THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTER

• US 20080105144A1
• Filed: 04/23/2007
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Institute of National Colleges of Technology Japan, Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Institute of National Colleges of Technology Japan, Mimaki Engineering Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tetsuka, Chikao, Ono, Nobuyuki, Seki, Kazutomo
• Granted Patent: US 7,819,055 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 101/38.1
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/08 for printing on filamentary or elongated articles, or on articles with cylindrical surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4073 Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112

Abstract

A three-dimensional printer comprises a base 1, a first supporting member 10 supported on the base such that the first supporting member is movable in the direction of an axis X, a second supporting member 15 supported on the first supporting member such that the second supporting member is movable in the direction of an axis Z, a third supporting member 20 supported on the second supporting member such that the third supporting member is rotatable about a first rotation axis Y0 extending in the direction of an axis Y, a holding chuck 26, for holding a print substrate, supported on the third supporting member such that the holding chuck is rotatable about a second rotation axis X0, and a printer head 5 supported on the base 1 to extend above the print substrate 80 such that the printer head is movable in the direction of the axis Y. The movement and rotation of the first through third supporting members and the holding chuck are controlled by a movement controller and the movement of the printer head 5 is also controlled by the movement controller. The ejection of ink from the printer head 5 is controlled by a printing controller according to the movement and rotation control by the movement controller.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printer in which ink is ejected from a printer head thereof to a print substrate having a three-dimensional surface so as to perform predetermined printing on the three-dimensional surface, comprising:

a holding device for holding said print substrate;

a supporting device for supporting said holding device and said printer head such that said holding device and said printer head are movable relative to each other in directions of axes X, Y, and Z which are perpendicular to each other, and for supporting said holding device such that said holding device is rotatable about the axis X and rotatable about the axis Y relative to said printer head;

a movement controller for controlling said holding device and said printer head which are supported by said supporting device to move relative to each other in the directions of the axes X, Y, and Z and for controlling said holding device to rotate about the axis X and about the axis Y relative to said printer head; and

a printing controller for controlling the ejection of ink from said printer head according to the movement and rotation control by said movement controller.

2. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supporting device supports the print substrate such that the print substrate is rotatable about said axis X and, in this state, the print substrate is rotatable about said axis Y passing through a point O1 on said axis X, and supports said print substrate such that the print substrate is movable anteroposteriorly along said axis X and movable vertically along said axis Z.

3. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said printer head is disposed above said print substrate supported by said supporting device such that said printer head is movable in the direction of said axis Y, said printer head is provided with a plurality of ink nozzle holes formed in the bottom thereof to eject ink supplied from an ink supplier to a surface of the print substrate in a state that the ink nozzle holes are each controlled by a printing controller so as to perform printing.

4. A three-dimensional printer comprising:

a base member;

a first supporting member supported on said base member such that said first supporting member is movable in the direction of an axis X (an anteroposterior direction) extending in a horizontal plane direction;

a second supporting member supported on said first supporting member such that said second supporting member is movable in the direction of an axis Z, (a vertical direction) extending in a direction perpendicular to said horizontal plane direction;

a third supporting member supported on said second supporting member such that said third supporting member is rotatable about a first rotation axis extending in the direction of an axis Y perpendicular to the directions of the axes X and Z;

a holding device, for holding a print substrate, supported on said third supporting member such that the holding device is rotatable about a second rotation axis extending in a plane perpendicular to the first rotation axis;

a printer head disposed on said base member to extend above the print substrate, held by said holding device, such that said printer head is movable in the direction of the axis Y (a lateral direction);

a movement controller for controlling the movement and rotation of said first through third supporting members and said holding device and for controlling the movement of said printer head; and

a printing controller for controlling the ejection of ink from said printer head according to the movement and rotation control by said movement controller.

5. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first rotation axis and said second rotation axis cross each other.

6. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 4, wherein a gate-like supporting frame is fixed on said base member and comprises a pair of left and right supporting legs and a supporting beam connecting the upper ends of the supporting legs and extending in a lateral direction, a lateral guide rail is arranged on said supporting beam to extend in the direction of the axis Y, and said printer head is supported on said lateral guide rail such that said printer head is movable in a lateral direction.

7. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 6, wherein said printer head is moved on said lateral guide rail by a traveling mechanism comprising a ball screw mechanism.

8. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 6, wherein said movement controller and said printing controller are arranged adjacent to said left and right supporting legs.

9. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 6, wherein said printer head comprises a printer head carriage supported by said lateral guide rail and a printer head module attached to said printer head carriage, and the ejection of ink from ink nozzle holes formed in the bottom of said printer head module to a surface of said print substrate is controlled by said printing controller.

10. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 6, wherein an anteroposterior guide rail extending in the direction of said axis X is disposed on said base member between said left and right supporting legs of said gate-like supporting frame and said first supporting member is disposed on said anteroposterior guide rail such that said first supporting member is movable in the direction of axis X.

11. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 10, wherein said first supporting member is moved on said anteroposterior guide rail by a traveling mechanism comprising a ball screw mechanism.

12. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 4, wherein a vertical supporting member is fixed in a vertically standing state on the first supporting member, a vertical guide rail extending in the direction of the axis Z is attached to said vertical supporting member, and said second supporting member is supported by said vertical guide rail such that said second supporting member is movable in the direction of said axis Z.

13. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 12, wherein said vertical guide rails are moved by a traveling mechanism comprising a ball screw mechanism.

14. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 4, wherein the front surface of said second supporting member is formed into a semicircular shape of which center is a first rotation axis Y0 extending in the direction of said axis Y passing through a prescribed point O1 defined relative to the second supporting member, a third supporting member having a rear surface having a semicircular shape corresponding to the semicircular shape of the front surface is disposed slidably along said front surface, and said third supporting member is supported such that said third supporting member is rotatable about said first rotation axis Y0 relative to said second supporting member.

15. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 14, wherein said third supporting member is provided with internal teeth which are formed in a front surface of a side portion thereof and of which center is said first rotation axis Y0, a driving motor is mounted on a front surface of a left-side portion of the second supporting member, a driving pinion attached to a driving shaft of said driving motor is meshed with said internal teeth, and said third supporting member is rotated about said first rotation axis Y0 by that said driving pinion is driven to rotate by said driving motor.

16. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 14, wherein a holding shaft extends in the direction of said axis X and projects forward from the front surface of the third supporting member such that the holding shaft is rotatable about a second rotation axis X0, and said holding device for holding said print substrate is attached to the front end of said holding shaft.

17. A three-dimensional printer as claimed in claim 16, wherein said holding device is driven to rotate by a driving motor which is disposed within said third supporting member and thus rotates said print substrate about said second rotation axis X0.