Guided ink and process design for aerosol jet printing based on annular drying effects

Abstract

Aerosol jet printing (AJP) is a promising microscale additive manufacturing technology for emerging applications in printed and flexible electronics. However, the more widespread adoption of this emerging technique is hindered by a limited fundamental understanding of the process. This work focuses on a critical and underappreciated aspect of the process, the interaction between drying induced by the sheath gas and impaction. Combining focused experiments with support from numerical modeling, it is shown that these effects have a dramatic impact on key outputs of the process, including deposition rate, resolution, and morphology. These effects can amplify minor changes in ink composition or atomization yield, increasing process sensitivity and drift. Moreover, these effects can confound strategies for in-line process monitoring and control based on empirical observables. Strategies to directly manipulate this annular drying phenomenon are presented, providing a viable tool to tailor and study the process. This work clarifies coupled effects of printer design, ink formulation, and print parameters, establishing a more robust theoretical framework for understanding the AJP process and advancing the maturity of this promising technology.