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5th World Congress on Micro and Nano Manufacturing (WCMNM2022)

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A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "D：Materials and Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 10068

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ir. Sylvie Castagne

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
Interests: surfaces in the context of manufacturing; creating surfaces; finishing surfaces and modifying surfaces; subtractive and hybrid manufacturing processes; micro-machining; laser material processing and surface modification

Dr. Pierre Vella

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Guest Editor

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Malta, Msida 2080, Malta
Interests: investigating and optimising micro/nano-manufacturing and polymer additive manufacturing technologies; integration of complementary manufacturing processes into coherent process chains for the serial manufacture of polymer components with multi-length scale features; development of tooling using bulk metallic glasses; technology maturity assessment of individual processes and pairs of manufacturing processes; verification and validation testing of bespoke medical products

Dr. Ming-Chyuan Lu

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City 402, Taiwan
Interests: quality and condition monitoring in mechanical machining, laser welding, and metal additive manufacturing; monitoring system development; micro-machining; additive manufacturing; plasma equipment design; plasma surface modification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Tohru Sasaki

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical and Intellectual Systems Engineering, University of Toyama, Gofuku 3190, Toyama-shi, Toyama 930-8555, Japan
Interests: micro-manufacturing of sensing devices including micro- and nano-scale processing, fabrication technology, and materials development; manufacturing for medical parts and new sensor devices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will publish selected extended papers from the 2022 World Congress on Micro and Nano Manufacturing (WCMNM 2022, 19–22 September 2022, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium, https://www.4m-association.org/conference/WCMNM2022/wcmnm2022.html). The topics to be covered include, but are not limited to, the following:

Microfabrication technologies, process chains and process characterisation;
Miniaturisation of machines and equipment, positioning, motion generation, sensors systems and control;
Novel product designs, micro-assembly technologies and microhandling;
Surface engineering and interface nanotechnology;
Process modelling and simulation;
Processing and characterisation of smart materials, energy materials, metamaterials and nanomaterials;
Micro- and nano-additive, subtractive, joining and hybrid manufacturing technologies;
Micro- and desktop factory concepts, systems, components and modules;
Online monitoring and inspection systems and smart manufacturing/methods;
Standardisation in micromanufacturing;
Applications of micro- and nanotechnologies;
Emerging micromanufacturing methods and equipment, including those that bridge the nano- and macro-worlds;
Biomanufacturing and biomedical devices.

We encourage both original research papers and comprehensive review articles to be submitted to this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Ir. Sylvie Castagne
Dr. Pierre Vella
Dr. Ming-Chyuan Lu
Prof. Dr. Tohru Sasaki
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micromachines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 8264 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Process Parameters of Micro Particle Bombarding (MPB) for Surface Integrity Enhancement of Cermet Material and Tool Steel

by Fu-Chuan Hsu, Li-Jie Chen, Zong-Rong Liu, Hsiu-An Tsai, Chin-Hao Lin, Wei-Yu Chen, Hwa-Teng Lee and Tsung-Jen Cheng

Micromachines 2023, 14(3), 643; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14030643 - 12 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1264

Abstract

In order to increase the performance of tool or mold/die, there are a lot of micro features on the surface to provide special functions, such as anti-adhesion or lubrication. The MPB (Micro Particle Bombarding) process provides a powerful technology to enhance the surface quality without damaging the micro features. The effect of MPB parameters were investigated by bombarding the surface with extremely small particles (20~200 µm in diameter) at a high velocity and pressure to obtain a better surface integrity. -The MPB has two functions, one is micro blasting for cleaning purposes and the other is micro shot peening for surface strengthening. The regression relationship between particle bombarding time and micro hardness is established to predict the surface hardness after MPB process. The experimental results reveal that the surface hardness of cermet is increased 14~66% (HV2167~HV3163) by micro particle bombarding. The micro shot peening provides a good surface integrity due to thebetter surface roughness of 0.1 μmRa and higher compress residual stress of −1393.7 MPa, which is up to 26% enhancement compared with the base material cermet. After micro shot peening, the surface hardness of the SKD11 tool steel increased from HV 686 to HV 739~985. The surface roughness of SKD 11 after micro shot peening was 0.31–0.48 μmRa, while the surface roughness after micro blasting was 0.77–1.15 μmRa. It is useful to predict the residual stress for micro blasting by surface roughness, and to estimate the residual stress after micro shot peening by surface hardness by applying the MPB process in industry in the case of SKD 11 tool steel. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5th World Congress on Micro and Nano Manufacturing (WCMNM2022))

