Hybrid additive manufacturing apparatus for three-dimensional structured electronic devices and method of operation thereof

Abstract

The application provides a hybrid additive manufacturing device of a three-dimensional structure electronic device and a working method thereof, and utilizes a multi-nozzle voxel 3D printing technology to print a multi-material and micro-scale complex three-dimensional structure, and utilizes a sputtering method to metalize specific regions of the structure to form a conductive circuit, adopts a multi-nozzle structure (multi-material) to precisely spray and deposit different materials and form structures thereof, realizes rapid manufacturing of micro-scale feature structures, and can print local materials with specific structures and properties according to design, and realizes accurate manufacturing of three-dimensional complex devices with specific position functions. The application can realize integrated and efficient manufacturing of multi-functional and complex structure 3D electronic devices.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of 3D printing technology and relates to a hybrid additive manufacturing apparatus for three-dimensional electronic devices and its working method. Background Technology

[0002] The statements in this section are merely background information related to the present invention and do not necessarily constitute prior art.

[0003] Structural electronics is an emerging field that enables the direct integration of functional electronic circuits into three-dimensional (3D) devices to respond to the growing demand for personalized and intelligent products. Advances in structural electronics provide better methods for realizing diverse electronic functions in products. Various electronic components, such as antennas, sensors, transistors, and batteries, can be directly embedded into 3D devices without additional assembly processes. Various 3D electronic devices fabricated based on structural electronics, such as integrated circuits, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), antennas, sensors, actuators, and metamaterials, can create complex geometries and achieve different electromechanical functions due to their design and manufacturing flexibility. This enables the rapid and cost-effective manufacture of high-value, customized, and fully functional electronic products. This technology has broad industrial application potential, particularly in fields such as medical devices, automotive, aerospace, and aviation.

[0004] Creating highly conductive, intricate patterns on non-planar 3D objects is central to the realization of structural electronics. Microfabrication based on traditional processes such as photolithography, deposition, etching, and printing is well-suited for fabricating planar two-dimensional (2D) patterns on planar substrates. However, these processes are unsuitable for manufacturing 3D devices. Complex non-planar 3D substrates are incompatible with traditional photolithography and printing methods due to the occlusion / blocking of internal regions by external substrate features (such as beams and walls). To address this issue, additive manufacturing technology is emerging as an alternative manufacturing technology for realizing structural electronics. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing and rapid prototyping, facilitates the fabrication of 3D structures with geometric and material complexity. The traditional method of additive manufacturing involves shaping raw materials layer by layer at specific locations to form 3D objects. The raw materials for additive manufacturing are primarily plastics and metals. However, these materials cannot be combined; only single-material categories can be used to build structures with a single function. Because metal 3D printers require high temperatures, it is generally impossible to combine plastic and metal 3D printers, making it difficult to print functional circuits onto 3D-printed plastic structures using metal. However, current 3D electronic devices require a strong glossy appearance or a conductive layer on specific areas or the entire 3D printed workpiece.

[0005] Current strategies for fabricating 3D devices with conductive structures typically require multi-step sequential writing, combining multiple printing, filling, and conductive line embedding stages to form a functional device. In this type of additive manufacturing technology, printing pauses, technology switching, and subsequent layer alignment result in excessive operation time, requiring extensive print path optimization and hindering the rapid fabrication of complex 3D electronic devices.

[0006] Hybrid additive manufacturing technology is an important research area in the field of 3D printing. Hybrid additive manufacturing processes combine various additive manufacturing techniques with other types of manufacturing processes (e.g., 3D printing, electroplating, electroless plating, vapor deposition, laser surface treatment, etc.). In recent years, the feasibility of using hybrid additive manufacturing processes to fabricate 3D structured electronics has been confirmed by some studies. These methods first utilize 3D printing technology to create complex 3D structures, and then combine them with other metal deposition processes to metallize specific areas on the surface of the 3D structure.

