Numerical simulation of deposition process for a new 3DP printhead design

The three-dimensional printing technology (3DP™) is a rapid prototyping process in which powdered material is deposited in layers and selectively joined with binder. The most common deposition method used in this rapid prototyping approach is the drop on demand. However, continuous jet deposition results in an order of magnitude increase in printing speed and that it is gaining popularity. A key component of a continuous deposition printhead is the catcher, which collects droplets that are not meant to hit the powder bed. Current catching systems face problems such as trapped air, and crystallisation that result in unwanted droplets hitting the powder bed. This work looks at redesigning the catcher, and addresses new control algorithms required for proper binder deposition. A mathematical model for binder flight trajectory is developed and validated by experiment.