title: Review on ultrasonic fabrication of polymer micro devices.
abstract: Fabrication of micro devices from thermoplastic polymers by ultrasonic processing has become a promising new technology in recent years. Microstructures are generated on polymer surfaces with cycle times of a few seconds and are tightly sealed in even shorter times. Investment costs and energy consumption are comparatively low and processes are very flexible enabling economic fabrication even for small-scale production. For large-scale production role-to-role fabrication has been shown reducing costs even more. A variety of micro devices have been introduced up to now mostly for microfluidic applications. Besides this, electronic circuit boards are fabricated by ultrasonic processing.
authors.affiliation: RWTH Aachen University, Konstruktion und Entwicklung von Mikrosystemen (KEmikro), Steinbachstraße 53 B, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sackmann
authors.affiliation: RWTH Aachen University, Konstruktion und Entwicklung von Mikrosystemen (KEmikro), Steinbachstraße 53 B, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Burlage
authors.affiliation: RWTH Aachen University, Konstruktion und Entwicklung von Mikrosystemen (KEmikro), Steinbachstraße 53 B, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gerhardy
authors.affiliation: RWTH Aachen University, Konstruktion und Entwicklung von Mikrosystemen (KEmikro), Steinbachstraße 53 B, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Memering
authors.affiliation: RWTH Aachen University, Konstruktion und Entwicklung von Mikrosystemen (KEmikro), Steinbachstraße 53 B, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: RWTH Aachen University, Konstruktion und Entwicklung von Mikrosystemen (KEmikro), Steinbachstraße 53 B, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Schomburg
keywords: Micro devices; Polymer; Ultrasonic fabrication; Ultrasonic hot embossing; Ultrasonic welding