Housing unit, housing, and additive manufacturing device

Abstract

The present invention produces a highly precise additive manufacturing article by reducing the effect of distortion of a table caused by the weight of an additive manufacturing material.　A discharge head 130 discharges an additive manufacturing material. A movement mechanism 140 changes the relative position between a table and the discharge head 130. A discharge control unit 111 controls discharge of the additive manufacturing material by the discharge head 130 on the basis of additive manufacturing data for producing the additive manufacturing article. A movement control unit 112 controls the movement mechanism 140 on the basis of the additive manufacturing data. A correction amount determination unit 113 determines, on the basis of the discharge amount of the additive manufacturing material discharged onto the table by the discharge head 130, a correction amount for the vertical-direction relative position between the table and the discharge head 130, said relative position corresponding to distortion of the table. The movement control unit 112 corrects the relative position on the basis of the correction amount determined by the correction amount determination unit 113.

Description

Housing unit, housing, and molding device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a housing unit, a housing formed by assembling housing units, a molding apparatus including the housing, and a molding apparatus.

[0002] Currently, there are known modeling devices that build objects by stacking a modeling material dispensed from a dispensing head onto a table. In such modeling devices, as the load on the table increases with the progress of stacking the modeling material, the table becomes distorted. As a result, the relative vertical position between the modeling material on the table and the dispensing head may shift, potentially preventing the creation of a highly accurate model. Therefore, there is a need for technology that reduces the impact of the weight of the modeling material.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a technology for reducing the effect of deflection due to the weight of the laminate in a three-dimensional printer that forms a laminate by stacking ejected materials. Specifically, Patent Document 1 describes a technology for maintaining the table horizontal by offsetting deflection of a holding means that holds the table due to the weight of the laminate with rocking by a rocking means.

[0004] Furthermore, the housing that constitutes the structure is manufactured by assembling multiple frames or columns. If the assembly precision between the frames or columns is low, shrinkage or expansion occurs between the components, causing deformation of the housing. Housing deformation has a negative impact on the processing precision of the workpieces, especially in processing equipment that processes the workpieces.

[0005] In order to improve the assembly accuracy of structures, for example, Patent Document 2 describes a method of forming a truss structure by joining and connecting frames having elongated joint surfaces to provide a structure that is less likely to deform. Also, Patent Document 3 describes a method of attaching corner fittings that intersect perpendicularly to the corners of a cabinet for a panel device to prevent the cabinet from deforming.

[0006] JP 2018-69590 A JP 2023-165104 A JP 2017-225283 A

[0007] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is a technology for reducing the influence of bending of a holding means that holds a table, but is not a technology for reducing the influence of distortion of the table. Therefore, it is difficult to apply the technology described in Patent Document 1 to a modeling device in which distortion occurs in the table due to the weight of the modeling material. For this reason, there is a demand for a technology that reduces the influence of distortion of the table due to the weight of the modeling material and that enables the modeling of a highly accurate model.

[0008] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a molding apparatus that reduces the influence of distortion of a table due to the weight of a molding material and molds a highly accurate object.

[0009] The invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 involves forming tetrahedron modules using frames with elongated joints at the ridges of tetrahedrons, and joining and connecting the tetrahedron modules to form a delta polyhedron block. This type of structure cannot be applied to structures that are intended to be used as a housing.

[0010] Furthermore, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 3 is an invention in which corner fittings are used to improve assembly precision, but in the process of assembling the housing, many corner fittings must be attached one by one, which is time-consuming and complicated work.

[0011] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a housing unit with high assembly accuracy, a housing formed by efficiently assembling housing units, and a molding apparatus including the housing.

[0012] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the modeling apparatus according to the present disclosure is a modeling apparatus that forms a model by stacking modeling material, and includes: a table on which the modeling material is stacked; a discharge head that discharges the modeling material; a movement mechanism that changes the relative position between the table and the discharge head; a discharge control unit that controls the discharge of the modeling material by the discharge head based on modeling data for forming the model; a movement control unit that controls the movement mechanism based on the modeling data; and a correction amount determination unit that determines a correction amount for the relative position between the table and the discharge head in the vertical direction in accordance with distortion of the table based on the mass of the modeling material discharged onto the table by the discharge head, and the movement control unit corrects the relative position based on the correction amount determined by the correction amount determination unit.

[0013] The amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table that is vertically opposed to the position of the discharge head depends on the magnitude of the load on the table. Therefore, with the above configuration, the influence of table distortion due to the weight of the modeling material can be reduced, and a model can be manufactured with high precision.

[0014] The table may further include a discharge amount estimation unit that estimates a target discharge amount, which is the mass of the modeling material discharged into a correction target area, which is an area that faces the discharge head above and below among multiple individual areas that make up the entire area of ​​the table, and the correction amount determination unit may determine the correction amount based on the target discharge amount estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit.

[0015] The amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table corresponding to the correction target area is largely dependent on the magnitude of the load acting on the correction target area of ​​the table. Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately reduce the influence of the distortion of the table due to the weight of the modeling material.

[0016] The correction amount determination unit may determine the correction amount based on the target ejection amount and the position of the correction target region.

[0017] The amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table corresponding to the correction target area depends not only on the target discharge rate but also on the position of the correction target area. Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to further appropriately reduce the influence of distortion of the table due to the weight of the modeling material.

[0018] When the correction target area is an object placement area among the plurality of individual areas that supports the object, and an adjacent area adjacent to the correction target area is not the object placement area, the discharge amount estimation unit may estimate an adjacent discharge amount, which is the mass of the modeling material to be discharged into the adjacent area, and the correction amount determination unit may determine the correction amount based on the target discharge amount and the adjacent discharge amount.

[0019] If the adjacent area adjacent to the correction target area is not an object placement area, the weight of the modeling material dispensed into this adjacent area is applied to the portion of the table corresponding to the correction target area. Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to further appropriately reduce the influence of the weight of the modeling material on the table distortion.

[0020] The table may further include a discharge amount estimation unit that estimates an individual discharge amount, which is the mass of the modeling material discharged into each of a plurality of individual areas that constitute the entire area of ​​the table, and the correction amount determination unit may determine the correction amount based on the individual discharge amounts estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit.

[0021] The amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table corresponding to the correction target area depends not only on the load acting on the correction target area of ​​the table but also on the loads acting on other individual areas of the table. Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately reduce the influence of the weight of the modeling material on the table distortion.

[0022] The correction amount determination unit may determine the correction amount for each of the plurality of individual areas based on the individual discharge amount, the position of each of the individual areas in the entire area of ​​the table, and the positional relationship between the selected individual area and the other individual areas.

[0023] The amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table corresponding to the area to be corrected depends not only on the load applied to each individual area but also on the position of each individual area and the positional relationship between each individual area and the area to be corrected. Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to further appropriately reduce the influence of the weight of the modeling material on the table.

[0024] The apparatus may further include a discharge amount estimation unit that estimates a total discharge amount, which is the mass of the modeling material discharged to the entire area of ​​the table, and the correction amount determination unit may determine the correction amount based on the total discharge amount estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit.

[0025] The amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table corresponding to the dispensing head depends on the load applied to the entire area of ​​the table. Therefore, with the above configuration, it is possible to easily reduce the influence of distortion of the table due to the weight of the modeling material.

[0026] The correction amount determination unit may determine the correction amount based on the total ejection amount and the position of the ejection head.

[0027] The amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table corresponding to the dispensing head depends on the load applied to the entire area of ​​the table and the position of the dispensing head. Therefore, with the above configuration, the influence of the weight of the modeling material on the table can be easily and appropriately reduced.

[0028] The apparatus may further include a discharge amount estimation unit that estimates a mass of the modeling material discharged onto the table by the discharge head during modeling of the model, and the correction amount determination unit may determine the correction amount based on the mass estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit during modeling of the model.

[0029] According to the above configuration, it is not necessary to determine the correction amount before the object is formed, and it is considered that the accuracy of estimating the mass of the object is higher than when the correction amount is determined in advance.

[0030] The apparatus may further include a discharge amount estimation unit that estimates the mass of the modeling material to be discharged onto the table by the discharge head based on the modeling data before the modeling of the object, and the correction amount determination unit may determine the correction amount based on the mass estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit before the modeling of the object.

[0031] According to the above configuration, the processing load during the formation of the object is reduced.

[0032] Furthermore, a housing unit according to a second aspect of the present invention is a housing unit that constitutes a housing, and is provided with a joining plate at a joint with another housing unit to improve the assembly precision of the housing, and the joining surface of the joining plate that joins with the other housing unit is machined.

[0033] Since the housing unit includes a joining plate having a machined joining surface, the housing unit itself has high horizontal and vertical accuracy, so there is no need to adjust the horizontal and vertical accuracy between other housing units. This allows the housing to be assembled efficiently.

[0034] Here, it is preferable that the joining plate is attached to a part of the joining portion.

[0035] By attaching the joining plate to a part of the joining portion, the area of ​​the joining surface to be machined is reduced, which reduces the machining cost and shortens the working time required for machining.

[0036] Furthermore, it is preferable that the joining surfaces are subjected to cutting work to improve assembly precision in any one of parallelism, squareness, flatness, and arithmetic mean roughness.

[0037] By specifying the precision of the geometric intersection of the joint surfaces at the design stage, it is possible to manufacture a housing unit with appropriate horizontal precision and vertical precision.

[0038] A housing according to a third aspect of the present invention is a housing assembled from housing units, and includes a bottom housing unit that forms the bottom surface of the housing, a side housing unit that forms the side surface of the housing, and a work head that processes a workpiece.

[0039] By assembling the housing using a bottom housing unit and a side housing unit with high assembly precision, the completion precision of the workpiece processed by the working head can be improved.

[0040] The housing may further include a mounting table on which the workpiece is placed, and a lifting means attached to the side housing unit for raising and lowering the mounting table, and the lifting means may include a support plate that supports the mounting table, and a joining plate attached to the joining surface between the support plate and the mounting table.

[0041] When the workpiece placed on the table is moved up and down by the lifting means for processing, the workpiece is processed with appropriate horizontal and vertical accuracy, thereby improving the accuracy of the completed workpiece.

[0042] A molding apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a housing, wherein a working head that processes a workpiece molds a molded object.

[0043] Using a molding device with high assembly accuracy, it is possible to create objects with high completion accuracy.

[0044] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce the influence of distortion of the table due to the weight of the modeling material and to model a highly accurate model. Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a housing unit with high assembly precision, a housing formed by efficiently assembling housing units, and a modeling apparatus including the housing.

[0045] 1-1 is an external view of a modeling apparatus according to embodiment 1-1; 1-2 is an external view of a head moving mechanism according to embodiment 1-1; 1-3 is an external view of a table moving mechanism according to embodiment 1-1; 1-4 is an external view of a modeling table according to embodiment 1-1; 1-5 is a configuration diagram of a modeling apparatus according to embodiment 1-1; 1-6 is a diagram showing distortion of the modeling table due to a load, (A) is a side view of the modeling table before modeling starts, and (B) is a side view of the modeling table during modeling; 1-7 is a diagram showing the magnitude of the effect of the load on each individual region on the correction target region; 1-8 is an explanatory diagram of the load of modeling material dispensed into an adjacent region being applied to a correction target region; 1-9 is a flowchart showing the modeling process performed by a modeling apparatus according to embodiment 1-1; 1-12 is a flowchart showing the correction amount determination process shown in FIG. 9; 1-13 is an explanatory diagram of a correction amount determination method according to embodiment 1-3; 1-14 is a flowchart showing the correction amount determination process according to embodiment 1-4; 1-15 is a diagram showing the concept of embodiment 2 of the present invention; 1-16 is an external view of a housing; 1-17 is an external view of a bottom unit; and 1-18 is an external view of a side unit. 10A and 10B are external views of a pair of side casing units, which are external views of a bottom casing unit and an upper pillar unit of a molding apparatus according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 10B is an external view showing an upper casing unit. FIG.

