Technology

The NanoJet Advantage

  • Robust Print Performance with >8 hours Stability
  • High Quality Line Edge Definition
  • Reliable and Consistent Line Widths
  • Sub 10 Micron Printing
  • No Satellites
  • Easy to Operate and Maintain
  • Low Cost of Ownership

High-Resolution Printing

Micrograph of 20 micron silver conductors on polycarbonate
20 µm silver traces printed on polycarbonate

Exceptional Line Width Capability

From millimeters to microns

IDS’s patented multi-lens focusing technology enables high resolution printing across a large range of line widths.

Three micrographs of high resolution IDS NanoJet printed polymer traces from 1 mm to 100 µm
Three aqueous polymers printed on glass
Three micrographs of high resolution IDS NanoJet aerosol printed silver traces from 57 microns down to 15 microns
Particle free silver traces printed on glass or polycarbonate.
Images taken at 400X magnification.

Manufacturing-Ready Consistency

15 Hour Print Demonstration
Trace width measurements for a polymer printed using the NanoJet Gen2 system.
Line Width Demonstration over 5 days
Graph of 30 µm line width printing over 30 hours
Polymer linewidth for 30 total hours. 6 hours-per-day over a 5-day period.
13 day Resistor Printing Demonstration
Graph showing consistent resistance of NanoJet Gen2 aerosol printed heaters over 13 days of production
Resistance data for a 13-day manufacturing print demonstration where 8 devices were printed each day using the a single print recipe.
  • Demonstrated production stability of 30+ hours using reliable ultrasonic atomization.
  • Manufacturing QC performs 4-hour print tests to ensure each system and cartridge is capable of printing with exceptional stability over time.
  • The Gen2’s digitized controls allow for fully-remote process monitoring and tuning.

Process Attributes

Maximum Demonstrated Print Speed: 156 mm/s
Minimum Demonstrated Line Width: 2.6 µm
Maximum Demonstrated Line Width: 5 mm
Resistivity: Near Bulk (material dependent)
Toolpath Generation: Industrial G-Code
Ink Viscosity Range: 1-10 cP
(Higher viscosity inks can typically be diluted)
On-Board Processing:
120°C heated platen, UV lamp (optional), laser (optional)

Non Planar Printing

Close up picture of a platinum resistor / strain gauge that was NanoJet aerosol printed onto a curved polyimide and aluminum surface
Screenshot of printing silver on a curved surface using a tilted NanoJet printhead
Close up picture of silver coil printed on non-planar plastic sample
Micrograph of IDS NanoJet aerosol printed interconnects over a 90 degree corner of a glass slide

Inks and Materials

Micrograph of 15 micron wide silver nanoparticle traces printed with IDS NanoJet aerosol printer
15 µm silver nanoparticle traces printed on glass
50 µm biomedical polymer printed with 5 µm gaps
Printed biomaterial with 5 µm spaces
Picture of NanoJet aerosol printed conductive traces on kapton film that is held by gloved fingers
Conductive silver traces on flexible Kapton film
56 µm wide platinum trace
Platinum resistor on alumina
Micrograph showing NanoJet printed 100 micron silver trace encapsulated with 1 mm wide printed polyimide all on an aluminum substrate
Polyimide encapsulation of silver traces
Micrograph of sub 10-micron wide IDS NanoJet printed gold traces on glass
Sub 10 µm gold nanoparticle lines

Example Substrates

  • Silicon
  • Polycarbonate
  • Acrylic
  • Kapton (polyimide)
  • Alumina and other ceramics
  • PET
  • FR4
  • Liquid-crystal polymer (LCP)
  • Aluminum
  • Many others

Example Materials

  • Nanoparticle and particle-free silver, gold, platinum, …
  • Biomedical sensor materials
  • Refractive index changing polymers
  • Resistors
  • Insulators & Dielectrics
  • Adhesives

Comparison to other Print Technologies

Non-contact aerosol printing allows printing high resolution features with a wide variety of inks onto complex surfaces.

Innovation in Three Major Components

  • Ability to collimate a polydispersed aerosol stream
  • Use of patented hydrodynamic and aerodynamic focusing of sheathed aerosol stream
  • Minimized travel of aerosol stream to dispense point
  • Removable Ink Cartridge
    • Contains Ink for Aerosol Generation
    • Refillable  –  Multiple Inks
    • Swappable – Easy Ink Changeover
  • Atomizer Base
    • Ultrasonic Energy to Create the Aerosol
    • Provides Temperature Control for Stable Operation
  • Flow Cell
    • Focus Elements to Concentrate the Stream

The NanoJet print technology uses multiple aerodynamic lenses to collimate a broad distribution of particle sizes to produce high-resolution printed lines.  Each of the aerodynamic lenses collimates sequentially smaller particles within the jet to produce exceptional printed line edge quality.  Technology licensed from Sandia National Laboratories along with other IDS patented innovations enable reliable aerosol-based printing.  The NanoJet print technology has demonstrated print features below 5 µm.  Printed line density with a pitch twice that of the printed line width has been demonstrated.

Ultrasonic Atomization

Reliable, stable, high output aerosol generation
that is ready for Manufacturing environments

Multi-stage Aerosol Focusing

Best-in-class aerosol focusing for
superior edge quality and fine line printing

Discover aerosol printing Today

Ready to Partner with IDS, Inc. for Your Needs?

CONTACT US

Free Consultation?
+1 505-639-9673

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