Methods and apparatuses for forming an article

1. An apparatus for forming a structure on a surface, the apparatus comprising:

a fluid source for providing a pressurized fluid to a printing head;

the printing head comprising at least one fluidic nozzle, wherein the printing head provides for the at least one nozzle to emit a flow of the pressurized fluid with satellite droplets and further comprises:

a droplet forming device for applying energy to the flow of fluid adapted to cause the flow of fluid to separate to form a stream of formed printing and non-printing droplets;

a droplet deflection device for selectively deflecting droplets so that only printing droplets reach the surface;

a gutter to receive deflected non-printing droplets; and

a satellite droplet control surface adapted to prevent at least some of the material from the satellite drops from reaching the surface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the control surface comprises a satellite droplet shield to receive at least some of the deflected satellite droplets so that the material from the deflected satellite droplets does not reach the surface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the droplet forming device comprises a transducer adapted to apply energy to the flow of fluid, said energy comprising heat, ultrasonic waves, mechanical vibrations, or surface tension modification adapted to cause the flow of fluid to separate to form a stream of droplets.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a recycling system adapted to receive material from the non-printing droplet surface and to recycle the received material into a later formed stream of material.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the recycling system further receives material from satellite droplet control surface.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the satellite droplet control surface comprises a material that absorbs deflected satellite drops.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a cleaner to apply and remove a solvent to clean the satellite droplet control surface of satellite droplets directed thereon.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the cleaner carries the solvent and any material therein to a recycling system.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a droplet conditioning device for applying a conditioning energy to a plurality of droplets in the stream.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a transport mechanism adapted to provide relative movement of the printhead and surface.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the surface comprises a flexible support and the transport mechanism comprises a roller for moving the flexible support relative to the printing head.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the droplet deflection device applies an electrostatic or magnetic potential to the stream for selective deflection of the droplets.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the droplet deflection device applies a gas pressure differential for selective deflection of the droplets.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the deflection device applies a gas pressure differential to the droplets, said gas being adapted to condition the droplets.

15. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible support is sheet-fed.

16. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible support is fed from a roll.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the printing droplets are conditioned by the droplet deflecting device so that a condition of the material in the printing droplets is changed.

18. An apparatus for forming a patterned circuit element onto a flexible support, the apparatus comprising:

a transport mechanism for moving the support past an array of droplet deposition nozzles;

a material supply subsystem for providing a liquid material to each droplet deposition nozzle; with the material supply subsystem comprising:

a droplet stream forming means for forming a stream comprising a series of formed printing and non-printing fluidic droplets of the material, the stream directed at the support and having satellite droplets therein;

a deflector for applying a deflecting energy to separate printing droplets from non-printing droplets in the stream, thereby directing printing droplets toward the support;

a diverting element for diverting non-printing droplets away from the support toward a guttering mechanism; and

a control surface adapted to control at least a portion of the satellite droplets from the support.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein at least two nozzles in the apparatus are aimed toward the same point on the support for simultaneous droplet deposition from each of the at least two nozzles.

20. An apparatus for forming a structure on a surface, the apparatus comprising:

a means for providing a pressurized fluid to a printing head;

the printing head means having at least one fluidic nozzle, wherein the printing head provides for the at least one nozzle to emit a flow of the pressurized fluid with satellite droplets and further comprises:

a droplet forming means for applying energy to the flow of fluid adapted to cause the flow of fluid to separate to form a stream of formed printing and non-printing droplets;

a droplet deflection means for selectively deflecting droplets so that only printing droplets reach the surface;

a gutter means to receive deflected non-printing droplets; and

a satellite droplet control means adapted to prevent at least some of the material from the satellite drops from reaching the surface.