A Method to Design Process Chains in Micro Manufacturing

In the field of micro manufacturing, a highly precise adjustment of relevant process parameters is of major importance. The continuing miniaturization of work pieces and machines leads to very small tolerances. The occurrence of so called size-effects interferes with a direct application of knowledge and experiences from macro manufacturing. Moreover, the high specialization of manufacturing technologies and processes in micro manufacturing requires a careful review of each process’s suitability with respect to the involved materials and components. This article presents a method that supports process designers with structured procedures and notations, to model and evaluate technological as well as logistic dependencies along the process chain. Thereby, it supports the selection and configuration of suitable processes for a given process chain.