Fabrication of micro-structured tools for the production of curved metal surfaces by pulsed electrochemical machining

Abstract A new, scalable process chain for the fabrication of curved micro-structured metallic tools is developed and evaluated. Arrays arrows, circles, semicircles rings with final lateral dimensions 124 to 819 µm are realised on successfully transmitted in one step stainless steel workpieces a functional area 6.5 cm 2 using pulsed electrochemical machining. Photolithography-etching or micromilling applied as initial micro-structuring processes, resulting master forms. These forms copied into reusable silicon This followed by epoxy casting electroforming obtain tools. The made Nickel have diameter 34 mm. Whilst micromilling, photolithography, casting, copy structures very precisely, wet etching induces widening due isotropic character process. advantage reusability well silicone forms, which can be precisely easily processes get precision relatively large areas. makes cost-efficient. use photolithography structuring enables generation arbitrary, user-defined geometries micro-structures tool surface. described has potential fabricate structure sizes down micrometre.