Patents by Inventor Akihiko Tsunoya

Akihiko Tsunoya has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10696023
    Abstract: A three-dimensional modeling apparatus includes an ejection portion capable of ejecting a fluid material, and a control portion that forms a laminated body in which one layer or more of cross-section bodies are laminated by executing one or more repetitions of a cross-section body formation process. The control portion reduces a total amount of the fluid material to be ejected at a first coordinate, which configures the apex that corresponds to the recess, to be lower than a total amount of the fluid material to be ejected at a second coordinate, which configures a region other than an outline section of the planar shape in a case in which an apex, which corresponds to a recess in a planar shape when the laminated body is viewed from above in a planar manner, is present.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiko Tsunoya, Masaya Ishida, Eiji Okamoto
  • Publication number: 20200130273
    Abstract: A device for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object by laminating layers includes melting units melting a thermoplastic constituent material, an ejector having a nozzle and moving while ejecting the constituent material in a molten state from the nozzle to form the layers, and an irregularity formation portion forming an irregularity on a surface in a lamination direction of the layers by coming into contact with the constituent material in the molten state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2019
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventor: Akihiko TSUNOYA
  • Publication number: 20200114571
    Abstract: Provided is a manufacturing method of a three-dimensional object for manufacturing a three-dimensional object by laminating unit layers using a fluid constituent material. The manufacturing method includes a unit layer formation step of forming the unit layer of one layer by forming a first unit layer in which first layers each having a first thickness are laminated and then forming a second unit layer formed of a second layer having a second thickness greater than the first thickness to adjoin the first unit layer. By executing such a manufacturing method of the three-dimensional object, it is possible to manufacture a highly dense three-dimensional object in a short time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2019
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventor: Akihiko TSUNOYA
  • Patent number: 10611137
    Abstract: A three-dimensional shaped article production method includes a layer formation step of forming a layer by ejecting a composition containing particles and a solvent in a predetermined pattern using a dispenser, a measurement step of determining the height of the layer, and a bonding step of subjecting a stacked body including a plurality of layers to a bonding treatment for bonding the particles, wherein when n represents an arbitrary integer of 1 or more, by selecting driving waveform data for the dispenser when ejecting the composition from a data group including a plurality of pieces of driving waveform data based on the information of the height of the layer in the n-th position (n-th layer) determined in the measurement step, the ejection amount of the composition per unit area onto the n-th layer in the layer formation step of forming the layer in the (n+1)th position ((n+1)th layer) is adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiko Tsunoya, Eiji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 10596800
    Abstract: A three-dimensional shaped article production method according to the invention includes a step of forming a layer by ejecting a composition containing particles using a dispenser, a step of determining the height of the layer, wherein a stacked body includes a layer which has a first portion corresponding to a portion to become an actual body part of the three-dimensional shaped article to be formed using an actual body part forming composition, and a second portion corresponding to a portion to become a sacrificial part to be formed using a sacrificial part forming composition, the supply amount of the sacrificial part forming composition to be ejected onto the second portion of the n-th layer in the step of forming the (n+1)th layer is adjusted based on the information of the height of the surface of the second portion of the n-th layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiko Tsunoya, Eiji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 10589501
    Abstract: A three-dimensional modeling apparatus includes an ejection portion capable of ejecting a fluid material, which is a material of an object, and a control portion that forms a laminated body in which one layer or more of cross-section bodies are laminated by executing one or more repetitions of a cross-section body formation process, which forms a cross-section body equivalent to one layer of the object by controlling the ejection portion and ejecting the fluid material. The control portion executes a correction process that ejects the fluid material onto a target correction location, which is at least a portion of an outline section of an upper surface of the laminated body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Masaya Ishida, Toshimitsu Hirai, Eiji Okamoto, Akihiko Tsunoya, Junichi Sano
  • Publication number: 20200081416
    Abstract: A manufacturing device for a three-dimensional shaped object has artificial intelligence to perform machine learning. The manufacturing device includes: an acquisition unit acquiring monitoring data of the three-dimensional shaped object and improvement condition data; a housing unit housing reference data of the monitoring data; a storage unit storing the monitoring data acquired by the acquisition unit; an inference unit classifying the monitoring data acquired by the acquisition unit into normal data and abnormal data, based on the reference data of the monitoring data housed in the housing unit, updating an inference criterion by machine learning, based on the monitoring data stored in the storage unit and classified as the normal data, and inferring what abnormality occurs when an abnormality is generated in updated data of the monitoring data newly acquired by the acquisition unit; and a decision unit deciding the improvement condition according to the abnormality inferred by the inference unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Publication date: March 12, 2020
