Development of an efficient femtosecond laser micro and nano-machining system for rapid multiscale texturation of injection molds

BACKGROUND
The proposed postdoctoral position belongs to the ANR project ‘TOPOINJECTION’ on polymer injection parts for bio medical applications. The project aims at improving drug delivery devices to develop useful technologies for industrial application in the field of health. Preliminary work on the study of the tribological behavior of the elastomeric contact (syringe plunger) – rough surface (body of the syringe) has identified an appropriate surface structuring of the plastic parts regarding sealing and friction. The central question of the postdoctoral work is to be able to generate these nano-microstructurations of the surface (100 microns -100 nm) of the injection mold by femtosecond laser irradiation towards mass production.
This ambitious project is proposed as part of a collaboration between three academic laboratories (Laboratoire Traitement et Dynamique des Systèmes LTDS, Laboratoire Hubert Curien LaHC) an engineering school (ITECH) and three industrial partners (HEF, Becton Dickinson, Heyr Moules).
OBJECTIVES:
To achieve the indicated surface structuration at the indicated scales (100 nm-100 microns) the specificity of femtosecond laser radiation surfaces is utilized to generate a variety of periodic sub-wavelength and / or super-wavelength structures (known as "ripples "or LIPSS for Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structure). They can be used to control the properties of surface wettability 1. The results which were obtained show that it is possible to obtain a variety of textures but also of surface reactivity [2,3].
The aim is to combine the techniques of direct femtosecond ablation, the effect of machining threshold and the appearance of periodic nanostructures to cover the wide range of required periodicity (100 nm to 100 microns). The development of the appropriate opto-mechanical environment to meet the need for rapid and flexible machining will take place along the project.
PROFILE :
The successful candidate must hold a PhD degree with experience in experimental techniques of micro-nanomachining with pulsed laser radiation ideally involving spatial beam shaping. Sufficient skills in material science are also required to ensure a good level of exchange with the partners of the project and to be able to carry rigorous studies of laser ablation on complex materials oftenly met in the industry (metals, ceramics, multi layer…) for which little scientific results are avaible. He/she must be able to study and master the relationship between the laser beam shape and the morphology of the resulting micro-texturation. For that, the candidate will take advantage of the techniques developped of at the laboratoire Hubert Curien regarding laser beam shaping and the simulation/optimization of the laser-matter interaction. The candidate will integrate a highly collaborative team with strong interest in understanding and mastering the effect of the laser radiation on surfaces, carrying a special effort to push the techniques towards industrial applications.
PRACTICAL :
The job starts in February 2014 for a period of 18 months (an extention can be envisaged depending on the results and appropriate funding) and will be carried out in the laboratoire Hubert Curien in Saint-Etienne providing access to a wide range of science and technological facilities including a suite of dedicated photonics laboratories, clean rooms, and advanced characterization facilities.
Saint-Etienne is in the East of France, 3 hours from Paris by train and is near to the foothills of the Pilat and the Alpes, close to excellent hiking trails and ski stations.
The salary ranges within 2000~2500€ per month depending on experience and skills.
CONTACTS :
Cyril MAUCLAIR
Maître de Conférences – IUT de Saint Étienne Laboratoire Hubert Curien UMR CNRS 5516 Animateur du Comité Technique MANUTECH-USD E-mail : cyril.mauclair@univ-st-etienne.fr Téléphone : +33 (0)4 77 91 58 02

1 P. BIZI BANDOKI, « Etude de la texturation de la surface de matériaux par irradiation laser ultrabref : amélioration des propriétés tribologiques et du caractère hydrophobe des surfaces Thèse ECL (2012) Dir. S. Benayoun Codir. S. Valette
2 P. BIZI-BANDOKI, S. BENAYOUN, S. VALETTE, B. BEAUGIRAUD, E. AUDOUARD, Modifications of roughness and wettability properties of metals induced by femtosecond laser treatment, Applied Surface Science, 257 (2011) 5213-5218.
3 B. DUSSER et al. Controlled nanostructrures formation by ultra fast laser pulses for color marking Opics. Express. 18(3), 2913-2924 (2010)

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