Optical modeling apparatus

1. An optical modeling apparatus that forms a model of a desired shape by sequentially forming hardened layers by irradiating a light-curable resin with light, the optical modeling apparatus comprising:

a first light source that emits a light beam for plotting on the light-curable resin;

a scanning device that scans the light beam emitted by the first light source over the light-curable resin;

a second light source that emits light that irradiates one fixed region of the light-curable resin at a time; and

a spatial light modulator that spatially modulates the light emitted by the second light source to perform a blanket exposure of a specified region of the light-curable resin,

wherein each of the hardened layers of the model is formed by the light beam that is scanned by the scanning device and by the light that is spatially modulated by the spatial light modulator.

2. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein each hardened layer of the model is formed by one of simultaneous emission of at least one of the light beam that is scanned by the scanning device and the light that is spatially modulated by the spatial light modulator.

3. The optical modeling apparatus according to either claim 1 or 2 , further comprising:

a light path combiner that combines the light beam that is scanned by the scanning device and the light that is spatially modulated by the spatial light modulator and guides the combined light onto the light-curable resin.

4. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the scanning device includes

a first galvano-mirror that polarizes the incident light beam and scans the light beam that is emitted by the first light source in a first direction within a plane that is parallel to a surface of the light-curable resin,

a second galvano-mirror that polarizes the light beam from the first galvano-mirror and scans the light beam in a second direction that is roughly orthogonal to the first direction within the plane, and

an objective lens that focuses the light beam from the second galvano-mirror.

5. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein

the objective lens is an fθ lens that has a relationship such that an image height is equal to a product of a focal length and an incidence angle, and

the objective lens, in addition to focusing the light beam from the second galvano-mirror, scans the light beam that is polarized by the first and second galvano-mirrors over the light-curable resin at a constant speed.

6. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:

a light path combiner that combines the light beam that is scanned by the scanning device and the light that is spatially modulated by the spatial light modulator and guides the combined light onto the light-curable resin,

wherein

the objective lens is disposed between the light path combiner and the light-curable resin,

the scanning device includes

a first relay lens that is provided between the first galvano-mirror and the second galvano-mirror, and

a second relay lens that is provided between the second galvano-mirror and the light path combiner,

the second relay lens guides the light beam that is polarized by the second galvano-mirror to pass through a front focal position of the objective lens, and

the first relay lens guides the light beam that is polarized by the first galvano-mirror to pass through the front focal position of the objective lens by way of the second galvano-mirror and the second relay lens.

7. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:

a light path combiner that combines the light beam that is scanned by the scanning device and the light that is spatially modulated by the spatial light modulator and guides the combined light onto the light-curable resin; and

a condenser lens that is provided between the spatial light modulator and the light path combiner and that, together with the objective lens, forms the light that is spatially modulated by the spatial light modulator into an image on the light-curable resin.

8. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 7 ,

wherein the condenser lens counterbalances distortion when the light from the spatial light modulator passes through the objective lens.

9. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the spatial light modulator is a transmissive liquid crystal element.

10. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a moving platform that carries the hardened layers and is moved in at least a direction that is orthogonal to a surface of the light-curable resin;

an optical system that includes at least the first light source, the scanning device, the second light source, and the spatial light modulator; and

a moving section that, by moving one of the moving platform and the optical system in a plane that is parallel to the surface of the light-curable resin, changes relative positions of the moving platform and the optical system,

wherein

the hardened layers are formed in the specified region by irradiating the specified region with the light beam and the light, and

each of the hardened layers of the model of the desired shape is formed by using the moving section to sequentially change the relative positions of the moving platform and the optical system.

11. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising:

a processing portion that creates two-dimensional shape data for each layer based on three-dimensional shape data that is input, and that creates segmented region shape data for each of a plurality of segmented regions that segment each layer within the plane that is parallel to the surface of the light-curable resin,

wherein

the hardened layers are formed in each segmented region by irradiating the segmented region with the light beam and the light, based on the segmented region shape data.

12. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

a blanket-plotted portion of a hardened layer of the light-curable resin is formed by using the light that is spatially modulated by the spatial light modulator to perform a rough plotting of a portion of an interior of the desired shape of each layer to produce the model of the desired shape, and

a precision-plotted portion of the hardened layer of the light-curable resin is formed by using the light beam that is scanned by the scanning device to perform a precision plotting of a boundary portion of the desired shape of each layer and an interval portion between the boundary portion and the blanket-plotted portion.

13. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein

the scanning device includes

a first galvano-mirror that polarizes the incident light beam and scans the light beam that is emitted by the first light source in a first direction within a plane that is parallel to a surface of the light-curable resin,

a second galvano-mirror that polarizes the light beam from the first galvano-mirror and scans the light beam in a second direction that is roughly orthogonal to the first direction within the plane, and

a polarizing element that polarizes the light beam that passes through it,

and

the scanning device forms the precision-plotted portion of the hardened layer by using the first galvano-mirror and the second galvano-mirror to perform vector scanning of the boundary portion and by using the polarizing element to perform raster scanning of the interval portion.

14. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein

the scanning device includes a reflected light detector that detects the light beam that is emitted onto and reflected by the light-curable resin, and

the optical modeling apparatus performs a focus correction for at least one of each hardened layer and each specified region.

15. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the scanning device includes a reflected light detector that detects the light beam that is emitted onto and reflected by the light-curable resin, and

the optical modeling apparatus detects a hardened portion and an unhardened portion of the light-curable resin.

16. The optical modeling apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the light-curable resin is a liquid ultraviolet-curable resin.