WO2017173987A1 - Inverted liquid metal spray printing apparatus and printing method - Google Patents

Abstract

An inverted liquid metal spray printing apparatus, comprising an air supply unit (1), an atomization unit (4), a spray-coating cavity (2), and a recycling pool (301). An aerosol inlet (202) is provided on a sidewall of the spray-coating cavity. An aerosol outlet (203) is provided at the bottom of the spray-coating cavity. An air discharging conduit of the air supply unit and an aerosol pipe of the atomization unit are connected to the aerosol inlet of the spray-coating cavity. The aerosol outlet of the spray-coating cavity is connected to the recycling pool via a pipe. An opening (204) for arranging a mask (205) and a substrate material (206) is provided on top of the spray-coating cavity. Also, an inverted liquid crystal spray printing method employing the apparatus. Employment of the method and the apparatus prevents liquid metal droplets from contaminating and polluting the surrounding environment, and the material use efficiency in liquid crystal spray coating is increased by means of automatic recycling.

Description

Inverted liquid metal spraying printing device and printing method

cross reference

The present application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in the the the the the the the the the

Technical field

The invention belongs to the field of printing, and in particular relates to a metal spraying printing method and a device adopted.

Background technique

Liquid metal is a general term for a series of low melting point metals and alloy materials. As a conductive material, liquid metal can be directly printed on various base materials because it can have fluidity at room temperature or lower heating temperature. Surface, thereby enabling rapid additive manufacturing of electronic circuits. Compared with the processing of traditional copper-clad printed circuits, liquid metal printed circuits are fast, suitable for a variety of substrates and flexible; in addition, liquid metal printed circuits are more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional copper-etched circuits. Recycling also has a unique advantage.

At present, the printing method of liquid metal can be roughly divided into two types: direct writing and spraying. The direct writing method is limited by the number and size of the print heads, and is not suitable for batch printing of liquid metal circuits in a short time; the spraying method can be combined with a mask to print the mask covering area, and only replace the substrate after completion. It is possible to print the next time quickly, so it is more suitable for the mass production of liquid metal printed circuits of uniform specifications.

However, since the spraying method requires atomization of the liquid metal into droplets, in the conventional spray printing apparatus, the scattered droplets not only cover the mask and the leaked base material, but also drift to the spraying operation. The side walls of the space, even floating to the open space, are prone to contamination of the equipment and environmental pollution, and may even adversely affect the health of the droplets as they drift to the operator's respiratory tract and mucous membranes; Temperature control device, so traditional spraying equipment can not spray metal or alloy with melting point above room temperature, which also limits the method Application range.

Summary of the invention

In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inverted liquid metal spray printing apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inverted liquid metal spray printing method.

The technical solution for achieving the above object of the present invention is:

An inverted liquid metal spraying printing device comprises a blowing unit, an atomizing unit, a spraying chamber and a recovery tank, wherein an aerosol inlet is opened above the sidewall of the spraying chamber, and an aerosol outlet is opened at the bottom of the spraying chamber; An air outlet duct of the air supply unit and an air mist pipeline of the atomization unit are both connected to the gas mist inlet of the spray chamber; the gas mist outlet of the spray chamber is connected to the recovery pool through a pipeline; the top of the spray chamber is set There are openings for placing the mask and the substrate material.

Further, the atomization unit is connected with a liquid metal container in which a metal material having a melting point of 200 degrees Celsius or less, or a metal material having a melting point of 200 degrees Celsius or less and a composite material of nano or micro particles are placed.

Wherein, the metal material is selected from the group consisting of gallium, indium, gallium indium alloy, gallium indium tin alloy, gallium indium zinc alloy, gallium indium tin zinc alloy, antimony indium alloy, antimony tin alloy, antimony indium tin alloy, antimony indium zinc alloy, One of bismuth indium tin zinc alloys.

Wherein, the atomization unit is provided with a high pressure gas nozzle, and the high pressure gas nozzle is connected to the gas mist pipeline. The inner wall material of the spray booth includes a low surface roughness material that has been treated by polishing or the like. For example, the inner wall material of the spraying chamber is one or more of metal, ceramic, glass, nylon, and polytetrafluoroethylene materials.

The inverted liquid metal spray printing device is further provided with a heating temperature control unit, and the heating temperature control unit comprises an electric heating element disposed under the air blowing unit, the atomizing unit, the spraying chamber and the recovery pool.

An inverted liquid metal spray printing method, using the printing device proposed by the invention, comprising the steps of:

1) placing a mask and a substrate at a top opening of the spray chamber, the substrate being located above the mask, and the spray chamber, the mask and the substrate contact position are kept sealed;

2) Turn on the air supply unit, spray the airflow, and then inject the liquid metal into the atomization unit, the liquid The metal forms droplets that are filled with the spray chamber under air flow;

3) After spraying on the substrate, the air supply unit and the atomization unit are turned off; liquid metal is collected from the recovery tank.

