Micro-/Nano-Texturing onto Plasma-Nitrided Tool Surface by Laser Printing for CNC Imprinting and Piercing.

A new data transformation method for micro-manufacturing using a topological model for a micro-/nano-texture was proposed for a surface-decorated product. Femtosecond laser printing was utilized to form the micro-/nano-textures into the hardened thick layer of dies by plasma nitriding. At first, the plasma-nitrided AISI316L flat substrate was laser-printed as a punch to imprint the tailored nano-textures onto the AA1060 aluminum plate for its surface decoration with topological emblems. Second, the plasma-nitrided SKD11 cylindrical punch was laser-trimmed to form the nanostructures on its side surface. This nano-texture was imprinted onto the hole surface concurrently with piercing a circular hole into electrical steel sheet. The fully burnished surface had a shiny, metallic quality due to the nano-texturing. The plasma nitriding, the laser printing and the CNC (computer numerical control) imprinting provided a way of transforming the tailored textures on the metallic product.