Highly Resistive Electronic Element Printing by Laser-Induced Forward Transfer Applied for Printed Circuit Board Micro-actuation

This study aims to explore the potential of hybrid additive manufacturing for fabricating microscale smart actuators with integrated electrical functionality. A combination of laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) for printing high-resistive NiCr-based alloys and dry film stereolithography was employed to enable the integration of functional materials into complex microsystems. This capability demonstrates its potential use on printed circuit boards to function as a trigger for switching actuation. This is achieved by a smart design and fabrication of micro-actuator, based on paraffin phase change upon heating generated by the printed resistive element, offering actuation and circuitry on a single platform. Several actuators were successfully fabricated and characterized, exhibiting actuation rise time of ~ 2 s and maximum strokes of ~ 80 µm, with stable and repeatable performance, proving the feasibility of the hybrid printing process for next-generation smart devices.