CrWN glass molding coatings were deposited by plasma enhanced magnetron sputtering (PEMS). The microstructure and thermal stability of these coatings were investigated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, atomic force microscope and nanoindentation tests. The as-deposited coating exhibited an aggravated lattice expansion resulting in a constant hardness enhancement. The vacuum annealing induced surface coarsening and the spinodal decomposition of the coating accompanied by the formation of nm-sized c-CrN, c-W₂N, and h-WN domains. The annealed coating with low W content had mainly a face-centered cubic (f.c.c) matrix, strain fields caused by lattice mismatch caused hardness enhancement. Following an increase in W content, the annealed coating showed a mixed face-centered cubic (f.c.c) and hexagonal close-packed (h.c.p) matrix. The large volume fraction of h-WN phases seriously weakened the coating strengthening effect and caused an obvious drop in hardness.

Micro embossing is an effective way to fabricate a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) specimen into micro-scale array structures with low cost and large volume production. A new method was proposed to fabricate a micro-lens array using a micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) mold. The micro-lens array with different shapes was established by controlling the processing parameters, including embossing temperature, embossing force, and holding time. In order to obtain the friction coefficient between the PMMA and the mold, ring compression tests were conducted on the Shenzhen University’s precision glass molding machine (SZU’s PGMM30). It was found that the friction coefficient between the PMMA specimen and the mold had an interesting change process with increasing of temperature, which affected the final shape and stress distribution of the compressed PMMA parts. The results of micro-optical imaging of micro-lens array indicated that the radius of curvature and local length could be controlled by adjusting the processing parameters. This method provides a basis for the fabrication and application of micro-lens arrays with low-cost, high efficiency, and mass production.

Although amorphous alloys possess many excellent properties, their practical application is limited due to the difficulty of plastic forming. In this work, an effective shear punching of amorphous alloys under high-frequency vibrations was proposed. Under the high-frequency vibration of the punch, the plastic powder was melted into a flexible punch due to the frictional heat generation effect and the viscoelastic heat effect and continued to flow downward under the extrusion of the ultrasonic head to plastically deform the amorphous alloy ribbon. The disordered structure of the amorphous alloys helps them get soft in a localized region during high-frequency vibrations, which can result in low-stress deformations that are different from amorphous alloys in the conventional state. We manufactured various shapes with area of 5 mm² using high-frequency vibrations and a molten plastic viscous medium. The molds were shaped into the letters “B”, “M”, and “G” and the Chinese characters “工” and “大”. The shapes were made from Fe-based, Al-based, La-based, and Cu-based amorphous alloys. Our results show that shear punching of amorphous alloys under high-frequency vibrations is an effective and low-cost production method of amorphous alloy, which also provides a basis for the wide application of amorphous alloy.

The roller-to-plate (R2P) hot-embossing process is an effective, low-cost method for producing high-quality micro-/nano-optical components. In the field of night vision applications, the fabrication of chalcogenide glass microstructures is emerging as a promising alternative to traditional infrared glass. This trend is driven by the potential of chalcogenide glass to surpass conventional materials in terms of performance. However, the development of R2P hot embossing faces challenges, such as the high cost of curved mold manufacturing, the reliance on roll-to-roll processes for nano hot embossing, the limitations of plastic materials, and the unclear viscoelastic properties of infrared glass. In this study, a novel R2P hot-embossing process was developed to fabricate flat chalcogenide glass structures. The key parameters, such as roller temperature, speed, and embossing pressure, were investigated to understand their impact on the glass-filling performance. The deformation mechanism of the glass microstructures was also analyzed. The experimental results show that the R2P hot-embossing method offers excellent reproducibility, achieving a maximum filling rate of 96% and an average roughness deviation of 8.36 nm. The increase in the roller temperature and embossing force increased the filling height of the glass microstructure arrays, while an increase in the roller speed decreased the filling height. Different embossing methods, including variations in speed, temperature, and force, are summarized to analyze the structural changes during embossing. This study provides a foundation and a basis for future research on the roller-to-plate hot embossing process.