Micropattern fabrication by specially designed micro tool

We have been investigating microforming techniques suitable for fabricating metal microcomponents. In this study, we used a microcutting-technology system equipped with a newly designed special shape cutting tool. As the shape of ordinary end-mills is complex, small dimensional sizes are more difficult to fabricate. This means that the microcutting of three-dimensional components is also difficult. To overcome this problem, we proposed a simple oblique-cut micromill to be used exclusively for micromachining. A precision cutting device was also designed. The oblique-cut micromill is driven by a high-speed spindle motor of 50,000 - 10,000 rpm supported by air bearings. Results of experiments show that certain micropatterns can be fabricated on aluminum wire. Narrow parts of patterns that are 15-25 mu m wide can also be fabricated. These results indicate that the system can be used to create three-dimensional free-form micropatterns. In this paper, we report the results of the development of the micromill, machining system, and some fabricated items.