Micromachining tools

Microtnolding (Injection and Compression Molding), Fig. 8 Images taken of micromachined tooling to be used to create polymeric channels through micromolding that... 

Conventional machine tools allow a resolution of less than 0.01 mm, which is not far from satisfactory for the fabrication of geometrical structures for microtechnological applications. Ultraprecision machine tools allow for a resolution in the range of nanometres however, the work pieces have macroscopic dimensions that make them rather inflexible. However, micromachining tools offer an alternative. These special tools have small dimension of working area, and the mass of the moving components is also small. Provided the machine... 

EDM is one of the most commonly used unconventional micromachining technologies. The process is limited to electrically conductive materials. Electrical arcs are produced in a controlled way between the tool and the workpiece in order to achieve material removal by melting and evaporation. 

Perhaps ironically, as science grows larger in scope and broader in focus, some of the most promising tools to synthesize the hows, whats, and wheres of human biology are exceedingly tiny. Micromachines, tiny biosensors, and miniature molecular reaction vessels will undoubtedly be standard items in a chemist s toolbox in 10 or 20 years. 

Microfabrication, micromachining, or micromanufacturing is comprised of the use of a set of manufacturing tools, mostly based on electronic integrated circuit (IC) and thick-film (hybrid) manufacturing technologies, which are often enhanced or modified for building devices such as sensors, actuators, and other microcomponents and microsystems. 

Figure 3.1 A typical process sequence used in microfabricating a 3D microstructure. The fabrication tool used is bulk micromachining.

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