumed. Specifically, the relative movement of the substrate 910 by the liquid holding unit 10 and the substrate moving unit 30 and the generation of the object 930 by the modeling unit 20 are resumed.

[0141] Fig. 33 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of parts of a model generated by additive modeling. In the example of Fig. 33, part 930-31, part 930-32, and part 930-33 of a single model 930 are generated in different time periods. Each part of the model is arranged so that it is in contact with or partially overlaps at least one other part. Note that when models generated in different time periods are located apart from each other, this corresponds to discrete modeling.

[0142] For example, during the first time period, the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910, while the modeling unit 20 partially solidifies the liquid material 920, thereby generating a portion 930-31 of the modeled object. At this time, the liquid holding unit 10 stops emitting electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or laser light. Alternatively, the substrate 910 and the liquid material 920 may not be moved, and the modeling unit 20 may move (scan) the position where the modeling laser is focused to the shape of the portion of the modeled object.

[0143] Thereafter, the liquid holding unit 10 irradiates the liquid material with electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or laser light to keep the liquid material in approximately the same position, and the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910. In this way, the modeling apparatus 1 positions the modeling region at a position on the substrate 910 where generation of the next modeled object portion starts.

[0144] The modeling apparatus 1 then waits for a predetermined time to elapse, which is set as the time required for the thermal distortion of the substrate 910 to be resolved. During the waiting time, the liquid holding unit 10 stops emitting electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or heating laser light, and the modeling unit 20 stops emitting modeling laser light. Alternatively, during the waiting time, the modeling apparatus 1 may generate the modeled object 930 or a part thereof at another position on the substrate 910 by discrete modeling.

[0145] During a second time period after the waiting time has elapsed, the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910 while the modeling unit 20 partially solidifies the liquid material 920, thereby generating a portion 930-32 of the modeled object. At this time, the liquid holding unit 10 stops emitting electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or laser light. Alternatively, in this case, the substrate 910 and the liquid material 920 may not be moved, and the modeling unit 20 may move the focal point of the modeling laser to the shape of the portion of the modeled object. The liquid holding unit 10 then irradiates electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or laser light to move the liquid material to the next modeling area.

[0146] Then, the modeling apparatus 1 waits for a predetermined time to elapse, which is set as the time required for the thermal strain of the substrate 910 to be resolved. At this time, during the waiting time, the liquid holding unit 10 stops emitting far-infrared rays or the heating laser light, and the modeling unit 20 stops emitting the modeling laser light. In a third time period after the waiting time has elapsed, the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910, while the modeling unit 20 partially solidifies the liquid material 920, thereby generating a portion 930-33 of the modeled object.

[0147] In this way, by repeatedly operating and stopping the liquid holding unit 10, the modeling unit 20, and the substrate moving unit 30, parts of one model 930 are generated in multiple time periods separated by a predetermined time or more. This allows the modeling unit 20 to generate new parts without being affected by thermal strain on the substrate 910 caused by heating the substrate 910 by the liquid holding unit 10 to keep the droplets in roughly the same position as the substrate 910 moves.

[0148] Fig. 34 is a diagram showing an example of a modeled object 930 generated by additive modeling. Fig. 34 shows a modeled object generated by additive modeling, with a horizontal length of 19,939 micrometers (approximately 20 millimeters) and a vertical length of 15,048 micrometers (approximately 15 millimeters). In this example, additive modeling is performed by dividing a modeled object 930 having a pattern simulating the Nazca Lines into seven parts, and sequentially moving the substrate 910 so that the printing areas are positioned at the generation start positions of the parts of the modeled object.

[0149] Fig. 35 is a diagram showing an example of a processing procedure in which the modeling apparatus 1 generates a modeled object 930 by splicing. The modeling apparatus 1 starts the processing in Fig. 35 in a state in which the modeling area is located at a position on the substrate 910 that is determined as the modeling start position.

[0150] 35 , the modeling unit 20 models a portion of the object 930 that is the target of modeling (step S121). Specifically, the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910, while the modeling unit 20 solidifies the liquid material 920 in the modeling area. In this way, the modeling unit 20 generates one of the multiple portions of the object 930 that are divided into. Next, the control unit 40 determines whether modeling of all portions of the object 930 has been completed (step S122).

