Molding optical components with fine (e.g., micron-scale) features from optical adhesive or polymer can be difficult because the optical components often stick to the mold. If the component sticks to the mold, then either the component or the mold may be damaged or destroyed as the component is removed from the mold. This damage can be reduced or avoided altogether by illuminating the interface between the component and the mold with ultraviolet (UV) light before releasing the component from the mold. The UV light reduces the adhesive forces that cause the component and the mold to stick together, making it easier to remove the component from mold without damaging either the mold or the component.

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.

A method for applying a layer having a relief on a substrate includes, steps of securing the substrate, applying a layer of a curable liquid on the substrate, bringing a mould having a relief being the negative of the relief to be provided on the substrate, into contact with a part of the upper surface of the liquid layer, curing the liquid layer while the mould is in contact with the liquid and separating the mould from the substrate. Initially the mould is brought into contact with the liquid in a bent position while the substrate is kept flat and subsequently the mould is brought into contact over an increasing surface area keeping the mould in a bent position until the complete liquid layer is in contact with the mould.

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.

Provided are a super water repellent polymer hierarchical structure, a heat exchanger having super water repellency, and a manufacturing method thereof A super water repellent polymer hierarchical structure can be simply and repeatedly manufactured by using only a method for utilizing a super water repellent hierarchical structure and mechanically molding a polymer material thereon. In addition, a heat exchanger having super water repellency can be provided by providing super water repellency on the fin surface of a heat exchanger by using a dip method and vacuum drying.

A pattern is formed on a substrate with a layer of a curable composition (A1) containing a component (a1) serving as a polymerizable compound on a surface of the substrate, then dispensing droplets of a curable composition (A2) containing at least a component (a2) serving as a polymerizable compound and a component (b2) serving as a photopolymerization initiator dropwise discretely onto the curable composition (A1) layer to lay the droplets, subsequently sandwiching a mixture layer of the curable composition (A1) and the curable composition (A2) between a mold having a pattern and the substrate, then irradiating the mixture layer with light to cure the layer, and releasing the mold from the mixture layer after the curing, a Distance in Hansen space Ra((a1)−(A2)) between the component (a1) serving as a polymerizable compound in the curable composition (A1) and the curable composition (A2) being 6 or less.

A method for manufacturing an imprint mold which can prevent accumulation of the transferring resin onto the transferring roll is provided. A method for manufacturing an imprint mold, including: a resin coating step to coat a photo-curing resin composition or a thermosetting resin composition onto a pattern transferring mold having a fine concave-convex pattern; and a transferring step to transfer the resin composition throughout the entire circumference of a cylindrical transferring roll and cure the resin composition so that a reverse pattern of the concave-convex pattern is formed throughout the entire circumference of the cylindrical transferring roll, is provided.

A transfer printing apparatus includes a mold, a stamper, a pressing roller and a curing unit. The mold has a first surface with first and second concavities, the second concavity has first and second planes, the first plane is perpendicular to the first surface, and the second plane is inclined to the first surface. The stamper having a second surface is disposed in the first concavity. The first and second surfaces are coplanar, and the second surface has transfer printing microstructures. The first and second surfaces are suitable for coated an adhesive layer. The pressing roller presses a base film onto the adhesive layer, such that the adhesive layer is integrated with the base film. The curing unit cures the adhesive layer on the base film, such that a taper corresponding to the second concavity and optical microstructures corresponding to the transfer printing microstructures are formed on the adhesive layer.

The invention relates to a method and to a module (I) for applying a viscous medium (19), in particular an adhesive or lacquer, to a surface (16) wherein the module (I) comprises a reservoir (2) that can be fed with the viscous medium (19), wherein the outer surface (4) of the module (I) comprises an outlet region (5) for the viscous medium (19), wherein the module (I) comprises at least one nozzle channel (6) which fluidly connects the reservoir (2) to the outlet region (5), wherein a smallest diameter (dmin) of the at least one nozzle channel (6) is smaller than 0.8 mm and wherein the module (I) does not comprise any movable parts for closing the at least one nozzle channel (6).

Methods for mass production of new microfluidic devices are described. The microfluidic devices may include an array of micro-needles with open channels in fluid communication with multiple reservoirs located within a substrate that supports the micro-needles. The micro-needles are configured so as to sufficiently penetrate the skin in order to collect or sample bodily fluids and transfer the fluids to the reservoirs. The micro-needles may also deliver medicaments into or below the skin.