Provided are a production method of a mold, a manufacturing method of a pattern sheet, a production method of an electroform, a production method of a mold using an electroform, and an original. The production method includes: preparing an original having an inclined portion which is formed in an enclosed shape on an outer peripheral portion of a protruding pattern formed at a center portion on a base and gradually increases in thickness from inside toward outside, and a thermoplastic resin sheet; and forming a recessed pattern on the thermoplastic resin sheet by pressing the original which is heated against the thermoplastic resin sheet at a position where a flat surface of the original and a surface of the thermoplastic resin sheet are separated from each other, cooling the original in the state where the original is pressed, and separating the original from the thermoplastic resin sheet.

Provided are a production method of a mold, a manufacturing method of a pattern sheet, a production method of an electroform, a production method of a mold using an electroform, and an original. The production method includes: preparing an original having an inclined portion which is formed in an enclosed shape on an outer peripheral portion of a protruding pattern formed at a center portion on a base and gradually increases in thickness from inside toward outside, and a thermoplastic resin sheet; and forming a recessed pattern on the thermoplastic resin sheet by pressing the original which is heated against the thermoplastic resin sheet at a position where a flat surface of the original and a surface of the thermoplastic resin sheet are separated from each other, cooling the original in the state where the original is pressed, and separating the original from the thermoplastic resin sheet.

According to one embodiment, a gripping tool includes a gripper. The gripper is flexible and includes a first portion contacting a workpiece, a second portion opposing the first portion, and a granular material provided between the first portion and the second portion. The first portion includes a concave portion and a convex portion. The concave portion is recessed in a first direction. The first direction is from the first portion toward the second portion The convex portion is provided around the concave portion and protrudes in a second direction. The second direction is the reverse of the first direction. The concave portion has a groove having a ring configuration recessed outward from a center of the gripper.

An additive manufacturing method includes removing material from a sheet to create a plurality of individual layer segments formed, placing at least two first layer segments adjacent to each other at the same height to form a first layer having a hollow interior, the at least two first layer segments defining a first portion of an exterior of a part, and placing at least one second layer segment above the at least two first layer segments to form a second layer having a hollow interior, the at least one second layer segment defining a second portion of the exterior of the part. The method includes attaching the first layer to the second layer and removing material from the first layer and from the second layer to form the part having a continuous surface that extends along the first layer and the second layer.

To provide a microneedle array which includes a sheet and needles, improves transfer of a medicament into the blood, and is capable of achieving high drug efficacy.

Provided is a microneedle array including: a sheet; and a plurality of needles present on the upper surface of the sheet, in which the needles contain a water-soluble polymer and a medicament, the sheet contains a water-soluble polymer, and the administration is performed such that 20 μm≦L2≦L−L1 is satisfied, here, L represents the length of a needle, L1 represents the length of a needle tip region, which contains 90% of the total medicament in the microneedle array, from the needle tip, L2 represents the average remaining length of the needle after administration using the microneedle array, and the unit of L, L1, and L2 is μm.

To provide a microneedle array which includes a sheet and needles, improves transfer of a medicament into the blood, and is capable of achieving high drug efficacy.

Provided is a microneedle array including: a sheet; and a plurality of needles present on the upper surface of the sheet, in which the needles contain a water-soluble polymer and a medicament, the sheet contains a water-soluble polymer, and the administration is performed such that 20 μm≦L2≦L−L1 is satisfied, here, L represents the length of a needle, L1 represents the length of a needle tip region, which contains 90% of the total medicament in the microneedle array, from the needle tip, L2 represents the average remaining length of the needle after administration using the microneedle array, and the unit of L, L1, and L2 is μm.

Surface micro-texturing has been proven an effective way to reduce friction and wear for tribological applications. There is provided a low cost hot sintering method to apply micro-texturing on an advanced bearing polymer material. First, one face of the mold was micro-textured using a micro-casting method. Second, the cured Aromatic Thermosetting coPolyester (ATSP) powder was filled in the mold. Next, the filled mold was placed in a hot press for a hot sintering process. Finally, the textured bulk ATSP was cooled. The micro-textured ATSP bulk material was machined and compared with plain untextured material. The micro-textured material could effectively reduce friction at speeds lower than 2.46 m/s: 14% reduction in average.

Surface micro-texturing has been proven an effective way to reduce friction and wear for tribological applications. There is provided a low cost hot sintering method to apply micro-texturing on an advanced bearing polymer material. First, one face of the mold was micro-textured using a micro-casting method. Second, the cured Aromatic Thermosetting coPolyester (ATSP) powder was filled in the mold. Next, the filled mold was placed in a hot press for a hot sintering process. Finally, the textured bulk ATSP was cooled. The micro-textured ATSP bulk material was machined and compared with plain untextured material. The micro-textured material could effectively reduce friction at speeds lower than 2.46 m/s: 14% reduction in average.

The pattern complexity and functional value of wrinkled structures can be substantially increased by fabricating the wrinkles on pre-patterned quasi-planar substrates instead of flat substrates. This disclosure presents the methods for fabricating pre-patterned polymeric surfaces that can be subsequently used as the substrates during manufacture of complex wrinkled structures. Pre-patterned substrates are generated by imprinting the pre-patterns onto the substrates during the curing process. Suitability for post-curing use in fabrication of wrinkles is ensured by (i) delayed imprinting that occurs close to but before the gelation point and (ii) gradual alignment of pre-patterns to the direction of stretch that is applied later during manufacture of wrinkled structures.

The pattern complexity and functional value of wrinkled structures can be substantially increased by fabricating the wrinkles on pre-patterned quasi-planar substrates instead of flat substrates. This disclosure presents the methods for fabricating pre-patterned polymeric surfaces that can be subsequently used as the substrates during manufacture of complex wrinkled structures. Pre-patterned substrates are generated by imprinting the pre-patterns onto the substrates during the curing process. Suitability for post-curing use in fabrication of wrinkles is ensured by (i) delayed imprinting that occurs close to but before the gelation point and (ii) gradual alignment of pre-patterns to the direction of stretch that is applied later during manufacture of wrinkled structures.