Predicting Deposition Rate and Closing the Loop on Aerosol Jet Printing with In‐Line Light Scattering Measurements
- Department of Mechanical Engineering Iowa State University 1071 Black Engineering Ames IA 50011 USA
Aerosol jet printing is a compelling noncontact, digital manufacturing technology for flexible, hybrid, and conformal electronics, but batch‐to‐batch variability and process drift inhibit systematic study and translation to production environments. Emerging measurement techniques for the aerosol volume fraction, a key parameter governing deposition rate, have shown promise for real‐time response, including a recent demonstration of human‐in‐the‐loop control. By integrating improved light scattering measurements with custom software, a robust environment for real‐time monitoring is established and fully automated closed‐loop control over the deposition rate during printing is enabled. The physical basis for scattering measurements as a feedback source is examined and the quantitative insight this provides for ink development and fundamental process studies is highlighted. Three candidate process variables for closed‐loop control, namely the atomizer voltage, carrier gas flow rate, and print speed, are then evaluated. The atomizer voltage demonstrates the best extended duration validity because it addresses atomization variability directly, but carrier gas flow rate and print speed provide faster and more deterministic responses. This methodology is then demonstrated for electrical properties using a silver nanoparticle ink, maintaining 98% of printed patterns within 10% of the mean resistance value over 3 h of printing.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NA0003525
- OSTI ID:
- 1968643
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 2424311
OSTI ID: 1983453
- Journal Information:
- Advanced Engineering Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Engineering Materials Journal Issue: 12 Vol. 25; ISSN 1438-1656
- Publisher:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- Germany
- Language:
- English