An optimal toolpath planning for realizing 3D micro metallic features via selective jet electrodeposition (SJED) process

Selective jet electrodeposition (SJED) is an emerging additive manufacturing (AM) technology that enables the production of metallic components at the nano and micro scales. In the SJED process, a jet of electrolytes is facilitated between the nozzle and substrate. The deposition on the substrate takes place in an atom-by-atom manner. The SJED process creates intricate 3D objects at a micro-scale in a layer-by-layer fashion. Thus, it is essential to accurately define individual bead shapes and their overlap to ensure a high-quality surface finish and precise dimensions in the final fabricated parts. This study investigates the effect of input parameters (applied voltage and scanning speed) on the deposition profile by depositing a multilayered single bead. The profile of the deposited beads obtained at 2.5 V and 5 V is curve-fitted and is found to follow the parabolic function accurately. Out of all the parabolic profiles obtained the profile corresponding to the maximum bead height is selected for the multi-bead optimization. The center distance between two adjacent beads was varied to obtain the negligible valley height. With the optimized center distance, surface roughness analysis is done with the help of different tool paths. It was found that the number of turns significantly affects the average surface roughness values. Furthermore, density-based structures were deposited to show the capability of the SJED process. Finally, a 3D structure is printed and successfully separated from the substrate.