scholarly journals Rapid Manufacturing of Multilayered Microfluidic Devices for Organ on a Chip Applications

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1382
Author(s):  
Roberto Paoli ◽  
Davide Di Giuseppe ◽  
Maider Badiola-Mateos ◽  
Eugenio Martinelli ◽  
Maria Jose Lopez-Martinez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Prototyping ◽  
Soft Lithography ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Device Fabrication ◽  
Rapid Manufacturing ◽  
Digital Manufacturing ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Cyclic Olefin ◽  
Protocol Optimization ◽  
Organ On A Chip

Microfabrication and Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) soft-lithography techniques became popular for microfluidic prototyping at the lab, but even after protocol optimization, fabrication is yet a long, laborious process and partly user-dependent. Furthermore, the time and money required for the master fabrication process, necessary at any design upgrade, is still elevated. Digital Manufacturing (DM) and Rapid-Prototyping (RP) for microfluidics applications arise as a solution to this and other limitations of photo and soft-lithography fabrication techniques. Particularly for this paper, we will focus on the use of subtractive DM techniques for Organ-on-a-Chip (OoC) applications. Main available thermoplastics for microfluidics are suggested as material choices for device fabrication. The aim of this review is to explore DM and RP technologies for fabrication of an OoC with an embedded membrane after the evaluation of the main limitations of PDMS soft-lithography strategy. Different material options are also reviewed, as well as various bonding strategies. Finally, a new functional OoC device is showed, defining protocols for its fabrication in Cyclic Olefin Polymer (COP) using two different RP technologies. Different cells are seeded in both sides of the membrane as a proof of concept to test the optical and fluidic properties of the device.

scholarly journals Rapid Prototyping of Organ-on-a-Chip Devices Using Maskless Photolithography

Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Dhanesh G. Kasi ◽  
Mees N. S. de Graaf ◽  
Paul A. Motreuil-Ragot ◽  
Jean-Phillipe M. S. Frimat ◽  
Michel D. Ferrari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Prototyping ◽  
Soft Lithography ◽  
Uv Light ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Single Step ◽  
Silicon Wafers ◽  
Uv Exposure ◽  
Digital Micromirror Device ◽  
Negative Photoresist ◽  
Organ On A Chip

Organ-on-a-chip (OoC) and microfluidic devices are conventionally produced using microfabrication procedures that require cleanrooms, silicon wafers, and photomasks. The prototyping stage often requires multiple iterations of design steps. A simplified prototyping process could therefore offer major advantages. Here, we describe a rapid and cleanroom-free microfabrication method using maskless photolithography. The approach utilizes a commercial digital micromirror device (DMD)-based setup using 375 nm UV light for backside exposure of an epoxy-based negative photoresist (SU-8) on glass coverslips. We show that microstructures of various geometries and dimensions, microgrooves, and microchannels of different heights can be fabricated. New SU-8 molds and soft lithography-based polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chips can thus be produced within hours. We further show that backside UV exposure and grayscale photolithography allow structures of different heights or structures with height gradients to be developed using a single-step fabrication process. Using this approach: (1) digital photomasks can be designed, projected, and quickly adjusted if needed; and (2) SU-8 molds can be fabricated without cleanroom availability, which in turn (3) reduces microfabrication time and costs and (4) expedites prototyping of new OoC devices.

scholarly journals Negligible-cost microfluidic device fabrication using 3D-printed interconnecting channel scaffolds

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0245206
Author(s):  
Harry Felton ◽  
Robert Hughes ◽  
Andrea Diaz-Gaxiola
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Prototyping ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Microfluidic Channel ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Device Fabrication ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Channel Cross Section ◽  
Microfluidic Systems ◽  
3D Printed

This paper reports a novel, negligible-cost and open-source process for the rapid prototyping of complex microfluidic devices in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using 3D-printed interconnecting microchannel scaffolds. These single-extrusion scaffolds are designed with interconnecting ends and used to quickly configure complex microfluidic systems before being embedded in PDMS to produce an imprint of the microfluidic configuration. The scaffolds are printed using common Material Extrusion (MEX) 3D printers and the limits, cost & reliability of the process are evaluated. The limits of standard MEX 3D-printing with off-the-shelf printer modifications is shown to achieve a minimum channel cross-section of 100×100 μm. The paper also lays out a protocol for the rapid fabrication of low-cost microfluidic channel moulds from the thermoplastic 3D-printed scaffolds, allowing the manufacture of customisable microfluidic systems without specialist equipment. The morphology of the resulting PDMS microchannels fabricated with the method are characterised and, when applied directly to glass, without plasma surface treatment, are shown to efficiently operate within the typical working pressures of commercial microfluidic devices. The technique is further validated through the demonstration of 2 common microfluidic devices; a fluid-mixer demonstrating the effective interconnecting scaffold design, and a microsphere droplet generator. The minimal cost of manufacture means that a 5000-piece physical library of mix-and-match channel scaffolds (100 μm scale) can be printed for ~$0.50 and made available to researchers and educators who lack access to appropriate technology. This simple yet innovative approach dramatically lowers the threshold for research and education into microfluidics and will make possible the rapid prototyping of point-of-care lab-on-a-chip diagnostic technology that is truly affordable the world over.

scholarly journals A cost-effective micromilling platform for rapid prototyping of microdevices

TECHNOLOGY ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 04 (04) ◽  
pp. 234-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel P. Yen ◽  
Yuta Ando ◽  
Keyue Shen
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Prototyping ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Lab On A Chip ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Multi Scale ◽  
Organ On A Chip

Micromilling has great potential in producing microdevices for lab-on-a-chip and organ-on-a-chip applications, but has remained under-utilized due to the high machinery costs and limited accessibility. In this paper, we assessed the machining capabilities of a low-cost 3-D mill in polycarbonate material, which were showcased by the production of microfluidic devices. The study demonstrates that this particular mill is well suited for the fabrication of multi-scale microdevices with feature sizes from micrometers to centimeters.

scholarly journals On-ratio PDMS bonding for multilayer microfluidic device fabrication

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre Lai ◽  
Nicolas Altemose ◽  
Jonathan A. White ◽  
Aaron M. Streets
Keyword(s):  
Conventional Method ◽  
Material Properties ◽  
Soft Lithography ◽  
Crosslinking Agent ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Device Fabrication ◽  
Common Variants ◽  
Precise Control ◽  
Multilayer Soft Lithography ◽  
Bonding Technique

AbstractIntegrated elastomeric valves, also referred to as Quake valves, enable precise control and manipulation of fluid within microfluidic devices. Fabrication of such valves requires bonding of multiple layers of the silicone polymer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The conventional method for PDMS-PDMS bonding is to use varied base to crosslinking agent ratios between layers, typically 20:1 and 5:1. This bonding technique, known as “off-ratio bonding,” provides strong, effective PDMS-PDMS bonding for multi-layer soft-lithography, but it can yield adverse PDMS material properties and can be wasteful of PDMS. Here we demonstrate the effectiveness of on-ratio PDMS bonding for multilayer soft lithography. We show the efficacy of this technique among common variants of PDMS: Sylgard 184, RTV 615, and Sylgard 182.

scholarly journals A rapid-prototyped moulding system towards optimised scalable fabrication of elastomeric microfluidic devices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Poon ◽  
Albert Fahrenbach
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Microfluidic Device ◽  
Lean Manufacturing ◽  
Soft Lithography ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Petri Dish ◽  
Device Fabrication ◽  
Alternative Techniques ◽  
Optimisation Techniques

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.

scholarly journals Beyond PDMS: off-stoichiometry thiol–ene (OSTE) based soft lithography for rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices

Lab on a Chip ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 3136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Fredrik Carlborg ◽  
Tommy Haraldsson ◽  
Kim Öberg ◽  
Michael Malkoch ◽  
Wouter van der Wijngaart
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Prototyping ◽  
Soft Lithography ◽  
Microfluidic Devices

The Manufacturing of Rapid Tooling by Stereo Lithography

2010 ◽  
Vol 102-104 ◽  
pp. 578-582
Author(s):  
Ya Li Hou ◽  
Ting Ting Zhao ◽  
Chang He Li ◽  
Y.C. Ding
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Prototyping ◽  
Casting Process ◽  
Rapid Tooling ◽  
Rapid Manufacturing ◽  
Digital Manufacturing ◽  
Geometrical Properties ◽  
Production Complex ◽  
Manufacturing Technologies ◽  
The Cost

The development and manufacturing speed of products have become the focus of competition, at the same time the manufacturing not only has to meet user’s constantly changing needs, but also has to have a relatively strong flexibility of manufacturing technologies. Additive processes can be defined as rapid prototyping, which generate parts (prototyping) in a layered way, is gaining progress by rapid tools (RT) and rapid manufacturing (RM) for production of functional parts in small quantity and even one product without adding the cost becomes more and more critical. The paper describes which mechanism of stereo lithography (SLA) rapid prototyping can be applied to rapid tooling for production complex geometries for long-term consistency. Moreover, the paper demonstrates the application examples of rapid tooling fulfilling the required physical, mechanical and geometrical properties in precision deformation and casting process. The most notable advantage is the integration of production design and digital manufacturing within the product development period.

Rapid prototyping of plastic microfluidic devices in cyclic olefin copolymer (COC)

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin-Hwan Lee ◽  
Erik T. K. Peterson ◽  
Gabriel Dagani ◽  
Ian Papautsky
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Prototyping ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Cyclic Olefin Copolymer ◽  
Cyclic Olefin

Microfluidic Device Fabrication Method Using Direct Thick Film Writing

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Grande ◽  
Gary A. Fino
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Prototyping ◽  
Thick Film ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Microfluidic Devices ◽  
Device Fabrication ◽  
Fabrication Method ◽  
Direct Writing ◽  
General Applicability ◽  
Novel Technique ◽  
Capillary Tip

A novel technique based on direct thick film writing has been developed for the rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices. The direct writing process is based on pressure driven dispensing of precursor materials through a micro-capillary tip. The process exhibits wide latitude in both the materials that can be patterned and the substrate formats and shapes that can be accommodated. A fabrication process flow sequence with general applicability to microfluidic devices was developed and its efficacy was demonstrated by the construction of two-input mixer devices. Integration of fluidic components with electrical circuitry was also demonstrated.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document