3D printed metal molds for hot embossing plastic microfluidic devices.

ABSTRACT: Plastics are one of the most commonly used materials for fabricating microfluidic devices. While various methods exist for fabricating plastic microdevices, hot embossing offers several unique advantages including high throughput, excellent compatibility with most thermoplastics and low start-up costs. However, hot embossing requires metal or silicon molds that are fabricated using CNC milling or microfabrication techniques which are time consuming, expensive and required skilled technicians. Here, we demonstrate for the first time the fabrication of plastic microchannels using 3D printed metal molds. Through optimization of the powder composition and processing parameters, we were able to generate stainless steel molds with superior material properties (density and surface finish) than pr

SUBMITTER: Lin TY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5706547 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature