Fabrication and Demonstration of a 3D-printing/PDMS Integrated Microfluidic Device

Abstract

3D printing is an attractive method to fabricate microfluidic devices due to (1) its fast and simple process without specialized equipment and cleanroom environment, and (2) its capability to create complex 3D structures. Combined with Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), it can be used to develop various microfluidic devices taking advantage of both 3D printing and PDMS. In this paper, we investigated a Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D printer to fabricate 3D printing/PDMS integrated microfluidic devices. We used it to fabricate both a master mold for the PDMS process and a substrate containing pneumatic ports and channels. The optimal design parameters to print a symmetrical microchannel structure were determined. We also measured the printing accuracy of taper structures as an example of its capability to fabricate complex structures. Then, we fabricated a microfluidic device by integrating a PDMS component with a 3D printed substrate. The microfluidic device operation was demonstrated using dye solutions. The fluidic control results clearly show the microfluidic device works as expected.