| Abstract Scope |
A prosthetic liner capable of gathering real-time localized stress and strain values could be valuable for identifying high pressure regions: preventing potential skin breakdown. Prosthetic liner sensors must be thin, flexible, reliable, and integrated with the liner. Aerosol jet printing (AJP), an additive manufacturing method, can fabricate high-resolution, micro-scale, and customizable circuits on non-planar substrates. AJP sensor development began with optimizing printing parameters for a polyimide substrate. The experimental array included 25 sheath and aerosol gas flow rates, nozzle height, platen temperature, print speed, and atomizer voltage combinations. The printed traces were evaluated with optical microscopy, profilometry, and electrical resistance measurements. The optimized parameters were used to fabricate strain gauges on three materials in as-received condition and after Parylene C coating. Preliminary findings indicate that Parylene C coating improves print surfaces for AJP. Ongoing work includes surface treatment and printing process optimization to customize circuitry for an instrumented prosthetic liner. |