阅读说明：本技术 造形装置以及造形物的制造方法 (Molding device and method for manufacturing molded article ) 是由 牛込洋一 于 2021-03-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供造形装置以及造形物的制造方法。在造形装置中,输送部输送待通过被照射电磁波而膨胀的成形片材。照射部向通过输送部被输送的成形片材照射电磁波。焦点调整部对通过照射部被照射的电磁波的焦点的位置进行调整。焦点调整部根据待通过成形片材的膨胀而使成形片材形成的凹凸的精细度,对焦点的位置进行调整。(Provides a shaping device and a method for manufacturing a shaped object. In the shaping apparatus, a conveying portion conveys a shaped sheet to be expanded by being irradiated with an electromagnetic wave. The irradiation section irradiates an electromagnetic wave to the formed sheet conveyed by the conveying section. The focus adjustment unit adjusts the position of the focus of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the irradiation unit. The focus adjustment unit adjusts the position of the focus according to the fineness of the unevenness to be formed on the molded sheet by expansion of the molded sheet.)

1. A shaping device is characterized by comprising:

a conveying section that conveys a formed sheet to be expanded by being irradiated with an electromagnetic wave;

an irradiation section that irradiates the electromagnetic wave to the formed sheet conveyed by the conveying section; and

a focus adjustment unit that adjusts a position of a focus of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the irradiation unit,

the focus adjustment unit adjusts the position of the focus according to fineness of unevenness to be formed on the formed sheet by expansion of the formed sheet.

2. The shaping device according to claim 1,

the irradiation portion has a lamp that emits the electromagnetic wave, and a reflector that reflects the electromagnetic wave emitted from the lamp toward the shaped sheet conveyed by the conveying portion,

the focus adjustment unit adjusts the position of the focus by moving at least one of the lamp and the reflector in a direction perpendicular to the formed sheet conveyed by the conveying unit.

3. The shaping device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

a fineness setting unit that sets the fineness,

the focus adjustment unit adjusts the position of the focus according to the fineness set by the fineness setting unit.

4. A shaping device according to claim 3,

the lower the fineness set by the fineness setting portion, the more the position of the focal point is moved by the focal point adjusting portion so that the distance between the position of the focal point and the formed sheet conveyed by the conveying portion is larger.

5. Shaping device as claimed in claim 3 or 4,

the conveying portion varies a conveying speed at which the formed sheet is conveyed according to the fineness set by the fineness setting portion.

6. The shaping device as defined in claim 5,

the conveying unit sets the conveying speed to be smaller as the fineness set by the fineness setting unit is lower.

7. Shaping device as claimed in any of the claims 3 to 6,

the fineness setting section sets the fineness in accordance with a shaping object manufactured from the shaped sheet.

8. Shaping device as claimed in any of the claims 3 to 7,

the shaped sheet material is a long strip of sheet material,

the conveying section conveys the formed sheet in a longitudinal direction of the formed sheet,

the fineness setting portion sets the fineness different for each of a plurality of regions divided in the long side direction in the formed sheet.

9. Shaping device as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 8,

the formed sheet is provided with:

a base material;

a thermal expansion layer which is laminated on one main surface of the base material and expands by heating; and

and a heat conversion layer laminated on the other main surface of the base material or the thermal expansion layer, and absorbing the electromagnetic wave to convert the electromagnetic wave into heat and heat the thermal expansion layer.

10. A method for producing a shaped article, characterized in that,

the method for producing a shaped article from a shaped sheet expanded by irradiation with electromagnetic waves comprises the steps of:

an adjustment step of adjusting a position of a focal point of the electromagnetic wave irradiated to the formed sheet;

a conveying step of conveying the formed sheet; and

an irradiation step of irradiating the electromagnetic wave to the formed sheet conveyed in the conveying step,

in the adjusting step, the position of the focal point is adjusted in accordance with the fineness of the unevenness to be formed on the formed sheet by the expansion of the formed sheet.

11. The molding production method according to claim 10,

the formed sheet is provided with:

a base material;

a thermal expansion layer which is laminated on one main surface of the base material and expands by heating; and

and a heat conversion layer laminated on the other main surface of the base material or the thermal expansion layer, and absorbing the electromagnetic wave to convert the electromagnetic wave into heat and heat the thermal expansion layer.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a molding device and a method for manufacturing molded articles.

Background

A technique of manufacturing a shaped object using a medium that expands by being irradiated with an electromagnetic wave is known. For example, japanese patent application laid-open No. 2013-178353 discloses an image forming apparatus that irradiates light to a medium having a thermally expandable layer containing a thermally expandable material that expands by heat to form a three-dimensional image as a molded object. Specifically, the image forming apparatus disclosed in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2013-178353 forms a developer image based on a developer containing a material having light absorption property on a medium, and irradiates the medium on which the developer image is formed with light having a wavelength absorbed by the developer.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the image forming apparatus disclosed in patent document 1, the lamp and the reflector of the irradiation portion that irradiate the electromagnetic wave are fixed, and the position of the focal point of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the irradiation portion cannot be changed. Therefore, only the unevenness of a specific fineness can be formed on the formed sheet (sheet). In view of such circumstances, it is desired to form irregularities having a fineness according to the preference of the user on a formed sheet.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a forming apparatus and a forming article manufacturing method capable of forming irregularities having a fineness according to the preference of a user on a formed sheet.

