Lab-on-chip devices usually need liquid ports: tube connectors for pressure-driven flow, or wells for pipetting liquid into a capillary-filled channel. Standard 2D molding only patterns one side of the chip, leaving you to punch holes and attach connectors on the other. Gluing connectors can be tricky, and ready-made ones can be expensive. A good alternative is to make your own connectors in OSTEMER and use its built-in epoxy chemistry to bond them to almost any chip surface during the second cure.
Step by step
- 1Design the connector in your CAD program of choice.
- 2Mill or 3D-print a master of the connector. You can also use an existing commercial fluidic port as the master.
- 3Cast a silicone mold from the master.
- 4Pour OSTEMER into the silicone mold and UV-cure (first cure).
- 5Demold the connector and align it on the chip surface.
- 6Heat-cure in an oven to bond the connector and stiffen the polymer.
Example
In this example, a 3D printer was used to make a master for four simple connectors that fit standard 1/16" PEEK tubing. A silicone mold was cast from the master, OSTEMER was poured into it and UV-cured, and the ports were then demolded, aligned on different chip surfaces and heat-cured to bond. The connector design was originally drawn in SolidWorks by Alexander Vastesson at KTH.
Note: OSTEMER replicates the mold surface faithfully, including the roughness of a 3D-printed master. Smooth the print first with acetone vapor or a sprayed acrylic coating.