OPTICAL MOLDING APPARATUS, OPTICAL MOLDING METHOD, AND OPTICALLY MOLDED PRODUCT

• US 20090175977A1
• Filed: 01/06/2009
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Honda, Katsuhisa, Kihara, Nobuhiro, Kuzusako, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,348,655 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 425/174.400
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0827 using UV radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0838 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/124 using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes

Abstract

An optical molding apparatus molds an optically molded product by stacking cured layers. Each cured layer is formed by emitting light according to cross-sectional-shape data of the optically molded product onto a surface of photo-curable resin. The optical molding apparatus includes an exposing unit and an exposure control unit. The exposing unit performs exposure on the photo-curable resin for each of small work areas that are defined by dividing an overall work area, which is where an optical molding operation is performed, into a plurality of areas. The exposure control unit controls an exposure condition of the exposing unit for each of the small work areas and allows the exposure to be performed collectively on multiple layers'"'"' worth of the photo-curable resin in a predetermined one of the small work areas.

Claims

1. An optical molding apparatus that molds an optically molded product by stacking cured layers, each cured layer being formed by emitting light according to cross-sectional-shape data of the optically molded product onto a surface of photo-curable resin, the optical molding apparatus comprising:

exposing means configured to perform exposure on the photo-curable resin for each of small work areas, the small work areas being defined by dividing an overall work area into a plurality of areas, the overall work area being where an optical molding operation is performed; and

exposure controlling means configured to control an exposure condition of the exposing means for each of the small work areas and to allow the exposure to be performed collectively on multiple layers'"'"' worth of the photo-curable resin in a predetermined one of the small work areas.

2. The optical molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure controlling means allows the exposure to be performed collectively on the multiple layers'"'"' worth of the photo-curable resin in the predetermined small work area in a case where the predetermined small work area has substantially the same exposure pattern for multiple successive layers in a stacking direction.

3. The optical molding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure condition includes an intensity and an emission time of the light emitted to the photo-curable resin, the intensity and the emission time being determined according to the number of layers of the photo-curable resin that are to be collectively exposed to the light, and wherein the exposure controlling means controls the exposing means on the basis of the exposure condition.

4. An optical molding method for molding an optically molded product by stacking cured layers, each cured layer being formed by emitting light according to cross-sectional-shape data of the optically molded product onto a surface of photo-curable resin, the method comprising the steps of:

performing exposure on the photo-curable resin for each of small work areas, the small work areas being defined by dividing an overall work area into a plurality of areas, the overall work area being where an optical molding operation is performed; and

controlling an exposure condition for each of the small work areas and allowing the exposure to be performed collectively on multiple layers'"'"' worth of the photo-curable resin in a predetermined one of the small work areas.

5. An optically molded product molded by stacking cured layers, each cured layer being formed by emitting light according to cross-sectional-shape data onto a surface of photo-curable resin, wherein

the optically molded product is molded by performing exposure on the photo-curable resin for each of small work areas, the small work areas being defined by dividing an overall work area into a plurality of areas, the overall work area being where an optical molding operation is performed, and

an exposure condition is controlled for each of the small work areas and the exposure is performed collectively on multiple layers'"'"' worth of the photo-curable resin in a predetermined one of the small work areas.

6. An optical molding apparatus that molds an optically molded product by stacking cured layers, each cured layer being formed by emitting light according to cross-sectional-shape data of the optically molded product onto a surface of photo-curable resin, the optical molding apparatus comprising:

an exposing unit that performs exposure on the photo-curable resin for each of small work areas, the small work areas being defined by dividing an overall work area into a plurality of areas, the overall work area being where an optical molding operation is performed; and

an exposure control unit that controls an exposure condition of the exposing unit for each of the small work areas and allows the exposure to be performed collectively on multiple layers'"'"' worth of the photo-curable resin in a predetermined one of the small work areas.