[0007] However, current 3D printing equipment mostly uses a single material and prints single-function structures. In order to make 3D devices have complex structures and functions, higher requirements are placed on the 3D printing process: (1) it is possible to achieve multi-material and multi-scale printing; (2) it is possible to make the printed 3D devices have different physical and chemical properties in different printing areas. At present, voxel 3D printing is a good solution.

[0008] A voxel is a three-dimensional analogue to a pixel, a finite-volume element in a 3D object, whose material composition, structure, and properties can be defined individually. Compared to traditional 3D printing, which manufactures parts layer by layer, voxel 3D printing creates parts by constructing blocks of different properties using voxels, each defining the local material composition, structure, and properties. However, existing voxel 3D printing technology is mainly used to construct components with anisotropic color and mechanical properties, with limited research on functionalities such as electrical conductivity. To expand the functional applications of voxel-based parts, new voxel 3D printing technologies must be developed to precisely manufacture fully printed parts with specific locational functions, thereby eliminating additional assembly operations.

[0009] Furthermore, conductiveing ​​3D structures is another core step in this type of hybrid additive manufacturing process. Current methods are broadly categorized into dry processes (vapor deposition techniques such as sputtering and evaporation) and wet processes (electroplating, electroless plating, etc.). However, dry processes have limitations because they offer low coverage and cannot fully metallize complex 3D printed structures. Electroplating is a commonly used traditional wet process where the workpiece is immersed in a metal ion solution, and an electric current is used to reduce the metal ions onto the parent metal, resulting in metal deposition on the workpiece surface. However, it requires the substrate material to be conductive to allow current flow. Therefore, electroplating is unsuitable for metallizing the surface of non-metallic 3D printed workpieces. Electroless plating is a wet metallization technique that does not require an electric current. Therefore, it is the most suitable method for coating non-metallic materials with metal in 3D printing. However, current techniques require a series of pretreatments such as roughening, sensitization, and activation of the substrate material before conductiveing ​​the non-metallic material, which undoubtedly increases process complexity and severely impacts the efficient fabrication of complex 3D electronic devices.

[0010] In summary, existing technologies are insufficient to solve the manufacturing challenges of 3D electronic devices, especially the assembly-free, integrated, and efficient fabrication of complex 3D electronic devices. There is an urgent need to develop an integrated and efficient manufacturing apparatus and method capable of producing multifunctional, complex-structured 3D electronic devices. Summary of the Invention

[0011] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention proposes a hybrid additive manufacturing apparatus and its operating method for three-dimensional electronic devices. This invention is based on voxel 3D printing to manufacture three-dimensional electronic devices, enabling the integrated and efficient manufacturing of multifunctional and complex 3D electronic devices.

[0012] According to some embodiments, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0013] A hybrid additive manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional electronic device includes a frame, on which a motion module is mounted, the motion module being capable of three-axis motion;

[0014] The motion module is equipped with a multi-nozzle printing module, a curing module, and a plating nozzle module. The multi-nozzle printing module includes multiple printing nozzles arranged in an array and a material storage tube.

[0015] The curing module is located on one side of the multi-nozzle printing module, and the plating nozzle module is located on the other side of the multi-nozzle printing module. The plating nozzle module includes a nozzle, a storage tube, and a heater. The nozzle and the storage tube are connected. A heater is provided outside the nozzle and / or the storage tube to maintain the working temperature of the plating material.

[0016] It also includes a printing material supply module connected to the storage tube, wherein the printing material supply module provides controllable switching and feeding speed of the printing material supplied to the printhead;

[0017] In addition, a plating supply module is connected to the plating nozzle module. The plating supply module is equipped with a storage box, a supply pump and a regulator. The supply pump is controllable in terms of switching and feeding speed. The regulator is used to adjust the pH value of the plating solution stored in the storage box.

[0018] As an alternative implementation, a drying module and a cleaning module are also included. The cleaning module is connected to a cleaning fluid storage box. The cleaning fluid storage box and the cleaning nozzle of the cleaning module are connected through a feed pipe, and a feed pump is provided on the feed pipe.

