Novel and Efficient Methodology for Drop Placement Accuracy Testing of Robot-Guided Inkjet Printing onto 3D Objects
Robot-guided inkjet printing technology offers a new way for the digital and additive deposition of low-viscous inks to be made directly onto arbitrary surfaces and, thus, enables the production of individualized printed electronics on large-scale objects. When compared to conventional flatbed print...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Machines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/11/5/568 |
| _version_ | 1827740914235211776 |
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| author | Robert Thalheim Andreas Willert Dana Mitra Ralf Zichner |
| author_facet | Robert Thalheim Andreas Willert Dana Mitra Ralf Zichner |
| author_sort | Robert Thalheim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Robot-guided inkjet printing technology offers a new way for the digital and additive deposition of low-viscous inks to be made directly onto arbitrary surfaces and, thus, enables the production of individualized printed electronics on large-scale objects. When compared to conventional flatbed printing, the distance between the nozzle plate and the object’s surface varies and needs to be considered in order to match the accuracy requirements needed for the positioning of single drops. Knowledge about applicable distance limits and the influence of tunable print parameters is crucial for improving the print process and results. This study discusses the sources of errors in the inkjet printing process onto 3D objects and presents extensive results about position accuracy in relation to jetting distance for different parameter sets of functional inks, drop volumes, and piezo voltages. Additionally, an efficient novel method was applied to determine the drop position accuracy of inkjet droplets in relation to the jetting distance. The method relies on cylinder geometry for the object and an inkjet head that is guided by a six-axis robot manipulator along the cylinder’s axis. For the determination of drop placement accuracy, the position of single dots on the surface was compared to a model which considered the cylinder radii, drop velocity, and the movement speed of the guided inkjet printhead. The method and the extensive research results can be utilized for the prediction of achievable drop placement accuracy and the prior definition of distance limits. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:33:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7e6fdcc1cb444f47b0c781f81706cb2c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1702 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:33:34Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Machines |
| spelling | doaj.art-7e6fdcc1cb444f47b0c781f81706cb2c2023-11-18T02:12:00ZengMDPI AGMachines2075-17022023-05-0111556810.3390/machines11050568Novel and Efficient Methodology for Drop Placement Accuracy Testing of Robot-Guided Inkjet Printing onto 3D ObjectsRobert Thalheim0Andreas Willert1Dana Mitra2Ralf Zichner3Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS, Technologie-Campus 3, 09126 Chemnitz, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS, Technologie-Campus 3, 09126 Chemnitz, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS, Technologie-Campus 3, 09126 Chemnitz, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS, Technologie-Campus 3, 09126 Chemnitz, GermanyRobot-guided inkjet printing technology offers a new way for the digital and additive deposition of low-viscous inks to be made directly onto arbitrary surfaces and, thus, enables the production of individualized printed electronics on large-scale objects. When compared to conventional flatbed printing, the distance between the nozzle plate and the object’s surface varies and needs to be considered in order to match the accuracy requirements needed for the positioning of single drops. Knowledge about applicable distance limits and the influence of tunable print parameters is crucial for improving the print process and results. This study discusses the sources of errors in the inkjet printing process onto 3D objects and presents extensive results about position accuracy in relation to jetting distance for different parameter sets of functional inks, drop volumes, and piezo voltages. Additionally, an efficient novel method was applied to determine the drop position accuracy of inkjet droplets in relation to the jetting distance. The method relies on cylinder geometry for the object and an inkjet head that is guided by a six-axis robot manipulator along the cylinder’s axis. For the determination of drop placement accuracy, the position of single dots on the surface was compared to a model which considered the cylinder radii, drop velocity, and the movement speed of the guided inkjet printhead. The method and the extensive research results can be utilized for the prediction of achievable drop placement accuracy and the prior definition of distance limits.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/11/5/568inkjetinkjet printingrobotaccuracyplacementjetting distance |
| spellingShingle | Robert Thalheim Andreas Willert Dana Mitra Ralf Zichner Novel and Efficient Methodology for Drop Placement Accuracy Testing of Robot-Guided Inkjet Printing onto 3D Objects Machines inkjet inkjet printing robot accuracy placement jetting distance |
| title | Novel and Efficient Methodology for Drop Placement Accuracy Testing of Robot-Guided Inkjet Printing onto 3D Objects |
| title_full | Novel and Efficient Methodology for Drop Placement Accuracy Testing of Robot-Guided Inkjet Printing onto 3D Objects |
| title_fullStr | Novel and Efficient Methodology for Drop Placement Accuracy Testing of Robot-Guided Inkjet Printing onto 3D Objects |
| title_full_unstemmed | Novel and Efficient Methodology for Drop Placement Accuracy Testing of Robot-Guided Inkjet Printing onto 3D Objects |
| title_short | Novel and Efficient Methodology for Drop Placement Accuracy Testing of Robot-Guided Inkjet Printing onto 3D Objects |
| title_sort | novel and efficient methodology for drop placement accuracy testing of robot guided inkjet printing onto 3d objects |
| topic | inkjet inkjet printing robot accuracy placement jetting distance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1702/11/5/568 |
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