Circular Substrate Rotation for Inkjet 3D Printing Efficiency

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Solution Overview

Problem

The inefficiency of traditional inkjet-based 3D printing methods, where the inkjet head's usage efficiency is reduced due to the need for acceleration and deceleration during main scanning operations, leading to prolonged non-operational times and decreased shaping speed when creating 3D objects with smaller widths.

Innovation Solution

A shaping device that employs a circling path for the inkjet head to discharge ink droplets onto a rotating 3D object, eliminating the need for main scanning operations and enhancing usage efficiency by allowing continuous operation without acceleration and deceleration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the inkjet head carries out main scanning operation to discharge ink droplets, then the ink layer can be formed, but the moving distance becomes long and acceleration/deceleration sections are necessary, reducing usage efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveink layer formation accuracyVSAvoidshaping speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of moving the inkjet head in linear scanning motion, the patent inverts the approach by rotating the substrate to bring different regions under the stationary or slowly moving inkjet head, thereby eliminating long travel distances and acceleration/deceleration cycles

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs circular rotation motion of the substrate instead of linear scanning, allowing the inkjet head to discharge droplets continuously onto different angular positions of the rotating substrate, thus eliminating the need for long straight-line movements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Adaptability or versatility

If the width of the region to which ink droplet is discharged becomes small for small-width 3D objects, then the shaping can be adapted to small objects, but the proportion of acceleration/deceleration distance becomes large, reducing usage efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to small-width objectsVSAvoidnon-operational time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the conventional scanning approach by keeping the inkjet head relatively stationary and rotating the substrate, which allows continuous droplet discharge without long travel distances even when shaping small-width objects, thereby minimizing non-operational time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Manufacturing precision

If the main scanning operation is repeated a great number of times to form multiple ink layers, then the 3D object can be shaped through layering, but the low usage efficiency of the inkjet head greatly lowers the shaping efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelayering shaping accuracyVSAvoidoverall shaping efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables continuous useful action by rotating the substrate continuously and discharging ink droplets at different angular positions during each rotation, allowing the inkjet head to operate continuously without long idle travel times, thus maintaining high usage efficiency across multiple layers

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs periodic rotation of the substrate, where each rotation cycle deposits one layer or portion of a layer, and multiple rotation cycles are used to build up the complete 3D object, maintaining high efficiency through rhythmic continuous operation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

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 configuration significantly improves the efficiency of 3D object shaping by reducing non-operational times for the inkjet head, allowing for faster and more efficient layer formation, and enabling the creation of complex shapes with higher accuracy.

Implementation Method 1

a discharging head (inkjet head) that discharges a material liquid droplet, which is a liquid droplet of a material for the 3D object

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectInkjet method:

Data Source

PatentUS11220047B2Shaping device and shaping method

Publication Date: 2022.01.11 MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO LTD

AI summary

To efficiently and appropriately shape a 3D object. There is provided a shaping device that shapes a three-dimensional (3D) object through a layering shaping method, the shaping device including an inkjet head, which is a discharging head, that discharges a material liquid droplet, a liquid droplet of a material for the 3D object; and a circling driving section that relatively circles at least a region to be discharged, which is a region to which the material liquid droplet is discharged in the 3D object being shaped, along a circling path set in advance with respect to the inkjet head; where the circling driving section causes the region to be discharged to circle the circling path plural times; and inkjet head discharges the material liquid droplet onto the region to be discharged circling on the circling path.