Pattern Analysis And Drop-on-demand Printing Of Electrohydrodynamic Printer

The ink-jet printing process can realize large-area, low-temperature, conformal and low-cost manufacturing, and is regarded as one of the ideal manufacturing technologies of flexible electronics. Traditional ink-jet printing(piezoelectric or thermal bubble of "squeeze" approaches) adopts “push” manner to print, resulting in the low resolution more than 20?m, and low compatibility with viscous solution. The electrohydrodynamic printing uses "pull" mode, which can achieve high-resolution printing by high viscous polymer solution. It is critical to develop an equipment for this new technology. Based on electrohydrodynamic drop-on-demand printing technology, the thesis focuses on the system of adoptive analysis of print pattern for different materials and print planning for single/multi-nozzle, as follows:1) Systematically introduce the structure of the electrohydrodynamic drop-on-demand printing equipment, software and control system, and built the ink supply control system of drop-on-demand jet printing: motion stage by linear motor, the pressure system by electropneumatic proportional valve, applied voltage control by function generator and high voltage supply, and ink supply by precise flow pump.2) Investigate the adaptivity of pattern analysis in electrohydrodynamic drop-on-demand printing, and solve the match issue between the pattern resolution and the size of printed size. Converting the pattern/image to binarization, the information of required printed dots is be determined. Image binarization and image interpolation algorithm is studied, the printing system can adaptively adjust image resolution depending on the size of printed dots to meet the diverse needs of different parameters and print materials.3) Study the printing method of single nozzle based on bitmap and vectorgraph,solve the difference of ink-jet printing between the picture and electric pattern.For the jet forms used in the process of printing forms, image resolution and print planning strategy of the single nozzle and the nozzle print mode is studied, to achieve synchronization control of electric proportional valve, function generator, voltage amplifier and linear motor, combining with PMAC motion controller to put forward the control method of the above mechanical and electrical components.4) Research the pattern analysis and print planning for multi-nozzle printing, address the switching between the single-nozzle printing and multi-nozzle printing. A multi-nozzled print head is designed, and the effect of distribution of nozzle on the electrical field is discovered. The Using the developed on-demand jet printing control system for circuit and image printing research, automatically to print out a simple bitmap and wire structure similar to the RFID antenna, the feasibility of this control scheme designed by this topic is verified.The above research system of electrohydrodynamic drop-on-demand printing control has been integrated into the multi-function electric fluid Jet printing equipment(Me- Jet XR1) system by independent development, implementing to a possible adaptation to different materials, different print resolution and different nozzle system, improving the ability of electrohydrodynamic drop-on-demand printing technology, laying the foundation for a flexible jet print manufacturing electronic devices. The Me-Jet XR1 equipment with my efforts won the 2014 Geneva International Inventions Gold Award.