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16 pages, 4365 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Replication Study of Molded Micro-Textured Samples Made of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene for Medical Applications

by Francesco Modica, Vito Basile, Rossella Surace and Irene Fassi

Micromachines 2023, 14(3), 523; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14030523 - 24 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1072

Abstract

In articular joint implants, polymeric inserts are usually exploited for on-contact sliding surfaces to guarantee low friction and wear, a high load-bearing capacity, impact strength and stiffness, and biocompatibility. Surface micro-structuring can drastically reduce friction and wear by promoting hydrostatic friction due to synovial fluid. Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) is a suitable material for these applications due to its strong chemical resistance, excellent resistance to stress, cracking, abrasion, and wear, and self-lubricating property. However, surface micro-texturing of UHMWPE is hardly achievable with the currently available processes. The present study investigates UHMWPE’s micro-textured surface replication capability via injection molding, comparing the results with the more easily processable High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE). Four different micro-texture cavities were designed and fabricated on a steel mold by micro-EDM milling, and used for the experimental campaign. Complete samples were fabricated with both materials. Then, the mold and samples were geometrically characterized, considering the dimensions of the features and the texture layout. The replication analysis showed that HDPE samples present geometrical errors that span from 1% to 9% resulting in an average error of 4.3%. In comparison, the UHMWPE samples display a higher variability, although still acceptable, with percentage errors ranging from 2% to 31% and an average error of 11.4%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5th World Congress on Micro and Nano Manufacturing (WCMNM2022))

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12 pages, 7025 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Fabrication and Characterization of Acicular Micro-Textured Copper Sheet Device for Low-Temperature Heat Radiation

by Tatsuhiko Aizawa, Hiroki Nakata and Takeshi Nasu

Micromachines 2023, 14(3), 507; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14030507 - 22 Feb 2023

Viewed by 1150

Abstract

An acicular microtextured sheet was developed as a heat radiation device from the high-temperature source to the cooling medium in the infrared (IR) spectrum. The copper surface was modified by acicular micro-texturing to place a semi-regular micro-/nano-cone structure onto it. FT-IR (Fourier transformation IR) spectroscopy was utilized to measure the transmittance diagram in near-IR to far-IR wavelengths. The wavelength (λ) of 6.7 μm, where the highest absorbance valley was detected in the diagram, was equivalent to the doubled size of the micro-cone average height, with H_ave = 3.3 μm; λ ~ 2 × H_ave. The electromagnetic waves in the far-IR wavelength were emitted by acicular micro-textured metallic sheets. The heat radiation transfer experiment was performed to describe this low-temperature heat radiation behavior. No temperature rise was detected on the black-colored polycarbonate (BC-PC) plate away from the bare copper sheet without textures, located on the high-temperature source. The temperature increased by 4 K on the BC-PC plate using the acicular textured copper sheet device. The emitter temperature also decreased significantly by 50 K or 50% of the heat source temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5th World Congress on Micro and Nano Manufacturing (WCMNM2022))

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11 pages, 1529 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dissolvable Calcium Alginate Microfibers Produced via Immersed Microfluidic Spinning

by Tuo Zhou, Sahar NajafiKhoshnoo, Rahim Esfandyarpour and Lawrence Kulinsky

Micromachines 2023, 14(2), 318; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14020318 - 26 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1404

