IP Library Granted Patent US 12,539,671
Granted Patent B2
US 12,539,671 · App. 18/533,268 · Granted Feb 3, 2026

Three-dimensional shaping device and data generation device

Inventors: Manabu Watanabe (Shiojiri, JP); Makoto Omura (Matsumoto, JP)
Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
B29C64/35B29C64/118B29C64/209B29C64/236B29C64/245B33Y30/00B33Y40/00B33Y50/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,539,671
App. No.
18/533,268
Granted
Feb 3, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A three-dimensional shaping device includes a position changing unit configured to change relative positions of a first head having a first nozzle and a stage and relative positions of a second head having a second nozzle and the stage, a cleaning part configured to clean the second nozzle, and a control unit. The control unit executes first deposition processing of depositing a layer of the first shaping material in a shaping region by extruding the first shaping material from the first nozzle while changing the relative positions of the first head and the stage, cleaning processing of cleaning the second nozzle using the cleaning part, and second deposition processing of depositing a layer of the second shaping material in the shaping region by extruding the second shaping material from the second nozzle while changing the relative positions of the second head and the stage after the cleaning processing. A start timing and an end timing of the cleaning processing are included in an execution period of the first deposition processing.

Claims (17)

1 . A data generation device that generates command data used in a three-dimensional shaping device including a first head having a first nozzle that extrudes a first shaping material and a second head having a second nozzle that extrudes a second shaping material, the data generation device comprising:

an input interface configured to receive shape data representing a shape of a three-dimensional shaped object from an external device;

a memory configured to store a program; and

a processor configured to execute the program so as to:

cause the input interface to receive the shape data;

generate shaping path data based on the shape data, the shaping path data representing a movement path along which the first and second nozzles move while extruding the first shaping material or the second shaping material; and

generate the command data based on the shaping data, the command data including:

first deposition command data to deposit a layer of the first shaping material in a shaping region on a stage by extruding the first shaping material from the first nozzle along the movement path;

cleaning command data representing a command to execute cleaning of the second nozzle; and

second deposition command data to deposit a layer of the second shaping material in the shaping region by extruding the second shaping material from the second nozzle along the movement path after the cleaning is executed,

wherein the first deposition command data includes a deposition start command to start deposition of the layer of the first shaping material by starting extrusion of the first shaping material from the first nozzle, and a deposition stop command to stop the deposition of the layer of the first shaping material by stopping the extrusion of the first shaping material from the first nozzle,

the cleaning command data includes a cleaning start command to start the cleaning and a cleaning stop command to stop the cleaning, and

the data generation unit generates the cleaning start command and the cleaning stop command as commands to be executed between the deposition start command and the deposition stop command.

2 . The data generation device according to claim 1 , wherein

the processor is further configured to:

generate the cleaning command data including a purge command to discharge the second shaping material from the second nozzle to a region different from the shaping region when an extrusion time representing a time when the layer of the first shaping material is extruded according to the first deposition command data is equal to or longer than a predetermined reference time; and

generate the cleaning command data not including the purge command when the extrusion time is shorter than the predetermined reference time.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 8, 2023
From: WATANABE, MANABU; OMURA, MAKOTO
To: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 065806/0796 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2022-196866 · Dec 9, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240190077A1 · Jun 13, 2024
References Cited (4)
US 20220234294A1 · Akasaka · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20220314545A1 · Bromberg · 2022 [cited by examiner]
JP 2022113927A · 2022 [cited by applicant]
JP 2023097689A · 2023 [cited by applicant]