Laser Cutting of Polymer Templates for Water-Droplet Induced Self-Folding of Cubes: Hinge Geometry Optimization
Droplet-induced self-folding processes enable the easy and cost-effective fabrication of millimeter to submillimeter 3D structures from planar templates. These templates were fabricated by laser cutting of polymer foils that offer a high flexibility in design. The interaction of water droplets with...
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Published in | Journal of laser micro nanoengineering Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 58 - 63 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Ibaraki
Japan Laser Processing Society
01.09.2023
Reza Netsu Kako Kenkyukai |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Droplet-induced self-folding processes enable the easy and cost-effective fabrication of millimeter to submillimeter 3D structures from planar templates. These templates were fabricated by laser cutting of polymer foils that offer a high flexibility in design. The interaction of water droplets with template surfaces induces a surface tension force that causes the deformation of the laser-cut templates needed to form the 3D structures. In this study, laser patterning of 25 [micro]m thick polyimide (PI) foils by UV ultrashort pulse laser ablation was used to systematically investigate the effect of hinge geometry on the bending and self-folding process of cubes. The deposition of water droplets on the laser-structured samples leads to forces that move the side faces of the cube template causing a defined deformation of the hinges of the PI template and resulting in a bending angle between hinged template regions. The bending angle was determined as a function of hinge geometry and water droplet volume. The bending angle is increased with increasing droplet volume below a certain maximum but decreased with increasing hinge thickness and width. Finally, 2D laser cut templates with optimized v-shaped hinge structures was sucessful formed into a cube by laser droplet induced self folding. Keywords: ps-laser; laser cutting, self-folding, water droplet, polyimide |
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ISSN: | 1880-0688 1880-0688 |
DOI: | 10.2961/jlmn.2023.02.2001 |