Modeling of Deposition Height in Localized Electrochemical Deposition Using Liquid Marbles

Application of Localized Electrochemical Deposition (LECD) using liquid marbles for micro repair and micro additive manufacturing is being researched. A liquid marble is a droplet of liquid coated with hydrophobic micro or nano powders. When a suitable electrolyte is used as the liquid, a liquid marble can be used for the LECD process. A theoretical model to predict the deposition height using a liquid marble is developed in this work. The height of deposition is a critical output parameter as it determines the minimum layer height in electrochemical additive manufacturing (ECAM). A physics based mathematical model using Faraday's law of electrolysis and the knowledge of geometry of the tool and metal powder has been developed. Experimental verification was carried out to validate the theoretical model. Experimental values follow the trend predicted by the model.