US 12,330,347 B2
Methods and systems for making tilted and curved structures with high aspect ratios
Serdar Gorumlu, Lubbock, TX (US); and Burak Aksak, Lubbock, TX (US)
Assigned to TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY SYSTEM, Lubbock, TX (US)
Appl. No. 17/268,428
Filed by Texas Tech University System, Lubbock, TX (US)
PCT Filed Aug. 14, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/056902
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 12, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/035805, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 20, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/718,591, filed on Aug. 14, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0347092 A1, Nov. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. B29C 33/38 (2006.01); B29C 39/02 (2006.01); B29C 39/26 (2006.01); B29C 39/38 (2006.01); B29L 31/00 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 33/3878 (2013.01) [B29C 39/026 (2013.01); B29C 39/26 (2013.01); B29C 39/38 (2013.01); B29L 2031/756 (2013.01); B29L 2031/757 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fabrication method comprising:
forming a master mold comprising an array of vertical and aligned straight fibers;
dispensing a castable material on a slide;
flattening the castable material into a uniform layer on the slide with a drawdown bar;
bringing the vertical and aligned straight fibers of the master mold down into contact with the slide, through the castable material on the slide;
while the array of vertical and aligned straight fibers are in contact with the slide uniformly deforming each of the vertical and aligned straight fibers in the master mold into curved fibers in the master mold with vertical and lateral displacements of the master mold, wherein the curved fibers in the master mold are forced into a selected curved shape;
removing the curved fibers in the master mold from the castable material on the slide thereby forming a microplate array master mold;
casting a curved fiber array from said microplate array master mold; and
removing said cast curved fiber array from said microplate array master mold, said cast curved fiber array comprising an array of curved microplates.