Development of an Electromagnetic Actuator for the Hot-Embossing Process

Hot embossing is in the spotlight due to the development of electronic devices, wearable devices, microfluidic channels, and optical devices. The conventional hot-embossing process creates a pattern on polymer film by using a previously patterned stamp that applied heat and pressure. This method has a disadvantage because it depends on the shape of the patterned stamp. For this reason, this method requires a high cost and a lot of time when replacing the stamp for making a new pattern shape or for modifying the error of the pattern. To solve this problem, the impact print-type hot-embossing method was proposed to create arbitrary patterns, and equipment for this method was assembled. In addition, patterning experiments were conducted to imprint several tens of micrometer-sized patterns in real time. For this method, we proposed an electromagnetic actuator for making the hot-embossing print type and for reducing the size of the actuator compared to previous studies. Through the patterning experiment, we determined that the proposed device could engrave fine dot patterns ranging from 60 μm to 120 μm in diameter. We verified the size of the generated pattern by using a confocal microscope, and we found the proposed hot-embossing technology can realize the desired shape in any position by using the proposed technique.