Exploration of large scale manufacturing of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic devices

Abstract

Discussion of the current manufacturing process of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) parts and the emergence of PDMS use in biomedical microfluidic devices addresses the need to develop large scale manufacturing processes for the fabrication of said devices. Casting PDMS parts is found to be the best mass production process after evaluating several different production methods. Automation of the manufacturing process is introduced as a solution to the need for mass production. Changing variables within the production process and its effects are also discussed with the recommendation being made for using low viscosity pre-cured PDMS, high temperature curing and high vacuum degassing techniques to produce high quality parts at high production rates. The further development of producing two-sided PDMS parts is recommended by investigating the usage of a non-closed aspect limited casting process.