[0019] As an alternative implementation, the printing material feeding module includes multiple storage boxes, which are connected to each other via a feeding pipe and a storage pipe. Each feeding pipe is equipped with a feeding pump, which is used to control the switch and the feeding speed.

[0020] As an alternative implementation, the motion module is a gantry structure three-axis motion module, including an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis, wherein the three axes are orthogonally mounted on the frame column, the X-axis is vertically mounted on the two Y-axis to form a gantry structure, and the Z-axis is mounted on the X-axis and remains perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

[0021] As an alternative implementation, the spray plating supply module is equipped with a heater to control the plating solution to remain constant at the operating temperature.

[0022] As an alternative implementation, the multi-nozzle printing module has more than 5 printing nozzles, with nozzle inner diameters ranging from 1 to 100 μm.

[0023] As an alternative implementation, the spray nozzle is a single nozzle or a spray nozzle composed of multiple nozzles, with the nozzle inner diameter ranging from 100 to 1000 μm.

[0024] As an alternative implementation, the heater of the spraying nozzle module surrounds the spraying nozzle, with a heating range of 0-100℃, and the heater in the spraying supply module has a heating range of 0-100℃, so that the temperature of the plating solution is constantly controlled at the optimal working temperature.

[0025] Preferably, the feeding pump in the spray plating feeding module controls the flow rate of the plating solution, with a flow rate range of 0-50 ml / s.

[0026] As an alternative implementation, the pH regulator in the spray plating supply module is used to control the pH value of the plating solution, and the pH value is adjusted to a range of 1-14.

[0027] As an alternative implementation, the flow rate of the cleaning fluid supply pump in the cleaning module is in the range of 0-200 ml / s.

[0028] As an alternative implementation, the drying module is a blower or a heating lamp.

[0029] The working method of the above-mentioned device includes the following steps:

[0030] (1) Design the 3D structure of the three-dimensional electronic device to be manufactured according to the requirements, plan the conductive path, select the metallization area, and plan the motion path of the printing device.

[0031] (2) Select and configure the corresponding printing materials according to the designed three-dimensional structure; place the printing materials in the corresponding storage box and wait for printing;

[0032] (3) Perform integrated hybrid additive manufacturing of 3D electronic devices;

[0033] (4) Remove the printed 3D electronic device from the printing substrate and inspect the conductive structure to ensure the device yield.

[0034] As an alternative implementation, step (3) specifically includes:

[0035] (3-1) The printing multi-nozzle moves to the printing position, turns on the heater of the spray plating supply module, sets the temperature, so that the chemical plating solution reaches the optimal working temperature, and ensures that the plating solution meets the requirements during spray plating.

[0036] (3-2) The multi-nozzle printing module prints according to the designed printing path until the substrate structure layer is printed;

[0037] (3-3) After one layer of printing is completed, the curing module moves to the preset position, the curing device is turned on for a certain period of time to allow the printing material to be completely cured, and then the curing device is turned off.

[0038] (3-4) After curing, the spraying module is moved to the preset position and the spraying equipment is turned on to achieve selective metallization of the area.

[0039] (3-5) After the chemical plating of the selected area is completed, the cleaning and drying module moves to the preset position, first cleaning the printed parts to remove the residual chemical plating solution, and then removing excess moisture through the drying module.

[0040] (3-6) Repeat steps (3-2)-(3-5) until the entire print job is complete;

[0041] (3-7) Turn off all heaters and move the print head to the origin of the device.

[0042] Furthermore, in step (2), the printing material includes a matrix material and a functional target material. The matrix material is one or more of photosensitive resins or various thermoplastic materials with different mechanical properties, and the target material includes one or more of photosensitive resins or thermoplastic material mixtures containing palladium, gold, silver, etc.

[0043] In step (3-3), the curing method is one of far-infrared radiation curing, ultraviolet light curing, electron beam curing, near-infrared curing, heating curing, and microwave-induced curing.