[0046] (Embodiment 1-1) With reference to FIG. 1, the appearance of a modeling apparatus 101 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the modeling apparatus 101. The modeling apparatus 101 is an apparatus that models a model by layering modeling materials. The modeling apparatus 101 is also called a 3D printer. In this embodiment, the modeling apparatus 101 models a model by fused deposition modeling. The fused deposition modeling is a method of creating a three-dimensional shape by melting thermoplastic resin at high temperature and layering the resin. In this embodiment, the modeling apparatus 101 uses resin pellets as the modeling material.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 1 , the modeling apparatus 101 includes a discharge head 130, a discharge head 130A, a first head moving mechanism 160, a second head moving mechanism 170, a table moving mechanism 80, and a table 92. As shown in FIG. 4 , the table 92 is provided on a modeling table 90. In this embodiment, the modeling apparatus 101 models a model without using the discharge head 130A out of the discharge heads 130 and 130A. The following mainly describes the mechanisms for moving the discharge head 130 and the modeling table 90, and omits a description of the mechanism for moving the discharge head 130A. Furthermore, descriptions of members, housings, and the like for fixing the various mechanisms will be omitted as appropriate.

[0048] In this embodiment, the Z axis is an axis extending in the vertical direction, the X axis is an axis perpendicular to the Z axis, and the Y axis is an axis perpendicular to the X axis and the Z axis. The direction in which the arrow on the X axis extends is the positive direction of the X axis, and the opposite direction to the direction in which the arrow on the X axis extends is the negative direction of the X axis. The direction in which the arrow on the Y axis extends is the positive direction of the Y axis, and the opposite direction to the direction in which the arrow on the Y axis extends is the negative direction of the Y axis. The direction in which the arrow on the Z axis extends is the positive direction of the Z axis, and the opposite direction to the direction in which the arrow on the Z axis extends is the negative direction of the Z axis. Hereinafter, the positive direction of the X axis will be referred to as the right, the negative direction of the X axis as the left, the positive direction of the Y axis as the front, the negative direction of the Y axis as the back, the positive direction of the Z axis as the up, and the negative direction of the Z axis as the down, as appropriate.

[0049] The head moving mechanism 150 included in the modeling apparatus 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 . Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the head moving mechanism 150. The head moving mechanism 150 is a mechanism for moving the ejection head 130. In this embodiment, the head moving mechanism 150 is a mechanism for moving the ejection head 130 in the horizontal direction. The head moving mechanism 150 includes a first head moving mechanism 160 and a second head moving mechanism 170.

[0050] The first head moving mechanism 160 is a mechanism for moving the ejection head 130 in the left-right direction, which is the X-axis direction. The first head moving mechanism 160 includes a first head moving mechanism 160A and a first head moving mechanism 160B. The first head moving mechanism 160A is a mechanism for moving one end of the second head moving mechanism 170 in the left-right direction. The first head moving mechanism 160B is a mechanism for moving the other end of the second head moving mechanism 170 in the left-right direction.

[0051] The first head moving mechanism 160A includes a pulley 161A, a pulley 162A, a belt 163A, a guide rail 164A, a guide block 165A, and a motor (not shown). The pulleys 161A and 162A are disk-shaped components and are used together with the belt 163A to transmit power. The belt 163A is a belt for moving the ejection head 130. The belt 163A is stretched between the pulleys 161A and 162A. The guide rail 164A guides the guide block 165A in the left-right direction. The guide rail 164A extends in the left-right direction.

[0052] Guide block 165A is fixed to one end of second head moving mechanism 170 and guides that end in the left-right direction. In addition, guide block 165A or one end of second head moving mechanism 170 is fixed to a part of belt 163A. A motor (not shown) rotates pulley 161A and pulley 162A. When the motor (not shown) is driven, pulley 161A and pulley 162A rotate, moving belt 163A, and one end of second head moving mechanism 170 moves in the left-right direction while being guided by guide rail 164A.

[0053] The first head moving mechanism 160B basically has the same configuration as the first head moving mechanism 160A. The first head moving mechanism 160B includes a pulley 161B, another pulley (not shown), a belt 163B, a guide rail 164B, a guide block 165B, and a motor (not shown). When the motor (not shown) is driven, the pulley 161B and the other pulley (not shown) rotate, moving the belt 163B, and the other end of the second head moving mechanism 170 is guided by the guide rail 164B and moves left and right. At this time, the ejection head 130, which is fixed to the second head moving mechanism 170 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, moves left and right together with the second head moving mechanism 170.

[0054] The second head movement mechanism 170 is a mechanism for moving the ejection head 130 in the front-to-rear direction, which is the Y-axis direction. The second head movement mechanism 170 includes a frame 171, two pulleys (not shown), a belt 173, guide rails 174A and 174B, a guide block 175, and a motor (not shown). The frame 171 is a member extending in the front-to-rear direction. The two pulleys (not shown) are provided on both ends of the frame 171. The belt 173 is stretched over the two pulleys (not shown).

[0055] Guide rails 174A and 174B guide guide block 175 in the front-to-rear direction. Guide block 175 is fixed to ejection head 130 and guides ejection head 130 in the front-to-rear direction. Guide block 175 or ejection head 130 is fixed to a part of belt 173. When a motor (not shown) is driven, two pulleys (not shown) rotate, causing belt 173 to move, and ejection head 130 moves in the front-to-rear direction while being guided by guide rails 174A and 174B.

[0056] Next, the table moving mechanism 80 provided in the modeling apparatus 101 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 . FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the table moving mechanism 80. The table moving mechanism 80 is a mechanism for moving the modeling table 90, which includes a table 92. Moving the modeling table 90 is synonymous with moving the table 92. In this embodiment, the table moving mechanism 80 is a mechanism for moving the table 92 in the vertical direction. The table moving mechanism 80 includes a table moving mechanism 80A and a table moving mechanism 80B. The table moving mechanism 80A is a mechanism for moving one end of the modeling table 90 in the vertical direction. The table moving mechanism 80B is a mechanism for moving the other end of the modeling table 90 in the vertical direction.

[0057] The table movement mechanism 80A includes a support plate 81A, a lead screw 82A, a motor 83A, a guide rail 85A, and a guide block 86A. The support plate 81A is a plate that supports one end of the modeling table 90 and is fixed to one end of the modeling table 90. The lead screw 82A is a mechanical element that converts rotational motion into linear motion. The lead screw 82A is rotatably held by the support plate 81A. The motor 83A is a motor that rotates the lead screw 82A.

[0058] The guide rail 85A guides the guide block 86A in the vertical direction. The guide rail 85A extends in the vertical direction. The guide block 86A is fixed to one end of the modeling table 90 and guides the one end of the modeling table 90 in the vertical direction. When the motor 83A is driven to rotate the lead screw 82A, the one end of the modeling table 90 fixed to the support plate 81A moves in the vertical direction while being guided by the guide rail 85A.

[0059] The table moving mechanism 80B basically has the same configuration as the table moving mechanism 80A. That is, the table moving mechanism 80B includes a support plate 81B, a lead screw 82B, a motor (not shown), a guide rail 85B, and a guide block (not shown). When the motor (not shown) is driven to rotate the lead screw 82B, the other end of the modeling table 90 fixed to the support plate 81B is guided by the guide rail 85B and moves in the vertical direction.

[0060] Next, the modeling table 90 provided in the modeling apparatus 101 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the modeling table 90. The modeling table 90 is a table on which a modeled object is placed. The modeling table 90 includes a base 91 and a table 92. The base 91 is a base that serves as the foundation for the table 92. The base 91 is formed, for example, of a rectangular frame. The base 91 includes a protruding plate 93A at one end in the left-right direction, which is the longitudinal direction, and a protruding plate 93B at the other end.

[0061] The protruding plate 93A and the protruding plate 93B are plates that protrude outward. The protruding plate 93A is attached to a support plate 81A included in the table movement mechanism 80A. The protruding plate 93A has a recess 94A through which the lead screw 82A is passed and a through hole 95A through which the guide rail 85A is passed. The protruding plate 93B is attached to a support plate 81B included in the table movement mechanism 80B. The protruding plate 93B has a recess 94B through which the lead screw 82B is passed and a through hole 95B through which the guide rail 85B is passed.

[0062] The table 92 is a plate-like member on which a model is placed. The table 92 is placed on and fixed to the base 91. The table 92 is positioned by positioning pins (not shown) attached within the frame of the base 91, and is fixed to the base 91. The modeling table 90 is moved up and down by the table moving mechanism 80.

[0063] 5, the functions of each unit included in the molding apparatus 101 will be described. The molding apparatus 101 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 121, a display unit 122, an operation reception unit 123, a communication unit 124, a discharge head 130, and a movement mechanism 140.

[0064] The control unit 110 controls the overall operation of the modeling apparatus 101. The control unit 110 includes a central processing unit (CPU), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and a real-time clock (RTC). The CPU is also called a central processing unit, processor, microprocessor, microcomputer, or digital signal processor (DSP), and functions as a central processing unit that executes processing and calculations related to the control of the modeling apparatus 101. In the control unit 110, the CPU reads programs and data stored in the ROM and uses the RAM as a work area to perform overall control of the modeling apparatus 101. The RTC is, for example, an integrated circuit with a timekeeping function. The CPU can determine the current date and time from time information read from the RTC.

[0065] The storage unit 121 includes a nonvolatile semiconductor memory such as a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), and serves as a so-called secondary storage device or auxiliary storage device. The storage unit 121 stores programs and data used by the control unit 110 to execute various processes. The storage unit 121 also stores data generated or acquired by the control unit 110 as a result of executing various processes.

[0066] The display unit 122 displays various images under the control of the control unit 110. The display unit 122 includes a touch screen, a liquid crystal display, etc. The operation reception unit 123 receives various operations from the user and supplies information indicating the contents of the received operations to the control unit 110. The operation reception unit 123 includes a touch screen, a button, a lever, etc.

[0067] The communication unit 124 communicates with various devices (not shown) in accordance with various wireless communication standards or various wired communication standards under the control of the control unit 110. Examples of various wireless communication standards include Wi-Fi (registered trademark), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G (4th Generation), 5G (5th Generation), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Zigbee (registered trademark), etc. Examples of various wired communication standards include USB (Universal Serial Bus, registered trademark), Thunderbolt (registered trademark), etc. The communication unit 124 is provided with a communication interface that complies with various communication standards.

[0068] The discharge head 130, under the control of the control unit 110, discharges the modeling material supplied from a tank (not shown) toward the table 92 or an object being modeled on the table 92. The modeling material discharged by the discharge head 130 is adjusted to an appropriate temperature and viscosity by a heating mechanism (not shown).

[0069] The movement mechanism 140 is a mechanism that changes the relative position between the table 92 and the discharge head 130. This change in relative position is achieved by changing the position of at least one of the table 92 and the discharge head 130. For example, a change in the relative position in the left-right direction, the front-back direction, or the up-down direction is achieved by changing the position of at least one of the table 92 and the discharge head 130 in each of the left-right direction, the front-back direction, and the up-down direction.

[0070] In this embodiment, a change in the relative position in the left-right direction is achieved by changing the position of the ejection head 130 in the left-right direction. A change in the relative position in the front-rear direction is achieved by changing the position of the ejection head 130 in the front-rear direction. A change in the relative position in the up-down direction is achieved by changing the position of the table 92 in the up-down direction.

[0071] The movement mechanism 140 includes a head movement mechanism 150 and a table movement mechanism 80. The head movement mechanism 150 includes a first head movement mechanism 160 and a second head movement mechanism 170. The first head movement mechanism 160 moves the ejection head 130 in the left-right direction to change the relative position between the table 92 and the ejection head 130 in the left-right direction. The second head movement mechanism 170 moves the ejection head 130 in the front-rear direction to change the relative position between the table 92 and the ejection head 130 in the front-rear direction. The table movement mechanism 80 moves the table 92 in the up-down direction to change the relative position between the table 92 and the ejection head 130 in the up-down direction.

[0072] Next, the main functions of the control unit 110 will be described in detail. Functionally, the control unit 110 includes a discharge control unit 111, a movement control unit 112, a correction amount determination unit 113, and a discharge amount estimation unit 114. Each of these functions is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software and firmware are written as programs and stored in the ROM or storage unit 121. The CPU then executes the programs stored in the ROM or storage unit 121 to realize each of these functions.

