US 12,077,432 B2
Laser-assisted material phase-change and expulsion micro-machining process
Prashant Patil, Cambridge, MA (US); and Neil Gershenfeld, Somerville, MA (US)
Assigned to Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (US)
Filed on Nov. 8, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/092,284.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/932,914, filed on Nov. 8, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0139321 A1, May 13, 2021
Int. Cl. B81C 1/00 (2006.01); B23K 26/00 (2014.01); B23K 26/354 (2014.01); B23K 101/40 (2006.01); B23K 103/00 (2006.01)
CPC B81C 1/00547 (2013.01) [B23K 26/0006 (2013.01); B23K 26/354 (2015.10); B81C 1/00611 (2013.01); B81C 1/00904 (2013.01); B23K 2101/40 (2018.08); B23K 2103/50 (2018.08); B81C 2201/0125 (2013.01); B81C 2201/0143 (2013.01); B81C 2203/032 (2013.01); B81C 2203/054 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A laser micro-machining and assembly process comprising:
producing a plurality of layers of an object, each layer having a cutting surface;
cutting a plurality of features in the cutting surface of each layer using a pulsed laser with intensity, pulse width and pulse rate set to melt surface material and thereby create liquid material, and eject said liquid material away from the cutting surface of each layer so cut, with vaporizing of said surface material only to an extent sufficient to form vapor bubble pressure and with no oxidizing of said surface material;
removing burrs from the cutting surface of each layer after said cutting by electro-deburring the cutting surface with a dilute acid solution in the presence of an applied electric potential;
stack assembling the plurality of layers to form the object.