[0044] In step (3-4), the plating material is one or more of the following: a chemical plating solution containing metals such as copper, nickel, gold, silver, nickel-phosphorus alloy, and nickel-boron alloy. The working temperature range of the plating solution heater is 0-100℃.

[0045] In steps (3-5), the cleaning process uses any one of the following materials: deionized water, methanol, ethanol, and isopropanol for spraying; the drying method is either air drying or heat drying.

[0046] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0047] (1) Multi-nozzle voxel 3D printing can realize the rapid manufacturing of microscale feature structures, with the advantages of high resolution and high efficiency.

[0048] (2) Using liquid materials containing specific target materials as printing substrate materials, the metallization process does not involve traditional roughening, sensitization, activation, etc., which further improves the manufacturing efficiency of multifunctional 3D electronic devices.

[0049] (3) By using a multi-nozzle structure (multi-material) to precisely spray and deposit different materials and form their structures, local materials with specific structures and properties can be printed according to the design, thereby achieving the precise manufacturing of three-dimensional complex devices with specific positional functions.

[0050] (4) Voxel 3D printing has the ability to customize the properties of individual voxels, and can obtain materials with controllable electrical and mechanical properties at the voxel scale. It has unique advantages in developing functional materials for soft robots, built-in electronic devices, artificial organs and other applications.

[0051] (5) Using a hybrid additive manufacturing method of voxel printing and spraying, metallization is performed on a specific local area directly after printing one layer, without the need for traditional pretreatment steps, so as to realize the assembly-free, integrated manufacturing of complex 3D electronic devices with controllable electrical and mechanical properties at the voxel scale.

[0052] (6) Current strategies for fabricating 3D devices with conductive structures typically require multi-step sequential writing, combining multiple printing, filling, and conductive line embedding stages to form a functional device. In this type of additive manufacturing technology, printing pauses, technology switching, and subsequent layer alignment result in excessive operation time, requiring extensive printing path optimization. The method proposed in this invention greatly optimizes and simplifies the process steps, offering the advantage of simple operation;

[0053] (7) It has excellent scalability. It can meet the needs of different applications and can quickly develop customized electronic products.

[0054] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0055] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the invention.

[0056] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the integrated printing method for three-dimensional electronic devices according to the present invention;

[0057] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a hybrid additive manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing three-dimensional electronic devices based on voxel 3D printing, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the multi-nozzle printing module and its feeding module in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0059] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the spraying nozzle module and its feeding module in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0060] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional electronic device structure printed according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0061] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0062] It should be noted that the following detailed description is illustrative and intended to provide further explanation of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0063] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0064] Example 1

[0065] like Figure 2 As shown, a hybrid additive manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing three-dimensional electronic devices based on voxel 3D printing mainly includes a motion module 1, a multi-nozzle printing module 2, a curing module 3, a spraying nozzle module 4, a cleaning module 5, a drying module 6, a printing material feeding module 7, a spraying material feeding module 8, and a frame 9. The motion module 1 includes an X-axis 101, dual Y-axis 102, and a Z-axis 103. The dual Y-axis 102 are mounted on the column 902 of the frame 9, the X-axis 101 is vertically mounted on the dual Y-axis 102 to form a gantry structure, and the Z-axis 103 is mounted on the X-axis 101 and remains perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

[0066] In this embodiment, the X, Y, and Z axes are driven by linear motors.

[0067] The effective travel of the X and Y axes is 0-300mm, the positioning accuracy is no less than ±2μm, the repeatability is no less than ±1μm, the maximum speed is 50mm / s, and the maximum acceleration is 1000mm / s². 2 The effective Z-axis travel is 0-200μm, with a positioning accuracy of no less than ±2μm, a repeatability of no less than ±1μm, a maximum speed of 50mm / s, and a maximum acceleration of 1000mm / s². 2 .

[0068] The number of printheads is greater than 5, and the nozzle inner diameter ranges from 1 to 100 μm.

