Application of artificial neural network to evaluation of dimensional accuracy of 3D-printed polylactic acid parts

Additive manufacturing (AM) has begun to replace traditional fabrication because of its advantages, such as easy manufacturing of parts with complex geometry, and mass production. The most important limitation of AM is that dimensional accuracy cannot be achieved in all parts. Dimensional accuracy is essential for high reliability, high performance, and useful final products. This study investigates the impact of printing parameters on the dimensional accuracy of samples fabricated through fused deposition modeling (FDM), an additive manufacturing (AM) method utilizing polylactic acid (PLA) material. The experimental design process was performed using Taguchi methodology. ANOVA was used to determine the most important parameter affecting accuracy. Based on experimental studies, the optimal printing parameters for parts are determined as follows: concentric infill pattern, 3 mm wall thickness, 70% infill density, and a layer thickness of 200 μm. Artificial neural network (ANN) was used in the evaluation and prediction of the results. The R-square (R²) performance evaluation criterion was above 95% from the ANN results. This value shows that the results are significant. The data acquired from this study may assist in identifying optimal parameters that contribute to the fabrication of samples with high dimensional accuracy using the FDM method.     

3D Printing of Capacitive Pressure Sensors with Tuned Wide Detection Range and High Sensitivity Inspired by Bio-Inspired Kapok Structures

Flexible pressure sensors have drawn considerable attention for their potential applications as electronic skins with both sensitivity and pressure response range. Although the introduction of surface microstructures effectively enhances sensitivity, the confined volume of their compressible structures results in a limited pressure response range. To address this issue, a biomimetic kapok structure is proposed and implemented for constructing the dielectric layer of flexible capacitive pressure sensors employing 3D printing technology. The structure is designed with easily deformable concave and rotational structures, enabling continuous deformation under pressure. This design results in a significant expansion of the pressure response range and improvement in sensitivity. Further, the study purposively analyses crucial parameters of the devised structure that affect its compressibility and stability. These include the concave angle θ, height ratio d₁/d₂, rotation angle α, and width k. As a result, the ultimate pressure sensors demonstrate remarkable features such as high sensitivity (≈2.38 kPa⁻¹ in the range of 0–10 kPa), broad detection range (734 kPa), fast response time (23 ms), and outstanding pressure resolution (0.4% at 500 kPa). This study confirms the viability of bionic structures for flexible sensors, and their potential to expand the scope of wearable electronic devices.     

Using a virtual skeleton to increase printability of topology optimized design for industry-class applications

This article broadens the scheme previously developed to associate topology optimization with additive manufacturing through the use of a virtual skeleton, consisting in solving the same physical problem with a discrete approach and then with a continuum one. This procedure for 3D designs is applied to various domain geometries, to demonstrate its pertinence on high-resolution industrial cases. An algorithm searching for the best printing direction, exploring the solid angle, is also described and validated; the surface-shaped presentation of the result allows immediate understanding of the influence of the discrete problem parameters, while its running time is much lower than a unique continuum optimization simulation, which proves the attractiveness of the method. In the three examples studied, the procedure outputs exhibit greater printability than the ones produced by traditional methods in each of the printing direction tested, albeit responsibility is left to the final user to choose his best trade-off. Furthermore, the unprintable zones are readily displayed to be either reworked or supported. Explanations about increase of convergence likelihood on discrete structures despite the geometry complexity of an industrial application are also provided and demonstrated.     

以印染废水为主的城镇污水处理厂锑污染来源特征分析

为研究以印染废水为主的城镇污水处理厂锑污染来源特征,对浙江省嘉善县某污水处理厂及纳管行业进行水体锑（Sb）的采样分析,同时对印染和喷水纺织两大行业的锑污染源进行分析.研究表明,在污水处理厂纳管废水中,印染行业废水占纳管总量的55.2%,排锑量占总量的79.3%,是该污水处理厂锑污染的主要来源;在印染生产过程中,布料中锑的平均流失量为7 mg·kg^-1,平均损失率为13%,污染物锑在退浆、水洗和染色工艺段中的释放量依次为：染色 > 退浆 > 水洗;喷水纺织织造工艺中锑的释放量较少,布料中锑的平均流失量为2.2 mg·kg^-1,平均损失率仅为2.1%;污水处理厂进出水、印染各工段废水和织造废水中,锑主要以Sb（V）形态存在.     

