High-tech materials deposition for piezoelectric drop-on-demand inkjet

FUJIFILM Dimatix’ materials deposition technology is the latest frontier in high-technology manufacturing where the materials deposited can range from UV-curable light-emitting polymers and conductive fluids to organic "inks" and DNA, and where their thickness often must be controlled to within a few ten-millionths of a meter.

The new technology applies inkjet, specifically drop-on-demand inkjet, or Piezo DOD – a technology traditionally associated with wide-format printing, which is quickly finding acceptance on the materials deposition scene as a viable and often valuable manufacturing method.

Piezo DOD inkjet printheads are fast and accurate. FUJIFILM Dimatix ‘s Spectra brand printheads can jet inks for industrial printing applications at frequencies exceeding 20,000 cycles/second (20kHz) and at print speeds 1.5m/s. Each nozzle can fire ink droplets on demand, simultaneously on each cycle and virtually without “crosstalk,” straight and true to their intended targets.

Compared to other deposition technologies, Piezo DOD inkjet has the added advantage of eliminating manufacturing steps and reducing consumable usage and chemical waste. As a digital technology, inkjet production startup costs are comparatively low, and expensive materials like liquid silver and DNA are optimized by jetting them only where they are needed.

Unlike some deposition methods, which flood a surface with functional fluids, inkjet is both precise and additive. It is able to deposit the exact amount of material at the exact locations where it is needed, without waste. This precision makes it unnecessary to image and pattern, etch and recover waste material – dramatically enhancing inkjet’s attractiveness for use with aggressive, conductive and reactive fluids and coatings that often must be deposited at precision locations and in precisely controlled amounts.

The company’s patented Piezo DOD inkjet printheads are known for their ability to sustainably jet ink and many other fluids at high frequencies and with exceptional precision, without trading off drop placement accuracy. Further, the technology features high duty cycles and long life – traits that allow OEMs and systems integrators to design advanced systems for industrial print production that are fast, reliable and economical.

The strength of the core inkjet printhead technologies is expected to help move materials deposition out of the lab and into the mainstream by using new methods to fabricate a new generation of products not possible only a few years ago.



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