[0069] like Figure 3 As shown, the multi-nozzle printing module 2 is mounted on the bracket of the Z-axis 103 of the motion module 1. It includes a storage tube 201 and an array of nozzles 202. The storage tube 201 is connected to the feed pump A 203 and the feed pump B 204 through the feed tube. The printing is controlled on the voxel by changing the on / off state of the feed pump 203 for material A and the feed pump 204 for material B and the feed speed during the printing process.

[0070] The feed pipes consist of multiple pipes, each connected to a corresponding material storage device (such as a storage box), and each feed pipe is equipped with an independent feed pump.

[0071] The different materials can be of various kinds, including those involved in the printing process, such as matrix materials, support materials, target materials, etc., which will not be elaborated here.

[0072] The curing module 3 is installed on one side of the multi-nozzle printing module 2. Existing equipment can be used for the curing module, such as UV lamps, infrared lamps, far-infrared lamps, electron beam generators, heaters, microwave generators, etc., which will not be described in detail here.

[0073] The spray coating nozzle module 4 is installed on the other side of the multi-nozzle printing module 2, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the storage pipe 401 is connected to the spraying supply module 8 via the supply pump 405. The storage pipe 401 is wrapped with an annular heater 402. The spraying nozzle 404 is installed on the storage pipe 401, and the nozzle heating block 403 is installed on the nozzle 404. The nozzle heating block can realize continuous heating of the nozzle 404.

[0074] In this embodiment, the spray nozzle can be a single nozzle or a spray nozzle composed of multiple nozzles, with the nozzle inner diameter ranging from 100 to 1000 μm.

[0075] The plating feed module includes a storage box, a heater, a feed pump, and a pH regulator. The heater controls the plating solution to maintain a constant operating temperature, the feed pump controls the flow rate of the plating solution, and the pH regulator adjusts the plating solution to the optimal pH value.

[0076] In this embodiment, the storage tube 401 is wrapped with an annular heater 402, the nozzle is equipped with a nozzle heating block 403, and the storage box is also equipped with a heater. This ensures that the plating solution is always at the preset optimal working temperature (this temperature can be determined according to specific printing requirements, materials, and environment, etc.). Before the printhead prints, the annular heater 402 compensates for the temperature loss during the plating solution transfer process.

[0077] In this embodiment, the annular heater in the spraying nozzle module surrounds the spraying nozzle, with a heating range of 0-100℃. The heater in the spraying supply module also has a heating range of 0-100℃, ensuring that the plating solution temperature is constantly controlled at the optimal operating temperature.

[0078] The flow rate of the plating solution is 0-50 ml / s, and the pH value can be adjusted from 1 to 14.

[0079] The cleaning module 5 is installed on one side of the spraying nozzle module 4; the drying module 6 is installed on one side of the cleaning module 5; the printing workbench is installed inside the waste liquid receiver 10, which is installed on the frame 903 to realize the circulation of plating solution and the discharge of waste liquid.

[0080] In this embodiment, the flow rate of the cleaning fluid supply pump in the cleaning module is 0-200 ml / s.

[0081] The drying device in the drying module is either a blower or a heating lamp.

[0082] Example 2

[0083] like Figure 1 As shown, a hybrid additive manufacturing method for fabricating three-dimensional electronic devices based on voxel 3D printing includes the following steps:

[0084] Step 1: Design the device structure

[0085] Based on the requirements, design the 3D structure of the three-dimensional electronic device to be manufactured, plan the conductive path, select the metallization area, plan the device movement path, and convert it into a processing program to be input into the printing device.

[0086] This step can use any existing algorithm.

[0087] Step 2: Select printing materials

[0088] Based on the designed three-dimensional structure, the appropriate printing materials are selected and configured. These materials mainly include the printing substrate material and the target material for the selected area (to be metallized). The printing materials are then placed in a specific storage device and await printing.

