Date of Graduation

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Chemical and Biomedical Engineering

Committee Chair

Debangsu Bhattacharyya

Committee Co-Chair

Rakesh Gupta

Committee Member

Kostas Sierros

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) is of great interest since complex geometry with varying composition and functionalities can be developed for a multitude of applications based on desired performance criteria. However, consistency of the products must be ensured. Operating conditions can be used as degrees of freedom so that the desired dimensions, geometries, and composition can be tightly controlled. In this project, direct writing of an ink composed of a conductive material dispersed in a polymer medium is used to create conductive pathways for use in flexible electronic devices.;To develop an efficient controls system, the parameters that affect the printed fluid must first be understood. The pattern geometry and dimensions created by the direct writing method mainly depend on three main factors: the properties of the ink, the parameters used in the operation of the direct-writing machine, and the ink-substrate interaction. In this work, a detailed model of the direct-write process is developed in COMSOL. While this model provides detailed information and very high resolution, the model is computationally expensive and is not suitable for control applications. A simple model suitable for real time simulation is developed in MATLAB. The effect of different operating conditions is studied. A control strategy is developed for efficient regulation of the track dimensions.

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