What is mass micromachining?
Mass micromachining is a method of producing extremely small mechanical or electrical ingredients. This process usually uses silicon wafers, but sometimes it will also use plastic or ceramic material. The mass micromachinization begins with a fixed piece and removes the material until it reaches its final shape, unlike surface micromachining, which builds a layer of piece on the layer. The most common method for performing mass micromachinization is selective camouflage and wet chemical solvents. A newer alternative to this method is dry etching using a plasma or laser system to remove unwanted material. This is generally more accurate than wet etching, but is also more expensive. These components could be anything from the diode to the gear, which is the size of the tip of the pen. There are two main ways to carry out this process. Surface micromachinization uses individual layers of silicon plate to form a piece of above -the -existing layer. Although it is very importantThe process is more difficult to produce completely independent and unique pieces.
In order to create these types of components, manufacturers will use mass micromachining. In many ways, it is similar to carving a sculpture of marble, only on a much smaller scale. The silicon wafers are processed to remove any part that is undesirable in the last piece. Huge processing will go from large to small, while the surface method goes from small to large.
The vast majority of mass micromachining uses silicon. The material is extremely cheap because it accounts for almost a quarter of the Earth's crust. In addition, it has a very fine crystalline structure that can be divided into layers thinner than human hair. This allows the material to work on a microscopic level as well as in macroscopic.
The most common method of mass micromachuining is called wet chemical etching. First, the working part is covered with a material thatIt protects it from a selected solvent. The protective mask is then selectively removed to reveal the pieces of the piece that appear. The workpiece is exposed to a solvent, which then dissolves all unprotected areas and leaves the rest intact. Then the remaining camouflage material is removed.
A newer method for mass micromachining is called dry etching. It uses a high -precision device, often laser, to evaporate unwanted material. Compared to the wet process, it is several smaller steps and the overall lack of potentially dangerous solvents. The main reason why this process is not more popular is its relative nightliness compared to the wet method and the cost of purchasing equipment.