Service \ Design & prototype \ 3D printing
3D PRINTING
Two-photon and DLP micro 3D printing of molds, microneedles, scaffolds and fixtures, with prototypes in 48 hours.
MATERIAL
Photopolymer resins · nylon · polypropylene
MINIMUM ORDER
Quantity one — no tooling
LEAD TIME
Prototypes in 48 hours · devices in 3 days
\ OVERVIEW
3D printing
Our additive manufacturing for microfluidics runs on two light-based platforms: two-photon polymerization for sub-micron, genuinely three-dimensional structures, and DLP projection micro-printing for microscale detail at speed. Most of what we print is something other than a channel — molds for PDMS chips, microneedle arrays, cell-culture scaffolds, optical and sensor interfaces, housings, fixtures and fluidic connectors. Prototypes take 48 hours and custom devices three days, with no tooling and no minimum quantity. When the printed design is right, the same team carries it into CNC, soft lithography or injection molding, with the transfer implications known from the start.
Sub-micron
two-photon minimum feature
2 µm
DLP optical resolution · ±10 µm tolerance
48 hours
standard prototype turnaround
Qty 1
minimum order · no tooling
ISO 13485
certified · FDA registered
\ CAPABILITIES
Capabilities and technical specifications
The platform is chosen on the smallest feature that has to be right — two-photon for sub-micron detail, DLP for microscale parts at speed, powder bed for tough functional parts — with prototypes in 48 hours and no tooling. Prints are designed by microfluidics engineers for sealing, flow paths and assembly; PDMS molds get the anti-inhibition treatment as standard.
Platforms
TECHNOLOGY
SYSTEM
BUILD CAPACITY
RESOLUTION AND TOLERANCE
MATERIALS
50 × 50 mm
print area
Sub-micron minimum feature; written point by point at the focus of a 780 nm laser
Two-photon polymerization (2PP)
Nanoscribe Quantum X bio
Two-photon photoresins, including cell-culture and biocompatible grades
50 × 50 × 50 mm
2 µm optical resolution; ±10 µm dimensional tolerance
DLP projection micro-stereolithography
BMF S230
Microscale photopolymer resins — rigid, tough, high-temperature and biocompatible grades
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——
LCD masked stereolithography
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Standard and engineering photopolymer resins — rigid, tough, high-temperature, castable
Also available
Powder-bed polymer
Nylon (polyamide) and polypropylene. No support structures required; used for functional housings, frames, jigs and chemically resistant parts
Post-processing
Wash and post-cure, support removal, surface treatment, silanization and conformal coating on molds
Downstream
Casting into PDMS, bonding, assembly and transfer to CNC or injection molding, all in house
Resolution and tolerance are not the same number.
A 2 µm optical resolution describes the smallest detail the projector can define; ±10 µm describes how close the finished part is to the CAD dimension. A microneedle tip is a resolution question. A part that has to seal against a mating face is a tolerance question — and the difference matters when quoting.
Larger than the build volume?
Parts are printed in sections and assembled, or made by CNC instead — which is often the better answer above this size anyway.
Equipment
The two-photon and DLP printers named in the platform table above.
Nanoscribe Quantum X bio
Principle
A 780 nm laser polymerizes a light-sensitive resin only at its focus, writing sub-micron 3D structures
Applications
Superlenses and metasurfaces, microneedles, cell-culture scaffolds, microfluidic molds
Maximum build area
50 × 50 mm
BMF S230
Principle
Digital light projection cures each layer as one image, for high-resolution, rapid prototyping of microscale structures
Applications
Microneedle arrays, PDMS chip molds, microchannel test structures
Maximum build volume
50 × 50 × 50 mm
\ MATERIALS
Materials
Photopolymers on the two light-based platforms; nylon and polypropylene where a part has to take load or resist solvent. Characteristics are family-level; we confirm the grade at DFM against what the part will touch.
Microscale photopolymer resins DLP — BMF S230
CHARACTERISTICS
Smooth surface, high dimensional accuracy, good toughness, low water absorption; rigid, tough, high-temperature and biocompatible grades
Typical use here:
PDMS chip molds, microneedle arrays, microchannel test structures, optical and sensor interfaces, fixtures
Two-photon photoresins 2PP — Nanoscribe Quantum X bio
CHARACTERISTICS
Written point by point at sub-micron resolution; cell-culture and biocompatible grades available
Typical use here:
Cell-culture scaffolds, fine microneedle tips, micro-lens arrays and metasurfaces, high-resolution molds
Nylon (polyamide) Powder bed — no support structures needed
CHARACTERISTICS
High strength and toughness, high chemical resistance; no support structures required
Typical use here:
Functional housings, cartridge frames, jigs and fixtures that see load
Polypropylene Powder bed — no support structures needed
CHARACTERISTICS
High toughness, very low water absorption, high chemical resistance, electrical insulation; no support structures required
Typical use here:
Chemically demanding functional parts and fluidic components
Printed resin can stop PDMS from curing.
This is the most common failure when a printed part is used as a PDMS mold. Residual photoinitiator and unreacted amine species at the resin surface poison the platinum cure of Sylgard 184, so the PDMS in contact with the mold stays tacky and uncured — often only a thin layer, which is why it is mistaken for a mixing error. The fix is a controlled post-cure and a barrier treatment (silanization, or a conformal parylene layer) before first casting. We apply it as standard on molds we know are for PDMS, so tell us what the print is for.
