Beta Pack

PMMA Device Station

From mold development to high resolution PMMA chip fabrication

Fast process

A quick way to produce PMMA chips in less than a day

Multiple applications

Everything you need to fabricate a versatile and biocompatible microfluidic device

Simple and innovative setup

Rapid and customized installation

Benefits:

Fast fabrication process to develop your chip in 5 hours or less.
Fabricate your high-resolution devices without initial knowledge of microfabrication.
Highly reproducible processes from reusable molds to PMMA chip fabrication.
Get advantage of our expertise in photolithography and the hot embossing process.
Inexpensive and innovative process suitable for different applications.

PMMA devices present properties that convey multiple advantages such as:

Characteristics	PMMA	PDMS
Transparency	Transparent and optically clear	Transparent and optically clear
Fabrication	Machining, laser cutting	Soft lithography
Bonding	Solvent bonding, thermal bonding, or adhesive bonding	Oxygen plasma treatment or adhesive bonding
Elasticity	Rigid	Flexible and elastomeric
UV radiation resistivity	Moderate to high	Low
Surface properties	Hydrophobic, requires surface modification for hydrophilicity	Hydrophobic, naturally hydrophilic, can be surface modified
Gas permeability	Low	High
Chemical compatibility	Chemically resistant to many solvents and reagents	Limited chemical compatibility, can swell or leach components
Biocompatibility	Biocompatible with certain cell types and assays	Biocompatible with a wide range of biological samples
Connection options	External connectors (stainless, steel, plastic)	Tubing or syringe needles
Connector compatibility & ease of connection	Compatible with a variety of connector types: Requires proper alignment and connection of external connectors	Compatible with tubing or syringe needles: Tubing or needles can be easily inserted into the PDMS channels

Overall, if you want to do easy prototyping and work at low pressure, PDMS devices are a good fit for your requirements.

If you want to apply high pressure or potentially scale up your process later, PMMA must be the perfect material for you.

Depending on your final application, our experts help you define the best material to reach your goal.

This pack guarantees a total and autonomous PMMA device manufacturing for microfluidics, Bio-MEMS, or other applications.

Included

Master mold fabrication (same as PDMS):

Laminator
UV lamp
Heat plate

PMMA replication:

Ultrasonic bath
Heat press
Oven
Pressurized air installation
Plasma cleaner

Materials:

All resources (PMMA film, dry photoresist film) are included. We also provide all product references needed to refill your stock in the future.

Accessories:

All lab accessories (glass slides, iron slides, slide holders, Petri dishes, tweezers, solvent bottles, thermal gloves, etc.) can be included. We also provide all product references needed to refill your stock in the future. The mask used depends on the application, therefore a mask design can be discussed.

Chemicals:

All chemicals (Isopropanol, acetone, developer, etc) can be included. We also provide all product references needed to refill your stock in the future.

Step by step overview of PMMA Chip fabrication

We can also provide you:

Ultrasonic bath
Drilling machine
Classical designs of photomasks

CONTENT:

Laminator: An easy-to-use hot and cold laminator

Dimensions : 500*200*100mm.
Laminating Speed: 560mm/min
MAX Laminating thickness: 1mm

UV lamp: A functional exposure-masking chamber operating with a cold UV source with pattern resolutions down to 1µm.

Dimensions : 260*260*260mm.
Wavelength: 365nm +/- 5 nm
MAX Substrate thickness: 2 mm

Heat plate: A programmable hot plate with a smooth temperature ramp.

Dimensions:203*203 mm.
Max temperature: 450℃.
Temperature accuracy: 1%.

Heat press With Double Heating Plate:

Dimensions:420*550*680mm.
Max temperature: 300℃.
Pressure range: 0-25 tons.

Oven: A conventional laboratory oven

Dimensions: 150 L
Max temperature: 250°C

OPTIONS:

Ultrasonic bath
Drilling machine

APPLICATIONS

Thanks to its properties (transparency, recyclability, high biocompatibility), the PMMA device can be used for multiple applications such as:

Biomedical research and diagnostics: Thanks to its transparency that facilitates imagining, PMMA devices can be used for cell culturing, drug screening, DNA analysis, protein assays, and point-of-care diagnostics.
Droplet-based Microfluidics: PMMA devices can be used to generate and manipulate droplets in areas like: high-throughput screening, single-cell analysis, and chemical synthesis. PMMA’s compatibility with various fluids and its hydrophobic nature allows for precise droplet generation and control.
Organ-on-a-Chip: PMMA’s transparency facilitates real-time observation and analysis of organ-on-a-chip models.
Environmental Monitoring: such as water quality analysis and pollutant detection. PMMA devices can integrate sensors and detection methods to analyze samples and provide rapid and portable testing solutions.
Microreactors: PMMA devices can be used as microreactors for chemical reactions at the microscale. These microreactors enable precise control of reaction conditions, enhanced mixing, and reduced reaction times. PMMA’s chemical resistance and ease of fabrication make it suitable for creating microreactor systems.

Overall, PMMA is a well-known material for mass production and therefore very easy to manufacture on a large scale. Thus, if you want to go through a prototyping phase for all these applications before possibly considering larger production, it must be a suitable material for your requirements!

Our team of experts can assist you in determining the most appropriate material based on your final application, ensuring that you achieve your desired outcome.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR BETA PACK

Elveflow offers compatible instruments for standard commercialized chips from various brands. You can customize your Elveflow Beta Pack to suit your specific needs, with guidance from our specialists who will suggest the best instruments and accessories. We can also help you set up the perfusion system.

Elveflow provides a broad range of reservoirs, flow sensors, bubble detectors, traps, and other relevant instruments. All instruments are controlled by the same Elveflow software interface, enabling workflow automation and easy integration into your program using free available libraries.

– Check our other Beta Packs for various applications –

The BioPros and Micro4Nano projects results helped develop this instrument pack, with funding from the European Union’s Horizon research and innovation program under HORIZON-CL4-2021-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01-27, grant agreement no. 101070120 and the European Union under H2020-MSCA-RISE-2020, grant agreement No. 101007804.