[0073] The discharge control unit 111 controls the discharge of the modeling material by the discharge head 130 based on modeling data for forming a modeled object. The discharge control unit 111 controls the discharge of the modeling material by the discharge head 130 in cooperation with the movement control unit 112. In other words, the discharge control unit 111 causes the discharge head 130 to discharge the modeling material when the relative positions of the table 92 and the discharge head 130 are at the position where the modeling material should be discharged.

[0074] The modeling data is, for example, slice data. The slice data is data obtained by dividing a 3D model of a model into layers. In other words, the slice data is data that specifies the locations in each layer where the modeling material should be ejected. The slice data includes at least one of raster data and vector data.

[0075] Raster data is data made up of cells arranged in a grid of rows and columns. In other words, raster data is data in which a value is assigned to each cell, like bitmap data. Raster control, which is discharge control using raster data, makes it possible to discharge modeling material for each cell. Therefore, raster control allows for precise discharge. Raster control is an image control that uses coordinates to draw dots in units of dots.

[0076] Vector data is data that expresses the coordinates of points or lines connecting points as numerical data. Vector data is, for example, data that represents the trajectory of the modeling material discharged by the discharge head 130. Vector control, which is discharge control using vector data, enables continuous discharge of the modeling material. Therefore, vector control is expected to increase the modeling speed. Vector control is control of the image of drawing a line.

[0077] The discharge control unit 111 controls the amount of modeling material discharged by the discharge head 130. For example, the discharge control unit 111 controls the amount of discharge so that the pass width and layer pitch are constant. In this case, the amount of discharge is roughly the product of the pass width, layer pitch, discharge length, and specific gravity. The pass width is the width of the discharged modeling material when viewed from the top and bottom. The layer pitch is the thickness of one layer of the discharged modeling material, and is the length in the top and bottom direction of the discharged modeling material. The discharge length is the length of the discharged modeling material when viewed from the top and bottom. The specific gravity is the specific gravity of the modeling material. The discharge control unit 111 may also control the amount of discharge so that the amount of discharge per unit time is constant.

[0078] The movement control unit 112 controls the movement mechanism 140 based on the modeling data. In cooperation with the discharge control unit 111, the movement control unit 112 moves the discharge head 130 and the table 92 so that the multiple layers constituting the modeled object are formed one by one, starting from the bottom layer. For example, the movement control unit 112 controls the table moving mechanism 80 to move the table 92 to a reference position for the bottom layer. The reference position for the bottom layer is basically a vertical position suitable for forming the bottom layer. Then, the movement control unit 112 controls the first head moving mechanism 160 and the second head moving mechanism 170 to move the discharge head 130 in the left-right and front-back directions so that the modeling material can be discharged to a position in the bottom layer where the modeling material should be discharged.

[0079] After the bottom layer is formed, the movement control unit 112 controls the table movement mechanism 80 to move the table 92 to the reference position for the next layer. In other words, the movement control unit 112 moves the table 92 downward by the distance of one layer. The reference position for the next layer is basically a vertical position suitable for forming the next layer. Hereinafter, the vertical reference position suitable for forming each layer will be referred to as the reference position for each layer, as appropriate. The movement control unit 112 controls the first head movement mechanism 160 and the second head movement mechanism 170 to move the dispensing head 130 left and right and front and back so that the modeling material can be dispensed to the position where it should be dispensed for each layer.

[0080] The movement control unit 112 repeats the above-described movement control until the top layer is formed and the model is completed. The reference position for each layer is the position on the table 92 where the height difference from the tip of the dispensing head 130 to the landing point of the modeling material matches the reference value. If this height difference deviates from the reference value, deviations occur in the path width of the modeling material, the layer pitch of the modeling material, the landing point of the modeling material, etc., resulting in a decrease in the accuracy of the modeled object. When forming the bottom layer, the landing point of the modeling material is the part on the table 92 that overlaps with the tip of the dispensing head 130 when viewed from the top. When forming layers other than the bottom layer, the landing point of the modeling material is the top of the layered modeling material that overlaps with the tip of the dispensing head 130 when viewed from the top.

[0081] The correction amount determination unit 113 determines a correction amount corresponding to the distortion of the table 92, based on the amount of modeling material discharged onto the table 92 by the discharge head 130. This correction amount is a correction amount for the relative positions of the table 92 and the discharge head 130 in the vertical direction.

[0082] As the modeling progresses, the weight of the in-progress model, which is the model being formed on the table 92, increases, and the load on the table 92 increases. In this case, even if both ends of the table 92 are positioned at the reference positions of each layer, the position of the part of the table 92 on which the in-progress model is placed will be lower than the reference position. As a result, the difference in height from the tip of the dispensing head 130 to the landing point of the modeling material becomes larger than the reference value. Therefore, the correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount for the relative positions of the table 92 and the dispensing head 130 in the vertical direction so that this difference in height approaches this reference value. This correction amount increases as the difference in height increases due to the increase in the weight of the in-progress model.

[0083] The movement control unit 112 corrects the relative positions in the vertical direction between the table 92 and the discharge head 130, based on the correction amount determined by the correction amount determination unit 113. In other words, the movement control unit 112 corrects the position of the table 92 upward, taking into account an increase in the height difference that occurs with an increase in the weight of the intermediately formed object.

[0084] A method for correcting the position of the table 92 will be described below with reference to FIG. 6 . FIG. 6A is a side view of the modeling table 90 before modeling begins. FIG. 6B is a side view of the modeling table 90 during modeling. Hereinafter, an example will be described in which the modeling table 90 is fixed to the table moving mechanism 80 at fixed points P1 and P2, and modeling material is ejected to a discharge target point P3, as shown in FIG. 4 . In this embodiment, the positions of the fixed points P1, P2, and P3 in the Y-axis direction are the center positions of the modeling table 90 in the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the discharge point P4 is the tip of the ejection head 130. Note that, because the discharge target point P3 and the discharge point P4 overlap when viewed from the top-bottom direction, the X- and Y-coordinates of the discharge target point P3 and the discharge point P4 are the same.

[0085] 6A, before modeling begins, the modeling table 90 is hardly distorted, and therefore the Z coordinates of fixed point P1, fixed point P2, and discharge target point P3 are the same. In this embodiment, the X coordinate of fixed point P1 is x1, the X coordinate of fixed point P2 is x2, the X coordinate of discharge target point P3 and discharge point P4 is x3, the Z coordinate of fixed point P1, fixed point P2, and discharge target point P3 is z1, and the Z coordinate of discharge point P4 is z2. Note that z2 - z1 = Δz1. Also, x3 - x1 = x2 - x3 = L10.

[0086] 6B , during the modeling of the intermediate object 300, the modeling table 90 moves downward by the thickness of the intermediate object 300 so that the distance from the discharge target point P5 to the discharge point P4 on the intermediate object 300 is maintained at Δz1. When the thickness of the intermediate object 300 is Δz2, the Z coordinates of the fixed points P1 and P2 are z1 - Δz2 = z3. However, when the discharge target point P3 is far from the fixed points P1 and P2, the modeling table 90 is affected by a load corresponding to the weight of the intermediate object 300.

[0087] As a result, the modeling table 90 distorts downward, and the Z coordinate of the discharge target point P3 is z3 - Δz3 = z4. Δz3 is the distance that the discharge target point P3 has descended due to the distortion of the modeling table 90. As a result, the Z coordinate of the discharge target point P5 is z1 - Δz3 = z5. Therefore, due to the distortion of the modeling table 90, the distance from the discharge target point P5 to the discharge point P4 is Δz1 + Δz3 = Δz4, and not Δz1. In this case, proper modeling will not be performed, and there is a high possibility that the accuracy of the modeled object will decrease.

[0088] Therefore, the position of the modeling table 90 in the Z-axis direction is corrected so that the distance from the discharge target point P5 to the discharge point P4 is maintained at Δz1. Specifically, the modeling table 90 is raised by Δz3. In other words, the correction amount for the position of the table 92 in the vertical direction is determined to be Δz3. When the discharge target point P5 is raised to the discharge target point P6 through this correction, the distance from the discharge target point P6 to the discharge point P4 is Δz4 - Δz3 = Δz1, which becomes Δz1.

[0089] Here, the method for calculating the correction amount can be adjusted as appropriate. In this embodiment, the correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount based on the target discharge amount estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit 114. The target discharge amount is the amount of modeling material discharged into the correction target area. In this embodiment, the discharge amount is expressed in terms of mass rather than volume. The correction target area is an area that faces the discharge head 130 above and below among the multiple individual areas that make up the entire area of ​​the table 92, and is the area that is the target of correction.

[0090] The method by which the discharge amount estimation unit 114 estimates the target discharge amount can be adjusted as appropriate. For example, when the path width and layer pitch of the modeling material discharged from the discharge head 130 are constant, the target discharge amount may be estimated from the path width, layer pitch, discharge length, and specific gravity. For example, the discharge amount estimation unit 114 may calculate the discharge length of the modeling material discharged onto the correction target region for each layer constituting the in-progress model 300, and calculate the target discharge amount as the product of the sum of the discharge lengths of each layer, the path width, the layer pitch, and the specific gravity. Note that this target discharge amount is an estimated value when the cross-sectional shape of the elongated discharged modeling material is considered to be a rectangle having long sides with a length corresponding to the path width and short sides with a length corresponding to the layer pitch.

[0091] Alternatively, when the amount of the modeling material discharged from the discharge head 130 per unit time is constant, the target discharge amount may be estimated based on the discharge time of the modeling material. For example, the discharge amount estimation unit 114 may obtain the discharge time during which the modeling material is discharged onto the correction target region for each layer constituting the in-progress model 300, and calculate the target discharge amount as the product of the sum of the discharge times of each layer and the discharge amount per unit time.

[0092] The method by which the correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount from the target ejection amount can be adjusted as appropriate. For example, the correction amount determination unit 113 can determine the correction amount based on the target ejection amount and the position of the correction target region.

[0093] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the magnitude of the effect of the load on each individual region. In this embodiment, region E0, which is the entire region of table 92, is divided into four in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and region E0 is divided into 4 x 4 = 16 individual regions. Region E0, which is the entire region, includes the following individual regions: region E1, region E2, region E3, region E4, region E5, region E6, region E7, region E8, region E9, region E10, region E11, region E12, region E13, region E14, region E15, and region E16. The correction target region is one of these 16 individual regions that is overlapped by the ejection head 130 when viewed from above and below. Note that the 16 individual regions have the same shape and area.

[0094] Here, the farther an individual region is from fixed points P1 and P2, the more susceptible it is to the load based on the weight of the in-progress object 300, and the greater the downward displacement. In other words, even if the in-progress object 300 of the same weight is placed on each correction target region, the farther the correction target region is from fixed points P1 and P2, the greater the downward distortion of the portion of the table 92 corresponding to that correction target region. Note that "far from fixed points P1 and P2" means "far from both fixed points P1 and P2." In other words, "far from fixed points P1 and P2" means "far from the nearest fixed point," which is the closest fixed point of fixed points P1 and P2.

[0095] 7 shows that the darker the shaded area, the farther it is from fixed points P1 and P2 and the more susceptible it is to the effects of the load. Specifically, FIG. 7 shows that areas E2, E3, E14, and E15 are most susceptible to the effects of the load, areas E1, E4, E6, E7, E10, E11, E13, and E16 are somewhat susceptible to the effects of the load, and areas E5, E8, E9, and E12 are least susceptible to the effects of the load.

[0096] Therefore, the correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount so that the larger the target discharge amount is and the farther the correction target area is from the fixed point P1 and the fixed point P2, the larger the correction amount. For example, the correction amount determination unit 113 can calculate the correction amount from the target discharge amount using a calculation formula prepared in advance for each individual area. An example of the calculation formula is assumed to be D1 = W1 × k1. Here, D1 is the downward displacement of an individual area on the table 92 due to the weight of an item placed in that individual area. W1 is the weight of the item placed in that individual area. k1 is a proportionality constant corresponding to the position of each individual area and is prepared for each individual area.

