Dynamic Characteristics of Drop-substrate Interactions in Direct Ceramic Ink-jet Printing using High Speed Imaging System

Abstract

(DCIJP). The DCIJP finds applications in the fabrication of complex-shaped monolithic ceramic parts, ceramic composites, solid-oxide fuel cells, integrated circuits, components of fuel cells, gas turbines, ceramic tiles used in space vehicles, and many other equipments operating at high temperature owing to their ability to retain strength at high temperature. Ceramic pottery industry can also benefit from this process.The DCIJP uses ceramic powder presented in a carrier medium which is deposited using a delivery system actuated by a piezoelectric device. A mathematical model for droplet formation from orifice and its deposition on substrate in DCIJP has been developed by Vijay and Prakasan 6 . The success of this process depends on the systematic preparation of ceramic inks, droplet formation in the print head, and droplet deposition on the substrate. It can be used to fabricate larger parts like ceramic tiles for aerospace vehicles ABSTRACTSolid freeform fabrication has the potential to construct ceramic parts, directly from computer aided design (CAD) data, without a mould or a die by the addition of material. Direct ceramic ink-jet printing is one of the techniques used in freeform fabrication. Ceramic tiles used in space vehicles can be produced by this method wherein a porous ceramic substrate (Al 2 O 3 /SiC) can be filled with a ceramic ink and processed subsequently. The success of this process depends on the systematic preparation of ceramic inks and the deposition of the ceramic ink on the substrate. In this paper, photographic studies were made on the characteristics of ceramic ink droplets when these are deposited on a porous ceramic substrate from a burette under gravity. For this investigation, ceramic inks were prepared using different amounts (0.253.0 vol. %) of an organic dispersant (oleic acid) added to a ceramic composition containing different amounts: (a) (7.5 17.5 vol. %) of alumina and (b) (7.515.0 vol. %) of zirconia with ethyl alcohol as a carrier. From this study, the drop formation, sedimentation in the drop, spread of drop on the substrate, splashing of drop impinging a previous ceramic ink layer on the substrate, and merging of droplets after deposition, are observed. This method is useful for manufacturing of parts with ceramic fibres filled with ceramic particles and this study can provide inner details on the behaviour of ink drops.

Splash of Solid Particles as a Stochastic Point Process

“…The splash phenomenon has been studied in many different contexts, including ink‐jet printing (Somasundaram et al, ), fuel spray injection (Andreassi et al, ), aerosol generation (Joung & Buie, ), transfer of infectious bacteria (Boyer, ), and soil erosion (Jomaa et al, ; Morgan, ). These studies can be divided into two main groups: (i) rupturing of a drop into many droplets as a result of its impact on a solid surface (Josserand & Thoroddsen, ; Lan et al, ; Liu et al, ; Mandre et al, ) and (ii) simultaneous rupturing of a drop and ejecting of granules as a result of the drop's impact on a granular bed (Marston et al, ; Van der Meer, ).…”

Wetting of Inkjet Polymer Droplets on Porous Alumina Substrates

“…The following factors will influence the wetting behavior: the intrinsic properties of the ink, the chemical contents, and physical structure of the substrates. Many researches concerning the interactions between water and porous substrates have been conducted to control the wetting behavior. − For instance, Kalakkath et al showed that the penetration of a ceramic ink on a porous ceramic substrate (Al 2 O 3 /SiC) decreased as ink viscosity increased. The investigation showed that nozzle geometry, applied pressure, solution viscosity, and surface tension of a ceramic ink can affect satellite drop formation as well as the resolution.…”