In collaboration with the Centre for Ultrasound Research (CUE) at the University of Strathclyde, Oxford Lasers machined an array of pillars in PZT to form a composite ultrasound transducer. Each pillar is 80µm x 80µm x 250µm and the gap between pillars is 20µm, the complete array contained several thousand pillars.
CUE completed the manufacture of the composite transducer, which was then tested to determine it’s performance characteristics. The device was set up to measure a signal that was transmitted along a 140 mm long steel bar, the signal was generated using a standard 10 MHz probe and pulser unit. The composite device was able to detect the following signal.
Machining of small 3D structures and precise blind features can be achieved with the precise dimensional control, low levels of recast material and small heat affected zone, characteristic of Oxford Lasers micromachining systems. Careful control of the laser parameters and manipulation of the work piece make it possible to micro-mill these fine features.
The unique characteristics of the laser used make it possible to mill slots as narrow as a few microns and with the correct configuration can be used to produce contoured features over a relatively large area. With the combination of high precision and high material removal rate, this technique is well suited to machining small components or simple micro-moulds