Inkjet printing is one of the most suitable technologies to produce multi-material and multi-layered printed electronics due to its scalability, the wide range of substrates that it can accept and the possibility of mixing and combining numerous fluids in a single process. However,
restrictions in material properties such as viscosity, typically below 25 mPa·s, limit the molecular weight of usable polymers and the solid content of inks. In some cases, this leads to volumetric shrinkage, longer post-process treatments and poor performance. Therefore, a high viscosity
approach would widen the material catalogue for printed electronics without compromising the advantages of inkjet.
In this work, drop-on-demand micro-dispensing valves that combine mechanic and pneumatic actuation were used to create 2D patterns and 3D structures of a conductive
and non-Newtonian carbon paint. The combination of this functional material with a non-conductive photo-curable resin allowed the creation of more complex 3D geometries using the layer-by-layer approach typical from Additive Manufacturing. Printing parameters such as pneumatic pressure, valve
closing speed, resolution and drying time are studied and optimised to produce multi-layered tracks, self-standing pillars and a functional demonstrator featuring a printed capacitive switch and an embedded commercial LED.