Micropositioning of a Multimaterial Electrohydrodynamic Jet Deposition System Using Vision Feedback

This paper presents the micropositioning of a multimaterial Electrohydrodynamic-Jet (E-jet) deposition system with vision feedback. E-jet printing has been recognized as an emerging direct write technology for micro/nano-manufacturing applications. Recent efforts have improved E-jet droplet resolution and printing speed. The next logical step is to increase the versatility of the printing system by increasing the number of materials that can be integrated to a single devise. Droplet resolution using E-jet deposition is generally less than 5μm in diameter, so it is necessary to accurately position the nozzle tip after successive head switching. Here, we divide the switching mechanism into two steps: macropositioning and micropositioning. The micropositioning is performed with a servo control with machine vision, resulting in a positioning accuracy of less than 2 μm. The efficacy of this approach is demonstrated through printing of a multimaterial pattern.