Means for solving the problems

In order to achieve the above object, a shaping device according to the present invention includes: a conveying section that conveys a formed sheet to be expanded by being irradiated with an electromagnetic wave; an irradiation section that irradiates the electromagnetic wave to the formed sheet conveyed by the conveying section; and a focus adjustment unit that adjusts a position of a focus of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the irradiation unit, the focus adjustment unit adjusting the position of the focus according to fineness of unevenness to be formed on the formed sheet by expansion of the formed sheet.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to form the concave-convex portions with the fineness according to the preference of the user on the formed sheet.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a formed sheet according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view showing an example in which a heat conversion layer is formed on the formed sheet shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view showing an example of the expanded formed sheet shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of the shaped article according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view showing a shaping apparatus according to embodiment 1.

FIG. 6 is a top view showing a tension part of the molding device shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing an irradiation part of the shaping apparatus shown in FIG. 5.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example in which the position of the focal point of the electromagnetic wave is moved in the irradiation portion shown in fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit of the shaping apparatus shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a fineness table stored in the molding device according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a flow of a manufacturing process of the shaped object according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit of the molding device according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a schematic view showing a shaping apparatus according to a modification of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals.

(embodiment mode 1)

< shaped sheet 10 >

Fig. 1 shows a cross-sectional structure of a formed sheet 10 for producing a shaped article according to embodiment 1 of the present invention. The formed sheet 10 is a medium in which a selected portion is expanded by heating to form a shape. The formed sheet 10 is also referred to as a thermal expansion sheet.

The shaping object is an object having a three-dimensional shape, and in a two-dimensional sheet, a part of the sheet is shaped by being expanded in a direction outward from the surface of the sheet. The shaped object is also referred to as a three-dimensional object or a three-dimensional image. The shape of the shaped object generally includes a simple shape, a geometric shape, a character shape, and the like.

More specifically, the shaped article according to embodiment 1 is an object having irregularities in a direction perpendicular to or in an oblique direction with respect to a specific two-dimensional plane in a three-dimensional space. Such a shaped object is included in a stereoscopic (three-dimensional) image, but is called a 2.5-dimensional (2.5D) image or a pseudo three-dimensional (pseudo-3D) image in order to be distinguished from a stereoscopic image manufactured by a so-called 3D printer technology. The technique for manufacturing such a shaped object is included in the stereoscopic image printing technique, but is called a 2.5-dimensional printing technique or a pseudo three-dimensional printing technique in order to distinguish it from a so-called 3D printer. The expression of aesthetic feeling or texture by visual or tactile sense through shaping (modeling) is referred to as "decoration (ornament)".

As shown in fig. 1, the formed sheet 10 includes a base material 20 and a thermal expansion layer 30. Fig. 1 shows a cross section of the formed sheet 10 before the formed article is manufactured, that is, in a state where neither part is expanded. Hereinafter, the side of the thermal expansion layer 30 is referred to as the front side of the formed sheet 10, and the side of the base material 20 is referred to as the reverse side of the formed sheet 10.

The base material 20 is a sheet-like medium that forms the basis of the formed sheet 10. The base material 20 is a support for supporting the thermal expansion layer 30, and plays a role of holding the strength of the formed sheet 10. As the substrate 20, for example, a general printing paper can be used. Alternatively, the material of the base 20 may be synthetic paper, cloth such as canvas, or a plastic film such as polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), and is not particularly limited. The base material 20 of the formed sheet 10 has a first main surface 22 and a second main surface 24 opposite to the first main surface 22.

The thermal expansion layer 30 is a layer that is laminated on the first main surface 22 of the base material 20 and expands when heated to a predetermined expansion temperature or higher. The thermally-expansible layer 30 includes a binder 31 and a thermally-expansible material 32 dispersed in the binder 31. The binder 31 is a thermoplastic resin such as an ethylene vinyl acetate polymer or a propylene polymer. The thermal expansion material 32 is specifically a thermal expansion microcapsule (fine powder) in which a material such as propane or butane that vaporizes at a low boiling point is encapsulated in a shell of a thermoplastic resin and has a particle diameter of about 5 to 50 μm. When the thermal expansion material 32 is heated to a temperature of, for example, about 80 ℃ to 120 ℃, the contained substance is vaporized, and foams and expands due to the pressure. Thus, the thermal expansion layer 30 expands according to the absorbed heat. The thermally expansive material 32 is also referred to as a blowing agent.

A heat conversion layer 40 for converting electromagnetic waves into heat is formed on a portion of the front or back surface of the formed sheet 10, which is to be expanded. Fig. 2 shows, as an example, a state in which the heat conversion layer 40 is formed on a part of each of the front side surface (i.e., the surface of the heat expansion layer 30) and the reverse side surface (i.e., the second main surface 24 of the base material 20) of the formed sheet 10. The heat conversion layer 40 is formed by printing on the front side or the reverse side of the formed sheet 10 by a printing apparatus such as an ink jet printer.

The heat conversion layer 40 converts the electromagnetic wave into heat and emits the converted heat. Thereby, the thermal expansion material 32 contained in the thermal expansion layer 30 is heated to a predetermined temperature. The temperature at which the thermal expansion material 32 is heated can be controlled by the density of the thermal conversion layer 40 formed on the front side or the reverse side of the formed sheet 10 and the energy level per unit area and unit time of the electromagnetic wave irradiated to the thermal conversion layer 40. Since the thermal conversion layer 40 converts electromagnetic waves into heat more rapidly than the other portions of the formed sheet 10, the region (thermal expansion layer 30) near the thermal conversion layer 40 is selectively heated.

