Components

The DC power supply, specifically the "Kungber 30V 10A lab DC benchtop power supply," provides the necessary power with high precision for the system. It ensures the accurate operation of the operational amplifier & the solenoid.

SIGLENT’s SDG1000X waveform generator, provides a diverse range of high-fidelity signals. Its ability to generate various waveforms with specific characteristics contributes to the controlled and precise generation of droplets.

The piezoelectric buzzer serves as the actuator responsible for transforming electrical signals into mechanical vibrations necessary for droplet formation. A commercially available piezoelectric buzzer is used for this.

The linear solenoid actuator adds to vibrations necessary for droplet formation, supporting the piezoelectric buzzer. A commercially available solenoid is used for this.

The fluid chamber serves as a containment unit for the liquid utilized in the droplet generation process. It is connected via tube to the fluid reservoir and its y-axis position relative to the reservoir influences the droplet diameter and volume. 

Comercially available 3D printer nozzles are used for this project. The diameter of the nozzle (0.2 - 1.0 mm) has a considerable influence on the size of the droplets. 

In an effort to conserve budget, the translation stage was constructed using materials that can be found in Gener8’s engineering lab, namely slotted t-rails and their respective screws. The fluid reservoir was designed to interface with this translation stage for the convenient ability to alter Δh.

An adjustable fluid reservoir offers flexibility in controlling the fluid pressure at the nozzle, which as described before, is critical in droplet formation. The reservoir consists of a primary chamber and a larger, concentric chamber that collects overflowing fluid in order to maintain a constant fluid level in the primary chamber. This part was 3D printed.

Signals from the waveform generator were fed into a breadboard where they were amplified by an operational amplifier before finally being sent to the PZT. This step was implemented to maximize the buzzing of the PZT.