Process chain for serial manufacture of polymer components with micro-and nano-scale features: optimisation issues

Abstract

This article reports a follow-up research to investigate further the component technologies of a cost-effective manufacturing route designed to achieve function and length scale integration in products. The route employs a viable master-making process chain that integrates compatible and at the same time complementary, structuring and replication technologies to fabricate Zr-based bulk metallic glass inserts. To validate them, they are subsequently integrated into a micro-injection moulding machine, and polymer structures incorporating both micro- and nano-scale features are replicated. Especially, the masters and/or replicas after each processing step were analysed and the factors affecting its overall performance were identified. The research demonstrated that the master-making process chain can be a viable fabrication route for both fully amorphous and partially crystalline Zr-based bulk metallic glass inserts that incorporate different length scale features. The results also showed that relatively good fidelity of the different scale features can be achieved with the micro-injection moulding process, and thus, it can enable function and length scale integration in thermoplastic components.