Numerical and experimental investigation of piezoelectric-pneumatic material jet printing method for high-viscosity ink

Piezoelectric-pneumatic material jet printing (PPMJ), as a new generation of ink-based additive manufacturing, can be used to fabricate complex 3D structures with high-viscosity materials. In this work, a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model is presented to elucidate the multiphase aerodynamic phenomenon and deposition morphology of jet printing features. Based on the laminar and incompressible flow assumptions, governing equations are numerically developed to calculate crucial flow variables in the jet printing process. The fluid dynamics and deposition characteristics of droplets are investigated, and pressure and velocity distributions during the jet printing are also analysed. By comparing the numerical simulation with the experimental data, the operation mechanism of PPMJ shows good agreement, making the computational framework a valuable tool for predicting the morphologies of droplets. The results show that the material rheological properties and the fabrication parameters would influence the printing techniques and the formation of the printed droplets.