IP Library Granted Patent US 12709055
Granted Patent B2
US 12709055 · App. 18/580,175 · Granted Aug 18, 2026

Fabrication method and fabrication apparatus

Inventor: Hiroyuki Naito (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: RICOH COMPANY, LTD.
B29C64/112B29C64/209B33Y10/00B33Y30/00B41J2/04586B41J2/21B41J2/2114B41J3/4073B29K2105/0032B29K2995/0021B41J2/211B41J2/2117B41M5/0088
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12709055
App. No.
18/580,175
Granted
Aug 18, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A fabrication method includes discharging a colored ink that is active energy ray curable by an inkjet method to make a droplet (D 1 ) of the colored ink land in a first landing region, irradiating the colored ink with active energy rays to cure the colored ink, discharging a base ink that is active energy ray curable by the inkjet method to make a droplet (D 2 ) of the base ink land in a second landing region larger than the first landing region, and irradiating the base ink with the active energy rays to cure the base ink. The fabrication method further includes repeating the discharging the colored ink and the irradiating the colored ink, and repeating the discharging the base ink and the irradiating the base ink, to laminate multiple layers of the colored ink and the base ink to fabricate a colored three-dimensional object.

Claims (34)

1 . A fabrication method, comprising:

discharging, by an inkjet method, a droplet of colored ink to land in a first landing region;

irradiating the colored ink with active energy rays to cure the colored ink;

discharging, by the inkjet method, a droplet of base ink to land in a second landing region larger than the first landing region;

irradiating the base ink with the active energy rays to cure the base ink; and

repeating the discharging the colored ink and the irradiating the colored ink, and repeating the discharging the base ink and the irradiating the base ink, to laminate multiple layers of the colored ink and the base ink to fabricate a colored three-dimensional object having a colored region, wherein

in each layer of the colored region, the second landing region including the droplet of base ink overlaps an entire area of the first landing region including the droplet of colored ink.

2 . The fabrication method according to claim 1 , wherein the second landing region is overlaid on the first landing region in each of the multiple layers.

3 . The fabrication method according to claim 1 , wherein a volume of the droplet of the colored ink is smaller than a volume of the droplet of the base ink.

4 . The fabrication method according to claim 1 , wherein a volume of the droplet of the colored ink is 70% or less of a volume of the droplet of the base ink.

5 . The fabrication method according to claim 1 , wherein a volume of the droplet of the colored ink is 50% or less of a volume of the droplet of the base ink.

6 . The fabrication method according to claim 1 , wherein the base ink includes a hard solid component having a volume average particle diameter of 10 nm or more and 1000 nm or less.

7 . The fabrication method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

discharging, by the inkjet method, a support ink; and

irradiating the support ink with the active energy rays to cure the support ink, wherein

the discharging the colored ink and the discharging the support ink are performed in a same scan, and the discharging the base ink is performed in a scan subsequent to the same scan.

8 . The fabrication method according to claim 1 , wherein the colored ink includes a pigment having a volume average particle diameter of 10 nm or more and 1000 nm or less, and a proportion of the pigment in the colored ink is 0.1% by mass or more.

9 . The fabrication method according to claim 1 , wherein the colored ink is free of any hard solid component, and the base ink includes a hard solid component.

10 . The fabrication method according to claim 1 , wherein the colored ink includes a pigment, and the base ink is free of any pigment.

11 . A fabrication apparatus, comprising:

a first discharger to discharge, by an inkjet method, a droplet of colored ink to land in a first landing region;

a first irradiator to irradiate the colored ink with active energy rays to cure the colored ink;

a second discharger to discharge, by the inkjet method, a droplet of base ink to land in a second landing region larger than the first landing region; and

a second irradiator to irradiate the base ink with the active energy rays to cure the base ink, wherein

the first discharger and the first irradiator repeatedly discharge and cure the colored ink, and the second discharger and the second irradiator repeatedly discharge and cure the base ink, to laminate multiple layers of the colored ink and the base ink to fabricate a colored three-dimensional object having a colored region, and

in each layer of the colored region, the second landing region including the droplet of base ink overlaps an entire area of the first landing region including the droplet of colored ink.

12 . The fabrication apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the first landing region and the second landing region overlap each other in each of the multiple layers.

13 . The fabrication apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the second landing region is overlaid on the first landing region in each of the multiple layers.

14 . The fabrication apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein a volume of the droplet of the colored ink is smaller than a volume of the droplet of the base ink.

15 . The fabrication apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein a volume of the droplet of the colored ink is 70% or less of a volume of the droplet of the base ink.

16 . The fabrication apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein a volume of the droplet of the colored ink is 50% or less of a volume of the droplet of the base ink.

17 . The fabrication apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the base ink includes a hard solid component having a volume average particle diameter of 10 nm or more and 1000 nm or less.

18 . The fabrication apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the colored ink includes a pigment having a volume average particle diameter of 10 nm or more and 1000 nm or less, and a proportion of the pigment in the colored ink is 0.1% by mass or more.

19 . The fabrication apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the colored ink is free of any hard solid component, and the base ink includes a hard solid component.