AVS 56th International Symposium & Exhibition
    Inkjet Technology: Printing, Materials Processing, and Microfluidics Fundamentals Topical Conference Thursday Sessions
       Session IJ+BI+MN+SE+AS-ThM

Invited Paper IJ+BI+MN+SE+AS-ThM1
An Overview of the Use of Ink-jet Technology for Non-traditional and Emerging Applications

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 8:00 am, Room B3

Session: Inkjet Technology: Novel and Emerging Applications
Presenter: D.B. Wallace, MicroFab Technologies, Inc.
Correspondent: Click to Email
In the last decade ink-jet printing technology has come to be viewed as a precision microdispensing tool. Today, this tool is being used in a wide range of manufacturing and instrument applications. Manufacturing applications include electrical (solders & nanometal conductors) & optical (microlenses & waveguides) interconnects; sensors (polymers & biologicals); medical diagnostic tests (DNA, proteins, cells); drug delivery (microspheres, patches, stents); scaffolds for tissue engineering; nanostructure materials deposition; and MEMS (Micro-Electrical-Mechanical) devices and packaging. Instrument applications using ink-jet technology have received less notice than manufacturing applications, but represent a growing class. Applications include protein identification (peptide mass fingerprinting, ion mass spectrometry tissue imaging) and structure analysis (protein crystallization); laser surgery and machining; medical diagnostic instruments; extreme ultra-violet (EUV) radiation generation; and explosive detector calibration. This paper illustrates some of the manufacturing and instrument applications of ink-jet technology.