Analysis and Development Technique of a Fully 3-D-Printed Differential Capacitive Anemometric Sensor

Current developments in the field of 3-D printing have employed embedded electronics, in order to implement innovative devices and sensors. In this work, we present the analysis, fabrication, and experimental results of a novel, fully 3-D printable differential capacitive anemometric sensor for low-power applications. The system exploits a multimaterial fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology to print standard polylactic acid (PLA) filament as well as electrically conductive filament, employed to implement a differential capacitive air pressure sensor, embedded in a printed spherical structure, able to measure the wind speed. A theoretical analysis for the mechanical structure design, focusing on the 3-D printed bending behavior, as well as for fluid dynamics of the sensor and the electronic circuitry design has been conducted. Simulations and measurements of the fabricated prototype have demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed wind sensor. Differential capacitive variations have been observed by applying constant airflow through the sensor, showing a good agreement with the simulated behavior.