OXOLUTIA participates in inkjet printing scale-up
In the framework of the EFECTS project, a group of researchers of the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, has developed a technology for manufacturing very low cost magneto-resistive transducers for contactless position analog encoding and similar applications.
The procedure is based in the CSD-MOD technique, well proved in the fabrication of long length High Temperature Superconducting wires. High resolution patterns are obtained by depositing the solution of salts of the precursor metals over selected substrates. High accuracy printing processing, based in the well known inkjet technology, allow performing the electronic magneto-resistive devices in a very flexible way with low dispersion in their performances.
The system permits a fully CAD/CAM manufacturing being able for changing patterns on fly, without reconfiguring the settings of the machine neither its speed. Short and long customized series can be performed directly from the CAD draws.
High quality Substrates as single-crystal STO or LAO have been tested achieving high repeatability and homogeneity in the manufacturing of a full bridge magnetoresistive device but very low cost alternatives have been found inspired in the substrates corresponding to the new coated conductors developed for ReBCO superconducting coatings.
In collaboration with IFW and Ghent University, also partners of the EFECTS project, magneto-resistive coatings over STO substrates have been used for manufacturing of Ferromagnetic-Ferroelectric heterostructures, which has been tested showing its ferroelectric behaviour just, in the way of development of new multiferroic devices.
The system, initially developed for magneto-resistive functional ceramic, has been tested for other precursor inks being capable to print Superconducting tracks, in the range of 100 mm wide, in order to achieve low AC losses coated conductors. Specific TFA based inks including ferrite based nanoparticles have been also developed. Inclusion of nanoparticles in ReBCO coated conductors has been demonstrated as a way for diminishing the field dependence of the critical current with the magnetic field and an enhancement of the isotropy of the dependence of the critical current on the applied magnetic field.
Scaling up has been also tested in the framework of the project as a collaboration with Oxolutia S.L., a Spanish company devoted to the development of functional ceramic coatings obtained by chemical route. A specific printer has been developed with capability for printing two patterns of the developed sensor per second.
Inkjet printing based techniques have been demonstrated as a really flexible manufacturing procedure being completely adapted to the CAD/CAM scope of the new manufacturing processes easy for adapting to the customer requirements. The very low wasting of precursor ink and the closure of the ink reservoirs avoid solvent leaks and allow long time of preservation of the inks thus diminishing drastically the environmental impact.
New technologies are being developed in order to improve and extend the manufacturing process to different applications as a consequence of the achievements of ICMAB-CSIC in the framework of EU funded EFECTS project. A great step in the development of manufacturing technologies flexible, fully CAD/CAM customized, with low environmental impact has been done.
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