Thermally Enhanced Edge Registration for Aligning Diffusion-Bonded Laminae

A thermally enhanced edge registration technique is presented for precision aligning large numbers of laminae in diffusion bonding processes. The technique uses the difference in thermal expansion between a graphite fixture and metallic laminae to produce a registration force at the bonding temperature. At room temperature, a clearance is designed into the graphite fixture to allow for easy loading of the laminae. At the bonding temperature, the laminae interfere with the side of the fixture producing the registration force. The technique has been extensively studied and found to consistently provide an average layer-to-layer misregistration of less than 5 μm. The technique provides a plausible means for the high-volume registration of large quantities of diffusion-bonded laminae.