Diamond machined parts are key components in a large variety of products with a high relevance on the market. The market for mass products which are produced by a combination of diamond machining and replication techniques is steadily increasing and moves into new fields of application [16]. This development is based on the high innovation potential of these products which are able to open up new technical possibilities through their high precision and their ability for combining mechanical, optical and electrical functions. Parallel to this the worldwide demand of optical and opto-electrical mass products for CD-, DVD-, and Bluray players, digital cameras, LED-illumination optics, display technology, and solar panels increases in produced parts, complexity and quality (see Fig. 19.1). Shape and parts size varies over a large field from micro optics with only a few millimeters in diameter to surfaces with diameter over 1 m. Moreover, diamond machined parts not only have continues surfaces but also structured surfaces, e.g. diffractive optical elements, Fresnel lenses, and micro-prisms. The requirements for the diamond machining of these kinds of parts have been developed in the last decades. Beside mechanical manufacturing technologies also physical and chemical processes have been developed to operability. Though the latter achieve a higher manufacturing accuracy compared to cutting processes they are limited to specific materials and geometries. Diamond cutting processes are able to generate form accuracies in the sub-micron range and surface roughness in the nanometer range. Thus, they are closing the gap between conventional machining processes and physical and chemical processes. Furthermore, diamond machining processes are much more flexible and even for a small amount of parts or single piece manufacturing economically applicable [1]. Especially in the field of optical molding inserts for injection molding of plastics or hot pressing of glass these advantages play a decisive role.
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