High-speed 3D printing for microfluidics: Opportunities and challenges

Abstract

Traditional methods for the fabrication of microfluidic devices lead to the produced devices being expensive, involving time-consuming fabrication processes, and being limited in their design choices. In this review, we present the opportunities and challenges faced by 3D printing for microfluidic applications, with a key interest in the overall speed of the fabrication process. The development of high-speed methods for additive manufacturing (AM) of microfluidic devices is of interest to reduce the barrier of entry by further reducing the cost and fabrication time. This review investigates the key benefits of AM for microfluidic device fabrication, such as greater freedom of design and more complex devices to be created than is possible with traditional fabrication methods. Through complex three-dimensional microfluidic designs, it is possible to integrate features into a microfluidic device that traditionally would require external equipment, resulting in an even lower total cost of operating a microfluidic device leading to low-cost field-based applications. There are many methods for the AM of microfluidic devices: Stereolithography (SLA), Digital Light Processing (DLP), Material Jetting (MJ), and Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). This review explores these various technologies and their suitability for the high-speed fabrication of microfluidic devices with this review showing that the preferred AM method selected for microfluidic device fabrication depends on desired use case of the microfluidic device.