CFD Analysis of a Continuous Inkjet Print Head for Direct Write Fabrication

This paper investigates the fluid generation mechanism in a modified Continuous Inkjet Print (CIJ) method. The CIJ technique is utilized to deposit a variety of conductive nano particulate materials for building miniaturized devices that can sustain harsh environments. These include devices and structures that can sustain high temperature and humidity applications. Given the complex drop formation mechanism a CFD model is developed that is further validated using an ultrahigh speed photography experimental setup. Various input parameters such as frequency, voltage and fluid pressure can be tuned using the model for different fluid types to obtain an optimal drop formation. These findings can be useful for the fabrication of freeform miniaturized devices in 3 dimensional space.