Technology Research Association for Future Additive Manufacturing

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology

Cmet Inc.

Hideaki Miyano

Yoshikazu Ooba

Koukichi Suzuki

Yuya Daicho

Yousuke Katou

Toshimitsu Okane

Satoshi Imamura

Satoshi Kajino

This invention quickly supplies a predetermined amount of powder from a hopper to a recoater. A powder supply apparatus includes, as its feature, a hopper, a powder spreader, a powder replenisher, and a pivoting unit. The hopper of the powder supply apparatus stores a powder. The powder spreader spreads the powder on a shaping surface. The powder replenisher of the powder supply apparatus is provided between the hopper and the powder spreader, and replenishes the powder spreader with a predetermined amount of powder. The pivoting unit of the powder supply apparatus causes the powder replenisher to pivot.

Powder supply apparatus, control method of powder supply apparatus, and control program of powder supply apparatus, and three-dimensional shaping apparatus

The present invention provides a three-dimensional molding device which makes it possible to reduce molding time by decreasing the inkjet head waiting time during the molding step. A three-dimensional molding device for scattering and layering sand on a molding table () using a recoater (), discharging a binder from a head () so as to coat the top of the scattered sand with the binder, on the basis of molding data, and creating a three-dimensionally molded article by joining the sand (S) using the binder, wherein: the recoater () is formed so as to have an amount of sand (S) equivalent to the length of one side of the molding table () as the scatterable length thereof, and be capable of moving in a direction perpendicular to the one side; the head () is formed as a line head capable of discharging an amount of the binder equivalent to the length of a side adjacent to the one side, and so as to be capable of moving in a direction perpendicular to the side adjacent to the one side; and the three-dimensionally molded article is formed on the molding table () by alternatingly operating the recoater () and the head ().

Three-dimensional molding device

A line inkjet head cleaning apparatus for effectively cleaning a long line inkjet head includes a wiper fixer extending in a longitudinal direction of a line inkjet head as a cleaning target and having a predetermined width in a vertical direction, a cleaning wiper being fixed to an upper end thereof, a cleaning solution tank having a predetermined volume accommodating the wiper fixer and having an opening in an upper surface, and a driver that vertically moves the wiper fixer between a cleaning solution in the cleaning solution tank and the line inkjet head as a cleaning target positioned above the opening.

Line inkjet head cleaning apparatus, cleaning method, and cleaning program

A powder is spread in two directions, that is, the advancement and retraction directions of a powder recoater. The powder recoater according to this invention includes a hopper that stores a powder, and a cylindrical powder supplier that has a side surface close to or in contact with the bottom surface of the hopper and includes a supply path for the powder. The powder recoater according to this invention further includes a pivoting unit that causes the powder supplier to pivot. In the powder recoater according to this invention, the center axis of the supply path is displaced from the center axis of the powder supplier in the radial direction of the powder supplier.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Hideaki Miyano