[0089] Step 3: Integrated Hybrid Additive Manufacturing of 3D Electronic Devices

[0090] The process of manufacturing 3D electronic devices using a voxel-based hybrid additive manufacturing apparatus includes the following steps:

[0091] (3-1): Printing initialization. The print head moves to its original position, the plating solution heater is turned on, and the temperature is set to bring the chemical plating solution to its optimal working temperature, ensuring that the plating solution meets the requirements during spraying.

[0092] (3-2): Matrix structure printing. Multiple nozzles print according to the designed printing path until the layer is printed.

[0093] (3-3): Curing. After one layer is printed, the curing module moves to the preset position, the curing device is turned on for a certain period of time to allow the printed material to cure completely, and then the curing device is turned off.

[0094] (3-4): Spray plating. After curing, the spray plating module moves to the preset position, and the spray plating equipment is turned on to achieve selective metallization of the area.

[0095] (3-5): Cleaning and drying. After the chemical plating of the selected area is completed, the cleaning and drying modules move to the preset position. First, the printed parts are cleaned to remove residual chemical plating solution, and then the drying module removes excess moisture to ensure smooth subsequent printing.

[0096] (3-6): Repeat steps (3-2)-(3-5) until the entire print job is complete.

[0097] (3-7): After printing is finished, turn off all heaters and move the print head back to the origin of the device.

[0098] Step 4: Post-processing

[0099] After the parts are printed, the printed 3D electronic devices are removed from the printing substrate, and the conductive structure is inspected to ensure the device yield.

[0100] Furthermore, in step (2), the printing material mainly includes a matrix material and a functional target material. The matrix material is mainly a photosensitive resin or various thermoplastic materials with different mechanical properties, and the target material mainly includes a mixture of photosensitive resin or thermoplastic materials containing palladium, gold, silver and other ions.

[0101] Furthermore, the matrix material can be one or more of the above-mentioned materials, and the target material can be one or more of the above-mentioned materials.

[0102] Furthermore, in step (3-3), the curing method can be far-infrared radiation curing, ultraviolet light curing, electron beam curing, near-infrared curing, heating curing, microwave-induced curing, etc.

[0103] Furthermore, in steps (3-4), the plating material can be one or more of the following chemical plating solutions: copper, nickel, gold, silver, nickel-phosphorus alloy, nickel-boron alloy, etc. The operating temperature range of the plating solution heater is 0-100℃.

[0104] Furthermore, in steps (3-5), the cleaning can be carried out by spraying with deionized water, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, etc.; the drying method can be air drying or heating drying.

[0105] Example 3

[0106] As a typical example of printing, with Figure 5 The printing process of electronic devices, for example, includes:

[0107] Step 1: Design the device structure

[0108] Design the 3D structure of the three-dimensional electronic device to be manufactured according to requirements, such as Figure 5 As shown, the conductive path is planned, the metallization area is selected, the device movement path is planned, and it is converted into a processing program and input into the printing device.

[0109] Step 2: Select printing materials

[0110] Based on the designed three-dimensional structure, appropriate printing materials are selected and configured. These materials mainly include a printing substrate material and a target material for the selected area (to be metallized). In this embodiment, the printing substrate material is photosensitive resin, and the target material is photosensitive resin containing 20 wt% silver nitrate. The printing materials are placed in the storage box of the printing material supply module, awaiting printing.

[0111] Step 3: Integrated Hybrid Additive Manufacturing of 3D Electronic Devices

[0112] The process of manufacturing 3D electronic devices using a voxel-based hybrid additive manufacturing apparatus includes the following steps:

[0113] (3-1): Printing initialization. The print head moves to the original printing position, turns on the plating solution heater of the spray plating supply module, sets the heating temperature to 60℃ to make the chemical plating solution reach the optimal working temperature, turns on the ring heater of the spray plating nozzle module, sets the temperature to 60℃ to ensure that the plating solution meets the requirements during spray plating.

[0114] (3-2): Substrate structure printing. Multiple nozzles print according to the designed printing path at a speed of 10 mm / s until the layer is printed.

