Applied tutorial for the design and fabrication of biomicrofluidic devices by resin 3D printing

Digital Light Processing 3D printing for biological applications of polydimethylsiloxane-based microfluidics

“…These results are a promising first-step of understanding biocompatibility of 3D printed molds for soft lithography microfluidics. Owing to the sensitivity of 3D printer resolution to environmental, mechanical, and optical factors 26,[42][43][44] , we empirically tested various printer settings to optimize feature quality. While our optimal printing configuration yielded slight distortion of the microwell features, we did not note any significant distortion in subsequent feature size characterization studies nor in our applications of gradient generators and cell invasion.…”

“…The part is formed layer-by-layer on a build stage until the completed 3D structure is formed 9,26 . Because entire layers of the part can be formed at the same time, DLP is faster than other 3D printing technologies 26 .…”

“…Briefly, this method uses light generated either from a projector or LCD screen to project a 2D image onto a photopolymerizing resin, locally curing a layer of resin in these illuminated regions. The part is formed layer-by-layer on a build stage until the completed 3D structure is formed 9,26 . Because entire layers of the part can be formed at the same time, DLP is faster than other 3D printing technologies 26 .…”

“…Commercial printer resolution is a limiting factor for many researchers 30 . While advancements have been made in analyzing the physical limitations and biocompatibility of resins 25,26,31,32 , few studies have characterized the performance of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidics, a ubiquitous material used in biomedical applications 33 , fabricated via soft lithography using 3D printed molds. Our work addresses these challenges by systematically characterizing the impact of printing protocol and resin on PDMS microfluidic feature resolution and cell viability, respectively.…”

Multifunctional Medical Grade Resin with Enhanced Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties: The Effect of Copper Nano-Inclusions in Vat Polymerization (VPP) Additive Manufacturing

“…Their biocompatibility, how to certify it, and the processing requirements have been presented in the literature [ 45 ]. Medical grade resins have been employed in cadavers for pelvic tumor resection [ 46 ], for bone fixation in femoral fractures in orthopedics [ 47 ], in surgical instruments [ 48 ], in face anatomy for the fabrication of face masks [ 49 ], in health monitoring devices [ 50 ], in tracheal grafts [ 51 ], in implantable vaccines [ 52 ], in tissues [ 53 ], in bio-microfluidic devices [ 54 ], in oncological orthopedics [ 55 ], in medical inhalers [ 56 ], and in eye treatments [ 57 ]. Nanocomposites have been developed to enhance the mechanical performance of medical-grade resins [ 58 ] and to induce antibacterial properties [ 59 ].…”