[0151] If the control unit 40 determines that there is a portion that has not yet been modeled (step S122: NO), the liquid holder 10 irradiates the liquid material 920 with electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or laser light to keep it in approximately the same position, and the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910 so that the modeling region is positioned at the modeling start position for the next portion of the model (step S123). The modeling apparatus 1 then waits for a predetermined time, which is set as the time it takes for thermal strain on the substrate 910 to resolve (step S124). During the waiting time, the liquid holder 10 stops irradiating the liquid material 920 with electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays or laser light, and the modeling unit 20 stops irradiating the next portion of the modeling laser light. During the waiting time, the modeling apparatus 1 may generate a modeled object 930 or a part thereof at another position on the substrate 910 by discrete modeling.

[0152] After the waiting time has elapsed, the process returns to step S121. In the second or subsequent executions of the process of step S121, the modeling unit 20 starts generating a new part from a position that contacts or overlaps with a previously generated part. On the other hand, if the control unit 40 determines in step S122 that modeling of all parts has been completed (step S122: YES), the modeling device 1 ends the process of FIG. 35 .

[0153] As described above, the substrate 910 may be made of a material with a small thermal expansion coefficient, such as low expansion glass. －７ / °C or less may be used.

[0154] FIG. 36 shows a first example of a molded object produced by the molding apparatus 1 using a low-expansion glass substrate 910. In the example shown in FIG. 36, the substrate 910 moved at a speed of 200 micrometers per second, and the output of the molding laser device 211 was 130 milliwatts. A carbon dioxide laser device was used as the heating laser device 121, with an output of 4.3 watts. The liquid material 920 was an acrylate resin (SR499) + TPO (3 wt%), i.e., SR499 containing 3% TPO by weight. The number of layers was 15. The number of layers here refers to the number of repeated layer-by-layer molding operations in the z direction (height direction). The substrate 910 was moved relative to the liquid material 920, tracing the molded object 930 shown in the figure multiple times while changing the distance between the substrate 910 and the objective lens of the molding laser. The molding time was 8 hours and 57 minutes.

[0155] 36 has a horizontal length of about 2 centimeters and a vertical length of about 1 centimeter, and the distance between the lines of the object 930 is about 500 micrometers.

[0156] FIG. 37 is a diagram showing a second example of a molded object produced by the molding apparatus 1 using a low-expansion glass substrate 910. In the example shown in FIG. 37, the movement speed of the substrate 910 was 200 micrometers per second, and the output of the molding laser device 211 was 130 milliwatts. A carbon dioxide laser device was used as the heating laser device 121, and its output was 4.3 watts. SR499+TPO (3 wt%) was used as the liquid material 920. The number of layers was three. The molding time was 3 hours and 25 minutes.

[0157] 37 has a horizontal length of about 16 mm and a vertical length of about 5 mm, and the distance between the lines of the object 930 is about 100 micrometers.

[0158] FIG. 38 is a diagram showing a third example of a molded object produced by the molding apparatus 1 using a low-expansion glass substrate 910. In the example shown in FIG. 38, the movement speed of the substrate 910 was set to 200 micrometers per second, and the output of the molding laser device 211 was set to 130 milliwatts. A carbon dioxide laser device was used as the heating laser device 121, with an output of 4.3 watts. SR499 + TPO (3 wt%) was used as the liquid material 920. The number of layers was set to two. The molding time was 6 hours and 17 minutes.

[0159] The size of the object 930 shown in Fig. 38 is approximately 16 mm in the horizontal direction and approximately 7 mm in the vertical direction. The distance between the lines of the object 930 is approximately 50 micrometers. In this way, using the object-modeling apparatus 1, it was possible to continuously model objects having a relatively large area.

[0160] As described above, the liquid holding unit 10 holds the liquid material 920, which is placed in contact with the surface of the substrate 910, in a predetermined liquid holding region. The modeling unit 20 partially solidifies the liquid material 920. The substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910 at least in the horizontal direction, thereby moving the substrate 910 relative to the liquid holding region.

