Integrated manufacturing of small-scale dielectric elastomer transducers with rigid structures

Abstract:
The manufacturing of dielectric elastomer transducers (DET) poses some ongoing challenges. In addition to the widespread manufacturing by hand, there exist automated processes and even the commercial availability of DET stacks is emerging. In order to test new materials and to enable design flexibility (so-called rapid prototyping), the production using a 3D printer was investigated. In total, three materials with different properties have to be combined in a structured way: A rigid frame for connection or handling, and for the fundamental function of a DET, a conductive and stretchable electrode as well as an insulating but also stretchable dielectric. The fuse filament fabrication (FFF) process is used for processing the rigid frame, the electrode is applied using a droplet-based method and the dielectric is dispensed using direct ink writing (DIW). All processes are integrated in one system and supported by additional peripherals such as a precise layer thickness sensor, an infrared heater and a camera. 16 integrated produced DET were built using 3D printing. With the exception of two outliers, the capacitive evaluation showed good results (28.21 pF±4.4 pF). Furthermore, a transversal displacement of almost 200 µm at 3 kV was achieved. This corresponds to an electric field of around 45V/µm. These results show the feasibility of a fully integrated production of DET by additive manufacturing.