ANSYS: Aerosol Jet Printing Simulation
Ultrasonic aerosol jet printing is a five step process
• Aerosolization of ink using an ultrasonic transducer
• Transport of aerosolized droplets using a carrier gas
• Collimation of the aerosol stream by sheath gas
• Aerodynamic focusing of the collimated aerosol stream
• Impingement of the aerosol-gas mixture onto a substrate
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ANSYS: Aerosol Jet Printing Simulation
• Generates a polydisperse stream of ink droplets in the range of 0.5-5
micrometer
• Trajectory of an individual aerosolized ink droplet is strongly influenced by
its diameter.
• Droplets exits the nozzle at high velocities and impact the substrate.
Droplets usually stick, spread, accumulate or splash depending on factors
such as droplet diameter, the surface energy of the substrate, stand-off
distance, printing stage speed and ink rheology
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ANSYS: Aerosol Jet Printing Simulation
• Under compressible and laminar flow assumptions, governing
equations were numerically solved
• A lagrangian discrete phase model was implemented to predict
the trajectories of aerosol streams through the fluid domain
• Polydispersity in the droplet diameter distribution is modeled
using Rosin- Rammler distribution
• Saffman lift force is considered in the theoretical model to
describe aerosol streams flowing through microcapillaries
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AJP Simulation: Geometry and Boundary Condition
Characteristic
Value
Operating pressure
101325Pa
Operating temperature
288.16K
Material of continuous phase
Nitrogen
Material type of discrete phase
Inert
Density of discrete phase
1000kg/m3
Diameter of discrete phase
3e-6 m
Total flow rate of discrete phase
1e-8kg/s
Velocity of CGF inlet
0.0184m/s
Velocity of ShGFR inlet
0,0.6366,1.2732,1.9099,2.5465,3.1831m/s
Size of nozzle outlet
0.15/0.25/0.41mm
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ANSYS: Aerosol Jet Printing Simulation
Carrier gas flow rate: 20 sccm
Sheath gas flow rate: 30 sccm
Figure: Simulation result of my simulation
Figure: Simulation result of Hengrui Xu
Here the simulation results of my simulation and the results obtained by Hengrui Xu is almost similar. The nozzle exit
velocity of both of us is very close.
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ANSYS: Aerosol Jet Printing Simulation
Carrier gas flow rate: 20 sccm
Sheath gas flow rate: 90 sccm
Figure: Simulation result of my simulation
Figure: Simulation result of Hengrui Xu
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ANSYS: Aerosol Jet Printing Simulation
Carrier gas flow rate: 20 sccm
Sheath gas flow rate: 150 sccm
Figure: Simulation result of my simulation
Figure: Simulation result of Hengrui Xu
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ANSYS: Aerosol Jet Printing Simulation (With Substrate)
Carrier gas flow rate: 20 sccm
Sheath gas flow rate: 30 sccm
Figure: Simulation result of my simulation
Figure: Simulation result of Hengrui Xu
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ANSYS: Aerosol Jet Printing Simulation (With Substrate)
Carrier gas flow rate: 20 sccm
Sheath gas flow rate: 90 sccm
Figure: Simulation result of my simulation
Figure: Simulation result of Hengrui Xu
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ANSYS: Aerosol Jet Printing Simulation (With Substrate)
Carrier gas flow rate: 20 sccm
Sheath gas flow rate: 150 sccm
Figure: Simulation result of my simulation
Figure: Simulation result of Hengrui Xu
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ANSYS: Aerosol Jet Printing Simulation (Particle Track)
Figure: Particle Trajectory
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