Method and system for all-aqueous printing of viscoelastic droplets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025196432-A1
Application number	US-202318866986-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 19, 2023
Priority date	May 19, 2022
Publication date	Jun 19, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

This document describes printing viscoelastic material in an aqueous medium. Such printing can involve positioning a print nozzle at specified coordinates in the medium and triggering deposition of the viscoelastic material to form a viscoelastic droplet. The deposition can be established by delivering a specified flow velocity of the viscoelastic material through an aperture in the print nozzle. The print nozzle can be detached from the droplet and a receiving material by translating the nozzle relative to the droplet according to a specified acceleration. The droplet can remain captive on or within the receiving material upon detachment from the nozzle.

First claim

1 . A method for printing viscoelastic aqueous droplets in an aqueous supporting bath, the method comprising:
positioning a print nozzle at a specified coordinates in an aqueous medium; triggering deposition of viscoelastic material to form at least one viscoelastic droplet comprising a specified diameter, the deposition established by delivering a specified flow velocity of a viscoelastic material through an aperture in the print nozzle; and detaching the print nozzle from the droplet and a receiving material by translating the print nozzle relative to the droplet according to a specified acceleration; wherein the droplet is captive on or within the receiving material located in the aqueous medium.

2 . The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the specified coordinates comprise first coordinates corresponding to a first pixel or a first voxel from an image defining a three-dimensional (3D) structure to be printed; wherein positioning the print nozzle includes establishing or adjusting the position of the print nozzle to compensate for displacement of the at least one viscoelastic droplet away from the specified coordinates in relation to detaching the print nozzle from the droplet.

3 . The method of claim 2 , comprising performing digital assembly of spherical particles (DASP) to establish the three-dimensional (3D) structure including the at least one deposited viscoelastic droplet.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein:
the at least one viscoelastic droplet includes biological material; and performing DASP includes assembling a plurality of viscoelastic droplets to establish a biological material model.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the biological material includes mammalian cells.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning the print nozzle includes at least one of translating or rotating the print nozzle toward the specified coordinates; and
wherein the receiving material comprises a three-dimensional (3D) supporting matrix.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning the print nozzle includes:
imaging the depositing of the at least one viscoelastic droplet onto the receiving material; and using the imaging as feedback in positioning the print nozzle.

8 - 15 . (canceled)

16 . A system for printing viscoelastic ink droplets in an aqueous medium, the system comprising:
a print nozzle configured to be positioned via one or more drives of a gantry toward specified coordinates in the aqueous medium; and a processor configured to:
trigger depositing viscoelastic material to form at least one viscoelastic droplet comprising a specified diameter, the deposition established by delivering a specified flow velocity of a viscoelastic material through an aperture in the print nozzle; and
actuate the one or more drives of a gantry to detach the print nozzle from the droplet and a receiving material by translating the print nozzle relative to the droplet according to a specified acceleration;
wherein the droplet is captive on or within the receiving material located in the aqueous medium.

17 . The system of claim 16 ,
wherein the specified coordinates comprise first coordinates corresponding to a first pixel or a first voxel from an image defining a three-dimensional (3D) structure to be printed; wherein the processor is configured to establish or adjust the position of the print nozzle to compensate for displacement of the at least one viscoelastic droplet away from the specified coordinates in relation to detaching the print nozzle from the droplet.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the processor is configured to facilitate digital assembly of spherical particles (DASP) to establish the three-dimensional (3D) structure including the at least one deposited viscoelastic droplet.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the print nozzle is fluidly coupled to a reservoir configured to supply a viscoelastic material including bio-ink to the print nozzle; and
wherein the processor is configured to facilitate DASP including assembling a plurality of viscoelastic droplets using, the supplied viscoelastic material, to establish a biological material model.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the processor is configured to facilitate DASP to assemble 3D mammalian biological material included in biological material model.

21 . The system of claim 16 , comprising the receiving material including a three-dimensional (3D) supporting matrix;
wherein the processor is configured to actuate the one or more drives of the gantry translate or rotate the print nozzle toward the specified coordinates corresponding to the 3D supporting matrix.

22 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the processor is configured to:
receive imaging data corresponding with a position of the print nozzle during depositing of the at least one viscoelastic droplet onto the receiving material; and reprocess the imaging data as feedback in positioning the print nozzle.

23 - 31 . (canceled)

32 . At least one non-transitory machine-readable medium including instructions for printing viscoelastic ink droplets in an aqueous medium, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
position a print nozzle at specified coordinates in the aqueous medium; triggering deposition of viscoelastic material to form at least one viscoelastic droplet comprising a specified diameter, the deposition established by delivering a specified flow velocity of a viscoelastic material through an aperture in the print nozzle; and detaching the print nozzle from the droplet and a receiving material by translating the print nozzle relative to the droplet according to a specified acceleration; wherein the droplet is captive on or within the receiving material located in the aqueous medium.

33 . The at least one machine-readable medium of claim 32 ,
wherein the specified coordinates comprise first coordinates corresponding to a first pixel or a first voxel from an image defining a three-dimensional (3D) structure to be printed; wherein positioning the print nozzle includes establishing or adjusting the position of the print nozzle to compensate for displacement of the at least one viscoelastic droplet away from the specified coordinates in relation to detaching the print nozzle from the droplet.

34 . The at least one machine-readable medium of claim 33 , including instructions which cause the processor to facilitate digital assembly of spherical particles (DASP) to establish the three-dimensional (3D) structure including the at least one deposited viscoelastic droplet.

35 . The at least one machine-readable medium of claim 34 , wherein:
the at least one viscoelastic droplet includes a bio-ink; and facilitating the DASP includes assembling a plurality of viscoelastic droplets to establish a biological material model.

36 . (canceled)

37 . The at least one machine-readable medium of claim 32 , including instructions which cause the processor to translate or rotate the print nozzle toward the specified coordinates;
wherein the receiving material comprises a three-dimensional (3D) supporting matrix.

38 . The at least one machine-readable medium of claim 32 , including instructions which cause the processor to:
image the depositing of the at least one viscoelastic droplet onto the receiving material; and reprocess the imaging as feedback in positioning the print nozzle.

39 - 45 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Univ Virginia Patent Foundation

Inventors

• Cai Liheng
• Zhu Jinchang

Classifications

• B29K2995/0056

  Biocompatible, e.g. biopolymers or bioelastomers · CPC title

• B29C64/236

  for motion in a direction within the plane of a layer · CPC title

• B29C64/393

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29C64/209

  Heads; Nozzles · CPC title

• B29C64/232

  for motion along the axis orthogonal to the plane of a layer · CPC title