ELECTROCAST MANDREL, MANUFACTURE AND ELECTROCAST PROCESS THEREBY

摘要

ABSTRACTA method for making a metallic article byelectroforming, in which a mandrel is first prepared bydepositing a first continuous layer of a conductive film on anon-conducting substrate and a second continuous layer ofphotoresist on the conductive film. The photoresist is exposedthrough a photomask, and developed to produce a pattern on theconductive film corresponding to the configuration of thearticle to be electroformed. The conductive film is then madethe cathode in an electroforming solution with an anodecomprising a metal to be deposited, and an electric current ispassed until the desired thickness of metal to form the metallicarticle has been deposited on the mandrel. The photoresist canbe removed after the electroforming to facilitate separation ofthe article from the mandrel, and the removal can be furtherfacilitated by contacting with an adherent polymeric materialsuch as polyvinyl butyral.