[0115] (3-3): Curing. After one layer of printing is completed, the curing module moves to the preset position, turns on the UV curing lamp (power of 2000W, wavelength of 365nm), and irradiates the selected area for 30 seconds to completely cure the printing material. At the same time, the ultraviolet light reduces the silver ions in the photosensitive resin to elemental silver, which serves as a catalytic site in the subsequent chemical spraying, promoting the in-situ deposition reaction of metal. After irradiation, the curing device is turned off.

[0116] (3-4): Copper Spraying. After curing, the spraying module moves to the preset position and the spraying equipment is turned on. In this embodiment, copper (Cu) is selected for plating. The plating solution consists of copper sulfate (CuSO4·5H2O), potassium sodium tartrate (C4H4KNaO6·4H2O), formaldehyde (HCHO), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH). First, 120g of CuSO4·5H2O and 140g of potassium sodium tartrate are weighed using a precision electronic scale and dissolved in 10L of deionized water. The solution is stirred with a glass rod until fully dissolved. Then, 200g of NaOH is weighed and dissolved in the mixture to provide an alkaline environment for electroless copper plating. Finally, 250ml of formaldehyde is added as a reducing agent. The flow rate of the feed pump in the feed module is set to 5ml / s, and the spraying time is set to 20s. After the spraying is completed, the spraying device is turned off to achieve selective metallization and create a conductive circuit.

[0117] (3-5): Cleaning and Drying. After the selected area has been chemically plated, the cleaning and drying modules move to the preset position. First, the printed parts are cleaned with deionized water. The flow rate of the cleaning solution supply pump in the cleaning module is set to 50ml / s, and the cleaning time is 30s to remove residual chemical plating solution. Then, the drying module moves to the preset position, and the drying time is set to 30s to remove residual moisture so that subsequent printing can proceed smoothly.

[0118] (3-6): Repeat steps (3-2)-(3-5) until the entire print job is complete.

[0119] (3-7): After printing is finished, turn off all heaters and move the print head back to the origin of the device.

[0120] Step 4: Post-processing

[0121] After the parts are printed, the printed 3D electronic devices are removed from the printing substrate, and the conductive structure is inspected to ensure the device yield.

[0122] The above embodiments employ multi-nozzle voxel 3D printing technology as the substrate manufacturing technology for devices. By using a multi-nozzle structure (multi-material) to precisely jet and deposit different materials and form their structures, the rapid manufacturing of microscale feature structures can be achieved. Furthermore, local materials with specific structures and properties can be printed according to the design to achieve precise manufacturing of three-dimensional complex devices with specific positional functions.

[0123] By employing a spray coating method, metallization is directly applied to specific local areas after printing one layer, without steps such as roughening, sensitization, or activation, thus achieving integrated manufacturing of 3D electronic devices with controllable electrical properties at the voxel scale.

[0124] By using liquid materials containing specific target materials as the printing substrate, the metallization process eliminates the need for traditional pretreatment steps, further improving the fabrication efficiency of multifunctional 3D electronic devices.