Surface characterization of plasma-modified resist patterns by ToF-SIMS analysis

We report the use of the time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) technique to determine whether the patterned bank is suitable for inkjet printing, by evaluating the phobicity contrast between two regions, the glass substrate inside pixels and the surface of the resist bank. We first examined the effect of plasma treatment on the ink spreading behavior inside pixels. The phobicity contrast was optimized by removing residues inside the pixels and by providing high phobicity on the bank surface. We show that ToF-SIMS spectra and mass-resolved images are effective tools in examining the existence of organic contaminants inside pixels and predicting the actual inkjet printing behavior. The ToF-SIMS technique will find promising applications that are related to surface characteristics where conventional contact angle measurement is hard to apply due to geometrical and technical restrictions.     

OLED with Hole-Transporting Layer Fabricated by Ink-Jet Printing

we report about the fabrication of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) ink-jet printing a hole-transporting polymer (PF6, poly(9,9-dihexyl-9H-fluorene-2,7-diyl)) on flexible substrate (PET) and performing the other layers through vacuum thermal evaporation. The aim of the work is to employ the ink-jet printing (IJP) technology, familiar as a method for printing on paper, in optoelectronic applications and to determine how the deposition method affects the functional material film properties and hence the ultimate device performances. In this line of work, ink-jet printed polymer films are compared to same spin-coated polymer from the electro-optical point of view: both prepared materials are adopted as HTLs of electroluminescent devices. All manufactured OLEDs are characterized and their behaviours are investigated and analyzed with theoretical models. The results show differences in current density and optical behaviours between the devices fabricated by means of the above mentioned technologies which can be justified in terms of different trap distribution induced by impurity energy levels associated to each process.     

Combining nanosurface chemistry and microfluidics for molecular analysis and cell biology

Development of new tools catalyzes progress in biochemical sciences [G.M. Whitesides, E. Ostuni, S. Takayama, X.Y. Jiang, D.E. Ingber, Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering 3 (2001) 335]. Recent advances in micro-/nano-technology have resulted in an explosion of the number of new tools available for biochemical sciences. We have used surface chemistry, nano-structures and microfluidics to create a set of tools applicable for problems ranging from molecular to cellular analysis. These tools will promote the understanding of fundamental problems in cell biology, development and neurobiology, and become useful for real-world applications such as molecular diagnostics, food analysis and environmental monitoring.     

High-performance thin-film Li4Ti5O12 electrodes fabricated by using ink-jet printing technique and their electrochemical properties

Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ thin-film anode with high discharge capacity and excellent cycle stability for rechargeable lithium ion batteries was prepared successfully by using ink-jet printing technique. The prepared Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ thin film were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, cyclic voltammograms, and galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements. It was found that the average thickness of 10-layer Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ film was about 1.7~1.8 μm and the active material Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ in the thin film was nano-sized about 50–300 nm. It was also found that the prepared Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ thin film exhibited a high discharge capacity of about 174 mAh/g and the discharge capacity in the 300th cycle retained 88% of the largest discharge capacity at a current density of 10.4 μA/cm² in the potential range of 1.0–2.0 V.     

Patterning of 293T fibroblasts on a mica surface

Controllable cell growth on the defined areas of surfaces is important for potential applications in biosensor fabrication and tissue engineering. In this study, controllable cell growth was achieved by culturing 293 T fibroblast cells on a mica surface which had been patterned with collagen strips by a microcontact printing (μCP) technique. The collagen area was designed to support cell adhesion and the native mica surface was designed to repel cell adhesion. Consequently, the resulting cell patterns should follow the micro-patterns of the collagen. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), water contact angle (WCA) measurement, atomic-force microscope (AFM) observation, and force-curve measurement were used to monitor property changes before and after the collagen adsorption process. Further data showed that the patterned cells were of good viability and able to perform a gene-transfection experiment in vitro. This technique should be of potential applications in the fields of biosensor fabrication and tissue engineering. Figure Controllable cells growth has been achieved by culturing 293T fibroblast cells on the mica surface which had been patterned with collagen strips by microcontact printing (μCP) technique