Manufacturing Knowledge Base

Electroforming is the highly specialized use of electrodeposition for the manufacture of metal parts. This paper describes the process principles and mechanisms of electroforming, outlining its advantages and limitations. A review of modelling and simulation of electroforming and experimental analysis work is also presented. The metals that can be electroformed successfully are copper, nickel, iron, or silver, thickness up to 16 mm, dimensional tolerances up to 1 micrometer, and surface finishes of 0.05 micrometer Ra. The ability to manufacture complex parts to close tolerances and cost effectively has meant that electroforming has applications in traditional/macro manufacturing and new micromanufacturing fields. These include tooling, moldmaking, fabrication of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and the combination of lithography, electroforming, and plastic molding in the LIGA process. Applications in micro-optics and medicine are included. Authors: J. A. McGeough (University of Edinburgh, School of Mechanical Engineering, Edinburgh, UK), M. C. Leu (Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Missouri-Rolla), K. P. Rajurkar (Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln), A. K. M. DeSilva (Department of Engineering, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK), Q. Liu (Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, University of Missouri-Rolla). CIRP 2001 paper.