[0161] According to the modeling apparatus 1, it is sufficient that the liquid material 920 is in the modeling region (the region where the modeling unit 20 solidifies the liquid material 920), and it is not necessary to apply the liquid material 920 to the entire region to be modeled. In this way, according to the modeling apparatus 1, even if the area of ​​the region to be modeled is relatively large, a relatively small amount of material is wasted.

[0162] Furthermore, the liquid holding unit 10 holds the liquid material 920 in the liquid holding region by using a carbon dioxide laser beam to heat the liquid material 920 so that the peripheral portion thereof is hotter than the central portion in the horizontal direction. According to the modeling apparatus 1, by using a carbon dioxide laser beam to hold the liquid material 920, the temperature gradient between the peripheral and central portions of the liquid material 920 becomes relatively steep, and the force of the droplet 921 from the peripheral portion to the central portion becomes stronger. This allows the modeling apparatus 1 to more reliably prevent the liquid material 920 from spreading horizontally and more reliably keep the liquid material 920 in approximately the same position when the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910. Furthermore, according to the modeling apparatus 1, the temperature of the central portion of the liquid material 920 can be relatively low, further reducing the possibility of the liquid material 920 solidifying due to heat.

[0163] Furthermore, the liquid holding unit 10 irradiates the periphery of the liquid material 920 with the carbon dioxide laser by passing the carbon dioxide laser light through the conical prism 123. According to the modeling device 1, the carbon dioxide laser can be irradiated onto the periphery of the liquid material 920 with the carbon dioxide laser with the simple configuration of passing the carbon dioxide laser light through the conical prism 123. Furthermore, according to the modeling device 1, the use of the conical prism 123 means that there is relatively little loss of the carbon dioxide laser light, and the energy output by the heating laser device 121 can be used efficiently.

[0164] Furthermore, the liquid holding unit 10 passes the carbon dioxide laser light through the aperture 132 and then through the conical prism 123. According to the modeling apparatus 1, even if the intensity of the laser light is uneven in the peripheral portions of the carbon dioxide laser light beam, only the central portion where the intensity of the laser light is uniform can be input to the conical prism 123. As a result, the modeling apparatus 1 can generate a temperature gradient that forms roughly concentric contours with relatively high precision, making the temperature gradient in the liquid material 920 relatively steep, and also making the temperature of the central portion of the liquid material 920 relatively low.

[0165] Furthermore, after the modeling unit 20 stops solidifying the liquid material 920, the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910 horizontally a predetermined distance or more, which is set as a distance at which thermal strain of the substrate 910 from the previous modeling does not affect the new modeling. After the substrate moving unit 30 moves the substrate 910 the predetermined distance or more, the modeling unit 20 resumes solidifying the liquid material 920. In this way, by the modeling unit 20 generating a modeled object at a distant position on the substrate 910, it is possible to generate a new modeled object 930 without being affected by thermal strain of the substrate 910 that occurred during the generation of the previously generated modeled object 930.

[0166] Furthermore, after stopping the solidification of the liquid material 920, the modeling unit 20 resumes solidification of the liquid material 920 after a predetermined time or more has elapsed, which is set as the time required for the thermal strain of the substrate 910 to be resolved. In this way, the modeling unit 20 generates each of the portions of one modeled object 930 in multiple time periods that are separated by a predetermined time or more, thereby making it possible to generate a new portion without being affected by the thermal strain of the substrate 910 that occurred during the generation of the already generated portion.

[0167] The substrate 910 is made of low-expansion glass, which allows the modeling apparatus 1 to perform modeling without being affected by thermal strain of the substrate 910.

[0168] Furthermore, the modeling unit 20 emits a laser beam from the optical fiber 221, and the laser beam partially solidifies the liquid material 920. As a result, the modeling apparatus 1 can solidify the liquid material 920 in the region from the tip of the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910, thereby generating a modeled object 930. Furthermore, by adjusting the core diameter of the optical fiber 221 and the distance from the tip of the optical fiber 221 to the substrate 910, it is possible to generate modeled objects 930 of various sizes.