[0097] For example, k1 can be determined by an experiment or simulation that measures the downward displacement of each individual area when an item of each weight is placed in the individual area. The correction amount determination unit 113 can determine the correction amount by calculating D1 = W1 × k1, where D1 is the correction amount, W1 is the target discharge amount, and k1 is a proportionality constant corresponding to the correction target area. Instead of using the above-mentioned formula for determining the correction amount from the target discharge amount, the correction amount determination unit 113 may determine the correction amount using a table showing the correspondence between the target discharge amount and the correction amount. These formulas or the table data are stored, for example, in the storage unit 121.

[0098] Incidentally, some objects have an overhanging shape, in which an upper layer protrudes outward more than a lower layer. In such objects, the load of the building material dispensed into a certain individual area may be applied not to that individual area on the table 92 but to an adjacent individual area. In this case, it is desirable to correct the position of the table 92 with respect to the individual area on the table 92 that is subject to the load, rather than to the individual area on the table 92 that is not subject to the load.

[0099] Below, with reference to Fig. 8 , the loads acting on each individual region on the table 92 when a cone-shaped object is being formed will be described. Dashed line 301 indicates the outer edge of the bottom surface of the cone-shaped object. Dashed line 302 indicates the outer edge of the top surface of the cone-shaped object. Fig. 8 shows an example in which the forming material is dispensed into regions E6, E7, E10, and E11 in the bottom layer, and in which the forming material is dispensed into regions E2, E3, E14, and E15 in the top layer in addition to regions E6, E7, E10, and E11.

[0100] In this case, it is considered that a load is applied to the individual regions on the bottom layer of the table 92 into which the modeling material has been dispensed, and that no load is applied to the individual regions on the bottom layer of the table 92 into which the modeling material has not been dispensed. Specifically, it is considered that a load is applied to regions E6, E7, E10, and E11 on the table 92, and that no load is applied to regions E2, E3, E14, and E15 on the table 92. It is also considered that the load of the modeling material dispensed into regions E2, E3, E14, and E15 is applied to regions E6, E7, E10, and E11 on the table 92.

[0101] For example, the load of the modeling material dispensed into region E2 is considered to be applied to region E6 adjacent to region E2 on the table 92. That is, in addition to the load of the modeling material dispensed into region E6, the load of the modeling material dispensed into region E2 adjacent to region E6 is also considered to be applied to region E6 on the table 92. Similarly, in addition to the load of the modeling material dispensed into region E7, the load of the modeling material dispensed into region E3 adjacent to region E7 is also considered to be applied to region E7 on the table 92.

[0102] In this case, it is desirable to determine the correction amount for the correction target region by taking into consideration whether each individual region is an object placement region. An object placement region is an individual region among all the individual regions where an object is placed, and is an individual region into which the modeling material is dispensed at the bottom. In the example shown in Fig. 8, the object placement regions are four regions: region E6, region E7, region E10, and region E11.

[0103] Therefore, when the correction target region is a model placement region and the adjacent region adjacent to the correction target region is not a model placement region, the discharge amount estimation unit 114 estimates the adjacent discharge amount, which is the amount of modeling material to be discharged into the adjacent region. Then, the correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount based on the target discharge amount and the adjacent discharge amount. For example, the correction amount determination unit 113 can determine the correction amount by calculating D1 = (W1 + W12) × k1, where D1 is the correction amount, W1 is the target discharge amount, W12 is the adjacent discharge amount, and k1 is a proportionality constant corresponding to the correction target region.

[0104] Next, a description will be given of a formation process executed by the formation apparatus 101 with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 9. The formation process is executed in response to the formation apparatus 101 receiving an instruction to start the formation process from a user, for example.

[0105] First, the control unit 110 included in the modeling apparatus 101 acquires modeling data (Step S101). For example, the control unit 110 acquires modeling data from the storage unit 121 or another device. After completing the process of Step S101, the control unit 110 moves the table 92 to the reference position of the lowest layer (Step S102). For example, the control unit 110 controls the table moving mechanism 80 so that the vertical positions of the fixed points P1 and P2 on the modeling table 90 become the reference positions of the lowest layer.

[0106] When the control unit 110 completes the process of step S102, it starts the modeling process for one layer (step S103). The modeling process for one layer is a process of modeling one of the multiple layers that make up the modeled object by, for example, controlling the head moving mechanism 150 and the table moving mechanism 80 based on the slice data for that layer.

[0107] After completing the process of step S103, the control unit 110 determines whether the correction target area has been changed (step S104). Here, "the correction target area has been changed" means that the individual areas where the ejection heads 130 overlap when viewed from the top and bottom have been changed. If the control unit 110 determines that the correction target area has been changed (step S104: YES), it corrects the position of the table 92 by the amount of correction corresponding to the correction target area (step S105).

[0108] For example, the control unit 110 controls the table moving mechanism 80 so that the vertical positions of the fixed points P1 and P2 on the modeling table 90 are raised by the correction amount corresponding to the correction target area relative to the reference positions of the layer being generated. The correction amount corresponding to the correction target area is determined in the correction amount determination process of step S108, which will be described later, when the modeling process of the previous layer is completed. In the modeling process of the bottom layer, the correction amount corresponding to the correction target area is 0.

[0109] When the control unit 110 determines that the correction target region has not been changed (step S104: NO), or when the control unit 110 has completed the processing of step S105, the control unit 110 determines whether or not the modeling processing for one layer has been completed (step S106). When the control unit 110 determines that the modeling processing for one layer has not been completed (step S106: NO), the control unit 110 returns the processing to step S104. On the other hand, when the control unit 110 determines that the modeling processing for one layer has been completed (step S106: YES), the control unit 110 determines whether or not the modeled object has been completed (step S107). In other words, the control unit 110 determines whether or not there are any layers that have not yet been modeled.

[0110] When the control unit 110 determines that the object is completed (step S107: YES), the control unit 110 completes the formation process. On the other hand, when the control unit 110 determines that the object is not completed (step S107: NO), the control unit 110 executes a correction amount determination process (step S108). The correction amount determination process will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 10 . The correction amount determination process is a process for determining a correction amount corresponding to each individual region.

[0111] First, the control unit 110 selects an individual region (step S201). For example, the control unit 110 selects an unselected individual region from the 16 individual regions. After completing the process of step S201, the control unit 110 determines whether the selected individual region is an object placement region (step S202). For example, the control unit 110 determines whether a modeling material has been applied to the selected individual region in the bottom layer. If the control unit 110 determines that the selected individual region is not an object placement region (step S202: NO), it sets the correction amount for the selected individual region to 0 (step S203).

[0112] When the control unit 110 determines that the selected individual area is a model placement area (step S202: YES), it estimates the amount of modeling material dispensed into the selected individual area (step S204). That is, the control unit 110 estimates the amount of modeling material dispensed into the selected individual area from the start of modeling of the object to the present.

[0113] After completing the process of step S204, the control unit 110 determines whether there is an adjacent area that is not an object placement area (step S205). More specifically, the control unit 110 determines whether there is an adjacent area that is not an object placement area among the areas adjacent to the selected individual area. If the control unit 110 determines that there is no adjacent area that is not an object placement area (step S205: NO), the control unit 110 determines the correction amount for the selected individual area from the discharge amount for that individual area (step S206). For example, the control unit 110 calculates the correction amount for the selected individual area from the discharge amount for that individual area based on a formula or table associated with the selected individual area.

[0114] When the control unit 110 determines that there is an adjacent area that is not an object placement area (step S205: YES), it estimates the dispensed amount of the forming material in the adjacent area that is not an object placement area (step S207). That is, the control unit 110 estimates the amount of the forming material dispensed into the adjacent area that is not an object placement area from the start of forming the object to the present. After completing the processing of step S207, the control unit 110 determines the correction amount for the selected individual area from the dispensed amount in the selected individual area and the dispensed amount in the adjacent area that is not an object placement area (step S208). For example, the control unit 110 calculates the correction amount for the individual area from the dispensed amount in the selected individual area and the dispensed amount in the adjacent area that is not an object placement area, based on a formula or table associated with the selected individual area.

[0115] When the control unit 110 completes the processing of step S203, step S206, or step S208, it determines whether or not there are any unselected individual areas (step S209). If the control unit 110 determines that there are any unselected individual areas (step S209: YES), it returns the processing to step S201. If the control unit 110 determines that there are no unselected individual areas (step S209: NO), it completes the correction amount determination processing.

[0116] When the control unit 110 completes the correction amount determination process of step S108, it moves the table 92 to the reference position of the next layer (step S109). The control unit 110 controls the table moving mechanism 80 so that the positions of the fixed points P1 and P2 on the modeling table 90 in the vertical direction are lowered by one layer. When the control unit 110 completes the process of step S109, it corrects the position of the table 92 by the correction amount according to the correction target region (step S110).

[0117] The control unit 110 controls the table moving mechanism 80 so that the vertical positions of the fixed points P1 and P2 on the modeling table 90 are raised by an amount corresponding to the correction target area relative to the reference positions of the layer to be generated. When the control unit 110 completes the process of step S110, the process returns to step S103.

[0118] In this embodiment, the relative positions of the table 92 and the discharging head 130 are corrected based on a correction amount determined based on the amount of modeling material dispensed. Here, the amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table 92 corresponding to the position of the discharging head 130 depends on the magnitude of the load applied to the table 92. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the influence of distortion of the table 92 due to the weight of the modeling material can be reduced, and a modeled object with high accuracy can be formed.

[0119] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the correction amount is determined based on the amount of modeling material ejected onto the correction target area corresponding to the position of the ejection head 130. Here, the amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table 92 corresponding to the correction target area depends greatly on the magnitude of the load acting on the correction target area on the table 92. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately reduce the influence of distortion of the table 92 due to the weight of the modeling material.

[0120] In this embodiment, the correction amount is determined based on the target discharge amount and the position of the correction target area. Here, the downward displacement amount of the portion of the table 92 corresponding to the correction target area depends not only on the target discharge amount but also on the position of the correction target area. Therefore, this embodiment can further appropriately reduce the influence of distortion of the table 92 due to the weight of the modeling material.

[0121] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the correction target region is a modeling object placement region and the adjacent region adjacent to the correction target region is not a modeling object placement region, the correction amount is determined based on the target discharge amount and the adjacent discharge amount. Here, when the adjacent region adjacent to the correction target region is not a modeling object placement region, the weight of the modeling material dispensed to this adjacent region is applied to the portion of the table 92 that corresponds to the correction target region. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to further appropriately reduce the influence of the weight of the modeling material on the distortion of the table 92.

[0122] In the present embodiment, the discharge amount estimation unit 114 estimates the amount of the modeling material discharged onto the table 92 by the discharge head 130 during modeling of the model, and the correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount during modeling of the model, based on the discharge amount estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit 114. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to determine the correction amount in advance before modeling of the model, and it is also considered that the accuracy of estimating the discharge amount of the modeling material is higher than when the correction amount is determined in advance.

[0123] (Embodiment 1-2) In embodiment 1-1, an example was described in which, when determining the correction amount, basically only the amount of modeling material dispensed into the correction target area was taken into consideration. In this embodiment, an example is described in which, when determining the correction amount, the amount of modeling material dispensed into individual areas other than the correction target area is also taken into consideration. Hereinafter, descriptions of the same configurations, functions, etc. as those in embodiment 1 will be omitted or simplified.

[0124] As described in the first embodiment, the amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table 92 corresponding to the area to be corrected depends greatly on the load applied to the area to be corrected on the table 92. However, the amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table 92 corresponding to the area to be corrected also depends on the loads applied to other individual areas on the table 92. Therefore, in this embodiment, an example will be described in which the amount of correction is determined taking into consideration the loads applied to all of the individual areas on the table 92.

[0125] In this embodiment, the discharge amount estimation unit 114 estimates an individual discharge amount, which is the amount of the modeling material discharged into each of the multiple individual regions that make up the entire region of the table 92. In other words, the discharge amount estimation unit 114 estimates the amount of the modeling material discharged for each individual region. The correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount based on the individual discharge amounts estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit 114. In other words, the correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount by taking into account not only the amount of the modeling material discharged into the correction target region but also the amount of the modeling material discharged into other individual regions.

