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<p>High-aspect-ratio microstructure fabrication for rapid tooling is often limited by cost, lead time, and design flexibility. This study presents a hybrid approach combining metal and ceramic powder-reinforced epoxy composites with fiber-laser processing. Five fillers, i.e., aluminum, copper, iron, stainless steel, and zirconia, are evaluated for their thermal and optical properties. Epoxy composites with 60 vol% aluminum powder achieve the highest aspect ratio of 17 at 25&#xa0;W laser power and 20&#xa0;mm/s scanning speed, while copper and stainless steel reach 15.2 and 13.5, respectively. In contrast, zirconia exhibits the lowest aspect ratio of 7.4 because of its limited laser energy absorption and less favorable thermal response. Stainless steel composites produce the most stable microstructures with minimal distortion, indicating that filler selection strongly influences heat accumulation, ablation behavior, and sidewall integrity during laser processing. Silicone replica tests show depth and width replication fidelity above 96% and 97%, confirming dimensional accuracy. These results demonstrate that the proposed material–laser processing strategy enables the rapid fabrication of deep and narrow microfeatures without requiring conventional lithography or costly micromachining equipment. The study quantifies the effects of laser power, scanning speed, and filler type, providing a scalable and cost-effective method for high-precision micro-feature tooling.</p>

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Hybrid rapid tooling and laser processing approach toward cost-effective micro-manufacturing

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月11日

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  • Chil-Chyuan Kuo,
  • Geng-Feng Lin,
  • Armaan Farooqui,
  • Jing-Yan Xu,
  • Song-Hua Huang,
  • Shih-Feng Tseng

摘要

High-aspect-ratio microstructure fabrication for rapid tooling is often limited by cost, lead time, and design flexibility. This study presents a hybrid approach combining metal and ceramic powder-reinforced epoxy composites with fiber-laser processing. Five fillers, i.e., aluminum, copper, iron, stainless steel, and zirconia, are evaluated for their thermal and optical properties. Epoxy composites with 60 vol% aluminum powder achieve the highest aspect ratio of 17 at 25 W laser power and 20 mm/s scanning speed, while copper and stainless steel reach 15.2 and 13.5, respectively. In contrast, zirconia exhibits the lowest aspect ratio of 7.4 because of its limited laser energy absorption and less favorable thermal response. Stainless steel composites produce the most stable microstructures with minimal distortion, indicating that filler selection strongly influences heat accumulation, ablation behavior, and sidewall integrity during laser processing. Silicone replica tests show depth and width replication fidelity above 96% and 97%, confirming dimensional accuracy. These results demonstrate that the proposed material–laser processing strategy enables the rapid fabrication of deep and narrow microfeatures without requiring conventional lithography or costly micromachining equipment. The study quantifies the effects of laser power, scanning speed, and filler type, providing a scalable and cost-effective method for high-precision micro-feature tooling.