US 12,275,188 B2
Three-dimensional shaping device
Tatsuya Tsuboi, Okaya (JP); and Kenta Anegawa, Matsumoto (JP)
Assigned to SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION, (JP)
Filed by Seiko Epson Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Apr. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/725,620.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-072403 (JP), filed on Apr. 22, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0339867 A1, Oct. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. B29C 64/209 (2017.01); B29C 64/188 (2017.01); B29C 64/232 (2017.01); B29C 64/295 (2017.01); B29C 64/314 (2017.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 40/10 (2020.01); B33Y 40/20 (2020.01)
CPC B29C 64/209 (2017.08) [B29C 64/188 (2017.08); B29C 64/232 (2017.08); B29C 64/295 (2017.08); B29C 64/314 (2017.08); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/10 (2020.01); B33Y 40/20 (2020.01); B29C 2793/0027 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A three-dimensional shaping device comprising:
a plasticization head configured to plasticize at least a part of a material to produce a shaping material;
a nozzle having a nozzle tip surface where a nozzle hole opens and configured to eject the shaping material from the nozzle hole toward an ejection target surface to form laminating layers for a three-dimensional shaped object, the ejection target surface being either a top surface of the laminating layers or a top surface of a table;
a motor configured to change a relative position between the nozzle and the table along three axes orthogonal to each other;
a plurality of air outlets surrounding the nozzle tip surface;
a plurality of control valves provided at the plurality of air outlets to change output air flow rates from the plurality of air outlets, respectively;
a first heater configured to heat air to be blown from the plurality of air outlets;
a compressor having a contact surface and a second heater, the contact surface surrounding the plurality of air outlets, the second heater heating the contact surface;
a memory configured to store a program; and
a processor configured to execute the program so as to:
cause the plasticization head to produce the shaping material;
cause the nozzle to eject the shaping material toward the ejection target surface;
cause the motor to change the relative position between the nozzle and the table along the three axes;
independently control open and close states of the plurality of control valves to control an amount of the heated air flowing from the plurality of air outlets;
cause the heated air to be blown toward the ejection target surface via at least one outlet of the plurality of air outlets to heat the shaping material ejected to the ejection target surface by controlling the first heater, the at least one outlet being adjacent to the nozzle in a direction in which the nozzle moves relative to the table; and
cause the compressor to bring the contact surface in contact with the shaping material ejected to the ejection target surface to compress the laminating layers,
wherein the plurality of control valves are disposed adjacent to the plurality of air outlets, respectively,
the processor is further configured to:
control the first heater to set a temperature of the shaping material ejected to the ejection target surface at a first temperature after the nozzle ejects the shaping material toward the ejection target surface; and
control the second heater to set a temperature of the contact surface at a second temperature when the compressor brings the contact surface in contact with the shaping material ejected to the ejection target surface to compress the laminating layers, and
the first temperature is higher than the second temperature.