3D printed modules for integrated microfluidic devices

RSC Advances ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (62) ◽  
pp. 32876-32880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoung G. Lee ◽  
Kyun Joo Park ◽  
Seunghwan Seok ◽  
Sujeong Shin ◽  
Do Hyun Kim ◽  
...  

Direct 3d printing for functional modules and their assembly into an integrated microfluidic device.

Author(s):  
Travis S. Emery ◽  
Anna Jensen ◽  
Koby Kubrin ◽  
Michael G. Schrlau

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a novel technology whose versatility allows it to be implemented in a multitude of applications. Common fabrication techniques implemented to create microfluidic devices, such as photolithography, wet etching, etc., can often times be time consuming, costly, and make it difficult to integrate external components. 3D printing provides a quick and low-cost technique that can be used to fabricate microfluidic devices in a range of intricate geometries. External components, such as nanoporous membranes, can additionally be easily integrated with minimal impact to the component. Here in, low-cost 3D printing has been implemented to create a microfluidic device to enhance understanding of flow through carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays manufactured for gene transfection applications. CNTs are an essential component of nanofluidic research due to their unique mechanical and physical properties. CNT arrays allow for parallel processing however, they are difficult to construct and highly prone to fracture. As a means of aiding in the nanotube arrays’ resilience to fracture and facilitating its integration into fluidic systems, a 3D printed microfluidic device has been constructed around these arrays. Doing so greatly enhances the robustness of the system and additionally allows for the nanotube array to be implemented for a variety of purposes. To broaden their range of application, the devices were designed to allow for multiple isolated inlet flows to the arrays. Utilizing this multiple inlet design permits distinct fluids to enter the array disjointedly. These 3D printed devices were in turn implemented to visualize flow through nanotube arrays. The focus of this report though, is on the design and fabrication of the 3D printed devices. SEM imaging of the completed device shows that the nanotube array remains intact after the printing process and the nanotubes, even those within close proximity to the printing material, remain unobstructed. Printing on top of the nanotube arrays displayed effective adhesion to the surface thus preventing leakage at these interfaces.


RSC Advances ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (66) ◽  
pp. 37693-37699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong-Heon Ha ◽  
Dong-Hyeon Ko ◽  
Jin-oh Kim ◽  
Do Jin Im ◽  
Byoung Soo Kim ◽  
...  

Rapid on-demand sacrificial printing techniques using suitable combinations of resin and sacrificial materials would be desirable to fabricate versatile and functional microfluidic devices with complex designs and chemical resistance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna V. Nielsen ◽  
Michael J. Beauchamp ◽  
Gregory P. Nordin ◽  
Adam T. Woolley

Traditional microfabrication techniques suffer from several disadvantages, including the inability to create truly three-dimensional (3D) architectures, expensive and time-consuming processes when changing device designs, and difficulty in transitioning from prototyping fabrication to bulk manufacturing. 3D printing is an emerging technique that could overcome these disadvantages. While most 3D printed fluidic devices and features to date have been on the millifluidic size scale, some truly microfluidic devices have been shown. Currently, stereolithography is the most promising approach for routine creation of microfluidic structures, but several approaches under development also have potential. Microfluidic 3D printing is still in an early stage, similar to where polydimethylsiloxane was two decades ago. With additional work to advance printer hardware and software control, expand and improve resin and printing material selections, and realize additional applications for 3D printed devices, we foresee 3D printing becoming the dominant microfluidic fabrication method.


BioTechniques ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vedika J Shenoy ◽  
Chelsea ER Edwards ◽  
Matthew E Helgeson ◽  
Megan T Valentine

3D printing holds potential as a faster, cheaper alternative compared with traditional photolithography for the fabrication of microfluidic devices by replica molding. However, the influence of printing resolution and quality on device design and performance has yet to receive detailed study. Here, we investigate the use of 3D-printed molds to create staggered herringbone mixers (SHMs) with feature sizes ranging from ∼100 to 500 μm. We provide guidelines for printer calibration to ensure accurate printing at these length scales and quantify the impacts of print variability on SHM performance. We show that SHMs produced by 3D printing generate well-mixed output streams across devices with variable heights and defects, demonstrating that 3D printing is suitable and advantageous for low-cost, high-throughput SHM manufacturing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Canta ◽  
Désirée Baruffaldi ◽  
Ignazio Roppolo ◽  
Annalisa Chiappone ◽  
Candido F. Pirri ◽  
...  