The material of the thermal conversion layer 40 is carbon black, a hexaboride metal compound, a tungsten oxide compound, or the like. For example, carbon black absorbs visible light, infrared light, and the like and converts the light into heat. Further, the metal hexaboride and the tungsten oxide compound absorb near infrared light and convert the light into heat. Among the metal hexaboride compounds and tungsten oxide compounds, lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) and cesium tungsten oxide are preferable in terms of high near-infrared absorption and high visible light transmittance.

When the electromagnetic wave is converted into heat by the heat conversion layer 40 and the thermal expansion layer 30 is heated to a predetermined expansion temperature, the thermal expansion material 32 present at a position corresponding to the region where the thermal conversion layer 40 is formed among the thermal expansion materials 32 included in the thermal expansion layer 30 expands. As a result, as shown in fig. 3, the portion of the formed sheet 10 on which the heat conversion layer 40 is formed rises to the front side, and a bulge (bump) is formed. The bulge or the uneven shape is produced by the bulge (bump) of the thermal expansion layer 30, and the shaped article 50 as shown in fig. 4, for example, is produced.

< modeling object 50 >

The shaped article 50 is a sheet-like shaped article and has projections and depressions 52, i.e., projections 54 and recesses 56 on the surface. The shaped article 50 is used as a decorative sheet, wallpaper, or the like.

As shown in fig. 4, the shaped article 50 includes a base 20, a thermal expansion layer 30 laminated on the first main surface 22 of the base 20 and having irregularities 52 on the side opposite to the base 20, and a heat conversion layer 40 formed on the front or back surface of the base 20 in a pattern (pattern) corresponding to the irregularities 52. By combining the expanded region and the expanded height in the formed sheet 10, a colorful structure including such a structure 50 can be manufactured.

< Molding device 100 >

Next, the modeling apparatus 100 will be described. The shaping apparatus 100 irradiates the shaped sheet 10 with electromagnetic waves to expand the shaped sheet 10, thereby manufacturing a shaped object 50 as shown in fig. 4, for example. When the shaping apparatus 100 is irradiated with an electromagnetic wave, the shaped sheet 10 includes a base material 20, a thermal expansion layer 30, and a thermal conversion layer 40, as shown in fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 5, the shaping apparatus 100 includes a conveying unit 120, a tension unit 130, an irradiation unit 140, and a control unit 180. These components are provided in the case 105. The box 105 has a carrying-in opening 105a into which the molded sheet 10 is carried and a carrying-out opening 105b from which the manufactured shaped article 50 is carried out.

For easy understanding, the following description will be given assuming that the longitudinal right direction (right direction on the paper surface) of the modeling apparatus 100 in fig. 5 is the + X direction, the upward direction (upward direction on the paper surface) is the + Z direction, and the direction perpendicular to the + X direction and the + Z direction (near front direction on the paper surface) is the + Y direction.

< transport section 120 >

The conveying unit 120 conveys the formed sheet 10 carried in from the carrying-in port 105a of the cassette 105 along the conveying path R. The conveyance path R is a path leading from the carry-in port 105a of the casing 105 to the carry-out port 105 b. The conveyance path R is a path curved in a convex shape, and is curved so as to protrude in the + Z direction with the position irradiated with the electromagnetic wave by the irradiation unit 140 as the top T.

More specifically, the conveying unit 120 includes a guide 122, a driven roller 124a, a driving roller 124b, a tension roller 124c, a conveying belt 126, a carry-in roller 128a, and a carry-out roller 128 b.

The guide 122 is disposed between the outward path portion and the return path portion of the conveyor belt 126. The guide portion 122 supports the outward path portion of the conveyor belt 126 from the-Z side in a curved state along the conveying path R curved in a convex manner.

The driven roller 124a is disposed on the side of the loading port 105a of the casing 105 (+ X side) and is wound around the conveyor belt 126. The rotation axis of the driven roller 124a is arranged in a direction (Y direction) orthogonal to the conveying direction (-X direction) of the formed sheet 10 and the projecting direction (+ Z direction) of the conveying path R, and the driven roller 124a is pivotally supported by a side plate of the case 105.

The driving roller 124b is disposed on the outlet 105b side (X side) of the casing 105, and is wound around the conveyor belt 126. The rotation axis of the driving roller 124b is arranged in the Y direction similarly to the rotation axis of the driven roller 124a, and the driving roller 124b is pivotally supported by a side plate of the casing 105. The drive roller 124b rotates counterclockwise as viewed in the + Y direction by rotation of a motor not shown, and runs the conveyor belt 126.

The tension roller 124c is disposed below the return portion of the conveyor belt 126 (on the-Z side), and presses the return portion of the conveyor belt 126 from the-Z side to apply tension to the conveyor belt 126. The rotation axis of the tension roller 124c is arranged in the Y direction similarly to the rotation axis of the driven roller 124a, and the tension roller 124c is pivotally supported by a side plate of the housing 105.

The conveyance belt 126 is an endless belt wound around the driven roller 124a and the driving roller 124 b. The outward path portion of the conveyor belt 126 is supported by the guide portion 122 and curved in a convex manner along the conveying path R curved in a convex manner. The conveying belt 126 runs by the rotation of the driving roller 124 b. Specifically, the outgoing portion of the conveyor belt 126 travels in the-X direction along the conveying path R, and the returning portion of the conveyor belt 126 travels in the + X direction.

