Review on Melt Electrowriting Modelling and Applications
Hongli Ju, Wajira Mirihanage, Weiguang Wang, Zekai Murat Kılıç
Abstract
Melt electrowriting (MEW) is an advanced additive manufacturing technology that can produce micro- or nano-scale fibres, achieving accurate fibre deposition, and is suitable for manufacturing high-precision, miniature products. This review introduces the key principles and parameters that influence the performance of melt electrowriting and explores the current mathematical modelling under four stages: (1) heating and extrusion system, (2) formation of the Taylor cone, (3) formation and injection of the melt jet, and (4) deposition of the melt jet. In addition, current applications of melt electrowriting in emerging areas, such as tissue engineering, energy, filtration, and bioengineering, are introduced while discussing its combination with other additive manufacturing technologies. Finally, recent challenges, including production time, cost, and precision are covered, while the future research directions are to improve technology and introduce new materials.