3D-Printed Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Reactors
S. Kanazawa, K. Eto, W. Imagawa, S. Akamine, and R. Ichiki
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Oita University, Japan
Abstract- Recently, the application of 3D-printing technology has opened a new frontier in industry, material science, chemistry, and medicine. In the field of plasma engineering, a plasma reactor is a key piece of equipment tosuccessfully produce plasma. The aim of this research is to verify and evaluate the feasibility of a novel plasma reactor prototype prepared using a 3D printer. Essentially, a non-thermal plasma reactor operated at atmospheric pressure consists of electrodes (metals) and support parts (insulators). The insulating parts are usually made of glass, ceramics, or plastics. In this study, a new approach for the design and fabrication of non-thermal plasma reactors used at atmospheric pressure is presented. The reactor is based on a coaxial cylindrical configuration. The insulating parts of the reactor were prepared using a 3D printer. The performance of the prototypes was experimentally evaluated by comparison with that of a normal plasma reactor.
Keywords-3D printer, 3D data, plasma reactor, rapid prototyping, reactor optimization