Electrochemical fabrication method including elastic joining of structures

• US 9,597,834 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microfabrica Incorporated (Technoprobe S.P.A.)
• Original Assignee: Microfabrica Incorporated (Technoprobe S.P.A.)
• Inventors: Cohen, Adam L., Arat, Vacit, Lockard, Michael S., Smalley, Dennis R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wittenberg, Stefanie S
• Application Number:
  US14/194,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20140239541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,117 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/56 using mechanical means or mechanical connections, e.g. form-fits
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/02 Electroplating of selected surface areas
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49885 with coating before or during assembling

Abstract

Forming multi-layer 3D structures involving the joining of at least two structural elements, at least one of which is formed as a multi-layer 3D structure, wherein the joining occurs via one of: (1) elastic deformation and elastic recovery, (2) relative deformation of an initial portion of at least one element relative to another portion of the at least one element until the at least two elements are in a desired retention position after which the deformation is reduced or eliminated, or (3) moving a retention region of one element into the retention region of the other element, without deformation of either element, along a path including a loading region of the other element and wherein during normal use the first and second elements are configured relative to one another so that the loading region of the second element is not accessible to the retention region of the first element.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a plurality of multi-element three-dimensional structures, comprising:

(A) forming a plurality of first elements of the plurality of multi-element three-dimensional structures from a plurality of successively formed layers, wherein each successive layer comprises at least two materials and is formed on and adhered to a previously formed layer, one of the at least two materials is a structural material and the other of the at least two materials is a sacrificial material, and wherein each successive layer defines a successive cross-section of the three-dimensional structure, and wherein the forming of each of the plurality of successive layers comprises;

(i) depositing a first of the at least two materials;

(ii) depositing a second of the at least two materials;

(iii) planarizing the first and second materials; and

(B) after the forming of the plurality of successive layers, separating at least a portion of the sacrificial material from multiple layers of the structural material to reveal the plurality of first elements of the plurality of multi-element three-dimensional structures;

(C) supplying a plurality of second elements of the plurality of multi-element three-dimensional structures; and

(D) for each pair of first and second elements, bringing the first and second elements into contact with one another and elastically deforming at least an initial deformation portion of one of the first or second elements relative to another of the first and second elements to bring the first and second elements into a desired retention configuration which is maintained at least in part by a structural strength of the first and second elements and the at least partial reformation of the deformation portion as the first and second elements move into the retention configuration, and wherein the depositing at least one of the two materials is by electroplating.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein only one of the first and second elements is formed from a plurality of adhered layers.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein both of the first and second elements are formed from a plurality of adhered layers.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein only one of the first and second elements are deformed during the elastic deforming by an amount which is greater than a tolerance used in forming the physical dimensions of the element.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein both of the first and second elements are deformed during the elastic deforming by amounts greater than a tolerance used in forming the physical dimensions of the elements.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second elements remain movable relative to each other after joining.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second elements become fixed relative to each other after joining.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second elements are linked to one another prior to joining via a linkage that undergoes plastic deformation as the first and second elements are brought into retention configuration.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second elements are not connected to one another prior to bringing them into the retention configuration.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first element is also separated from a substrate on which it was formed.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein a third element is held in place relative to the first and second elements by the joining of the first and second elements.

12. The method of claim 1 additionally comprising joining a third element to the assembly of the first and second elements by elastically joining the third element directly to one or both of the first and second elements.

13. A method of fabricating a plurality of multi-element three-dimensional structures, comprising:

(A) forming a plurality of first elements of the plurality of multi-element three-dimensional structures from a plurality of successively formed layers, wherein each successive layer comprises at least two materials and is formed on and adhered to a previously formed layer, wherein one of the at least two materials is a structural material and the other of the least two materials is a sacrificial material, and wherein each successive layer defines a successive cross-section of the three-dimensional structure, and wherein the forming of each of the plurality of successive layers comprises;

(i) depositing a first of the at least two materials;

(ii) depositing a second of the at least two materials;

(iii) planarizing the first and second materials; and

(B) after the forming of the plurality of successive layers, separating at least a portion of the sacrificial material from multiple layers of the structural material to reveal the plurality of first elements of the plurality of multi-element three-dimensional structures;

(C) supplying a plurality of second elements of the plurality of multi-element three-dimensional structures;

(D) for each pair of first and second elements, deforming at least a deformation portion of at least one of the first and second elements and bringing the first and second elements into a desired retention position;

(E) for each pair of first and second elements, reducing or eliminating the deformation as or after the first and second elements are brought into the desired retention position;

(F) for each pair of first and second elements, moving a locking element into position to strengthen the deformation portion of the at least one of the first and second elements after the first and second elements are brought into the desired retention position so that the first and second elements are more strongly locked together in the retention position than they otherwise would be in the absence of the locking element, and wherein the depositing at least one of the two materials is by electroplating.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein only one of the first and second elements is formed from a plurality of adhered layers.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein both of the first and second elements are formed from a plurality of adhered layers.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein only one of the first and second elements are deformed during the elastic deforming by an amount which is greater than a tolerance used in forming the physical dimensions of the element.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein both of the first and second elements are deformed during the elastic deforming by amounts greater than a tolerance used in forming the physical dimensions of the elements.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the first and second elements remain movable relative to each other after joining.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the first and second elements become fixed relative to each other after joining.

20. A method of fabricating a plurality of multi-element three-dimensional structures, comprising:

(A) forming a plurality of first elements of the plurality of multi-element three-dimensional structures from a plurality of successively formed layers, wherein each successive layer comprises at least two materials and is formed on and adhered to a previously formed layer, wherein one of the at least two materials is a structural material and the other of the at least two materials is a sacrificial material, and wherein each successive layer defines a successive cross-section of the three-dimensional structure, and wherein the forming of each of the plurality of successive layers comprises;

(i) depositing a first of the at least two materials;

(ii) depositing a second of the at least two materials;

(iii) planarizing the first and second materials; and

(B) after the forming of the plurality of successive layers, separating at least a portion of the sacrificial material from multiple layers of the structural material to reveal the plurality of first elements of the plurality of multi-element three-dimensional structures, wherein each first element has at least a retention region;

(C) supplying a plurality of second elements of the plurality of multi-element three-dimensional structures wherein each second element has a retention region and wherein for each pair of first and second elements at least a selected one of the first and second elements comprises a loading region connected via a path to the retention region of the selected one;

(D) for each pair of first and second elements, joining the first and second elements to one another by moving the retention region of one of the first or second elements into the retention region of another of the first and second elements, without deformation of either of the first and second elements, along the path including the loading region, and

wherein during normal use, the first and second elements are configured relative to one another so that the loading region of one of the first or second elements is not accessible to the retention region of another of the first and second elements, and wherein the depositing at least one of the two materials is by electroplating.