THREE DIMENSIONAL PRINTING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING PRINTING HEAD THEREOF

• US 20150251358A1
• Filed: 05/22/2014
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Limited (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), Kinpo Electronics Incorporated (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), XYZprinting, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Limited (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), Kinpo Electronics Incorporated (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), XYZprinting, Inc.
• Inventors: Ho, Kwan, Tung, Chien-Hung
• Application Number:
  US14/284,397
• Publication Number:
  US 20150251358A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• 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

A three-dimensional printing apparatus and a method for controlling printing head thereof are provided. The method is used for controlling a moving path of a printing head of the three-dimensional printing apparatus and the method includes following steps. The printing head is controlled to form a layer object on a carrying surface according to three-dimensional model information. It is determined whether a cross-section parameter of the layer object is match to a small range condition. If the cross-section parameter of the layer object is match to the small range condition, the printing head is controlled to move toward a first direction far away from layer object according to position information of the layer object. The printing head is controlled to move toward a second direction close to the layer object.

Claims

1. A method for controlling printing head, configured to control a moving path of a printing head of a three dimensional (3D) printing apparatus, and the method for controlling printing head comprising:

controlling the printing head according to 3D model information, so as to form a layer object on a carrying surface;

determining whether a cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to a small range condition;

controlling the printing head to move toward a first direction away from the layer object according to position information of the layer object when the cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to the small range condition; and

controlling the printing head to move toward a second direction close to the layer object.

2. The method for controlling printing head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cross-section parameter comprises a total printing time of the layer object, and the step of determining whether the cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to the small range condition comprises:

determining whether the cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to the small range condition according to whether the total printing time is smaller than or equal to a time threshold.

3. The method for controlling printing head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cross-section parameter comprises a total cross-section area of the layer object, and the step of determining whether the cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to the small range condition comprises:

determining whether the cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to the small range condition according to whether the total cross-section area is smaller than or equal to an area threshold.

4. The method for controlling printing head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cross-section parameter comprises a moving distance corresponding to the printing head of the layer object, and the step of determining whether the cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to the small range condition comprises:

determining whether the cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to the small range condition according to whether the moving distance is smaller than or equal to a length threshold.

5. The method for controlling printing head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of controlling the printing head to move toward the first direction away from the layer object according to the position information of the layer object comprises:

determining a reference point of the layer object; and

determining the first direction according to the reference point, and

controlling the printing head to move toward the first direction by a predetermined distance, such that a moving range of the printing head does not exceeds the top of the carrying surface.

6. The method for controlling printing head as claimed in claim 5, wherein the step of determining the first direction according to the reference point, and controlling the printing head to move toward the first direction by the predetermined distance, such that the moving range of the printing head does not exceeds the top of the carrying surface comprises:

determining whether a projection position of the reference point on the carrying surface is located in an inner block or an outer block of the carrying surface;

controlling the printing head to move on a moving plane toward a center point of the carrying surface by the predetermined distance when the projection position of the reference point is located in the outer block; and

controlling the printing head to move on the moving plane along a first horizontal direction or a second horizontal direction by the predetermined distance when the projection position of the reference point is located in the inner block, wherein the first horizontal direction is opposite to the second horizontal direction.

7. The method for controlling printing head as claimed in claim 6, wherein the inner block is divided into a left part and a right part according to a central dividing line, and the step of controlling the printing head to move on the moving plane along the first horizontal direction or the second horizontal direction by the predetermined distance when the projection position of the reference point is located in the inner block comprises:

controlling the printing head to move on the moving plane toward the central dividing line along the first horizontal direction by the predetermined distance when the projection position is located in the left part of the inner block; and

controlling the printing head to move on the moving plane toward the central dividing line along the second horizontal direction by the predetermined distance when the projection position is located in the right part of the inner block.

