Rapid Prototyping of Microfluidic Systems using 3D Printing
Authors
Jensen, Bjarke Nørrehvedde ; Pedersen, Thor Lindgren Videbæk
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-06-03
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvor langt en kommercielt tilgængelig DLP-baseret 3D-printer (Anycubic Photon) kan bruges til hurtig prototypning af mikrofluidiske systemer. Forfatterne designede tre mikrofluidiske enheder, simulerede væskestrømmen (COMSOL), printede dem og testede deres funktion. Arbejdet omfattede karakterisering af mindste opnåelige feature-størrelse, effekten af kanalruhed i simuleringer, overfladebehandlinger og belægninger, opløsningsmiddel- og syremodstandsdygtighed for den anvendte resin samt udvaskning af kemiske forbindelser fra 3D-print. To enheder var målrettet kemotaksis-eksperimenter med C. elegans (et “worm junction”-design og en gradientgenerator) og viste lovende resultater i simuleringer, men bestod ikke den eksperimentelle validering. Den tredje enhed, en flow-fokuseret dråbegenerator, fungerede derimod som ønsket og blev succesfuldt integreret i et elektrospinningsetup til kontinuerlig elektrospinning af emulsionsopløsninger, hvilket resulterede i beads-on-a-string fibre. Samlet peger resultaterne på, at lavpris DLP-3D-print kan understøtte hurtig udvikling af visse mikrofluidiske geometrier, men at materialeegenskaber som ruhed, udvaskning og kemikalieresistens er kritiske begrænsninger, især for biologiske applikationer.
This thesis evaluates how far a commercially available DLP-based 3D printer (Anycubic Photon) can be used for rapid prototyping of microfluidic systems. The authors designed three microfluidic devices, simulated fluid flow (COMSOL), fabricated them, and assessed their performance. The work included characterizing the minimum achievable feature size, exploring the effect of channel roughness in simulations, applying surface treatments and coatings, testing the solvent and acid resistance of the chosen resin, and examining chemical leaching from 3D prints. Two devices targeted chemotaxis experiments with C. elegans (a “worm junction” and a gradient generator) and showed promise in simulations but failed experimental validation. The third device, a flow-focusing droplet generator, performed as intended and was successfully integrated into an electrospinning setup for continuous electrospinning of emulsions, yielding beads-on-a-string fibers. Overall, the results indicate that low-cost DLP 3D printing can support rapid development of certain microfluidic geometries, while material properties such as roughness, leaching, and chemical resistance remain critical limitations, particularly for biological applications.
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