MIPS Project Detail:

Potomac Photonics, Inc.

Enhancing capacity to hot emboss microchannels

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Company

Potomac Photonics, Inc.

Catonsville

Baltimore

County

, Maryland

Founded:

1982

Website:

https://www.potomac-laser.com/

Company Description:

Potomac Photonics, a leader in microfabrication, has an extensive history of helping its clients develop miniature products and bring them to market quickly and costeffectively. Utilizing a broad range of technologies, Potomac can micromachine materials such as polymers, metals, ceramics, and glass with feature sizes that cannot be achieved using conventional processes.

MIPS Project

Enhancing capacity to hot emboss microchannels

Project #

5412

|

MIPS Round

54 |

Starting Date:

Aug 2014

MIPS Project Challenge:
The goal of this MIPS project was to help Potomac Photonics develop an increased capacity to meet the unexpectedly strong demand for high-quality hot embossing, small hole drilling, and external contour cutting at production scales for thermoplastic microfluidics.

Project Scope:
For this MIPS project, researchers planned to speed up Potomac Photonics’ ability to rapidly prototype complex microfluidic devices. They were also slated to increase the company’s annual capacity for microfluidics hot embossing and laser hole drilling and contour cutting from <20k units in small lots to >2M units of mixedvolume production; decrease unit cost from >$20 per part to <$2 per part; and help the company achieve the consistent, finely detailed patterns characteristic of hot embossed prototypes even at much higher production volumes. One particular focus was better design and fabrication of durable metal molds by laser or micro-CNC vs. epoxy dies.

This MIPS project involved the scale-up of manufacturing technologies used for fabricating microfluidic devices with miniature, sub-millimeter fluid flow channels. These devices are used in biomedical research, clinical diagnostics, drug delivery, and biochemical manufacturing and are experiencing rapid market growth. Microfluidic substrates can be made from plastic, glass or silicon. Plastic is usually preferred for mid- and high-volume production for cost reasons.

Results:

Potomac Photonics is now able to provide designers with a fast, low-cost approach, from prototyping to the mid-volume production of microfluidic flow structures. This provides an attractive alternative to do-it-yourself fabrication of devices in PDMS, or patching together a maze of less-than-optimum subcomponents. Designers are now able to quickly explore new concepts by digitally fabricating custom designs developed on their computers, submit them via the internet, and fabricate in popular polymer materials. The user experience is intended to be similar to purchasing items from a virtual vending machine that delivers customized products. Like any vending machine, this virtual one won’t be a replacement for full-service interactions with an appropriate group of humans. Potomac also continues to offer full-service microfabrication services.