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A Drop-on-Demand Ink-Jet Printer for Combinatorial Libraries and Functionally Graded Ceramics

2002; American Chemical Society; Volume: 4; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1021/cc010075e

1520-4774

Mohammad Masoud Mohebi, Julian Evans,

Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies

A printer has been designed and built for the preparation of combinatorial libraries of ceramics and for solid freeforming of functionally graded ceramics with three-dimensionally programmable spatial variation in composition. Several ceramic suspensions (as inks) can be subjected to micromixing behind the nozzle and printed at precise positions. Both mixing and positioning are computer-controlled. The machine consists of an XY table to control the geometry, a set of electromagnetic valves that manage the mixing, a combined electromagnetic valve and sapphire nozzle that form the print head, and a computer that controls the whole system. The mixing valves can eject as little as 1 mg/s ink into the mixing chamber. The printer has been controlled, run, calibrated and tested; the composition and geometry of printed mixtures can be controlled precisely. This method for the controlled mixing of powders facilitates the advance of combinatorial methods within the materials sciences.