[0126] More specifically, the correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount based on the individual discharge amount for each of the multiple individual regions, the position of the individual region in the entire region of the table 92, and the positional relationship with the correction target region. Here, the amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table 92 corresponding to the correction target region depends on the load applied to each individual region on the table 92, but the degree of dependence differs depending on the position of each individual region, the positional relationship between each individual region and the correction target region, etc.

[0127] For example, the amount of downward displacement depends greatly on the load applied to individual regions distant from fixed point P1 and fixed point P2, but does not depend very much on the load applied to individual regions close to fixed point P1 or fixed point P2. Also, for example, the amount of downward displacement depends greatly on the load applied to the region to be corrected, but does not depend very much on the load applied to other individual regions distant from the region to be corrected.

[0128] Therefore, the correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount based not only on the individual ejection amount of each individual area, but also on the position of each individual area and the positional relationship between each individual area and the area to be corrected. Hereinafter, with reference to Fig. 11, it will be explained how the downward displacement amount depends on the positional relationship between each individual area and the area to be corrected. It should be noted that the dependence of the downward displacement amount on the position of each individual area has already been explained using Fig. 7.

[0129] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the magnitude of the effect of the load on each individual region on the correction target region. In the example shown in Fig. 11, the correction target region is region E6. The closer an individual region is to the correction target region, the greater the effect it has on the correction target region. In other words, even if the in-progress object 300 has the same weight, the closer the individual region in which that in-progress object 300 is placed to the correction target region, the greater the downward distortion of the correction target region.

[0130] 11 shows that the darker the shaded area, the closer the individual area is to the correction target area and the greater the influence it has on the correction target area. Specifically, FIG. 11 shows that area E6 has the greatest influence on the correction target area, areas E1, E2, E3, E5, E7, E9, E10, and E11, which are adjacent to area E6, have a medium influence on the correction target area, and areas E4, E8, E12, E13, E14, E15, and E16, which are not adjacent to area E6, have the smallest influence on the correction target area.

[0131] Therefore, the correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount so that the correction amount increases as the ejection amount increases, as the individual area is farther from the fixed points P1 and P2, and as the individual area is closer to the correction target area. For example, the correction amount determination unit 113 can determine the correction amount by adding together a first correction amount for suppressing the influence of the load applied to the correction target area and the sum of second correction amounts for suppressing the influence of the loads applied to the other individual areas.

[0132] The first correction amount corresponds to the correction amount shown in embodiment 1-1. That is, the first correction amount can be obtained by calculating D1 = W1 × k1, where D1 is the first correction amount, W1 is the target ejection amount, and k1 is a proportionality constant corresponding to the correction target area.

[0133] Furthermore, the second correction amount can be calculated from the discharge amount for each individual area, the position of each individual area, and the positional relationship between each individual area and the correction target area using a calculation formula or table prepared in advance for each combination of individual areas. An example of the calculation formula is D2 = W2 × k2. D2 is the downward displacement of the portion of the table 92 corresponding to the correction target area due to the weight of an item placed in the other individual area. W2 is the weight of the item placed in the other individual area. k2 is a proportionality constant corresponding to the position of the other individual area and the positional relationship between the other individual area and the correction target area, and is prepared for each other individual area and for each positional relationship between the other individual area and the correction target area. k2 increases as the distance from the other individual area to the nearest fixed point increases and as the other individual area is closer to the correction target area.

[0134] k2 can be determined, for example, by an experiment or simulation that measures the downward displacement of a portion of the table 92 corresponding to the correction target area with items of each weight placed in the other individual areas. The correction amount determination unit 113 can determine the second correction amount by calculating D2 = W2 × k2, where D2 is the second correction amount, W2 is the amount of ink ejected into the other individual area, and k2 is a proportionality constant that corresponds to the position of the other individual area and the positional relationship between the other individual area and the correction target area. The correction amount determination unit 113 may determine the second correction amount by using a table corresponding to the above calculation formula instead of the above calculation formula. These calculation formulas or the table data are stored, for example, in the storage unit 121.

[0135] The correction amount determination process according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0136] First, the control unit 110 selects an individual region (step S301). After completing the process of step S301, the control unit 110 estimates the ejection amount for the selected individual region (step S302). After completing the process of step S302, the control unit 110 determines a first correction amount for the selected individual region (step S303). For example, the control unit 110 calculates the first correction amount for the selected individual region from the ejection amount for the individual region based on a formula or table for calculating the first correction amount.

[0137] When the control unit 110 completes the process of step S303, it determines whether or not there are any unselected individual areas (step S304). If the control unit 110 determines that there are any unselected individual areas (step S304: YES), it returns the process to step S301. If the control unit 110 determines that there are no unselected individual areas (step S304: NO), it selects an individual area (step S305).

[0138] After completing step S305, the control unit 110 determines the second correction amount for the selected individual area (step S306). For example, the control unit 110 calculates the second correction amount for the selected individual area based on a formula or table for calculating the second correction amount, from the ejection amounts for the other individual areas and the positional relationship between the selected individual area and the other individual areas. The control unit 110 calculates the second correction amount for all other individual areas as the second correction amount for the selected individual area.

[0139] After completing the process of step S306, the control unit 110 determines the correction amount for the selected individual region (step S307). For example, the control unit 110 determines the sum of the first correction amount for the selected individual region and the sum of all second correction amounts for the selected individual region as the correction amount for the selected individual region.

[0140] When the control unit 110 completes the process of step S307, it determines whether or not there are any unselected individual areas (step S308). If the control unit 110 determines that there are any unselected individual areas (step S308: YES), it returns the process to step S305. If the control unit 110 determines that there are no unselected individual areas (step S308: NO), it completes the correction amount determination process.

[0141] In this embodiment, the correction amount is determined based on the amount of modeling material dispensed into each of the multiple individual regions that make up the entire area of ​​the table 92. Here, the downward displacement amount of the portion of the table 92 that corresponds to the correction target region depends not only on the load applied to the correction target region on the table 92, but also on the loads applied to the other individual regions on the table 92. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately reduce the influence of distortion of the table 92 due to the weight of the modeling material.

[0142] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the correction amount is determined for each of the multiple individual regions based on the individual discharge amount, the position of each individual region in the entire area of ​​the table 92, and the positional relationship with the correction target region. Here, the downward displacement amount of the portion of the table 92 corresponding to the correction target region depends not only on the load applied to each individual region, but also on the position of each individual region and the positional relationship between each individual region and the correction target region. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the influence of distortion of the table 92 due to the weight of the modeling material can be further appropriately reduced.

[0143] (Embodiment 1-3) In embodiment 1-1, an example in which the correction amount is determined based on the amount of modeling material dispensed into the correction target area was basically described, and in embodiment 1-2, an example in which the correction amount is determined based on the amount of modeling material dispensed into each of all individual areas was described. In this embodiment, an example in which the correction amount is determined based on the amount of modeling material dispensed into all areas of the table 92 will be described. Below, descriptions of configurations, functions, etc. similar to those of embodiments 1-1 and 1-2 will be omitted or simplified.

[0144] In the present embodiment, the discharge amount estimation unit 114 estimates a total discharge amount, which is the amount of modeling material discharged onto the entire area of ​​the table 92. Then, the correction amount determination unit 113 determines a correction amount based on the total discharge amount estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit 114. More specifically, the correction amount determination unit 113 determines a correction amount based on the total discharge amount and the position of the discharge head 130. The correction amount determination unit 113 increases the correction amount as the total discharge amount increases and as the position of the discharge head 130 is farther from the fixed point P1 and the fixed point P2.

[0145] 13, a method in which the correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount based on the total ejection amount and the position of the ejection head 130 will be described. The ejection target point P7 is a point on the table 92 that overlaps with the ejection head 130 when viewed from the top and bottom. The distance from the fixed point P1 to the ejection target point P7 is L1, and the distance from the fixed point P2 to the ejection target point P7 is L2. Since L2 is shorter than L1, the nearest fixed point is the fixed point P2.

[0146] The correction amount determination unit 113 can calculate the correction amount from the total discharge amount using a calculation formula prepared in advance for each distance from the nearest fixed point. An example of the calculation formula is D3 = W3 × k3. Note that D3 is the downward displacement of a portion of the table 92 corresponding to the position of the discharge head 130 due to the weight of the item placed on the table 92. W3 is the weight of the item placed on the table 92. k3 is a proportionality constant according to the distance from the nearest fixed point, and is a proportionality constant prepared for each distance from the nearest fixed point. These calculation formulas or the table data are stored in the memory unit 121, for example.

[0147] For example, k3 can be determined by an experiment or simulation in which the amount of downward displacement of each part of the table 92 is measured with articles of various weights placed on the table 92. The correction amount determination unit 113 can determine the correction amount by calculating D3 = W3 × k3, where D3 is the correction amount, W3 is the total discharge amount, and k3 is a proportionality constant according to L2.

[0148] In this embodiment, the correction amount is determined based on the total discharge amount, which is the amount of modeling material discharged onto the entire area of ​​the table 92. Here, the amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table 92 corresponding to the discharge head 130 depends on the load applied to the entire area of ​​the table 92. According to this embodiment, the influence of distortion of the table 92 due to the weight of the modeling material can be easily reduced.

[0149] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the correction amount is determined based on the total discharge amount and the position of the discharge head 130. Here, the amount of downward displacement of the portion of the table 92 corresponding to the discharge head 130 depends not only on the load applied to the entire area of ​​the table 92 but also on the position of the discharge head 130. According to this embodiment, the influence of distortion of the table 92 due to the weight of the modeling material can be easily and appropriately reduced.

[0150] (Embodiment 1-4) In Embodiment 1-1, an example was described in which the amount of modeling material dispensed into each individual region was estimated during modeling of the object, and the correction amount for the correction target region was determined. In the present embodiment, an example is described in which the amount of modeling material dispensed into each individual region is estimated before modeling of the object, and the correction amount for the correction target region is determined. Hereinafter, descriptions of the same configurations, functions, etc. as those in Embodiment 1-3 will be omitted or simplified.

[0151] In this embodiment, the discharge amount estimation unit 114 estimates the amount of the modeling material to be discharged by the discharge head 130 onto the table 92 based on the modeling data before the modeling of the object. Also, in this embodiment, the correction amount determination unit 113 determines the correction amount based on the discharge amount estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit 114 before the modeling of the object.

[0152] The correction amount determination process according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 14. In this embodiment, the correction amount determination process is executed before the formation of a model.

[0153] First, the control unit 110 identifies an object placement area from the slice data of the lowest layer (step S401). That is, the control unit 110 identifies an individual area in the lowest layer onto which the modeling material is to be dispensed as the object placement area. Note that it is assumed that modeling data including slice data of each layer has been generated from a 3D model of the object prior to the correction amount determination process.

[0154] After completing the process of step S401, the control unit 110 determines the correction amounts for the individual areas that are not object placement areas and the bottom layer to be 0 (step S402). That is, the control unit 110 determines the correction amounts for all layers for the individual areas that are not object placement areas to be 0. Furthermore, the control unit 110 determines the correction amounts for all individual areas for the bottom layer to be 0. After completing the process of step S402, the control unit 110 selects the next higher layer (step S403). It is assumed that the bottom layer is selected at the start of the correction amount determination process.

[0155] After completing the process of step S403, the control unit 110 selects an individual area that is a modeling object placement area (step S404). After completing the process of step S404, the control unit 110 estimates the amount of modeling material to be dispensed into the selected individual area (step S405). That is, the control unit 110 estimates the amount of modeling material to be dispensed into the selected individual area in the layer below the currently selected layer.

[0156] After completing the process of step S405, the control unit 110 determines whether there is an adjacent region that is not an object placement region (step S406). If the control unit 110 determines that there is no adjacent region that is not an object placement region (step S406: NO), the control unit 110 determines the correction amount for the selected individual region from the discharge amount for that individual region (step S407).

