Laser-assisted micro-forming process with miniaturised structures in sapphire dies

Current results will be presented on developing and miniaturising a novel laser-assisted forming process to manufacture microstructures in metals such as stainless steel and aluminum. Due to its mechanical and optical properties, sapphire is a well-suited material for the micro-forming tool. Because of its high band gap, radiation with small wavelengths in the UV range is required to reach the ablation threshold. Thus, excimer lasers are used for manufacturing the microstructures. On the other hand, its high transmittance for higher wavelengths allows heating of the work-piece through the sapphire die during the micro-forming process, which allows a better form filling. The main goal of these investigations is to identify the scaling effects on micro-formed structures that result from miniaturising microstructures on dies for the development of strategies to overcome obstacles caused by these miniaturisation effects. (C) 2009 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.