Abstract

Inkjet fluid Characterization and Deposition Using the Samba Cartridge with the Dimatix Materials Printer

Robert Ramirez, Chief Scientist, FUJIFILM Dimatix

The FUJIFILM Dimatix Materials Printer (DMP) is a versatile benchtop materials deposition system designed for micro-precision jetting of a variety of functional fluids including aqueous-based, solvent-based and UV-curable fluids. Since its introduction 13 years ago, the DMP is the premiere turnkey system in expediting rapid prototyping of products from the proper fluid, e.g. 3D printed materials, flexible electronic circuits, RFID antennas, and DNA arrays, while also facilitating the development and testing of manufacturing processes. The cartridge that the DMP currently employs is useful for characterizing jetting behaviors of fluids, and can be helpful in screening fluid formulations that cannot be reliably jetted using industrial printheads. Presented herein is our new cartridge product for use in the DMP, the Samba cartridge. This latest cartridge is the exact Si-MEMS jet design found in our most advanced printhead available today, the Samba G3L printhead. As with the industrial Samba printhead, the Samba cartridge has a 2.4 pL drop volume. However, instead of 2048 nozzles, it has the same 16-jet configuration as the original DMP cartridges and can be used directly with the current DMP software and printer features. Designed for high-resolution, non-contact jetting of functional fluids in a broad range of applications, the DMP Samba cartridge allows fluid and waveform development for product prototyping directly using the same jet design as the Samba G3L printhead.