[0157] When the control unit 110 determines that there is an adjacent area that is not an object placement area (step S406: YES), it estimates the amount of the formation material dispensed in the adjacent area that is not an object placement area (step S408). That is, the control unit 110 estimates the amount of the formation material dispensed to the adjacent area that is not an object placement area in the layer below the selected layer. After completing the process of step S408, the control unit 110 determines the correction amount for the selected individual area from the amount of the formation material dispensed in the selected individual area and the amount of the formation material dispensed in the adjacent area that is not an object placement area (step S409).

[0158] Upon completing the processing of step S407 or step S409, the control unit 110 determines whether or not there is an unselected individual area that is an object placement area (step S410). If the control unit 110 determines that there is an unselected individual area that is an object placement area (step S410: YES), the control unit 110 returns the processing to step S404. If the control unit 110 determines that there is no unselected individual area that is an object placement area (step S410: NO), the control unit 110 determines whether or not the selected layer is the top layer (step S411: NO). If the control unit 110 determines that the selected layer is not the top layer (step S411: NO), the control unit 110 returns the processing to step S403. If the control unit 110 determines that the selected layer is the top layer (step S411: YES), the control unit 110 completes the correction amount determination processing.

[0159] In this embodiment, before the object is formed, the amount of the modeling material to be discharged onto the table 92 is estimated, and the correction amount is determined based on the estimated amount of the modeling material. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the processing load during the formation of the object is reduced.

[0160] (Modifications) Although the embodiments have been described above, modifications and applications in various forms are possible. It is up to the discretion of which parts of the configurations, functions, and operations described in the above embodiments to adopt. Furthermore, in addition to the above-described configurations, functions, and operations, further configurations, functions, and operations may be adopted. Furthermore, the configurations, functions, and operations described in the above embodiments can be freely combined.

[0161] In embodiment 1-1, an example has been described in which the movement mechanism 140 includes a head movement mechanism 150 that moves the ejection head 130 in the horizontal direction and a table movement mechanism 80 that moves the table 92 in the vertical direction. The movement mechanism 140 may have any configuration as long as it is a mechanism that can change the relative positional relationship between the ejection head 130 and the table 92. For example, the movement mechanism 140 may include a head movement mechanism that moves the ejection head 130 in the vertical direction and a table movement mechanism that moves the table 92 in the horizontal direction. Furthermore, for example, the movement mechanism 140 may include a head movement mechanism that moves the ejection head 130 in the horizontal and vertical directions and a table movement mechanism that moves the table 92 in the horizontal and vertical directions.

[0162] In the above embodiments 1-1 to 1-3, an example has been described in which the correction amount for the relative position between the dispensing head 130 and the table 92 is determined based on the amount of modeling material dispensed onto the table 92. The method for determining the correction amount is not limited to this example. For example, the distance from a reference plane may be measured for each individual area of ​​the table 92, and the correction amount may be determined based on the measured distance. The reference plane may be, for example, the floor on which the modeling apparatus 101 is installed or the bottom surface of the modeling apparatus 101. In this case, distance measuring sensors may be disposed at positions corresponding to each individual area on the reference plane, and each distance measuring sensor may measure the distance from the reference plane to each individual area of ​​the table 92. The shorter the measured distance, the longer the correction amount is set. The distance measuring sensor may be a laser sensor that measures the time between emitting laser light and receiving reflected light of the laser light.

[0163] In the embodiment, the control unit 110 functions as each unit shown in FIG. 5 by the CPU executing a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 121. However, in the present disclosure, the control unit 110 may be dedicated hardware. Dedicated hardware may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. When the control unit 110 is dedicated hardware, the functions of each unit may be realized by individual hardware, or the functions of each unit may be realized collectively by a single piece of hardware. Furthermore, some of the functions of each unit may be realized by dedicated hardware, and other functions may be realized by software or firmware. In this way, the control unit 110 can realize each of the above-described functions by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0164] The present disclosure allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of equivalent disclosures are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0165] (Second Embodiment) A housing unit and a housing according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the concept of the present invention will be described using a schematic housing and housing unit, and then the specific contents of the housing and housing unit will be described using a modeling apparatus as an example.

[0166] (Concept of the Housing and Housing Unit) The housing according to the present invention is assembled by combining multiple housing units. When assembling housing units to manufacture a housing, it is necessary to assemble them while maintaining horizontal and vertical accuracy between each housing unit. If the horizontal and vertical accuracy between each housing unit is disrupted, the strength of the housing will decrease, and further, distortion will occur in the housing, reducing the processing accuracy when processing workpieces within the housing and the quality of the processed workpieces. In the present invention, by providing each housing unit with high horizontal and vertical accuracy, a housing with high horizontal and vertical accuracy can be completed simply by assembling these housing units on-site. In order to improve the assembly accuracy of the housing, the present invention is characterized in that a joining plate that improves assembly accuracy is attached to the joint between one housing unit and another housing unit. The joining surface of the joining plate is machined to have geometric intersections such as flatness, parallelism, and squareness, as well as arithmetic surface roughness.

[0167] "Flatness" is a geometric tolerance that indicates the deviation of a specified plane from an ideal plane and the degree to which the plane must lie between two parallel reference planes. "Parallelism" is a numerical value that indicates the degree to which two or more planes or lines are parallel. Parallelism is a geometric tolerance that indicates the degree to which a specified line or plane is parallel to a reference datum line or datum plane, and expresses the magnitude of the error. "Squareness" is a geometric tolerance that indicates the degree to which a specified line or plane is perpendicular to a reference datum line or datum plane, and expresses the magnitude of the error. "Arithmetic surface roughness" is an index indicating surface roughness and is expressed as Ra. To achieve the specified flatness, parallelism, squareness, and arithmetic surface roughness, the joining surfaces of joining plates are machined using a cutting machine.

[0168] 15A and 15B are diagrams illustrating the concept of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 15A, a housing 1 is manufactured by combining multiple housing units. The multiple housing units include a bottom housing unit 2 that forms the bottom of the housing 1, a pair of side housing units 3, 3 that form the sides of the housing 1, and upper pillar units 4, 4 that connect the pair of side housing units 3, 3. The bottom housing unit 2 and the side housing unit 3 are each formed in a rectangular shape.

[0169] 15(b), four joining plates 2a are attached to the four corners of the upper surface of the bottom housing unit 2, and face the joining surfaces of the lower surface of the side housing unit 3. Four joining plates 2b are attached to the four corners of the lower surface of the bottom housing unit 2, and face the installation surface of the housing 1. In addition to the joining plates 2a and 2b, joining plates may be attached to locations where joining to other housing units is expected.

[0170] As shown in Figure 15(c) , four joining plates 3a are attached to the four corners of one side of the side housing unit 3, and the two upper joining plates 3a face the joining surfaces of a pair of upper pillar units 4, 4. The two lower joining plates 3a face another unit (not shown). Two joining plates 3b are attached to the underside of the side housing unit 3. The two joining plates 3b face the joining plates 2a of the bottom housing unit 2. Although not shown, joining plates are attached to both ends of the upper pillar unit 4 so as to face the upper joining plates 3a, 3a of the side housing unit 3. In addition to the joining plates 3a, 3b, joining plates may be attached to locations where joining to other housing units is expected.

[0171] The joining surfaces of these joining plates 2a, 2b, 3a, and 3b are machined using a cutting machine so that they have the specified flatness, parallelism, squareness, and arithmetic surface roughness. In this way, the joining surfaces of the bottom housing unit 2, side housing unit 3, and upper column unit 4, to which joining plates with machined joining surfaces are attached, each independently satisfy horizontal accuracy and vertical accuracy. Furthermore, although a predetermined number of the joining plates described here are attached to predetermined positions of the joints of each unit, the attachment positions may be on part or the entire joining surface, and the number of plates is not limited.

[0172] Because each of the housing units, the bottom housing unit 2, the side housing unit 3, and the upper pillar unit 4, has high assembly precision, it is possible to complete the housing 1 with high assembly precision simply by assembling these housing units at the assembly site without adjusting the assembly precision. Furthermore, because the joint surfaces of the bottom housing unit 2, the side housing unit 3, and the upper pillar unit 4 each have high horizontal precision and vertical precision independently, each housing unit can be assembled with housing units other than the housing units described here, improving the efficiency of the assembly work.

[0173] (Configuration of Modeling Apparatus) The housing according to this embodiment will be described using a housing used in a modeling apparatus as an example. The modeling apparatus is a device (3D printer) that forms a three-dimensional object using additive manufacturing. Thermoplastic resin is used as the modeling material, and the object is formed by stacking layers of thermoplastic resin. The modeling apparatus used in this embodiment employs fused deposition modeling (FDM) and uses pellets made of thermoplastic resin.

[0174] 16, the X direction is defined as the "left-right direction," the Y direction is defined as the "front-rear direction," and the Z direction perpendicular to the X and Y directions is defined as the "up-down direction."

[0175] FIG. 16 shows an external view of the modeling apparatus 100. The modeling apparatus 100 is formed by assembling a plurality of housing units. The modeling apparatus 100 includes a bottom housing unit 10, a pair of side housing units 20, a pair of upper pillar units 30 connecting the pair of side housing units 20, an upper housing unit 40 equipped with a first print head 60 and a second print head 61 serving as work heads, and a modeling table 50 on which a model is placed. The first print head 60 and the second print head 61 melt pellets of a modeling material made of a thermoplastic resin and eject them toward the modeling table 50. The bottom housing unit 10, the side housing unit 20, the upper pillar units 30, the upper housing unit 40, and the modeling table 50 are housing units that form the housing of the modeling apparatus 100.

[0176] The bottom case unit 10 constitutes the bottom surface of the modeling apparatus 100 and is formed by assembling and welding together a plurality of iron pillars. The other case units of the modeling apparatus 100 are also formed by welding together iron pillars in a similar manner. As shown in FIG. 17 , the bottom case unit 10 includes a first frame portion 11 having a rectangular outline formed by connecting four pillars, a pair of columnar first support members 12 arranged inside the first frame portion 11, a plurality of columnar second support members 13 arranged between the pair of first support members 12, a bottom plate 14 that is the bottom surface of the bottom case unit 10, and a reinforcing member 15 attached to the back surface of the bottom plate 14.

[0177] The first frame portion 11 is assembled by combining a pair of short-side pillar members 11a that form the short sides of the rectangular shape and are arranged side by side on the left and right so that their longitudinal direction is parallel to the front-to-back direction in Figure 17, and a pair of long-side pillar members 11b that form the long sides of the rectangular shape and are arranged side by side on the front and back so that their longitudinal direction is parallel to the left-to-right direction in Figure 17.

[0178] The pair of first support members 12 are arranged parallel to the pair of long-side pillars 11b, and the modeling table 50 is placed inside them. The multiple second support members 13 are arranged parallel to the short-side pillars 11a inside the pair of first support members 12, and reinforce the structural strength of the bottom housing unit 10. The reinforcing members 15 are attached to the back surface of the bottom plate 14 of the bottom housing unit 10, and reinforce the structural strength of the bottom housing unit 10. Installation members 16, which are casters that come into contact with the installation surface, are attached to the four corners of the bottom plate 14 of the bottom housing unit 10.

[0179] 16, the pair of side case units 20 are installed on the upper surface of the bottom case unit 10 and form the side surfaces of the modeling apparatus 100. As shown in Fig. 18, each of the pair of side case units 20 includes a bottom pillar 21, a side pillar 22, a lifting mechanism 200, and a lifting mechanism support pillar 23.

[0180] The pair of bottom pillars 21 are pillars extending in the front-to-rear direction and are arranged side by side on the left and right at the bottom of the modeling apparatus 100. The pair of bottom pillars 21 sandwich the pair of short-side pillars 11a of the bottom housing unit 10 from the left and right. Each side pillar 22 has a pair of pillar units 22a, 22b, which are arranged side by side on the front and rear. The pair of pillar units 22a, 22b are attached upright, one above the other, to the front-to-rear end of each bottom pillar 21. Each side housing unit 20 further has a lifting mechanism support pillar 23. The lifting mechanism support pillar 23 is attached to the inside of the pair of side pillars 22, 22, and supports the lifting mechanism 200. Each lifting mechanism support column 23 extends in the front-to-rear direction and includes a pair of column units 23a, 23b arranged side by side above and below, and the lifting mechanism 200 is attached to the longitudinal center of the column units 23a, 23b.

