SprayChip (formerly Integrated Technologies for Medicine) has developed precision micromachined spray devices that have much better control of critical spray parameters than conventional spray devices. The devices can be used as components in end-products or can be used in manufacturing processes.

Atomizers break bulk liquid into tiny droplets. Conventional atomizers put the liquid through many stages of uncontrolled break-up – from bulk liquid to globules, fragments, ligaments, droplets, and finally smaller droplets. This process results in widely ranging droplet sizes and velocities, and produces a broad spray pattern.

Micromachined spray devices can “imprint” a desired microstructure into the liquid. The breakup into droplets proceeds in fewer steps and in a more orderly fashion, resulting in narrower ranges of droplet size and velocity as well as a much narrower spray pattern, which results in far greater control over the spray process.

Imprinting a desired microstructure into the liquid requires specialized nozzle structures. SprayChip’s core expertise is the design of microstructures to significantly improve existing spray device technology using new atomizer concepts and designs. SprayChip’s technology enables the selection of the droplet size, velocity, density, and spray pattern.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has partnered with SprayChip on an ongoing basis since May 1995 to advance micromachining of microdevices and systems. SprayChip performs its micromachining activities in NASA/GSFC’s Detector Development Laboratory. The technology may be applied to imaging devices, sensors, biomedical equipment, acoustic equipment, droplet generators, chemical purification equipment and instrumentation. SprayChip has used NASA’s laboratory while developing a nebulizer for inhaling medication. Pretty cool stuff. Many ink jet printers use MEMS based atomizers based on their superior performance. Numerous applications surely abound, yet it appears to us that few have capitalized on the potential. SMSC has a 2-micron CMOS production line focused on high-volume production of MEMS for applications such as pressure sensors, accelerometers, microrelays, and fluid valves. Spraychip is tightly focused on micromachined spray devices, which has tremendous potential in many different applications. SprayChip is still in the development phase and does not anticipate releasing any details for about 6 months.

Perry Skeath, President