When the heat conversion layer 40 is formed on the front side surface of the formed sheet 10, the opposite side surface is placed on the conveyor belt 126 so as to face the conveying surface 126a of the conveyor belt 126, that is, so as to face the front side surface of the formed sheet 10 upward. On the other hand, when the heat conversion layer 40 is formed on the opposite surface of the formed sheet 10, the front surface is placed on the conveyor belt 126 so as to face the conveying surface 126a of the conveyor belt 126, that is, so as to face the opposite surface of the formed sheet 10 upward.

The conveying belt 126 is driven by the rotation of the driving roller 124b, and the formed sheet 10 placed on the conveying belt 126 is conveyed from the carry-in port 105a of the cassette 105 in the-X direction along the conveying path R. The conveyor 126 conveys the shaped object 50, which is produced by irradiating the shaped sheet 10 with electromagnetic waves from the irradiation unit 150, to the discharge port 105b of the box 105.

The carry-in roller 128a is pivotally supported by a side plate of the casing 105, similarly to the driven roller 124 a. The carry-in roller 128a sandwiches the formed sheet 10 inserted from the carry-in port 105a with the conveyor belt 126, and carries the formed sheet 10 into the cassette 105.

The carry-out roller 128b is pivotally supported by a side plate of the casing 105, similarly to the drive roller 124 b. The carry-out roller 128b sandwiches the shaped object 50 produced from the formed sheet 10 with the conveyor belt 126, and carries it out from the carry-out opening 105 b.

< tension part 130 >

The tension unit 130 applies tension to the formed sheet 10 conveyed by the conveying unit 120 along the conveying path R curved in a convex shape. As shown in fig. 6, the tension unit 130 includes a pair of pressing belts 131 and 132. Each of the pressing belts 131, 132 presses each of the widthwise ends (+ Y-direction end and-Y-direction end) of the conveying belt 126 of the formed sheet 10 against the conveying belt 126, and applies tension along the conveying path R to the formed sheet 10.

More specifically, the tension unit 130 includes a first pulley 133a and a second pulley 133b around which the pressing belt 131 is wound, and a third pulley 134a and a fourth pulley 134b around which the pressing belt 132 is wound. The tension unit 130 includes two direction-changing pulleys (bend pulleys) 136 and 137 that change the running direction of the pressing belt 131, and two direction-changing pulleys 138 and 139 that change the running direction of the pressing belt 132.

The first pulley 133a and the second pulley 133b are disposed on the + X side and the-X side, respectively, across the top T of the conveyor belt 126. The lower end of the outer periphery of the first pulley 133a and the lower end of the outer periphery of the second pulley 133b are located on the-Z side compared with the top T of the outgoing portion of the conveyor belt 126. Thus, the outgoing path portion of the pressing belt 131 presses the + Y-side end of the formed sheet 10 conveyed by the conveying belt 126 toward the conveying belt 126.

The third pulley 134a and the fourth pulley 134b are disposed on the + X side and the-X side, respectively, across the top T of the conveyor belt 126. The lower end of the outer periphery of the third pulley 134a and the lower end of the outer periphery of the fourth pulley 134b are located on the-Z side compared with the top T of the outgoing portion of the conveyor belt 126. Thus, the outward path portion of the pressing belt 132 presses the-Y-side end of the formed sheet 10 conveyed by the conveying belt 126 toward the conveying belt 126.

Thus, each of the pair of pressing belts 131, 132 presses the + Y-side end portion and the-Y-side end portion of the formed sheet 10 against the conveying belt 126. Therefore, tension along the conveying path R is applied to the end on the + Y side and the end on the-Y side of the formed sheet 10. This can suppress warping, deflection, and the like of the formed sheet 10 conveyed by the conveying unit 120.

< irradiation Unit 140 >

The irradiation unit 140 irradiates an electromagnetic wave to the formed sheet 10 conveyed by the conveying portion 120. As shown in fig. 5, the irradiation unit 140 is disposed above (on the + Z side of) the top T of the conveyor belt 126. In a state where tension is applied by the tension portion 130, the irradiation unit 140 irradiates electromagnetic waves from above onto the upper surface of the formed sheet 10 conveyed by the conveyor belt 126.

When the electromagnetic wave is irradiated from the irradiation unit 140 to the formed sheet 10 on which the thermal conversion layer 40 is formed, the thermal conversion layer 40 converts the electromagnetic wave into heat, and heats the thermal expansion material 32 included in the thermal expansion layer 30 to a predetermined temperature or higher. Since the heat conversion layer 40 is formed on the front or back surface of the molded sheet 10 in a pattern corresponding to the irregularities 52 of the shaped article 50, the portions corresponding to the protrusions 54 of the thermal expansion layer 30 are heated to a predetermined temperature or higher, and the thermal expansion material 32 expands. As a result, the thermal expansion layer 30 expands, and the convex portions 54 (i.e., the irregularities 52) are formed on the thermal expansion layer 30.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 7, the irradiation unit 140 includes an irradiation unit 150 and a focus adjustment unit 155. The irradiation unit 150 includes a lamp 151, a reflector 152, a fan 153, and a cover 154.

The lamp 151 emits electromagnetic waves. The lamp 151 is, for example, a halogen lamp, and emits electromagnetic waves in a near infrared region (wavelength of 750 to 1400nm), a visible light region (wavelength of 380 to 750nm), or a mid infrared region (wavelength of 1400 to 4000 nm). The lamps 151 are formed in a straight tube shape in the width direction (Y direction) of the conveyor belt 126 so as to be able to irradiate electromagnetic waves uniformly in the width direction (Y direction) to the formed sheet 10 placed and conveyed on the conveyor belt 126.

