Multinozzle deposition system for direct write applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9643358-B2
Application number	US-201214128905-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2012
Priority date	Jul 1, 2011
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

A multinozzle deposition system for direct write applications comprises a body including a first network of microchannels embedded therein, where the first network of microchannels extends from a parent microchannel through a series of furcations to a plurality of branching microchannels. The series consists of k generations with furcation number m where the k th generation includes m k branching microchannels. A first end of the body includes a single inlet to the parent microchannel and a second end of the body includes m k outlets from the branching microchannels, where k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and m is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The body comprises a material having a sufficient rigidity to sustain a pressure in the microchannels of about 690 kPa or greater without distortion.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of high-throughput printing, the method comprising:
providing a multinozzle deposition system comprising:
a body including a first network of microchannels embedded therein, the first network of microchannels extending from a parent microchannel through a series of furcations to a plurality of branching microchannels, the series consisting of k generations with furcation number m where the k th generation includes m k branching microchannels, a first end of the body including a single inlet to the parent microchannel and a second end of the body including m k outlets from the branching microchannels, where k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and where m is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the outlets being positioned proximate a substrate;

flowing a first ink into the single inlet at a pressure of at least about 2 MPa, the first ink passing through the first network of microchannels and through the outlets; and
depositing m k filaments of the first ink simultaneously on the substrate at a printing speed of at least about 1 mm/s.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the body further comprises a second network of microchannels embedded therein, the second network of microchannels extending from a second parent microchannel through a progression of furcations to a plurality of second branching microchannels, the progression consisting of k generations with furcation number m where the k th generation of the progression includes m k second branching microchannels, the first end of the body including a single inlet to the second parent microchannel and the second end of the body including m k outlets from the second branching microchannels, where k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and m is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the outlets from the second branching microchannels being positioned proximate the substrate; and
further comprising flowing a second ink into the single inlet to the second parent microchannel, the second ink passing through the second network of microchannels and through the outlets of the second network; and
depositing m k filaments of the second ink simultaneously on the substrate at a printing speed of at least about 1 mm/s.

3. The method of claim 2 , where the m k filaments of the second ink are deposited in interstices defined by the deposition of the m k filaments of the first ink.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the depositing of the m k filaments of the second ink occurs simultaneously with the depositing of the m k filaments of the first ink.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the second ink is flowed into the single inlet to the second parent microchannel at a pressure of at least about 2 MPa.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first ink is different from the second ink.

7. The method of claim 2 , further comprising forming a fully dense structure from the m k filaments of the first ink and the m k filaments of the second ink on the substrate.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first ink comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of PDMS and epoxy.

9. A method of high-throughput printing, the method comprising:
providing a multinozzle deposition system comprising:
a body including a first network of microchannels embedded therein, the first network of microchannels extending from a parent microchannel through a series of furcations to a plurality of branching microchannels, the series consisting of k generations with furcation number m where the k th generation includes m k branching microchannels, a first end of the body including a single inlet to the parent microchannel and a second end of the body including m k outlets from the branching microchannels, where k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and where m is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the outlets being positioned proximate a substrate;

flowing a first ink into the single inlet, the first ink passing through the first network of microchannels and through the outlets; and
depositing m k filaments of the first ink simultaneously on the substrate at a printing speed of at least about 1 mm/s,
wherein the first ink comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of PDMS and epoxy.

10. A method of direct write assembly, the method comprising:
providing a multinozzle deposition system comprising:
a body including a first network of microchannels embedded therein, the first network of microchannels extending from a parent microchannel through a series of furcations to a plurality of branching microchannels, the series consisting of k generations with furcation number m where the k th generation includes m k branching microchannels, a first end of the body including a single inlet to the parent microchannel and a second end of the body including m k outlets from the branching microchannels, where k is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and where m is an integer greater than or equal to 2, the outlets being positioned proximate a substrate;

flowing a first ink into the single inlet, the first ink passing through the first network of microchannels and through the outlets; and
depositing M k filaments of the first ink simultaneously on the substrate at a printing speed of at least about 1 mm/s, thereby fabricating a structure by direct writing.

Assignees

• Lewis Jennifer A
• Hansen Christopher J
• Kranz Steven
• Vericella John J
• Wu Willie
• Kolesky David B
• Univ Illinois

Inventors

• Lewis Jennifer A
• Hansen Christopher J
• Kranz Steven
• Vericella John J
• Wu Willie
• Kolesky David B

Classifications

• B29C64/209

  Heads; Nozzles · CPC title

• B81B2201/058

  Microfluidics not provided for in B81B2201/051 - B81B2201/054 · CPC title

• B41J2/1623

  bonding and adhesion · CPC title

• B41J2/14

  Structure thereof {only for on-demand ink jet heads} · CPC title

• B29C67/0059 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic