Some aspects of fabrication of micro devices by electrochemical micromachining (ECMM) and its finishing by magnetorheological fluid

Electrochemical micromachining (ECMM) is an advanced machining process for machining of electrically conducting materials. In the present work, a micro nozzle and a fluidic mixer having complex structures are made using masking technique by ECMM process. Mask is made of 50-μm transparent sheet and the micro nozzle and micro mixer are fabricated on an 800-μm thick copper sheet. The resulting rough inner walls and bottom surface of micro nozzle are finished using magnetorheological fluid-based finishing process. Surface finish of the nozzle is significantly improved after finishing. A comparison of width, depth, and surface roughness of the micro nozzle is also carried out before and after finishing. The mixing behavior of two fluids is visualized by microscope in micro mixer. The rough inner walls of the mixer’s channels act as obstructions and result in zigzag path of flowing fluid. Hence, mixing occurs at microscopic level because of rapid molecular diffusion.