Degree
Master of Engineering Science
Program
Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Supervisor
Ovidiu-Remus Tutunea-Fatan
2nd Supervisor
Evgueni V. Bordatchev
Joint Supervisor
Abstract
Automotive lighting industry relies on retroreflective components to increase driver awareness in low-light conditions since their primary functionality is to return incident light back to the source and/or observer with minimal scatter.
Presently, industry makes use of conventional pin-bundling techniques for the fabrication of the retroreflective components. This method is time consuming, labour intensive, and restrictive with respect to the design process. For these reasons, the ultraprecise single point inverted cutting (USPIC) technology was developed as an efficient alternative for manufacturing novel right triangular prismatic (RTP) retroreflective structures.
This thesis outlines a number of enhancements that improve both the quality and productivity of the USPIC technology. Furthermore, in-depth analyses of the USPIC cutting mechanics uncovered both certain process characteristics as well as possible future investigational avenues. Cumulatively, these contributions define USPIC as a viable, efficient and versatile process to be further exploited in the fabrication of dissimilar retroreflective structures.
Recommended Citation
Milliken, Nicolas, "Ultraprecise Single Point Inverted Cutting of Right Triangular Prismatic Retroreflectors: Process Enhancements and Cutting Mechanics" (2017). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 4810.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4810