In a setting apparatus including a control unit, the control unit is configured to: set, by a user operation, an irradiation condition of a laser beam for a thermally expandable sheet, a surface of the thermally expandable sheet being heated and expanded by being irradiated with the laser beam; and control an output and a scanning speed of the laser beam in accordance with the set irradiation condition, and in the setting, (i) a surface state of the thermally expandable sheet after expansion is selectable from a plurality of mutually different surface states, and (ii) the irradiation condition is set by the user operation according to the surface state selected from among the plurality of surface states.

A three-dimensional image forming system of the present invention is characterized to include a density adjustment unit configured to adjust, for print data for printing a grayscale image used to cause a predetermined region of a thermally expandable sheet to thermally expand, density of the grayscale image according to types of pattern images included in the grayscale image, in print regions of the pattern images such that expansion heights of the print regions of the pattern images become desired heights.

A three-dimensional structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of resin layers including a light curable resin, a coloring compound, a color developing-reducing agent, and a photothermal conversion agent, the plurality of resin layers being stacked.

A molding sheet includes a base and a thermal expansion layer laminated onto a first main surface of the base. The thermal expansion layer includes a first thermal expansion material and a second thermal expansion material. A maximum expansion temperature of the second thermal expansion material is higher than a maximum expansion temperature of the first thermal expansion material.

A molding sheet includes a base and a thermal expansion layer laminated onto a first main surface of the base. The thermal expansion layer includes a first thermal expansion material and a second thermal expansion material. A maximum expansion temperature of the second thermal expansion material is higher than a maximum expansion temperature of the first thermal expansion material.

An expansion apparatus includes: a first expander for irradiating with electromagnetic waves emitted from a lamp a thermal conversion layer for conversion of the electromagnetic waves to heat, to cause at least a portion of a thermal expansion layer to expand, the thermal conversion layer being laminated to a molding sheet including a base and the thermal expansion layer laminated to a first main surface of the base; and a second expander for causing expansion of a region (C) of the thermal expansion layer that is smaller in size than a region (B) of the thermal expansion layer expanded by the first expander.

A system and method for printing patterns on a substrate, including a substrate; a powder; a sealing coating; and a UV curable paint; wherein the powder, the sealing coating and the UV curable paint are deposited onto the substrate and heated and cured. The method is designed to make the substrate have a faux appearance with lower costs than manufacturing the real substrate it was meant to look like.

A method for manufacturing the panel element (1) according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a process of printing a printed layer (4a) formed of an ink that does not transmit light on a front side of a resin sheet (3); a process of superimposing and printing a printed layer (4b) on an upper surface of the printed layer (4a) to form a laminated printed layer (4); and a process of irradiating the laminated printed layer (4) with laser light on a front side thereof to remove a part of the laminated printed layer (4) and to form a hole portion having a vertical end face in the laminated printed layer (4).

A thermally expandable sheet includes: a first thermally expansive layer that is formed on one side of a base and contains a first thermally expandable material; and a second thermally expansive layer that is formed on the first thermally expansive layer and contains a second thermally expandable material, wherein the second thermally expandable material further contains white pigment.

A structure manufacturing method manufactures a structure including an expansion layer M2 by expanding the expansion layer M2 that is included in a print medium M and expands by heating. An electromagnetic wave-heat conversion material is formed on a first surface of the print medium M in density corresponding to a shape of a structure C0 to be manufactured. Here, either the material is formed in lower density than density of the material in a first part of the expansion layer M2 to be expanded to a first height H1 and density of the material in a second part of the expansion layer M2 to be expanded to a second height H2 or the material is not formed, in a boundary region A0 which is the first surface in a boundary part between the first part and the second part. The print medium M is then irradiated with electromagnetic waves.