A cost-effective micromilling platform for rapid prototyping of microdevices
Daniel P Yen1, Yuta Ando1, Keyue Shen2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
Technology
|March 21, 2017
Summary
Low-cost 3-D micromilling can fabricate microfluidic devices for lab-on-a-chip and organ-on-a-chip systems. This study shows a 3-D mill can produce microdevices with features ranging from micrometers to centimeters.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Mechanical Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Micromilling offers potential for microdevice fabrication, crucial for lab-on-a-chip and organ-on-a-chip technologies.
- High costs and limited accessibility of specialized machinery hinder micromilling adoption.
- Polycarbonate is a suitable material for microfluidic device fabrication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the micromachining capabilities of an affordable 3-D milling machine.
- To demonstrate the fabrication of microfluidic devices using this low-cost system.
- To assess the suitability of the mill for producing multi-scale microdevices.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a low-cost 3-D milling machine for material processing.
- Employed polycarbonate as the substrate material.
- Fabricated microfluidic devices with varying feature sizes.
Main Results:
- The 3-D mill successfully machined polycarbonate to create microfluidic devices.
- Achieved feature sizes ranging from micrometers to centimeters.
- Demonstrated the machine's capability for multi-scale microfabrication.
Conclusions:
- The assessed low-cost 3-D mill is a viable and accessible tool for microdevice fabrication.
- This technology can significantly lower the barrier to entry for producing lab-on-a-chip and organ-on-a-chip devices.
- The mill's versatility supports the creation of microdevices with diverse feature scales.
