On-demand jetting of high-viscosity liquid by jet tube impact

Abstract

The on-demand jetting of high-viscosity liquid has significant applications in fields such as electronic packaging and bioprinting. Conventional methods for high-viscosity liquid jetting often employ a needle propelling the liquid rapidly, which demands high precision in the manufacturing and assembly of the needle and nozzle, and can potentially damage biomaterials. In this study, a novel method utilizing jet tube impact for on-demand high-viscosity liquid jetting is proposed, leveraging the inherent inertia of the liquid to generate the pressure pulse necessary for on-demand jetting. This method reduces the precision requirements for the device, enables device simplification, and avoids harm to biomaterials. The feasibility of this approach for on-demand high-viscosity liquid jetting is validated through experiments, and by combining numerical simulations, the jetting mechanism is revealed and primary factors influencing jetting performance are investigated. It is found that the water hammer pressure wave induced by the liquid inertia during the sudden velocity change of the jet tube is the predominant driving force for jetting, and the peak pressure can exceed 1 MPa and the peak jet velocity can exceed 15 m/s. An increase in the jet tube impact velocity and an extension of the acceleration duration at the same impact velocity both lead to an increase in the pressure wave amplitude. In addition, a decrease in the liquid level height shortens the period of the pressure wave. These factors all have an influence on the jetting performance. This study provides a new insight and theoretical foundation for the on-demand high-viscosity liquid jetting.