A comparison of the tactile friction and cutting performance of textured scalpel blades modified by Direct Laser Writing and Direct Laser Interference Patterning processes

Moving surface interactions between rigid and compliant materials have a wide range of functional applications in the automotive, aerospace and medical industries. This study investigates the cutting and frictional performance of textured stainless steel scalpel blades using polyurethane as the counterpart material. Groove textures of controlled geometries, oriented parallel and tangential to the primary cutting edge were produced using DLW and DLIP processes. Empirical investigations were conducted to study the influences of groove width, depth, separation distance and orientation on the performance of the textured blades under dry conditions. The results reveal that for both the DLW and DLIP generated textures, groove width and orientation have the largest influences on blade performance. The investigated textures showed significant improvements in friction and cutting forces compared to untextured blades, producing reductions of up to 17.0% and 5.8% for the DLW and 33.2% and 24.1% for the DLIP in the parallel orientation respectively.