Investigation on Fabricating 3D Structures Using Inkjet Printing Technology

Recently a rapid prototyping method for building parts layer-by- layer has led to interest in fabrication of electrical circuits and optical devices by inkjet printing. In this study a Java program was developed to control a commercial piezoelectric inkjet printer whose nozzles are about 30 μm with experiments focusing on the drop positioning and arrangement required to fabricate three-dimensional structure layer by layer. A single nozzle inkjet device whose nozzles are about 100 μm was also fabricated to study the basic operating parameters affecting the fluid drop formation such as cavity length, viscosity and amplitude voltage.