What happens when you can design tiny fluid channels overnight instead of waiting months for them to arrive? That question is addressed in today’s episode with Paul Marshall, CEO of Rapid Fluidics. Paul’s company uses 3D printing to speed up microfluidics prototyping and production, giving scientists and engineers tools that match the pace of their ideas. In our conversation, Paul traces his path from designing industrial inkjet printers and offshore fabrications to founding Rapid Fluidics in 2020. We explore how additive manufacturing offers new possibilities beyond conventional fabrication and what it takes to grow a thriving biotech business.
⚠️ Disclaimer:
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The views expressed do not constitute medical or financial advice. The technologies and procedures discussed may not be commercially available or suitable for every case. Always consult with a licensed professional.
About Our Guest
Paul Marshall is the founder and Managing Director of Rapid Fluidics. His career spans more than 14 years of engineering, from building industrial inkjet printers to managing 1000-ton offshore fabrications. Along the way, he gained experience in sales, CAD training, and technical support, but ultimately wanted to focus his skills on something with lasting impact.
That opportunity arrived in 2014, when Paul joined biotech startup QuantuMDx in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. There, he led the engineering of a point-of-care molecular diagnostic device built around a microfluidic cartridge. His PhD at Newcastle University gave him the tools to spot a market gap in rapid prototyping for microfluidics. Six years later, he founded Rapid Fluidics to deliver that service, providing researchers with designs that move as quickly as their science.
Key Takeaways
- 3D printing has shortened the prototyping cycle for microfluidics from months-long waits to overnight delivery, giving researchers more freedom to experiment.
- The flexibility of resin printing allows Rapid Fluidics to produce complex, branching fluid networks and integrated devices that traditional fabrication cannot easily replicate.
- Challenges remain around material transparency, fluorescence, and biocompatibility, yet these constraints push ongoing R&D.
- Scaling a hardware startup means balancing bespoke client projects with the need for repeatable, standardized designs that can be produced at higher volume.
Entrepreneurship is both stressful and rewarding. For Paul, the chance to build something that accelerates science makes the risks worthwhile.
The Challenge of Traditional Microfluidics
- Conventional fabrication methods like soft lithography and CNC machining are time-intensive with delivery times stretching as far as 18 weeks.
- It’s difficult for researchers to test hypotheses quickly due to long delays. This leads to lost momentum and missed opportunities.
- Even minor design changes can require restarting the fabrication cycle.
Rapid Fluidics was created to address this gap and plans on cutting turnaround to a matter of days while maintaining design flexibility.
How Rapid Fluidics Works
- Uses resin-based 3D printing to build microfluidic devices with complex internal geometries.
- Prototypes can be delivered within 24 hours! Clients are given immediate feedback on new designs.
- Devices are not limited to “lab-on-a-chip” applications. Projects have included:
- Leaf-inspired vascular networks that are modeled on natural branching structures to study fluid dynamics.
- Valve manifolds that integrate multiple valves into a single printed unit to simplify assemblies.
- Anatomical models for research, education, and clinical planning
- The company’s rapid iteration cycle lets clients move from idea to functional prototype without the bottlenecks of traditional manufacturing.
Expanding Applications
- Life sciences and biotech: Tools for diagnostics, drug development, and experimental biology.
- Pharma and commercial R&D: Tailored manifolds and fluidic systems for specialized testing.
- Education and training: Clear anatomical models and simplified fluidic devices for teaching complex principles.
- Standard lab equipment: Innovations in familiar formats, like the 96-well plate, that improve usability.
Rapid Fluidics bridges academic research, industrial application, and clinical interest, showing how microfluidics can reach far beyond the lab.
Scaling the Business
- Growth depends on managing the tension between custom prototyping and repeatable products that can serve larger markets.
- Support from Innovate UK has helped fund R&D and hardware development
- Enabling closer collaboration with biotech and pharmaceutical partners by expanding to the U.S. market as a future goal.
- Paul emphasizes that staying nimble is essential. Even as the company scales, maintaining speed and responsiveness remains the core value proposition.
Entrepreneurship and Advice
- Running a hardware company brings pressure, but also immense satisfaction in seeing ideas take shape and help clients move forward.
- Paul encourages young engineers to:
- Take risks early in their careers even if it feels uncomfortable.
- Say yes to opportunities. What starts as a sketch can grow into a company.
- Accept that stress is part of the journey and remember that the fun lies in building something tangible and impactful.
- His career reflects the value of applying engineering skills to problems that matter, where even small improvements can create a big difference for researchers and patients.
Resources & Follow-up
🌐 Guest & Company
🔗 Institutions & Collaborations
🔗 Microfluidics & 3D Printing Resources
- General Microfluidics Overview (Lab on a Chip, RSC)
- Dolomite Microfluidics (extrusion systems)
- Microfluidics Shift in COVID (NIH)
🔗 Applications Mentioned in the Transcript
- Lab-on-a-Chip Background (NIH)
- 96 Well Plate Format (Thermo Fisher)
- Point of Care Molecular Diagnostics (ScienceDirect)
- 3D CAD Technology
- PCB Embedded Wells & Technology (Nature Article)
🔗 Media & Podcasts Referenced
📚 Books & Culture References
- Stephen King
- George R. R. Martin (author of Game of Thrones)
- Hadrian’s Wall (inspiration for The Wall in GoT)
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