Fabrication of a micro-lens array mold by micro ball end-milling and its hot embossing

Hot embossing is an efficient technique for manufacturing high-quality micro-lens arrays. The machining quality is significant for hot embossing the micro-lens array mold. This study investigates the effects of micro ball end-milling on the machining quality of AISI H13 tool steel used in the micro-lens array mold. The micro ball end-milling experiments were performed under different machining strategies, and the surface roughness and scallop height of the machined micro-lens array mold are measured. The experimental results showed that a three-dimensional (3D) offset spiral strategy could achieve a higher machining quality in comparison with other strategies assessed in this study. Moreover, the 3D offset spiral strategy is more appropriate for machining the micro-lens array mold. With an increase of the cutting speed and feed rate, the surface roughness of the micro-lens array mold slightly increases, while a small step-over can greatly reduce the surface roughness. In addition, a hot embossing experiment was undertaken, and the obtained results indicated higher-quality production of the micro-lens array mold by the 3D offset spiral strategy.