Wherein, the material of the substrate is one of a polymer, paper, glass, ceramic, cloth, wood, solid metal, and alloy, and the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene (PE) and polyvinyl chloride ( PVC), polypropylene (PP), polyimide (PI), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), poly Ethylene terephthalate (PET), epoxy resin (EP), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polydimethyl Silicone (PDMS) and one of silica gel and rubber.

Wherein, the recovery liquid is placed in the recovery tank, and the recovery liquid is selected from one or more of water, electrolyte, non-electrolyte, organic solvent, and liquid metal in a molten state.

For example, the recovered liquid may be a sodium hydroxide solution or a sodium carbonate solution.

The material of the mask includes a low surface roughness material treated by polishing or the like, such as one or more of metal, ceramic, glass, nylon, and polytetrafluoroethylene materials.

Wherein, the temperature control range of the heating temperature control unit is 15-300 degrees Celsius.

The beneficial effects of the invention are:

The inverted liquid metal spraying printing method and device proposed by the invention can better avoid the contamination and pollution of the surrounding liquid environment by the liquid metal droplets by using the design of the inversion and the recovery tank, and can also improve the liquid metal spraying by automatic recycling. The material use efficiency, the heating temperature control device also expands the range of liquid metal materials that can be selected, and is suitable for rapid batch production of liquid metal printed circuits. The technical concept of this new method and device design is still at home and abroad. No reports. This method is also practical for printing on other conventional inks.

DRAWINGS

1 is a schematic structural view of an inverted liquid metal spray printing device of the present invention;

2 is a schematic structural view of a coating chamber and a substrate material of an inverted liquid metal spray printing device according to the present invention;

3 is a schematic view of a recycling tank of an inverted liquid metal spray printing device of the present invention;

Among them: 1 is the air supply unit, 2 is the spray chamber, 201 is the spray chamber wall, and 202 is the spray chamber. The gas mist inlet, 203 is the spray chamber gas mist outlet, 204 is the spray chamber upper opening, 205 is the mask, 206 is the base material, 207 is the hollow on the mask; 301 is the recovery tank, 302 is the aerosol recovery pipeline, 303 is the recovery liquid, 304 is the recovery tank opening; 4 is the atomization unit, and 5 is the heating temperature control unit.

detailed description

The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below by way of specific examples. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

In the examples, the technical means used are conventional technical means in the art unless otherwise specified.

Example 1:

As shown in Fig. 1, an inverted liquid metal spray printing device comprises a blowing unit 1, an atomizing unit 4, a spraying chamber 2, a recovery tank 301, and an aerosol inlet is opened above the side wall of the spraying chamber 2, and the bottom of the spraying chamber is The spray chamber gas mist outlet 203 is opened; the air outlet duct of the air supply unit and the gas mist pipeline of the atomization unit are both connected to the spray chamber gas mist inlet 202; the spray chamber gas mist outlet 203 passes through the gas mist recovery pipeline 302. The recovery tank 301 is connected, and the aerosol recovery line 302 extends below the liquid level of the recovery liquid 303 in the tank, and a recovery tank opening 304 is opened above the recovery tank for injecting the recovery liquid. The top of the spray chamber is provided with a spray chamber upper opening 204.

Wherein, the atomization unit is connected with a liquid metal container, and the liquid metal container is provided with a metal material having a melting point of less than 200 degrees Celsius; the atomization unit is provided with a high pressure gas nozzle, and the high pressure gas nozzle is connected to the gas mist. Pipeline. The material of the inner wall of the spraying chamber is stainless steel.

The inverted liquid metal spraying printing device is further provided with a heating temperature control unit 5, and the heating temperature control unit comprises an electric heating element disposed under the air blowing unit, the atomizing unit, the spraying chamber and the recovery pool. The temperature control range of the heating temperature control unit is between 15 and 300 degrees Celsius.

In this embodiment, the liquid metal is a gallium indium alloy, the mask 205 is 0.5 mm thick stainless steel, the base material 206 is a 0.3 mm thick polyvinyl chloride film, and the hollow 207 on the mask leaks out of the area to be printed on the substrate; 0.25 mol / L sodium hydroxide solution. After the substrate and the mask are placed, the spray chamber is separated from the gas mist inlet, the gas mist outlet and the upper opening, and the other part is a closed structure, the gas mist inlet is connected with the atomizing device and the air supply device, and the gas mist outlet is connected to the recovery pool. It is located at the lowest point of the spray chamber and serves to confluence the adherent droplets.