Abstract

Fabrication of micro- and nanofibers are critical for a wide range of applications from microelectronics to biotechnology. Alginate microfibers with diameters of tens to hundreds of microns play an important role in tissue engineering and fibers of these diameters are impossible to fabricate via electrospinning and can only be produced via fluidic spinning. Typically, microfluidic spinning based on photopolymerization produces fibers that are not easily dissolvable, while fluidic spinning with chemical cross-linking employs complex setups of microfabricated chips or coaxial needles, aimed at precise control of the fiber diameter; however, fluidic spinning introduces significant cost and complexity to the microfluidic setup. We demonstrate immersed microfluidic spinning where a calcium alginate microfiber is produced via displacement of alginate solution through a single needle that is immersed in a cross-linking bath of calcium chloride solution. The resulting diameter of the fiber is characterized and the fiber diameter and topology of the deposited fiber is related to the concentration of the alginate solution (2 wt%, 4 wt%, and 6 wt%), needle gauge (30 g, 25 g, and 20 g), and the volumetric flow rate of the alginate solution (1 mL/min, 2 mL/min, and 2.7 mL/min). The resulting fiber diameter is smaller than the internal diameter of the needle and this dependence is explained by the continuity of the flow and increased rate of fall of the liquid jet upon its issuing from the needle. The fiber diameter (demonstrated diameter of fibers range from 100 microns to 1 mm) depends weakly on the volumetric flow rate and depends strongly on the needle diameter. It also seems that for a smaller needle size, a greater concentration of alginate results in smaller diameter fibers and that this trend is not evident as the needle diameter is increased. In terms of topology of the deposited fiber, the higher wt% alginate fiber produces larger loops, while smaller wt% alginate solution yields a denser topology of the overlaid fiber loops. These fibers can be dissolved in DMEM/EDTA/DSC solution in 20–30 min (depending on the fiber diameter), leaving behind the hollow channels in the hydrogel matrix. We believe that the demonstrated simple setup of the immersed microfluidic spinning of the calcium alginate microfibers will be useful for creating tissue constructs, including the vascularized tissue implants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5th World Congress on Micro and Nano Manufacturing (WCMNM2022))

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13 pages, 8362 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Direct Processing of PVD Hard Coatings via Focused Ion Beam Milling for Microinjection Molding

by Holger Ruehl, Thomas Guenther and André Zimmermann

Micromachines 2023, 14(2), 294; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14020294 - 22 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1617

Abstract

Hard coatings can be applied onto microstructured molds to influence wear, form filling and demolding behaviors in microinjection molding. As an alternative to this conventional manufacturing procedure, “direct processing” of physical-vapor-deposited (PVD) hard coatings was investigated in this study, by fabricating submicron features directly into the coatings for a subsequent replication via molding. Different diamondlike carbon (DLC) and chromium nitride (CrN) PVD coatings were investigated regarding their suitability for focused ion beam (FIB) milling and microinjection molding using microscope imaging and areal roughness measurements. Each coating type was deposited onto high-gloss polished mold inserts. A specific test pattern containing different submicron features was then FIB-milled into the coatings using varied FIB parameters. The milling results were found to be influenced by the coating morphology and grain microstructure. Using injection–compression molding, the submicron structures were molded onto polycarbonate (PC) and cyclic olefin polymer (COP). The molding results revealed contrasting molding performances for the studied coatings and polymers. For CrN and PC, a sufficient replication fidelity based on AFM measurements was achieved. In contrast, only an insufficient molding result could be obtained for the DLC. No abrasive wear or coating delamination could be found after molding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5th World Congress on Micro and Nano Manufacturing (WCMNM2022))

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16 pages, 3325 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Deep-Hole Microdrilling Study of Pure Magnesium for Biomedical Applications

by Margherita Pizzi, Francesco De Gaetano, Marco Ferroni, Federica Boschetti and Massimiliano Annoni

Micromachines 2023, 14(1), 132; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi14010132 - 03 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2153

Abstract

The mechanisms of deep-hole microdrilling of pure Mg material were experimentally studied in order to find a suitable setup for a novel intraocular drug delivery device prototyping. Microdrilling tests were performed with 0.20 mm and 0.35 mm microdrills, using a full factorial design [...] Read more.

v_{c}

and feed

f_{z}

were varied over two levels. In a preliminary phase, the chip shape was evaluated for low feeds per tooth down to 1 μm, to verify that the chosen parameters were appropriate for machining. Subsequently, microdrilling experiments were carried out, in which diameter, burr height and surface roughness of the drilled holes were examined. The results showed that the burr height is not uniform along the circumference of the holes. In particular, the maximum burr height increases with higher cutting speed, due to the thermal effect that plasticizes Mg. Hole entrance diameters are larger than the nominal tool diameters due to tool runout, and their values are higher for high

v_{c}

and

f_{z}

. In addition, the roughness of the inner surface of the holes increases as

f_{z}

increases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 5th World Congress on Micro and Nano Manufacturing (WCMNM2022))

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