Challenges in High Resolution Inkjet Printing

喷墨打印作为一种方便的打印文字和摄影图像的技术，对于任何在家里有个人电脑的人来说都是很熟悉的。除此之外，喷墨打印是一种多功能的制造工具，具有广泛的应用范围，从条形码和安全标记的工业印刷到低成本印刷电子产品，太阳能电池和生物传感器。这也是聚合物和陶瓷3D打印的一种长期建立的方法。喷墨打印是一种数字技术，使设计和结构可以直接从存储在计算机上的文件中制造出来，而不需要生产中间模具、工具或屏幕。因此，在这些较新的制造应用中使用喷墨打印的一个巨大吸引力是它有可能大大缩短从概念到制造的交货时间。这项提议是为了提供一个中心设施，使所有这些喷墨打印应用的研究，特别是使我们能够将这项研究从实验室转化为工业和医学应用，这将直接造福于英国。这套喷墨打印机将使许多项目得以实施，包括：在纺织品上打印功能材料和结构，使智能服装能够监测个人的健康状况。在产品上打印射频识别设备（RFID）的“隐形条形码”，以提高安全性，并允许商店自动结账。提高我们对喷墨水滴如何形成以及它们在印刷后如何与表面相互作用的科学的基本理解。开发可打印新材料（如石墨烯）的新油墨。使3D打印的结构，可以植入体内，使组织愈合和再生。

Inkjet printing is a technology that is familiar to anyone who has a personal computer at home as a convenient way of printing text and photographic images. In addition to this application, inkjet printing is a versatile manufacturing tool with a range of applications ranging from the industrial printing of barcodes and security marking to low cost printed electronics, solar cells and biosensors. It is also a long established method for 3D printing of polymers and ceramics. Inkjet printing is a digital technology, enabling designs and structures to be fabricated directly from files stored on a computer without the need to produce intermediate moulds, tools or screens. Thus a great attraction of using inkjet printing in these newer manufacturing applications is its potential to dramatically reduce lead times from concept to manufacture. This proposal is to provide a central facility to enable research in all of these applications for inkjet printing and in particular to enable us to translate this research from the laboratory to applications in industry and medicine that will be of direct benefit to the UK.The suite of inkjet printers will allow a number of projects to be carried out including: Printing functional materials and structures on textiles to allow smart clothing that could monitor the health of an individual. Printing radio frequency identification devices (RFID) "invisible bar codes" on products to improve security and allow automatic checkout in stores. Improve our fundamental understanding of the science of how inkjet drops are formed and how they interact with surfaces after printing. Develop new inks that allow the printing of new materials e.g. graphene. Enable the 3D printing of structures that can be implanted into the body to enable the healing and regeneration of tissues.