Comparison of a Microdrop dispensing system to the Epson Stylus SX235W. The Microdrop system consists of an MD-K-130 dispenser head, an MD-V-304 storage bin (cartridge) and an Autodrop Compact MD-P-826 printing system (including a tabletop positioning system, driver electronics and necessary software). The MD-K-130 is chosen as the printhead is non-heated and dispenses volumes in the same order of magnitude. Where the Microdrop has a 3D positioning system, the Epson Stylus only operates in 1D as explained in Section 3.1. Hence, the performance of the two systems can only be compared at nozzle level.
| Microdrop | Epson | |
|---|---|---|
| MD-K-130 | SX235W | |
| Minimum droplet volume | 20 pLa | 4 pLa |
| Viscosity range | 0.4–20 cP | 1–25 cP |
| Positioning precision | ≈25 μm | ≈13 μmb |
| Number of nozzles | Max. 2 | 177 |
| Drop rate of a single nozzle | 2 kHz | 7.1 kHz |
| Maximum drop rate | 4 kHz | 1.2 mHz |
a
Depending on the fluid used.
b
Precision in the horizontal direction, as the vertical position is fixed.