Effect of thermoplastic elastomer properties in molded microscale features

Abstract

Preliminary investigation indicated that the hardness and viscosity of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) affected replication of microfeatures. Over several types of TPEs, a moderate hardness and viscosity demonstrated superior replication quality. In this work, further study for relationship between TPEs properties and replication quality was performed. Copolyesters (COPEs) with a range of hardness and viscosity were evaluated. Replication of the molded parts was characterized using microscopy, surface profilometry, and scanning electron microscopy.