| Researchers from Carnegie Mellon, University of Texas, El Paso and Washington State University recently used 3D printing technology in a project that should enable the development of significantly improved electronic measuring equipment. The team used aerosol jet printing technology in their work, which involved the manufacture of a new type of strain gauge that created a highly porous structure that was used to make it possible to increase the sensitivity of measurements to an unprecedented level.  Strain gauges are usually made of solid materials and have a common criterion in their performance, Poisson's ratio, which is usually the sensitivity limit of solid strain gauges. The maximum Poisson's ratio for solid materials is about 0.5. However, the use of aerosols By jetting 3D printing methods, the team was able to create a porous film structure filled with a large number of small holes that changed the way the structure worked and increased its potential Poisson's ratio. Aerosol jet printing uses digitally-controlled pneumatic focusing to precisely deposit electronic ink on a substrate. The 3D printing process allows the accurate porosity of a solid structure to be determined by controlled sintering of nanoparticles. The use of aerosol jet printing The team was able to optimize the structural shrinkage of the film used in the strain gauge. 'Because of the porosity of the film, we see a valid Poisson's ratio of about 0.7, which means we have about a 40% increase in lateral contraction distortion of the film,' said researcher Rahul Panat, not only an aerosol jet 3D printing technology Enables the team to achieve new sensitivity in the creation of strain gages and also improves the performance of electronic devices at high temperatures. The new 3D printing devices are completely immune to this thermal disturbance. This makes them more accurate and increases Their potential use. Source: China 3D Printing Network |
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