Innovative Material Processing
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While sapphire is one of the most durable materials, its properties entail that high-precision machining, especially in the sub-millimeter regime, is still challenging. This contribution demonstrates and discusses novel femtosecond laser-based micromachining approaches for the fabrication of rotational-symmetric sapphire workpieces, specifically the generation of optical fibers by means of laser lathe of sapphire rods and the practical realization of windmill fibers. In addition, volume refractive index modification in planar sapphire substrates is presented to induce photonic crystal waveguides. The micromachined structures are comprehensively examined with respect to geometric fidelity, surface roughness, refractive index modification, and potential optical waveguiding properties. All micromachining approaches are done by means of frequency-doubled or frequency-tripled femtosecond laser radiation. Different laser optical setups including laser scanning head, spatial beam profilers including a spatial light modulator and axial rotatory movement of the specimen are employed for micro structuring and in-depth refractive index modifications. In particular for laser lathe, a sophisticated scanning pattern, in combination with an incremental axial rotatory movement of the specimen, allows for the precise diameter reduction of sapphire rods with 250 µm diameter to fibers with outer diameters of 25 µm. By supporting the workpiece with a V-groove fixture, multi-mode fibers with lengths up to 20 cm can be processed with an average surface roughness of 250 nm. Additionally, an adapted ablation scanning sequence enables the first practical demonstration of sapphire windmill fibers. Furthermore, using a spatial light modulator allows for the adaption of the laser propagation properties as to enable volume refractive index modifications with free-form arrangement. Hexagonal patterns of refractive index modifications surrounding a pristine waveguide core are fabricated and single-mode waveguiding at 1550 nm is verified. Finally, the possibility of integrating Bragg gratings into this photonic waveguide type is demonstrated
Sapphire is a robust and wear-resistant material. However, efficient and high-quality micromachining is still a challenge. This contribution demonstrates and discusses two novels, previously unreported approaches for femtosecond laser-based micromachining of rotational-symmetric sapphire workpieces, whereas both methods are in principal hybrids of laser scanning and laser turning or laser lathe. The first process, a combination of a sequential linear hatch pattern in parallel to the workpiece’s main axis with a defined incremental workpiece rotation, enables the fabrication of sapphire fibers with diameters of 50 µm over a length of 4.5 mm. Furthermore, sapphire specimens with a diameter of 25 µm over a length of 2 mm can be fabricated whereas an arithmetical mean height, i.e., Sa parameter, of 281 nm is achieved. The second process combines a constant workpiece feed and orthogonal scanning with incremental workpiece rotation. With this approach, workpiece length limitations of the first process are overcome and sapphire fibers with an average diameter of 90 µm over a length of 20 cm are manufactured. Again, the sapphire specimen exhibits a comparable surface roughness with an average Sa value of 249 nm over 20 cm. Based on the obtained results, the proposed manufacturing method paves an innovative and flexible, all laser-based way towards the fabrication or microstructuring of sapphire optical devices, and thus, a promising alternative to chemical processes.
Piezoelectrets fabricated from fluoroethylenepropylene (FEP)-foils have shown drastic increase of their piezoelectric
properties during the last decade. This led to the development of FEP-based energy harvesters, which are about to evolve
into a technology with a power-generation-capacity of milliwatt per square-centimeter at their resonance frequency. Recent
studies focus on piezoelectrets with solely negative charges, as they have a better charge stability and a better suitability for
implementation in rising technologies, like the internet of things (IOT) or portable electronics. With these developments
heading towards applications of piezoelectrets in the near future, there is an urgent need to also address the fabrication
process in terms of scalability, reproducibility and miniaturization. In this study, we firstly present a comprehensive review
of the literature for a deep insight into the research that has been done in the field of FEP-based piezoelectrets. For the first
time, we propose the employment of microsystem-technology and present a process for the fabrication of thermoformed
FEP piezoelectrets based on thermoforming SU-8 templates. Following this process, unipolar piezoelectrets were fabricated with air void dimensions in the range of 300–1000 lm in width and approx. 90 lm in height. For samples with a void
size of 1000 lm, a d33-coefficient up to 26,508 pC/N has been achieved, depending on the applied seismic mass. Finally,
the properties as energy harvester were characterized. At the best, an electrical power output of 0.51 mW was achieved for
an acceleration of 1 g with a seismic mass of 101 g. Such piezoelectrets with highly defined dimensions show good
energy output in relation to volume, with high potential for widespread applications.
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in electrically conductive hydrogels for a wide range of biomedical applications, like tissue engineering or biosensors. In this study, we present a cost-effective conductive hydrogel based on alginate and graphene nanoplatelets for extrusion-based bioprinters. The hydrogel is prepared under ambient conditions avoiding high temperatures detrimental for cell culture environments. Investigation of the hydrogel revealed a conductivity of up to 7.5 S/cm, depending on the ratio of platelets. Furthermore, in vitro tests with human embyronic kidney cells - as an example cell type - showed good adhesion of the cells to the surface of the conductive hydrogel. Electrochemical measurements revealed a low electrode impedance which is desirable for the extracellular recording, but also low electrode capacitance, which is unfavorable for electrical stimulation purposes. Therefore, future experiments with the graphene nanoplatelets-based hydrogels will focus on electrodes for biosensors and extracellular recordings of neurons or cardiac myocytes.
