丸谷洋二, 紙谷卓之
レーザー研究, 25(4) 312-315, Apr, 1997 Peer-reviewed
In conventional stereolithography methods, the solidified photopolymer layers are stacked one by one in resin. As a result, these methods have such disadvantages as time consumption to recoat new resin layer and to remove the surface roughness caused by steps on the models. This paper proposes a new method of fabricating 3-D models in a resin. An air bubble is formed at the end of a pipe under the surface of the resin. A laser beam is introduced through the bubble so as to solidify the resin on the bubble surface. As the solidified parts have no mechanical interference with the pipe, it is free to move the exposing point in the 3-dimensional space. The resolution and sensitibity of the method were measured, and some objects were fabricated. Through these experiments, the possibility of making 3-D models without processes of lamination and recoating was demonstrated.