JP7794086B2 - modeling equipment - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a modeling apparatus and a modeled object.

So-called 3D printers have been proposed in the past, which are modeling devices that create objects with complex structures by layering resin materials. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer that can use inexpensive pellet-like material. The 3D printer disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured so that pellet-like material stored in a storage section is pressure-fed through a conveying path to an extruder with an injection mechanism, where it is heated and melted to form molten resin, which is then discharged to the outside to create the model.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-051917

In the conventional configuration described above, objects are created using a single type of resin material. In recent years, however, there has been a demand to simultaneously dispense different types of materials and add functionality to objects. For example, there is a demand to make objects lighter than conventional models.

The technology disclosed in this specification was developed based on the above circumstances, and aims to provide a modeling device that can simultaneously eject different types of materials. It also aims to provide a modeled object with added functionality.

The technology disclosed in this specification is a modeling device that creates a model by layering string-shaped extruding material, where the periphery of the core material is covered with a shell material. The device includes a core material supply unit that supplies the core material, a shell material supply unit that supplies the shell material, and a modeling head that simultaneously extrudes the core material supplied by the core material supply unit and the shell material supplied by the shell material supply unit. The modeling head includes a cylindrical inner tube portion arranged inside and a cylindrical outer tube portion that surrounds the periphery of the inner tube portion. The core material supply unit is connected to the inner tube portion, and the shell material supply unit is connected to the outer tube portion. The modeling device extrudes the extruding material from the modeling head while the periphery of the core material extruded from the inner tube portion is surrounded by the shell material extruded from the outer tube portion.

The above configuration allows for the ejection of string-shaped ejection material with a two-layer structure, in which a core material is surrounded by a shell material. Therefore, by combining different materials for the core material and shell material, it is possible to create objects with added functionality.

The shell material supply unit may include an extruder that extrudes the shell material into the outer tube, and the outer outlet of the outer tube that extrudes the shell material is located closer to the tip in the discharge direction than the inner outlet of the inner tube that extrudes the core material, with the portion located closer to the tip than the inner outlet having a reduced diameter. The shell material extruded from the outer outlet through the outer tube by the extruder draws the core material that is extruded from the inner outlet inward, thereby discharging the extruded material in which the periphery of the core material is covered with the shell material.

The above configuration makes it possible to actually eject an object in which the core material is surrounded by the shell material.

The core material may be a pulverized material obtained by pulverizing a fiber-containing resin or a foamed resin, the shell material may be a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin, and the outer surface of the inner tube may be coated with a heat insulating material.

There has traditionally been a demand for lighter shaped objects. However, waste generated during the manufacturing and disposal of vehicle interior materials such as headliners, carpets, door trim, and seat coverings is bulky and multi-layered, containing fibrous materials and thermosetting resins (urethane foam), making it difficult to recycle using existing recycling technologies.

As a result of the above, it is possible to create lightweight objects using waste materials. Furthermore, by placing a heat insulating material between the inner and outer tubes, unnecessary heat transfer to the crushed material or foamed resin inside the inner tube is suppressed.

The core material is a pulverized material made by pulverizing a fiber-containing resin, and the core material supply unit may be equipped with an air suction unit that uses negative pressure to suck out air from the bulky pulverized material, thereby reducing the gaps between the pulverized material.

With the above configuration, the pulverized material can be supplied to the inner cylinder with a relatively high density.

The technology disclosed in this specification also relates to a shaped object in which string-shaped materials, each having a core material surrounded by a shell material, are arranged in a direction intersecting the direction of their extension, with the shell materials of adjacent string materials being connected together as a single unit.

With the above configuration, by combining different materials for the core and shell, it is possible to obtain a molded object with added functionality.

The technology disclosed in this specification makes it possible to provide a modeling device capable of simultaneously discharging different types of dispensing materials. It is also possible to provide a modeled object with added functionality.

Schematic diagram of a molding apparatus according to an embodiment. Cross section of discharge material (string material) I-I cross section of Figure 1 Enlarged cross-sectional view of the boundary between the supply hose and the inner cylinder II-II cross-sectional view of FIG. Schematic diagram showing an example of a door trim manufacturing method 3-3 cross-sectional view of FIG. IV-IV cross-sectional view of FIG.

One embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. The modeling device 10 of this embodiment is a so-called 3D printer, which is a device that produces a three-dimensional model by stacking two-dimensional layers sliced based on 3D CAD design data one by one. This modeling device 10 is a material extrusion type device that extrudes heat-molten resin into a string-like shape, models the first layer in a planar direction, and then similarly stacks the second layer on top of this first layer, repeatedly creating a model with a three-dimensional structure.

The modeling device 10 of this embodiment is characterized in that the extruded material 11 extruded in a string-like shape from the modeling device 10 has a two-layer structure in which an inner layer 12 is surrounded by an outer layer 13 (see Figure 2). In the following, the material that makes up the inner layer 12 will be referred to as the core material 15, and the material that makes up the outer layer 13 will be referred to as the shell material 16.

As shown in FIG. 1, the modeling apparatus 10 of this embodiment includes two material supply units 20, 40, a modeling head 30, and a modeling table 60.

One of the two material supply units is the shell material supply unit 20, which includes a shell material hopper 21 and a shell material extruder 22. The shell material hopper 21 is conical, and resin pellets P of the shell material 16 can be supplied from its bottom end into the shell material extruder 22. The shell material 16 in this embodiment is a thermoplastic resin. For example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyvinyl acetate, acrylic resin, polyamide, polycarbonate, polyester, etc. can be used.

The shell material extruder 22 quantitatively extrudes pellets P of shell material 16 supplied from the shell material hopper 21, and is equipped with a cylinder 23, a screw 24 disposed within the cylinder 23, and a drive motor (not shown) that rotates the screw 24. The cylinder 23 is horizontally oriented. The shell material hopper 21 described above is connected to the rear end of the cylinder 23 (the end on the left side in Figure 1).

The pellets P of shell material 16 extruded from the cylinder 23 are sent to the molding head 30 (described below) connected to the tip of the cylinder 23.

The shaping head 30 of this embodiment has a double structure, comprising a cylindrical inner tube portion 31 disposed inside and an outer tube portion 35 disposed to surround the inner tube portion 31. The inner tube portion 31 and the outer tube portion 35 are disposed vertically, with their central axes oriented in the vertical direction. The inner tube portion 31 is also disposed slightly above the outer tube portion 35 as a whole. In other words, the upper end of the inner tube portion 31 is disposed slightly above the upper end of the outer tube portion 35, and the lower end of the inner tube portion 31 is disposed slightly above the lower end of the outer tube portion 35. The upper end of the inner tube portion 31 forms an expanded diameter portion 33 whose diameter expands outward (see Figure 4). The expanded diameter portion 33 expands from the cylindrical main body of the inner tube portion 31 so that its cross section is rectangular (see Figure 5).

The portion of the outer tube 35 located closer to the tip in the discharge direction than the inner discharge port 32, which is the lower end of the inner tube, is tapered, and the inner diameter of the outer discharge port 36, which is the lower end of the outer tube, is slightly larger than the inner diameter of the inner tube 31. The outer discharge port 36 essentially serves as the discharge port of the modeling head 30. The tip (the end on the right side in FIG. 1 ) of the cylinder 23 of the shell material extruder 22 described above is connected to the upper end of the outer tube 35. The shell material 16 extruded from the cylinder 23 into the outer tube 35 is melted within the outer tube 35 by a heater 37 provided on the outer periphery of the outer tube 35 and is then extruded from the outer discharge port 36 of the outer tube 35 (modeling head 30). The outer periphery of the inner tube 31 is covered with a thermal insulator 34, which prevents heat from the shell material 16 heated within the outer tube 35 from being transferred into the inner tube 31.

While the inner cylinder 31 is penetrated vertically, the upper part of the outer cylinder 35 is closed except for the connection to the cylinder 23. This prevents the shell material 16 extruded from the cylinder 23 from escaping upward, and instead is extruded from the outer discharge port 36 of the modeling head 30.

On the other hand, the inner cylinder 31 is connected to the core material supply unit 40, the other of the two material supply units. The core material supply unit 40 includes a core material hopper 41, a core material extruder 42, and a supply hose 45.

The core material hopper 41 is conical in shape, and its lower end allows the core material 15 to be supplied into the core material extruder 42. In this embodiment, the core material 15 is pulverized material C made by pulverizing a fiber-containing resin material, such as waste material from vehicle door trim.

The core material extruder 42 quantitatively extrudes the crushed material C (core material 15) supplied from the core material hopper 41, and is equipped with a cylinder 43, a screw 44 disposed within the cylinder 43, and a drive motor (not shown) that rotates the screw 44. The cylinder 43 is horizontally oriented. The core material hopper 41 described above is connected to the rear end of the cylinder 43 (the end on the right side in Figure 1).