    Inventors: Akihiko TSUNOYA, Toshimitsu HIRAI, Eiji OKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20200061702
    Abstract: A three-dimensional shaped article producing composition is provided and contains a plurality of particles, a solvent for dispersing the particles, and nanocellulose.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2018
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Inventors: Masaya ISHIDA, Takeshi MIYASHITA, Eiji OKAMOTO, Akihiko TSUNOYA, Naoko SHIMA, Makoto KATO
  • Publication number: 20200062978
    Abstract: A three-dimensional shaped article producing composition is provided and contains a plurality of particles, a solvent for dispersing the particles, and a binder having a function to temporarily bind the particles to one another in a state where the solvent is removed, wherein a volume-based average particle diameter of the particles is 0.1 ?m or more and less than 50 ?m, and a content ratio of the binder is 1.5 vol % or more and 10 vol % or less.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2018
    Publication date: February 27, 2020
    Inventors: Takeshi MIYASHITA, Eiji OKAMOTO, Akihiko TSUNOYA, Naoko SHIMA, Makoto KATO
  • Publication number: 20200047249
    Abstract: A metal shaped article production method includes a shaping data input step, a step of forming a constituent material layer using a constituent material, a step of forming a support material layer using a support material, a step of cutting a cut face in the constituent material layer of a stacked body formed by performing the constituent material layer forming step and the support material layer forming step, a step of degreasing a thermoplastic resin contained in the stacked body for which the cut face cutting step was performed, and a step of sintering metal particles by heating the stacked body, wherein in the support material layer forming step, the support material layer is formed so that a support face comes into contact with a face to be supported at an opposite side to the cut face at a position of the constituent material layer based on the shaping data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventors: Akihiko TSUNOYA, Toshimitsu HIRAI
  • Publication number: 20190248077
    Abstract: A three-dimensional modeling apparatus includes a plurality of ejection sections that eject shaping material on the basis of shaping data, a detection section detecting an ejection state of the shaping material from the ejection section, a maintenance section that performs maintenance of the ejection section, and a control section that controls the ejection section, the detection section, and the maintenance section, in which, when the detection section detects an ejection abnormality of the shaping material in any of the ejection sections, the control section causes the maintenance section to perform the maintenance of the ejection section in which the ejection abnormality is detected, regenerates the shaping data, and causes the ejection section in which the ejection abnormality is not detected to eject the shaping material at a position where the shaping material is to be ejected from the ejection section in which the ejection abnormality is detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 14, 2019
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Inventors: Akihiko TSUNOYA, Eiji OKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20190184461
    Abstract: A production method of a three-dimensionally shaped object, includes a first layer forming step of forming a first layer by using a first composition containing first powder and binder, a second layer forming step of forming a second layer by using a second composition containing second powder, third powder, and binder, and a sintering step of sintering the first powder and the second powder. In a case where the first powder and the second powder are of the same material, difference in a contraction rate between the first layer and the second layer in the sintering step is reduced by matching a filling rate of the first powder in the first composition with a total filling rate of the second powder and the third powder in the second composition and matching an average particle diameter of the first powder with an average particle diameter of the second powder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Inventors: Eiji OKAMOTO, Akihiko TSUNOYA
  • Publication number: 20190160738
    Abstract: Provided is a method which includes a first layer formation step of forming a first layer by using a first composition that contains a constituent material powder, a first powder, and a binder of a three-dimensional shaped article; a second layer formation step of forming a second layer by using a second composition that contains a second powder and a binder; a degreasing step of a stack containing the first layer and the second layer; and a sintering step of the stack, a decomposition point of the first powder is higher than decomposition points of the binder of the first layer and the binder of the second layer, a decomposition point of the second powder is higher than the decomposition point of the first powder, and a sintering temperature of the constituent material powder is higher than the decomposition point of the second powder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Eiji OKAMOTO, Akihiko TSUNOYA
  • Publication number: 20190091924
