Laboratory for Manufacturing and Sustainability

The roller imprinting process is being developed for the efficient and accurate fabrication of microfluidic devices. As the precision of the imprinted features is dependent on the features of the imprint rolls used in the process, it is critical that the rolls are manufactured very accurately, conforming closely to their design. It is also important that imprint rolls are manufactured rapidly and cost-effectively to control the cost and lead-time of roller imprinting. This paper looks at the application of micromachining technology in the manufacturing of imprint rolls. Sources of error during the manufacturing process are identified, and their effect on the precision of the final imprinted feature is discussed. Toolpath planning strategies are presented for generating very smooth surfaces. The paper presents a framework of precision manufacturing requirements for the roller imprinting process.