The pulverized material C (core material 15) extruded from the cylinder 43 is transported by the screw 44 while rotating in a spiral. Here, the screw 44 functions as a control mechanism to prevent the pulverized material C from being transported unexpectedly and to control the amount of pulverized material C transported to a constant level. The pulverized material C is sent to a supply hose 45 connected to the tip of the cylinder 43.

The supply hose 45 is cylindrical with a rectangular cross section and is made of a flexible material to accommodate the three-dimensional movement of the modeling head 30. The supply hose 45 is also equipped with an air blower 46, and the pulverized material C supplied from the cylinder 43 is blown toward the modeling head 30 (downward) by the air blown from the air blower 46. The outer diameter of the supply hose 45 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the inner tube portion 31 of the modeling head 30 described above, and its lower end is positioned inside the expanded diameter portion 33 of the inner tube portion 31 (see Figure 4).

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, a mesh roll 50 is provided at the lower end of the supply hose 45, at the boundary with the inner cylindrical portion 31, to close the opening of the supply hose 45. The mesh roll 50 is a cylindrical member with closed ends and mesh-like sides, and is rotatable clockwise in Figure 4 around its horizontally extending central axis. The mesh roll 50 is provided at a position where its central axis is approximately at the same height as the lower end of the supply hose 45. The mesh roll 50 is sized to almost completely close the inside of the supply hose 45 in a plan view (see Figure 5).

As shown in Figure 4, a blocking member 51 is provided along the inner surface of the mesh roll 50 in approximately the lower half of the interior of the mesh roll 50. While the mesh roll 50 rotates, the blocking member 51 is fixed and constantly blocks approximately the lower half of the mesh roll 50. In addition, a suction port for a suction blower 52 is provided on the inside of the mesh roll 50 (see Figure 5). As a result, the pulverized material C sent from the supply hose 45 (above) is sucked onto the outer surface (top surface) of the mesh roll 50 and moves downward as the mesh roll 50 rotates. After moving to the position where the blocking member 51 is provided, the suction is released and the material falls into the inner tube portion 31.

At the lower end of the supply hose 45, at a position corresponding to the rotational direction of the mesh roll 50, an opening/closing door 47 is formed so as to be able to open and close downward, for holding down the pulverized material C stuck to the outer surface of the mesh roll 50 while releasing it downward. Specifically, the opening/closing door 47 is formed so as to be able to open and close between a closed state in which it fits along the wall surface of the supply hose 45, and an open state in which it opens outward from the wall surface of the supply hose 45. When opened a predetermined angle from the closed state, this opening/closing door 47 can abut from the inside against the expanded diameter portion 33 of the inner tube portion 31. In other words, the opening angle of the opening/closing door 47 is restricted by the expanded diameter portion 33.

A doctor plate 53 is provided on the outer surface of the mesh roll 50, slightly below the upper end of the blocking member 51 (see Figure 4). The doctor plate 53 is a plate with a wedge-shaped cross section, and its tapered side edge is arranged in a direction along the central axis of the mesh roll 50 relative to the outer surface of the mesh roll 50, and abuts or is close to the outer surface of the mesh roll 50 from below. This ensures that the pulverized material C stuck to the mesh roll 50 is reliably scraped off the mesh roll 50 by the doctor plate 53.

The modeling table 60 is attached to a three-dimensional drive mechanism (not shown) and is moved vertically during modeling based on 3D data created by a computer. Meanwhile, the modeling head 30 is also attached to a three-dimensional drive mechanism (not shown) and is moved horizontally during modeling based on 3D data created by a computer.

Next, we will explain the method for forming a three-dimensional object using the above-mentioned modeling device 10. First, the thermoplastic resin pellets P in the shell material hopper 21 are sent to the shell material extruder 22. The shell material 16 pellets P are extruded from the cylinder 23 of the shell material extruder 22 into the outer tube portion 35, where they are heated and quickly melted. The molten shell material 16 is then pushed by the shell material 16 extruded from the cylinder 23 into the outer tube portion 35, and is extruded to the outside from the outer discharge port 36 of the outer tube portion 35 (the discharge port of the modeling head 30).

The pulverized material C in the core material hopper 41 is then sent to the core material extruder 42. The pulverized material C (core material 15) is extruded from the cylinder 43 of the core material extruder 42 into the supply hose 45 and sent to the modeling head 30 by the airflow from the air blower 46. It then falls onto the top surface of the mesh roll 50 attached to the lower end of the supply hose 45.