Since the melting point of the gallium indium alloy is lower than room temperature, the inverted liquid metal spray printing apparatus does not require the activation of the heating device. The stainless steel mask and the polyvinyl chloride film are sequentially covered and fixed in the spraying chamber. After the upper opening, the air supply device is first activated to make a continuous air flow in the spraying chamber, and the gallium-indium alloy is injected into the atomizing device, and the sprayed gallium-indium alloy droplets flow into the spraying chamber along with the air flow, and are attached to the respective airflow contacts. On the surface, the gallium-indium alloy attached to the inner wall of the spray chamber will converge and flow into the recovery tank along with the spray chamber aerosol outlet. The unattached gallium-indium alloy droplets will also flow from the gas mist outlet to the recovery tank as the gas stream is recovered. During the rise in the liquid, the droplets are again precipitated and agglomerated in the recovered liquid, and are collected at the bottom of the recovery tank together with the gallium-indium alloy flowing out from the inner wall.

After the spraying of the surface of the substrate is completed, the atomizing device and the air blowing device are turned off, the substrate material for performing the spraying printing can be removed, and the new substrate material can be replaced, and the printing process can be restarted.

Example 2:

The same apparatus as in Example 1 was used.

In this embodiment, the liquid metal is a Ga ₁₅ In ₁₃ SnZn gallium indium tin zinc alloy, the mask is 0.2 mm thick stainless steel, the base material is a 0.5 mm thick polypropylene film, and the recovered liquid is a 0.5 mol/L sodium hydroxide solution. The air supply device was first activated to provide a continuous air flow in the spray chamber. The flow rate of the air flow relative to the nozzle interface was 10 m/s. After 2 minutes of spraying, a 0.8 mm thick coating was obtained on the substrate.

The other operations are the same as in the first embodiment.

The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the specific embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art based on the prior art without departing from the spirit of the invention. Various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention are intended to fall within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (10)

An inverted liquid metal spraying printing device, comprising: a blowing unit, an atomizing unit, a spraying chamber and a recovery tank, wherein an aerosol inlet is opened above the sidewall of the spraying chamber, and an aerosol is opened at the bottom of the spraying chamber An outlet conduit of the air supply unit and an aerosol conduit of the atomization unit are connected to the aerosol inlet of the spray chamber; the aerosol outlet of the spray chamber is connected to the recovery pool through a pipeline; The top of the cavity is provided with an opening in which the mask and the substrate material are placed. The inverted liquid metal spray printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the atomization unit is connected with a liquid metal container, and the liquid metal container is provided with a metal material having a melting point of 200 degrees Celsius or less, or a melting point of 200. Metal materials below 90 degrees Celsius and materials composited with nano or micro particles. The inverted liquid metal spray printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the metal material is selected from the group consisting of gallium, indium, gallium indium alloy, gallium indium tin alloy, gallium indium zinc alloy, gallium indium tin zinc alloy, and tantalum. One of an indium alloy, a bismuth tin alloy, a bismuth indium tin alloy, a bismuth indium zinc alloy, or a bismuth indium tin zinc alloy. The inverted liquid metal spray printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the atomization unit is provided with a high pressure gas nozzle, and the high pressure gas nozzle is connected to the gas mist pipeline; One or more of metal, ceramic, glass, nylon, and polytetrafluoroethylene materials. The inverted liquid metal spray printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a heating temperature control unit, wherein the heating temperature control unit comprises: the air supply unit, the atomization unit, The electric heating element under the spray chamber and the recovery tank. An inverted liquid metal spray printing method using the printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising the steps of: 1) placing a mask and a substrate at a top opening of the spray chamber, the substrate being located above the mask, and the spray chamber, the mask and the substrate contact position are kept sealed; 2) Turn on the air supply unit, spray the airflow, and then inject the liquid metal into the atomization unit, the liquid metal forms a droplet, and fills the spray chamber under the airflow conveyance; 3) After spraying on the substrate, the air supply unit and the atomization unit are turned off; liquid metal is collected from the recovery tank. The inverted liquid metal spray printing method according to claim 6, characterized in that The material of the substrate is one of a polymer, paper, glass, ceramic, cloth, wood, solid metal, and alloy. The polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polypropylene. Polyimide, polystyrene, polycarbonate, polyetheretherketone, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene terephthalate, epoxy resin, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, One of polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, polydimethylsiloxane, silica gel, and rubber. The inverted liquid metal spray printing method according to claim 6, wherein the mask material is one or more of metal, ceramic, glass, nylon, and polytetrafluoroethylene materials. The inverted liquid metal spray printing method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the recovery liquid is placed in the recovery tank, and the recovery liquid is selected from the group consisting of water, electrolyte, non-electrolyte, organic solvent, and molten state. One or more of the following liquid metals. The inverted liquid metal spray printing method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the temperature control range of the heating temperature control unit is 15-300 degrees Celsius.

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