[P007] Poster

12:10 PM - 1:00 PM JST(3:10 AM - 4:00 AM UTC)

[P04-587] Machinable Microfluidic Devices for Precision, Repeatability and Cost Reduction

○Evan Griffiths¹, Blaine Berrington¹ (1. Montana Technological University (USA))

Keywords:

Microfluidics,Organ-on-a-Chip,Micro Machining,Tissue Culture

This work presents a precision-engineered approach to microfluidic fabrication addressing barriers to adoption in biotechnology. Conventional fabrication relies on hydrofluoric acid etching and soft lithography using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) methods with significant challenges: strict PPE needs, operator variability, and poor material compatibility. PDMS devices are prone to delamination, solvent swelling, and non-specific protein adsorption, often failing in cell culture or drug discovery. Furthermore, permanent bonding makes devices non-repairable, creating costly, single-use consumables incompatible with high-throughput workflows.To overcome these limits, we utilize Computer Numerical Control (CNC) micromachining as a robust, scalable platform. CNC micromilling enables the rapid, highly reproducible production of microfluidic chips from a broad range of chemically inert, biocompatible materials—including engineering thermoplastics (e.g., PMMA, PEEK), metals, and machinable ceramics—selected to match the demands of specific biological assays. Programmable toolpaths deliver sub-millimeter geometries with tight tolerances, eliminating the variability inherent to wet etching. Unlike bonded devices, CNC-machined chips use mechanical sealing for non-destructive disassembly, enabling cleaning, inspection, and reconfiguration. This transforms the chip from a disposable into a durable, reusable platform, reducing per-experiment costs and accelerating design cycles.A key application is organ-on-a-chip (OoC) systems. OoC devices replicate physiological microenvironments by co-culturing cells within architectures that recapitulate in vivo mechanical cues, fluid shear, and biochemical gradients. CNC machining is uniquely suited to OoC: milling multi-layer networks in thermoplastics allows for vascular-epithelial interfaces and tailored geometries for gut and lung on-a-chip models. Mechanical disassembly further supports workflows by permitting mid-experiment access for cell seeding, membrane integration, and tissue retrieval—capabilities absent in bonded PDMS devices. This provides a reproducible, cost-accessible route to complex microphysiological systems for toxicology and disease modeling.Beyond OoC, CNC microfluidic devices offer broad utility. In cell culture, precise geometries maintain oxygen and nutrient gradients essential for 3D tissue viability. In drug discovery, high-reproducibility supports robust, high-throughput screening with minimal variance. Chemical resistance allows chips to withstand complex matrices in diagnostics. This platform also democratizes research: by replacing specialized cleanrooms with accessible CNC equipment, we lower entry barriers for academic and industrial settings. Ultimately, CNC-machined devices represent a practical, precision-oriented paradigm positioned to accelerate innovation across cell biology and pharmaceutical development.