Bulky pulverized material C that reaches the mesh roll 50 is sucked onto the outer surface of the mesh roll 50 by the suction blower 52, compressed to a high-density state, and sent downward (toward the inner tube 31) as the mesh roll 50 rotates. At this time, the opening/closing door 47 is in openable and closable contact with the outer surface of the mesh roll 50, so that pulverized material C stuck to the mesh roll 50 is lightly pressed down by the opening/closing door 47 and sent downward. When the pulverized material C passes the opening/closing door 47 and moves to the lower side of the mesh roll 50, the suction of the suction blower 52 is released by the blocking member 51 located below inside the mesh roll 50, and the pulverized material C separates from the mesh roll 50 and falls into the inner tube 31. Even if some of the material remains stuck to the mesh roll 50, it is scraped off from the outer surface of the mesh roll 50 by the doctor plate 53.

In this way, the pulverized material C that has fallen to the lower end of the inner tube portion 31 is drawn into the inside of the shell material 16 as the molten shell material 16 is discharged together with the shell material 16. In other words, the string-shaped discharge material 11, in which the core material 15 (pulverized material C) is surrounded by the shell material 16, is discharged from the discharge port (outer discharge port 36) of the modeling head 30 onto the modeling table 60.

By continuing this operation, the modeling head 30 and modeling table 60 are moved based on the 3D data created by the computer, and the dispensing material 11 is layered, thereby creating a three-dimensional object. For example, as shown in Figures 6 to 8, a door trim 70 that forms the inside of a vehicle door can be created. Figure 6 shows an example in which the door trim 70 is created in a spiral shape from the outer periphery to the inner periphery.

Figures 7 and 8 show an example of a cross section of the door trim 70 of this embodiment. This door trim 70 is configured such that string-shaped string materials, each having a core material 15 surrounded by a shell material 16, are arranged in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the string materials, and the shell materials 16 of adjacent string materials are connected together. For convenience, Figures 7 and 8 show an example in which a single layer of discharge material 11 is connected, but the discharge material 11 may also be configured to have multiple layers stacked together, as shown in Figure 1.

Next, the effects will be explained. The modeling device 10 of this embodiment is an apparatus that creates a model by layering string-shaped extruding material 11, in which the periphery of a core material 15 is covered with a shell material 16. The modeling device 10 includes a core material supply unit 40 that supplies the core material 15, a shell material supply unit 20 that supplies the shell material 16, and a modeling head 30 that simultaneously extrudes the core material 15 supplied by the core material supply unit 40 and the shell material 16 supplied by the shell material supply unit 20. The modeling head 30 includes a cylindrical inner tube portion 31 disposed inside and a cylindrical outer tube portion 35 that surrounds the periphery of the inner tube portion 31. The core material supply unit 40 is connected to the inner tube portion 31, and the shell material supply unit 20 is connected to the outer tube portion 35. The modeling device 10 extrudes the extruding material 11 from the modeling head 30 while the periphery of the core material 15 extruded from the inner tube portion 31 is surrounded by the shell material 16 extruded from the outer tube portion 35.

The above configuration makes it possible to eject a string-shaped ejection material 11 with a two-layer structure in which the core material 15 is surrounded by the shell material 16. Therefore, by combining different materials for the core material 15 and the shell material 16, it is possible to create a shaped object with added functionality.

The shell material supply unit 20 includes a shell material extruder 22 that extrudes shell material 16 into the outer tube 35. The outer outlet 36 of the outer tube 35 that extrudes the shell material 16 is located closer to the tip of the discharge direction than the inner outlet 32 of the inner tube 31 that extrudes the core material 15, and the portion located closer to the tip of the inner outlet 32 has a reduced diameter. The shell material 16 extruded from the outer outlet 36 through the outer tube 35 by the shell material extruder 22 draws the core material 15 that is extruded from the inner outlet 32 inward, thereby discharging the extruded material 11 in which the core material 15 is surrounded by shell material 16.

The core material 15 is pulverized material C made by pulverizing fiber-containing resin, the shell material 16 is thermoplastic resin, and the outer surface of the inner tube portion 31 is covered with insulating material 34.

There has traditionally been a demand for lighter shaped objects. However, waste generated during the manufacturing and disposal of vehicle interior materials such as headliners, carpets, door trim, and seat coverings is bulky and multi-layered, containing fibrous materials and thermosetting resins (urethane foam), making it difficult to recycle using existing recycling technologies.

As described above, it is possible to create lightweight objects using waste materials. Furthermore, by placing the insulating material 34 between the inner cylinder 31 and the outer cylinder 35, unnecessary heat transfer to the pulverized material C inside the inner cylinder 31 is suppressed.

