Research Centre Karlsruhe (FZK)

The Institute of Material Research III, as one of about 20 scientific institutes of the Forschungszentrum (Research Center) Karlsruhe, works alongside other scientific work on the development of manufacturing processes for polymer and ceramic micro-components.

1. Powder production and processing: mills (lab scale and prototype production scale), cryo-mill, spray dryers (3 lab scale and 1 prototype scale), spray granulator, freeze dryer, spray freezer, spin-coater, screen-printing device, evaporators, mixers, dissolvers, sieves, presses (axial, isostatic dry and wet bag), centrifuge, micro-tape casting device, de-waxing and sintering furnaces (air, cover gas and vacuum vessel types), fluidised-bed furnaces, HIPs (2000°C 200 MPa and 2000°C 300MPa )

2. hot moulding machines (Peltzman and GOCERAM)

3. Characterisation equipment: XRD, ceramographic equipment (grinding, polishing...), microscopy, SEM incl EDX and image analysis, TG-DSC, IR-spectrosopy, granulometer, PCS, Hg-porosimeter, He-Pycnometer, Dilatometer, spec. surface measurement, zeta-potentiometer, viscosimeter, Thermoanalysis

4. peripheral equipment for feedstock production

5. Micro-injection moulding system (Battenfeld Microsystem 50); injection moulding machine (Arburg 370 C); injection moulding machines Ferromatic

6. Hot embossing machines (Jenoptik HEX01, Jenoptik HEX02, Jenoptik HEX03(including positioning system), EVG 520 HE)

7. Deep x-ray lithography: optimized beam lines at the synchrotron storage ring ANKA, which is on site (one white light beam line, one beam line to be used for structures with heights up to 100 µm, one beam line to be used for structures with heights up to 500 µm) The beam lines are equipped with professional X-ray scanners and established in a clean room (estimated value without investment for clean room)

8. 100kV E-Beam Pattern Generator in Class 100 Clean Room

9. Chemical laboratory (clean room conditions) to prepare samples for all lithography lines , sample examination with ultrasonic developing equipment, PVD-processing, profilometer, optical microscopes, SEM and AFM

10. Nickel plating stations for routine fabrication; 3 gold plating stations; Nickel-Iron plating station; experimental station with built-in electrochemical characterisation

11. Analytical tools: HPLC, UV-VIS-Spectrometer, automatic titration, internal stress measurement