The reflector 152 reflects the electromagnetic waves emitted from the lamp 151 toward the formed sheet 10 conveyed by the conveyor belt 126. The reflector 152 is disposed so as to cover the upper side of the lamp 151, and reflects electromagnetic waves emitted upward from the lamp 151 downward. The electromagnetic wave emitted from the lamp 151 and reflected by the reflecting surface of the reflector 152 travels on a path indicated by an arrow in fig. 7, and converges at the focal point P. In this way, the electromagnetic wave emitted from the lamp 151 is reflected by the reflector 152, and is converged and irradiated on the formed sheet 10.

In more detail, the reflector 152 is an ellipsoidal mirror. In other words, the reflective surface of the reflector 152 is in the shape of a portion of a rotational ellipsoid having two foci. The lamp 151 is disposed at the first focus of the rotational ellipsoid. Therefore, the electromagnetic wave emitted from the lamp 151 and reflected by the reflector 152 converges at the second focal point of the rotational ellipsoid. That is, the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave corresponds to the second focal point.

The fan 153 sends air into the cover 154 to cool the lamp 151 and the reflector 152. The cover 154 houses the lamp 151, the reflector 152, and the fan 153.

The focus adjustment unit 155 adjusts the position of the focus P of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the irradiation unit 150. Here, the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave is a point where the electromagnetic wave irradiated from the irradiation portion 150 to the formed sheet 10 is converged. For example, as shown in fig. 7, in a case where the electromagnetic waves irradiated by the irradiation portion 150 are converged on the formed sheet 10, the focal point P is located on the formed sheet 10.

The focus adjustment unit 155 includes a moving mechanism for sliding the entire irradiation unit 150 including the lamp 151 and the reflector 152. The focus adjustment unit 155 moves the entire irradiation unit 150 in a direction perpendicular to the formed sheet 10 conveyed by the conveying unit 120 by a motor-driven moving mechanism, not shown. Thereby, the focus adjustment unit 155 adjusts the position of the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave.

Here, the electromagnetic wave is irradiated by the irradiation unit 150 when the formed sheet 10 is positioned on the top T of the conveyance path R, that is, when the upper surface of the formed sheet 10 faces upward (+ Z direction). Therefore, the direction perpendicular to the formed sheet 10 conveyed by the conveying portion 120 corresponds to the vertical direction (± Z direction), specifically. That is, the focus adjustment unit 155 moves the entire irradiation unit 150 in the vertical direction (± Z direction).

When the irradiation unit 150 moves in the vertical direction, the two focal points of the reflector 152 also move in the vertical direction. Therefore, the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the irradiation part 150 moves in the vertical direction. For example, when the focus adjustment unit 155 drives the movement mechanism to move the focus P in the upward direction (+ Z direction) from the state shown in fig. 7, the focus P is displaced from the position on the formed sheet 10 as shown in fig. 8. In this way, the focus adjustment unit 155 adjusts the position of the focus P by moving the irradiation unit 150 in the vertical direction.

< control Unit 180 >

Returning to fig. 5, the control unit 180 controls the operations of the respective parts of the shaping apparatus 100 including the above-described conveying unit 120 and the irradiation unit 150. As shown in fig. 9, the control unit 180 includes a control unit 181, a storage unit 182, an input reception unit 183, a display unit 184, and an input/output interface 185. These components are connected by a bus for transmitting signals.

The control Unit 181 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU is, for example, a microprocessor or the like, and is a central processing unit that executes various processes or calculations. The control unit 181 reads out a control program stored in the ROM, and controls the operation of the entire molding device 100 while using the RAM as a work memory.

The storage unit 182 is a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or a hard disk. The storage unit 182 stores programs and data to be executed by the control unit 181. In particular, the storage unit 182 stores a fineness table 195 in which the fineness of the irregularities 52 is determined according to the molded article 50 to be manufactured.

The input receiving unit 183 includes input devices such as various buttons, a touch panel (Touchpad), and a touch panel, and receives an operation input (user operation) from a user. For example, the user can set the type of the shaped object 50 to be manufactured, the type of the formed sheet 10 to be used therefor, and the like by operating the input receiving unit 183.

The display unit 184 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display (lcd) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence), and displays various images under the control of the control unit 181. For example, the display unit 184 displays a setting screen for manufacturing the shaped object 50 on the formed sheet 10.

The input/output interface 185 is an interface for inputting and outputting signals transmitted and received between the control unit 181 and each unit of the modeling apparatus 100.

As shown in fig. 9, the control unit 181 functionally includes a fineness setting unit 191, a focus determining unit 192, and a conveying speed determining unit 193. The control unit 181 functions as each unit by the CPU reading a program stored in the ROM into the RAM, executing the program, and controlling the same.

The fineness setting unit 191 sets the fineness of the irregularities 52 formed on the formed sheet 10 by the expansion of the formed sheet 10. Here, the fineness is a value indicating the fineness of the irregularities 52 formed on the formed sheet 10. The higher the fineness, the sharper the ridge can be formed by the edges when the formed sheet 10 expands to form the ridge. As a result, the shaped article 50 having the finer irregularities 52 can be produced. In contrast, the lower the fineness, the more even the ridge of the edge can be formed. As a result, the irregularities 52 of the molded article 50 to be produced are thicker.