The core material 15 is pulverized material C made by pulverizing fiber-containing resin, and the core material supply unit 40 is equipped with a mesh roll 50 and a suction blower 52 that use negative pressure to suck out the air in the bulky pulverized material C, thereby reducing the gaps between the pulverized material C.

With the above configuration, the pulverized material C can be supplied to the inner cylinder portion 31 with a relatively high density.

The object of this embodiment is a door trim 70 in which string-like cord materials, each having a core material 15 surrounded by a shell material 16, are arranged in a direction intersecting the direction of extension, with the shell materials 16 of adjacent cord materials being connected together. This door trim 70 achieves weight reduction by combining different materials for the core material 15 and the shell material 16. Furthermore, waste fiber-containing resin components can be recycled.

<Other Embodiments>
The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the embodiments described above and illustrated in the drawings, and the following embodiments, for example, are also included in the technical scope.

(1) In the above embodiment, the outer discharge port 36 that discharges the shell material 16 is positioned closer to the tip in the discharge direction than the inner discharge port 32 that discharges the core material 15. However, the outer discharge port and the inner discharge port may be positioned at the same height, or the outer discharge port may be positioned further rearward than the inner discharge port.

(2) In the above embodiment, the core material 15 is made of pulverized material C obtained by pulverizing a fiber-containing resin, and the shell material 16 is made of a thermoplastic resin. However, the combination of the core material and the shell material can be changed as appropriate.

(3) In the above embodiment, the door trim 70 was used as an example of a shaped object, but the shaped object is not limited to door trim. The shaped object may be applied to vehicle interior materials such as ceilings and instrument panels, as well as various other shaped objects other than vehicle interior materials.

10: Modeling device, 11: Discharge material, 12: Inner layer, 13: Outer layer, 15: Core material, 16: Shell material, 20: Shell material supply unit, 22: Shell material extruder (extruder), 30: Modeling head, 31: Inner tube, 32: Inner discharge port, 34: Insulating material, 35: Outer tube, 36: Outer discharge port, 40: Core material supply unit, 50: Mesh roll (air suction unit), 51: Closure member (air suction unit), 52: Suction blower (air suction unit), 60: Modeling table, 70: Door trim (modeled object), C: Crushed material, P: Pellets

Claims (3)

A modeling apparatus that creates a model by stacking string-shaped discharged material, the periphery of which is covered with a shell material,
a core material supply unit that supplies the core material;
a shell material supply unit that supplies the shell material;
a modeling head configured to simultaneously discharge the core material supplied by the core material supply unit and the shell material supplied by the shell material supply unit,
The shaping head includes an inner cylindrical portion disposed inside the shaping head, and an outer cylindrical portion surrounding the inner cylindrical portion.
the core material supply section is connected to the inner cylinder section, and the shell material supply section is connected to the outer cylinder section,
The core material discharged from the inner cylindrical portion is surrounded by the shell material discharged from the outer cylindrical portion, and the discharged material is discharged from the modeling head,
the core material is a pulverized material obtained by pulverizing a fiber-containing resin or a foamed resin, and the shell material is a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin;
The outer surface of the inner cylindrical portion is covered with a heat insulating material . A modeling apparatus that creates a model by stacking string-shaped discharged material, the periphery of which is covered with a shell material,
a core material supply unit that supplies the core material;
a shell material supply unit that supplies the shell material;
a modeling head configured to simultaneously discharge the core material supplied by the core material supply unit and the shell material supplied by the shell material supply unit,
The shaping head includes an inner cylindrical portion disposed inside the shaping head, and an outer cylindrical portion surrounding the inner cylindrical portion.
the core material supply section is connected to the inner cylinder section, and the shell material supply section is connected to the outer cylinder section,
The core material discharged from the inner cylindrical portion is surrounded by the shell material discharged from the outer cylindrical portion, and the discharged material is discharged from the modeling head,
the core material is a pulverized material obtained by pulverizing a fiber-containing resin,
The core material supply unit is a molding device that includes an air suction unit that uses negative pressure to suck air from the bulky pulverized material, thereby reducing gaps between the pulverized material. the shell material supply unit includes an extruder that extrudes the shell material into the outer cylinder,
an outer discharge port of the outer cylindrical portion, which discharges the shell material, is located closer to the tip end in a discharge direction than an inner discharge port of the inner cylindrical portion, which discharges the core material, and a portion of the outer cylindrical portion, which is located closer to the tip end than the inner discharge port, has a reduced diameter;
The molding device described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the shell material extruded from the outer discharge port through the outer tube portion by the extruder draws the core material discharged from the inner discharge port inward, thereby discharging the discharged material in which the core material is surrounded by the shell material.