Process for manufacturing fine-structured bodies

A method of producing a finely structured body which is useful as a heat exchanger, a mechanical fine filter or an optical grating, which is comprised of a plurality of stacked, cut sections of foil at least one of which is provided with grooves in a selected grove direction on at least one surface thereof, and which has a plurality of closely juxtaposed, channel-like perforations with high shape accuracy, true dimensions and high surface quality, the method comprising:

• a. wrapping a machinable foil to be grooved around a cylindrical mandrel of a lathe so as to overlap opposing edges of the machinable foil and cause the overlapped opposing edges to extend transversely to the selected groove direction, which cylindrical mandrel has an axial recess and is provided with a clamping means;
• b. clamping the overlapped opposing edges of the machinable foil into the axial recess of the cylindrical mandrel by means of the clamping means, which clamping means lies within the axial recess;
• c. cutting a plurality of parallel grooves into the surface of the machinable foil by means of at least one shaping diamond positioned in a feed which is finely adjustable, which plurality of grooves each have a groove length, a groove width, and a cross-sectional shape that is constant over the groove length and is freely selectable;
• d. cutting the grooved machinable foil into cut sections having selected lengths and widths;
• and
• e. stacking the cut sections,
• wherein the plurality of grooves have a form precision such that for groove lengths of more than 1000 .mu.m the groove width has an accuracy of about +1 .mu.m for land widths which equal or exceed about 15 .mu.m.