[0169] Furthermore, the modeling unit 20 focuses the laser light emitted from the optical fiber 221 through a lens, and partially solidifies the liquid material 920 at the position where the laser light is focused. With the modeling device 1, the modeling area (the area where the liquid material 920 is solidified) is narrower than when the laser light output from the optical fiber 221 is directly used to solidify the liquid material 920, and it is expected that the modeling device 1 will be able to model more finely.

[0170] The optical fiber 221 is also provided to penetrate a mask 141 that partially blocks the electromagnetic waves for liquid retention, and irradiates a portion of the liquid material 920 with the modeling laser light. Furthermore, the electromagnetic waves for liquid retention, such as the heating laser light, other than those blocked by the mask 141, are irradiated around the liquid material 920. The modeling apparatus 1 can irradiate the modeling laser light and the electromagnetic waves for liquid retention from the same side (the side of the surface of the substrate 910 where the liquid material 920 is located). The modeling apparatus 1 can also generate a modeled object 930 even when the modeling laser light and the electromagnetic waves for liquid retention cannot be irradiated from different sides due to some reason, such as the structure of the table 312.

[0171] The liquid material 920 contains magnetic particles, and magnetic force forms droplets 921 or liquid columns 922. The modeling apparatus 1 can retain the droplets 921 or liquid columns 922 within the liquid holding area using magnets. The position where the modeling laser light from the modeling laser device 211 is focused remains approximately at the same position within the liquid column 922, and the modeling unit 20 can partially solidify the liquid column 922 to generate a modeled object 930.

[0172] Furthermore, the liquid material 920 is interposed between the substrate 910 and the opposing other substrate 910. According to the modeling apparatus 1, the modeling unit 20 can generate the modeled object 930 without being limited by the height of the modeled object 930.

[0173] The modeling unit 20 also has a lens cap 232 provided on one surface of the lens 231 facing the substrate 910, and the liquid material 920 is interposed between the substrate 910 and the lens cap 232 to form a liquid column 922. According to the modeling apparatus 1, the modeling unit 20 can generate the modeled object 930 without being limited by the height of the modeled object 930.

[0174] 39 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer configuration according to at least one embodiment. In the configuration shown in FIG. 39, a computer 700 includes a CPU 710, a main memory device 720, an auxiliary memory device 730, and an interface 740.

[0175] The control unit 40 or a part thereof may be implemented in the computer 700. In this case, the control by which the control unit 40 causes each unit of the molding apparatus 1 to perform the above-described operations is stored in the auxiliary storage device 730 in the form of a program. The CPU 710 reads the program from the auxiliary storage device 730, loads it into the main storage device 720, and executes the above-described processing in accordance with the program. The CPU 710 also allocates a storage area in the main storage device 720 for the control unit 40 to perform processing in accordance with the program. Communication between the control unit 40 and other units is performed by the interface 740, which has a communication function and performs communication under the control of the CPU 710. Interaction between the molding apparatus 1 and a user is also performed by the interface 740, which has a display device and an input device, and which displays various images under the control of the CPU 710 and accepts user operations.

[0176] Alternatively, a program for executing all or part of the processing performed by the control unit 40 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program may be loaded into a computer system and executed to perform the processing of each unit. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. The term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs (Read Only Memory), and CD-ROMs (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system. The program may be designed to implement part of the aforementioned functions, or may be capable of implementing the aforementioned functions in combination with a program already stored in the computer system.

[0177] 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 includes designs within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0178] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0179] (Appendix 1) A molding apparatus comprising: a liquid holding unit that holds a liquid placed in contact with the surface of a substrate within a predetermined liquid holding area; a molding unit that partially solidifies the liquid; and a substrate moving unit that moves the substrate relative to the liquid holding area by moving the substrate at least in a horizontal direction.

[0180] (Appendix 2) The molding device described in Appendix 1, wherein the liquid holding section holds the liquid within the liquid holding area by using carbon dioxide laser light to heat the peripheral portion of the liquid in the horizontal direction so that the temperature is higher than that of the central portion.

