3D Shaping Apparatus Boundary Quality via Sequential Material Ejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional three-dimensional shaping methods using ink-jet technology face issues with the mixture of model and supporting materials at their boundary, leading to expansion, color changes, and difficulty in removing the supporting material, which degrades the quality of the shaped object and increases processing time.
Innovation Solution
A three-dimensional shaping apparatus that ejects and cures the model and supporting materials at different times during reciprocating scanning, with the supporting material being ejected in larger amounts and with lower resolution than the model material, allowing for separate curing and reduced processing time by ensuring they are not mixed at the boundary surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If model material and supporting material are concurrently ejected through single scanning, then shaping time is reduced, but materials mix at boundary causing quality degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the ejection process into two separate scanning operations: first ejection of model material with curing, then ejection of supporting material with curing. This segmentation prevents mixing at the boundary while maintaining efficient processing through continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The model material is ejected and cured first before the supporting material is ejected. This preliminary action ensures that the model material is already solidified when the supporting material is added, preventing mixing and maintaining boundary quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If model material is ejected and cured first, then supporting material is ejected and cured, then material mixing is prevented, but shaping time is doubled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains continuous useful action by performing model material ejection and supporting material ejection in sequential scanning operations without idle time. The system continuously processes materials through the ejection-curing sequence, avoiding complete stops that would double the overall shaping time.
3Device complexity
If ultraviolet lamp is scanned together with nozzles, then device structure is simplified, but materials cannot be cured immediately after ejection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the ultraviolet lamp with the ejection nozzles into a single integrated head unit. This combining allows the curing lamp to follow immediately behind the ejection nozzles during scanning, ensuring materials are cured right after ejection while maintaining a simple integrated device structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach prevents material mixture at the boundary, enhances the quality of the shaped object, and reduces the overall processing time by optimizing the timing and amount of material ejection and curing.
Implementation Method 1
The model material and the supporting material are formed from resins having properties of being cured by irradiation of ultraviolet light. An ultraviolet-light lamp capable of emitting ultraviolet light is scanned in the XY directions together with the nozzles for ejecting the model material and the supporting material, so that the model material and the supporting material ejected from the nozzles are irradiated with the ultraviolet light to be cured.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A control device performs control for causing a horizontal driving device to reciprocatingly scan a head portion 20 in a single direction, further causing a shaping-material ejection device to eject a model material MA and a supporting material SA and causing a curing device 24 to cure the model material MA and/or the supporting material SA forward and rearward paths in the reciprocating scanning to form the slices, further for moving positions of the shaping plate 40 and the head portion 20, and for repeating the lamination of the slices to perform shaping, wherein the supporting material SA is ejected in an amount larger than an amount of the model material MA which is ejected, and the supporting material SA is shaped with a resolution lower than a resolution for the model material MA.