HANDS-ON 3D PRINTING FOR MICROFLUIDICS

Description:
Microfluidic device fabrication via layer-by-layer photopolymerization 3D printing has gained attention due to its affordability, rapid fabrication, design freedom, and ease-of-use. Digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing, utilizing a digital micromirror device, is the current state-of-the-art, offering low pixel sizes (2-40 µm) and high pixel counts (~8 M), supported by well-studied inks and tailored protocols to enhance its potential. Recently, advances in consumer-grade, low-cost (150-600 USD) liquid crystal display (LCD) 3D printing, featuring high pixel counts (~8-58 M) and small pixel sizes (18-40 µm), present a promising avenue for high-resolution microfluidic manufacturing at a low capital cost and reduce the entry barrier for microscale feature fabrication for many potential users.

This workshop will introduce participants to photopolymerization 3D printing, provide a tutorial overview of designing inks and devices for microscale 3D printing, and include hands-on demonstrations of on-the-spot microfluidic device fabrication with both DLP and LCD 3D printers.