Shape-Conformal, High-Resolution Aerosol Jet Printing of Electronics (SHAPE)

数字印刷方法根据计算机的指令制造精确的复杂形状的零件。这些方法可以通过印刷含有电子材料的油墨来构建传感器，电路和天线等设备。大多数数字印刷方法都是针对平面而定制的，因此需要来自计算机的相对简单的命令来生成所需的图案。在三维（3D）曲面上的保形打印能够将设备集成到复杂结构上，但需要高级计算来生成用于精确打印的指令。该奖项支持基础研究，以建立保形数字印刷的知识库，包括在非平面（弯曲）表面上创建图案的高效和强大的计算策略。该印刷方法使得电子设备能够使用沉积包含微尺度墨滴的气溶胶的机器人印刷系统直接印刷到大的弯曲表面上，例如飞机机翼和风力涡轮机叶片。保形气溶胶喷射打印研究影响能源，医疗保健，基础设施，航空航天和汽车行业，从而促进国家繁荣和安全。此外，这项研究追求在几个学科，包括制造，材料科学，流体动力学，优化，控制和计算科学的基础性进展，从而促进科学的进步。将多学科研究与课程开发，K-12推广活动以及计算工具的开源传播相结合，促进了劳动力发展，工程教育以及工程的多样性和包容性。本项目的目标是建立基础工艺科学和工艺感知的刀具路径规划工具，以支持曲面上的多功能电子制造。具有关节式机械臂的保形气溶胶喷射印刷（AJP）可以通过提供高公差、高分辨率、模块化配置和广泛的材料通用性来克服现有非平面印刷方法的限制。为了克服基本障碍并实现这项技术的全部潜力，研究团队计划开发一个工艺科学框架来指导油墨和工艺设计，建立基于工艺参数的打印分辨率和质量的物理模型，并将这些模型与曲面表示和刀具路径规划算法集成。利用由气溶胶喷射沉积提供的设计自由度实现了对印刷过程的过程感知协同优化的通用方法。实现这一框架所需的数字和物理约束的动态平衡是由一个跨学科的团队实现的，该团队在气溶胶喷射印刷、油墨配方、过程监测和控制以及复杂几何形状的计算机辅助设计和制造（CAD/CAM）方面具有专业知识。作为指导性示范，该团队计划利用获得的知识设计材料，优化工艺参数和刀具路径，直接在弯曲复合材料零件上制造应变传感器。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Digital printing methods build precise complex shaped parts following instructions from a computer. These methods can build devices such as sensors, circuits and antennae by printing inks containing electronic materials. Most digital printing methods are tailored for planar surfaces and thus require relatively simple commands from a computer to generate the desired pattern. Conformal printing onto three-dimensional (3D) curved surfaces enables the integration of devices on complex structures but requires advanced calculations to generate instructions for precision printing. This award supports fundamental research to establish a knowledge base for conformal digital printing, including efficient and robust computational strategies to create patterns on nonplanar (curved) surfaces. The printing method enables electronic devices to be directly printed onto large, curved surfaces, such as aircraft wings and wind turbine blades, using a robotic printing system that deposits aerosol containing micro-scale droplets of ink. Conformal aerosol jet printing research impacts energy, healthcare, infrastructure, aerospace and automotive industries, thus advancing national prosperity and security. In addition, this research pursues fundamental advances in several disciplines, including manufacturing, materials science, fluid dynamics, optimization, control, and computational science, thus promoting the progress of science. Coupling the multi-disciplinary research with curriculum development, K-12 outreach activities, and open-source dissemination of computational tools promotes workforce development, engineering education, and diversity and inclusion in engineering. The objective of this project is to establish foundational process science and process-aware toolpath planning tools to support versatile electronics fabrication on curved surfaces. Conformal aerosol jet printing (AJP) with an articulated robotic arm can overcome limitations of existing nonplanar printing methods by providing high tolerance, high resolution, modular configuration and broad material versatility. To overcome fundamental barriers and realize the full potential of this technology, the research team plans to develop a process science framework to guide ink and process design, establish physics-based models of print resolution and quality based on process parameters, and integrate these models with curvilinear surface representation and toolpath planning algorithms. Leveraging the design freedom provided by aerosol jet deposition enables a versatile approach to process-aware co-optimization of the printing process. The dynamic balancing of digital and physical constraints required to realize this framework is enabled by an interdisciplinary team with expertise in aerosol jet printing, ink formulation, process monitoring and control, and computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) for complex geometries. As a guiding demonstration, the team plans to leverage knowledge gained to design materials and optimize processing parameters and toolpaths for manufacturing strain sensors directly on curved composite parts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.