4M Knowledge base - papers

O. Blatnik, J. Valentinčič, D. Kramar, B. Juriševič, H. Orbanić, A. Lebar and M. Junkar
Laboratory for Alternative Technologies, Chair of Manufacturing Technologies and Systems, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana Aškerčeva 6, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Abstract

Microproduction is one of the fastest growing fields of industry with increasing demands from the market. A key factor in microproduction is micro-tooling. There exist various micro-tooling techniques, such as LIGA, electroplating, etc., which are very accurate but on the other hand also very expensive and time consuming. This contribution presents an alternative, which cannot compete with the above-mentioned technologies regarding the accuracy, but is time efficient and far more cost effective. The proposed micro-tooling strategy consists of producing the electrode for Micro Sinking Electrical Discharge Machining (MEDM) using Water Jet (WJ) technology. The final tool is produced by MEDM to be used for replication processes like hot embossing, molding, and others. Results obtained during this investigation indicate the appropriateness of the proposed micro-tooling strategy for the development and design of microfluidic devices, due to the specific characteristics of the involved technologies.