The fineness setting section 191 sets the fineness according to the shaping object 50 to be manufactured from the shaped sheet 10. Specifically, the fineness setting unit 191 refers to the fineness table 195 stored in the storage unit 182. The fineness table 195 is a table for determining the fineness of the irregularities 52 formed on the formed sheet 10.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 10, the fineness table 195 stores the molded article 50 to be manufactured and the fineness of the irregularities 52 when the molded article 50 is manufactured in association with each other. For example, in fig. 10, the fineness is divided into 3 stages of "high", "middle", and "low", and is determined in accordance with the shaped product 50. The fineness setting unit 191 refers to the fineness table 195 and sets the fineness.

Returning to fig. 5, the focal point determining unit 192 determines the position of the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the irradiation unit 150, based on the fineness set by the fineness setting unit 191. The lower the fineness set by the fineness setting unit 191, the focus determining unit 192 moves the irradiation unit 150 in a direction away from the position on the formed sheet 10. This enables the position of the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave to be moved further away from the formed sheet 10 conveyed by the conveying unit 120.

Specifically, when the maximum fineness is set by the fineness setting unit 191, the focus determining unit 192 determines the focus P as the position on the formed sheet 10 as shown in fig. 7. In this case, the electromagnetic wave irradiated to the formed sheet 10 is intensively irradiated only in a narrow range on the formed sheet 10. Therefore, the irregularities 52 formed by the expansion of the molded sheet 10 are relatively high-definition.

On the other hand, when the fineness is set to be relatively low by the fineness setting unit 191, the focus determining unit 192 determines the focus P as a position deviated in the upward direction (+ Z direction) from the formed sheet 10 as shown in fig. 8. In this case, the electromagnetic wave irradiated to the formed sheet 10 is spread over a wide range on the formed sheet 10 and irradiated. Therefore, the irregularities 52 formed by the expansion of the molding sheet 10 are relatively non-fine.

When the position of the focal point P is determined, the focal point determining unit 192 notifies the determined position of the focal point P to the focal point adjusting unit 155 via the input/output interface 185. Upon receiving the notification of the position of the focal point P from the focal point determining unit 192, the focal point adjusting unit 155 moves the irradiation unit 150 in the vertical direction (Z direction) to move the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave to the position determined by the focal point determining unit 192. Thus, the focus adjustment unit 155 adjusts the position of the focus P in accordance with the fineness of the irregularities 52 to be formed on the formed sheet 10 by the expansion of the formed sheet 10.

In this way, the focal point determining unit 192 changes the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave in the vertical direction according to the fineness set by the fineness setting unit 191. This allows the fineness of the irregularities 52 formed on the molding sheet 10 to be switched according to the molded article 50 to be manufactured.

< manufacturing treatment of shaped article >

Next, the flow of the manufacturing process of the shaped object 50 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in fig. 11.

When the manufacturing process of the shaped object 50 shown in fig. 11 is started, first, the formed sheet 10 is prepared (step S10). Specifically, a coating liquid in which the binder 31 and the thermal expansion material 32 are mixed is screen-printed on the first main surface 22 of the base material 20, and the printed coating liquid is dried. As a result, as shown in fig. 1, the formed sheet 10 in which the thermal expansion layer 30 is laminated on the first main surface 22 of the base material 20 is manufactured.

When the formed sheet 10 is prepared, the heat conversion layer 40 is printed on the prepared formed sheet 10 (step S20). Specifically, on one of the front side surface (i.e., the surface of the thermally-expandable layer 30) and the reverse side surface (i.e., the second main surface 24 of the base material 20) of the formed sheet 10, ink containing a heat conversion material is printed in a shading pattern corresponding to the irregularities 52 by a printing apparatus. The printing device is, for example, an inkjet printer.

When the heat conversion layer 40 is printed on the formed sheet 10, the control section 180 sets the fineness of the irregularities 52 formed on the formed sheet 10 (step S30). Specifically, the fineness setting unit 191 receives an input of the molded article 50 to be manufactured from the user via the input receiving unit 183. The fineness setting unit 191 refers to the fineness table 195 and sets the fineness corresponding to the input molded article 50 to be manufactured.

When the fineness is set, the position of the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave irradiated from the irradiation unit 150 is adjusted (step S40). Specifically, the focus determining unit 192 determines the position of the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave based on the fineness set in step S30 such that the lower the fineness, the greater the distance of the focal point P from the formed sheet 10. The focus adjustment unit 155 moves the irradiation unit 150 in the vertical direction (Z direction) to move the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the irradiation unit 150 to the position determined by the focal point determination unit 192.

When the position of the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave is adjusted, the formed sheet 10 is conveyed by the conveying unit 120 (step S50). Specifically, the user inserts the formed sheet 10 on which the heat conversion layer 40 is printed, from the inlet 105a of the forming apparatus 100. When the heat conversion layer 40 is printed on the front side surface of the formed sheet 10, the user inserts the formed sheet 10 from the carrying-in port 105a with the front side surface facing upward. On the other hand, when the heat conversion layer 40 is printed on the opposite surface of the formed sheet 10, the user inserts the formed sheet 10 from the carrying-in opening 105a with the opposite surface facing upward. The conveying unit 120 operates under the control of the control unit 180, and rotates the driving roller 124b to run the conveyor belt 126. Thereby, the conveying portion 120 conveys the inserted formed sheet 10 along the conveying path R.

