Improvement of the Microcrystalline Cube Corner Reflective Structure and Efficiency

Techniques such as micro machining and mirror finishing can be applied to polycarbonate (PC) optical plastic materials to create molds with microcrystalline cube corner structures. Micro hot-embossing can then be used to create retro-reflective experimental samples that make use of cube corner retro-reflection. This kind of reflector is a microcrystalline structure, so there are about 149,000 cube corners in each square inch of the surface. With a thickness as small as 0.2–0.3 mm, the reflector can be used for very thin areas. We also proposed an alternate design for microcrystalline structures to increase the retro-reflection efficiency at low angles of incidence. Samples were manufactured for testing to provide corroboration for the theory. At the same time, we analyzed the geometric and optical properties of a reflector composed of microcrystalline cube corner structures on PC optical plastic to determine its retro-reflection efficiency. This was also simulated and calculated using a self-written program. Therefore, microcrystalline cube corners can be used to modify a reflective structure to improve the efficiency of retro-reflection.