[0125] While the specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, this is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications or variations that can be made by those skilled in the art without creative effort based on the technical solutions of the present invention are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A hybrid additive manufacturing method for a three-dimensional electronic device, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Design the 3D structure of the three-dimensional electronic device to be manufactured according to the requirements, plan the conductive path, select the metallization area, and plan the motion path of the printing device. (2) Select and configure the appropriate printing materials according to the designed three-dimensional structure; The printing material is placed in the corresponding storage box and awaits printing; wherein, the printing material includes a matrix material and a functional target material, the matrix material is one or more of photosensitive resins or various thermoplastic materials with different mechanical properties, and the functional target material includes one or more of photosensitive resins or thermoplastic materials, wherein the photosensitive resin or thermoplastic material of the functional target material contains palladium, gold or silver ions. (3) Conducting integrated hybrid additive manufacturing of 3D electronic devices; specifically including: (3-1) Move the multi-nozzle to the printing position, turn on the heater of the electroplating supply module, set the temperature of the electroless plating solution, and ensure that the plating solution meets the requirements during electroless plating. The electroless plating material is one or more of the electroless plating solutions of copper, nickel, gold, silver, nickel-phosphorus alloy or nickel-boron alloy. (3-2) The multi-nozzle printing module prints according to the designed printing path until the substrate structure layer is printed; (3-3) After one layer of printing is completed, the curing module moves to the preset position, turns on the curing device to completely cure the printing material, and then turns off the curing device; (3-4) After curing, the spraying module is moved to the preset position, the spraying equipment is turned on, and the area selective metallization is achieved to make a conductive circuit; (3-5) After the chemical plating of the selected area is completed, the cleaning and drying module moves to the preset position, first cleaning the printed parts to remove the residual chemical plating solution, and then removing excess moisture through the drying module. (3-6) Repeat steps (3-2)-(3-5) until the entire print job is complete; (3-7) Turn off all heaters and move the print head back to the origin of the device; (4) Remove the printed 3D electronic device from the printing substrate and inspect the conductive structure to ensure the device yield.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step (3-3), the curing method is one of far-infrared radiation curing, ultraviolet light curing, electron beam curing, near-infrared curing, heating curing, and microwave-induced curing. or, In steps (3-4), the operating temperature range of the plating solution heater is 0-100℃; or, In steps (3-5), the cleaning process uses any one of the following materials: deionized water, methanol, ethanol, or isopropanol for spraying; the drying method is either air drying or heat drying.

3. An apparatus based on the method of any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that, Includes a frame, on which a motion module is mounted, the motion module being capable of three-axis motion; The motion module is equipped with a multi-nozzle printing module, a curing module, and a spray coating nozzle module. The multi-nozzle printing module includes multiple printing nozzles arranged in an array and a material storage tube. The number of printing nozzles in the multi-nozzle printing module is greater than 5, and the nozzle inner diameter ranges from 1 to 100 μm. The curing module is located on one side of the multi-nozzle printing module, and the plating nozzle module is located on the other side of the multi-nozzle printing module. The plating nozzle module includes a nozzle, a storage tube, and a heater. The nozzle and the storage tube are connected. A heater is provided outside the nozzle and / or the storage tube to maintain the working temperature of the plating material. The storage tube in the multi-nozzle printing module is connected to the printing material supply module, which provides controllable switching and feeding speed of the printing material supplied to the nozzles. And, a plating supply module connected to the plating nozzle module, the plating supply module is provided with a storage box, a supply pump and a regulator, the supply pump is controllable in terms of switching and feeding speed, the regulator is used to adjust the pH value of the plating solution stored in the storage box; the plating supply module is provided with a heater, the heater surrounds the plating nozzle, and the heating range is 0-100℃; It also includes a drying module and a cleaning module. The cleaning module is connected to a cleaning fluid storage box. The cleaning fluid storage box and the cleaning nozzle of the cleaning module are connected through a feed pipe, and a feed pump is installed on the feed pipe.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, The printing material supply module includes multiple storage boxes, which are connected to each other via a supply pipe and a storage pipe. Each supply pipe is equipped with a supply pump, which is used to control the switch and the feeding speed.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, The motion module is a gantry structure three-axis motion module, including an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis. The three axes are orthogonally mounted on the frame column. The X-axis is vertically mounted on the two Y-axis to form a gantry structure, and the Z-axis is mounted on the X-axis and remains perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, In the spray plating supply module, the supply pump controls the flow rate of the plating solution, with a flow rate range of 0-50 ml / s. Alternatively, the pH regulator in the spray plating supply module is used to control the pH value of the plating solution, and the pH value can be adjusted to a range of 1-14.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, The spray nozzle is a single nozzle or a spray nozzle composed of multiple nozzles, with an inner diameter ranging from 100 to 1000 μm.

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