[0181] The pair of lifting mechanisms 200 raise and lower the modeling table 50. Each lifting mechanism 200 includes a support plate 201 that supports one end of the modeling table 50, a lead screw 202 rotatably held by the support plate 201, and a motor 203 that rotates the lead screw 202. The two lifting mechanisms 200 can be driven independently. Each lifting mechanism 200 further includes a guide mechanism 205, and each guide mechanism 205 includes a guide rail 206 and a guide block 207 that engages with the guide rail 206. When the motor 203 is driven and the lead screw 202 rotates, the modeling table 50, which is attached to the guide block 207 of the guide mechanism 205, is guided by the guide rail 206 and moves up and down.

[0182] 16 and 3, the pair of upper pillar units 30 are pillars extending in the left-right direction, and are arranged side by side in the front-to-back direction on the upper surfaces of the upper pillar units 23a of the lifting mechanism support pillars 23. The pair of upper pillar units 30 connect the upper portions of the side pillars 22 of the pair of side housing units 20.

[0183] As shown in FIG. 19 , the upper housing unit 40 includes a second frame portion 41 and a print head drive mechanism 400 disposed on the upper surface of the second frame portion 41. The second frame portion 41 is a rectangular frame formed by welding a pair of short-side pillars 41a and a pair of long-side pillars 41b. The pair of short-side pillars 41a form the short sides of the second frame portion 41 and are arranged side by side on the left and right with their longitudinal directions parallel to the front-to-back direction in FIG. 19 . The pair of long-side pillars 41b form the long sides of the second frame portion 41 and are arranged side by side on the front and back with their longitudinal directions parallel to the left-to-right direction in FIG. 19 . Of the long-side pillars 41b, the front long-side pillar 41b is composed of two pillars 41bf-1 and 41bf-2 arranged in parallel, with pillar 41bf-1 disposed at the front. The rear long-side pillar 41b is made up of two pillars 41bb-1 and 41bb-2 arranged in parallel, with the pillar 41bb-1 being arranged on the front side.

[0184] The print head drive mechanism 400 includes a first print head drive mechanism 410 that drives the first print head 60 shown in FIG. 16 , and a second print head drive mechanism 420 that drives the second print head 61. The first print head 60 is moved in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions by the first print head drive mechanism 410, as indicated by the solid arrows in FIGS. 16 and 19 . The second print head 61 is moved in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions by the second print head drive mechanism 420, as indicated by the dotted arrows in FIGS. 16 and 19 . In this embodiment, the modeling apparatus 100 is a dual-head modeling apparatus equipped with two print heads, but a single print head is also acceptable.

[0185] 19, the first print head drive mechanism 410 includes X-direction movement mechanisms 411a and 411b that move the first print head 60 in the left-right direction, and a Y-direction movement mechanism 412 that moves it in the front-back direction. The X-direction movement mechanism 411a is installed on pillar 41bf-1, and the X-direction movement mechanism 411b is installed on pillar 41bb-1.

[0186] The second print head drive mechanism 420 includes X-direction movement mechanisms 421a and 421b that move the second print head 61 in the left-right direction, and a Y-direction movement mechanism 422 that moves the second print head 61 in the front-rear direction. The X-direction movement mechanism 421a is installed on the pillar 41bf-2, and the X-direction movement mechanism 421b is installed on the pillar 41bb-2.

[0187] The X-direction movement mechanism 411a of the first print head drive mechanism 410 includes two pulleys 413a and 413b mounted on pillar 41bf-1, a belt 414 stretched between the two pulleys 413a and 413b, and a motor (not shown) that rotates the pulleys 413a and 413b. A portion of the belt 414 is indirectly fixed to the first print head 60. A guide rail 415 is attached to pillar 41bf-1 below the belt 414. When the motor is driven, the belt 414 moves, and the first print head 60 moves left and right, guided by a guide block (not shown) attached to the guide rail 415. The X-direction movement mechanism 411b mounted on pillar 41bb-1 has a similar structure.

[0188] The Y-direction movement mechanism 412 of the first print head drive mechanism 410 includes a suspension frame 416. The suspension frame 416 is installed above the short-side pillar 41a, stretching between pillars 41bf-1 and 41bb-1. The Y-direction movement mechanism 412 includes two pulleys (not shown) and a belt 417 stretched between the two pulleys. The belt 417 is connected to the first print head 60. Each of the two pulleys is supported by the suspension frame 416 at both ends so that they can rotate about the vertical axis. A pair of guide rails 418a and 418b are installed on either side of the belt 417. The rotation of the two pulleys moves the belt 417, and the first print head 60 is guided by the guide rails 418a and 418b and moves back and forth.

[0189] 19, the second print head drive mechanism 420 includes X-direction movement mechanisms 421a and 421b that move the second print head 61 in the left-right direction, and a Y-direction movement mechanism 422 that moves it in the front-back direction. The X-direction movement mechanism 421a is installed on pillar 41bf-2, and the X-direction movement mechanism 421b is installed on pillar 41bb-2.

[0190] The X-direction movement mechanism 421a of the second print head drive mechanism 420 includes two pulleys 423a and 423b mounted on a pillar 41bf-2, a belt 424 stretched between the two pulleys 423a and 423b, and a motor (not shown) that rotates the pulleys 423a and 423b. A portion of the belt 424 is indirectly fixed to the second print head 61. A guide rail 425 is attached to the pillar 41bf-2 below the belt 424. When the motor is driven, the belt 424 moves, and the second print head 61 moves left and right, guided by a guide block (not shown) attached to the guide rail 425. The X-direction movement mechanism 421b installed on the pillar 41bb-2 also has a similar structure.

[0191] The Y-direction movement mechanism 422 of the second print head drive mechanism 420 includes a suspension frame 426, which is installed above the short-side post 41a, spanning between post 41bf-2 and post 41bb-2. The Y-direction movement mechanism 422 has the same structure as the Y-direction movement mechanism 412, so a detailed description will be omitted. The second print head 61 is moved in the front-to-rear direction by the Y-direction movement mechanism 422.

[0192] The modeling table 50 is a mounting table on which a model is placed, and as shown in FIG. 20 , includes a base 51 and a table 52 that is placed on the base 51 and on which the model is placed. The base 51 is formed of a rectangular frame, and the inside of the frame is hollow. The hollow reduces the load when the modeling table 50 is raised and lowered. The base 51 includes protruding plates 53 that protrude outward from the ends of each short side. The protruding plates 53 are attached to the support plate 201 of the side housing unit 20. The protruding plates 53 are formed with recesses 53a through which the lead screws 202 of the lifting mechanism 200 pass, and through holes 53b through which the guide rails 206 pass.

[0193] The table 52 is a plate-like member, and is positioned by positioning pins (not shown) attached to the frame of the base 51, and is placed on the base 51. The table 52 is held on the base 51 without being fastened to the base 51 by fastening members such as screws.

[0194] 16 , in order to reinforce the joint between the bottom case unit 10 and the side case unit 20, the molding apparatus 100 includes a plate-shaped reinforcing member 70 on the outside of the molding apparatus 100. Furthermore, in order to reinforce the joint between the side case unit 20 and the upper pillar unit 30, the molding apparatus 100 includes a plate-shaped reinforcing member 71 on the outside of the molding apparatus 100.

[0195] (Attachment position of joining plate and horizontal and vertical accuracy) This embodiment is characterized in that each housing unit has a joining plate with a machined joining surface welded to the joint between the housing units. The attachment position of the joining plate in each housing unit and the method for ensuring horizontal and vertical accuracy will be described for each housing unit.

[0196] <Bottom Housing Unit> As shown in Figure 17, two bottom joining plates 17a are attached by welding to the top surfaces of each of a pair of short-side pillars 11a of the bottom housing unit 10. The two bottom joining plates 17a are attached to the joining surfaces with the lower pillar unit 23b of the side housing unit 20, which is placed on the top surface of the bottom housing unit 10. The short-side pillars 11a and pillar units 23b are in contact with each other at continuous joining surfaces, but the bottom joining plates 17a do not need to be attached to the entire joining surface. In this embodiment, the two bottom joining plates 17a are attached at positions equidistant from the center position of the short-side pillars 11a in the longitudinal direction.

[0197] Two bottom joint plates 17b, 17b are attached to the end faces of both longitudinal ends of a pair of long side pillars 11b of the bottom housing unit 10. The bottom joint plates 17b are attached to the joint surfaces with the bottom pillars 21 of the side housing unit 20 placed on the top surface of the bottom housing unit 10. In addition, a bottom joint plate 17c is attached to the joint surface with the installation member 16 on the back surface of the bottom plate 14.

[0198] The joining surfaces 17aa of the four bottom joining plates 17a are cut, for example, with a parallelism of 0.05 and a flatness of 0.05 relative to the bottom plate 14, which serves as the reference surface of the bottom housing unit 10. The joining surfaces 17bb of the four bottom joining plates 17b are cut, for example, with a perpendicularity of 0.1 and a flatness of 0.05. The joining surface 17cc of the bottom joining plate 17c is cut, for example, with a parallelism of 0.05 and a flatness of 0.05. By cutting the bottom joining plates 17a, 17b, and 17c, the bottom housing unit 10 can be provided with appropriate horizontal and vertical accuracy as a single housing unit.

[0199] <Side Housing Unit> As shown in Figure 18, four side joint plates 24a are attached to the joint surfaces of the upper side columns 22 and the upper column unit 30. Two side joint plates 24b are attached to the upper surface of the upper column unit 23a of each lifting mechanism support column 23, on the surface that joins with the upper housing unit 40. The column unit 23a and the short-side column 41a of the upper housing unit 40 make contact at a continuous joint surface, but the side joint plates 24b do not need to be attached to the entire joint surface. In this embodiment, the two side joint plates 24b are attached at positions equidistant from the center position of the column unit 23a in the longitudinal direction. A side joint plate 24c is attached to the joint surface of the support plate 201 that joins with the modeling table 50. Although not shown, a joining plate is attached to the back surface of the lower pillar unit 23b in a position facing the bottom joining plate 17a of the bottom housing unit 10, and a joining plate is also attached in a position facing the bottom joining plate 17b. In addition, side joining plates 24d, 24e are attached to the left and right side surfaces of the side pillar 22 in anticipation of joining to other housing units.

[0200] The joining surfaces 24aa of the four side joining plates 24a are cut, for example, with a perpendicularity of 0.1 and a flatness of 0.05 relative to a predetermined reference plane. The joining surfaces 24bb of the two side joining plates 24b are cut, for example, with parallelism of 0.05 and a flatness of 0.05 relative to the bottom surface, which serves as the reference plane of the side housing unit 20. The joining surface 24cc of the side joining plate 24c is cut, for example, with parallelism of 0.05 and a flatness of 0.05 relative to the bottom surface. The joining surfaces 24dd and 24ee of the side joining plates 24d and 24e are cut, for example, with a perpendicularity of 0.1 and a flatness of 0.05 relative to a predetermined reference plane. By performing this cutting process, the side housing unit 20 can have appropriate horizontal and vertical accuracy as a single housing unit.

[0201] A side joining plate 24c is attached to the upper surface of the support plate 201 of the lifting mechanism 200 in a position opposite the protruding plate 53 of the modeling table 50, and a joining plate (not shown) that joins to the side joining plate 24c is attached to the back surface of the protruding plate 53.

[0202] <Upper column unit> As shown in Figure 17, an upper joining plate 31a is attached to the right end face of each upper column unit 30, and an upper joining plate 31b is attached to the left end face. The upper joining plate 31a is joined to the side joining plate 24a of the right-side side column 22, and the upper joining plate 31b is joined to the side joining plate 24a of the left-side side column 22. The joining surfaces 31aa and 31bb of the upper joining plates 31a and 31b are cut, for example, to a flatness of 0.05 and a perpendicularity of 0.1 relative to a predetermined reference plane. By performing this cutting process, the upper column unit 30 can be provided with appropriate horizontal and vertical accuracy as a single housing unit.

