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US 8,814,954 B2Granted
Method of manufacturing products having a metal surface
AssigneeHoowaki, LLC
InventorsRalph A. Hulseman, David Mammarella, Andrew H. Cannon, William P. King
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The method for manufacturing products having a metal surface by imparting microfeatures onto the metal surface. The method if further described as the steps of: creating a transfer tool from a microstructured intermediate fabricated from a microstructured prototype having microfeatures; and, transferring the microfeatures to said metal surface using the transfer tool.
Claims24
A method for manufacturing a product having a metal surface comprising the steps of:
- fabricating a microstructured prototype having microfeatures selected from a set of predefined patterns of microstructures, wherein the selected pattern of microfeatures has defined dimensions;
- creating a microstructured intermediate from said microstructured prototype so that a negative of said selected pattern of microfeatures and the defined dimensions of the selected pattern are transferred to said microstructured intermediate;
- creating a transfer tool having said selected pattern of microfeatures and the defined dimensions of the selected pattern from said microstructured intermediate;
- and,
- transferring said selected pattern of microfeatures and the defined dimensions of the selected pattern to said metal surface by performing the steps from the group consisting of:
- rolling, stamping, casting, embossing or imprinting said microfeatures to said metal surface using said transfer tool so that a negative of said selected pattern and the defined dimensions of microfeatures are imprinted on the metal surface of said product so that said metal surface includes said selected pattern of microstructures;
- and
- wherein said step of transferring said microfeatures to said metal surface includes the step of transferring said microfeatures to said metal surface so that said resulting microstructures on said metal surface are deformed when compared to said defined dimensions of the selected pattern of microfeatures on said transfer tool.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.