A semi-continuous Roll-to-Roll (R2R) electrohydrodynamic jet printing system

Abstract

This article presents the initial integration of a new and novel additive manufacturing process with a web-based transport of a flexible substrate. The manufacturing process is the Electro-hydrodynamic Jet (E-Jet) printing process and the transport is a Roll-to-Roll (R2R) system. E-Jet printing affords a wide array of materials to be deposited at very fine resolutions, on the order of microns. The combination of E-Jet printing and R2R enables fabrication of flexible electronics and other novel flexible systems such as bio-sensors and optics. The design of a custom R2R system is presented, including the mechatronic integration of hardware and software architectures. A Norm-Optimal Iterative Learning Controller is coupled with a Linear Quadratic controller to control web motion and tension, both of which are important for accurate E-Jet printing. Results are presented demonstrating the ability to accurately position the web for printing. Subsequently, printing results are demonstrated for both conductive and non-conductive inks. The results demonstrate the clear feasibility for fine scale printing, suitable for flexible electronics, on a continuous R2R process.