[0203] <Upper Housing Unit> In the upper housing unit 40, although not shown in FIG. 19 , joining plates are attached to the top surfaces of the pillars 41bf-1, 41bf-2, and pillars 41bb-1, 41bb-2. The joining plates are welded to the joining surfaces of the pillars 41bf-1, 41bf-2, and pillars 41bb-1, 41bb-2 with the guide rails 415, 425. Joining plates are also attached to the sides of the guide rails 415, 425. Furthermore, joining plates are attached between the guide rails 418a, 418b and the suspension frame 416, respectively. An upper joining plate 42 is attached to the back surface of the short-side pillar 41a in a position opposite the side joining plate 24b of the side housing unit 20. These joining plates are cut, for example, with a flatness of 0.05 and a parallelism of 0.05 relative to a predetermined reference plane. By carrying out such cutting processing, the upper housing unit 40 can have high horizontal precision and vertical precision as a single housing unit.

[0204] The joint surfaces of the joint plates attached to the bottom housing unit 10, side housing unit 20, upper pillar unit 30, and upper housing unit 40 are all cut to have an arithmetic mean roughness Ra of 1.6 or less.

[0205] By combining all the housing units, the joining plates attached to the bottom housing unit 10, side housing unit 20, upper pillar unit 30, and upper housing unit 40 come into contact with each other without any gaps between the plate surfaces of each joining plate, thereby enabling the assembly of a molding device 100 with high horizontal and vertical accuracy.

[0206] (Effects of this embodiment) In this embodiment, by attaching bottom joint plates 17a, 17b, and 17c with machined joint surfaces to the bottom housing unit 10, the bottom housing unit 10 alone can meet horizontal and vertical accuracy.

[0207] Furthermore, by attaching side joint plates 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d, and 24e, the joint surfaces of which have been machined, to the side housing unit 20, the side housing unit 20 alone can satisfy horizontal and vertical accuracy.

[0208] Furthermore, by attaching upper joint plates 31a, 31b with processed joint surfaces to the upper column unit 30, the upper column unit 30 alone can satisfy horizontal and vertical accuracy.

[0209] Furthermore, in the upper housing unit 40, joining plates with machined joining surfaces are attached to the pillar members 41bf-1, 41bf-2 and pillar members 41bb-1, 41bb-2, and an upper joining plate 42 with machined joining surfaces is attached to the short-side pillar member 41a, so that the upper housing unit 40 alone can satisfy horizontal and vertical accuracy.

[0210] In this way, the bottom housing unit 10, side housing unit 20, upper pillar unit 30, and upper housing unit 40 each satisfy horizontal and vertical accuracy on their own, so by assembling these housing units, a molding device 100 that satisfies horizontal and vertical accuracy can be easily assembled at the assembly site.

[0211] Furthermore, the bottom surface housing unit 10, the side surface housing unit 20, the upper pillar unit 30, and the upper surface housing unit 40 each satisfy horizontal precision and vertical precision individually, and therefore can be easily combined at the assembly site with other housing units that satisfy horizontal precision and vertical precision.

[0212] Here, by placing a pair of side housing units 20 on the bottom housing unit 10 and then placing the upper housing unit 40 on top of those, the upper housing unit 40 is assembled in a state where horizontal precision and vertical precision are satisfied. The guide rails 415, 418a, 418b, and 425 are attached to the upper housing unit 40 via machined joining plates. Therefore, the first print head 60 and the second print head 61, which move while being guided by the guide rails 415, 418a, 418b, and 425, can also move in a state where horizontal precision and vertical precision are satisfied, making it possible to form a highly accurate object.

[0213] In addition, in this embodiment, a pair of side case units 20 are placed on the bottom case unit 10, and the protruding plates 53 of the modeling table 50 are placed on the side joint plates 24c of the lifting mechanisms 200 of the pair of side case units 20. This allows the modeling table 50 to move up and down while satisfying horizontal accuracy and vertical accuracy, making it possible to model a highly accurate model.

[0214] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and applications are possible. In the above-described embodiment, the modeling apparatus 100 is described as a fused deposition modeling method, but the present invention can also be applied to modeling apparatuses of other types.

[0215] In the above embodiment, the molding apparatus 100 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the molding apparatus 100 and can be applied to various mechanical devices having housings, such as processing devices and cutting devices.

[0216] In the above embodiment, it was explained that the two bottom joint plates 17a are attached at positions equidistant from the center position of the short side column material 11a in the longitudinal direction, but the bottom joint plates 17a may be attached at any position on the short side column material 11a, and there may be two or more.

[0217] In the above embodiment, it was explained that the two side joint plates 24b are attached at positions equidistant from the center position of the pillar unit 23a in the longitudinal direction, but the side joint plates 24b may be attached at any position on the pillar unit 23a, and there may be two or more of them.

[0218] In the above embodiment, plate-shaped reinforcing members are used as the reinforcing members 70 and 71, but instead of plate-shaped reinforcing members, braces that connect two members with lines may also be used.

[0219] In the above embodiment, the flatness, parallelism, squareness, and arithmetic surface roughness of each housing unit are described by specifying specific numerical values, but the values ​​are not limited to the described numerical values, and the designer can freely set numerical values ​​that can maintain the desired horizontal accuracy and vertical accuracy.

[0220] In the above embodiment, the first print head 60 and the second print head 61 have been described as examples of work heads, but the present invention can be applied to various other work heads, such as a laser head for laser processing.

[0221] The features described in the above-described embodiments and modifications can be combined in any manner unless they are inconsistent.

[0222] The present invention can be used in a housing unit, a housing formed by assembling housing units, a molding apparatus having a housing, and a molding apparatus.

[0223] E0, E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, E7, E8, E9, E10, E11, E12, E13, E14, E15, E16 Area P1, P2 Fixed point P3, P5, P6, P7 Discharge target point P4 Discharge point 110 Control unit 111 Discharge control unit 112 Movement control unit 113 Correction amount determination unit 114 Discharge amount estimation unit 121 Memory unit 122 Display unit 123 Operation reception unit 124 Communication unit 130, 130A Discharge head 140 Movement mechanism 150 Head movement mechanism 160, 160A, 160B First head movement mechanism 161A, 161B, 162A, 162B Pulley 163A, 163B, 173 Belt 164A, 164B, 174A, 174B, 85A, 85B Guide rail 165A, 165B, 175A, 175B, 86A Guide block 170 Second head moving mechanism 171 Frame 80, 80A, 80B Table moving mechanism 81A, 81B Support plate 82A, 82B Lead screw 83A Motor 90 Forming table 91 Base 92 Table 93A, 93B Protruding plate 94A, 94B Recess 95A, 95B Through hole 101 Forming device 300 In-process formed object 301,302 dashed line 1 housing 2, 10 bottom housing unit 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b joining plate 3, 20 surface housing unit 4, 30 upper pillar unit 40 upper housing unit 11 first frame portion 41 second frame portion 11a, 41a short side pillar 11b, 41b long side pillar 12 first support member 13 second support member 14 bottom plate 15 reinforcing member 16 installation member 17a, 17b, 17c bottom joining plate 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d, 24e side joining plate 31a, 31b, 42 upper joining plate 17aa, 17bb, 17cc, 24aa, 24bb, 24cc, 24dd, 24ee, 31aa, 31bb Joint surface 21 Bottom pillar 22 Side pillars 22a, 22b, 23a, 23b Pillar unit 23 Lifting mechanism support pillars 41bf-1, 41bf-2, 41bb-1, 41bb-2 Pillar 50 Modeling table 51 Base 52 Table 53 Protruding plate 53a Recess 53b Through-hole 60 First print head 61 Second print head 100 Modeling device 200 Lifting mechanism 201 Support plate 202 Lead screw 203 Motor 205 Guide mechanism 206, 415, 418a, 418b, 425 Guide rail 207 Guide block 400 Print head drive mechanism 410 First print head drive mechanism 411a, 411b, 421a, 421b X-direction movement mechanism 412, 422 Y-direction movement mechanism 413a, 413b, 423a, 423b Pulleys 414, 417, 424 Belts 416, 426 Suspension frame 420 Second print head drive mechanism,

Claims

1. A modeling apparatus that forms a model by stacking modeling material, comprising: a table on which the modeling material is stacked; a discharge head that discharges the modeling material; a movement mechanism that changes the relative position of the table and the discharge head; a discharge control unit that controls the discharge of the modeling material by the discharge head based on modeling data for forming the model; a movement control unit that controls the movement mechanism based on the modeling data; and a correction amount determination unit that determines a correction amount for the relative position of the table and the discharge head in the vertical direction in accordance with distortion of the table based on the mass of the modeling material discharged onto the table by the discharge head, wherein the movement control unit corrects the relative position based on the correction amount determined by the correction amount determination unit.

2. The molding device according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge amount estimation unit that estimates a target discharge amount, which is the mass of the molding material discharged into a correction target area, which is an area that faces the discharge head above and below among multiple individual areas that make up the entire area of ​​the table, and the correction amount determination unit determines the correction amount based on the target discharge amount estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit.

3. The molding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the correction amount determination unit determines the correction amount based on the target discharge amount and the position of the correction target region.

4. The modeling device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, when the correction target area is an object placement area among the plurality of individual areas that supports the model, and an adjacent area adjacent to the correction target area is not the object placement area, the discharge amount estimation unit estimates an adjacent discharge amount, which is the mass of the modeling material to be discharged into the adjacent area, and the correction amount determination unit determines the correction amount based on the target discharge amount and the adjacent discharge amount.

5. A molding device as described in claim 1, further comprising a discharge amount estimation unit that estimates an individual discharge amount, which is the mass of the molding material discharged into each of multiple individual areas that make up the entire area of ​​the table, and the correction amount determination unit determines the correction amount based on the individual discharge amount estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit.

6. The molding apparatus described in claim 5, wherein the correction amount determination unit determines the correction amount for each of the multiple individual areas based on the individual discharge amount of each of the multiple individual areas, its position in the entire area of ​​the table, and the positional relationship between the selected individual area and the other individual areas.

7. The molding device according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge amount estimation unit that estimates a total discharge amount, which is the mass of the molding material discharged onto the entire area of ​​the table, and the correction amount determination unit determines the correction amount based on the total discharge amount estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit.

8. The molding apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the correction amount determination unit determines the correction amount based on the total discharge amount and the position of the discharge head.

9. A molding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a discharge amount estimation unit that estimates the mass of the molding material discharged onto the table by the discharge head during the molding of the object, and wherein the correction amount determination unit determines the correction amount based on the mass estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit during the molding of the object.

10. A molding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a discharge amount estimation unit that estimates a mass of the molding material to be discharged onto the table by the discharge head based on the molding data before the molding of the object, and the correction amount determination unit determines the correction amount based on the mass estimated by the discharge amount estimation unit before the molding of the object.

11. A housing unit that constitutes a housing, comprising a joining plate at a joint with another housing unit to improve the assembly precision of the housing, wherein the joining surface of the joining plate with the other housing unit is machined.

12. The housing unit according to claim 11, wherein the joining plate is attached to a part of the joining portion.

13. The housing unit according to claim 11, wherein the joining surfaces are subjected to cutting work to improve assembly precision in any one of parallelism, squareness, flatness, and arithmetic mean roughness.

14. A housing assembled from housing units according to any one of claims 11 to 13, comprising: a bottom housing unit forming the bottom surface of the housing; a side housing unit forming the side surface of the housing; and a work head for processing a workpiece.

15. The housing according to claim 14, further comprising: a mounting table on which the workpiece is placed; and lifting means attached to the side housing unit for raising and lowering the mounting table, the lifting means comprising a support plate for supporting the mounting table, and the joint plate attached to the joint between the support plate and the mounting table.

16. A molding device comprising the housing according to claim 14, wherein the work head that processes the workpiece molds a molded object.

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