LASER MILLING: TOOL MAKING CAPABILITIES

摘要

Laser milling is a relatively new manufacturingrnprocess that has attracted much attention fromrnengineers and researchers for the last decade. Thernprocess allows complex parts and tooling inserts to bernfabricated directly from 3D CAD data in a wide rangernof advanced engineering materials such as ceramics,rnhardened steel, bulk metallic glasses, titanium andrnnickel alloys. The paper discusses the process designrnand implementations issues in applying the laserrnmilling technology for tool making. Especially, thernfocus is on design and implementation of appropriaternmaterial removal strategies and the necessaryrnoptimisation of processing parameters to producernreplication tools with required surface integrity andrnresolution. Two application case studies are used torndemonstrate the capabilities of the laser millingrnprocess, in particular for the fabrication of replicationrntools for serial manufacture of micro needles arrays forrndrug delivery and bio inspired surface structures forrndrag reduction. The paper concludes with a discussionrnof tool making capabilities and limitations of laserrnmilling technology.