Abstract
Recent developments in 3D-printing technology have provided a time-efficient and inexpensive alternative to the fabrication of microfluidic devices. At present, 3D-printed microfluidic systems face the challenges of post-processing, non-transparency, and being time consuming, limiting their practical application. In this study, a time-efficient and inexpensive fabrication method was developed for 3D-printed microfluidic devices. The material for 3D-printed microfluidic chips is Dowsil 732, which is used as a sealant or encapsulant in various industries. The curing time and surface hydrophobicity of the materials were evaluated. The results indicated that the surface of Dowsil 732 is hydrophilic. An optimization model of the direct ink writing method is proposed to establish a time-efficient and accurate fabrication method for microfluidic devices. The results indicate that the optimization model can effectively describe the change trend between printing speed, printing pressure, and channel wall accuracy, and the model accuracy rate exceeds 95%. Three examples—a micromixer, concentration gradient generator, and droplet generator—were printed to demonstrate the functionality and feasibility of the fabrication method.
Highlights
Recent developments in 3D-printing technology have provided a time-efficient and inexpensive alternative to the fabrication of microfluidic devices
The microfluidic devices produced by SLA printing technology have the advantage of high precision[27,28], but the photosensitive resin materials may remain in the micro channel, causing blockage inside the c hannel[29]
A series of calibration tests were conducted to determine the optimized parameters for microfluidic devices based on Dowsil 732
Summary
Recent developments in 3D-printing technology have provided a time-efficient and inexpensive alternative to the fabrication of microfluidic devices. A time-efficient and inexpensive fabrication method was developed for 3D-printed microfluidic devices. The 3D-printing technology provides a potential low-cost and time-saving alternative to conventional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic systems, simplifies the traditional manual fabrication process, and reduces the need for professional microfabrication[17]. The best candidates or microfluidic devices through 3D-printing technology are stereolithography (SLA)[18,19], digital light projection (DLP)[20,21], fused deposition modeling (FDM)[22,23,24], and direct ink writing (DIW)[25,26]. The FDM or DIW printing technology is mainly based on the material extrusion method, and the fabrication process is relatively accessible. Three printing examples (a micro mixer, concentration gradient generator, and droplet generator) were used to verify the feasibility of the research theory
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
