Microembossing is a process of creating three-dimensional (3D) structures on a substrate using an etching process. The created 3D features can be used for various applications such as mechanical, optical, and electrical.
The most common method of microembossing is hot embossing, which uses heat and pressure to create the desired 3D shape on a substrate. A template with the negative of the desired 3D shape is first created. This template is then placed on top of the substrate, and both are heated until the substrate becomes soft enough to take on the negative shape of the template. Once cooled, the substrate will have the 3D shape from the template imprinted onto it.
Other methods of microembossing include cold embossing and thermal embossing. Cold embossing uses a similar process as hot embossing, but instead of using heat to soften the substrate, it uses a solvent that dissolves away part of the substrate material. Thermal embossing does not use any external heating or cooling sources; instead, it relies on differences in coefficients of thermal expansion between different materials to create stress that deforms one material into another’s shape.
One common application for microembossed surfaces is in textured medical implants such as those used in dentistry or orthopedics. The rough surface created by microembossing can increase bone growth around implant sites and improve long-term stability compared to smooth surfaces. Microembossed surfaces can also be used for cell culture applications such as creating scaffolds for tissue engineering orpatterns for directed cell migration studies