Advanced micro and nano technologies for applications within intelligent production.

Gheorghe, Ion Gheorghe

1. INTRODUCTION

Advanced micro-nanotechnologies for intelligent production applications analyze important techniques used in micro- and nanoprocessing with precisions that cover a range from one micron to a nanometer, constituting now, the amount and the result of the scientific release works at a national scale and its major impact for the future.

MEMS and NEMS (Taniguchi, 2000) rapidly matured technologies and the ultimate inventions have created a great opportunity, even a unique one, for carrying out the most advanced micro and nanotechnologies focusing on those with application in intelligent production and in information metrology.

By the contributions of the author in the MECATRONIC field (Gheorghe, 2006), convergences toward the micro- and nanotehnological field were obtained by approaching and endowing units with new high-tech equipments, developing subsequently advanced micro- and nanotechnologies with immediate and tangible applications used in production, research, laboratories, etc.

2. ADVANCED MICRO TECHNOLOGIES FOR MICRO-PROCESSING

Advanced micro technologies for micro-nanoprocessing developed by The National Institute for Research and Development in Mechatronics and Measurement Technique--INCDMTM, Bucharest-Romania comprise:

2.1 Advanced micro technology and equipment intelligent for micro- and laser beam sinterizing nanoprocessings (fig. 1);

The process of selective laser sinterizing is based on obtaining a thin layer from certain powder mixtures under the action of a laser beam, depending on the exposure time and on the melting temperature, marking the transformation of the powder layer in a liquid.

On the basis of the physical properties of the powders used, immediately after the laser beam stops auctioning, local solidification takes place almost instantly obtaining a compact cordon shaped after the directions of the molecular chains, surrounded by a volume of powders that were not exposed to the action of the laser.

The explanation of the solidification is much more complex, since the range of materials is very diverse, basing mainly on the same mechanism exposed to stereolithographical processing: installing chemical bonds that form linear, three-shaped or tridimensional macromolecular chains.

In this situation, the shift in the physical shape, that involves a high local amount of heat, can be accelerated through initializes and controlled through inhibiting substances, and the amount of energy can be supplied by: heat sources placed on the work space, laser radiations, etc.

These sources must be adapted and regulated when operations take place, so that the amount of heat needed for attaining the melting temperature that offers termocinetic conditions that favor the development of the process be ensured, by establishing the macromolecular chains and of a structure that is partly crystalline, once the shift from the liquid to the solid state takes place and the powder is now tough, this being the mark of the ending of the sintering process.

From the energetic point of view, the important industrial powders have a larger range that requires a different amount of energy from the concentrated energy source.

Choosing the activation energy needed is possible through rapidly selecting heating regimes accordingly to the dynamics in the sinterizing process (Fig.2.)

The diversity of these regimes has ultimately attained the denomination: laser sintering.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]

Structure:

1. Horizontal work session

2. Active surface of the working pad

3. Piece section

4. Laser generator

5. Focused laser beam

6. Laser beam diversion device

7. Diverted laser beam

8. Control device

9. Working pad base

10. Adjusting device

11. Sense indicator

12. Recapping pad

13. Opening

14. Tight door

15. Evacuation container

16. Evacuation container door

17. inert gas alimentation mean

18. Heater

19. Discharge device

20. Powder layer application device

21. Powder

22. Powder alimentation

23. Heater radiator

24. Central control device

25. Powder fixing layer

26/28. Container

The rapid prototyping principle is fully automated, it does not need supervising and the control is carried out by intelligent high-tech equipments.

The definition of selective laser sintering is that of a family of methods, techniques and processes that can generate pieces by solidification of metallic powder disposed in successive layers (Fig.3.) over an intelligent high-tech platform, through the exposure of each powder layer to a laser beam with variable powers.

The metallic powder that can be used encompass a wide variety of materials including implantable stainless steel and common use steer, Cobalt or Nickel superalloies, Titanium alloys or genuine Titanium.

All these materials have special physical and mechanical features, much better than castable or wrought materials, so that they are still recommended for medical implants, building pieces for the airspace industry, the autotronical industry, micro pieces used by the mechatronic, the pneutronic, the hidronic, the robotic, the integronic industry and much many other industries.

[FIGURE 3 OMITTED]

[FIGURE 4 OMITTED]

Structure:

1. Recoater;

2. Micro-mecanical ajusting comparator;

3. Intelligent high-tech platform;

4. Micron/submicron ajusting comparator;

5. Measuring allignment;

A. Micro-motor for micronic adjusting on the Y axis;

B. Micro-motor for micronic adjusting on the X axis.

2.2 Integrated control micro-nanotechnologies

Integrated control micro-nanotechnologies, developed by The National Institute for Research and Development in Mechatronics and Measurement Technique in Bucharest, Romania, comprise non-contact 3D topography control micro-nanotechnologies -3D topography (fig.5).

[FIGURE 5 OMITTED]

The non-contact 3D topography control micro-nanotechnologies were developed by intelligent equipments such as the "Atomic Force Microscope", dedicated software, for thorough surface scan for film-like slides with the aid of a measuring tip attached to cantilever and through ultra precise metrological characteristics, such as resolution (<0,6 nm--close loop and <0,01--no close loop), Z scanning area(120 nm, 1200 nm), maximum scan range on X, Y (500 x 500 nm; 5000 x 5000 nm),.

Plane aberrations (max. 2 nm on a horizontal interval of 50 [micro]m, without any software correction), AFM super-luminescent diode tip (835 nm), zoom (780X), optical resolution (1000 nm), monitored focus, controlled by software, for a 10 nm depth) and digital high resolution CCD camera with digital zoom (resolution: 1032 x 778 pixels, frame speed: 20 Hz; controller processor speed: >500 MHz).

The applicability of non-contact 3D topography control micro-nanotechnologies is mirrored by 3D graphics, spectroscopic analyses, elasticity material determination, surface topography, structural chemical analyses, magnetic modulation microscope probe, nano-lithography, microscopically scanning, etc. in various industrial environments (chemistry, processing industry, mechatronics, airspace industry, metrology, etc.)

3. CONCLUSION

In the development of the HIGH - TECH area, through the advanced integrated intelligent control micro-nanoprocessings techniques and technologies, The National Institute for Research and Development in Mechatronics and Measurement Technique in Bucharest, Romania has approached the carrying out and the development, within its research, experiment or validation laboratories, of a series of advanced micro-nanotechnologies in successive laser beam sintering, of creating micro-marks specific to the most important industrial fields and of advanced micro-nanotechnologies specialized in integrated intelligent measuring and control in metrological processes and industry, thus contributing to the development of fields on the basis of integrating new knowledge and new scientific discoveries in the European area, according to the regulations stated in the Lisbon strategy.

4. REFERENCES

Bharat, B. (2007). Hand book of Nano-technology; Springer, ISBN10: 3-540-29855-x; ISBN-13: 978-3-540-29855-7, USA.

Gheorghe, I.G. (2006). Engineer's handbook of precision mechanics, mechatronics and integronics; CEFIN Publishing House, ISBN-10: 973-87042-6-X, ISBN-13: 978-973-87042-6-8, Bucharest, Romania.

Gheorghe, I.G. (2007). Integrating Engineering; CEFIN Publishing House, ISBN 978-973-87042-7-5, Bucharest, Romania.

Horst, C (2006). Mecatronics; Vieveg Publishing House, ISBN 10 3-8348-0171-2, ISBN-13 978-3-8348-0171-58, Berlin, Germany.

Norio T. (2000). Nano-technology; Technique Publishing House, ISBN 973-31-1508-8, Bucharest, Romania.