OPTICAL FORMING DEVICE AND FORMING METHOD

• Main Author: MIZOKUCHI, Chikaaki
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.05.2021
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

An optical forming device includes a light source to emit light for causing liquid photocurable resin to undergo curing and an optical modulator to modulate the light for causing the liquid photocurable resin to undergo curing in a pattern based on a shape of a three-dimensional object, and irradiate the liquid photocurable resin with the modulated light. The optical modulator includes a liquid crystal device to modulate the light for causing the liquid photocurable resin to undergo curing in the pattern, and emit the modulated light as linearly polarized light and an optical retardation device to impart a phase difference to the linearly polarized light emitted from the liquid crystal device, and emit the light imparted with the phase difference.