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Inkjet printing of polyurethane colloidal suspensions.
Antje M J van den Berg1, Patrick J Smith1, Jolke Perelaer1
1Laboratory of Macromolecular Chemistry and Nanoscience, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. u.s.schubert@tue.nl and Dutch Polymer Institute (DPI), PO Box 902, 5600 AX, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Soft Matter
|July 19, 2020
Summary
Aqueous polyurethane dispersions can be inkjet printed at room temperature, creating 10 µm layers suitable for rapid prototyping. This technique also allows for color gradients using water-soluble dyes.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Additive Manufacturing
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Inkjet printing offers precise material deposition.
- Polyurethane dispersions are versatile materials for various applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility of inkjet printing aqueous polyurethane dispersions at room temperature.
- To assess the structural properties of printed polyurethane layers.
- To explore the potential for creating color gradients using this method.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a piezoelectric inkjet printer to deposit an aqueous 40 wt% polyurethane dispersion.
- Created simple layered structures and dots.
- Analyzed the structure height using white-light interferometry.
- Incorporated water-soluble dyes to produce color gradients.
Main Results:
- Successfully printed polyurethane structures at room temperature.
- Determined a single layer height of 10 µm.
- Demonstrated the capability to produce color gradients by adding dyes.
Conclusions:
- Aqueous polyurethane dispersions are suitable for room-temperature inkjet printing.
- The 10 µm layer height indicates potential for rapid prototyping applications.
- Inkjet printing of polyurethanes can be adapted for creating multi-color structures.
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