When the formed sheet 10 is conveyed, the electromagnetic wave is irradiated to the formed sheet 10 by the irradiation unit 150 (step S60). Specifically, the irradiation unit 150 operates under the control of the control unit 180, and irradiates the formed sheet 10 conveyed by the conveying unit 120 with electromagnetic waves. As a result, the heat conversion layer 40 printed on the formed sheet 10 generates heat by converting electromagnetic waves into heat. When heat is generated up to a temperature at which the thermal expansion material 32 included in the thermal expansion layer 30 starts to expand by heat emitted from the thermal conversion layer 40, the thermal expansion layer 30 starts to expand, and the irregularities 52 are formed. As a result, the shaped article 50 is manufactured.

By the above, the formed article 50 is manufactured from the formed sheet 10. The manufactured shaped article 50 is conveyed along the conveying path R by the conveying unit 120 and carried out from the carrying-out port 105b of the shaping apparatus 100. In this case, in order to improve the decorativeness of the molded article 50 to be manufactured, a color image may be printed on the front side or the reverse side of the molded sheet 10 by a printing device as needed.

When the molded sheet 10 is expanded by printing the heat conversion layer 40 on both the front side surface and the back side surface of the molded sheet 10, the heat conversion layer 40 is printed on each of the front side surface and the back side surface, and the processes of steps S20 to S60 are repeated. At this time, for example, when the heat conversion layer 40 is printed on the front side surface and when the heat conversion layer 40 is printed on the reverse side surface, the fineness setting unit 191 may set different fineness and the focus adjustment unit 155 may move the focus P of the electromagnetic wave to different positions.

As described above, the shaping apparatus 100 according to embodiment 1 includes the conveying unit 120 that conveys the shaped sheet 10 expanded by being irradiated with the electromagnetic wave along the conveying path R, the irradiation unit 150 that irradiates the shaped sheet 10 conveyed by the conveying unit 120 with the electromagnetic wave, and the focus adjustment unit 155 that adjusts the position of the focus P of the electromagnetic wave irradiated by the irradiation unit 150. The focus adjustment unit 155 adjusts the position of the focus P in accordance with the fineness of the irregularities 52 to be formed on the formed sheet 10 by the expansion of the formed sheet 10. While only the irregularities 52 of a specific fineness can be formed when the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave is fixed, the shaping device 100 according to embodiment 1 can adjust the position of the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave according to the fineness of the irregularities 52 formed on the shaped sheet 10. Therefore, the formed sheet 10 can be formed with the irregularities 52 having various degrees of fineness according to the preference of the user.

For example, depending on the molded article 50 to be manufactured, there are a case where the irregularities 52 are intended to be sharpened (high definition) and a case where the irregularities 52 are intended to be smoothed (non-high definition). In contrast, the modeling apparatus 100 according to embodiment 1 can produce the high-definition concavities and convexities 52 and the concavities and convexities 52 that are not high-definition in a switchable manner according to the manufactured product 50, and therefore can extend the range of the manufactured product 50 that can be produced.

(embodiment mode 2)

Next, embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. The same structures and functions as those in embodiment 1 will not be described in detail.

Fig. 12 shows a configuration of a control unit 180a provided in the molding device 100 according to embodiment 2. In the control unit 180a, the control unit 181a functionally includes a fineness setting unit 191, a focus determining unit 192, and a conveying speed determining unit 193. The control unit 181a functions as each unit by the CPU reading a program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing the program to control the same. The fineness setting unit 191, the focus determining unit 192, and the parts other than the control unit 181a in the control unit 180a are the same as those in embodiment 1, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

The conveying speed determining unit 193 determines the conveying speed at which the conveying unit 120 conveys the formed sheet 10, based on the fineness set by the fineness setting unit 191. The lower the fineness set by the fineness setting unit 191, the lower the conveying speed of the conveying unit 120 for conveying the formed sheet 10 by the conveying speed determining unit 193.

Specifically, when the fineness is relatively high, the electromagnetic wave is irradiated at high density in a narrow range on the formed sheet 10 as shown in fig. 7. In this case, the conveyance speed of the formed sheet 10 is set relatively high, and electromagnetic waves are intensively irradiated to each region of the formed sheet 10 in a short time. Accordingly, each region of the formed sheet 10 expands before expanding to the surroundings by heat, and therefore, the high-definition unevenness 52 is easily formed.

In contrast, in the case where the fineness is relatively low, as shown in fig. 8, the electromagnetic wave is irradiated at a low density over a wide range on the formed sheet 10. In this case, the conveyance speed of the formed sheet 10 is set relatively low, and it takes time to irradiate electromagnetic waves to each region of the formed sheet 10. This allows each region of the formed sheet 10 to smoothly expand, and thus the uneven portion 52 which is not highly fine is easily formed.

When the conveyance speed is determined, the conveyance speed determination unit 193 notifies the conveyance unit 120 of the determined conveyance speed via the input/output interface 185. When receiving the notification of the conveyance speed from the conveyance speed determination unit 193, the conveyance unit 120 rotationally drives the drive roller 124b at a rotational speed corresponding to the conveyance speed that has received the notification. Thereby, the conveying unit 120 conveys the formed sheet 10 at the conveying speed determined by the conveying speed determining unit 193.

As described above, the modeling apparatus 100 according to embodiment 2 changes the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave according to the fineness of the irregularities 52 formed on the formed sheet 10, and further changes the conveyance speed of the formed sheet 10. This makes it possible to more finely adjust the fineness of the irregularities 52 formed on the formed sheet 10 than in the case of changing only the focal point P.

