Kinematical analysis of melt electrowritten jet at various print speeds

TL;DR

This paper investigates how varying print speeds in melt electrowriting affect jet diameter and speed, revealing a linear decrease in fiber diameter with increased speed and nonlinear changes in jet elongation.

Contribution

It provides a detailed kinematic analysis of melt electrowritten jets at different print speeds, enhancing understanding of jet behavior for better process control.

Findings

Fiber diameter decreases linearly with increasing print speed.

Jet speed along the spinline exhibits nonlinear variation.

Elongation rate of the jet is not constant across speeds.

Abstract

Melt electrowriting (MEW) is an extrusion-based additive manufacturing technology to create a complex construct with micro-scale fidelity. The elevated nozzle-to-collector distance of MEW needs a high requirement to control the charged jet, which relies on the understanding of the corresponding jet kinematics at different printing conditions. This study focuses on investigating the effect of printing speed on jet diameter and jet speed along the spinline from Taylor-cone to landing point, suggesting that the fiber diameter decreases linearly with the increment of printing speed; the jet speed along the spinline has a nonlinear change for printing at various speeds, i.e., the elongation rate is not constant.