A successful application of the 3D printed materials in the biomedical field requires extensive studies to ensure their biocompatibility at every step of the process. Here, different components suitable for cell applications, including a microfluidic device, were 3D printed using common resins and a deep analysis of their biocompatibility and post printed protocols was conducted.


Lab on a Chip ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 2287-2294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arturo Urrios ◽  
Cesar Parra-Cabrera ◽  
Nirveek Bhattacharjee ◽  
Alan M. Gonzalez-Suarez ◽  
Luis G. Rigat-Brugarolas ◽  
...  

The 3D-printed devices are highly transparent and cells can be cultured on PEG-DA-250 prints for several days.


Lab on a Chip ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 2038-2048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle C. Samper ◽  
Sally A. N. Gowers ◽  
Michelle L. Rogers ◽  
De-Shaine R. K. Murray ◽  
Sharon L. Jewell ◽  
...  

Microfluidic devices optimised for real-time monitoring of the human brain.


Author(s):  
Yunus Alapan ◽  
Muhammad Noman Hasan ◽  
Richang Shen ◽  
Umut A. Gurkan

Microfluidic platforms offer revolutionary and practical solutions to challenging problems in biology and medicine. Even though traditional micro/nanofabrication technologies expedited the emergence of the microfluidics field, recent advances in advanced additive manufacturing hold significant potential for single-step, stand-alone microfluidic device fabrication. One such technology, which holds a significant promise for next generation microsystem fabrication is three-dimensional (3D) printing. Presently, building 3D printed stand-alone microfluidic devices with fully embedded microchannels for applications in biology and medicine has the following challenges: (i) limitations in achievable design complexity, (ii) need for a wider variety of transparent materials, (iii) limited z-resolution, (iv) absence of extremely smooth surface finish, and (v) limitations in precision fabrication of hollow and void sections with extremely high surface area to volume ratio. We developed a new way to fabricate stand-alone microfluidic devices with integrated manifolds and embedded microchannels by utilizing a 3D printing and laser micromachined lamination based hybrid manufacturing approach. In this new fabrication method, we exploit the minimized fabrication steps enabled by 3D printing, and reduced assembly complexities facilitated by laser micromachined lamination method. The new hybrid fabrication method enables key features for advanced microfluidic system architecture: (i) increased design complexity in 3D, (ii) improved control over microflow behavior in all three directions and in multiple layers, (iii) transverse multilayer flow and precisely integrated flow distribution, and (iv) enhanced transparency for high resolution imaging and analysis. Hybrid manufacturing approaches hold great potential in advancing microfluidic device fabrication in terms of standardization, fast production, and user-independent manufacturing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 255 ◽  
pp. 12009
Author(s):  
Bastián Carnero ◽  
Carmen Bao-Varela ◽  
Ana Isabel Gómez-Varela ◽  
María Teresa Flores-Arias

3D printing has revolutionized the field of microfluidics manufacturing by simplifying the typical processes offering a considerable accuracy and user-friendly procedures. For its part, laser ablation proves to be a versatile technology to perform detailed surface micropatterning. A hybrid technique that combines both technologies is proposed, employing them in their most suitable range of dimensions. This technique allows to manufacture accurate microfluidics devices as the one proposed: a microchannel, obtained using a stereolithographic printer, coupled with an array of microlenses, obtained by pulsed laser ablation of a 3D printed master.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Poon ◽  
Albert Fahrenbach

3D printing and makerspace technologies are increasingly explored as alternative techniques to soft lithography for making microfluidic devices, and for their potential to segue towards scalable commercial fabrication. Here we considered the optimal application of current benchtop 3D printing for microfluidic device fabrication through the lens of lean manufacturing and present a straightforward but robust rapid prototyped moulding system that enables easy estimation of more precise quantities of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) required per device to reduce waste and importantly, making devices with better defined depths and volumes for (i) modelling gas exchange and (ii) fabrication consistency as required for quality-controlled production. We demonstrate that this low-cost moulding step can enable a 40 – 300% reduction in the amount of PDMS required for making individual devices compared to the established method of curing approximately 30 grams of PDMS prepolymer overlaid on a 4” silicon wafer master in a standard plastic petri dish. Other process optimisation techniques were also investigated and are recommended as readily implementable changes to current laboratory and foundry-level microfluidic device fabrication protocols for making devices either out of PDMS or other elastomers. Simple calculators are provided as a step towards more streamlined, software controlled and automated design-to-fabrication workflows for both custom and scalable lean manufacturing of microfluidic devices.


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