Development of a repeatable single-droplet generation system using step motor forward and reverse control
摘要
A droplet generation system capable of repeatedly producing single droplets ranging from 2 to 3.5 mm in size using six types of nozzles with diameters ranging from 0.16 to 0.79 mm has been developed. The single-droplet generator consists of a syringe and a 1-D linear stage. The syringe plunger moves vertically downward, pushing the liquid in the syringe barrel through the nozzle exit to create droplets. The vertical position of the syringe plunger is precisely controlled by the forward and reverse rotation of the step motor in the 1-D linear stage. The optimal number of forward and reverse rotation steps for repetitive single-droplet generation varied depending on the syringe nozzle diameter. Additionally, an optimal waiting time between forward and reverse rotations was required for each nozzle to ensure repetitive single droplet generation. When the generated droplet passes through the photo sensor, the photo sensor generates a trigger signal. The trigger signal was supplied to the camera’s trigger input terminal to capture droplet images at the appropriate timing. A total of 80 single droplet images were triggered and captured for each nozzle. In the captured droplet image files, the edges of the droplets were detected using a MATLAB function, and the equivalent diameters were calculated. These data were statistically processed to determine the average droplet diameter and its deviation.