Dual expert session: Polymer Prototyping and Complex 3D Glass Structuring
WATCH RECORDING FROM: Thursday, 2nd September 2021
Join leading experts in microfluidic polymer and glass diagnostics for this deep dive into microfluidic diagnostics development. The two sessions focus on how good practices in prototyping and early-stage manufacturing reduce costs, complexity and risk in both the short and long term. Session one will deliver insights into best practice prototyping for polymer microfluidic devices. Session two will outline in detail how laser-enabled glass structuring and bonding can help deliver lower-cost glass microfluidics.
Session 1: The Perils of Prototyping – Lessons in Microfluidic Diagnostic Consumables
Dr Jason Hayes, VP Research and Development, SCHOTT MINIFAB
With increasing availability of a wide range of microstructuring solutions, prototypes containing features with micron-sized tolerances can be readily achieved. These microfeatures often become critical to enabling unique functions, with little consideration to the impact on downstream development activities. As the need for part numbers increases from early laboratory testing towards clinical trials, managing cost and quality must dominate the design for manufacture process to ensure a viable solution which, in the worst case, can lead to a redesign of the product. We present examples of similar issues experienced at SCHOTT MINIFAB, and discuss how solutions have been successfully implemented.
Dr Jason Hayes is the head of R&D at Schott Minifab and is responsible for identifying new technologies required to support our growth in both development and manufacturing activities. Over the last 25 years Jason has been involved in establishing the microfabrication capabilities that now form Schott Minifab, and on this journey has seen increasing levels of fluidic complexity and functional integration required to make the types of diagnostics products that are making headlines today.
Session 2: Manufacturing Glass Microfluidic Devices – A New Approach to Create Lower Cost Complex 3D Structures
Dr. Felix Dreisow, Scientific Advisor Laser & Bonding Technology, SCHOTT MINIFAB
In various diagnostic and biotech microfluidic applications, glass is the required substrate due to its superior performance versus polymers across multiple criteria. These criteria include chemical and heat resistance, optical quality and geometric accuracy. However, it is also associated with being a more costly material to use than polymers, which can be an important challenge in the course of developing and manufacturing a commercially successful product. As a solution to this challenge, we present SCHOTT MINIFAB’s approach to reduce production costs of microfluidic glass assemblies. This presentation will address the limitations of traditional semiconductor manufacturing processes for diagnostic microfluidic applications and detail the alternative two-stage approach that SCHOTT MINIFAB has developed for laser-enabled glass structuring and bonding. Participants will learn how this approach enables lower cost assembled glass microfluidic solutions from project development scale-up stages through to high volume fully automated manufacturing.
Dr Felix Dreisow joined SCHOTT MINIFAB in 2018 as Scientific Advisor in Laser and Bonding Technology and is responsible for the development and implementation of laser cutting processes, marking and shaping of glass, converting adhesive tapes and glass-to-glass bonding. He earned his PhD in Laser Physics in 2010 from the University of Jena (Germany) and has spent that past decade in a variety of roles with a particular focus on glass.
