3D PRINTER, RESIN, AND INTERCONNECT
Custom 3d printer and resin for microfluidic flow channels and 3D printed high density, reversible, chip-to-chip microfluidic interconnects.
1 . A method of manufacturing a microfluidic device comprising:
constructing the microfluidic device layer by layer by applying a layer of uncured resin and curing to crosslink the layer by exposure to UV light from a UV source, for the exposure of each individual layer;
patterning the exposure of the UV source to expose at least a portion of the layer to cure the resin in that portion and to optionally leave one or more portions unexposed to leave uncured resin in those portions,
including in the resin of the layer a UV light absorber having an absorption spectrum that fully overlaps the spectrum of the UV source to result in a spectral overlap,
the thickness of the layer sufficiently small, and the exposure to UV light of a duration to crosslink resin in the exposed portions of the layer corresponding to the exposure pattern,
without UV penetrating to any layer underlying the layer due to the UV light absorber, sufficient to cure uncured resin portions in the underlying layer.
flushing uncured resin from the unexposed portions of the constructed layered microfluidic device to result in a microfluidic device with voids, the voids interconnected to function as microfluidic components.