assemblies are really in how you handle the components, and how they’re measured.”
Additive Micro Process
Combining aspects of 3-D printing and semiconductor manufacturing techniques, Microfabrica Inc. (Van Nuys, CA) has developed an additive manufacturing process enabling the development of complex, sub-millimeter metal components and subassemblies. MICA Freeform, the company’s proprietary volume production process, can achieve 1 to 2-µm tolerances with 20-µm feature sizes, using a materials palette that includes nickel-cobalt, palladium, rhodium, and copper, covering a broad range of mechanical and electromechanical needs.
create more complex components and parts at a smaller and smaller scale,” Miller said. “That said, most of these subtrac- tive processes struggle in the millimeter and sub-millimeter range, and many struggle with high-volume production.” The MICA Freeform process combines aspects of both 3-D printing and semiconductor scale manufacturing. It’s an additive manufacturing process, allowing designers to achieve virtually any conceivable geometry, no matter how complex, Miller said. “Wafer-scale manufacturing principles allow us to achieve extreme precision, at the sub-millimeter scale, and leverage these attributes in a volume production process.” Microfabrica’s 40,000 ft2
(3720-m2
) Van Nuys headquarters
The iQ300 VMC offers precision micro machining with Maki- no’s patented core cooling, under-race and jacket spindle temperature control system that eliminates thermal growth, deflection or vibration during high-speed machining.
“One of the most promising manufacturing technologies as a whole is 3-D printing,” said Eric Miller, CEO of Microfabrica. “Today, the majority of 3-D printing is relegated to prototype de- velopment. However, with the advent of new processes and ma- terials, production opportunities for 3-D printing are emerging. “The constant and sometimes relentless drive to miniatur- ization is pushing conventional micro-machining processes forward, and we see a lot of exciting things going on with laser machining and micro EDM, as they continue to be able to
includes its manufacturing fab and the company also has a medical device development office in Santa Clara, CA. “Additive manufacturing in its simplest form is building in layers,” Miller said, “so we’ll take any designer’s 3-D CAD model and put it through our proprietary software called Layerize, which sepa- rates the design into layers. This prepares the design for our fabrication process. We produce a photomask for each layer and then electrochemically deposit each structural layer until the entire device or component is built up on the wafer. The last step is to chemically etch away the sacrificial material to resolve the design and release the component from the wafer.” Microfabrica works with industries requiring extreme preci- sion at a very small scale, Miller said, including aerospace/ defense, semiconductor test, and medical devices. “For example, we fabricate a very complex metal composite for a micro-contact application in the semiconductor test industry,” he said, “and we’re working with a very large aerospace/de- fense contractor to develop a fuse for the military. We’re also engaged in developing a micro tissue removal device with a large medical manufacturer.” In late October, Microfabrica announced it had signed an exclusive sales and marketing agreement with Johnson Mat- they Medical (West Chester, PA), a supplier of specialty and precious metal machined parts, tubing, wire and Nitinol to the medical device industry.
The Johnson Matthey deal enables Johnson Matthey to introduce its customer base to the MICA Freeform technol- ogy. “It literally extends their capabilities to an entirely new scale, allowing their customers to march further down the path to miniaturization.
“Our sweet spot is in the sub-millimeter scale,” Miller said. “Based on the semiconductor manufacturing aspects of our process, we can achieve extremely tight tolerances, ±2 µm,