Laboratory for Manufacturing and Sustainability

Microfluidic devices are gaining popularity in a variety of applications, ranging from molecular biology to bio-defense. However, the widespread adoption of this technology is constrained by the lack of efficient and cost-effective manufacturing processes. This paper focuses on the roller imprinting process, which is being developed to rapidly and inexpensively fabricate micro-fluidic devices. In this process, a cylindrical roll with raised features on its surface creates imprints by rolling over a fixed workpiece substrate and mechanically deforming it. Roller imprinting aims to replace processes that were developed for laboratory scale prototyping which tend to not be scalable and have high equipment requirements and overheads. We discuss the limitations of PDMS soft lithography in large-scale manufacture of microfluidic devices. We also discuss the design, fabrication, and testing of a simple roller imprinting device. This imprinter has been developed based on the principles of precision machine design and is implemented using a three-axis machine tool for actuation and position measurement. A framework for the micromachining of precision imprint rolls is also presented.