(modification example)

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the above embodiments are examples, and the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to these. That is, the embodiments of the present invention can be applied to various applications, and all embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the focus adjustment unit 155 adjusts the position of the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave by the irradiation unit 150 by moving the entire irradiation unit 150 including the lamp 151 and the reflector 152. However, the focus adjustment unit 155 may adjust the position of the focus P by moving at least one of the lamp 151 and the reflector 152.

For example, the focus adjustment unit 155 may move the lamp 151 in the Z direction while the position of the reflector 152 is fixed. In this case, since the lamp 151 moves, the position of the lamp 151 deviates from the first focus of the reflector 152. Therefore, the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave deviates from the second focal point and deviates from the formed sheet 10 conveyed on the conveying path R. Alternatively, the focus adjustment unit 155 may move the reflector 152 in the Z direction while fixing the position of the lamp 151. In this case, since the reflector 152 moves, the two focal points of the reflector 152 move, and the position of the lamp 151 deviates from the first focal point of the reflector 152. Therefore, the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave deviates from the second focal point and deviates from the surface of the formed sheet 10 conveyed on the conveying path R. In this way, the focus adjustment unit 155 adjusts the position of the focus P by moving at least one of the lamp 151 and the reflector 152.

In the above embodiment, the focus adjustment unit 155 moves the irradiation unit 150 in the upward direction (+ Z direction) which is a direction away from the formed sheet 10, thereby moving the focus P from the formed sheet 10. However, the focus adjustment unit 155 may move the focus P from above the formed sheet 10 by moving the irradiation unit 150 in a direction approaching the formed sheet 10, that is, in a downward direction (-Z direction). The electromagnetic wave irradiated to the formed sheet 10 spreads over the formed sheet 10 regardless of which of the upward and downward directions the irradiating section 150 is moved, so that the fineness of the irregularities 52 formed on the formed sheet 10 can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the fineness setting unit 191 sets one fineness for one formed sheet 10. However, the fineness setting unit 191 may set different fineness for each region included in one formed sheet 10. Further, the focal point adjusting unit 155 may move the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave in accordance with the fineness set for each region by the fineness setting unit 191 at the center of the conveyance of one formed sheet 10 by the conveying unit 120.

For example, the formed sheet 10 may be a long sheet (for example, a sheet wound in a roll shape), and the conveying unit 120 may convey the long formed sheet 10 in the longitudinal direction. The fineness setting unit 191 may set different fineness for each of the plurality of regions of the formed sheet 10 divided in the longitudinal direction. In this case, the focus adjustment unit 155 moves at least one of the lamp 151 and the reflector 152 in the Z direction every time the shaped sheet 10 is conveyed by the conveying unit 120 by a length corresponding to the longitudinal direction of each region. Thereby, the focus adjustment unit 155 moves the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave to a position corresponding to the fineness set for each region. By switching the focal point P in accordance with the region to which the electromagnetic wave is irradiated in this manner, the shaped object 50 having the irregularities 52 with different fineness depending on the region can be manufactured for one formed sheet 10.

In the above embodiment, the conveying section 120 conveys the formed sheet 10 along the conveying path R curved in a convex shape. However, the conveying unit 120 is not limited to the conveying path R curved in a convex shape, and the formed sheet 10 may be conveyed along an arbitrary conveying path.

Fig. 13 shows, as an example, a configuration of a shaping apparatus 100a according to a modification. As shown in fig. 13, the shaping apparatus 100a includes a conveying unit 120a that conveys the shaped sheet 10 along a flat conveying path R', an irradiation unit 150 that irradiates the shaped sheet 10 conveyed by the conveying unit 120a with electromagnetic waves, and a focus adjustment unit 155 that adjusts the position of the focus P of the electromagnetic waves irradiated by the irradiation unit 150. Since the conveying path R' in the shaping apparatus 100a is flat, the conveying unit 120a does not include the guide 122 and the tension roller 124c for convexly curving the conveying belt 126. Even when the irradiation section 150 irradiates the electromagnetic wave to the formed sheet 10 conveyed along the flat conveying path R', the position of the focal point P of the electromagnetic wave by the irradiation section 150 is adjusted by the focal point adjustment section 155 according to the fineness of the irregularities 52, and the irregularities 52 having the fineness according to the preference of the user can be formed on the formed sheet 10.

In the above embodiment, the formed sheet 10 includes the base material 20 and the thermal expansion layer 30. However, the formed sheet 10 shown in the above embodiment is an example, and various kinds of formed sheets 10 having different layer structures, sizes, thicknesses, and the like can be used. For example, the formed sheet 10 may include an ink containing layer that absorbs and contains ink. The ink containing layer is formed of a suitable material for fixing ink, toner, or the like for printing to the surface. Alternatively, the formed sheet 10 may have a layer made of any other material.

In the above-described embodiment, the CPU of the controllers 181 and 181a executes the program stored in the ROM, thereby functioning as the fineness setting unit 191, the focus determining unit 192, and the conveying speed determining unit 193. However, in the present invention, the control units 181 and 181a may include dedicated hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and various control circuits instead of the CPU, and the dedicated hardware functions as the fineness setting unit 191, the focus determining unit 192, and the transport speed determining unit 193. In this case, the functions of the respective units may be realized by dedicated hardware, or may be realized by a single piece of hardware by combining the functions of the respective units. Further, among the functions of each unit, a part may be realized by dedicated hardware, and the other part may be realized by software or firmware.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and the present invention includes the inventions described in the claims and equivalent ranges thereof.