Droplet morphology analysis of drop-on-demand inkjet printing

Abstract

As an accurate 2D/3D fabrication tool, inkjet printing technology has great potential in preparation of micro electronic devices. The morphology of droplets produced by the inkjet printer has a great impact on the accuracy of deposition. In this study, the drop-on-demand (DoD) inkjet simulation model was established, and the accuracy of the simulation model was verified by corresponding experiments. The simulation result shows that the velocity of the droplet front and tail, as well as the time to disconnect from the nozzle is mainly affected by density (ρ), viscosity (μ) and surface tension (σ) of droplets. When the liquid filament is about to disconnect from the nozzle, the filament length and filament front velocity are found to have a linear correlation with σ/ρμ and ln(ρ/(μσ12)).