Microfluidics that Stuns: It’s our annual event on 3D printing with microfluidics, and 3DHEALS has brought together four leaders in the field to share jaw-dropping designs and insightful entrepreneurial advice. In this event recap, we cover the latest developments in microfluidics, including cost-effective printing, the current state of the Gartner hype cycle, anatomical models, rapid manufacturing, tips for increasing user adoption, and more. Hear about the success stories (and failures) of commercializing printed microfluidic devices and how our speakers are making chip design more rapid, scalable, and productive. You can now watch the event on-demand through 3DHEALS Courses.
Towards the Plateau of Productivity
For many of us, 3D printing captures the imagination. It’s the adrenaline rush that we live for. But after all the hype clears and the dust settles, where’s the field going? Dr. Christopher Moraes, Associate Professor at McGill University, puts 3D printing for microfluidics into perspective by turning to the Gartner hype cycle. This framework describes how innovations quickly reach their peak hype, crash into a state of disillusionment, and steadily regain attention to reach a plateau of productivity and realistic expectations.
Dr. Moraes says we’ve seen the disillusionment with 3D printing microfluidics: you can’t print with any material you want, very high-resolution prints aren’t easy, and it takes some work to build up the necessary infrastructure. However, Dr. Moraes remains optimistic, and he is tackling issues related to infrastructure and speed head-on.
He’s exploring the opportunities that low-cost $500 printers are presenting. For example, it is now affordable to place printers in collaborators’ labs worldwide and have microfluidic devices printed at the location where they will be used. No more shipping costs and wasted time sending parts back and forth for development. His lab is also taking a down-to-earth approach by repurposing off-the-shelf lab equipment as components for their innovative systems. For example, they integrate inexpensive Falcon tubes with their printed microfluidic systems to create an automatic cell culture media delivery device, thereby reducing costs.
The key is seeing disillusionment as an opportunity for growth. What others perceive as a failure of 3D printing to meet expectations is an opportunity for innovators to fill the gap. The lows of the hype cycle are the highlights for Dr. Moraes and our speakers: it’s what drives them to keep pushing the 3D printing field forward, even if that progress is slow and steady. And it isn’t about riding the hype cycle out and waiting for the plateau of productivity to come with time. Instead, it’s about maintaining that powerful sense of optimism, seizing the opportunity that the hype has created to reach the peak, fall back into failure, and get back up yet again.
The Need for Speed
The stunning designs our speakers share in their presentations showcase both the incredible engineering and awe-inspiring artistry that 3D printing innovators bring to the table. Paul Marshall, CEO and co-founder of Rapid Fluidics, shared some spectacular visuals of prints his company has made. Marshall is bringing the field one step closer to creating realistic organ models by printing microfluidic devices that feature channels in organic shapes that mimic the natural vessel structures found in the human body. The complexity of the chip design exemplifies the versatility that 3D printing offers but also the imagination and ingenuity that forward-thinkers in this space possess to push the boundaries of what can be fabricated.
But with all the versatility that 3D printing offers and the variety of directions that microfluidics is headed in, speed is still a top priority for Marshall. The company specializes in providing rapid 3D printing services for microfluidics to clients who want to get their ideas prototyped without all the hassle and infrastructure. Turn a 6 week project into a 1-2 day turnaround? Yup, done that! Marshall described how they fabricated a batch of valve manifolds using 3D printing in just 1-2 days, whereas it would have taken 6 weeks using conventional machining methods. It’s this perfect combination of speed and artistry that’s got our eye on Rapid Fluidics, and we’re excited that innovators such as Marshall are bringing microfluidics to the masses, making these devices for anyone who needs them without asking these new adopters to make further sacrifices in terms of cost, time, or complexity of design.
What Marshall’s company has got is the need for speed. We can show off the coolest features that 3D printing has to offer, but any off-site printing has got to support rapid, fast-paced innovation that people desire for the technique to stand a chance in the long run.
Having that WOW Factor
An innovator has got to captivate an audience. It’s the wow factor that our speakers bring that makes them stand out from the crowd and become memorable. Look no further for that element of surprise than Hemdeep Patel, CEO and co-founder of CADWorks3D. Patel’s company focuses on creating 3D printers and inks that are optimized for microfluidics applications. Compared to commercial 3D printers, Patel shared that his printers are able to make cleaner, smoother microfluidic channels.
The company is set to launch a new ink for printing microfluidic devices called their Cyto-Clear photopolymer resin. It’s been validated over several cell lines, achieving over 90% cell viability. And it’s extremely optically clear, allowing users to perform microscopic analysis directly on the microfluidic device and enabling fluorescence microscopy by being inert to UV light. But the key selling point was the reveal at the end. Patel had done his entire presentation with a microfluidic device printed with Cyto-Clear resin covering his camera. The device was just so transparent that Patel could be seen in a picture-perfect view the entire time.
Patel’s showstopper is an important reminder to entrepreneurs that sharing your product is all about engaging the audience. What do you want to make your audience feel? What elements of surprise are you bringing to the table? Those who share a unique perspective, a heartwarming story, or a dramatic reveal are the ones that audiences remember. 3D printing is just as much about cutting edge technology as it is about the way we share it with others.
The Adoption Equation
How do we get more people to use 3D printing for microfluidics? Dr. Jeff Schultz, co-founder of Phase, points out some key considerations to increase user adoption. One tip is to avoid like-for-like substitutions. Hone in on creating products that really leverage the benefits that 3D printing has to offer, such as fabricating complex designs that traditional manufacturing methods don’t stand a chance against. If the print doesn’t offer substantially higher value and functionality, potential customers likely won’t make the switch to 3D printing.
Dr. Schultz also notes how several successful commercialization cases of 3D printing involved using familiar materials where the properties and behavior have already been characterized. For example, the GE aerospace engine fuel nozzle was 3D printed with a well-known cobalt chrome alloy, and spinal implants were printed with titanium alloy Ti64, the same material as the machined version. Dr. Schultz says that’s the reason why his company, Phase, has focused on fabricating quality products with PDMS so that they can employ industry standard materials that customers are familiar with and will be more likely to adopt.
Innovators must clearly outline how the rewards outweigh the risks, especially for 3D printing to prove successful. It’s the companies that bring the unique features of 3D printing into the spotlight that will ultimately gain the user base they need to gain traction in this rapidly changing field.
What we’re thinking
When asked what they desire if it could happen like magic, all of the speakers agreed: collaboration. In this era of new innovations and competition in 3D printing, collaboration among entrepreneurs, researchers, and clinical experts is at the core of what will help the field move forward. Even if the hype may have settled, the motivation to improve the ease and functionality of 3D printed microfluidics as a community is as strong as ever. Join us along for the ride by subscribing to 3DHEALS and registering to see our events live.
About the Author:
Peter Hsu is an editorial intern for 3DHEALS. He is currently an undergraduate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and studies bioengineering with a focus on cell and tissue engineering. He is also minoring in computer science with interests in artificial intelligence and image processing. Peter conducts research on using computer vision methods to analyze human tissue images and improving the robustness of machine learning workflows. He is interested in the use of AI to assist tissue engineering and bioprinting research for medical applications. He is passionate about science communication and leads STEM outreach lessons at schools in the central Illinois area.
Related Links:
Microfluidic Devices and 3D Printing (On Demand, 2025)
3D Printing Organ on a Chip, Microfluidics Devices (On Demand, 2023)
3D Printing and Microfluidics (On Demand, 2022)
Microfluidics, Technology, Commercialization (On Demand, 2021)
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