Micro Thin Film Sensor Embedding in Metal Structures for Rapid Production of Miniature Smart Metal Tooling

In-situ monitoring and control of temperature and strain is important to improve product quality for numerous mesoscale manufacturing processes. However, it is difficult for conventional sensors to provide measurements with a high spatial and temporal resolution at critical locations. This paper studies the fabrication and calibration of micro thin film sensors embedded in metal structures for miniature tooling applications. Micro thin film sensors have been successfully fabricated on various metal substrates and advanced embedding techniques have been developed to ensure sensor function inside metal structures. Specifically, multilayer dielectric/metal thin film micro sensors were embedded into layered metal structures by ultrasonic welding (USW). These embedded sensors provided superior spatial and temporal resolutions. Smart tooling technique will improve safety and reliability significantly for manufacturing processes.