Fundamental Study on Surface Texturing of Alloy Steel by Ultrashort Pulsed Laser for Control of Water Repellency

Abstract

In compression molding of rubber and resin, there is a problem in the mold release residue of product. It is considered that the surface free energy of metal mold steel relates to the mold releasability. In general, the surface free energy is evaluated by water repellency, and it was reported that surface texturing was effective to change the water repellency on mold steels. Therefore, in this study, periodic surface nano-structures and micro-dimples were formed on the stainless steel mold surface by ultrashort pulsed laser, and the influence of the structures on water repellency was investigated. Experimental results showed that water repellency could be significantly enhanced by the formation of nano-micro hybrid structures.