[0181] (Supplementary Note 3) The modeling apparatus according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the liquid holding unit irradiates the carbon dioxide laser beam onto a periphery of the liquid by passing the carbon dioxide laser beam through a conical prism.

[0182] (Supplementary Note 4) The modeling apparatus according to Supplementary Note 3, wherein the liquid holding unit passes the carbon dioxide laser light through an aperture and then through the conical prism.

[0183] (Appendix 5) A molding apparatus described in any one of Appendices 1 to 4, wherein, after the molding unit stops solidifying the liquid, the substrate moving unit moves the substrate horizontally a predetermined distance or more that is set as a distance at which thermal distortion of the substrate from the previous molding does not affect the new molding, and the molding unit resumes solidifying the liquid after the substrate moving unit has moved the substrate a predetermined distance or more.

[0184] (Appendix 6) A molding apparatus described in any one of Appendices 1 to 4, wherein when the substrate moving unit moves the substrate, the liquid holding unit holds the liquid within the liquid holding area by irradiating electromagnetic waves to heat the liquid and the substrate so that the peripheral portion of the liquid in the horizontal direction has a higher temperature than the central portion, and the molding unit resumes solidifying the liquid after a predetermined time has elapsed, which is set as the time it takes for thermal distortion of the substrate to be resolved, after the liquid holding unit stops irradiating electromagnetic waves.

[0185] (Supplementary Note 7) The shaping apparatus according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, wherein the substrate is made of low expansion glass.

[0186] (Appendix 8) The modeling unit is provided with an objective lens including a lens that refracts modeling laser light for solidifying the liquid and focuses the modeling laser light within the liquid, and a case that stores the lens, and the liquid forms a liquid column between the substrate and the objective lens and solidifies at the position of the focus. This is a modeling device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 7.

[0187] (Appendix 9) The modeling unit is a modeling device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 7, which includes a lens and a lens cap attached to the lens, and the lens refracts modeling laser light for solidifying the liquid to focus the modeling laser light within the liquid, causing the liquid to solidify at the focal point, and the lens cap allows the modeling laser light to pass through but not the liquid, and the liquid forms a liquid column between the substrate and the lens cap.

[0188] (Supplementary Note 10) The modeling apparatus according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 7, wherein the modeling unit includes an optical fiber that emits a modeling laser beam to solidify the liquid, and the liquid is partially solidified by the modeling laser beam.

[0189] (Supplementary Note 11) The modeling apparatus according to Supplementary Note 10, wherein the modeling unit further includes a lens that refracts the modeling laser beam to focus the modeling laser beam in the liquid, and the liquid solidifies at a position of the focus.

[0190] (Supplementary Note 12) The molding apparatus according to Supplementary Note 11, wherein the molding unit further includes a lens cap provided on the lens, the lens cap passes the laser light but does not pass the liquid, and the liquid forms a liquid column between the substrate and the lens cap.

[0191] (Appendix 13) The modeling unit includes an optical fiber that emits modeling laser light to solidify the liquid, a lens that refracts the modeling laser light to focus the modeling laser light within the liquid, and an objective lens that includes a case that houses the lens, and the liquid forms a liquid column between the substrate and the objective lens and solidifies at the position of the focus. This is a modeling device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 7.

[0192] (Appendix 14) The molding apparatus described in any one of Appendices 10 to 13, wherein the optical fiber is arranged to penetrate a mask that partially blocks electromagnetic waves for liquid retention, and irradiates a portion of the liquid with laser light for liquid solidification, and electromagnetic waves for liquid retention other than those blocked by the mask are irradiated around the liquid.

[0193] (Supplementary Note 15) A method for producing a molded object, comprising: retaining a liquid placed in contact with a surface of a substrate in a predetermined liquid holding area; partially solidifying the liquid; and moving the substrate relative to the liquid holding area by moving the substrate at least in a horizontal direction.

