Electrochemical Micromachining of Stainless Steel by Ultrashort Voltage Pulses
Summary:
Application of ultrashort voltage pulses to a tiny tool
electrode under suitable electrochemical conditions enables
precise three-dimensional machining of stainless steel.
In order to reach submicrometer precision and high processing
speed, the formation of a passive layer on the workpiece
surface during the machining process has to be prevented
by proper choice of the electrolyte. Mixtures of concentrated
hydrofluoric and hydrochloric acid are well suited in
this respect and allow the automated machining of complicated
three-dimensional microelements. The dependence of the
machining precision on pulse duration and pulse amplitude
was investigated in detail. The progress of modern electronics
technology towards smaller devices triggered the miniaturization
of mechanical and optical parts and components like sensors,
connectors, actuators or reactors [1–6]. Besides
semiconductors, metals become increasingly important to
fulfill the specifications of such applications. Molding
techniques for the mass production of plastic microcomponents
[7] require the fabrication of molds from hard materials,
preferentially alloyed steels. However, methods which
allow for the three-dimensional micromachining of metals
are rather limited.
Format:
Pages :15
Size: 394 kb
Author :Laurent Cagnon , Viola Kirchner , Matthias Kock
, Rolf Schuster,
Gerhard Ertl, W. Thomas Gmelin, and Heinz Kück
Download:Electrochemical Micromachining of Stainless Steel by Ultrashort Voltage Pulses
|
