Open AccessDesign and characterization of a 3D-printed staggered herringbone mixer
Author(s) -
Vedika J Shenoy,
Chelsea E. R. Edwards,
Matthew E. Helgeson,
Megan T. Valentine
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
biotechniques/biotechniques
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.617
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1940-9818
pISSN - 0736-6205
DOI - 10.2144/btn-2021-0009
Subject(s) - 3d printing , photolithography , replica , microfluidics , fabrication , molding (decorative) , 3d printed , calibration , computer science , throughput , characterization (materials science) , materials science , nanotechnology , computer hardware , engineering drawing , engineering , biomedical engineering , telecommunications , composite material , medicine , art , visual arts , statistics , alternative medicine , mathematics , pathology , wireless
3D printing holds potential as a faster, cheaper alternative compared with traditional photolithography for the fabrication of microfluidic devices by replica molding. However, the influence of printing resolution and quality on device design and performance has yet to receive detailed study. Here, we investigate the use of 3D-printed molds to create staggered herringbone mixers (SHMs) with feature sizes ranging from ∼100 to 500 μm. We provide guidelines for printer calibration to ensure accurate printing at these length scales and quantify the impacts of print variability on SHM performance. We show that SHMs produced by 3D printing generate well-mixed output streams across devices with variable heights and defects, demonstrating that 3D printing is suitable and advantageous for low-cost, high-throughput SHM manufacturing.