Precision Micromanufacturing Processes Applied to Miniaturization Technologies

9420600 Warrington ABSTRACT "Precision Micromanufacturing Processes Applied to Miniaturization Technologies," is a three-year project by the Institute for Micromanufacturing at Louisiana Tech University and will integrate the results of a very interdisciplinary research program of national importance into the undergraduate and graduate engineering curricula. The research results, and course laboratory materials developed for this integration will be suitable for use in colleges and universities with program from manufacturing technology through graduate engineering and industry. The research results are from a team of eight researchers and spans many years. The project is centered around precision micromanufacturing processes which include diamond machining, microdrilling, micromilling, micro electrical discharge machining, focused ion beam micromachining, laser micromachining, and generation of molds for microparts by x-ray and deep ultraviolet lithography. The results will be integrated into the curricula by way of a new introductory undergraduate course, three new graduate courses, and a series of enrichment seminars. The results will also be integrated into existing undergraduate and graduate courses, in four eneineering disciplines, which address conventional processes. A comparison and contrast between micromanufacturing processes and conventional processes will result. The long-term goal is to develop a complete graduate degree program in this vital technology and to develop a multimedia database for use by others interested in doing the same. The course materials developed for the project will be widely disseminated by way of an interactive CD-ROM tutorial which will provide both teachers and students the widest possible access to the research results. The content of the tutorials, as well as the project itself, will be evaluated by both internal and external experts in the field. The tutorials will be presented at a national meeting of precision engineers and the comm ents and critiques will be used to generate the final version for distribution to university and college teachers. The impact on the academic and industrial communities will be significant. At present there are no textbooks or other course materials in the area of precision micromanufacturing processes. The equipment used in these processes, although not excessively expensive, is very specialized. Therefore, engineering students do not normally learn about the processes or equipment which will become a dominant sector in manufacturing into the next century. The results of the project will provide educators, technologists, and present and future engineers with a background in a very diverse field of technical and economic importance. ***