Röntgenteleskop-Funktionstests durch Beobachtung astronomischer Objekte am sichtbaren Nachthimmel
(2022)
Lobster-Eye-Röntgenteleskope nutzen reflektierende Planspiegel unter streifendem Einfall und zeichnen sich durch ein großes Beobachtungsfeld aus. Die Spiegel reflektieren auch sichtbare Strahlung hervorragend. Nach Röntgen-messungen im Labor wurden nun weitere Tests durchgeführt, um die Abbildungs-eigenschaften mit realen Objekten des sichtbaren Himmels zu untersuchen.
We report on milling and tool wear characteristics of hybrid additive manufacturing comprising laser powder bed fusion and in situ high-speed milling, a particular process in which the cutter mills inside the powder bed without any cooling lubricant being applicable. Flank wear is found to be the dominant wear characteristic with its temporal evolution over utilization period revealing the typical s-shaped dependence. The flank wear land width is measured by microscopy and correlated to the achievable surface roughness of milled 3D-printed parts, showing that for flank wear levels up to 100 μm a superior surface roughness below 3 μm is accessible for hybrid additive manufacturing. Further, based on this correlation recommended tool, life scenarios can be deduced. In addition, by optimizing the finishing tool start position and the number of afore-built layers, the milling process is improved with respect to the maximum millable angle for undercut surfaces of 3D-printed parts to 30° for the roughing process and to 40° for the entire machining process including finishing
Design Rules for Hybrid Additive Manufacturing Combining Selective Laser Melting and Micromilling
(2021)
We report on a comprehensive study to evaluate fundamental properties of a hybrid
manufacturing approach, combining selective laser melting and high speed milling, and to characterize
typical geometrical features and conclude on a catalogue of design rules. As for any additive
manufacturing approach, the understanding of the machine properties and the process behaviour as
well as such a selection guide is of upmost importance to foster the implementation of new machining
concepts and support design engineers. Geometrical accuracy between digitally designed and
physically realized parts made of maraging steel and dimensional limits are analyzed by stripe line
projection. In particular, we identify design rules for numerous basic geometric elements like walls,
cylinders, angles, inclinations, overhangs, notches, inner and outer radii of spheres, chamfers in build
direction, and holes of different shape, respectively, as being manufactured by the hybrid approach
and compare them to sole selective laser melting. While the cutting tool defines the manufacturability
of, e.g., edges and corners, the milling itself improves the surface roughness to Ra < 2 µm. Thus,
the given advantages of this hybrid process, e.g., space-resolved and custom-designed roughness
and the superior geometrical accuracy are evaluated. Finally, we exemplify the potential of this
particular promising hybrid approach by demonstrating an injection mold with a conformal cooling
for a charge socket for an electro mobile
For the past four decades, ZERODUR® glass ceramics has flown on many satellites including the prominent
space missions METEOSAT, Hubble Space Telescope, CHANDRA, and LISA pathfinder. Firstly, this unique
material is chosen as mirror substrate for high precision optics due to its extreme thermal stability. Its near-zero thermal expansion over a wide temperature range of several tens of Kelvin is homogenous within the entire
volume. This enables control of the ZERODUR®’s surface profile at the 10-picometer level. SCHOTT has conducted comprehensive material characteristics studies on the mechanical properties and the radiation environment effects experienced in realistic orbits to define the suitability of ZERODUR® to survive both high loads during launch and to support long-term missions, respectively.
Besides these advantageous material properties, this glass-ceramics can be extremely light-weighted by
precision grinding enabled by the new SCHOTT competence center for machining and metrology. In this paper,
we will continue to trace the recent developments of ZERODUR® glass ceramics as space material in the context
of selected missions flown since 2009 and those anticipated. Major milestones such as the LISA pathfinder
mission are discussed. Furthermore, we outline the viable use of ZERODUR® for great observatory
architectures for IR/O/UV spaceborne telescopes.
The objective of this paper is to supplement an earlier review of the use of ZERODUR® for space applications
in the past decade and to summarize the latest progress and results of material studies toward very efficient
production capabilities for high-performance light-weighted mirror substrates.
Highly reflective metal coatings are essential for numerous optical elements. Established mirror coatings made of silver (Ag) and gold (Au) offer high and broadband self-reflection in the infrared (IR) spectral range but are susceptible to
environmental influences and mechanical stress without suitable protective layers. In the long-wavelength spectral range, in particular, the absorption bands of these protective layers partially reduce the high mirror reflectivity again. However,
the noble metal iridium (Ir) is hard, extremely dense, and thermally, mechanically, and chemically stable. Iridium
provides a similarly high reflectivity in the mid (MIR) and far-infrared (FIR) spectral range, as silver and gold, and high resistance to environmental influences - even without protective layers. In this paper, the different deposition processes, as well as the optical and structural properties of iridium mirror coatings fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD)
and by magnetron sputtering (MS), are presented and compared with each other. The complex refractive indices for ALD and MS deposited iridium mirror coatings were determined for wavelengths from 200 nm to 20 μm, complementing the existing literature values. We demonstrate that iridium mirror coatings offer a high and broadband reflectivity from the mid to far-infrared spectral range. In contrast to established – protected – silver and gold mirror coatings, the iridium
coatings are environmentally durable and thermally stable up to 600 °C, even without protective layers. Therefore, as an interesting mirror coating material, iridium has the potential for special applications in infrared astronomy and probably
also for industrial instruments.