A Multi-Fidelity Model for Simulations and Sensitivity Analysis of Piezoelectric Inkjet Printheads

The ink drop generation process in piezoelectric droplet-on-demand devices is a complex multiphysics process. A fully resolved simulation of such a system involves a coupled fluid–structure interaction approach employing both computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and computational structural mechanics (CSM) models; thus, it is computationally expensive for engineering design and analysis. In this work, a simplified lumped element model (LEM) is proposed for the simulation of piezoelectric inkjet printheads using the analogy of equivalent electrical circuits. The model’s parameters are computed from three-dimensional fluid and structural simulations, taking into account the detailed geometrical features of the inkjet printhead. Inherently, this multifidelity LEM approach is much faster in simulations of the whole inkjet printhead, while it ably captures fundamental electro-mechanical coupling effects. The approach is validated with experimental data for an existing commercial inkjet printhead with good agreement in droplet speed prediction and frequency responses. The sensitivity analysis of droplet generation conducted for the variation of ink channel geometrical parameters shows the importance of different design variables on the performance of inkjet printheads. It further illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach in practical engineering usage.

SYNTHESIS OF CONDUCTIVE INK BASED ON SILVER NANOPARTICLES AND ITS APPLICATION IN INKJET PRINTING PATTERNS ON GLASS SUBSTRATES

This paper presents a synthesis of silver nanoparticles-based solution which was then used as conductive ink for inkjet printing application. In this work, colloidal silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized from silver nitrate (AgNO3) with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as a capping agent and ethylene glycol (EG) as a solvent and reducing agent. After the synthesis, the silver nanoparticle solution was characterized by Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) method. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed the nanoparticles diameter ranged from 10 nm to 60 nm which is suitable for printing process through the nozzles of the inkjet printhead (the diameter of the printing nozzles was 21.5 µm). After that, some samples with a square shape were printed using this conductive ink on glass substrates which were then heated at different temperatures by a hot plate. The samples were characterized by Field emission-Scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and a non-contact surface charge analyzer. It was found that with the heat-treatment from 200oC to 250oC the printed samples obtained the resistivity of 0.4-0.5 Ω, which could be used for electronic applications

Modelling of Power-Law Fluid Flow Inside a Piezoelectric Inkjet Printhead

Piezoelectric three-dimensional inkjet printing has been used to manufacture heterogeneous objects due to its high level of flexibility. The materials used are non-Newtonian inks with complex rheological properties, and their behavior in the context of inkjet printing has not been fully understood: for example, the fact that the shear-thinning viscosity affects the droplet generation. Therefore, a control strategy coping with shear-thinning behaviors is needed to ensure printing consistency. In this paper, a novel model-based approach is presented to describe the shear-thinning ink dynamics inside the piezoelectric inkjet printhead, which provides the basis to design the excitation parameters in a systematic way. The dynamic equation is simplified into a quasi-one-dimensional equation through the combination of the boundary layer theory and the constitutive equation of the power-law fluid, of which the viscosity is shear-thinning. Based on this, a nonlinear time-varying equivalent circuit model is presented to simulate the power-law fluid flow rate inside the tube. The feasibility and effectiveness of this model can be evaluated by comparing the results of computational fluid dynamics and the experimental results.

Numerical Modeling of the Motion and Interaction of a Droplet of an Inkjet Printing Process with a Flat Surface

The numerical simulation and analysis of the ejection of an ink droplet through a nozzle as well its motion through air until its contact with a surface and taking up of a stable form is performed. The fluid flow is modeled by the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations with added surface tension. The presented model can be solved using either a level set or a phase field method to track the fluid interface. Here, the level set method is used to determinate the interface between ink and air. The presented work concentrates on the demonstration how to check the suitability of ink for inkjet printhead nozzles, for instance, for the use in printers. The results such as velocity, change of size, and volume dependence on time of an ink droplet are presented. Recommendations for the use of specific inks are also given.

Actuating Voltage Waveform Optimization of Piezoelectric Inkjet Printhead for Suppression of Residual Vibrations

After a piezoelectric inkjet printhead jets the first droplet, the actuating membrane still vibrates, creating residual vibrations in the ink channel, which can degrade the inkjet printhead performance. For suppressing these vibrations, an optimized actuating voltage waveform with two pulses must be obtained, of which the first pulse is used for jetting and the second pulse is used to suppress the residual vibrations. In this study, the pressure history within the ink channel of a recirculating piezoelectric inkjet printhead was first acquired using lumped element modeling. Then, for suppressing residual vibrations, a bipolar voltage waveform was optimized via analysis of the tuning time (tt ), dwell time (td2), rising time (tr2), falling time (tf2), and voltage amplitude of the second pulse. Two voltage waveforms, Waveform 01 and Waveform 02, were optimized thereafter. In Waveform 01, tt=2 μs, td2=2 μs, and tr2 and tf2=1 μs were finalized as the optimal parameters; in the case of another waveform, the optimal parameters of td2, tr2, and tf2 were found to be 4, 1, and 1 μs, respectively. The optimal voltage amplitude of the second pulse was found to be 1/3 the amplitude of the first pulse. On the basis of our analysis, the tuning time in Waveform 01 is the most sensitive parameter, and the performance yielded is even poorer than that yielded by standard waveform, if not optimized. Therefore, the other waveform is recommended for the suppression of residual vibrations.

Fabrication of 3D Temperature Sensor Using Magnetostrictive Inkjet Printhead

Recently, the three-dimensional (3D) printing technique has attracted much attention for creating objects of arbitrary shape and manufacturing. For the first time, in this work, we present the fabrication of an inkjet printed low-cost 3D temperature sensor on a 3D-shaped thermoplastic substrate suitable for packaging, flexible electronics, and other printed applications. The design, fabrication, and testing of a 3D printed temperature sensor are presented. The sensor pattern is designed using a computer-aided design program and fabricated by drop-on-demand inkjet printing using a magnetostrictive inkjet printhead at room temperature. The sensor pattern is printed using commercially available conductive silver nanoparticle ink. A moving speed of 90 mm/min is chosen to print the sensor pattern. The inkjet printed temperature sensor is demonstrated, and it is characterized by good electrical properties, exhibiting good sensitivity and linearity. The results indicate that 3D inkjet printing technology may have great potential for applications in sensor fabrication.

Design and Characteristic Analysis of a MEMS Piezo-Driven Recirculating Inkjet Printhead Using Lumped Element Modeling

The recirculation of ink in an inkjet printhead system keeps the ink temperature and viscosity constant, and leads to the development of a high-performance device. Herein, we propose a recirculating piezo-driven micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS)-based inkjet printhead that has a pressure chamber, a nozzle, and double restrictors. The design and characteristic analysis are performed using a two-port lumped element model (LEM) to investigate the effect of design parameters on the system responses. Using LEM, the jetting pressure at the pressure chamber, velocity at the nozzle inlet, meniscus pressure, and Helmholtz resonance frequency are predicted and the comparative analysis of the jetting pressure and velocity between LEM and the finite element method (FEM) simulation is conducted to validate our proposed LEM method. Furthermore, the effect of a change in major design parameters on the jetting pressure, velocity, and Helmholtz resonance frequency is analyzed. On the basis of this analysis, the optimized device dimensions are finalized. From our analysis, it is also concluded that the restrictor is more sensitive than the pressure chamber in terms of their variations in depth. As the cross-talk effect can occur due to an array of hundreds or thousands of nozzles, we investigated the effect of a single activated nozzle on the non-activated neighboring nozzles, as well as the effect of multi-activated nozzles on a single central nozzle using our proposed LEM.