Deposition Offset of Printed Foam Strands in Direct Bubble Writing
Prasansha Rastogi1, Cornelis H Venner1, Claas Willem Visser1
1Engineering Fluid Dynamics Group, Department of Thermal and Fluid Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands.
Polymers
|July 27, 2022
Summary
Direct Bubble Writing (DBW) technology was improved by modeling and compensating for bubble deposition offset. This advancement enables precise 3D foam printing with high dimensional accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Additive Manufacturing
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Direct Bubble Writing (DBW) is a novel 3D printing technique for creating shape-stable polymer foams.
- The technique involves ejecting liquid bubbles from a nozzle and photo-polymerizing them in situ.
- A key challenge is the discrepancy between the nozzle's intended path and the actual bubble deposition location.
Purpose of the Study:
- To model and measure the deviation in bubble deposition location during Direct Bubble Writing.
- To investigate the effect of printhead velocity on this deposition offset.
- To develop strategies for compensating this offset to improve printing accuracy.
Main Methods:
- Developing a mathematical model to predict bubble deposition deviation.
- Experimentally measuring the offset at various printhead velocities.
- Validating the model through printing of simple geometric shapes (lines, circles).
Main Results:
- A significant deposition offset was observed, increasing with printhead velocity (e.g., 8 mm at 500 mm/s).
- The developed model accurately predicts this offset.
- Compensation by tuning the print path successfully improved accuracy for circular paths and sharp corners.
Conclusions:
- The study successfully models and quantifies the deposition offset in Direct Bubble Writing.
- Compensating for this offset is crucial for achieving high dimensional accuracy in 3D foam printing.
- These findings represent a significant step towards the reliable fabrication of complex 3D polymer foam structures using DBW.
