Customizable 3D Printed ‘Plug and Play’ Millifluidic Devices for Programmable Fluidics

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141640
• Publication Date: 2015-11-11T13:43:39Z
• Authors: Soichiro Tsuda; Hussain Jaffery; David Doran; Mohammad Hezwani; Phillip J. Robbins; Mari Yoshida; Leroy Cronin
• Keywords: Fluidics; 3d printed; Flow Control; Plug and play

Three dimensional (3D) printing is actively sought after in recent years as a promising novel technology to construct complex objects, which scope spans from nano- over millimeter scale. Previously we utilized Fused deposition modeling (FDM)-based 3D printer chemical fluidic systems, and here demonstrate the construction of milli-fluidic structures for programmable liquid handling control biological samples. Basic operation devices, such water-in-oil (W/O) droplet generators producing compartmentalized mono-disperse droplets, sensor-integrated chamber online monitoring cellular growth, are presented. In addition, surface treatment techniques used valve-based flow selector inter-connectable modular devices networking parts. As this work paves way operations, mixing, control, reaction / cell culture progress can be carried out by constructing both passive active components printed structures, designs shared so that anyone with printers reproduce them themselves.