Glass molding process for microstructures

Microstructures are increasingly applied in optical systems, precision measurement, arms navigation, biomedical fields, and so on. Microstructures include microgrooves, micropatterns, microprisms, and microlenses. This chapter provides an overview of the application of microstructures and glass molding processes. It highlights commonly used materials for glass molding processes; the materials to fabricate the mold are also introduced. The latest examples of glass molding simulations are discussed, including viscoelastic constitutive modeling, the microstructure molding process, and a simulation coupling heat transfer and viscous deformation. Molding quality control and molding defects in a glass molding process are also introduced in this chapter.