Piezo
Single Ejector
PARC’s proprietary
piezo single ejector integrates a fluid
reservoir, piezo actuator and nozzle in
a self-contained package. The manufacturing
cost for these ejectors is low enough to
make them disposable and, therefore, suitable
for short runs. They can be used with a
wide variety of materials.
Systems combining
large numbers of these ejectors offer the
capability of depositing many discrete
fluids onto a common substrate in one pass.
With the potential to simultaneously deposit
up to a thousand distinct fluids, including
biological materials and other chemicals,
these systems would be suitable for such
life science applications as genomic or
protein arrays, and for combinatorial materials
synthesis.
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Excellent reliability
has been achieved
with a prototype system. |
Researchers estimate
that a roll-to-roll system using large
numbers of these ejectors could produce
about 100,000 substrates per day, each
with 1,000 unique spots, at less than $1.00
per substrate.
Features:
- Simultaneous ejection of many discrete fluids
- No substrate contact
- Low cost per printed substrate
- Based on high-reliability piezo technology
- Drop volumes from 50 picoliters to 10 nanoliters, with control of ± 2%
- Reservoir volumes as small as 20 microliters
- Fluid utilization efficiency of 95%
- All stainless steel construction
 |
Droplet ejection before
and after
4 million drops of bovine serum
albumin (BSA) solution. |
Performance
Researchers have
demonstrated high levels of reliability
for small numbers of ejectors and have
used similar ejectors in larger-scale applications.
Based on these experiences and the reliability
of piezo actuation technology, the technology
is expected to scale well.
Integration
PARC has the competencies
to engineer piezo ejectors into arrays for
high-speed printing systems. Such systems
can be used
for a variety of
applications, including production of low-cost genomic arrays.
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Versatile PARC printing
system for
prototyping with different ejectors and
printheads |
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