Micro-turbines, roller bearings, bushings, and design of hollow closed structures and fabrication methods for creating such structures

摘要

Multi-layer fabrication methods (e.g. electrochemical fabrication methods) for forming microscale and mesoscale devices or structures (e.g. turbines) provide bushings or roller bearing that allow rotational or linear motion which is constrained by multiple structural elements spaced from one another by gaps that are effectively less than minimum features sizes associated with the individual layers used to form the structures. In some embodiments, features or protrusions formed on different layers on opposing surfaces are offset along the axis of layer stacking so as to bring the features into positions that are closer than allowed by the minimum features sizes associated with individual layers. In other embodiments, interference is used to create effective spacings that are less than the minimum features sizes.