Stabilizing meniscus shape to improve pattern uniformity in Drop-on-demand EHD inkjet printing using visual feedback

This paper presents a method for Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing to improve the uniformity of the patterns by stabilizing the meniscus shape of liquid using a visual feedback algorithm. The applied voltage between the nozzle and substrate of EHD inkjet printing is controlled to prevent meniscus from fluctuating during its ejection. The meniscus shape is captured by a CCD camera and analyzed by a meniscus detection algorithm to evaluate its shape and jetting status that are required to implement feedback control. The experiment results show that the meniscus during EHD printing of Ethanol with feedback is much more stabilized compared with the case of open-looped jetting.