Abstract: A three-dimensional structure forming apparatus for forming an optical three-dimensional structure by sequentially laminating hard resin layers by repeating a hard resin layer forming cycle by irradiating the surface of a liquid photosetting resin with a light beam including a main resin tank which contains liquid photosetting resin and has a liquid level control so as to maintain the liquid level of the photosetting resin constant. A replenishing tank and a resin supply, supply resin to the main resin tank at a predetermined rate so that the resin continuously overflows the main resin tank.

Abstract: A three-dimensional object producing method, and the apparatus for carrying it out, of the type in which a beam is irradiated on a liquid surface of a liquid photo-curable resin to form a succession of cured resin layers corresponding to successive cross-sectional laminae of the three-dimensional object and step-wise moving the cured resin layers as they are formed to build up a three-dimensional copy of object, wherein the improvement of the method comprises vector-scanning the beam on a first layer of photo-curable resin along one or more paths corresponding to the contour or contours of a first one of the cross-sectional laminae of the object, thereafter, raster-scanning the beam on one or more layers of photo-curable resin which are subsequent to the first layer of photo-curable resin, and alternating repeating these different scanning steps until a complete copy of the object is thereby produced.

Abstract: An ultraviolet radiation projector of this invention includes a focusing optical member arranged between an exposure surface of an ultraviolet sensitive material and a panel surface of a CRT for emitting an ultraviolet beam to expose the exposure surface which is kept separated from the focusing optical member, thereby preventing contact between the exposure surface and the focusing optical member. An optical image forming apparatus of this invention can form a high-precision two-dimensional image for an electronic circuit pattern by exposing the exposure surface with a pattern corresponding to a desired electronic circuit pattern using the ultraviolet radiation projector as a light source. In addition, sheet-like resins cured by the exposure with the ultraviolet beam using the ultraviolet radiation projector as a light source are sequentially stacked to form a desired high-precision three-dimensional image.