Closed printed channels are difficult to clear, and difficult to trust.
Uncured resin trapped inside a printed channel is hard to remove completely and continues to leach afterward. For anything with cells, reagent or an optical read, the reliable approach is to print the channel open and bond a lid. We design for that at DFM, and we do the bonding here.
3D printing vs. CNC micro milling vs. soft lithography vs. injection molding
Printing earns its place where geometry, speed or feature size is the constraint. It also fits where the printed part is a mold, a fixture, a scaffold or a design that will be remade later in a production process. Every substrate, grade by grade, is in the Materials guide.
ASPECT
3D PRINTING
CNC MICRO MILLING
SU-8 SOFT LITHOGRAPHY
INJECTION MOLDING
Tooling cost
None
None
Master required
Production mold
True 3D geometry
Yes — the main reason to choose it
Partial — multi-axis, layered plates
No — planar features only
Limited by draw direction
Minimum feature
Sub-micron (2PP); ~2 µm (DLP)
~100 µm
~5 µm
> 500 µm general features; 10–200 µm replicated channels
Turnaround
48 hours
5–10 days
1–2 weeks
8–10 weeks to T1
Material realism
Photopolymer or powder polymer — not a production thermoplastic
Production thermoplastic
Production PDMS
Production thermoplastic
Sensible quantity
1–200
1–500
20–5,000
500 upward
The honest limit: a printed part is rarely the product.
Photopolymers are not the resins a device ships in, and their optical, chemical and biocompatibility behavior differs from COC, PC or PDMS. COC, COP and PC are not printable in any process we would recommend for a fluidic device — those go to CNC micro milling for prototypes and injection molding for volume.
\ PROCESS
Printing process
Two printing tracks, chosen on the smallest feature; one post-processing line.
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Track A — Two-photon polymerization
Nanoscribe Quantum X bio. Sub-micron, genuinely three-dimensional structures written point by point — slow per unit volume, but the finest resolution we offer.
Design and DFM
CAD reviewed against the platform: minimum feature, write strategy and orientation, and — if the part is a mold — draw direction and release. Sub-micron detail such as needle tips, scaffold struts and optical structures routes here.
Free DFM review
Two-photon writing
A 780 nm laser polymerizes the resin only at its focus, so the structure is written voxel by voxel in three dimensions rather than layer by layer.
Sub-micron · 50 × 50 mm area
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Track B — DLP projection micro-printing
BMF S230. Whole layers projected at once — microscale detail at speed, across a 50 mm cube.
Design and DFM
CAD reviewed against the 2 µm pixel and the ±10 µm tolerance: layer orientation, support strategy, and which faces have to seal. A sealing face is a tolerance question; a fine feature is a resolution one.
Free DFM review
Layer-by-layer projection
Each layer is projected as a single image and cured at once, so build time scales with height rather than with detail.
2 µm resolution · ±10 µm
Post-processing — common to both tracks
Wash and post-cure
Uncured resin removed and the part cured to completion. For PDMS molds this stage is extended, because incomplete cure is what causes cure inhibition later.
Extended cure for PDMS molds
Support removal and surface treatment
Supports removed. Where the print is a mold: silanization or a conformal parylene coating against cure inhibition and for release. Functionalization on parts that will contact cells or reagent.
Silanization · parylene
Inspection
Dimensional check by optical microscopy and profilometry against the drawing; critical microfeatures — needle tips, channel cross-sections, lens profiles — inspected individually; surfaces checked for witness marks, layer stepping and residual resin.
Critical features inspected individually
What happens next
Cast into PDMS, bonded with a lid, assembled, or transferred to CNC or injection molding — all in house, with the transfer implications flagged at DFM rather than discovered at tooling.
48-hour prototype · 3-day device
\ QUALITY CONTROL
Quality control
Dimensional
Optical microscopy and profilometry against the approved drawing
Cure state
Post-cure verified on parts destined for PDMS casting or biological contact
Mold treatment
Barrier treatment confirmed on PDMS molds before first casting
Feature verification
Critical microfeatures — needle tips, channel cross-sections, lens profiles — inspected individually rather than sampled
Surface
Inspected for support witness marks, layer stepping and residual resin in recesses
Quality system
ISO 13485 certified · FDA registered
\ LEAD TIME & MOQ
Lead time & MOQ
Prototype turnaround
48 hours for a standard prototype from a clean CAD file
Sensible quantity
1–200 pieces; above that, CNC or molding is usually the cheaper route and we will say so
Custom devices
Three days, design received to part shipped — printed, treated, assembled
Quoted individually
Two-photon work with very long write times, and anything needing a surface treatment beyond the standard PDMS-mold barrier coat, or biological qualification
Minimum order
Quantity one — no tooling, nothing to amortize
Design changes
Cost a reprint, not a tool modification
\ SHOWCASE
Showcase
Applications
NEEDLE ARRAYS
Tip geometry set by two-photon resolution; arrays and their molds printed for transdermal delivery and sampling.
CHIP MOLDS
PDMS chip molds with the three-dimensional geometry SU-8 cannot form, treated against cure inhibition and cast here.
SCAFFOLDS
Scaffolds that give a culture its three-dimensional structure, written in cell-culture grade photoresins.
TRANSDERMAL
Microneedle arrays and delivery-device components prototyped in 48 hours, then moved to molding when the design is frozen.
FAQ
