Inkjet 3D Printed MEMS Vibrational Electromagnetic Energy Harvester

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a powerful tool that enables the printing of almost unlimited geometry in a few hours, from a virtual design to a real structure. In this paper, we present a micro-electromechanical energy harvester that utilized a 3D printed micromechanical structure combined with a miniature permanent magnet and a microelectronic coil towards a hybrid electromagnetic vibrational hybrid energy harvester. Various micromechanical structure geometries were designed, printed, and tested. The characteristic dimensions of the springs were from 200 mu m to 400 mu m and the total volume of the devices was below 1 cm(3). The resonant frequencies (95-340 Hz range), as well as bandwidths (6-23 Hz range), for the developed prototypes were determined. The maximal generated output power was almost 24 mu W with a power density up to almost 600 mu W/cm(3).