Foil-level fabrication of inkjet-printed pyroMEMS balloon actuators

The fabrication, modeling and testing of a pyroMEMS balloon actuators are presented herein. A foil-level fabrication method was developed, integrating nickel-plated, inkjet-printed igniters capable of generating >;200 °C for ~1 s - sufficient for fuel combustion - and a low-temperature (120 °C) lamination technique using thick photodefinable epoxy sheets. Two different fuel mixtures and three different chamber volumes were tested. Balloon actuators (5 mm dia.) were successfully inflated, reaching over 5 mm in height. Maximum balloon heights were in good agreement with the semi-analytical model developed (28-35 % over prediction).