Microfluidic Devices and 3D Printing

Description

Integrating 3D printing technologies into microfluidic device fabrication has significantly advanced the field. Rapid prototyping and complex geometries are not easily achieved with traditional methods like soft lithography. Stereolithography (SLA) and two-photon polymerization can create exact, intricate microfluidic structures. Despite these advancements, challenges remain, particularly concerning material properties. Many 3D-printed materials lack the optical transparency and biocompatibility essential for biological applications. Requirements for higher-resolution for next-generation microfluidics continues to be a hurdle. To explore these developments further, 3DHEALS welcomes you to join our virtual event focusing on “Microfluidic Devices and 3D Printing” on April 17, 2025. This event gathers industry experts, scientists, designers, and entrepreneurs to provide insights into the latest trends and developments in the field. For more details and registration information, please visit the 3DHEALS events page.

Speakers:

Hemdeep Patel

Hemdeep brings over 30 years of business and entrepreneurial experience to his role as co-founder of CADWorks3D. An early adopter of 3D printing (2009), he recognized the waves 3D printing would make for manufacturing processes across various industries – and he knew he needed to be part of this movement. With a background in Physics and Astronomy, when he discovered the applications of 3D printing in scientific fields, particularly in microfluidics, the path was paved.

Paul Marshall

A mechanical engineer with 25 years professional experience, Paul has been involved in the Life Science sector for the last 10. He founded Rapid Fluidics in 2020 to provide a genuine rapid-protoype service to the microfluidics sector, based on the development of the process to meet the unmet need that he had experienced.

Christopher Moraes

Chris Moraes is a hybrid engineer: he trained in nanoengineering (B.A.Sc.), and switched into mechanical and biomedical engineering (Ph.D, U. Toronto) before holding a Banting / NSERC postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan’s Biointerfaces Institute. His research interests lie at the interface between engineering, biology and medicine, and he is particularly curious about the role microenvironmental biomechanical forces play in driving disease and development.

Jeff Schultz, Ph.D., MBA

Jeff Schultz, co-founder of Phase, has more than 20 years’ experience developing novel 3D printing techniques for a wide range of applications. Now, with the support of 3 NIH grants, Schultz is focusing on developing a novel way to 3D print microfluidics to make organ-on-a-chip models more commercially applicable and accessible.
He earned his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. in materials engineering from Virginia Tech, where his research focused on understanding the ranges of physical, rheologic and thermodynamic properties that made a polymer suitable for selective laser sintering additive manufacturing. Schultz then became a principal partner in a start-up 3D-printing company which developed metal additive manufacturing technology and aerodynamics instrumentation. There, he led technology development and was the first inventor on all the key patents related to its additive friction stir technology. After exiting the company, Schultz earned his MBA from MIT and then built the US additive manufacturing business unit for Oerlikon Corporation, a Swiss industrial conglomerate. The facility he grew and led at Oerlikon was among the largest additive manufacturing component production facilities globally.

After a successful scale-up at Oerlikon, Schultz returned to entrepreneurship and co-founded Phase, his second startup focused on developing additive manufacturing technology. The company has received support from the NIH, NC Biotech, and the State of North Carolina, and has 5 patents in various stages related to its novel 3D printing and VivorrayTM technology.

Moderator:

Dr. Jenny Chen

Dr. Jenny Chen is trained as a neuroradiologist, and founder/CEO of 3DHEALS. Her main interests include next-generation education, 3D printing in the healthcare sector, automated biology, and artificial intelligence. She is an angel investor who invests in Pitch3D companies.