Development of a Novel Rapid Manufacturing Process for Micro-Cylindrical Lens Array

This paper proposed a novel method to fabricate micro-cylindrical lens array (μ-CLA) by using wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) and precision glass molding (PGM) technique. Micro slits fabricated on the surface of tungsten carbide mold material with outline dimensions from 0.3mm to 2.1mm, the width and depth of 1 mm. The PGM processing parameters including width of slits, molding temperature, molding force and stroke were discussed. Moreover, the characteristics of μ-CLA were measured by contact profilometer. In addition, the relationship between the dimensions of the slit on tungsten carbide mold and the characteristics of μ-CLA also discussed.