The properties of demoulding of Ni and Ni-PTFE moulding inserts

Micro-moulding is the key process of LIGA technique for low-cost mass production. It is difficult to achieve perfect microstructures with high aspect ratio during demoulding process of LIGA due to adhesion and friction between the moulding inserts and the thermoplastic material (PMMA). In this paper, the properties of demoulding of nickel (the material usually used for LIGA) and nickel-polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) compound materials are studied. The experiments show the demoulding effects of the moulding inserts made of Ni-PTFE are better than that of the Ni moulding inserts and thus increase the possibility of successful demoulding.