8. The method for controlling printing head as claimed in claim 5, wherein the carrying surface is divided into a first quadrant block, a second quadrant block, a third quadrant block and a fourth quadrant block by a horizontal dividing line and a vertical dividing line, and the step of determining the first direction according to the reference point, and controlling the printing head to move toward the first direction by the predetermined distance, such that the moving range of the printing head does not exceeds the top of the carrying surface comprises:

determining whether a projection position of the reference point on the carrying surface is located in the first quadrant block, the second quadrant block, the third quadrant block or the fourth quadrant block; and

controlling the printing head to move toward the second quadrant block, the third quadrant block or the fourth quadrant block by the predetermined distance when the projection position is located in the first quadrant block.

9. The method for controlling printing head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of controlling the printing head to move toward the first direction away from the layer object according to the position information of the layer object comprises:

controlling the printing head to move on a moving plane from the top of the carrying surface to another platform, wherein the first direction is a direction facing the other platform,

wherein the step of controlling the printing head to move toward the second direction close to the layer object comprises;

controlling the printing head to move on the moving plane from the other platform to the top of the carrying surface.

10. The method for controlling printing head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first direction is opposite to the second direction.

11. A three-dimensional printing apparatus, comprising:

a platform, comprising a carrying surface;

a printing head, disposed above the platform, and configured to move along a moving plane and move along a normal direction of the moving plane; and

a control unit, coupled to the platform and the printing head, and controlling the printing head to form a layer object on the carrying surface according to 3D model information, and determining whether a cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to a small range condition,

wherein when the cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to the small range condition, the control unit controls the printing head to move toward a first direction away from the layer object according to position information of the layer object, and controls the printing head to move toward a second direction close to the layer object.

12. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cross-section parameter comprises a total printing time of the layer object, and the control unit determines whether the cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to the small range condition according to whether the total printing time is smaller than or equal to a time threshold.

13. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cross-section parameter comprises a total cross-section area of the layer object, and the control unit determines whether the cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to the small range condition according to whether the total cross-section area is smaller than or equal to an area threshold.

14. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the cross-section parameter comprises a moving distance corresponding to the printing head of the layer object, and the control unit determines whether the cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to the small range condition according to whether the moving distance is smaller than or equal to a length threshold.

15. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control unit determines a reference point of the layer object, and the control unit determines the first direction according to the reference point, and controls the printing head to move toward the first direction by a predetermined distance, such that a moving range of the printing head does not exceeds the top of the carrying surface.

16. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the control unit determines whether a projection position of the reference point on the carrying surface is located in an inner block or an outer block of the carrying surface,

wherein when the projection position of the reference point is located in the outer block, the control unit controls the printing head to move on a moving plane toward a center point of the carrying surface by the predetermined distance,

wherein when the projection position of the reference point is located in the inner block, the control unit controls the printing head to move on the moving plane along a first horizontal direction or a second horizontal direction by the predetermined distance, wherein the first horizontal direction is opposite to the second horizontal direction.

17. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the inner block is divided into a left part and a right part according to a central dividing line,

wherein when the projection position is located in the left part of the inner block, the control unit controls the printing head to move on the moving plane toward the central dividing line along the first horizontal direction by the predetermined distance,

wherein when the projection position is located in the right part of the inner block, the control unit controls the printing head to move on the moving plane toward the central dividing line along the second horizontal direction by the predetermined distance.

18. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the carrying surface is divided into a first quadrant block, a second quadrant block, a third quadrant block and a fourth quadrant block by a horizontal dividing line and a vertical dividing line,

wherein the control unit determines whether a projection position of the reference point on the carrying surface is located in the first quadrant block, the second quadrant block, the third quadrant block or the fourth quadrant block, and when the projection position is located in the first quadrant block, the control unit controls the printing head to move toward the second quadrant block, the third quadrant block or the fourth quadrant block by the predetermined distance.

19. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising another platform disposed at one side of the platform,

wherein when the cross-section parameter of the layer object is matched to the small range condition, the control unit controls the printing head to move on a moving plane from the top of the carrying surface to the other platform, and controls the printing head to move on the moving plane from the other platform to the top of the carrying surface, wherein the first direction is a direction facing the other platform,

20. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first direction is opposite to the second direction.