    Abstract: Provided is an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional shaped article in which the three-dimensional shaped article is produced by stacking layers, the apparatus including: an ejecting section capable of ejecting a flowable material that contains a powder, a solvent, and a binder which constitute the three-dimensional shaped article, based on data; a heating section for heating the flowable material ejected from the ejecting section; and a controlling section for controlling the ejecting section and the heating section, in which the controlling section divides data of the layer for one layer of the three-dimensional shaped article, out of the data, into a plurality of divided pieces of data, and alternately repeats ejection of the flowable material from the ejecting section and heating by the heating section, based on the divided pieces of data, to form the layer for one layer of the three-dimensional shaped article.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Inventors: Akihiko TSUNOYA, Eiji OKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20190077075
    Abstract: Provided is a method for producing a three-dimensional shaped article in which the three-dimensional shaped article is produced by stacking a plurality of layers, and the method includes a layer formation step of forming layers by using a composition that contains a powder, a solvent, and a binder which constitute the three-dimensional shaped article, a solvent removal step of removing the solvent contained in the layers, a thermal treatment step of applying heat at a temperature equal to or higher than a glass transition temperature of the binder to the layers obtained by performing the layer formation step and the solvent removal step, and a heating step of carrying out at least one of degreasing and sintering with respect to a stack of the three-dimensional shaped article that has been thermally treated in the thermal treatment step.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2018
    Publication date: March 14, 2019
    Inventors: Akihiko TSUNOYA, Eiji OKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20180250877
    Abstract: There is provided a paste for use in producing a three-dimensional shaped article, the paste containing a solvent, a binder that is soluble in the solvent, support layer forming first particles, and a material having a decomposition temperature lower than a sintering temperature of the support layer forming first particles, in which the material is contained in a volume of greater than or equal to 20% and less than or equal to 60% with respect to a total volume of the support layer forming first particles and the material being 100%. By using such a paste, a highly accurate three-dimensional shaped article can be produced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2018
    Publication date: September 6, 2018
    Inventors: Eiji OKAMOTO, Akihiko TSUNOYA, Masaya ISHIDA
  • Publication number: 20180243826
    Abstract: A three-dimensional modeled-object manufacturing composition used for forming a layer of a three-dimensional modeled-object in which a plurality of the layers is laminated, using a discharge method, the composition includes: a plurality of particles; a solvent dispersing the particles; and a binder having a function of temporarily binding the particles in a state where the solvent is removed. In the composition, a viscosity ?1 at a shear rate of 10 s?1 at 25° C. is 6,000 mPa·s or higher, a viscosity ?2 at the shear rate of 1,000 s?1 at 25° C. is 5,000 mPa·s or lower, and when a binder removal treatment is carried out by heating the composition at 400° C. for five hours in nitrogen gas, a residual carbon ratio is 0.04 mass % to 0.3 mass %.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventors: Eiji OKAMOTO, Hiroshi WADA, Akihiko TSUNOYA, Masaya ISHIDA
  • Publication number: 20180243825
    Abstract: A three-dimensional modeled-object manufacturing composition used for forming a layer in a method of manufacturing a three-dimensional modeled-object in which the layer is formed using a discharge method and a plurality of the layers is laminated, the composition includes a plurality of particles and a solvent dispersing the particles. In the composition, a viscosity ?1 at a shear rate of 10 s?1 at 25° C. is 6,000 mPa·s or higher and a viscosity ?2 at the shear rate of 1,000 s?1 at 25° C. is 5,000 mPa·s or lower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 27, 2018
    Publication date: August 30, 2018
    Inventors: Eiji OKAMOTO, Hiroshi WADA, Akihiko TSUNOYA, Masaya ISHIDA
  • Publication number: 20180093326
    Abstract: A three-dimensional shaped-article manufacturing composition of the invention is a three-dimensional shaped-article manufacturing composition which is used for manufacturing of a three-dimensional shaped article. The composition described above includes a plurality of shaped-article forming grains forming a substantive portion of the three-dimensional shaped article; a void forming material forming voids in the three-dimensional shaped article; a solvent dispersing the shaped-article forming grains and the void forming material; and a binder dissolved in the solvent. The content of the void forming material is 5 to 50 parts by volume with respect to 100 parts by volume of the shaped-article forming grains.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2017
    Publication date: April 5, 2018
    Inventors: Masaya ISHIDA, Eiji OKAMOTO, Akihiko TSUNOYA
  • Publication number: 20180085997
    Abstract: A three-dimensionally formed object manufacturing apparatus includes: an ejector ejecting a fluid material including particles, which form a constituent material of a three-dimensionally formed object, and a solvent; a stage on which a layer formed of the fluid material, which is ejected from the ejector, is laminated; an obtainer obtaining an image of the layer formed of the fluid material formed on the stage; a dryer volatilizing the solvent included in the fluid material on the stage; and a determiner determining whether a predetermined amount or more of the solvent is volatilized based on the image obtained by the obtainer, in which a next layer formed of the fluid material is laminated after the determiner determines that the predetermined amount or more of the solvent is volatilized per predetermined layer formation in a laminating direction of the layer formed of the fluid material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2017
    Publication date: March 29, 2018
    Inventor: Akihiko TSUNOYA