[0194] (Appendix 16) A program for causing a computer of a modeling apparatus including: a liquid holding unit that holds a liquid placed in contact with the surface of a substrate within a predetermined liquid holding area; a modeling unit that partially solidifies the liquid; a substrate moving unit that moves the substrate relative to the liquid holding area by moving the substrate at least in a horizontal direction; and a computer, to cause the computer to execute the following: causing the liquid holding unit to hold the liquid within the liquid holding area; causing the modeling unit to partially solidify the liquid; and causing the substrate moving unit to move the substrate at least in a horizontal direction.

[0195] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Modeling device 10 Liquid holding unit 20 Modeling unit 30 Substrate moving unit 40 Control unit 111 Far-infrared heater 112 Mask 121 Heating laser device 122 Mirror 123 Conical prism 131 Beam expander 132 Aperture 141 Mask 141a Resin 150 Magnet 211 Modeling laser device 212 Mirror 213 Lens 221 Optical fiber 231 Objective lens 232 Lens cap 311 Linear stage 312 Table 910 Substrate 920 Liquid material 921 Droplet 922 Liquid column 930 Modeled object 950 Iron powder

Claims

1. a liquid holding portion that holds liquid in a predetermined liquid holding area, the liquid being arranged in the form of droplets in contact with the surface of the substrate; A molding unit that partially solidifies the liquid; a substrate moving unit that moves the substrate at least in a horizontal direction to move the substrate relative to the liquid holding region; A molding apparatus comprising:

2. the liquid holding section holds the liquid within the liquid holding region by using a carbon dioxide laser beam to heat the liquid such that a peripheral portion of the liquid in a horizontal direction has a higher temperature than a central portion of the liquid; The molding apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The liquid holding unit irradiates the carbon dioxide laser light around the liquid by passing the carbon dioxide laser light through a conical prism. The molding apparatus according to claim 2 .

4. The liquid holding unit passes the carbon dioxide laser light through an aperture and then through the conical prism. The molding apparatus according to claim 3 .

5. when the substrate moving unit moves the substrate, the liquid holding unit heats the liquid and the substrate by irradiating electromagnetic waves so that a peripheral portion of the liquid in a horizontal direction has a higher temperature than a central portion, thereby holding the liquid within the liquid holding region; the modeling unit solidifies the liquid after a predetermined time has elapsed, the time being set as a time required for thermal distortion of the substrate to be eliminated after the liquid holding unit has stopped irradiating the electromagnetic waves; The molding apparatus according to claim 1 .

6. the modeling unit includes an optical fiber that emits a modeling laser beam for solidifying the liquid; The liquid is partially solidified by the laser beam for modeling. The molding apparatus according to claim 1 .

7. The modeling unit further includes a lens that refracts the modeling laser light to focus the modeling laser light in a liquid, The liquid solidifies at the location of the focus. The molding apparatus according to claim 6 .

8. The optical fiber is provided to penetrate a mask that partially blocks electromagnetic waves for holding the liquid, and irradiates a part of the liquid with a laser beam for solidifying the liquid; Among the electromagnetic waves for holding the liquid, electromagnetic waves other than the electromagnetic waves blocked by the mask are irradiated around the liquid. The molding apparatus according to claim 6 .

9. The molding apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid contains magnetic particles and forms droplets or a liquid column by magnetic force.

10. The molding apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the liquid is present between the substrate and another substrate facing the substrate.

11. the molding unit has a lens cap provided on one surface of the lens facing the substrate, The molding apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the liquid is present between the substrate and the lens cap and forms a liquid column.

12. Holding a liquid in the form of a droplet in contact with a surface of a substrate within a predetermined liquid holding area; partially solidifying the liquid; and moving the substrate relative to the liquid holding region by moving the substrate in at least a horizontal direction; A method for producing a shaped object comprising the steps of:

13. a liquid holding portion that holds liquid in a predetermined liquid holding area, the liquid being arranged in the form of droplets in contact with the surface of the substrate; A molding unit that partially solidifies the liquid; a substrate moving unit that moves the substrate at least in a horizontal direction to move the substrate relative to the liquid holding region; A computer, The computer of the modeling apparatus includes: causing the liquid holding portion to hold the liquid in the liquid holding region; partially solidifying the liquid in the modeling portion; The substrate moving unit moves the substrate at least in a horizontal direction; A program for executing the above.