doi: 10.3850/978-981-11-0749-8_679
Fabrication of Functional Plastic Parts using Nanostructured Stainless Steel Mold Inserts
Nicolas Blondiaux1, Raphaël Pugin1, Gaëlle Andreatta1, Lionel Tenchine2, Stéphane Dessors2, Pierre-Fran çois Chauvy3, Matthieu Diserens3 and Philippe Vuillermoz4
1CSEM, 1 rue Jaquet-Droz, CH-2002 NEUCHATEL, Switzerland
2IPC, 2 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 01100 BELLIGNAT, France
3micropat SA, 30 Côtes-de-Montbenon, CH-1003 LAUSANNE, Switzerland
4Vuillermoz SAS, 5 rue du Tomachon, 39200 SAINT-CLAUDE, France
Abstract
We report on the manufacturing of functional plastic parts using replication techniques such as hot embossing and injection molding. A key point for replication techniques remains the fabrication of sub-micro and nanostructured mold inserts and their integration into the replication mold. This has been achieved so far using electroplated nickel shims. An alternative investigated in this study is a direct structuring of steel inserts. Planar and microstructured stainless steel inserts have been textured at the sub-micron and nanoscale by combining nanosphere lithography and etching processes. This allowed the control of lateral and vertical dimensions of the surface structures. Structures with lateral dimensions of few hundreds of nanometers have been produced with aspect ratios up to 1:2. Nanostructured plastic parts have then been produced by means of hot embossing and injection molding. Surface nanostructuring has been used to control wettability and increase the intensity of the detection signal of a biodiagnostic platform.
Keywords: Nanostructures, Hot embossing, Injection moulding, Polymer, 3D shape, Stainless steel inserts, Wettability, Immunoassay.
